Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-22

| Copyright. 1902 by Frank G. Carpenter)
| Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
| GENEVA, -, 1902
I am making a scouting tour through
| Switzerland on the track Of the American
| invasion. This little mountainous country
| is the kernel of Europe, and rich, juicy
| kernel 1t Is. 1t is only twice as big as
| Massachusetts, and it has not as many
people New York, but it buys more for
eign goods than the whole Chinese empire,
and its people have wants which CORE
| spond to almost every branch of our manu-
| features.
| But first let me give you bird s-eye view
| of this little land of the Alps. If you could
sail over it in the new flying machine which
| DR.. Langley of the Smithsonian Institution
is making, you would find that 1t Is by no
means all barren. 1t Is only the snowy
| peaks Of the mountains that are good for
| nothing. Fully one-third of 1t is covered
with forests. there are pastures high up in
! the Alps, and further down are thousands
| of small farms and vineyards.
| There are more than million people here
engaged in agriculture. There are 100000
| peasant farmers, nearly every one of whom
| owns his own land. The country is made
up of villages, with very few cities of size.
| Zurich, the largest, has only 10000; Basel,
! on the German frontier has Ill 600, while
| this town of Geneva, on the lake of that
| name, not far from the French border, is
| still smaller. 1 have been to the capital.
| the city of Berne. 1t is sleepy town of
| 65 600 while Lucerne, Chaux de Fonds,
| Lausanne and St. Gall have from 10000 to
| 40 900 each.-There are villages everywhere
| and little huts scattered through the nests
| In the mountains. ....-
The Thrifty Swiss.
! The Swiss are among the thriftiest Of all
| the Caucassans. They believe in making
! everything pay its own way, and every
man here has a profession or business just
as in the United States. There are but few
millionaires, and very few paupers. but
| many who have money invested in stocks.
| bonds and mortgages. Indeed, millions of
| dollars worth of American securities are
| held by the Swiss, and steady stream of
| foreign money pours into Switzerland from
| outside Investments, as well as from the
| thousands Of tourists who come here for
| their summer vacations. Switzerland has
| thrty+five banks, with an average capital
| of 100000 apiece 1t has 5000 different
! factories. and the whole country is a bee
| hive Of house industry.
Every village has its speciality, and the
| people of every section employed in
making things to sell. Swiss watches are
| sold everywhere, and the best watches of
the world today are the Swiss We make
| good timekeepers, but our watchmakers are
| machinists. The Swiss are artists, and the
| very finest of goods are turned out by them.
| Nevertheless, American watches sell here,
|
At Geneva one Of the specialties is music
| boxes Not far away Is the town of Chaux-
| defends, in which, with its surrounding
| country. 100000 watches are made every
| year. In the mountains wood carving Is
| done and about Zurich there are great silk
| weaving works. Near st. Gall they make
1 vast quantities of embroiderles for Europe
and the United States. $4,000 people being
! employed in that business alone. There are
other thousands who work in iron and steel
! and other thousands who make cheese and
| condensed milk, specialties in which Swift
| zerland leads the world.
Want Their Moneys Worth.
I have said the Swiss are rich They
have plenty Of money to spend for what
| they want. but they must have their
moneys, worth. This our exporters should
| consider in figuring upon the trade of the
! country. They should remember that they
will have to sell better goods and cheaper
| goods than are now IN the market to get
the trade. for they will have to displaee the
| goods now used. They should send COM
| mercial travellers here. There are thou
| sands of drummers now on the Swiss
roads from Germany, Belgium and Eng
| land but comparatively few from the
| United States Licenses are required for
| commercial travellers, and of % 900 such re-
| Gently issued none were credited to the
| United States. The drummer should speak
| German or French. but he can get along
| with English. The railway fares are low
| and hotels are cheap, so that good man
| ought to be easily able to earn his salary
and expenses and a good profit for his en-
| ployer.
But let me- ten you something about the
| American goods already sold here I have
| visited the largest cities and 1 find the
| tracks of the American invasion on every
| street and OH many Of the country roads.
| saw an AIuertGan automobile yesterday
| with dashihg French girl acting as en-
| gineer. and find American bicycles on al
most every country road. Some are used
| here. in Geneva. by the bakers. to deliver
| thus about on their backs. You see a
| basket full OF bread scorching up and down
| the street upon two wheels. and you know
| that the man. manipulating 1t Is a bread
| peddIer and thai the wheels belong to a
| bicycle which in three times out Of FIVE
| comes from the United States. Switzerland,
| hilly as 1t Is, Is a good land for bicycling
| You have to do much walking up the
mountains but the roads are everywhere
| good and there is much chance for excite
| ment in flying around curve on the edge
| of precipice with your legs over the han
die bars.
American Farm Tools.
| We sell several hundred thousand dollars
| worth Of American machinery to the Swiss
! every year. Our sewing machines are
| humming away in the cottages on the Alps
4 and our mowers and reapers cut the crops
| on the plains. Our leading agricultural
| implement factories have their head Of
| fees at Zurich. and their travellers go from
place to place drumming the farmers. I
| can plows. and l see our hay rakes and
| spades sold in many of the towns. The In
| PRODUCTION of such things Is slow The
| Swiss are conservative.
They are the same that their fathers have been;