Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-09-25
ACROSS THE CONTINENT
OF EUROPE.
LAST DAYS on THE CONTINENT AND GREAT
BRITAIN-THE OCEAN VOYAGE ON RE-
TURN TO AMERICA.


PARIS, August 81, 1879.
EDS. HERALD:
We have passed through Switzerland
and are now at Paris, but before we bid
farewell to the land of Tell,'' with its
| beautiful lakes and regions of perpetual
snow, we wish to make few remarks in
relation to it. Hotels may be said to be
a speciality of Switzerland. The modern
establishments at all places frequented
by tourists are models of organization
on most extensive scale. The smaller
| inns are equally well conducted, and in
French and German Switzerland a really
bad hotel is rarely met with. Then their
railway ears are built more on the Ameri-
can plan-that is to say, though they are
in compartments the entrance is from an
end platform, like our own, with doors
| from one compartment to the other-vir-
tually passage through the car. Their
second and third-class cars are in one
| long compartment, like American cars.
| Switzerland is governed by a Federal
form of government, similar to that of
the United States, and, living under
free government, the people assume the
air of those not bound down by the yoke
of Kings, Queens and Emperors, and,
whether in the valleys or in their chdtets
far up on the mountain slopes-so tar and
so high that to the eye they look more like
little brown nuts than places of habita-
tion-this same spirit of freedom is made
doubly manifest by the thrift and endur-
ance thus portrayed. From the fact that
Switzerland is composed of three nation
alities-Italian, German and French
three languages are spoken by the Swiss,
and we are told they are required to learn
them at their common schools. High up
in the mountain passes, near the glaciers
and perpetual snow range, the winters
are extremely cold and severe, and usually
last about six months of the year; con-
sequently, very little vegetation grows at
this altitude. We speak more of the Sim
plon Pass, as over this we passed good
deal of the way on foot, and had a good
chance to observe the surroundings. The
Alpine rose, spruce and coarse wild grass
appeared to flourish at the eliminating
point of the Simplon Pass, which con-
sists of large basin, like a dried-up lake,
|
with snow surrounding it; and we were
informed that it often freezes in the sum-
mer time where this green herbage grows.
The air was chill and cold when our party
made the passage, and the SUMS rays
falling on the snOw-capped peaks, which
bound us within an icy chain, changed
the scene of an hour or two before-a
road winding up a mountain gorge, with
a stream rushing madly down to the val
ley below on one side, and on the other
rocks looming to the sky, too steep fol
the foot of man to tread-to that of {
bright, cold December day, with a stiff
breeze. The luxury of Overcoats anC
wraps were indulgcd in, and we were in
wardIy relieved when we once more
emerged into the bloom of summer agair
in the descent on the opposite side. Fol
the protection of travellers who pass ovel
the Simplon in the winter, public inns o.
refugees, called &c hospices'' by the Swiss
are established at different stages through
the pass, where food and shelter are pro
vided, for all of which no charge is made
but each one partaking of such hospi
tality is expected to contribute to tn
poor-box at least as much as they woul(
have paid at an inn. On the summit o
the SimplOn, at the base of Monte Leont
I'll ,696 feet high), is a very large build
ing of this kind, founded by Napoleon
for the refuge of travellers, and subjec
to the same rules as that of the Great st
Bernard. These hospices are kept b!
!, friendly monks, who devote their live
to their fellow creatures. In all thes
mountain passes the St. Bernard dogs ar
kept, who instinctively make daily trip
over the mountains alone. In winter
storm will spring up very suddenly il
these mountains, and the roads in tn
passes be buried and lost in the snow. 1
is at such times that the st. Bernard do
manifests instinctiveness that humanity
: though ever so self-saerificing, could no
: accomplish. A loaf of bread and fias
: of brandy is fastened to the dogs neck
y and he goes out amid the storm on hi
errand of mercy. If the faithful crea
=, ture finds poor wanderer who has bee
e overpowered by the storm, or lost lis Q
a her way, the bread and brandy will sus
: tain life, and, with the dog for guide
n GllG IOSb GIdNClGl " III UC lOO " GilC 1ClI
It in safety, or, if too weak to follow, tn
e dog will go back alone and return wit
IL assistance. We are aware that the reaG
," ," ers of the HERALD know this much, an
le more too, as regards the st. Bernard dog
le but we merely quote, in substance, whf
a u was told us by the keeper of the hospicC
as where the dogs have performed hundred
re of such acts of mercy. At hotel on tn
If summit of Grindelwald Pass, near til
ia base of the Jungfrau, we saw the iden
80 ical st. Bernard dog that took the fir
b. prize at the Paris Exposition last yea
They are extremely large, and have, al
y parently, almost the strength of a lion.
Te We left Lucerne on Friday mornin;
E. August %, for Paris, stopping by Il
d, way at Bale (pronounced BALI for dinner
a. a. and after prospecting around this old hi
m toric city-which is beautifully situate
IL on both sides of the river Rhine-yisitir
en the old Cathedral, in which is the ton
bo P of Erasmus, the great moral reforme
b. we continued on our journey to Paris,
We FRANCE,
Where we arrived at A. NJ. the ne
morning. We breakfasted at eight, al
Is at nine we were whirling in carriag
"a - out to Versailles, visiting the Grand Ps
o.I oJ ace and grounds, the Grand Park, t.
Id Trianon, the magnificent state carriag
he and the many numerous. attractions
IN IN this beautiful locality, returning throu.
s,s seo Vile d'Avray and St. Cloud to our hot
NV in time for table d'hote at p. M. At t
at Grand Palace we saw one of the mC
an an striking pieces of statUary, which, in o
on Judgment, was the finest in all the MAJ
to hundreds we had seen during our trave
eS- and that was The Last Days of MAJ
the Ioo,,,, l., sr,o.Ioss ,,,hi+o ,,,ovbIo T. =,