The Rice belt journal., 1914-02-20

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"a fA pass by, the fallacy in it begins to
Nlo& make itself felt, but edeh individual
fbXS has to find it out for himself in the
%SZZF| school of experience; nor must he
hope by any argument to convince
those who have not yet learnt the lesson.
Thousands are now accustomed to take an an
nual holiday in the Alps, but most of these, hav
ing only few short weeks at their disposal, stay
at a hotel. There are, however, maryland their
number is ever increasing-who go out with
their families and spend the whole season in the
mountains yet who grow weary Of continual hotel
life, and seek after something that shall be not
only more independent but less expensive, for to
many the question OF expense looms larger every
year. Such can hardly do better than take fur
nished chalet in the hills. There are many such
to be found and although rents tend to increase,
they cannot yet be said to be excessive. The
Swiss have realized the fact that there is a grow
ing demand for wellappointed chalets in good sit
uations, that many have recently been built and
others are being adapted.
Those thinking of taking such chalet for the
winter months would be we'll advised to see that
it stands at an altitude of not less than $500 feet
above sea level. Should it be lower there will be
some risk Of fogs from the plains and lakes ris-
ing above it, and of wet mud taking the place of
that FOR housekeeping purposes it is useful to
choose place within easy reach of some town
such as Montreux or Interlaken, though much
shopping is best done by post. If the house is
large it will sometimes happen that the owner will
retain few rooms for his own personal use. In
this case he will almost always be glad to give
help whenever it Is asked for. The average Swiss
village, let it be said does not usually provide the
luxuries Of Capua but the visitor will quickly
discover where to obtain everything that he needs
He will soon find that his chalet can be managed
with remarkably little servant power. Central
heating" may be called necessity and, in a
private house where the ventilation can be proper
ly attended to, it does not produce the stufiness
that is such an undesirable feature in so many
hotels.
AT Rome as at Rome" is useful motto for
those who live away from their country. The
Swiss peasant has his own opinions and his own
way of looking at life. Therefore, visitor should
not be angry with him when he finds that he has
a fixed notion that all foreigners are semi-mil-
lionaires. Is it surprising that the villagers, be-
ing intelligent if somewhat narrow and unedu-
Gated, should look upon the gems dc sejour who
come from afar and live in nice houses, and, so
far as they can see do no work whatever, as
almost inexhaustble gold mines? They would
hardly be human if they did not use their oppor-
tunities Of making hay while the sun shines; only
it rests with each visitor to see that he does not
personally contribute an unreasonab1y large share
of the hay.
The dweller in hotels sees but one side of Swiss
characterize outside; for though the Swiss may
be busness-like, he is emphatically not obsequ-
ious by nature. On the contrary, he is vigorously
independent. The father of a large family will
be grateful to receive any crumbs from the rich
mans table, in the shape of discarded clothes for.
the use Of his boys provided that they are offered
as from an equal to an equal, for he is very SEN
sitve. But in short time one Of the boys will
probably bring basket of eggs ito thank mon
sieur and madame" The writer was once asked
to photograph some girls, and few days later
message came from the children's mother: Might
she do some of the household washing free of
charge in return?" That is not such a bad kind
of independence! At least it compares favoraby
with variety that is to be met with which
thinks to show its independence in rough man
ners, but is not above taking everything it can get
without making any adequate return. Take him
all round the Swiss peasant is an interesting and
good man to deal with. Suspicious at first and
sensitive always, he responds warmly when he is
treated with tact and sympathy
One OF the very first questions that occur to a
possible chalet dweller is will there be plenty
of congenial society, or shall we be dull?" To
which the reply must be made that the amount of
society depends largely on the place selected and
its nature on ones self. 1t is always possible to
ascertain beforehand the number and size of the
hotels in the village, and these may be looked
upon as fairly reliable index of the visiting pop-
plation. Moreover, it has been the writer's ex.
perence that hotel keepers, far from looking
askance at chalet dwellers, welcome them and
willingly allow them the use Of their skating
rinks and toboggan runs on very moderate terms
Many chalets are now built with an open fire.
place in the drawing room, where cheerful wood
fires may be lighted And, let it be remembered
that in most places wood is so plentiful that
within few minutes walk of the chalet sackfuls
of fir cones and armfuls of sticks and logs may be
collected; nor is 1t possible to exhaust the supply.
Yet in the daytime artificial heating can often be
dispensed with. Day after day the sun shines in
eloudless beauty, and it is possible to sit out on
The balcony reading hour after hour So dry is
he air that snow evaporates with the heat more
apidly than it melts, so that unless the thaw be
{ery pronounced there is a total absence of
slush." Last winter, a week of snow at the be-
sinning of December was followed by SIX weeks of