Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-07-08
Visits to Genoa, Birthplace of Chris.
TOPPER Columbus, and Scenes in
Switzerland and Paris Des-
cribed by A. G. Baker.
EIFEL TOWER IN PARIS
GIVES SPLENDID VIEW OF CITY
Pass Beautiful Home of Anna Gould
Formerly of New York, Who
Married French Count, Also
Views the Home NapO-
leon Occupied.
CONTINUED from first page


Ierty and independence, though sur
rounded on all sides by hungry
wolves ready to devour any exposed
portion. This little republic is about
one fourth the size of Iowa, con-
tanning about 1900 square miles
Iii has about 100000 people, and
as one travels over its forbidding
surface he would see more actual
fertility in Winneshiek county than
in their whole republic. We are
travelling tunnels more than one
third of the distance, in fact at no
time do we travel a mile without
passing under ground. The greatest
tunnel ever constructed, at least the
longest is soon reached, the ST. Goth
ard tunnel; this tunnel is said to be
fourteen miles long, but as we were
in tunnels most of the time we hard
~ knew where it ended.
On al sides are it's snow capped,
ragged mountains and one is remind
ed of the toughest mountains Of
British Columbia History relates
that at one time this was a nation
of beggars, that when a new ruler
came into authority that beggars
surrounded him and he ordered them
all arrested and sent to the work
house, and today no beggars are
found in Switzerland, but the neatest
most enerjetic thrifty people the
world knows of. AS we ride thru
their mountain fastness we see that
little nook with it's clean surround
ings, homes perfectly kept, cattle
housed, its people respectful, hon
est and industrious one can but re-
spect them. Passing through valleys
and by beautiful lakes we are soon
at Luzern, beautiful resort city.
Each move we make in this city
we are impressed with this Clearly
people. What dinner at that hotel,
what a bed We find with its puff a
foot thick balancing on top. These
people live and know how. If you
desire summer outing go to Lu-
zern, it presents all that one can de-
sire.
Here one can take boat and as he
steams through Lake LuZern and up
the Reuss river see all the beauty of
nature. There are many resort no.
tells al well kept, but few attrac-
lions, other than that nature has
furnished, which should be sufficient
to crafty the tourists greatest de-
sire. The only artificial attraction we
saw was the lion Of LuZern, which
is their one carving. This great lion,
cut in the solid cliff, is work of
art worthy of notice. Our one disap-
pointment is that We cannot stay
longer among these people. We shall
always have an appetite for their
one greatest living production,
cheese, as we feel certain that it has
been made as clean as is in the pow
er of cleanly people.
AS we pass from Luzern to Basel
we cannot but observe with what
industry and economy and cleanli-
ness all the surroundings present.
We see no soil that looks good, but
still all their surroundings are pros
porous.
Basel is the second largest city
in the republic. 1t has about $1,000
people and is only few miles from
the German line where we cross in
to the province of Alsace. We spent
some hours in this city; it is one Of
northern Eurore's most ancient cit
les, peculiarly scattered city with
no business portion seemingly, it's
business portion interpersed with
homes. We now cross into German
territory. We had expected to see
a very prosperous people, but as we
ride across this province it does not
impress us with German thrift, as
we see no fine improvements, the soil
looked a hard clay, there was much
brush land, considerable of the land
having a desirable surface for prop
er drainage and farther towards the
French line more broken. AS we en-
ter French territory there seemed
a more shiftless condition, which
surprised US, as We presumed the
French a most thrifty people. There
was large amount of second growth
brush land that it would seem could
be made into good farming land;
the land now farmed looked worn
and poor. Here we thought we saw
a solution for the unrest on our
farms. The people here all live in
and farm their lands