The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-10-22
Lo0ZNENx

long summer holiday spent
abroad. They are coming from many parts
of Europe and the British Isles with
pleasant recolIections Of Scottish heath,
German ruins on the Rhine and the cos
mopoIitan gayety of the Partisan capital
but they one in the opinion that
Switzerland Is the play ground of the
world.
The first picture evoked by the name
Switzerland is of mountains, white
and shining in their eternity of snow, and
of lakes clear lapis lazuli set in
frames OF dazzling emerald. But this is
soon followed by a varied Kaleidoscope of
tourists from every part of the known
world. who come TO spend their holiday in
this small though beautiful republic Be
hind the French auto enthusiast. the Eng
lish sportsman and the American pleasure
seeker stand the Swiss folk welcoming
strangers to their land, with the beauty
of their country. comforts and amuse-
ments.
The Swiss cater to foreigners and have
learned through necessity the art of being
excellent hosts. Their great riches
their scenery But men cannot live
towering peaks. on snow-clad mountains.
ranges and fertile valleys. The very gran-
deur Of this scenery has impoverished the
are concerned. Switzerland is poor: its
natural resources are few compared with
those of adjacent countries. Much of the
land is too sterile and high to be used
for farming, and In many parts where the
land is fertile the climatic conditions are
such to permit of farming only a few
months of the year.
Just as these sturdy. courageous folk
struggled 70 get and maintain their free
dom they have likewise toiled, labored
and toiled to change their cold, haughtily
sublime mountains into gardens of smiling
beauty. They have pierced the bowels of
the earth to link their country with Italy
and France. They have blasted the hard
est rocks. making roadways along the seas
and up the steepest sides of their noun
tains
Through observation they learned that
only genuine sportsmen enjoy ascending
high mountains with pick and staff: there
fore, scientists and engineers have worked
enengetically TO perfect the cogwheel and
mountain railroad, that tourists might
be carried up Pilatus. Stauserhorn and
Rigl and heavenward toward the summit
of the snowclad Yungfrau. They have
adorned their cities with splendid prone
nades rich I'm iowerbeds and fountains.
They have erected handsome places OF
amusement and hotels that compare ia
vorably with any found in the largest Eu-
ropean capitals.
The Swiss are excellent hoteIkeepers.
whether they run costly adjustment
small inn. The lodgings they offer
are. always Immediately clean and the
board is good. They much more anx-
ious to please a guest than to bubble over
a franc OF room tariff. reckoning IL they
please their guests they will come back
another season.
Before the season opens these hotelkeep-
ers come together and discuss points of
common interest, such as improving the
promenades. the tariff of room and board.
the amusements they shall offer their
guests, and IL the roads are in good condi-
ton for driving and automobiling. A
keeper of a small pension makes his place
attractive with window-boxes and an old
fashioned garden. while the large hotel
keepers have French chefs and servants
who speak many languages: an orchestra
and program three or four nights a week
with talent supplied from the best the
alters and concert halls of Europe. Almost
every large city has a kursaal where a
band plays during the afternoon. Here the
promenaders retreat from the heat of the
day. chat with their friends, faunt their |
handsome frocks and furbelows slipping |
wine. eating ice and listening to music In |
the evening, during the height of the sea- |
son, the proprietors Of these kursaals en- |
gage the best talent OF Europe, and 1t Is |
not unusual to hear artists from the Acad-
emile Franchise in Lucerne. Interlaken and |
81 NORTH All these places have roulette |
tables. where gamblers from ssil parts of
Europe and America gather to gain ana
lose large fortunes
Automobiling Is another favorfte amuse-
ment for strangers In Switzerland; many
American and French people ship their
own machines and visit the different
parts OF the country In a touring car.
Others locate In Lucerne or ST. Moritz |
and, making one of these places their
center. ride many miles daily along the
sea. across rich valleys and over -sh.-h |
ranges. The beauty of the
Swiss scenery and the comforts and |
pleasures provided By the people have
resulted In making Switzerland perfect
Mecca In summertime.
The English come early and stay late
They wait impatiently for the snow 10
stop falling from the mountain so they
,an climb the RiSi and Pilatus: they
cross the glaciers Mt Chanonix and Mont
Blanc. and even dare such heights as