The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-11-22

large numbers OF hotel keepers on the
swiss lakes and in the most picturesque
snot. profit from these Travellers and
| this fact no doubt has made the Swiss
! nconle the most successful and best Inn
keencrs In the world. From Switzer-
land they have spread over all the earth.
and the hotel proprietor VINO can get
the services OF Swiss manager consid-
/, crs himself fortunate indeed.
But the Swiss people as q people 90
not keep hotels. but. like the great mass
Of other people on the earth. they are
| Obliged to work; and these hard labor
ers have somehow found time and In
| tellieencc to teach the world great les
son, in political and religious freedom.
far out OF proportion To the size OF their
| country or the apparent intelligence OF
their men and women.
ARE COMFORTABLE.
An American farmer would not think
tina. he could live where the Swiss far
mer tills the soil. An American laoorer
would not never dream that the small pit
lance OF the Swiss laborer would sus-
tain life. And yet. measured by all the
standards that We are able to employ
perhaps the Swiss as people arc as
comfortable and prosperous MS the rest,
Everywhere tho political and religious
institutions OF the country have d.
rect bearing upon the prosperity and
general. welfare OF her people. for. after
all Is said and done. nothing In tho world
can make people SO prosperous as free
institutions, and It Is doubtful II Tree
institutions can long survive IN any coun-
try that Is not poor.
The story Of Egyt la the story OF all
the world The rich. broad valley OF
the Nile could not DO left to those who
TILED the soil. It's very wealth and fer
Utility made 1t the prey OF the strong and
left Its work to be done by a race OF
slaves.
While Switzerland Ia not SO poor that
the monopolist has never yet tried to
own her soil and subdue her people.
still she is SO poor that her people have
been able to defend thems selves against
such efforts as the powerful have thought
worth their while. And SO to-day, al
though her great mountain ranges are
rugged and barren, although her fertile
valleys are few and narrow. still her hills
and her valleys and her forests are owned
by her common people, and however scant
the harvest that cold. unwilling ma
ture grudges to these workn,en. all OF It
belongs to the hands that produced It.
And under this inspiration the Swiss
mountaineer tills his soil and tends his
nerCS ana lives w o. lo|l oSb'SS W. SS"'
tcntment upon his wild and barren native
heath.
MOSTLY FARMERS.
Standing upon one OF the high noun
tains the traveller can look In every
direction and see village after village
clinging to the mountain sides. while
even the widest Businesses seem to be
covered with cattle and utilized IN some
way by these thrifty mountaineers.
Most OF the Swiss people are farmers.
True, they till their lands In way that
would seem impossible II not absurd to
our American farmers, But while the
fertile lands Of the United States have
been slowly passing into fewer hands.
and the farm laborer gradually taking
the place OF the farm owner. Swltzer-
land has gone the other way. Swltzer-
land has defended the rights Of the COM
mon people to the earth In many hard
fought battlefield. and has now written
i these precious common rights so firmly
into her constitution and her laws that
nothing but "a general worldwide res
action could ever deprive the people Of
their land Under this system Switzer-
land. poor and beggared through nature
has made her has still seen her farming
population gradually increase and sub
due new lands, while our own, like that
OF rnost other nations, has stood still,
or slowly receded In the face Of the
great growth OF thu cities and tho mo-
disqualification Of industry, wealth and land,