Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-10-02
Qua1 du Mont Blanc, which, the guide-book
afirms, affords "a strikingly majestic view Of
the Mont Blanc group which is visible almost

the Mont Blanc group which is visible almost
IN lis entire extent" but some vexatiouS
clouds were always in the way. But on the
diligence about halfway to Chamouny, and
whole group burst upon us in unclouded gran.
deur, and then all the way to the valley OF
eChamouny and up it, and all that night and
and the view perfect. The diligence ride up
to Chamouny is by no means as attractive as
that up to Grindewald and the Jungfrau from
river Arve, is for considerable part Of the
way deSOlate waste of coarse gravel, boul
dT and Eeer sTs but
green meadow to refresh the eye. By the way,
even in the most beautiful Of Alpine meadows
one 81 misses III peculiar charm Of our New Eag-
a loss to call to mind what was wanting, aud
then " occurred to me-; 1t was the dropping
elm, that with its graceful, fountain shaped
the Conway, Bethel, and Franconia mea
dows: The .Lombardy. poplar in this
&c country supplies the place Of the elm
II 4 "a 1aS % r
regions is the larch with It's feathery spray,
but it is rather formal in outline. The dill
gences now in use between Geneva and Cha
mouny are an improvement upon the lumber
ing oldstyle vehicles of that name. They have
no interior" seats. aphorred by tourists who
or banquette seats, with the exception Of the
coupe seats In front: and the luggage is car
ried in the part of the carriage that used to be
seem to be inferior however, and do not by
any means go dashing over the Alpine roads
in the style represented in pictures They
crawl T along the steady up grade to Chamouny
longer making the trip than the time adver
tlSed There are several competing lines be
tween Geneva and Chamouny this season, and
their runners are button -hOling tourists on
every. corner, offering tickets for from six to
niEe francs, or good deal less than half the
old prices. 1t was hot on the way to Cha:
monnE. even under the great glaciers, and
umbrellas were freely used to avert the suns
rays We noticed on this trip (for the first
time in this region) labor saving machine in
the fields, i'll the shape of a eam-threSher.
The Swiss and the French here in Savoy do
pretty much everything by hand.
ALPINE THRIFT AND ALPINE WOMEN.
1t is hard to realize here in the Mont Blanc
region of French Savoy that you are not in
Switzerland, for the houses, (chalets), the
habits of the people, the laboriously cultivated
bits of field and pasturage on the mountain
sides are all the same, and the scenery is of
course the same. The manure heap. as the
sign OF thrift and property is paraded in front
OF the house, just as in Switzerland, where it
is considered mark of substantial citizen
snip TO have big compost heap. Thus in the
prettieSt envirens OF Bern. directly in front of
the residence of the President of the Swiss Re
public, a en,farmer has built UP an elab.
crate compost heap, with walls of braided
straw, that can be seen land smelt) for square
or two. The Savoy women, like the Swiss wo-
men, are surely the most industrious creatures
that the world ever saw. You see these Alpine
women always busy,-at work in the fields,
pulling flax, digging potatoes and carrying
them home in SACKS on their shoulders; gath
eiing m -nure on the highways with rakes and
baskets; breaking stone for the roads with
hammers having long flexible handles tend
g ing cattle in in rain and shine; taking the mules
The guides and mule-drivers return from Sume
easy excursion with tourists; washing clothes
mending the breaks in the walls of the trouble,
some glacier streams: milking the cows AMI
goats at night while their husbands are enjoy
I'M ing themselves in the wine shops and in shor5
making themselves always useful. Probably
nobody ever saw an idle Alpine woman or one
taking any relaxation. Even when they walk
along the roads, or tend COWS in the fields they
are always knitting stockings Or something.
what wives these women must make! or
course We could not expect our American
wives to do all these things, (probably they
would not II we diO, but just think OF it,
what saving there would be If, for instance
the thirty thousand wives of Washington were
Only to Knit al the time as they go about, as
band!
LoAFING IN FRONT OF MONT BLANC.
1 have been loating in the valley of Cha.
mouny for the last fortnight in the way of
health recuperatiOn to get the benefit of the
braclng air; have done moderate amount of
AiiouAtoAA nLlu SldClCI CllluUluS, DuG nave
spent good deal of the time vagabOndizing
up and down the valley, watching the noun.
ta1ns IN all their aspects of sunshine, cloud
ana storm; or o., who has to hurry on his trip to
reach rana his his September I Cunarder for home has
to Martiguy over the Tete Noir pass and back
BY the Col du Balme, have returned to Paris.
up to the time OF the separation of our party
mere we had been favored with exceptionally
fine weather for the Alps and our trip alto
getner mad Deen made under the most favor
it abie !!m circumstances. l suppose every one of
derfql enjoyment. Since they left the weather
has been changeaEle with violent storms.
thunder @ and lightning and floods, that tore up
mouny from communication with the outside
world; but l have enjoyed the storm almost
more than the sunshine. The mountains are
grander when their peaks show out ABOVE S The
clouds, like the battlements, towers and spires
Of an al h upper worid: In the intervals of rain
Giace, and the Mauvais Pas, and the Chapeau.
and he Flegere, and Plaupraz, and Brevent,
and anu PieIre I IPointue, and the Glacier des Bos.
other points of view iaiG down as the proper
ones, mes, put perhaps the most enjoyable that
named in the guide books at ali. Here
a, front view OF this Niagara OF Gla-
Mont Blanc group are particularly fine, there
is charming spread of the greeneSt pasture
AND meadow between you and the white eter-
nal SHOWS opposite, the musical tinkIe of the
cow. bells, and the singing of the children tend
Ing the COWS Is very pleasant, there is won.
der1ul stream OF the clearest and icieSt water
OF considerable volume that bursts out from
tne mountain rock below you without any ap-
parent source; and more than all there Is a
convenient saw-mill in the valley fed by this
very stream, where you can seek shelter when
tneSe sudden Alpine showers come upon YOU
l did not tackle Mont Blanc, but clambered uD
70 point not far from the Grand Mulets the
place Where parties making the ascent of the
mountain spend the night. The surprising
feature IN this climb is the manner in which
0I the Glacier BOssOuS develops as you go up
It is much more impressive lhan the Mer de-
Giace, though the latter Is considerably the
longest. The guides have pleasant way of
inspiring confidence to venture upon the lea
by telling you that there are eighteen dead
DOdleS In this glacier, the victims OF attempts
70 ascend Mont Blanc, and that at the rate of
glacier motion they will emerge ag the foot in
aoOut forty two years This is considered a
favorable season to make the ascent of Mont
Blanc, the snow being in good condition.. and
some twenty persons, including two ladies'.
nave reached the summit successfully. MOnt
Blanc does not in fact rank now amongst the
ol1ncult mountains to ascend, though it is a
tedious and expensive one, requiring about
Ihree days time, and heavy outlay for
guides, pOrters, provisions, &c. The view from
the top Is inferior, and those vino go up do it
rather for the name OF the thing than any-
tning else. Those who do not excuse them
serves sometimes by saying that they promised
LnelI @ wives not to undertake any dangerous