The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-09-23
NOTES In SWITZERLAND.
Soliciting ABOUT ST. CHRIS
CHoNA, NEAR BASIL.

CHoN4, NEAR BASIL.
The Great Beauty Of the Surrounding
seenery-A Beautiful .Legend-An-
Client Shrine ON a Mountain Topaz
other Venerable Mountain Church
and Curious conyent-ImpressiOn of
Paris Revisited After Twenty Years.
Following is a personal letter from a
much esteemed New Haven gentleman
who is spending several months in the
old world:
st. Chrischona, near Basel, Switzerland,
a$ .. Sept. S, 1904.
Dear Friend:
I write to tell you that am at 81.
chrisehona. / reached here Thursday
forenoon in the midst of rain and fog,
and the weather has been unsettled
ever since, but there has been enough
sunshine for me to see and admire the
natural ioyeliness of st. Chrischona. !
have many times said to myself, as !
have looked out my window, How glo-
riously beautiful The dark green for
est 4 short distance away, the valley
beyond with little hanllets scattered
here and there, and further off, the
high mountains rising one above anoth-
er are stretching away as far as the eye
can reach. sss
/ find everything here very satisfaeto-
~ thus far. The people are refined and
friendly; the food is good and plenti-
| full and my room delightful with its
grand outlook.
| Maybe you would like to knew sonle-
! thing about St. Chrischona herself. The
legend goes that far back In high anti
guilty a Christian maiden fed away
from a heather prince who sought her
hand in marriage and found refuge
upon this mountain top and here built
a shrine. This maiden was st. Chris
chona. It is only a legend, but the an
1 cient church which now crowns this
mountain top. goes back SO very far
4 into antiquity that there seems to be
nothing positive in existence. as to its
age.
Saturday afternoon i saw another
venerable mountain church with curl
4 Gus old convent beside it. This one was
1 a Catholic church and is really in Ger
many, for this is a part Of the Black
Forest, and the dividing line between
Switzerland and Germany Is almost
within a stones throw from this house
This old church and convent are in the
hamlet of Wyland, quite a long but de-
lightful walk from here and are called
1.-THE Gate of Heaven" in German
4 ''Himmel's Pforte.
! we went into the queer old house for
/ a nlfd-afternoon lunch, and they gave
us coffee of a most delicious quality,
fresh rolls and butter and honey.
Wasn't that an ideal lunch, with nuns
! to wait upon you and only fifteen cents
| to pay for the repast.
! i felt pretty tired and worn when I
reached Chrischona, having left Paris
early III the evening and travelled all
night without sleep and being much
fatigued when I started off, but / begin
/ to feel rested in this beautiful air and
peaceful surroundings.
was rather disappointed iii Paris
Twenty years brings 50 many changes,
unhappily. 50 many changes IN ones
self, too. When was there last could
tramp about all day long and go every
where without fatigue and found novel;
ty In everything. Now cannot go any
great distance in a busting city with
out being tired to death, and the novel;
ty of things has lost much Of its charm.
But the charm of Chrischona seems to
grow upon me.
The numerous inscriptions here at st.
Cf1rischona, all is German, of course,
upon buildings and over doors are very
such as these:
''Let everything that hath breath
praise the Lord. = ~
Praise the Lord, Oh my soul, and all
that is within me praise his holy name.
4 AS the heart desireth the water
brooks, SO Iongeth my soul after Thee,
oh God
Would you not enjoy a sojourn la
such a place, among the clouds? Far
from my thoughts vain world be gone"
Yesterday afternoon about five o'clock
Willie. QAlC$ u LIE
woodland roads, a stream Of exquisite
music came floating down through the
trees. 1t was some Of the students Of
Chrischona practieing with a cornet and
other instruments. What they we're
playing was none of the trashy music
that we hear SO often, but some of those
fine old German hymns of rich and no
BILE melody. While listening with in
tense enjoyment / was eating some de-
1icious pIuns that had picked up iii a
meadow close by across
which a row of plum trees had been
planted.
But ! am ait the end Of my page, so
must close with kindest wishes and
greetings. Would that I
could send you a bit of the magnificent
view that is spread out before me as /
write. Sincerely
WTTIJAM HULL, M,ACsARTHY