Museum of Wonders, or Curiosities of the World

A cabinet of curiosities in book form, 1890: monsters of the ancient world, wild animals, queer wanderers in the vasty deep, famous inventions and sublime scenery — assembled to astonish the young and, the preface admits, their elders too.

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On the Top of the Wetterhorn

ANY of the it is hard to conceive how even a chamois peaks of the could make its way along them. The Alps have experienced cragsman, however, knows been ascend- that the steepest rocks are almost always ed by travellers broken by ravines and gullies, and although at traversed by narrow ledges that give great risk of life. foothold to the skilful climber. The The precipices slope of the Wetterhorn is so extremely of the Wetter- steep that from one to two hours must be horn on one side, allowed for the ascent. The summit conand those of the sists of a perilously sharp crest of frozen Mettenberg on snow, topped by an overhanging cornice the other, rise in of ice. It is only by levelling the summit walls of rock so with an axe that space enough for a seat steep and, seemingly, so unbroken, that can be found on this dizzy eminence. Yet ER (155) all these peaks have been ascended, "even | opposite mountain, makes it seem like a that grimmest fiend of the Oberland, the smoking fire begirt with clouds. You Shreckhorn." Judgments differ as to the think of Mount Sinai, all in a blaze with expediency-some even doubt the morality the glory of the steps of Deity. The very -of these perilous ascents. Reckless rocks are burning and the green forests risking of life cannot for a moment be also. Then there are the white glittering justified. But no one can withhold his masses of the Breithorn and the Mittagadmiration from the qualities demanded horn in the distance, and a cascade shootfor success. A traveller who ascended says of the view: As we wind our way up the steep side of the mountain, the mists are slowly and gracefully rising from the depths of the valley along the face of the outjutting crags. It seems at if the genius of nature were drawing a white soft veil around her bosom. But now as we rise still farther, the sun, pouring its fiery rays against the ing directly out from the glacier. Upwards the mists are still curling and hanging to the mountains, as if trying to hide the overpowering grandeur. "In such a season of calm weather, Though inland far we be, Our souls have sight of that immortal sea Which brought us hither :

Can in a moment travel thither- And see the children sport upon the shore, And hear the mighty water rolling evermore!"

walls of rock so with an axe that space enough for a seat
walls of rock so with an axe that space enough for a seat
ON THE TOP OF THE WETTERHORN.
ON THE TOP OF THE WETTERHORN.
when they get down into the valleys or other Alpine mountains.
when they get down into the valleys or other Alpine mountains.

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