The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-01-24
A SWISS NEWSPAPER,
And How 1t Reflects the Character
Of the People.
Special Correspondents National Tribun..

The active life of Zurich expresses itself in
the press, IN form so compact as TO be easily
grasped; for there is one paper consecrated to
advertisements and summary of news well
selected and compaetly stated without edito-
rial comment There being no editorial inau-
ence in this sheet, the daily life of Zurich may
be supposed 10 mirror itself here withcat other
distortion than such as may, perhaps, work
negatively through the suppression Of adver-
tisements thought injurious. or opinions held
to be obnoxious. This sheet is the Taa5lait der
Stadt Zurich, which appears in a daily issue of
four or eight pages, but on Saturday sud
denly bursts forth with supplements, which
bring 1t to sixteen or twenty pages, and con-
tain for the citizen Of the world much food
for reflection
The 7agbLatt is the organ Of the official life
of Zurich, and the first page IS adorned with
notices of taxes due AID bankrupt sales; OF
school directors elections and reports of build
ing inspectors; with general prohibition Of
sieding on sidewalks, and o special permission
Tor school children 20 coast down CaEnation
and Scarecrow alleys. Under the head Official
Notices come side by side, wedding announce
ments, the inj1nctions of the Board Of Health
with reference to street cleaning and the adj
vertisements of rival candidates for the pulpit
OF the Protestant chapel Of ZOllikoW, one Of
the suburbs of Zurich.
Other announcements Of the incidents Of life
in Zurich are as follows: so our friends and
acquaintance we make the sad announcement
that our dear mother, mother-in-law, sister,
aunt and grandmother, Mrs. Julie Won Fischer
lborn Won AHchlowskyl, after short severe suf-
fering, departed this life this morning We
bespeak for the dear departed one, your friendly
thought. (Signed) The deeply mourning sur
vivors." Another formula is headed, Crate
ful acknowledgment" and reads as follows:
For the many proofs of heartfelt synpa-
nat II I 81
OF our dear mother, grandmother, and mother
ln-law, the widow Elizabeth AeberH born
Sommer), the mourning survivors are deeply
grateful" Still another: " In deep sorrow we
make known the fact, in this way alone, that
Almighty God has this morning released from
prolonged suffering our dear father, John Jakob
Ackeret. We ask, on behalf of the dear sleep
ing one, friendly thought, and for ourselves ST.
lent sympathy"
LoEG-FELT WANTS.
OF very different tone are the advertise
ments for husbands and wives. The following
Is fair sample of these advertisements, and
gives not unjust idea of the business-iike as
peet IN which marriage is viewed among the
thrifty Swiss: Proposal Of marriage.-A Wig
0ron5 wldower, fifty years old, without chill
dren, possessing good and profitable tall
ors' trade and some thousand francs, wishes
TO become acquainted with a worthy, do
mesticaily inclined elder daughter or wild
ow, with no one dependent upon her,
who has learned the tailors' trade and
possesses some means, in order to marry her
az soon as possible. Address ii. III. Winthur,
poste reStante." So too-"A young Swiss
merchant, established in large city in South
Italy, able TO promise secure and eare-free
wishes TO make the acquaintance
OF Swiss lady, not more than twenty-six years
old, Of good Protestant family. Ladies Of good
O. o9ad -
happy marriage, are requested 70 send photo
graph and exact statement ofmeans." The state
ment OF means, III relation to an offer of mar
rage, IS universal and conventionally accept
ed part of the ceremony for IN Switzerland the
only road 70 comfort, or even 10 a decent main
tenance in old age, is strict economy, begun in
early youth, and carried consistently into every
department OF life. All Swiss society is based
upon simple living, and in the working classes
a degree of calculation and foresight is abso-
iuteiy necessary, which to the American work
ing mans family weaia seem the extreme
Limit of grinding poverty.
The remaining pages of the current TaqBlatt
might In general be said TO DO filed with
advertisements of educational affairs; of places
OF eating and drinking; OF wares, and amuse-
ments. The educational advertisements men
ton fewer schools and private teachers than
would be found under like circumstances in an
American paper; for the excellence of the pub
lie schools removes the work of education from
private hands. But other educational institu-
tons I'LL up vast spaces For instance. the
PestalozzI institution appeals for toys and
Christmas treasures for Its boys, and asks for
public inspection institution dear To
Zurich, student-home of Pestalozzi. There is
q lecture on the newest developments Of uses
for electricity; there are divers lectures upon
LElngit alone, and Luther in connection with |
Lwingl The Society for investigations In
Natural Science offers discussions of the last new
things IN geometry and the composition of
lnoiasses tl1-and Dir. Jean Rieser viii teach
English IN one month 10 emigrants going to /
America. Tbs School Exposition calls attention
TO its library Of books for the young, which
has been made By special commission, and is
open daily 70 the public a suggestion is
offered too, that Christmas presents for chill
dren might be made more valuable BY careful
references to its catalogue. The evangelical
society calls attention to It's editions of Bibles
plain, with pictures, with coaeerdances, With
all the appliances made accessible by the helm /
Of the British Bible Society.
The best intellectual life Of Zurich is natur-
ally not advertised in the Tag5latt Every an
noGncement OF the various forms of auxiliary
educational influences happens, however. TO be |
Of Zurich and the Zurich peoDle
and, with one or two exceptions, every form of |
activity here advertised might vel be fostered
at Ao9lc 4ltc I14t'ESsst taken III LIFIGn IN the /
literature which children read is illustrated BY |
the tact that cheap editions of transIations of
the best English and American authors. besides |
The works of German writers of the highest |
reputation, are pus in the way of the Swiss
boys peeket-money as universally as we let
dime novels and the whole vast literature of |
violence aud wild adventure beset the Aneri- |
an boy. Perhaps no part Of the Swiss life is
more worthy our careful thought than Just this
one advertisement Of the Swiss School Expo
;ition Seciety's library and catalogue Of books |
suitable for childhood and youth.
SUNDAY BEER AND MUSIC.
As to the places for eating and drinking. and |
Inc amusements,-these are closely united and |
must be viewed together. All through the |
week the community is sedate and laborisus. |
she very children working nearly all day long. /
n school aud out of it. But on Sunday the I
indemniies itself for ths severity /
II the week BY varied asssetment of anause- /
nents, of which church-going is the least uni /
Fersally approved. The men of Zurich may be /
aid not to go to church. The women of Zu- /
'ich go at 9 O'Clock to q short service, after
which they are prepared to join the gentle |
nen OF their families in any Of number of
distractions. The advertisements of church |
erEices are hard to find in the Tqa5}qH for
hey oil but part Of q column, ana are bare off,
:lal notices OF the hour and place of service.
nd the relation of church hfe to the real life
Il the cdnlmunlty is well typitied in the prD
'oftlon OF these notices TO the whole of the
fag5tG5. But the other occupations Of SUNDAY
re proclaimed in large capitals and broad |
paees, and they have much to do with the
Thinking of WJue and hear nj af,o -, -, =. =