The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-10-12
LETTER FROM SWITZERLAND.
Mr.. II. II. Haines Sends the 'Journal'' Another
Interesting Letter. Giving Impressions Re-
ceived from the Different Countries Visited.
INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND,

INTERLAKEN, SWITZERLAND,
Sept. 18TH 1900.
What a sigh of relief what an exclamation o.
Joy, would be natural, would be spontaneous to
any traveller who has the first glimpse of the
valleys and mountains of Switzerland, SO fresh
and so green so we'll kept and so peaceful, after
he had spent weeks among the dry and the brown,
the careless and the struggling conditions of Italy
and Greece, Turkey and Russia. Such was my
impulse as 1 stood upon the rear platform of a
mountain car as it crossed the Alps at Brunig
Pass, upon track on the rack and pinion system,
when looked down upon the peaceful homes of
happy peasants and up into the peaks of Switzer-
land always so inviting to Americans, because of.
the additional welcome one free country seems to
extend to another. ! had net through all the
summers travel been on familiar ground before,
except in northern Italy. had purposely plan
ned the trip to see new countries. and felt like
calling out in my enthusiasm, Eye crags and
peaks, I'm with you once again."
BY the way regarding civilian Tell' and that
beautiful story, some one belonging to that class
of smart Alexis who would rob all the past of
its best relics it would seem, has concluded the
whole thing is legend pure and simple, that
"Tell and his fight for the freedom of his people
is myth. / met very clever Swiss gentleman
on the train and asked him what he thought
about it. Did he believe it? He replied "of
course we do. We have to believe something.
Just like all the different religions, we must be-
lieve one of them, so why not believe the most
desirable? And we prefer to believe III our
William Tell.''
But it is q fact to all Americans to English and
to the Scotch to the Germans and to all travellers
C,xjt slam app lie in ho
One loves its snow.eapped peaks and its huge
glaciers. so magnificent and mystic. one loves its
beautiful mountain streams so clear and limpid'
its bright green meadows and lovely forests,
its pretty Swiss homes and seemingly happy
peasant life.
After experience among the people of Russia,
Turkey and Italy, where Emperors. Sultans and
Kings rule he'lower classes with the degrading
influence of ignorance and who fear to have them
obtain the least education lest they lose their
troll of them, it is happy transition to get
among a people who dare to breathe the air of
heaven with feeling of Independence
We were most fortunate in our DEMONSTRATING
out among scenes which though interesting can
not be called inviting, and closing our wanderings
among people who leave with you happier rem
iniscences. In the beyond we still have Paris but
ptttcl Sill luiIhOi vi VIC nave oiO 'ShS i1hu, bhC
Anglo-Saxon tongue, which will sound so much
nearer home. will start in surprise on hearing
for the first time voice so familiar :atter such a
long experience with so many different tongues
almost dozen. If 1 must of all the countries
in the world outside our own, which is the great
est and best choose one as my avorite will state
at all odds Great Britain, the land of Shakespeare
and OF Dickens, the land OF Scott and 'Bobbie"
try found me at the plough and threw her inspir-
ing mantle over me. She babe me sing the loves,
the joys, the rural scenes and rural pleasures Of
my native soil in my native tongue. tuned my
wild, artless notes as she inspired"
I would not, however, disparage the very ex-
periences that have been mine, Every country
has its curiosities and its treasures, and to see
them obstacles must be overcome and sometimes
unpleasant experiences encountered, and yet 1
love travel and had the time and all the other
requisites reconciled thereto 1 would make the
world my play ground.
look back on many, very many, rare priv
ieges fallen to my lot on this trip. Some that it
took effort and discomfort to enjoy. I think Of
some places that should like to go often. Flor
ence is one of them. 1t was no strange fancy that
led Mrs. Browning to live there. saw her grave
in the English cemetery marked "E. b. B., died
1861 nothing more. A little further on in the
same cemetery is the grave of Parker, marked
Theodore Parker The great American preacher.
Born at Lexington, Mass, U. s. A., Aug a. 1910,
died at Florence May 10, 1860"
Florence is a clean city, with beautiful parks
and trees around its suburbs and flowers in abun-
dance. But above all these, are its rare gems OF
art in painting and sculpture, its rich treasures
and costly relics of the past its master pieces,
greater in numbers and in value than any other
place in the whole world. One room in one of its
galleries, room quite small, is said to contain
more value in TART than any one room In the
world. Yesl in Florence, rich and beautiful In
Florence one might wish to linger and to sojoum
for long time amid the great works OF Michel
Angelo, Titan. Tintoretto and Raphael, and
numerous others.
Rome hasits vast treasures and so is Naples not
without its attractions, but 1 care not to tarry
there. The people in southern Italy, likewise in
Greece, also Turkey, with their habits and Gus.
toms neutralize the pleasures one gets in the way
of studying their ancient wonders. One feature
alone annoyed me all the while in those countries,
the horrible treatment the dumb animals received
at their hands. 1t lis summed up by the words:
starvation, beating. overlooking. In the first
place they are poor and miserable they do not
whip them but club them, work them day and
night and put twice the proper load upon them.
The further north you go this condition improves
and while they will work horse, an OK, a COW,
mule and dog separately or together they will
take good care of them.
In Bavaria while driving through the highlands
visiting the castles of Linderhor, Hohenschwan-
gan and New Schwanstein, nestled in the noun
tain-side our trouble seemed to be that the
driver wanted us to walk up every grade in taking
more than even unusually good care of his big fat
horses.
So it goes, nothing seems to be evenly distrib-
uted in this world, and yet hardly any one but
feels it is good enough to live in and clings to
life with the greatest tenacity.
We will perhaps follow closely the wake ofthese
few lines to America and close trip the greatest
of our lives, and look back upon it with the
greatest joy and pleasure, and we trust its lessons
will not fail in value WE'LL for after all we only
know things best by what we see and learn of
them by travel.
H. H. HAINEs.
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