Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-10-05
ON THE OTHER SIDE.
EXPERIENCES AND ADVENTURES OF
A RICHMOND TOURIST.
The Beautiful Rhine and the wonderful
Aips--M Mountain Climbing and Cavern
Exploring-The swisa
,corcspcnd.nce ofsh. Richmond pispa,chi

OakMotAks btltth'os ~ $500
Acreeably to promise. very delicately
suggested and very guardedly given,
commit 10 the mails what you are entirely
ct liberty TO dispose of as may best 7uis
your requirements when 1t reaches you.
Tho ocean was to rue what 1t IL TO every
tired man not too sea-sick 10 enjoy it--the
most perfect realization OF rest attainaoie
in our hurried and driven modern mo
and the famed beauty OF the lrish coasts
has far more IN II than the mere CnInI y,
land hailed after land lost. We noteo
upon the steamers deck three irish Satno-
liz pricsts-and cultivated, GENIAL gentle
mem tbev vere-One born in America, the
other two having left "the old country
An their infancy. gazing with wrapt and
almo.t devont admiration upon the lovely
shore ne We steamed along IL under cloud
less sun and perfect sky.
must not waste words upon what IL
already familiar to most OF your readers
vet cannot torbear mentioning the pecu,,
liar charm Of Oxford, with its colleges ana
enyirons and OF English home and coun;
try life. of which we fortunately enJoyeo
some fascinating g!impscs.
For the benefit OF your religious readers
suffice a word, too. as 10 the pulpit pei
formances OF the Church OF England. ~
those we were privileged 10 hear were not
excentional have been heretofore
grievously misnformed upon this subject.
A sermon by Canon Rawhnson IN Cahter-
bury Cathedral, from. a text taken
from the prophecy OF Nahum bearing
precisely upon tho Canons Assyriau anu
babylonian studies. was q gem OF scholar
iv INTERPRETATION and high moral and re-
Lcions feeling. This was, OF course. 10 De
e.nected. but from mere boy OF twenty
four in a country church we heard an elu-
cidation and application of one OF the
most obscure passages of the Old-Iesta-
mont history which and an exceptionally
intelligent travelling companion regarded
as one of the most mastery pulpit pro-
ductions either of us bad ever heard or
read. Other sermons; while not cnsrac ..lo
vel eminently practical and spiritual. Ter
vent and apostolic.
WONDERS OF THE RHINE.
The Rhine with its vine-clad and castle;
crowned hills. the matchless Cathedral OF
Cologne, tho far-famed hill and schloss u,
Heidelberg, the Lion of Lucerne, carved
of and into the living rock of the
mountain, as though the ringer OF
the Creator had craven il there when re
brought forth the mountains, the soidler
marching and countermarching every
where throughout the German empire;
All these are familiar and must DO passed.
by. IL was Switzerland we were bouhu
Switzerland mainly we have seem anu VI
Switzerland must write.
You know the Alps are not altogether IN
Switzerland. the Matterhorn &c. g., Mt.
Carven as the Italians call it) being on the
line between Switzerland and Italy ana
Mt. Blanc, a corner-post between italy ana
France. But the arbitrary arrangements OF
national boundaries signify nothing 10 the
lover of the Alps-to HIM the mountalns
are Swiss, the country is Switzerland.
Ii is an amazing little country. perhaps
not half the size Of the state OF virginia.
aud vet there is compressed in IT more OF
interest and attraction not to the lover oil
nature only, but to the average travelling
public. than any other country the
world contains. The truth of this state,
ment is youched by the numerous ana
rapidly-increasing travel in the Alps mere
tofore under every conceivable difficulty
aud discomfort, which is now making
Switzerland rich and forcing the construcec
ton of railroads everywhere IN the lace OF
seemingly insurmountahle obstacles; Most
of these are narrow-gauge roads ana upon
their steepest grades are operated with
a third or middle rail, into which
a cor-wheel attached 10 the tram WORKS
for greater security. Some OF these grades
are simplv phenomenal e. g., upon the
Regi and Mt. Pilatusroads. the latter rising
occasionally 4S feet IN 100. indeed
scheme IS said 10 be now on loot lor puilu-
ing a railroad TO the summit OF the jung
Trace by sort OF spiral track inside the
mountain. Some of the roads already
built have here and there Illustrated thls
construction. J myself saw a tram on tne
st. Gothard railway plunge into the bowels
of a mountain and few minutes later
emerge on the same side about hunured
feet higher up, after having described a
spiral revolution inside.
THE RUSHING AMERICAN.
The great preponderance of German ana
French travel surprised US, the Engllsh
falling far below. We really met very few
Americans, and those we did meet seemed
10 attempt nothing beyond hurried gal
Top by public conveyance ana the
most crowded routes through fashionable
centres. Switzerland is Gods best creation
of a yacation-ground for overwrought
brain and nerves. but the charm and bene-
al of il cannot be taken in in any such
fashion One must get away from the
crowd sometimes, and as far as pfactlca-
bic. toll up the mountain sleeps and over
the vast stretches of the glaciers really &c
appreciate Switzerland. without doubt
sbould be made mainly ION the CapulinTt
pony" as the pretty French euphonlsm fol
tramp phrases 1T.
It reou,res what Professor Tyndall terms
the dead grind" Of the Alpine zigzag
steadily followed hour after hour, 10 pro-
cure for the traveller real introduction &c
one of these mountain monarchs. Al the
outset of your experience YOU start conn
IDENTITY to scale some lofty peak, and the
4 30. ot 10 aGCanf
begin TO swing backward and forward, but
always upward. along the endless zlg-zags
While at the foot of the slope you Tx your
eve upon some prominence seemingly al
or very near the top, and after n hare
climb of saw an hour and half you reach
n. but lol while the valley yor
left lies far beneath, the tower
Inc peak has receded. assembled. anc
appears TO be Just as far away a'
ever. Should wind and pluck hold on
and the true summit be at last attained
look down upon the point which seemed
10 Won when looking up to be that summit
IL does not appear to be appreciably ele
yated above the very base from which you
6rst viewed it. You begin now TO realiZ'
the majesty and the magic OF the Alps. ant
will soon find that their vastness ha
utterly confused if not annihilated al
sense Of comparative distance and dimen
sion. You PICK up peDoie W loSS INV
snow.bank across gully; your. guide
laughs aud calls out the name OF som'
giant snow mountain miles and miles away
AN OPTICAL ILLUSION.
A few DAYS since two of us were stand
ing near the village OF Leukerbad, in TIM
lonely valley ut the southern foot of tn,
Gennui pass. The sheer walls of rocl
looked close at hand, certainly not over {
few hundred feet away. We asked {
peasant how far off they were. He pointed
10 black speck In that direction, anC
said it was a man at work in the meadows
about two thirds of the distance between
rs and the cliff, and that il would requir,
o walk of at least an hour and half t
reach the base. "lb," said TO my com
panion. "how high do You reckon the.
sre?" "Oh." said he, Il don't know
they look about 500 feet high" The,
are nearer 800" replied. They actual.
lowered 5000 feet aboce the valley ,chere 20
stood and the next day we climbed up an,
over them in furious snow-storm (Which
was rain down below, and through freshl,
fallen snow which I could not fathol
with my Apen stock at the very side 0
the path.
II is q beautiful thing for man occa
sionally TO realize his own puny insignif