Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, August 02, 1914, EDITORIAL SOCIETY, Image 13

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    The' Omaha Sunday
B
PART TWO
EDITORIAL
PAGES ONE TO TWELVE
PART TWO
SOCIETY
PAGES ONE TO TWELVE
VOL. XUV XO.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MOTiXIXO, AUdl'ST
1!)14.
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TTodel Swiss Hotel
A VISIT to the quaint old city of Berne
the capital of Switzerland is wellt
worth while if only to see its plctur-,
esque old narrow afreets and histor
ical buildings and mediaeval architec
ture, to stand on its high bridges that
span the mountain stream that divides the town,
to enjoy what' is considered to be the moat glorious
view of the alpenglow the red sunlight on the
mountain tops of snow and to visit the historic
bear pit, all these are enough to draw you to Swit
zerland. Not content with these, the Swiss have
opened a national exposition in Berne this year,
and no visitor to Switzerland can afford to miss it.
The exposition is confined to Swiss arts and
industries. To begin with the government appro
priated $600,000 and it Is backed by the enthusi
asm and. support of the Swiss people. It fills you
with astonishment and appreciation to see what the
Swiss are doing1.
The grounds are, I should Judge, somewhat
larger than those of the Trans-Mississippi exposi
tion, .but made more accessible by a 'minature
double track, narrow guage, street car line, with
open cars holding a score of people comfortably,
that transport you to every part of the grounds for
2 cents and afford a pleasant rest between sight
seeings. I think the Trans-MisRissIppi exposition
the most beautiful of all, with its lagoon of water
reflecting the blue sky and the white buildings,
but the Swiss exposition has nothing. to apologize
for as it is pleasing to the eye and a credit to its
architect.
W'e were fortunate in. having for guide George
Heimrod, American consular agent, formerly
of Omaha. The permanent buildings are of re
inforced concrete or armored cement as they call
it here. European architects are vastly ahead of
us in the use of cement for dwellings. They seem
to have realized from the very beginning that'in
cement we have a new and plastic building ma
terial not to be used as a substitute for brick or
stone or wood, but to be moulded into entirely new
shapes for artistic exterior ornament and inter
ior decoration. The result is pleasing to the eye
and w-cll worth imitating.
A large building is devoted to the silk industry,
showing each step in the process from the cocoon
to my lady's gorgeous ball gowns. The finished
product seemed to interest the women most. At
might be expected from a nation that builds tun
nels through mountains, the building devoted to
mines and minerals was mof,t interesting, showing
drills at work and sections of tunnel construction;
blue prints of all the Alpine tunnels, showing the
dip of the different stratas of rock encountered,
etc.; the geological formation and how the various
difficulties were overcome. The display of
hydraulic machinery was immense because Swit
zerland is the land of waterfalls and swift moun-'
tain streams and in connection machines for trans
mitting this power by electricity and for trans
forming it into electricity made an Interesting elec
tric exhibit. The watercraft canoe motor boat
. luxurious gasoline yachts and lake steamers, all
made in Switzerland and plying the waters of its
lakes are interesting enough to confine the atten
tion of a live boy the most of a day.
The transportation building with its historical
display of locomotive engines from the firBt loco
motive ever used to the wonder of today is very
attractive, but more interesting still are the
mountain stage coarhea with their many compart
ments, in front, behind and on top, the most be
wildering contraption you ever saw, routing $1,000
or more and built for the mountain dangers; the
mountain auto busp, big as a bouse, holding twenty-five
people and their trunks and bagfaage com-
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fortably, putting mountain villages on the map
again after they have slept for 100 years neglected
by the railroads; bicycles, autorycles and automo
biles, balloons and. aeroplnnes, all made by the
thrifty Swiss. You begin to wonder, not what
the Swiss people make, but what in the world
don't they make.
In the department of sports you find ex
hibits of -snow shoes, skiss,' bob sleds for coasting
down the mountain sides that would make a small
boy's mouth water, for you know people go to
Switzerland for winter sports now as well as the
summer. Like a coon trap; they catch them com
ing and going.
A very pretty circular building of the choco
late industry is a center of extraction! You are
shown the entire process of making the celebrated
Swiss chocolate. There is a good reason why
Switzerland has monopolized the manufacture of
chocolate for eating purpones. The quality de
pends upon the fineness to which the cocoabean is
ground, The heaviest stone grinders make the
finest chocolate, the cheapest water power turns
the'heavy stone grinder and Switzerland has that
i heap water power. The Swiss know what manu
facturer has the largest grinding stones and makes
trc best chocolate. I know, but musn't' tell.
When our tariff threatened the. Swiss chocolate
monopoly, tho principal Swiss manufacturers, al
though rabid competitors at home, formed a syn
dicate for the manufacture and sale of their origi
nal brands of chocolate and we are now eating
SwIbs chocolates made in the United States. No
Independent American factory can hope to com
pete with their experience and with the prestige
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of their names.
I understand that a syndicate with $20,000,000
back of it is to make Swibs laces' and embroideries
in the United States and get the benefit of our
tariff. That will be a hard blow to the Swiss.
There is a government, exhibit showing the growth
and development of fire arms beginning with tho
old oak stave and iron hooped cannon that shot
stove balls down to the quick firing mountain
battery. A fascinating place. The Red Cross,
which is of Swiss origin and still has its interna
tional headquarters where it first began, Geneva,
has a coniplete exhibition of field hospitals arid
ambulances.
You can imagine what a dairy building they
have and what a lot of Swiss cheeee you see. . I
urn told that the holes you find In all genuine Swiss
cheese are filled with the good fresh air of the
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: : Pleasures the Rich Lack : :
T
!l 1IARRIKT RAWDOX.
HEKE are certain of life's lessons that
are very hard to learn. Only personal
experience can make them understand
able. Most of us are being slowly
taught them by experiences of some
kind every hour that we live.
One of these is contentment with one's lot. I
have Just come across a fine ' sermon without
words on this very text.
A friend called to see me very tired and worn
after a long day's work, and the continual strain of
life on small and hard earned means. Bitter com
plaints were on her Hps. . That almost passionate
envy of the rich, born of an Intense longing for
the luxuries of existence aud a craving for release
from toll and worry. .
To nearly all women workers there must come
days like these, when the inequalities of fate seem
cruelly unjust; .when tired nerves and weary
bodies cry out for the comforts of life, the lovely
processions and beautiful surroundings that only
money can buy. .
There is nothing better than 'constant occupa
tion. We are all happier when we have to keep
our abilities In daily use instead of letting our
powers stagnate, while. we depend entirely on the
service of others.
Nothing is more glorious, for Instance, than
the creative instinct. What worker has not felt in
tense satisfaction gained by the achievement
of some particular object, won by the combined
efforts of brain and hands? On quite mundane
levels there is the keenest pleasure to be had in
6i:rh simple doings; even the turning of a car
pet, or the remodelling of an old gown or bat
can give rise to days of inward rejoicing over a
tiiumphunt result.
There are a thoutand little ingenious contriv
ances that necessity, that mighty , mother of in
vention, brings into being, all of which add up
the sum total of "something accomplished, some
thing done," to a fine reckoning on the credit
side cif Life's account.
Do those who grumble at having to labor
imagine that all the beautifully dresbed and some
times obviously bored women of the smart world
ever reach quite such heights of self-satisfaction
over their own unaided efforts? at times I think
their fingers must potltivcly ache for a bit -of
real, hard, neccbsary work!
Alps and that is what makes the Swiss cheese so
superior. The' forestry building contains- beau
tiful and elaborate specimens of wood carving In
which the Swiss excell and cuckoo clocks till you
can't rest, v It takes an entire building to show
Swiss 'watches, and music boxes. A novelty in
watches is the triangular, or square, or octagon
r.hnpe for.wrlBt or pocket. They show a plati
num watch not much thicker; than a visiting card
for the modest sum of $1,600.. Some American
millionaire was buying a few as souvenirs.
The Swiss, as the recognized hotel keepers of
the world, have model hotel on the grounds that
contains the latest In everything from, kitchen to
garrot, the only American device in the hotel is a
cush register specially adapted to the hotel -business.
The apiary building Is commensurable with
the Importance of Alpine honey, .which is the
breakfast food of every European family and that
is tho only place on the grounds where you run
nry risk of being stung, as the busy bee is doing
business right on the Job.
Tho manufacture of condensed soups and food
Is a large Swiss business and hus a. building for
itself erected by an enterprising firm. The boy
-and girl schools of 'Switzerland have long enjoyed
the distinction of being among, if not the best, in
the world. The pure air. low cost of living, and
the fact that the-Swiss speak three languages
German, French and Italian make It a favorite
' place to send Engllbh'girls.' There are never less
than "23.000 Englibh girls and boys In the schools
of Switzerland. The school exhibit is naturally
Adequate. When you come to the embroidery and
lace department my advice is to let your wife go
it alone, unless you are willing to walk home, for
no woman can possibly control herself there.
You do not know how much wine comes from
Switzerland until you see the exhibits, which fill
a large part of one of the buildings. The horti
cultural display is charming, but what is the most
attractive of ail are the girls that run the con
cessions and the display booths. They are dressed
in native peasant costumes and with their natural
red cheeks and happy smiles are the life of the
show. The authorities are to be congratulated
upon the absence of a midway and the questionable
entertainments' always found there and which la
our country, have done more to debase and degrad
our taste for amusements than all other agencies
combined. I am indebted to Prof. Ferrar for a
complete set of official photographs of the expo
sition that are themselves an example of the
photographic art of highest merit.
The exposition is a thing of beauty and a credit
and glory to the Swiss people. ' Be sure to see it
if you are in Europe thU year.
I F. L HALLER.