, 1880-05-17
The Upper Rhine.

at least - stop snort at Mayence
or Basle. 1t may be that they are too
fond of comfort, though it must be
admitted that the little boats chat ply
between the Rhine Falls and the Lake
of Constance are not the equals of the
boats on the Lower Rhine. AS to the
scenery along what might be called the
Swiss Rhine, at least above the Lake of
Constance, it is certainly much grander
than that about which the painters,
poets, and tourists rave, as seen any
where between Frankfort and the sands
of Holland. Neither will the Upper
Rhire be outdone in the way of castlea
hills and rocks, picturesque towns, and
strange legends of fierce knights and
fair damsels.
There is half notion prevalent that
the navigable possibilities eff the river
end somewhere just about Bingen. at
least we usually get off there, jump into
the cars, and whirl away from the
classic stream before we have become
half acquainted with it.
There is a legend that the Rhine has
its source in an unapproachable cloud
that hangs somewhere over the Via
Mala. Tourists seem to have accepted
the legend-at least, few tire their legs
IN looking out the real source of the
stream that was once believed to be
blessed of the gods.
What strange source it has, in fact
To be exact, however, there are three
sources to the baby Rhine they are
born triplets, but before getting far
down the mountains they clasp arms,
and wander as one
"Down, down to the weary sea-"
One of these baby Rhines is born in
the tiny Lake Of Toma, about a dozen
miles ABOVE the old mountain convent
OF Disentis. This dark green lake is
surrounded by dreary rocks and ice
clad mountains. It is 7 800 feet above
the sea-level.
Between it and the Disentis convent
and village there are pleasant pastures,
and the traveller may feast on the best
cheese of the Alps, and most luscious
white honey. AS a corollary to the
honey, bears abound in the woods
skirting the valley. So do the chamois
and the mountain fox. The people are
extremely poor. They. are all good
queerest of modern languages. the
Romansch. 1t is, in fact, the original
Latin, as spoken by the Roman peas
antry. TIE ancestors of these villagers
came from Tuscany.
The habits of this pastoral people are
singular, and such as will not be met
with elsewhere in the whole course of
the Rhine.
DrippiEgs of glaciers and fields
and wrecked avalanches unite them
selves in little brooks, and skip across
the meadows to join the river in its
hurry to the sea. At Disentis the little
stream known as the Medelser, or Mid
die Rhine, leaps and laughs to join its
sister down one of tho prettiest and
Widest valleys of the Alps. There are
cataracts and falls and rapids all the
way, while on each side the mountains
are superatively grand. Even the we'll
known Via -Mala is net considered 80
strangely picturesque and romantic as
is this unvisited valley of the Medel-
ser. In these Upper Rhine regions ex-
listed the strange republics known as
the Gray League, the Ten Jurisdic
tions, and the League of the House of
as 1896, and were later united as one
republic, intended to protect their peo
pie against the tyranny of great num-
Der of petty lords and noblemen, whose
rained castles still ornament almost
every ominence of the upper Rhine.
These stern old Republicans had the
beautiful town of Ilanz for their capi-
tai. They were heroic set of men,
and history nowhere records greater
sacrifices than were made by these peo-
pie to preserve their liberty. At the
little town of Irons a few people met
in 1896, and swere a solemn oath, as
their Swiss neishbors had done at the
Rutli fifty years before, to devote their
whole lives singly to the attainment of
liberty. They succeeded, and the re-
public lasted four hundred years, when
it was allied with Switzerland. Through
what strange countries, and by what
changing kingdoms, the beautiful
Rhine flowed in all those centuries after
leaving the FREQ land of its birth
Ilanz, their old capital, still stands, a
novel and picturesque picture of past
ages. The views of the Rhine, both
up and down, are very fine from 1lanz.
One may enjoy between Ilanz and
Irons the most varied scenery of the
Alps-bright meadows, dark forests,
lofty noun tains, snow-felds edged by
smiling villages, ruined castles, and,
sweeping along through its bed of dol
omite, the winding Rhine. There is no
more interesting picture on the whole
Rhine road to Hollands. II. NJ.
BYERs, in Harper's Magazine.
A Maryland schoolmaster told re-
fraetory girl that unless she wrote a
composition he would punish her. She