Evening star., 1906-09-19
THE LION OF .LUCERNE
No Memorial, Equals This Fa-
nous Monument.
SWISS FIDELITY HON0RED
At One Tipe Considered Best Fighters
of Europe.
RAILWAYS UP THE ALPS
Deaths Of Reckless Mountain Climb
ers Who Ignore Warnings-Na-
tive Costumes Obsolete.
RAILWAYS UP THE ALP!

LUCERNE. Switzerland, August 81. 1906.
One wishes that the unique and incom-
parable monument known as ''the Lion of
Lucerne'' had been erected in honor Of
heroes who were fighting for patriotism in
stead of pay. There is nothing to equal It
in all the world in the way Of memorials
1t surpasses all others in originality, in
artistic merit and in impressiveness. Upon
the side of smooth sandstone cliff. dying
lion. pierced by a broken lance. has been
chiseled in relief. The great Thorwaldsen
designed 1t. and his model in plaster may
be seen in shop on the grounds. A sculp-
tor named Aborn from Constance actually
did the work. assisted by a number of or
dinary stone cutters. The model is about
four feet long. In the monument the lion
Is twenty six feet long. and lies with its
head resting upon a Bourbon shield. The
Swiss escutcheon Is leaning against the
wall of the recess in which the figure lies.
1t is monument to abstract and me-
chancal loyalty. The Swiss have always
fought for pay. While this may not be an
admirable trait. We may at least commend
their unswerving loyalty. The lion Is dedi-
Gated to the guard of mercenaries employ ed
by Louis XVI. who, at the outbreak of the
French revolution. on the 10th of August,
1892. held a mob at bay on the steps Of the
palace Oh tfle uiileTleS III fdflS at cost OF
twenty officers and 75O Of their men.
The dedcatory inscription reads:
Helvetlerum Fidei ac virtuti
Die x. Augusti H. ct III. Septembris
MDCCXCII.
Below this are the names of the officers
who perished.
The rock rises from dark, deep pool
surrounded by dense grove of trees and
shrubs. which have been cleared away just
enough to admit rows Of seats for specta-
tors. 1t Is in the very midst of the city,
just off one Of the principal business streets
a few moments walk from the fashionable
hotels. and the grove is so dense that 1t
seems like stepping into the closter Of
some ancient monastery. or into the sancti-
fed twilight of great cathedral The
boughs of the trees clasp hands overhead
and form canopy so thick that the air is
darkened, while in the late afternoon the
rays of the sun strike squarely on the back
of the lion like the focus of a photograph
camera, and bring out its lines In a strik-
ing manner. 1t is, as some one said "a
poem OF an older time, written in stone by
an inspired author. teaching a lesson that
no one needs.
Swiss Fidelity.
Napoleon thought so highly of the
Swiss as soldiers that he always placed
them in the most responsible places in his
campaigns. The pope of Rome in the mid
die ages had such faith in their loyalty
that he employed them as a body guard,
and to this very day the only guards Of
the Vatican are mercenarieS from the
Catholic families Of Switzerland, who are
paid s1S month with quarters and 'ra-
tions, and a pension of $40 month upon
retirement. They have been there since
the fifteenth century. They were brought
there when no other men could be trusted.
and they have never failed or fsltered in
their trust The fantastic uniform worn
by the papal guards. which irreverent peo-
pie compare to the Jack of hearts in a
pack of cards, was designed by Michael
Angelo, and they still carry lances. hal
herds and battle-axes such as were used
as weapons in the middle ages.
Although Switzerland is today the ideal
home of peace. tranquility and brotherly
love, and peace conferences and arbitra-
tion tribunals meet there, and the soil of
the little federation is always neutral
ground, there was time when it's inhabi-
tants set the fashions in soldering and its
troops were as formidable, as well drilled
and disciplined as those Of Germany to-
day One of the foundation stones Of the
Swiss federation Is the right of the COM
mon people to bear arms. And they not
only fought better than any other race,
but they were scientific experts in ord
nance, In tactics and In the manufacture
of weapons. which actually revolutionized
the art Of war. In the most ancient times
before the days of steel, the Swiss were as
accurate with their slings as the sharp
shooters of today are with their rifles
They made stone-throwing as effective in
military science as artillery practice OF to-
day They invented the halberd. combi-
nation of spear and battle-axe, which was
the most formidable weapon Of Its time
The blade was intended to smash helmets
shatter lances and break the legs OF
horses On the other side was spike
| to make holes in helmets and pierce armOr
and hook to clutch the armor plates and
drag the knights from their horses to the
ground.
Best Fighters Of Europe.
The Swiss acquired great skill with the
cross-bow also. and. with these weapons
| became the best fighters and the best dis
ciplined of all the armies Of Europe. These
little cantons whipped Charles the Bold
of Burgundy and the Holy Roman EN-.
pire and in a measure were the masters
of Europe until they went down during
the thirty-year war and lost their pres
tige.
| In q museum in Lucerne and in armories
| at Geneva and Berne the collections OF an
cent Swiss weapons are we'll worth see
Ing.
| Lucerne is not only a summer resort, bu,
| it is a town Of commercial Importance also
| For a thousand years before the imposing
| modern hotels were erected along the shore
| Of the lake 1t was a market OF importance
| and the seat of large trade. and. II yOl
will go down into the older part of the city
| you will have an opportunity to see some o1
| the most picturesque and well-preserved ex
| amples of medieval architecture in Europe
| There are several tall buildings with paint
1 ed fronts, exquisite balconies of wrought
| iron work and sign brackets hanging from
| the outer walls that even Nuremburg can
not surpass. And an old covered wOodeI
| bridge called the Spreuerbrucke. built ir
| 14OS is almost unique. The arches of the
| roof are ornamented with ffty-six panel:
| representing the progress of that grewsomt
| allegory of the middle ages called 1.-THE
| Dance of Death There are two sucf
| bridges The other one. nearer the station
| known as the Kapellbruck. because it l!
| near an ancient chapel. having been erected
in 1893, one year after Lucerne's admission