The National tribune., 1884-01-03
ZURICH AS IT IS
Observations in a Quaint. Quiet,
Clearly Town.
Special Correspondents National Tribune.

quaint ana charming place IS ZGfiCD, euleI
manufacturing town of Switzerland literary
parture for summer tourists going eastward
via Constance and the Tyrol, or westward via
Basle; and haven of refuge for those american
students who, because they have the misfor-
tune to be women, are banshed from the only
American universities which aspire to compare
in standard with the University Of Zurich.
Although Zarich is the chief manufacturing
city of Switzerland, its sky is unsoiled by
smoke clouds. and, except during the winter
fogs, it is blue and bright. The 8 fabriques
are run by water power, when that is possible,
and the swift current of the Limmat is care
fully utilized. Much hand labor too is en-
ployed, and, where the need of coal is i'm
perative, coal is used, but with such economy
that the smokewaste does no harm to the sky
and the landscape. Therefore,
ZURICH CAN BE VERY CLEAN.
Would, indeed; have no valid excuse if it were
otherwise for it stands at the foot of the Eur
icher-See, aud the River Limmat. carries the
clear, green waters thereof through the town,
between strong quays and under picturesque
bridges, and offers to the town every induce
ment to the compietest cleanliness. Nor does
the Limmat flow in vain. Its clear, pure
waters reappear, far up the hillside, in great
stone fountains by the roadside, and in open
spaces IN the Old Town; and in the houses of
the dwellers In Zurich strong head of water
may be had upon every floor So the first at
tribute of Zurich which strikes a stranger is
its exquisite cleanliness. The clear sky, pure
air, and garishly clean white outside walls of
the houses, the neatness of the streets, the
thrifty dressing Of the people-all this is by no
means the least of the charms Of Zurich. An
other charm, one which grows upon the new
conner by slow degrees, is
THE ASTONISHING QUIET
of the town. There are in Zurich some seventy
thousand people, and Zurich is a busy manu-
featuring city; but the travellers rooted faith
in Baedekers accuracy IS tried in the effort to
believe these statements, SO quiet are the peO-
pie and their industries. Only one hour in the
day affords the sounds of busy life. This is
the noon hour, when the whole school pOpula-
ton of Zurich streams home for dinner, boys
and girls, in groups Of three or four, cT0yding
the narrow ways that lead from the Kantonale-
schulz and the Tochterschule through ramif-
cations of every puzzling sort down the hill to
the Limmat bridges, and so across to the newer
half of Zurich, or up the hill to the suburbs,
FlunteTn, Holtingen, and the rest. But even
this is the noise only of sedate and moderate
movement, for there are many grown people In
the throng shOpkeepers going home, too, for
the noon dinner and teachers warily lurking
at unexpected corners, ready to report any dis
order and bring punishment upon the heads Of
uproarious children. But this manifestation of
busy life IS soon over, and quiet reigns again,
broken only by the rumble of a few heavy
wagons along the Bahnhof Strasse, or the clat-
ter of handcart down the steep stone-paved
hill by the side of the Grossmunster, or the
trotting of the single horse in the little ear
that runs along the quay7s Perhaps IN the
evening
A STUDENT SONG NAY RING OUT
in the street, or some great dog may foolishly
= l.
addition to his days hard work; but these are
rare exceptions, and after the street lights are
put out. at haifpast II o'clock, the still surface
of the lake is hardly more noiseless than the
clean, dark. lonely streets Of the town.
The architecture of Zurich is a continual de-
| light, for there are more than a fair share OF
| public buildings here,-hospitals, asylums, and
| philantilropic institutions of many and varied
| kinds-and these like the schools and the pub
lie buildings Of the canton and the town, are
well and solidly built Many OF these build
ings are beautiful, some of them are quaint,
and all seem fitted to the purpose for which they
were designed, from the GrossInunster, founded
| by Charlemange, las any one may see who OBJ
serves the kings statue in niche facing the
| river j great 5hapeless, dark eol0red church
| in the center of the Old Town, a fitting embodi-
ment Of the Christianity Of
| THE DAYS OF THE GREAT KING,
I TO Tic SpttAu&u new bt4tui1- id4l-adf III AA4c
| hill, in which the thousand students OF the
University and the Polyteehnicum find ample
/ room for all their varied work.
The houses IN the Old Town are wonderful
| to behold. tall and narrow, with their stueeo
walls in all stages Of harmless discolorasiOn,
and honevcombed with little windows that give
room, between their double sashes, for rows Of
! plants, safe alike from the cold without and the
| heat within; these houses much resemble the
scenery used indiferently in certain country
| theaters for Hamlet and Henry Y, or for the
| clown 5 purposes in Humpty Duulpty. Some
times the row of houses is broken, and one
house. far from putting its tall building IN
'front.' has tiny shop there, whose roof is care
fully rallied, and serves for veranda for the
elderly gentleman of the family, . play ground
| for the little children, and q space whence thu
neat house-serYant may Shake rugs TO hi:
hearts content One of these perverted edi
| fees fronts the Limmat, and on every sunny
morning an erect old gentleman, followed by
THOUGHTFUL LITTLE DOG,
PAGES up and down the open space on the roo
of the little shop, going now and then to {
! window in the tall bodybuilding, where
| sweet-faeed old German lady sits knitting
Then he points out TO her a little boat skim
ming under the last bridge and out into tbs
| lake: or, perhaps, the clouds have rolled
back, and he points her to the crest of ths
Zurich Valley, and is carefully watched a
q barometer whose prophecy never fails. Thi
| houses along the Limmat are especially delight
full, full of queer bay windows that appear
apropos of nothing, from the third story; o
they are obscuTed as to the ground floor b.
substantial arcades built no one knows in VIVA
century or for what purpose, and infested nov
! by cheesemongars, whose wares ANNOUNCE
through their polysyllabic names, but IA
more plainly through their evil smell. tina
this is German Switzerland. There IS NJ
monotony in the
ZURICH OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
though the elements are always the same
high, narrow walls aud mult:tudes OF littl
windows As whole, the Zurich house
architecture is more completely un-Ameriean
more thoroughly European, and more charac
teristie of Zurich than any other one featnr
of the town, except the good local government
administration How good the administration
is an American is not slow to discover. Fo
instance, clean town. a town In which tn
children go to the public schools because thes
are better than any private schools, q tow
with free public libraries, beautiful bridges
ample swimming baths, and not single beg
gar is town not easily TO be found IN Ameriea
But when the American finds a letter-box a
every corner, q telephone at command and Al
electric clock at every cab stand, then indee
does that American get new light upon tn
possibilities OF local self-sovernment.
But if Zurich differs wholly from ever
American city, it has
CERTAIN ADVANTAGES