The Catholic World, Vol. 25, April 1877 to September 1877Various
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 25, April 1877 to September 1877
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
It is a book very creditable
to the young author, and also an evidence of the kind of culture which
is given to young girls by the accomplished ladies at Kenwood. We
subjoin one specimen of the style in which the letters are written, not
at all childish, although suffused with a childlike gayety:
“I remember what dispute arose among the passengers the day we went
down Lake Zurich. There were mountains all around us, but from the
end of the lake towards which we were steering rose quite a high
range. Over their summits the clouds extended up some distance, and,
strange to say, a succession of peaks were to be seen above the
clouds, suspended, as it were, in the sky, and having no connection
with the peaks below, except a close resemblance in form. Their
outlines were distinctly marked against the clear blue sky, but they
had a strange, chalky, light appearance, as if they could be blown
away by a breath. Some of the passengers said they were merely
unusual forms taken by the clouds; others insisted that they were a
reflection of the peaks below—a species of _Fata Morgana_. A few old
Alp frequenters, among them our friend of the gravel acquaintance,
ventured to assert that they were real mountains, but their idea was
laughed down as ridiculous. While the dispute was the hottest, the
wind, by a strange freak, dispersed the clouds almost in an instant,
and we had before us one of the mighty ranges of Switzerland, beside
which our mountains of the lake shore were mere hillocks.
“From the foot of Lake Zurich we took the railroad carriages for
Ragatz and Chur. This journey is among my most vivid recollections
of Switzerland: for we were following the courses of the valleys and
streams through that wonderful range of mountains that we had seen
from the lake. We twisted ourselves into every possible position to
see the snow-capped summits directly above us, and our
fellow-travellers—English, French, and Germans—became so excited
over the scenery that they would call out to each other—for, though
the language might not be understood, the gestures were
unmistakable—and they would rush from one side of the cars to the
other, even dropping down on the floor, to get a sight from the
car-windows of the very tip-top of the mountains. The enthusiasm
seemed contagious; there were haughty Englishmen, stolid Germans,
fashionable young ladies, and confirmed dandies equally forgetful of
appearances. Indeed, as we passed peak after peak, now clustered
together, now opening and showing beautiful valleys between, or
dark, shaded chasms, the jagged rocks taking new shapes and hues
every instant, it was like watching a grand and ever-varying
kaleidoscope.”
MUSICA ECCLESIASTICA. A collection of Masses, Vespers, Hymns,
Motets, etc., for the service of the Catholic Church. New York: J.
Fischer & Bro.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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