The Press., 1899-11-23

m1cted TO paper, ana some things TO an
noy, had we been looking for such. We
were not looking for the gnats and feas
Of travel. At little village on the Rhine,
at the only hotel in the village, the beds
had each but one sheet, and no remon-
STRANGE or persuasion In our halting Ger
man could induce our smiling hostess to
add another. Her beds were all right so
far as she could see-"Gans recht, frisch
gemacht." To her credit, be 1t said, she
gave us a first-class dinner, and would
have us take coffee and cakes before GO
ing to bed. By proper readjustment
we easily made the one sheet do double
service, (happily, European beds are sin
gle), and with equanimity each crept un-
der his feather bed (the crowning outfit
Of every bed) and slept as only weary
wayfarers can sleep. A bountiful break
fast, whereat the good hostess served us
herself, after pleasant morning greetings
and the kindly inquiry, "Haben sic gut
geschlopper ?" And all this for the very
modest charge Of forty eight cents, Amer
ican money, to each guest. We shall re-
member her bright face and her kindly,
CHEEKY ways long after we have forgotten
that her otherwise we'll appointed beds
boasted but one sheet.
mentioned above the adverse condi-
tions under which some of these letters
have been written. One instance by way
Of illustration: The most of one letter
from Switzerland was written In the lobby
Of a little French hotel on rainy after
noon, all but four of the chairs around
the tables being occupied by local patrons
of the house, who had come in out of the
storm to find warmth and jollity. The
wine of the country flowed freely, loosen
ing tongues and wakening toes; two or
three Of the most mercurial were dancing
around in the middle of the floor most of
the time, the floor shaking and the tables
dancing, too, in time with flying feet and
cracked fiddle''-almost a pandemonium
of sights and sounds-bedlam let loose
And yet the letter must be written, with
as little notice as possible of surround
ings, for as soon as the storm passed we
must mount. That was the worst, the
most illegible scrawl have yet sent you.
only wish could have sent you a "snap
shot" of the scene, sounds included. 1t
would have been fitting and instructive
commentary on the letter. The French
Swiss are convivial in their habits, and
sometimes drink too freely perhaps,
though have never seen them maudlin
or pugnacious In their cups. In this jour-
ney through the by-ways of Switzerland
we have been surprised at the number Of
undersized men and women we meet,
whose faces are blank or silly. We often
comment upon 1t, and wonder IL the
drinking habits of the people are to be
charged with 1t.
One wheels about in a country like
Switzerland chiefly for scenery, but In
what ink shall he dip his pen to describe
it? How may the feeting sentiments of
beauty and grandeur be imprisoned In an
inkpot, and then SO spread upon the dead
page as to give living impressions even to
the most imaginative and sympathetic
reader?
A thing of beauty Is a joy forever to
him who, having seen, treasures it in his
heart. Our wanderings from Basel to
Geneva are "a linked sweetness long
drawn out"
The Aaeau from the heights above
Brugg; the vision of beauty on Lake Zug
and along the high shore of Uri and up
the valley of the Reuss the slopes of the
Rigi along the north shore Of Lake Lu-
cerne, indeed the whole environment of
that beautiful Lake Of the Four Cantons,
with its picturesque background of hills
and mountains; the Brunig Pass, Brientz,
Interlaken. Grindelw aid, Lauterbrunen,
with hills that ward off the SHOWS of the
Blumlisalp, Bern with its picturesque
surroundings; the whole of the Pays de
Vaud, from which the reverent, sweet.
spirited Agassi wandered in youth to well
coming, grateful America, of which Long.
fellow 80 graciously and gracefully sang
on the famous scientists fiftieth birthday
Geneva, with its beautiful vine-clad hills
rich in natures products, but richer fal
In her Calvin and her host of other great
and good men, who, with pen and sword
have fought around the shores of its beau
. tiful lake In ages past for truth and duty
the valley Of the Rhone, as seen from tn.
, summit Of Forclaz Pass; Mer de Glace
with Its adjacent heights the vale o
, Chamonix and Mt. Blanc, so grandly sung
, by Colelidge,-what are these but frag
, ture of Switzerland which we carry ava,
, from Geneva? These are scenes that tn
. genius of painting looks on at once will
> ineffable Joy and unutterable despair
knowing full well that her utmost skill
can never put them upon canvas for tn
enjoyment of the host of beautys worship
pers In other lands. What the brush de
spairs to do, the pen may not undertake
vi Excuse enough, then, that my letter
4 have only in far of and altogether un
satisfactory way limited at the beautiful
Q which we have daily passed. We sa,
r goodbye reluctantly to this beautiful
a country, from which we carry away g.
many pleasant memories. Sadder am
more reluctant still would be our fare
a well, did we not hope soon to retur
q again to its sylvan scenes, to exten'
!. further our acquaintance with It's by-way
and to catch fresh inspiration and uplift
ing from its lofty mountains.
= A. u. THREsHER.
WHAT A1Ls MANY MEN.-There is n
need to describe the peculiar weakness
4 with which SO many men are afflicted
9 you all know what 1t is-it may have bee
. caused by overwork, indiscretion, or ir
= heritance. How to cure it is what inter
ests you. You may have taken man