Evening star., 1915-11-09
.[UCERNE PLACID CENTER
Of WAR-R|DDEN EUROPE
Swiss Mountain City Now Is Re.
garded as Hub Of Worlds
Peace Paths. ...

'Lucerne, toward which, rumor has
| it, all peace paths of the world now
take their way. and upon which the
| eyes of many troubled millions have
been turned in the keen hope that the
bright mountain city may soon attain
the enviable fame of sending forth the
call to cease hostilities in the worlds s
greatest war, is described in a state
ment isued by the National Geographic
Society. Prince Won Buelow's visit to
the city strengthened peace rumors,
which have been growing in assurance
during weeks past, and centered peace
activities in Lucerne. The war primer,
| telling of Lucerne, reads:
"Lucerne, the capital Of the canton
| of Lucerne, situated in an amphltnea-
| ter of mountains upon the exquisite
| Lake of Lucerne, is one of the most
beautiful and most picturesque towns
| in Switzerland. and, in the land OF the
| pilgrims paradise, 1t has been one OF
the principal tourist centers. In tone
| it is thoroughly cosmopolitan; Tor, our.
| ing normal times. representatives OF all
| the peoples of Europe and both Ameri-
cas- are continually passing through the
place, to and from the famous ST. Gott-
| hard. More than 100000 visitors were
entertained in Lucerne each year IN
normal times, and. though a place OF
only 10000 population, it possesses
| seventy hotels, many of them as pre-
tentious as those to be found in New
| York and Paris.
! Mountains wall the city, save where
the wall is broken through by the tor
rent of the Reuse, which drains Lu-
cerne lake. The Pilatus range, Rigi and
| the Alps of Uri and Engelberg frame
| the crystal waters at their feet. Lu-
cerne is primarily a city of peace, be-
cause It's support depends upon the
good will, the prosperity and the leis-
ure of nations productive and at peace
| with one another. The annual 100000
visitors pay the running expenses OF
the place and furnish it with plenty
| of pocket money for incidental luxur-
les.
Before the outbreak of the war Lu-
| cerne was resort patron1zed all the
| year around, by vacationtStS, those IN
search of winter sport, mountain climb
| erS, by the infirm in need of brac1ng
air and inspirating surroundings. and by
| the small army regularly bound for the
passage of st. Gotthard's pass. The
| town itself is full of picturesque and
historic values. The older part Of the
city is medieval, threaded by narrow
crooked streets and built up with an
| cient houses. Part of the old defenSes
are still standing, while the town hall
| is survival from the sixteenth cen
| tury. In it is now housed museum
rich in antiquities.
! 'Lucerne is conveniently situated for
informal conferences between the war
ring nations, for it is neutral land al
most in the heart of battle-torn Eu.
rope and the only place equally acces-
sible to all the larger combatants. In
less than a days time representatives
can gather here from London, Paris
Berlin, Rome and Vienna. More diff.
Guilty is in the way of the representa-
tives sent from Petrograd, but, for al
practical purposes. Lucerne is the pla-
cid center around which Europe's cy.
clonfc storms of war are raging in
widening circles. At the hub of trou.
BILE and destruction. it is fitting poin,
from which to send out the sugges.
tions of peace and reconstruction"