The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-09-13
European Letter.

Aug. Il. 1oSO'
Ir the early coolness of this lovely morn
ing | took ship from Lucerne, just 10 get
away from Paris bonnets and dresses. hlgn
heeIed shoes and peaked waists. chocolate
creams and nonsense. and to feast soul ana
sense on God and Nature. Leaving Lu.
cerne.A "beautiful for situation the Joy OF
the whole EARTH" and sailing up the lake
with the early morning breeze In ones
face, the air is filled with the tlnkle or IN
Vulnerable bells from the mountain Slopes,
the horizon girded with snowy peaks
about which wells of crimson, purple ana
cold are weaving, as though Nature sought
to conceal that ''transfguring glory Whlcn
SIN an may not see and llve, one reel as IL
they could shake the dust of cities forever
IRON their feet to dwell amid the loresIS
and the clouds.
TO the traveller who sees Switzerland by
the fastest express trains and boats ne
can find, this will seem VerltaDle eXaS-
geration: but to those who watch the days
and nights come and go, unfolding afresh
every hour miracles OF Subllmlty ana pic
turesoueness, the half will not have been
told, AS Pilatus is left behind, the sum-
mits of the Bernese Oberland come INTO
view, only to be lost a moment later Deh!nd
the nearer StanZerhorn and its neighDo1lng
peaks Passing Brunnen, the glgantlc
| Bristenstock with its cone in the clouds as
! completely shuts off the view southwark
around it into Italy. In fact, the 81;
Gotthard railway, which has superseded
tne old time diligence with its remarkable
engineering skill, the untold amount OF pa
tience, perseverance and ability expended
| in its construction, always lmpreSSeS me as
being as great a work for man as the noun
tains themselves were for the Creator:
| Not only pleasure seekers but men OF
science come by the hundreds annually 70
inspect what is, perhaps, the most magnlil-
Gently constructed railroad in the Worid.
rs cork screw tunnels burroW In the
depths of mountains, 1T digs under the Deas
of torrents and rivers, its flying buttreSses
leap from cliff to cliff, spanning ravlnes
whose depths are shrouded in obscurlty.
| Now and again it shuts us up in darkness
to reappear again on some shelving gallery
of rock much higher up than when you las'
saw daylight, and quite likely headed II
the opposite direction. 1t trayerses al
sorts Of scenery from the hamlets of Zu&
and Arth- Goldan, and the savage grandeur
of the high Alps, to the chestnut groves
} the wild trumpet flowers the purple vine
yards and voluptuous skies of Northern
Italy. eooo .
stana ON the deck of the Lucerne- steame
, cou from the perpetual snow helds apovt
!. ~ so yastfli and inyIguratlng IS ~ lila
; one wonders why those who enjoy ltS pies:
/, inc daily need ever die. Indeed, If there
spot upon earth where one forgets mn III
self utterly, his troubles, cares ana douOt
' thrown in, it is in the mountain fastnesse
Of Switzerland and Italy. ThanklGod ther
1 remain a few places where Saratoga trunk
: and slang have not penetrated, Inc HE !
s hardship and exposure when is lne con
I | mon lot of the SWISS peasant, and the UNI
: formiv contented and happy spirit whlc
- he maintains through it all. are equal
B astonishing. Give him a chatel of tW
T. rooms which clngs as if by necromancy
8 some dizzy height, a pasture, even II IL Is
steep that he has to be suspended at tne ell
of rope to do his haying, and two, {
three COWS, and he will ask for nothing be
fer. His idea of a good living coincide
- somewhat with the author of Dread an
e cheese and KISSES" only beer or milk forl
n a GOOD substitute for the latter dellcacy, II
Y hard and practical life grinding out or nj
! ali such useless lndulgences. Existence
# to him never ceasing round or tne san
activities, varied once or twice IN n IL
le time by trip to the adjoining canton, a
T. fer which he is looked upon as traVele
Should he, perchance, go as far as berl
n or Geneva he feels conscious OF great
u. miliarity with the outside worid. NoIWLt
Standing their limited opportunities th'
~ are able to conceive and execute some
the most exquisite carvings in wood al
ivory. for which, were they properly pal
their lives might be less tollsome
While the lake of Lucerne is nnquestlo
" ably more magnificent in its environment
~ the lake of Geneva is certainly more p
p turesoue. | stood a few days since up
w the terrace at Lausanne and saw tnu
IL der storm sweeping up the lake, concealll
r. for the most part the great mountains
he the Savoy side, save where, here ana tne
a- a peak of the Mt. Blanc chain cleaned c
70 snectral and white amid the darkne
e. Now and again the masses of vapor WE
depressed and the water bubbled and toa
ed along their track; then they Wou
hound upward and the surface grow pla'
and blue as the icy seas whence 1t draws
he hidden streams. The sun was shlnl
X brightly only short distance away, DIS
ad frequently the case on this lake, RENAL
20 ahle i'm many ways for its ATMOSPHERIC
TO, tidal phenomena. The upper end of Ia
rd Geneva is encircled with rugged mounta
he whose surfaces are rent into innumera
ok fissures and chasms, descending into 10
10 hills whose verdure and fruitfulneSS
"A with the Italian lake region, In the mi
iu of which lie towns, hamletS and some
tn, the most magnificent villas in Euro
IN Fashion has seized upon this end OF
Il. lake. and from Villeneure to Lausa1
~ there is perennial flock ofsummer tour
~ who ''do'' one resort after another, pre-
&C ING the porters' backs with trunks of tn
he and four dimensional space, racing up
he down the lake on the fastest steamers u
oc. can find searching for Mt. Blanc amt
a. the Juras. and by their incessent CAB
s and nonsense losing all the Deautles ao
OF them and causing everyone else to do
re- same. One of them made the astound
statement in my hearing, the otheT q
that Mt. Blanc, the Matterhorn and wet
ick horn were ''all right together just acr
ose the lake" -..,s.... -.
os cannot close this letter without pay
es- a tribute to the fine schools for which
CITY of Geneva is so justly celebrated
,. world over. Its private and pnbllc INST
Iiss lions comnrise all grades of lndust
re- scientific and classical instruction, w
N. its social life is distinguishable from tina
% All other European cities for its quiet
-o' gance and refined hospitality. -
ELLEN BEAL MORE
of