Mexico weekly ledger., 1900-08-16
HIEDE DESCRIBES NOVEL
SCENES AND CUSTOMS OF
THE SWISS.
THE WOMEN DO YHH HARVESTING.
Land of william Tell Not Large, Blu.
Exceedingly Interesting Through
st. Gothard Tunnel to Milan,
Italy Historic Cathedral.


any country. 1t 10 near the top Of
the mountain overlooking the beau
tifui lake Of Zurich and ID approached
by an electric q owned by the hotel
proprietors. From Heidelberg here
we passed through some fine Swiss
country. I never saw finer wheat
anywhere. The same grains are cul-
tivated here a. In Germany, Belgium
and Holland, and the same primitive
modes Of harvesting prevail On the
streets Of schanihansen, as We came
to the depot, we met a peasant girl In
q cart, drawn by q COW and harnessed
like q horse, with her wooden rake
ndfork going to the harvest field. She
had her lunch and the COW would
furnish her drink. The women do
nearly all of the harvesting. In all
these cities we have seen the dog
carts. The most perceptible differ
ence between the Swiss and the Hol-
land farms 10 the absencs OF ditches
in the former. There are no fences
and you can't tell where one farm
ends and the other begins. l do not
see any hedges In Switzerland. l see
q little tobacco and corn IL cultivated.
Frequently one house answers for
man and beast. There are but few
cows and horses, and oxen do the
work. A novel and interesting scene
to me was the marketing on the
streets OF Zurich. They have no
market house and the marketing is
strung along for Q half mile on the
street, mostly carried on by women,
bare headed in the hot sun. Having
no special sightseeing TO do this
quiet moo and being worn out with
the continual rush and confusion Of
this large tourist party I quietly alp
ped out by myself and took q stroll to
the top Of the mountain by 9 winding
walk through the cedsrs and away of
here In Switzerland was more alone
than ever before In my life. 1t may
have not been the safest thing TO have
done, but I shall never forget that
solitary communion on the mountain
top in the far-away Switzerland. God
is az near to % here as Ia our own
native land and 1 feel assured that He
viii take care Of my loved ones 60 far
away.
Tomorrow we are to pass through
the heart of Switzerland without max
ing any stop and spend the Sabbath
in Milan. We have reversed our
route and 80 to Rome and Naples be-
fore going to oberamergau and will
stop At several important points in
Switzerland on our return.
This land Of William Tell, which we
are now entering, 10 q wonderful
country from several atandpointsi 10
full OF historic events and associated
with some OF the greatest men that
ever lived. This very city Of Zurich
was the home of Zwingli, the great
scholar and reformer who worked
with Luther. / was introduced TO the
minister who oficiates In his church.
Switzerland is q republic and the
smallest nationality, I believe, In
Europe, Its greatest length from east
to west being only 200 miles and from
north to south about $50 miles. Two
thirds Of Its surface consists Of lofty
mountain chains and valleys and the
remainder about 1900 feet above the
level OF the sea-.
And since writing that last para
graph we have traversed this wonder
land from north TO south and are now
In Italy, in the old historic city OF
Milan.
"Italial Too, ItaIial Looking on thee,
Full flashes on the soul the light Of
ages
Since the fierce oarthaginian almost
won thee;
To the last halo of the chiefs and
sages stiI,
Who gIorify thy c~Onsscrated pages.
Thou vast the throne and grave Of
empires;
The fount at which the painting mind
assuages,
Her thirst of knowledge, quatfiug thee
in her Ill,
Flows from the eternal sources Of
Rome's imperial hill"
But what Of the Alps and my days
experienced "Beyond the Alps liei
italy, has long been the theme Of the
school girls essay. Napoleon said;
aThere shall be no Alps" and having
asked his guide II the pass was possi'
bic, said, s'set forward, then" Yes
! tsrday We did not pass over, bat under
this great wall thai 20 long protected
Italy. sufice It to say now, 80 / said
Of the Rhine, that the scenery fai
ezcsls my most extrsvagant anticipa'
lions. Ihad no adequate conception
of the beauty, sublimity and variety
OF the scenery upon which my eyeI
toasted all day long. The combine
! ten Of art and nature is 80 blended
there as nowhere else on earth,l think
What impressed me equally with TIL
wonderful works Of GOD, as here dis
!. displayed, was mans genius In over
coming these seeming impossible
barriers. II were impossible for m'
to bring before yorr readers anything
like . Just conception Of the CONSTANT,
shifting panorama Of nature and ar
: pIctures that thrilled and allied m'
: with wonder and admiration in tina
I ride Of $50 nIles-mounsain peak
kissing the sky and covered VIII
/. snow; mountain torrents falling hun
dreds Of feet, spreading out Ike Asilve
/. veil, peasant huts clinging on IN
aides Of the craggy mountains LOOKING
not larger than ant hills; the quee
and comical looking peasants wend
6 ing their way up the mountain sides
0 or about their daily ~avocations arounl
: ,helr hats and little yards q RAJ
,rscK winding lie way snake-like eve
and amen into . dark tunneli the nm
turn.piks roads everywhere OridsInI
l. the creeks and torrents and having
~reguIar distances their toll gates an
d odd looking guards with their baton
: Of once. what these mountain peas
i ants live on can't conceive 70
80. M slqu Of animal life, and scarce