| Show A BEAUTIFUL CUSTOM A writer in the catholic new world gives drives the following description of a beautiful and impressive swiss custom ot of course it could not be practiced in but it seems not improbable that the piety morality and patriotism of the alpine mountaineers may be at least in part due to it among the lofty mountains and elevated valleys of switzerland the alpine clorn has another use besides that of abounding aoun ding the far famed ranz des ches or cow song and this is of a very solemn and impressive nature when the sun has set in the valley and d the snowy summits of the moun lulng gleam with golden light the herdsman who dwells upon the highest habitable spot takes his horn and pro bounces clearly and loudly through it jw through a speaking trumpet praise taw lord god As soon as the sound f loveard to lo heard by the neighboring herdsmen abey issue from their huts take their alpine horns and repeat the same words rols this frequently lasts a quarter of an and a nd the call resounds from all be mountains and rocky cliffs around e when silence again reigns the herds kneel and pray with uncovered hl meantime it has become quite gir good night at last calls the herdsman through his horn affie words resound from all the moun bains 9 the horns of the herdsmen and cliffs and the mountaineers then re isse to ahelf dwellings bave we not here a disclosure of ehfe secret by which the brave and 0 swiss ss have so long main 1 aff toned their freedom inferior in nu num m ba to other jealous nations near them often surrounded by contending they have continued brofn gen cen to generation a tree free people 1 abr god to abandon to the power of their enemies a people that thus their homage of him would f contrary to his usual methods in 9 with me men n and nations and it isma well be believed that the sincerity D the swiss in their worship of god M lea 10 long been the bulwark of their |
