The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-11-02


chromos, alone could give any adequate idea
of Swiss scenes, The verdure in the fertile
valleys and on the mountain slopes, the waters
Of the lakes fed by the glaciers the environ
m mt of snow.capped mountains glistening in
the sun, with the brilliant effects of those
picturesque contrasts, find no expression in the
picture of meaningless black and white; the
colored photograph alone could present a sug-
gestion of the marvellous beauty and glory Of
Switzerland. So any synopsis in black and
white can present no truthful view of Miss
McCutcheon's descriptions, illumined by her
charm of manner and glow and enthusiasm of
portrayal. Following is synopsis touching
briefly upon few of the many points of lively
interest;
first experience of crossing the ocean, il a
fortunate one, must ever remain the ideal for
future voyages; SO one counts it n privilege as
well as pleasure to have crossed with a party
of one hundred and eighty seven who were de-
convention, held in London in July,
1898, sailing from Boston in the Cunard
steamer Catalonia. There are memories of n
crowd in the bright saloon, fragrant flowers,
last gifts and tokens of affection from friends
who, say good bye with forced cheerfulness as
alone and realize "the die is east" and we are
actually moving out to sea. A strong desire to
go out and walk seizes us, but recalling all our
brave resolvesl we steadfastly settle the state
room and are on deck hunting for the steamer
chair, our closest friend of the VOYAGE. Pro-
tected from sea and wind, and warmly wrap
ped in our rugs, we settle down to the luxury
OF idleness, which is only possible in similar
conditions Every one has "a book. few are
reading. Each al'o has note book. but few
are writing, and the days go in charmed cir
Gle OF inOccupaton, marked by the times in
which we ate cOnyersed or slept.
One no longer wonders at the sailors love for
the sea-'the blue the fresh the ever free. ="
Its immensely moves us to awe, its freshness
brings new yigor. Whittier Healing of the
seas, its calm and storm fascinate us as we
wonder at mans daring, and CHRISTOPHER Col
umbus suddenly becomes the greatest hero in
our catalogue. When seven days out we real
ize another side of existence, and at ten in the
evening fire is discovered in the cotton in the
hold. The fire drill becomes a reality, the pas
sage way is closed by iron doors, the upper
deck is thronged as huge volumes of smoke
rise above the streams of water which are
pumped into the depths of the ship and two
hundred and fifty men, the entire force fight
this element most dreaded at sea, for four
hours. There is no panic; all are strangely
calm. The lashings of the life boats are cut
but we may not need them, and we do not for
at two o clock in the morning the word is pass
ed along that the fire is out. Seven bales of
cotton have been cast over board and huge
blackened pile on deck testified to the nights
work Next day three hundred dollars is dis
persed among the men, but only grateful
hearts can record their debt to those brave
Britons.
How sweet the first smell of the brown
earth as we near the Irish coast. A line of low
violet hills against yellow sky marks our
course, and the spars and ropes are etched
aft1gt htrr 1n1g
sailing. as gently as on some inland lake. AT
Queenstown the mail, newspapers news of
Santiago and of the Inflated Bourgogne greet
us and then we fully realize the perils of the
sea and the perils of war.
AT Liverpool we pass the customs easily,
at our hotel. In the evening we hear Rev.
John Watson--"Ivan Macaren''-in his own
pulpit, the Seton Park church, and find him
still the author of the Bonnie Brier Bush'
rather than the preacher just as so many peo-
pie can never think of our own beloved "Au-
OF materia medica. 1t is always up to Lon
don,". aud .thither we go in private train
making only one stop, at famous Rugby.
Through the fertile fields past snug villages
where the ivy rioted over the brick cottages,
fields bounded by hedge-rows and aflame
with scarlet popies, by some lovely home with
battlements commanding an esquisite view
from the hilltop. in perfect July day which
belied all my theories of English weather,
though the clouds and there were always
clouds--seemed never at rest.
London, vast, wonderful, charmed me from
the first. What is not encompassed by that
word How the old names were fraught with
memories, literary and historical, as we read
Pater Noster Row, Newgate, Fleet street, Old
Bailey, st: Paul's churchyard, the Strand, Pail
Mall and Piccadilly, Hyde Park and Rotten
Row. What delicious morsels they became
under the tongue of 'cabby' and those most
courteous of mortals, the London police.
Every one sees certain things, but reception
by the Lord Mayor at his official residence, the
Mansion House, and garden party on an Eng
lsh estate were added pleasures. Most cor
daily twere we greeted, and as Americans,
made to feel that we were of one race one
destiny.
In Paris charming week is spent, when we
do such Justice as we may to the art and his
tory OF this brilliant and beautiful city, with
ITS palaces, its treasures, its churches. Its ar
tistic and cultivated taste renders it the worlds
best critic in many ways, and to the French we
owe, ana must ever owe, an immense debt. At
Geneva, where fine view of Mont Blanc is
had and day on the lake follows. we look
up ,Calvins church and Rousseau's monument,
Gents route At Genoa we visit the
famous Campo Santo, or burial ground,
also the house of Columbus and get the
view from the hills of that beautiful harbor
AT Pisa we visit the Baptstery, with its ia
nous pulpit, the masterpiece of Nichola Pr
sano, the Duomo, and climb the Leaning
Tower, which requires courage even in an Am
erican. Florence, Rome, Venice, Milan, with
the oliye-crowned hills, vine yards and har-
vests which make Italy one vast garden, each
brings to us new enthusiasm and delight. 1t is
all so strange and beautiful that we are for
ever bound to that country in which Michael
Angelo toiled and Dante sang, Raphael painted
and Calico studied the stars
The Falls of the Rhine Heidelberg with its
fine old ruin, ivy-mantled, Baden-Ba with
its celebrated baths and charming surroundings,
bring us to the Fatherland, while Zurich and
lovely Lucerne link those two countries togeth-
er. AT Mainz we take steamer to Cologne,
view. the famous cathedral and the church
which enshrines the bones of St. Ursula and
her virgins. Then on to Brussels, the Paris
of the North, as it is termed, and Antwerp,
where we view Ruben's famous work, The
Descent from the Cross, which, is in the Ca
thedral. Across to Newhaven and up to Lon
don, and with stop at Kenilworth Castle
and Chester, we are again at Liverpool. How
reluctantly one bids goodbye to it all, as the
steamer slowly pulls into the Mersey and we
face towards the New World again.
LAT