36 [Assembly 



Let lis leave the towns that have a mingled mass made up of 

 Swiss from other cantons and foreigners and go into two of the 

 most fertile valleys in the confederacy. Here is Entlerbuch, or 

 the valley of the Little Simme — one of the rivers that water the 

 Catholic canton of Lucerne j and there is Simmenthal, in the 

 Protestant part of Berne, and one of the most lovely spots in 

 Switzerland. Classic Tempe falls far below the latter in point of 

 beauty and magnificence. 



Both valleys are renowned for their fine herds and flocks, and 

 the extraordinary vigor and prowess of the inhabitants. You 

 find in Simmenthal no beggary, and no native but what can read 

 and write. Rich meadows and fat pastures, neat cottages and 

 comfortable barns greet the eye on every side. All wears the 

 appearance of industry and thrift. But winter here reigns with 

 the utmost rigor, and snow falls often and lays on the ground to 

 the depth of twelve feet. Entlerbuch, with a more genial climate 

 and fertile soil, has an army of priests, and many saints and holi- 

 days. Ignorance and idleness beset you on every hand. Even 

 the article of cheese, the staple product of the land, is much in- 

 ferior to the Emmenthaler in another quarter of the same canton 

 of Berne. Everything being equal, the like observation may be 

 applied to all the other Swiss cantons. Where the reformed re- 

 ligion prevails, there knowledge is scattered among the masses ; 

 and, on the other hand, where the Roman religion holds its sway, 

 there is no enterprise, no industry. The human mind is fettered 

 down to old customs and usages. In no department is this ma- 

 ligQ influence more felt than in rural economy. Look at a plow, 

 harrow, or winnowing implement in Lucerne. Why, they are 

 modeled after those that were used by those sturdy and heroic 

 warriors that fought at St. Jacob or Sempach ! 



We regret to say that in the department of agricultural indus- 

 try, all Switzerland lays behind the age in the application of mo- 

 dern improvements to its soil, and the introduction of labor- 

 saving machines of recent invention. Even the rural economy in 

 the neighborhood of Basle and Zurich is many degrees below that 

 of Great Britain and even Belgium. The farmers in the country 

 do not even keep pace with the manufacturing and commercial 



