^^o'^ '^^ ^■: <. "^.o^ ^<* ^o.-'?.:- ./ ... % ,-<^"%'*" rf>^>.<;;L."-% *^:;i^'''^^ ^°^:^' ''f% ^>.d« - ^/.o^ .* ' " " " ' % A^ ^"^ V^^ i^ |f4;=\.^'e'' 95 ''r,%~# ^ ^0,.* \V^ _„ 95, ^0.^-* tP A ^. rS ^. ■^ ,C^'= •^^ - ^ ■T:;t.o» ;= ''/^' ^ ,xV *^(A^^a"^ ^ A't^ ^'^^O^ .^^^- V o -( * ,. <<< .s^^G' r<^' K^''^ °. : -^^0^ " , > N^ ^P<?3 ^/ THE Parsees say that mountains are the heads of the long pins that bind the world together. Geologists assure us that they are merely wrinkles on the face of Mother Earth, while we all know that, relatively to the world's diameter, the highest elevation of our planet is but the thick- ness of a hair laid on an ordinary globe. But these comparisons do not affect the grandeur of the peaks themselves, when we behold them face to face, crowned with unmeasured miles of snow, girded with glaciers as with coats of mail, and towering up among the clouds as though to storm the very heights of Heaven. If it be true, as some have claimed, that travel blunts the edge of enjoyment, and renders one indifferent and blase, it is true only of those arti- A CHATEAU NEAR INTERLAKEN. 4 SWITZERLAND ficial charms which form the attraction of great cities and the pleasure-haunts of men. These may at last grow wearisome. But Nature wears a freshness and a glory that can never fade. INTEKLAKEN. Continual worship at her shrine increases our desire for that hap- piness which only Nature gives, and adds to our capacity for its appreciation. Switzerland, then, of all countries in the world, is the one of which the traveler is likely to tire least. The vision of its kingly Alps must always thrill the heart with exultation. Its noble roads and unsurpassed hotels make rest or travel on its heights delightful; while the keen tonic of its mountain air restores the jaded frame, as ancients dreamed a draught would do from the pure fountain of perpetual youth. One of the most attractive gateways to this land of moun- tains is Interlaken. All tourists in Switzerland come hither, almost of necessity. No other point is quite so central for excursions. None is more easy of approach. As its name SWITZERLAND 5 indicates, it lies between two famous lakes which rival one another in respect to beauty. Before it, also, are the charm- ing vales of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, which lead one into the very heart of the Bernese Oberland. Moreover, from sixty to eighty thousand people come here every year to render homage to the peerless sovereign who holds court at Interlaken. There is no need to name the peak to which I thus allude, for everywhere in Interlaken we discern the crown- ing glory of the place — beside which all others fade — the lovely Jungfrau, queen of Alpine heights. Her grand, resplendent form fills the entire space between the encircling peaks, and forms a dazzling center-piece of ice and snow, nearly fourteen thousand feet in height. It is a never-ending pleasure to rest upon the broad piazzas of Interlaken's pala- tial hotels, and gaze upon this radiant mount. It sometimes looks like a great white cloud forever anchored in one place, but oftener sparkles as if covered with a robe of diamonds ; mantled, as it is, with snows of virgin purity from base to heaven-pierc- ing summit. JUNGFRAU FROM INTERLAKEN 6 SWITZERLAND Yet were we to examine closely a single section of the Jungfrau, we should discover that its shoulders are covered with enormous snow-fields, the origin of stupendous ava- lanches. For amid all this beauty there is much here that PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS, BERNE. is harsh and terrible. Appalling precipices, dangerous cre- vasses, and well-nigh constant falls of hundreds of tons of rock and ice, render the wooing of this " Maiden of the Alps " a difficult undertaking. In fact, the name Jungfrau, or Maiden, was given to the mountain, because its pure summit seemed destined to remain forever virgin to the tread of man. Many had sought to make her conquest, but in vain. At last, how- ever, in 1811 (nearly thirty years after the subjugation of Mont Blanc), two brothers gained the crest ; and since that time its icy slopes have reflected the forms of many ambitious and courageous travelers. No tourist who has been at Intcrlaken on a pleasant even- ing can possibly forget the vision which presents itself as day reluctantly retires from the Jungfrau at the approach of night. SWITZERLAND II And thus alway, By night or day, Her varying suitors homage pay; And tinged with rose, Or white with snows, The same fair radiant form she shows. I have said that Interlaken was an admirable place from which to make excursions. Shall we not put this to the proof by entering now the charming and romantic vale of Lauter- brunnen, dainty and lovely as a dimple in the cheek of Nature? It is only half a mile in width, and is bounded on both sides by lofty mountains, over which the winter's sun can hardly climb till midday. And yet luxuriant vegetation covers it, as with an emerald carpet. The bases of these mountains seem to rest on flowers. The awful scenery which surrounds it makes it seem doubly sweet and fair; and one can hardly imagine a more striking picture than that of this peaceful valley, looking smilingly up into the stern and savage faces of the monsters which environ it, as if unconscious of its helpless- ness, or trusting confidently in their mercy. A little distance | up the valley, we note its most re- markable feature, the Fall of the Staubbach, or " Dust -brook," which here leaps boldly over the brow of the mountain. THE STAUBBACH. 12 SWITZERLAND \ALLEV OF LAUTERBRUNNEN. all the colors of the rainbow, rocks. Byron compared it to streaming in the wind ; but Goethe's description is best, when he exclaims: " In clouds of spray. Like silver dust, It veils the rock In rainbow hues; And dancing down With music soft, Is lost in air." But the ambitious trav- eler will ascend far higher than the summit of this waterfall to stand upon the mighty cliffs which line the valley like gigantic walls. nine hundred and eighty feet above us. Long before it reaches the ground, it is con- verted into a vast, diaphanous cloud of spray, -which the breeze scatters into thousands of fantastic wreaths. Whenever the sunlight streams directly through this, the effect is marvelous. It then resembles a transparent veil of sil- very lace, woven with fluttering from the fir-clad the tail of a white horse, NG TO MLKKEN. SWITZERLAND SUNSET AT INTERLAKEN. The sun is low; Yon peak of snow Is purpling 'neath the sunset glow; The rosy light Makes richly bright The Jungfrau's veil of snowy white. From vales that sleep Night's shadows creep To take possession of the steep; While, as they rise, The western skies Seem loth to leave so fair a prize. The light of Day Still loves to stay And round that pearly summit play; How fair a sight, That plain of light Contended for by Day and Night! lO SWITZERLAND Now fainter shines, As Day declines, The lustrous height which he resigns; The shadows gain Th' illumined plain; The Jungfrau pales, as if in pain. ON LAKE THUN. When daylight dies, The azure skies Seem sparkling with a thousand eyes. Which watch with grace From depths of space The sleeping Jungfrau's lovely face. And when is born The ruddy Dawn, Forerunner of the coming Morn, Along the skies It quickly flies To kiss the Maiden's opening eyes. The timid flush, The rosy blush, Which then o'er brow and face do rush, Are pure and fair Beyond compare, Resplendent in the illumined air. y 2 :t3 SWITZERLAND 15 COMFORT IN SWITZERLAND. The task is easily accom- plished now. Ten years ago it was an ardu- ous climb, on horseback or on foot ; but now an electric rail- road winds for miles along the edge of frightful precipices, and (where a vertical ascent is absolutely neces- sary) another kind of car lifts one a thousand feet or so toward heaven, as smoothly and as swiftly as a hotel elevator. Truly the visitor of a dozen years ago perceives amazing changes to-day among the Alps. Where, formerly, a man would hardly dare to go on foot, trains now ascend with myri- ads of travelers! Hotels and even railroad stations up among the clouds have driven from the lofty crags the eagle and the chamois. This to the genuine Alpine climber seems like sacrilege; but, after all, what contribu- tors to the happiness of mankind these mountain railroads are ! Without them, few would venture here ; and all the pa- geantry of Nature in these upper regions modern alpine climbing. i6 SWITZERLAND would unfold itself through the revolving years with scarce an eye to note its beauty or voice to tell its glories to the world. In startling contrast to my first ascent to the place, now many years ago, it was by this luxurious mode of travel that I recently ap- proached the little village known as Miir- ren. It is the loftiest hamlet in all Switzer- land, consist- ing of a cluster of S\\'iss cot- tages, whose MURREN. roofs, heavily freighted with protecting stones, project beyond the walls like broad-brimmed hats. So singular is the appearance of a village at this dizzy height, that one is tempted to believe that the houses had been blown up from the valley by some reckless blast, and dropped at random on the lonely tableland. Yet here, to our astonishment, we find hotels, which some- how year by year outlive the horrors of the Alpine winter, and in the summer season welcome their hundreds of adven- turous guests. But, after all, where in Switzerland is there not a hotel? Fast as the arteries of travel are extended, on every prominent point commanding a fine view is planted a hotel, a forerunner of the world of travel. This is, in fact, one of the charms of Switzerland. The Andes and Himalayas may possess higher peaks and grander glaciers; but there one SWITZERLAND J7 cannot (as among the Alps) ride all day long on perfect roads, and in the evening sit down to a well-cooked dinner, hear music on a broad veranda, consult the latest newspapers, and sleep in a comfortable bed. Even before the advent of the railroad, I was a thousand- fold repaid for climbing up to Miirren ; for here so closely do the Alpine Titans press on every side, that if Mohammed had ever found his way hither, he might well have believed that the mountains were coming to him, and not he to the mountains. The surrounding summits reveal to the astonished sight heights, lengths, and depths which overwhelm one with sub- limity. What seemed an hour ago mere glistening mounds are now transformed by the grandeur of this Olympian eleva- tion into vast snowfi elds, miles in length, or into seas of ice, which pour down through the valleys in slow-moving floods. In early summer, too, one hears at frequent inter- vals the roar of some tremen- dous avalanche on the great A HOTEL AT MURREN. mountams oppo- site, from which the tourist is separated only by a yawning gulf. Never shall I forget the morning when I stood here wait- ing for the sunrise view. There was none of that crowd of jab- 1 8 SWITZERLAND bering tourists who often profane the summit of the Rigi, and seem to measure the extent of their pleasure by the noise they make. I was well-nigh alone. When I emerged from the hotel, a purple line was visible in the east, but clouds and mists half vx'iled the mountains from my sight. At length, however, noiselessly but steadily, a hidden hand seemed to draw back the misty curtain of the night. Slowly the giant forms molded themselves from darkness into light, until their foreheads first, and then each fold and outline of their dazzling shapes, stood forth in bold relief against the sk}'. The glaciers sparkled with the first bright beams like jeweled highways of the gods, — ^ till, finally, as the sun's disk came fairly into view, the whole vast range glowed like a wall of tinted porcelain. It seemed as if a thousand sacred fires had been kindled on these mountain altars, in glad response to the triumphant greeting of the god of da3^ On descending from Miirren, the tourist is attracted to another famous object, only a few miles from Interlaken, — the crlacicr of Grindelwald. A VIEW FROM MURREN. SWITZERLAND 21 ^^ ^'^ 4,'i3^,'/_^ It was while visiting this sea of ice that my guide suddenly turned and asked me with a smile, " Are you a clergyman? " I answered that I could not claim that flattering distinc- tion, but begged to know the reason of his question. "Because," he said, "clergymen seem to be unlucky in Grindelwald ; all the accidents that take place here somehow happen to them. " As we were at that moment just about to venture on the ice, I naturally recalled Charles Lamb's reply when he was re- quested to say grace at dinner. "What," he exclaimed, "are there no clergymen present? Then I will say, the Lord be thanked! " A moment or two later we entered the well-known cavern in this glacier — a strange and chilling passageway, two hun- dred feet in length, cut in the solid ice, whose gleaming walls and roof seemed to be made of polished silver. As I was picking my way safely, though shiveringly, through this huge refrigerator, I asked my guide to tell me about one of the clerical misfortunes which had made him suspicious of gentlemen of the cloth. He turned and looked at me curiously. "You know, of course, the fate of our pastor, M. Mouron?" he exclaimed. I confessed my ignorance. A GLACIER. 22 SWITZERLAND A CHILLING PASSAGEWAY. "Then come with mc," he said. Accordingly, emerging from the cavern, we cHmbed for nearly an hour over great blocks of ice, until we came to a pro- found abyss. Suspended from the frozen parapet a mass of icicles pointed mys- teriously down like ghostly fingers. Then all was dark. " It was by falling down this," said the guide, "that the pastor of Grindelwald lost his life. He was seeking one day to ascertain its depth by casting stones into its cavernous maw and counting till he heard the sound of their arrival at the bottom of the abyss. Once, in his eagerness, he placed his staff against the opposite edge, leaned over and listened. Sud- denly the ice gave way, and he fell licad- 1 o n g into the crevasse. His g u i d e r a n breathless to the \'illa<)"e and GHOSTLY FINGERS. SWITZERLAND 23 informed the people of their loss. But, to his horror, he found that he himself was looked upon with suspicion. In fact, some went so far as to say that he must have murdered their pastor, and robbed him of his watch and purse. ''The guides of Grindelwald, however, who felt them- selves insulted at this accusation, united and agreed that one of their number (chosen by lot) should, at the peril of his life, descend into this crevasse to establish the innocence of the accused. The lot was drawn by one of the bravest of them all, a man named Bergenen. The whole village assembled on the flood of ice to witness the result of the search. After partaking of the sacrament, Bergenen fastened a rope around his waist and a lantern to his neck. In one hand he took a bell. In the other he grasped his iron-pointed staff to keep him- self from the sharp edges. Four men then carefully lowered him down. Twice, on the point of suffocation, he rang the 24 SWITZERLAND bell and \\^ a s drawn up. Fi- nally a heavier wcit^ht was felt upon the rope, and Bergen en re- appeared, bring- ing the body of the pastor from a depth of seven hundred and fifty feet. A mighty shout went up from the guides and populace as well. The man was innocent. Both watch and purse were found upon the corpse ! " As we returned from Grindelwald to Interlaken, we often paused to note the peasants toiling in the fields. So far as their appearance was concerned, we might have supposed them labor- ers on a Vermont farm ; but their low carts were quite unlike IlAY-iM.\l. tion. BASI.E: THK I'.KIDGK AND CATHEDRAL. A BRIDGE OF ICE. SWITZERLAND 79 "No breath for words! no time for thought! no play For eager muscle! guides, companions, all O'ermastered in the unconquerable drift, In Nature's grasp held powerless, atoms Of her insensate frame, they fared as leaves In the dark rapid of November gales, Or sands sucked whirling into fell simooms; One gasp for breath, one strangled, bitter cry, And the cold, wild snow closed smothering in, And cast their forms about with icy shrouds. And crushed the life out, and entombed them there, — Nobler than kings Egyptian in their pyramids, Embalmed in the mountain mausoleum. And part of all its grand unconsciousness Forever. Its still dream resumed the Mount; The sun his brightness kept; for unto them The living men are naught, and naught the dead. No more than snows that slide or stones that roll." Finally, these and all other dangers being past, the wearied but exultant climbers reach the summit of Mont Blanc, ENGLISH CHURCH, CHAMONIX 8o SWITZERLAND — that strangely silent, white, majestic dome, so pure and spotless in its lofty elevation beneath the stars. To watch this scene from the \'ale of Chamonix, when the great sovereign of our solar system sinks from sight, leaving upon Mont Blanc his crown of gold, is an experience that will leave one only with one's life. The concentrated refulgence on that solitary dome is so intense that one is tempted to believe that the glory of a million sunsets, fading from all other summits of the Alps, has been caught and imprisoned here. We know that sun will rise again ; but who, in such a place, can contemplate un- moved the death of Day? "The night has a thousand eyes, And the day but one; Yet the light of the bright world dies, With the dying sun! The mind has a thousand eyes, And the heart but one; Yet the light of a whole life dies. MOI'NTAIN CLliMliEKS. SWITZERLAND 8i One singular experience of Alpine travel is indelibly im- pressed upon my memory. It occurred on my passage of the Gemmi into the valley of the Rhone. The Gemmi Pass is no magnificent highway like the St. Gott- hard, macadam- ized and smooth and carefully walled in by parapets of stone. It is for miles a rough and dangerous bridle-path, the edge of which is sometimes decorated with a flimsy rail, but often has not even that apology for safety. One can thus readily believe that, like the Jordan, the Gemmi is emphatically "a hard road to travel." At all events I found it so, especially as I crossed it early in the season, before the winter's ravages had been repaired- Since I was at the time suffer- ing from a tem- porary lameness, &^i.^'Ssii-"~ "-iMitrfiiSi ^SWriM iiiiflWMIilWl ^ could walk but C - .^gigggigggiigl^^ little. With MOUNTAIN MULES. , 1 . 11. this road dates my first acquaintance with a mule, — an intimacy that will never be forgotten ! All day long that memorable beast THE BIRTH-PLACE OF AVALANCHES. 82 SWITZERLAND would never for one instant change his gait, nor was the monotony of his dreadful walk once broken by a trot. My only consolation was in the thought that if the beast did change it, my neck, as well as the monotony, would probably be broken. Thus, hour after hour, I kept moving on and up, my knees forced wide apart by this great, lumbering wedge, until I felt like a colossal wish-bone, and as though I should be bow-legged for the rest of my life. Nor was this all; for. as the day Avore on, the mule took special pains to make my blood run cold by a variety of acrobatic feats, which might have made a cham- ois faint with vertigo. For example, wherever a rail was lacking in the crazy fence, he would deliberately fill the space with his own body and mine, walking so dangerously near the brink, that half my form would be suspended over the abyss! Of course, the moment it was passed, I laughed or scolded, as most travelers do; yet, after all, in such cases we never know how great the peril may have been. A little stone, a clod of earth, a move- ment in the nick of time — these are sometimes the only things which lie between one and the great Unknown, and hinder one from prematurely solving the mysterious problem of existence. Nevertheless, on the fearful precipices for which the Gemmi is noted, one may be pardoned for being a trifle nerv- ous. At certain points the bridle-path so skirts the chasm SWITZERLAND 83 UP AMONG THE CLOUDS. that one false step Avould land the fragments of your body on the rocks a thousand feet below; while, on the other side, the mountain towers up abrupt and bare, with scarce a shrub or tree to cling to or console the dizzy traveler. My flesh creeps now to think of some of these places; and in the same space of time I think I never repented of so many sins, as during that passage of the Gemmi. At length, however, the climax seemed reached ; for at the brink of one abyss the path appeared to end. I cau- tiously advanced to the edge and looked over. It was a fearful sight, for here the mountain falls away to a sheer depth of ^^ ^^'^otB ^H^fe' " 1^^ .^p^^^^^^^^Si^^^^ ..s^^ ^^^^^^^^^^mhi r .:::%^-- f* ^^^^^^^gijpBl|||B||B^^jii^i^i^^8pBB 1 • ,^ ^gl^^^p^^^^^^^^^ \ #■ 1 I^^S^^^H^^^ 4 ^ .jS' g 1 f> ON THE GEMMI. 84 SWITZERLAND sixteen lumtlred feet, and the plumb-line might drop to that full length without encountering any obstacle. When Alexander Dumas came to this place, and (unpre- pared for \\-hat he was to see) looked down from the brink of the stupendous precijiice, he fell back unconscious; and after- A\ard, while making the descent, his teeth so chattered with nervousness, that he placed his folded handkerchief between them. Yet when, on reach- ing the valley,' he removed it, he found it had been cut through and through as with a razor. I cannot, certain- ly, lay claim to nervousness like that; but I could sympathize with one of our fel- 1 o A\' - CO u n t r }' - men, against LEUK. whose name on the hotel register I next day saw these words: " Thank God, we don't raise such hills as these in the State of New York!" At the other side of the Gemmf, and almost at the base of these gigantic cliffs, there lies a little village. When I stood on the precipice above it, I thought that a pebble hurled thence from my hand would fall directly on its roofs; but in reality their distance from the cliffs was greater than it seemed. This village is the celebrated Leuk, whose baths have now acquired a world-wide reputation. Leuk has, however, this misfortune: so many strangers come here now to bathe, that SWITZERLAND 85 many of the in- habitants them- selves think that they can dis- pense with the luxury. I never shall forget the baths ofLeuk. Shades of theMermaids ! what a sight they presented. In a somewhat shab- by hall, contain- ing great com- partments of hot water, I saw a multitude of haired, light and dark, male PARBOILED PATIENTS. A LOW BRIDGE. heads — long-haired and short- and female — bobbing about like buoys adorned with sea-weed. A fine chance this to study physiognomy, pure and simple. In front of these amphibious creatures were float- ing tables, upon which they could eat, drink, knit, read, and even play cards to pass away the time. As these waters are chiefly used for skin dis- eases, one might 86 SWITZERLAND suppose that each bather would prefer a separate room ; but no, in this case "misery loves company." The length of time which one must remain soaking in these tanks of hot water makes solitary bathing unendurable. I asked one of these heads ho^\• long it had to float here daily. The mouth opened just above the water's edge and answered: "Eight hours, Monsieur; four before luncheon, and four before dinner; and, as after each bath we have to spend an hour in bed, ten hours a day are thus consumed." It may seem incredible, but I assure the reader that some of these parboiled bathers actually sleep while in these tanks. I, myself, saw a head drooped backward as though severed from the body. Its eyes were closed ; its mouth was slightly open ; and from the nose a mournful sound came forth at intervals, which told me that the man Avas snoring. Before him, half-supported by the little table, half- bedraggled in the flood, was a newspaper. Bending over the rail, I read the title. Poor man! I no longer wondered that he slept. Those who have read the ponderous sheet will under- stand its soporific effect. It was a copy of the Lon- don Times. After the baths of Leuk and the stupendous precipices of the Gemmi, it is a pleasure to approach a less imposing but more beautiful part of Switzer- land, — Geneva and its lake. The bright, cream- colored buildings of the one present a beautiful V 3 A WAITKESS AT 1.KLK. NATIONAL MONUMENT - GENEVA. SWITZERLAND 89 contrast to the other's deep blue waves. Next to Stockholm and Naples, Geneva has, I think, the loveliest situ- ation of any city in Europe. Curved, cres- cent-like, around the southwest corner of the lake, the river Rhone with arrowy swiftness cleaves it into two parts, thus furnishing the site for all the handsome quays and bridges which unite the various sections of the town. What a surprising change has taken place in the appear- ance of the river Rhone since it first poured its waters into THE RHONE AT GENEVA. tf^ GENEVA — THE BRUNSWICK MONUMENT. 90 SWITZERLAND Lake Geneva at its other extremity, forty-five miles away! There it is muddy, dark, and travel-stained from its long jour- ney down the valley. But here it has become once more as pure as when it left its cradle in the glaciers. Its sojourn in the lake has given it both beauty and increased vitality; and as it starts again upon its course and darts out from Geneva with renewed strength and speed, its waters are superbly blue and clear as crystal. As it emerges from the lake, a sharp-pointed island con- fronts the rapid stream, as if awaiting its ad- vance. Its sta- tion here before the city resem- bles that of some fair maid of honor who pre- cedes a queen. It is called Rous- seau's Island, in honor of the famous man whose birth the city claims. Geneva certainly should be grateful to him, for it was he who first made this fair lake renowned in literature, and called to it the attention of the world. In fact, he did almost as much to render famous this enchanting spot, as Scott did for the region of the Trosachs. Appropriately, therefore, a fine bronze statue of Rousseau has been erected on the island, the figure looking up the lake, like the presid- ing genius of the place. One can with both pleasure and profit spend a fortnight in Geneva. Its well-kept and luxurious hotels all front upon the ROUSSEAU S ISLAND. SWITZERLAND 91 quays, and from your windows there (as from the Grand Hotel in Stockholm) you look upon an ever-varying panorama^ — a charming combination of metropolitan and aquatic life. Boats come and go at frequent intervals, accompanied by the sound of music. The long perspectives of the ^ ~' different bridges, full of -^"^ animated life, afford >- n-:~: Ij^tJtilMiutl^ #1 m\ irw^i HLm. ^aWrn^^ GENEVA — KUE DE IIONT BLANC perpetual entertainment; while, in dull weather, the attractive shops, in some respects unrivaled in the whole of Europe, tempt you, be- yond your power to resist, to purchase music- boxes or enameled jewelry. After all, one's greatest pleasure here is to embark upon the lake itself. This famous body of water forms a beautiful blue crescent, forty-five miles in length and eight in breadth. Tyndall declared that it had the purest natural water ever analyzed; Voltaire called it the "First of Lakes;" Alexander Dumas compared it to the Bay of Naples; while Victor Hugo, Lamartine, and Byron have given it boundless praise in their glowing verse. It has been estimated that should the lake henceforth receive SWITZERLAND no further increase, while having still the river Rhone for its outlet, it would require ten years to exhaust its volume. It might be likened, there- fore, to a little inland sea. In fact, a pretty legend says that the ocean-deity, Neptune, came one day to see Lake Leman, and, en- raptured with its fresh young beauty, gave to it, on departing, his likeness in miniature, [oreover, it has another charm — that of historical association. Its shores have been the residence of men of genius. Both history and poetry have adorned its banks with fadeless wreaths of love and fame. Each hill that rises softly from its waves is crowned with some distinguished memory. Byron has often floated on its surface ; and here he wrote some portions of "Childe Harold," which will be treasured to the end of time. DOGS AT WORK — GENEVA SWITZERLAND 95 The poet Shelley narrowly escaped drowning in its waters. At one point Madame de Stael lived in exile; another saw Voltaire for years maintaining here his intellectual court; while at Lausanne, upon the memorable night which he has well described, Gibbon concluded his immortal Decline LAUSANNE, ON LAKE GENEVA. of the Roman Empire." But of all portions of Lake Leman, that which charms one most is the neighborhood of Montreux and Vevey, and the historic Castle of Chillon. A poet's inspiration has made this place familiar to the world. No English-speaking traveler, at least, can look upon these towers, 96 SWITZERLAND rising from the waves, without re- calling Byron's " Prisoner of Chil- lon," and reciting its well-known lines: "Lake Leman lies by Chillon's walls: A thousand feet in depth below Its massy waters meet and flow; Thus much the fathom-line was sent From Chillon's snow-white battlement." This time-worn structure boasts a thousand years of story and ro- mance. In fact, more than a thou- sand years ago, Louis le Debonnaire imprisoned here a traitor to his king. Here, also, five centuries ago, hundreds of Jews were tortured, and then buried alive, on the infamous suspicion of poisoning the wells of ^_______ Europe. But of all ^^.^---^^^ ~~~~~~~-~~~^ the WHILE THE STEAMER WAITS. memories \vhich cluster round its walls the most familiar is that of Bonni- vard, the Swiss patriot, who anguished for six years in its SWITZERLAND 97 f 11 'im ^ ° t ' If dark dungeon, till he was released by the efforts of his enthu- siastic countrymen. During those gloomy years of captivity his jailers heard from him no cry and no com- plaint, save when some tempest swept the lake. Then,, when the wind moaned, as if in sympathy, around the tow- ers, and waves dashed high against the walls, they could distinguish sobs and cries, prov- ing that, when apparently alone with God, the captive sought to give his burdened soul relief. "Chillon! thy prison is a holy place, And thy sad floor an altar — for ' t was trod Until his very steps have left a trace Worn, as if thy cold pavement were a sod, By Bonnivard! — May none those marks efface! For they appeal from tyranny to God." When finally his liberators burst into his cell, they found him pale and shadow-like, still chained to the column around which he had walked so many years. A hundred voices cried to him at once: " Bonnivard, you are free! " The prisoner slowly rose, and his first question was: "And Geneva?" "Free, also!" was the answer. One night, some eighty years ago, a little boat came toward this castle, leaving behind it in its course a furrow ON THE SHORE. 98 SWITZERLAND CASTLE OF CHILLON. silvered by the moon. As it readied tlie shore, there sprang from it a man enveloped in a long black cloak, which almost hid his feet from view. A close observer would have seen, how- ever, that he limped slightly. He asked to see the historic dun- geon, and lin- gered there an hour alone. When he had gone, they found on the stone column to which Bonnivard had been chained a new name carved. The traveler sees it there to- day. It is the name of Byron. There is in Switzerland a village superior even to Chamo- nix in grandeur of location, dom- inated by a mountain more imposing even than Mont Blanc. The town isZermatt ; the mountain is the Matterhorn. As we approach it, we discern only a tiny part of its environ- ment ; but could we soar aloft with the eagle, and take a IHE DlNGIiON OF CHll.lJ THE MATTERHORN EXACTED SPEEDY VENGEANCE. SWITZERLAND lOI HISTORIC WATERS. bird's-eye view of it, the little village would appear to have been caught in a colossal trap of rock and ice. There is, in fact, no path to it, save over dan- gerous passes, or through a narrow cleft in the encircling mountains, down which a river rushes with im- petuous fury; while, watching over it, like some divinely-stationed sentinel, rises the awful Matterhorn, the most unique and imposing mountain of the Alps. No view can possibly do it justice; yet, anticipate what you will, it is here im- possible to be disappointed. Though every other object of the world should fail, the Matterhorn must stir the heart of the most u n i m - ZERMATT. pressive trav- eler. Not only does its icy wedge pierce the blue air at a height of fifteen thousand feet above the sea, but its gaunt, I02 SWITZERLAND tusk-likc form emerges from the surrounding glaciers with almost perpendicular sides, four thousand feet in height. It is a mani- ^i « i,, festation of the power of th( D eity, beside which all the works of man dwindle to insignificance. I never grew accus- tomed to this, as to other mountains. No matter when I gazed upon its sharp- 4 cut edges and its ice- bound . - have -• . . ' ' 'i. 1,' ^'^' ''yfl m^'^^-J^''^ rescued them, had not the rope \y ' \ lA -jfeer"^ between them broken. There was ^ f-JClSi/^' ^ fearful cry — a rush of falling ■^^Pl^- n ' bodies. Then Whymper and two guides found themselves clinging to the rocks, and looking into each other's haggard faces, pale as death. The others had fallen over the precipice — nearly four thousand feet — to the ice below! " One moment stood they, as the angels stand, High in the stainless eminence of air; The next, they were not; — to their Fatherland Translated unaware!" THE MATTERHORN. SWITZERLAND 107 On my last evening at Zermatt, I lingered in the deepen- ing twilight to say farewell to this unrivaled peak. At first its clear-cut silhouette stood forth against the sky, unutter- ably grand, while darkness shrouded its giant form. So overwhelming appeared its tapering height, that I no longer wondered at the belief of the peasants that the gate of Para- dise was situated on its summit ; because it seemed but a step thence to Heaven. At last there came a change, for which I had been waiting with impatience. In the blue vault of heaven the full-orbed moon came forth to sheathe the Matterhorn in silver. In that refulgent light its icy edges looked like crystal ^ -.,^^ ropes; and '«ta»»ttJi«»JU»B«J"* ' THE BERNESE OBERLAND. io8 SWITZERLAND its sharp, glistening rocks resembled silver steps leading to the stupendous pinnacle above. Never, this side the shore of Eternity, do I expect to see a vision so sublime as that of moonlight on the Matterhorn. For from the gleaming parapets of this Alpine pyramid, not " forty centuries," but forty thousand ages look down on us as frivolous pygmies of a day. Yes, as I gazed on this illumined obelisk, rising from out its glittering sea of ice, to where — four thousand feet above — the moving stars flashed round its summit like resplendent gems, it seemed a fitting emblem of creative majesty — the scepter of Almighty God. ^^'^'^i^^-'':- A SWISS HEKO. LECTURE I NORWAY ^ I "^HE first lecture of the series Mr. Jolin L. Stoddard devotes to NORWAY, and he furnishes a strik- ingly realistic portrayal of this land of the Sagas and Vikings. The 128 illustrations — reproductions of photographs made for Mr. Stoddard on the spot — are worthy accompaniments of the sparkling text. As we read it we fancy ourselves sailing up the picturesque fjords and whirling along the mountain- roads — on, onward from Christiania, through scenery varied by cascades and precipices — on till we reach the North Cape, and view, just above the waves, THE MIDNIGHT SUN This first lecture will be sent, post-paid, on receipt of the introductory price charged for the second lecture. LECTURE II Athens -Venice TN this lecture Mr. John L. Stoddard transports to the -^ shores of the Mediterranean the readers who have been his companions in Norway. The picturesque fjord gives place to the languid canal, and the long stretch of Northern Water is exchanged for the classic y^gean. In Athens and Venice every structure has a histor}- and every spot a legend. Architectural master- pieces abound and make good the lack of scenery, such as environed us on our way to view the Midnight Sun. In Mr. Stoddard's compan}" we recall much of Venetian and Athenian history, and in a very pleasing way are brought to associate the existing monuments of two fa- mous cities with their roles in the grand drama of History. 12 1 ILLUSTRATIONS, elegant reproductions of Mr. Stoddard's own photo- graphs, embellish the masterly text and make us familiar with the appearance of historic sites and scenes. The Lecture on Athens and Venice will be sent post-paid at the same remarkably low price asked for Mr. Stoddard's Lecture on Norway. LECTURE III JERUSALEM A/fR- JOHN L. STODDARD devotes the third ^ ^ lecture of the series to Jerusalem and its environs, conducting us to spots familiar by name to all Bible-readers, and recounting, in his inimitable way, the religious and historical associations of each. Under the magic of his words, time and space are as naught; we stand where Jesus stood, we gaze upon the same scenes that the Disciples knew. What a flood of ideas overwhelms us! We linger on the Mount of Olives, we look wistfully upon a landscape changed and darkened by the vicissitudes of nineteen centuries. An alien race now dwells where Christianity had its lowly birth, but no alien faith can bar its march. It has gone forth to the uttermost ends of the earth, and, as tokens of its power, we see to-day gorgeous shrines and churches erected here by nations beyond the sea. I 20 ILLUSTRATIONS all of them reproduced from special photographs, adorn the text and heighten the reader's interest. Lecture III will be sent, postpaid, at the same low introductory price asked for ATHENS and VENICE. JOHN L. STODDARD'S LECTURES Illustrated and Embellished with Views of the World's Famous Places and People, being the identical discourses delivered during the past eighteen years under the title of The Stoddard Lectures. VOL. I NOW READY VOLUME I CONTAINS MR. STODDARD'S LECTURES ON NORWAY, SWITZERLAND, ATHENS-VENICE Ove7' j6o Beautiful Reproductions of Photographs Sold only by subscription. To be completed in Ten Octavo Volumes. BELFORD, MIDDLEBROOK & CO. PUBLISHERS CHICAGO, ILL. LECTURE V CONSTANTINOPLE Our fifth tour with Mr. John L. Stoddard takes us to the " City of the Sultan," which, as Napoleon long ago foresaw, has become the hub of European poHtics. In Mr. Stoddard's company we are inclined to call it the hub of tourist interest, so charmingly varied are the scenes and themes that here engage our attention. Together with the bits of history and romance which the genial lecturer weaves into his descriptions, we secure accurate ideas of Turkish life and affairs, and, long before we complete the tour, we are willing to accord a high plane of importance to these defenders of Islam. Lecture V contains 109 Illustrations, reproduced from special photographs, uniform in artistic finish with those that embellish the preceding issues of the series. The Lecture on Constantinople will be sent, postpaid, at the low introductory price charged for the previous ones. THE LAKESIDE PRESS, R. R. UONNELLEV Si SONS COMPANY, PRINTERS, CHICAGO. OCT 1 8 ^Mii ?^%\M--/ *^;W'/ *-;'^-'/ ^.Z'^^^^-/ '.^."•^ co^.— .,V "^ ^ .^ -^ ■^ O » X \V 95, '0..^ ^V - r