Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1899-12-09
NORTHERN RESORTS.
spitibersen and Iceland Suggested
a. Coed Points
scenis Beatty asa HesIthfuI At~ss-
phere of the Arctic Circle would
Prove Grest Attractions
tor Tourists.

not influencing men like Nansen. Jack
son and Peary alone. Even the pleas
ure-seeker has been attracted, and IL
Is not so very long ago that the Lusit-
ania woke the arctic echoes with the
strains Of a string band. Another trip
was made to Spitzbergen. and one OF
the party gave a striking picture Of
polar charms. "We were invading" he
wrote, "the very sanctuary OF solitude:
we, with our string band. our trained
cook, our costumes made in London
and our end-of-thecentury habits and
customs-what had we to do here dis
turbing the silence Of the frozen quiet?
And yet how strangely beautiful it wasl
or almost every other famous scene
the traveller asks himself: 'Of what
does this remind me?' OF the coast line
Of Spitzbergen there is no rival south OF
itself. Could you imagine yourself on
some Alpine height, surrounded by vast
mountains, cut of some few thousand
feet from their SUBMITS by q level line
Of olive gray clouds, you might get an
outline of hat wonderful scene. But
no words can give the ~faintest impress
sion OF the marvellous atmospheric
changes produced by the sun toward
midnight. Look ahead, and the snow
peaks are glowing pink with approach
ing sunset; look back. and the spires
of snow are lying in that dead white
light which precedes the dawn. and
midway between is n long stretch that
Is neither sunrise nor sunset. II Is n
period of It's own. As the heights vary,
so you think you are catching the last
CLEAN of a dying sun or the first flash
of It's rising. The sun at midnight we
saw not. At about a quarter of an hour
before the bells told us IL was midnight
a bank Of thick clouds slowly rose
and hid the sun from our too curious
eyes; another half hour and he was
bright again; but the sun at midnight
was always curtained for us. II was
difficult to force ones self to bed, so
bright was the sunlight and so varied
the attractions that met the eye"
The arctic circle as a health resort
sounds somewhat eccentric; but IL is
not beyond the dreams OF the doctors.
Recollect that DIR. Nansen has declared
that his medical adviser on the Fran
had a s%inecure while the crew were in
the furthest north. Everyone was alb
surdly healthy" remarked the leader
Of the expedition. "A man with an
ache or pain would have broken the mo-
notony."
Is IL more extraordinary hat Spite.
bergen should become a s%anitarium
than that Davos in winter should have
won the approval of the medical men
for consumptives? Davos was original
ly discovered by the Germans. Thirty
years ago a Teutonic physician accom-
panied by q friend wandered TO the
spot, and with difficulty obtained a
lodging in a solitary dwelling. The doc
tor was suffering from consumption,
and to his delight and establishment
found himself rapidly growing better.
He considered that the high Alpine air
was an admirable tonic; that though at
a great height above the sea, the sun
beat down with immense power
through the rariied atmosphere, and
that the pine forests which clothed the
hillside were fraught with healthful in
fluence. The German doctor, happily re-
covered, started the theory for his coun-
trymen that in cases of phthisis a cold
climate was better than n warm one.
This medical heresy, for such II would
have seemed Ct the time, gradually
made its wa. The theory was that in
this cold Z. ate the living germs which
cause pul..Jlary disease cannot exist,
and are gradually extirpated. The
Germans came in crowds. Gradually,
to defray the expenses, they escorted
to every means to earn q livelihood.
They opened all kinds of shops, hotels,
pensions; gave l~essonsin every province
of education-languages. natural sci
painting and wood carving.
In the nest century we may see Spitz-
bergen "A ilourishing health resort. We
getting tired of the continental
cures. Arctic baths sound invigorating.
arctic air is certainly free from noXious
microbes. The only disadvantage is the
long sea voyage, which. however, NAV
be declared 10 constitute part of the
treatment. But If SpitIbergen be too
distant, why not p|atronize Iceland?
Iceland Is one Of the most interesting
places in the world; its ply steal fea-
lures are very remarkable, aud not less
is the history Of it's people. The
.Icelanders, AS "A race, are noble. intel.
and brave; their government is
thoroughly republican in spirit and all
have equal rights and perfect
religious liberty The \nrs. lauuuuu.
IS still spoken in Iceland -Fireside.