SWITZERLAND. was INTRODUCTION. IME was when the man who had been to "foreign parts was looked upon as a wonderful being, who stood alone in his glory; the time has come when every third person you meet can tell you what he has done, or seen, or heard upon the Continent and elsewhere; and the time is coming when the man who shall not have ever left his native shores will be as great a curiosity as the man who, in the far-off days, had obtained the title of the "distinguished traveller," for that he had crossed the Channel, and had seen the "parlez vous " in his own country. Now-a-days, everybody may travel, everybody ought to travel,—in fact, everybody does travel. Once foreign lands. were regarded as the visiting-places of the lordly few; now the gentleman of small means, the weary city clerk, the boys home for their holidays, all may enter into the great highways of knowledge opened up by steam and rail; and instead of Margate, enjoy Paris; or instead of Scarborough, Switzerland; and instead of Scotland, Italy. Not that we would disparage Margate, Scarborough, or Scotland. They are all good in their way, and the holiday-seeker may come back from them refreshed and benefited. But the secret of making the most of a holiday is to get a thorough relaxation for the mind as well as for the body; and in a foreign clime, constantly hearing a different language, wandering amid glorious scenery, viewing the art treasures of the world, there is a complete change. And not in these respects only, but change of diet, such as one gets in passing through other lands, often contributes materially to health. It is perhaps unnecessary to show that it is possible to travel abroad for any sum you like, and to prove that a journey to a foreign country will entail but little more expense than travelling at home. A few years ago I started out with three friends for a pleasant run of sixteen days. We went to Harwich, Rotterdam, and Cologne; then up the Rhine, by boat, visiting Bonn, Drachenfels, St. Goar, Mayence—in fact, all there was to visit between Cologne and Mannheim. Then by rail to Heidelberg, explored the romantic scenery of this lovely place-back to Aix-la-Chapelle, Liege, Brussels, Field of Waterloo, Antwerp, and home. And how much did this cost us each? Exactly £8 10s. to a shilling. And it included all travelling expenses of all kinds, all sightseeing expenses, and good living at very fair hotels. And we brought back from the trip what we could not have gained for £8 10s. so well in any other way-health and memories, and a stimulus to reading, and a constant fund of pleasant talk and thought. Contrast this with a passage from a book lying before me. It is "Ebel's Travellers' Guide to Switzerland," 1820. It is an itinerary of all the coach stages between Piccadilly and Chamouny! The opening note is this:-"Travellers wishing to proceed direct to Switzerland may hear of Mr. Emery, the agent, at Mr. Recordon's, Cockspur Street, Charing Cross, or the "White Bear," Piccadilly. The |