The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-07-13
A SWISS MYSTERY
It Looked For a Time as if It Were
Beyond Penetration.
BUT 1T WAS ALMOST SOLVED.

An American Visitor In the Republic,
Who Wanted to Know About Its
President, Finally Came Near Get
ting the information He Craved.
Switzerland is a republic that runs
with the exactness Of Swiss watch.
its machinery as Theoretically conceal
ed. I had heard that the Swiss repub.
lie set the pattern Of government for
the world, and I was anxious to know
something of its methods and person
mel.
I was sorry that I was so ignorant.
1 didn't even know the name Of the
Swiss president and for a week was
ashamed to confess it. I was hoping
might see it in one of the French
papers I puzzled over every evening,
but at the end of the week I timidly
and apologetically inquired Of our
friendly landlord as to the name Of the
Swiss president.
But then came shock. Our land
lord grew confused, blushed and con-
fessed that he didn't know it either.
He had known it, he said, Of course,
but it had slipped his mind.
Slipped his mind! Think Of the name
Of Roosevelt or Wilson or Taft slipping
the mind Of anybody in America-and
a landlord!
I asked the man who sold me cigars.
He had forgotten too. I asked the
apothecary, but got no information.
I was not so timid after that. l
asked a fellow passenger-guest, I
mean-an American, but Of long Swiss
residence, and got this story. I be-
lieve most of it. He said:
when I came to Switzerland and
found out what a wonderful little
country it was, its government so eco
nomical, so free from party corruption
and spoils, from graft and politics, so
different from the home life Of our
own dear Columbia, l thought, The
man at the head of this thing must be
a master hand; I'll find out his name
So picked out a bright looking subject
and said, What is the name of the
Swiss president?
"He tried to pretend he didn't under
stand my French, but he did, for can
tear the language off all right-learned
it studying art in Paris. When pinned
him down he said he knew the name
well enough parfaitement, but couldn't
think Of it at that moment.
"That was surprise, but asked the
next man. He couldn't think Of it
either. Then l asked a police officer.
OF course he knew IL all right, oh,
Oui, certainement, mails then he
scratched his head and scowled, but he
couldn't dig up that name. He was
just a plain iar-tout supplement-
like the others.
81 asked every man met, and every
one Of them knew it, had it right on the
end Of his tongue, but somehow it
seemed to stick there. Not a man in
Vevey or Montreux could tell me the
name Of the Swiss president. 1t was
the same in Fribourg, the same even
in Berne, the capital.
II had about given up when one even
ing in Berne I noticed a sturdy man
with an honest face approaching. He
looked intelligent, too, and as last re-
sort I said, Gould you by any chance
tell me the name Of the Swiss presi-
dent?
1.-THE effect was startling. He seized
me by the arm and, after looking up
and down the street, leaned forward
and whispered in my ear:
"'Mon Dieu! C'est moi! l am the
Swiss president; but-ah. non. don't
tell any one. I am the only man In
Switzerland who knows it.
"'You see.' my friend continued. he
Is elected privately; no torchlight cam
paigns, no scandal. and only for a
year.
"He is only a sort Of chairman.
though Of course his work is impor-
tant, and the present able incumbent
has been elected a number of times.
His name is-is-is- All, yes, that's
my tram. So sorry to have to hurry
away-see you tonight at dinner
Albert Bigelow Paine in Harper's Mag
aZine