Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-08-13

to doing Switzerland, or rather part
Of If in this primitive fashion, still recall with
a keen sense of exharation and delight.
Early one morning about the middle of June,
with heavy hobnailed boots on our feet' stout
walking sticks in our hands and knapsacks on
our backs, we set forth to walk from Thusls over
the Julier pass into the Engadine. Toward noon
we snatched an hours nap at wayside inn after
tlunchng on brook trout fresh from the water
and vegetables fresh from the earth we stopped
for the night in little mountain village where
the charge at the hotel for breakfast and large
corner room with polished hardwood floor, hand
woven and hand-embroidered lnen sheets ana
three dantily curtained windows framing mag
nifcent panoramas of snow mountains and cas-
cades amounted to 48 cents each The pic
= turesque little proprietress apeIogetlcaly ex-
planned that the extras which we had SO recklessly
incurred in the way of eggs and jam for break
fast we're responsible for the swollen proportions
of the bill
/ 1t seemed like flying in the face of Providence
TO hurry away at once So yielding to the protest
of our tired feet and the combined charms of the
place the proprietress and the prices, we stopped
another day in this little patch of paradise and
started off next morning refreshed in body and
soul for our three days trip by easy stages oo"h
into the valley of the Engadine
Making our headquarters in ST. Moritz, we
walked all over this enchanting region seeing 1t
in its most glorious season, the month OF flowers,
when the fields are shot with every color or the
rainbow and Alpine roses run RIOT over all the
hills, while starry gentians make their part OF
the earth as blue as the sky and pansies and put-
tercups in the valley spread cloth OF pure golo
for ones feet
Erou CT Mcritz we set out for weeks walk
tho trim TO Andermatt through of the least
tourist-spoiIed regions of Switzerland stopping
en- route at little chalet hotels where we ate,
drank and slept with all the JOY and some OF
the power of the vrile, voracious races or prlml-
five man At the top of the Oberalp pass the
nroprietor of the hotel welcomed us as Moan
might have welcomed the dove that returned to
the ark with the first sign of dry land Thus far
the poor man told u.s. his season had been so
superIatively bad that his family had been
Obliged to eat meat!
AS we were somewhat puzzled by this para
doxcal utterance he fastened to explain that in
the absence of guests land might add, cold stor-
age facties) there nothing to do with the
meat on hand but to allow the family to eat It,
Judging from his attitude we could Imagine the
sort of chastened pleasure with which his house
hold must have partaken of this feast winch,
while undoubtedly minsterng to their carnal
satisfaction, betokened their financial undoing
From the mass we made side excursion to lit
fle lake Toma-the source of the Rhone-on our
way down to Andermatt where we inspected as
much as is allowable to foreigners, the splendid
Notifications which the Swiss promptly erected
the st. GOthard pass Wnen ltdHan imperialism
threatened to rob them of their Italan-speakng
cantons
The Swiss army Is one of the most remarkable
of her institutions. II is the Ideal toward which
the common people of every European country,
weighed down with taxes for huge standing ar
mics, turn with longing and hope. The Swiss
have a wonderful system of militia which saves
millions of money to the taxpayers and years OF
freedom from military service to the soldiers.
Practically all Swiss serve in the militia and re-
serves The training thus received would be In
sufficient we're It not preceded and supplemented
by military training for boys In school, and rifle
practice every year by virtually the entire male
population
In this highly original and economical way lit
tie Switzerland with population OF less than
three millions of people, actually has at her beck
and call an army of $4,000 of the most martial
soldiers in Europe, armed equipped and ready TO
take the field at an hours notice
Leaving Andermatt crossed the Furka pass
into the Rhone valley and IN the course OF the
summer we walked over number OF passes, the
AIbula. Brunig, Gemmi, Meiden, Augsburg and