Auf Wiedersehen
boys looking at glacier field and mountains
And so they tramped on. They spent several days in the lovely village of Grindelwald. They explored glaciers. They saw waterfalls nearly a thousand feet high. They played games with the village boys and girls.
They even went almost to the top of the great Jungfrau mountain, over its wonderful railroad. The highest part of this railroad is built through a tunnel, for the surface of the mountain is covered always with snow and ice.
The train carried them nearly twelve thousand feet above the ocean. They were twice as high up as they were on the top of Mount Rigi. There were miles and miles of snow and ice all around them, and great banks of snow-white clouds in the blue sky close above.
boys standing on overlookThey had glimpses into deep, narrow valleys
They had glimpses into deep, narrow valleys
They could see many high peaks covered with snow fields and glaciers, and lower mountains covered with green forests and alpine pastures. They had glimpses into deep, narrow valleys with muddy rivers rushing through them. Here and there were big, broad valleys dotted with villages and farms, and beautiful blue lakes, while the busy railroad trains looked like worms creeping over the hills and down the valleys. It was a wonderful view.
The Overall Boys learned more about thegeography of Switzerland in a few minutes from this high mountain than they had learned during all the days of travel lower down. They never will forget what they saw while there.
But the vacation days were over at last. The boys had visited only a small part of the wonderful little country, but they had seen enough of it to make them want to spend another summer vacation in just the same way. They are sure that Switzerland is the very finest playground in the whole world, and a great many other people think so, too.
As the train hurried them far away from the high, snow-covered mountains, the boys stood by the car windows, watching and enjoying everything.
They passed ripe grain fields, in which wild scarlet poppies and tall bluebells were growing.
Close by these wild-flower gardens there was often a row of tiny chalets, where swarms of bees lived and made their delicious honey.
The train passed also through many villages of larger chalets, with broad red roofs and vine-coveredbalconies. In front of these pretty homes sat women and little girls working at their lace and fine embroidery.
more hikersThey saw boys with goatskin book sacks on their backs
They saw boys with goatskin book sacks on their backs
Now and then they saw groups of small boys carrying goatskin book sacks on their backs, for the short summer vacation was over, and the Swiss schools had begun.
In a flower garden, near one of the stations, a mountain dwarf waved a Swiss flag in farewell to the passing travelers. But the nicest good-bycame from a row of boys and girls sitting on a fence near the railroad track. They were selling wild flowers to travelers, as the trains stopped at their station. They shouted the names in German, French, and English—"Alpine roses, primroses, edelweiss, daisies, buttercups!"—and they eagerly begged the travelers to buy.
Of course Jack and Joe bought their hands full, for these might be the last Swiss flowers they would have for a very long time.
As the train moved on, the boys and girls, sitting on the fence, waved their hands and shouted, "Auf Wiedersehen! Glückliche Reise!"
And the Overall Boys shouted back, "Good-by! Good-by, until we meet again!"
dwarf holding a Swiss flag
A Letter
A Letter
Dear Boys and Girls:
I expect you will agree with the Overall Boys that nowhere else can there be quite so many wonderful things to see and to do, as there are in Switzerland.
Massachusetts and New Hampshire are very small states, you know, but together they are larger than the whole of Switzerland, and more people live in these two small states than live in Switzerland to-day.
One fourth of this famous little country is covered with lakes and rivers and glaciers, and nearly another fourth with great forests, while a large part of the remaining land is used as pasturage for a million and a half cows.
Raising cows and making cheese is the principal industry, but the clever Swiss people have manyother prosperous industries as well. They make fine silks and ribbons and marvelous little watches and music boxes and jewelry and delicious sweet chocolate. Some of the men do fine wood carving, and the women do beautiful embroidery.
One of the most important lines of work is hotel keeping. Many thousands of strangers visit Switzerland every year. In winter they go there for the skating and sleighing and snowshoeing and skiing and to enjoy the bracing mountain air. In summer they do what the Overall Boys did, besides many other interesting things.
Travelers spend so much money in Switzerland, and the people who live there work so hard, they have become the richest people in the world.
Swiss schools are especially fine. Children are obliged to attend school from the time they are six years old until they are fifteen or sixteen years old.
In summer the schools begin at seven o'clock in the morning and in winter at eight o'clock, holding four hours. During the winter months there is also a session of three hours each afternoon in the week, excepting two. On these two afternoons the boys are given other work to do, and the girls attend sewing classes. They have no regular holiday, but must go to school six days every week. The boysdo a great deal of gymnasium work in the winter, which keeps them strong and trains them to be mountain guides and hunters and herdsmen.
There are three national languages in Switzerland—German and French and Italian. German is used much more than French or Italian, but nearly all Swiss boys and girls learn to speak at least two languages. Sometimes they learn three or four. In fact it is said that Swiss people learn to speak languages more perfectly than any other people in the world. They are certainly among the best educated and most courageous people in the world.
The Overall Boys learned a great deal while traveling in that beautiful little country, and they are glad to share it all with you.
Sincerely your friend,Eulalie Osgood Grover
Diacritically marked according to Webster's New International Dictionary
Transcriber's Note:Most, but not all, of the pronunciation symbols could be reproduced below. As there is not an appropriate code for the "up tack"up tack, the double macron (e̿) has been used in its place. To see the actual page images, please click on the page numbers for these pages.
Transcriber's Note:Most, but not all, of the pronunciation symbols could be reproduced below. As there is not an appropriate code for the "up tack"up tack, the double macron (e̿) has been used in its place. To see the actual page images, please click on the page numbers for these pages.
ăas inămäas inärmȧas inȧbound´ȧas inȧskāas infātea̿as insen´a̿teăas inmad´ămĕas inĕnde̿as ine̿ vent´ẽas inhẽrĕas inre´cĕntēas inēveĭas inĭtīas inīceôas inôro̿as ino̿ bey´ōas inōldŏas incŏn nect´ŭas inŭpŭas incir´cŭsûas infûrlu̿as inu̿nite´üsomething like prolongedu̿as inu̿nite´o͡oas info͡oto͞oas info͞odoias inoilouas inoutt͜u̿fortuas inna´t͜u̿reçhas inma çhine´ŋ(likeng): fornbefore the soundkor hardgas inbaŋk'for voice glide as inpar´d'n
Aar(är)accepted(ăk sĕpt´ĕd)alpine(ăl´pĭn)Alps(ălps)Altdorf(ält´dôrf)Antwerp(ănt´wẽrp)arched(ärcht)Austria(ôs´trĭȧ)automobile(ô´to̿ mō´bĭl)Axenberg(äks´'n bĕrg)Axenstrasse(äks´'n strä´sĕ)Belgium(bĕl´jĭ ŭm)Bern(bȗrn)bishop(bĭsh´ŭp)blizzard(blĭz´ȧrd)botany(bŏt´ȧnĭ)bridge(brĭj)Brünig(brün´ĭg)castle(kȧs´'l)ceiling(sēl´ĭng)celebrating(sĕl´e̿ brāt´ĭng)chalet(shȧ lā´)Chinese(chī nēs´)conductor(kŏn dŭk´tẽr)cuckoo(ko͡ok´o͞o)dangerous(dān´jẽrŭs)dragon(drăgŭn)dungeon(dŭn´jŭn)dwarf(dwôrf)earthquake(ȗrth´kwāk)edelweiss(ā´dĕl vīs)embroidery(ĕm broid´ẽr ĭ)enemies(ĕn´e̿ mĭz)Europe(u̿´rŭp)explore(ĕks plōr´)famous(fā´mŭs)favorite(fā´ vẽr ĭt)figure(fĭg´u̿r)fortunately(fôr´t͜u̿ na̿t lĭ)fountain(foun´tĭn)franc(frăŋk)Franz(frȧntz)Galilee(găl´ĭ lē)Gessler(gĕs´lẽr)glacier(glā´shẽr)gnaw(nô)Gretel(grĕ´t'l)Grindlewald(grĭn´dĕl vält)Jungfrau(yo͡ong´frou´)knapsack(năp´săk)language(lăŋ´gwa̿j)legend(lĕj´ĕnd)Lucerne(lu̿ sûrn´)maiden(mād´'n)Meiringen(mī´rĭngĕn)miserable(mĭz´ẽrȧb´l)museum(mu̿ zē´ŭm)naughty(nô´tĭ)nectar(nĕk´tȧr)pasture(pȧs´t͜u̿r)Pilate(pe̿´lȧt)Pilatus(pe̿lä´to͡os)procession(pro̿ sĕsh´ŭn)protected(pro̿ tĕkt´ĕd)quaint(kwānt)restaurant(rĕs´to̿ rănt)Rhine(rīn)Rigi(rē´ge̿)scenery(sēn´ẽr ĭ)Scheidegg(shī´dĕg)Sep(sĕp)skiing(skē´ĭng)soldier(sōl´jẽr)St. Gotthard(sa̿nt gŏth´ȧrd)St. Bernard(sa̿nt bûr närd´)Switzerland(swĭt´zẽr lȧnd)terrace(tĕr´a̿s)thunder(thŭn´dẽr)umbrella(um brĕl´ȧ)vineyard(vĭn´yȧrd)weird(wērd)Wetterhorn(vĕt´ẽr hôrn´)
Approximate pronunciation of German words:
Ich danke euch allen(ĭçh dän´kĕ oiçh äl´ĕn)Guten Tag! Glückliche Reise(go͞ot´ĕn täg! glŭk´lĭçh ẽr rī´zĕ)Danke schön(dän´kĕ shûrn)Auf Wiedersehn(ouf vēd´ẽr zān´)
Transcriber's Note:Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Transcriber's Note:Obvious punctuation errors repaired.