The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-25
THE MOUNTAIN REPUBLIC.
WHAT FREE HANDED AMERICANS
HAVE DONE FOR SWITZERLAND.

Twenty ysars AGO Switzerland. in all except
her extreme southwestern and northeastern
oantons, and to large extent even there, was
In state OF curious civilization. Education
and intelligence had scarcely disturbed the
primitive traditions and customs.
Engineering difficulties had made railways
.,nost IA rora In sv,t,orIond no ~ tbe rail-
Amos. as raro IN e"itzerianu US - 're ran
way had not been discovered Beyond
horeas oorriod M NOVA thnr wore carriod IN
horses carried mo more .hnn were catrieu In
afoot. In fact. Switzerland was almost rs in
.ccessible as in tho dava NJ Caesar and tho
a,.,,.a,,on, s,has,. w ,.a q, ohrnanran
literature was read everywhere. and news
papers were to be found now and then. But
affected by the rush and push of modern lifo.
The English delighted in Switzerland in
those days An travelling Engiishmen Vlsited
1t. and as most travelling Englishmcn are al
ii.,,,,.a a,,,.r,,rha. ..,,,,.,,hoi nv,r diniori
climbed everywhere triumpneu over "l','cu',
lonely time OF It with no interruption from
Tho nle taciturn nn,ivos Thon camo tho
90 unon inc &c e
But nowhere have they done SO much as in
Switzerland.
c ,-,t,..,,,d 49,
Ihese Americans discovered switaerl"nd' tho
quiet. peaceful Switzerland. OF tho tiny noun
tain villages, OF the alpine horn and tho cha.
mols. Tho advance guard Of the rroat army
OF Americans joltcd in diliscnccs. had its life
endansere a., on mountain bride pains wore
S 10 rois, t its WIZ wv ~; Nam rrtnt NAV
mi missed 81 tho Comforts Mot Of ues.nt hate life. th"y
~ I ,i 81 ~ me % WY NJ 9r
and ira stnni uvu "s h naI prTs w , d NO."
nmn nv ii !, IN ,t az 40
Il made acressbIe so OF that everyhody coMiI SEQ
md admire i: The few WHO elmfei to the
tpnS q, ~ ms EreW "a ir.ir
md sun,mrr' Of inks nnd 'm"nlnntnin' of wHer.
har mnu WILT hoahi wv IL, ' ;nt nH.
can r"t il wthSut o ncr III of iii" md henlth
TSyn ny EnIish nnI t nd os
beautiful as it was, Mi lonely and nri,nitivo:
tnat %oa haa mauH It ior EnSlisn peae;s,fMhs;
scennrv md nnvar cSmin lnok nj nnvthin,.
from any other s,nndpoint than that Of MONEY t,,
citi,s and tho cnnitnIsts ~ The ,.rcnt Tnrn.
p"an centres a s truth of What tn" Amnr
en-; nn san saw The s nr%s to be o "a ny
large. anJ TO tn" rTcat oncominr " army Of
Americans in partic,ilnr' '"'"s' "'''' u
vhan tbnv snt ,nont Nv, tronsioyr,;, :, ~
Swit1erInnd ,rba Hnst t nnrinnars ~ EIon ",
were engaged, great comnnnies were formed,
ap hdy Vas torn snd &
mountains: thcv surVevci and laid tracks in
ts ,vildast vaiioys. Ing ch,n ~ad IL m ~
carl natlis int" miitnry rn"ds its Erio i,aths
into carriage roads. and It's seclmd"I Inkns
,n.o ncd rs OF sseambon, .ra Nri word
The little republic Of Switzerland was
changed from a uuiet refuge t and an occa.
sionni Mace OF resort into n Va Of carnynnsn,v
sheterinr tHousanIs and hmnhreds Of tho;,.
sands OF STRANGERS ench nirht mnd.r its noun.
tain pierced sEv. lis visitors were no longer
a law Of thN ,inncr cassos Of snvcroI EnronsSnp
countries. Its railroad compnnic.' ia hntcis
into ali tho world and ia henutics ,Irew from
aver~ cnmntrv civiiiynI and semiciwiIiloI'
great strenms Of frnvnilcrs' And thesa travri
made an sv hcioro tham SwitznrlonI boco S,S
as vol known as Madison square is to New
~ LIE or "Iioint tevn or rnnnH ~ ws,
set down in the guidn hooks. was nrr,u~:d ;n
tours for travellers laying out their trips be-
But the work OF chanca was not endod with
tho building of railways in and out among III"
Ines unon iak"s whose hitherio calm smrfn'."s
had only mirrored the great white sails Of
pleasure boats. nor with the building Of great
cnuitalists once Interested n-ocoeuod To ", oEo
the alpine Climber a thing Of the rast. With
raj roads IN the sides OF mountain" olrynt"i
railroads where n precipitoms hiufr must 10
scaled abruptly; steeply graded railways with
cog attachments, where more winiin. oath
can he taken ' "'"- ''''
Although these entcrpriscs have boon under
way onlyn short time, there arc already hali
a dozen completed mountain sealing railw 'ai,
that hear thousands to heights formerly only
attained by tho few. Mt great EXPENSE Il wind
and strength and money Tho liiri tho lot
liberG Mt Pilatus. Mnrrcn, ard several other
peaks now have these railways and at tho ton
of tho mountains are splendid hotels wbcra
once only a solitary and pirturns1un chalet
looked out upon the vast panorama Of spIon.
dor. To appear in a railway station ut the TOP
OF n mountain in ninino cIothini, stoinci viii
the cialnher OF the steop. wouiT tnni,, on" nm
absurd figure among a crowd OF we'll dressed
people not fatiEued not travel stained, but IA
cain and c!enn as at any railway 8, ion on
tho New Jersey summer resort coast And
tho mountain railway construction has Just
begun. Next season at least two NOR. arc to
DO opened. and before many years. if the on
gincers have not much mistaken their ahiii-
ties. a railway will land pnsscng"rs far above
the snow limo Of the Junrfrau herself
These hotels, these raiIways, thcer electric
car limos. these steamboat lines havc com.
p!etcly changed the face of Switzerland. Tho
accustomed diiGences picturesque but uu-
ancient pleasure boats lie rottin.: ut tho
wharves Alon. the travelled ways, and all
ways are now travelled necessarily in Switzcr-
land. the scenery is fuli OF tho new elements.
engineering prodiCics, modern houses All mo
tracks. wires, bells switches and light, IN