The log cabin Democrat., 1911-03-22

moning him to arms. Even now the melody has a haunting sound that seems to speak of martial deeds. Nc wonder the sound of the alpenhorn was forbidden during the days when the Swiss served as mercenaries to France and Italy and other countries, says a writer. Its sound would cause hundreds of otherwise faithful soldiers to desert for their Alps. And the songs with which Alpine herders call their companions from hill to bill and from crag to crag are of the same nature"
 There is a very practical relation slip between good singing and good dairying and this was proved at a farmers congress at Interlaken, where in a milking contest three days long. the same COWS, milked in songless silence, yielded 200 quarts of milk; milked by maids with fair voices. they yielded 220 quarts; milked by maids with the finest voices they yielded 240 quarts. This proof of fact that had long been suspected at once set pre- mium on the milkmaids who could sing well. They that could not sing well began immediately to study vo- caization, and hence Switzerland has many good singing milknaids. Milk ing time in the mountain is easily known by the tourist on account of the enormous volume of song that then scars up. silent milking Is crime, and the dairymaid who milks in silence is certain to lose her po- sition Swiss maids who apply for places in dairies are examined as strictly in singing as in milking and butter-making But dairying Is only one of the Swiss peasants occupa' tions
 All over the sides of the mountains are seen the pretty chalets, with their patches of cultivated ground, and every peasant seems to own some land even though it may be not more than a few square feet but 1t is divid- ed off into little plats for the different vegetables like pieces in a crazy quilt. Tn the valleys are the orchards and pasture land. The mountain farms are steep and rocky and cannot be plowed, but are dug up with spades and hoes by women and girls. The women also occasionally cut the grass on the al most perpendicular mountain slopes, bind it into bundles and carry 1t to the barns on their backs.
 There is scarcely anything so pic turesque as a Swiss haymaker with curiously pointed hat, his loose blouse of dark hue and his knee brooches, as he moves about with his rake over his shoulder. That self-same swain swinging his broad-bladed, straight handled scythe, while with a swish swash he mows the grass laid before him, makes another graceful figure. The round, rosy cheeks and the simple costume of basque, full short skirt and bright head-dress of the buxom maidens who rake after him render the picture complete.
 The costumes of these still idyllic peasants are as picturesque as nature. The Bernese peasant girls costume is beautiful, with it's snow-white shirt sleeves rolled up to the shoulder ex- posing to view plump, sunburnt arm.
 The life of the people, active and in- tensely human, is filled up with many festive occasions, full of ceremonial traditions. In these they exhibit their national customs and costumes. and the n ost interesting of them concern affairs nearest the heart. Betrothal. marriage, christening. as we'll as the many folk affairs, furnish occasions in which the festive dance is gleefully induiged in Many 8 hard days work is ended by such festive gathering. and :hen it is that the soul of the peassnt is wrought forth in his timely acts.