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 SPEED READ
MUSTANG

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 © 2018 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Text © 2018 Donald Farr

First published in 2018 by Motorbooks, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 401 Second Avenue North, Suite 310, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA. T (612) 344-8100 F (612) 344-8692
www.QuartoKnows.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced
with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or
otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any
inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.

Motorbooks titles are also available at discount for retail, wholesale, promotional, and bulk purchase. For details, contact the Special Sales Manager by email at
[email protected] or by mail at The Quarto Group, Attn: Special Sales Manager, 401 Second Avenue North, Suite 310, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN: 978-0-7603- 6042-2

Digital edition: 978-0-76036-442-0
Softcover edition: 978-0-76036-042-2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017963137

Acquiring Editor: Darwin Holmstrom

Project Manager: Alyssa Lochner
Art Director: James Kegley
Cover and page design: Laura Drew

Cover and interior illustrations by Jeremy Kramer.

Printed in China

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 SPEED READ
MUSTANG
THE HISTORY, DESIGN AND CULTURE
BEHIND FORD’S ORIGINAL PONY CAR

DONALD FARR

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 INTRODUCTION 6

THE LAUNCH 8 EVERY MAN’S SPORTS CAR 48

SECTION 3
SECTION 1

Lee Iacocca 10 Hardtop 50

Fairlane Committee 12 Convertible 52
Design Contest 14 Fastback 54
Plane or Horse? 16 Options and Accessories 56
Marketing and Advertising 18 Economy 58
World’s Fair Intro 20 Hatchback 60
Sales Frenzy 22 Modern Coupe 62
Indy Pace Car 24 Something for Everyone 64
Baby Boomers 26 Glossary 66
Glossary 28
PERFORMANCE 68
GENERATIONS
SECTION 4

30 Total Performance 70
SECTION 2

First Generation 32 289 High Performance 72

Mustang II 34 Cobra Jet 74
Fox-Body 36 Mach 1 76
SN-95 38 Boss 78
S197 40 5.0-Liter High Output 80
S550 42 Saleen 82
The Same, Only Different 44 SVO 84
Glossary 46 Cobra 86
Modular DOHC 88
Roush 90
5.0 Coyote 92
Survival of the Fastest 94
Glossary 96
4

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 SHELBY 98 RACING 140
SECTION 5

SECTION 7
Carroll Shelby 100 European Rallies 142
GT350 102 SCCA B-Production 144
GT350 Hertz 104 Trans-Am 146
GT500 106 Funny Car 148
GT500 Super Snake 108 Production Racing 150
GT500KR 110 5.0 Drag Racing 152
Modern GT500 112 Most Successful Drivers 154
Modern GT350 114 Glossary 156
The Shelby Legacy 116
Glossary 118 INDEX 158

SPECIAL EDITIONS 120

SECTION 6

Pace Car Replica 122

Sprint 124
California Special 126
Police Cars 128
ASC/McLaren 130
Bullitt 132
Mach 1 134
Anatomy of
Mustang Marketing 136
Glossary 138

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 INTRODUCTION
Standing at a podium within the Ford Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair,
Lee Iacocca spoke like a proud father as he introduced the new Ford Mustang
to the world’s press reporters on April 13, 1964. “We think people will want the
Mustang because it offers them a ‘different’ kind of car at low cost,” Iacocca
said, “because it satisfies their need for basic transportation and their desire
for comfort, fresh style, good handling, and a choice of performance capabili-
ties. This is the car we have designed with young America in mind.”
For Iacocca, everything was on the line—his reputation, his legacy,
even his career. Ford Motor Company CEO Henry Ford II, still reeling from the
Edsel failure, had made it clear when he approved the budget to develop
Iacocca’s new model: “You’ve got to sell it, and it’s your ass if you don’t!”
In hindsight, we now know that Iacocca’s job—and successful future—
was safe. Bolstered by a creative (and expensive) marketing campaign, Ford
dealers sold 22,000 Mustangs during the first on-sale weekend, over 120,000
by the end of summer 1964, and more than 680,000 before the 1965 model
year ended. Sales topped 1 million by February 1966, making the Mustang the
most successful vehicle launch in American automotive history.
Although based on the Falcon, the Mustang’s combination of sporty
styling, low cost, long list of options, and practicality as a four-seater with
a trunk transformed Ford’s economy compact into a trendsetter, one that
spawned an entirely new “Pony Car” segment—named after the Mustang,
of course. Soon, the American highways were filled with Mustangs, Camaros,
Cougars, Firebirds, Barracudas, and Challengers.
But unlike its upstart competitors, Mustang production has continued
uninterrupted for over fifty-three years, something no other American ve-
hicle nameplate can claim—not even the Corvette, which was introduced
eleven years before the Mustang but skipped the 1983 model year entirely.

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 For millions of owners worldwide, the Mustang is more than a car. It’s
also a lifestyle, one supported by clubs, parts manufacturers and suppliers,
magazines and websites, and specific model registries. The Mustang Club
of America alone boasts over one hundred regional clubs, not only in the
United States but also worldwide in countries like France, Italy, Taiwan, and
Brazil. These enthusiast organizations host thousands of shows, cruises,
races, and rallies each year, bringing owners together to celebrate their
common allegiance to the Mustang. Few other brands, automotive or other-
wise, can claim that kind of loyalty and devotion.
Over the years, popular models like Mach 1, Boss, Grande, and Shelby
have expanded the Mustang’s reach. The Mustang has become so ingrained in
American culture that it was selected in 1999 for a US Post Office “Celebrate
the Century” stamp alongside the Woodstock Music Festival and man walking
on the moon. Mustangs have appeared in over five hundred movies, includ-
ing starring roles in Gone in 60 Seconds and Bullitt, featuring actor Steve
McQueen and a Highland Green fastback that inspired special Bullitt-edition
Mustangs from Ford. The Mustang’s free-wheeling and fun attitude has made
it a popular subject for songs, topped by Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally,” to
this day a popular sing-along tune for dance band and DJ audiences.
Over half a decade since Iacocca stood at that World’s Fair podium,
the Mustang is still going strong. It has survived pony car competition, two
major fuel crises, economic downturns, and even an unsuccessful effort by
some within Ford to abandon the traditional rear-wheel-drive for a radical
switch to front-wheel-drive based on a Japanese chassis. Through it all, the
Mustang has remained true to its original objective as conceived by Iacocca
and his team in the early 1960s—fun transportation with style, comfort,
good handling, performance, and practicality.

MUSTANG 7

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 THE LAUNCH
Lee Iacocca
Fairlane Committee
Design Contest
Plane or Horse?
Marketing and Advertising
World’s Fair Intro
Sales Frenzy
Indy Pace Car
Baby Boomers
Glossary

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 THE LAUNCH
LEE IACOCCA
The son of Italian immigrants, Lee Iacocca went to work for Ford in 1946,
KEY PERSON starting with a sales job at a Pennsylvania assembly plant. But he had a
Ford product planning much bigger career goal—he planned to reach company vice president by
manager Don Frey was among the age of 35.
the first at Ford to acknowl-
edge the coming-of-age Baby
Iacocca strategically worked his way up the ladder, moving into
Boomer generation as a future a sales manager position for the East Coast, then assistant district
market opportunity. “I realized manager. His clever “$56-a-month for a ’56 Ford” marketing program
we were sitting on a powder led to a promotion and relocation to Dearborn to manage Ford’s truck
keg,” he said. marketing, resulting in record truck sales and yet another promotion into
car marketing. In November 1960, Henry Ford II promoted Iacocca to vice
BY THE NUMBERS
president and general manager of Ford Division. Iacocca was 36.
79 million: Number of births in
the United States between 1946 As the top manager of Ford, Iacocca had the horsepower to pursue
and 1964 a hunch, shared by others at Ford, that a new vehicle would appeal to
the Baby Boomer generation as they came of age in the mid-1960s.
FUN FACT And he knew very well that Chevrolet was selling more of its Corvair,
In 1962, Ford debuted a originally an economy car, by offering a sportier Monza model with bucket
two-seater sports car concept
seats, stick shift, and upgraded interior trim. There was nothing like it in
to showcase futuristic ideas
like mid-engine design, the Ford lineup.
aerodynamic aluminum body, Iacocca realized that economy-based Falcons and boxy Fairlanes weren’t
four-wheel independent sus- the answer. He predicted that, as Baby Boomers matured and reached driving
pension, and rack-and-pinion age during the 1960s, the huge youth market would crave sports-car styling
steering. Those components and performance combined with the practicality of four seats and a usable
would eventually find their
trunk. Selling the concept to company President Henry Ford II, who was still
way into future Fords. So
would the name—Mustang. reeling from 1958–60 Edsel failure, would be the challenge.
To convince the man whose name was on the building, Iacocca needed
a team to help him gather conclusive data. And they had to do it without
anyone finding out.

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 MUSTANG 11

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 THE LAUNCH
FAIRLANE COMMITTEE
To convince Henry Ford II that Ford needed a new car for the upcoming
TOP QUOTE Baby Boomer generation, Lee Iacocca pulled together a hand-selected think
“We got everyone off-campus. tank of Ford managers representing engineering, styling, product planning,
It was like doing a prototype market research, racing, public relations, and advertising. Iacocca would
and not telling anyone!”
lead the group, which would initially meet twice a month in an attempt to
—Lee Iacocca
identify a market that could lead to a concept for a new vehicle. To avoid
FUN FACT alerting Henry Ford II, the first meetings were held in a private conference
There’s a common misconcep- room at the Fairlane Inn, a hotel on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn. The clan-
tion that Lee Iacocca estab- destine group became known as the “Fairlane Committee.”
lished the Fairlane Committee Ford car marketing manager Chase Morsey was assigned to market
to create the Mustang. In truth,
research. His digging confirmed that the oldest Baby Boomers would reach
the purpose of the Fairlane
Committee skunk-works was car-buying age in the mid-1960s, a time when more than half of projected
to identify a market for a new new-car sales would be purchased by buyers between the ages of 18 and
car, which eventually became 34. Morsey’s surveys also determined that this youthful segment was not
the Mustang. intrigued by the traditional styling favored by their parents. They wanted
bucket seats, four-on-the-floor shifting, and styling that represented a cer-
BY THE NUMBERS
tain image. Additionally, a booming economy meant that families could add
14: Consecutive weeks of
meetings by the Fairlane a second car for the wife or teen driver.
Committee before determin- Time was of the essence. Noted Iacocca, “We’d hit on such a good
ing a market for new sporty thing that we had to get moving before somebody else could come along
compact car and beat us to it!”
By late 1961, the Fairlane Committee had determined that there
was indeed a market for a new Ford car. They established a list of goals:
four-passenger with a sizable trunk, 2,500-pound weight limit, retail price
under $2,500, long hood and short rear deck styling, one basic car with
many available options, and a target introduction date of April 1964 at the
New York World’s Fair.

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 MUSTANG 13

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 THE LAUNCH
DESIGN CONTEST
Bolstered by the Fairlane Committee’s findings, Iacocca pushed forward
KEY PERSON with the idea of a sporty compact. He realized that developing a totally new
When Ford designer Gale car was an expensive proposition, at the time costing upwards of $400
Halderman learned about million, a scenario that would be surely rejected by Henry Ford II. Special
Iacocca’s styling contest,
Projects Assistant Hal Sperlich came up with the solution—build the new
he went home and, on his
kitchen table, sketched the car on the Falcon’s already existing chassis, drivetrain, and suspension to
long hood, short rear deck save both time and money. It was a brilliant no-brainer.
styling that would become But before Iacocca could approach Henry Ford II with an official pro-
the clay model favored by posal, he needed a design, something in clay, to plead his case to make
Lee Iacocca and approved by the investment into a new sporty compact. But time was running out. Less
Henry Ford II.
than twenty-eight months remained before the target introduction date of
FUN FACT April 1964.
Due to dealers and customers During the first half of 1962, Iacocca viewed no less than eighteen
clamoring for a two-seater clay models. None impressed. So he initiated a design competition between
sports car, Ford considered the three Ford Motor Company styling studios—Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, and
a four-seat car based on the Advance Projects. On August 16, 1962, Iacocca reviewed six clay models
original Thunderbird design
and was immediately drawn to a design from Joe Oros’ Ford Studio that
from 1955–57.
included a Ferrari-like grille opening, tri-lens taillights, and side sculptur-
BY THE NUMBERS ing that implied rear brake cooling scoops. “One thing hit me instantly,”
$45 million: Budget provided Iacocca said later. “Although it was just sitting there, the brown clay model
by Henry Ford II to develop, looked like it was moving.”
design, and engineer a new When Iacocca gambled by inviting Henry Ford II to the styling courtyard
sporty car, much less than for a look, the boss was enthused but not overly excited. “I’ll approve the
the $75 million requested
damn thing,” HFII reportedly said. “ But once I approve it, you’ve got to sell
by Iacocca
it, and it’s your ass if you don’t!”
Henry Ford II officially approved the project on September 10, 1962.
Iacocca had only eighteen months to take his hunch from concept
to showroom.

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 MUSTANG 15

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 THE LAUNCH
PLANE OR HORSE?
Throughout its development, Ford’s new sporty car was known by several
BY THE NUMBERS names, including the in-house “T-5” code and the more informal “Special
6: Final names in the running Falcon.” By late 1963, just a few months before introduction, the need for a
for Ford’s new sporty car:
name became critical as marketing ramped up its efforts toward promotion
Bronco, Cheetah, Colt, Puma,
Cougar, and Mustang and advertising.
There were many suggestions. Henry Ford II offered “Thunderbird II,”
TOP QUOTE a designation that was ignored. Dave Ash and Joe Oros pushed for
“The name is often the tough- “Cougar,” the name for the Ford Studio’s winning clay design. They even
est part of a car to get right. sent Iacocca a die-cast Cougar grille emblem with the note, “Don’t name
It’s easier to design doors and it anything but Cougar!”
roofs.” —Lee Iacocca
Finally, John Conley from Ford advertising agency J Walter Thompson
FUN FACT was dispatched to the Detroit Public Library to compile a list of animal
Early on, “Torino” was names. From a list that included everything from Aardvark to Zebra, one
considered as a name for stood out: Mustang. J Walter Thompson preferred it because it had “the
Ford’s new sporty car. As the excitement of the wide-open spaces and was American as all hell.”
Italian spelling for the city of There was also a connection to a Ford two-seater sports car concept
Turin, it made a connection to
that was making the show-car rounds. It was called Mustang, initially sug-
European sports cars. However,
the name was rejected when it gested by stylist John Najjar to honor the P-51 Mustang fighter planes from
was learned that Henry Ford II World War II. As Najjar related to historian Bob Fria, “My boss, Bob McGuire,
was having an affair with a thought it was too ‘airplaney’ and rejected that idea. I again suggested
jet-setting Italian divorcee. the Mustang name but with a horse association because it sounded more
romantic. He agreed and together we selected the name.”
The horse name also provided the imagery for the car’s grille and
emblems, a running pony as penned by stylist Phil Clark for the Mustang
two-seater concept, which became known as the Mustang I. Clark’s design,
which included red, white, and blue bars behind a galloping horse, would
be adopted for the new Mustang production car.

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 MUSTANG 17

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 THE LAUNCH
MARKETING AND ADVERTISING
With continuing market research indicating that the Fairlane Committee’s
TOP QUOTE hunch about a new sporty car was accurate, Ford ramped up one of the
“Sid Olsen wrote all the adver- most expensive vehicle launches in American auto history. Approaching
tising copy. He was the original the Mustang’s April 17, 1964, on-sale date, Ford invited magazine writers
three-martini guy. He couldn’t
do anything in the morning,
to Dearborn to emphasize the emerging Baby Boomer market and brought
but once he had those drinks in two hundred of the nation’s top radio disc jockeys for a preview drive in
[at lunch], he was fantastic!” the new Mustang. On Thursday night, April 16, Ford bought simultaneous
—Lee Iacocca commercial slots for all prime-time TV programming between 9:30 and
10:00 p.m. Plans were also underway for a major press conference at the
BY THE NUMBERS New York World’s Fair and, the following month, to showcase the Mustang
$2,368: Mustang price listed
as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500.
as “F.O.B. Detroit” in the first
advertising, well under the On April 17, 2,600 major newspapers carried full-page Mustang ad-
Fairlane Committee’s original vertisements. Twenty-four national magazines hit the newsstands with full-
goal of $2,500 page or double-truck spreads showing what Iacocca called the “Mona Lisa
look”—a profile of a white Mustang hardtop with minimal copy, just a sim-
FUN FACT ple “The Unexpected.” Small-car owners around the country found Mustang
The prestigious Tiffany and
advertising flyers in their mailboxes. Mustangs were also displayed in two
Co. jeweler and design house
presented Ford with its “Ex- hundred Holiday Inn lobbies and at fifteen of the nation’s top airports.
cellence in American Design” In New York City, Ford went to great heights for a photo opportunity at
award for the Mustang. the top of the Empire State Building. To make it happen, a Mustang con-
In truth, Ford approached vertible was disassembled so the pieces would fit into the elevators, then
Tiffany about the award, which reassembled on the 102nd floor observation deck.
provided positive publicity for
In a remarkable and unprecedented coup, Ford’s public relations depart-
both companies.
ment scored simultaneous covers on Newsweek and Time magazines, both
depicting Lee Iacocca with a red Mustang. “I’m convinced that alone led to
the sale of an extra hundred thousand cars,” said Iacocca.

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 MUSTANG 19

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 THE LAUNCH
WORLD’S FAIR INTRO
Way back in 1961, the Fairlane Committee had targeted the Mustang’s
BY THE NUMBERS introduction for the opening of the 1964 New York World’s Fair. With the
806,400: Miles traveled by the international press gathered in Flushing Meadow, New York, for the fanfare
Ford convertibles, including leading up to the Fair’s opening on April 22, Ford scheduled a press confer-
twelve Mustangs, used on the
Ford Pavilion’s Magic Skyway
ence at the Ford Pavilion to introduce the 1965 Mustang on April 13, four
during the first six-month days before the car officially went on sale at Ford dealers. Henry Ford II,
season of the New York World’s Lee Iacocca, Don Frey, and other Ford executives were there to describe the
Fair, equivalent to thirty-four slowly spinning Mustang on the stage.
trips around the world Cleverly, the spring introduction also positioned the Mustang’s debut
away from the other 1965 new-car introductions, which would happen as
FUN FACT
usual in the fall. In this case, Mustang got all the attention.
Following the six-month inau-
gural World’s Fair season, the One of the New York World’s Fair highlights was the Magic Skyway at
dozen Mustang convertibles the Ford Pavilion. Designed by Disney, the ride transported visitors through
used on the Magic Skyway a timeline from prehistoric dinosaurs and Stone Age cavemen to life in the
were removed and replaced future with animated mechanical characters that would become a Disney
by newer models for the 1965 trademark. The passengers rode in 146 Ford convertibles, including twelve
season. The 1964 cars returned
new Mustangs, on a pair of separate moving tracks that ran along glass
to Caron & Company for
reassembly and refurbishing tunnels around each side of the Pavilion—for maximum visibility to the
before being sold on the long lines of fair goers waiting below—before entering the attraction.
Ford employee resale lot When the Mustang assembly line started up on March 9, twelve of the
in Dearborn. first fourteen completed cars—VINs 100003 to 100014—were convertibles
destined for the Magic Skyway. They were delivered to Caron & Company
BY THE NUMBERS
for Skyway preparation, which included the installation of brackets to at-
4: Number of languages
(English, German, French, and tach the cars to the tracks, deactivating the brakes and disconnecting the
Spanish) available in the Magic steering linkage, and installing the four-track tape player in the trunk that
Skyway convertibles for nar- provided ride narration through the radio speaker
ration during the Disney ride.
Riders selected their language
via the radio pushbuttons.

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 MUSTANG 21

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 THE LAUNCH
SALES FRENZY
After weeks of hiding new Mustangs in storage buildings and even in sales-
BY THE NUMBERS men’s home garages, Ford dealers pulled off the wraps on April 17, 1964, to
8 to 1: Number of 1964 1⁄2 –65 give the public its first up-close look at Ford’s new sporty compact. Thanks
Mustangs sold compared to to the massive promotion, near-pandemonium broke out, almost like Beat-
1964 1⁄2 –65 Barracudas, intro-
duced by Plymouth just two
lemania two months earlier. In Chicago, a dealer locked his doors because
weeks before the Mustang. he feared the mob was endangering both customers and salespeople. In
The Barracuda was little more Pittsburgh, a dealer was unable to lower a Mustang from a wash rack be-
than a fastback roof grafted cause so many people were crowded underneath. In Texas, fifteen buyers
onto the stodgy Valiant. got into a bidding war over a dealer’s last available Mustang, then the
winning bidder reportedly slept in the car overnight as he waited for his
FUN FACT
check to clear the bank.
Two months before the
Mustang’s introduction, the Most dealers sold their allotment of Mustangs that first weekend. In
Beatles arrived in America, one day, Ford salesmen wrote twenty-two thousand Mustang orders, cre-
reaffirming and bolstering a ating a two-month backlog even though Iacocca had had the forethought
new youth movement as Baby to add two more assembly plants—San Jose and New Jersey in addition
Boomers began influencing to Dearborn—in an attempt to keep up with the anticipated demand. By
everything from music to
the end of Ford’s 1964 production cycle in mid-August, Mustang sales
automobile design.
had reached 121,538. By the end of the extended seventeen-month 1965
HISTORIC TIDBIT model year, Ford had sold 680,989 Mustangs. A few months after the
Some of the earliest production little-changed 1966 Mustangs arrived, sales topped one million, a record
Mustangs were shipped to the accomplishment for a new car.
farthest-reaching Canadian While advertising promoted the low $2,300 price, that was for a
coasts so they would be in
base six-cylinder hardtop with three-speed stick. Many buyers, however,
showrooms on introduction
day. Airline pilot Captain Stan- drove away in Mustangs averaging $1,000 more with high-profit options
ley Tucker stopped at George like 289 V-8, automatic, console, power steering and brakes, styled steel
Parsons Ford in St. Johns, wheels, and vinyl top. For the Mustang’s first anniversary, Ford packaged
Newfoundland, and drove several special or optional components into the GT Equipment and Décor
away in a white convertible Interior Groups.
not knowing that he had
Iacocca’s plan had worked to the tune of $1.1 billion in net Mustang
purchased VIN 100001, the first
serialized Mustang. profits for Ford.

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 MUSTANG 23

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 THE LAUNCH
INDY PACE CAR
With its selection as the pace car for the 1964 Indianapolis 500, the Mustang
FUN FACT was front and center for the 48th running of America’s Great Race on
The 1964 Indianapolis 500 was May 30, 1964. Three early production Mustang convertibles were shipped
won by driver A. J. Foyt, who to Ford’s NASCAR racing shop Holman-Moody, where the 260 engines were
took delivery of a new Mustang
as part of his prize package. He
replaced by 289 High Performance versions so the cars could reach the
reportedly gave it to his maid. mandated 140 miles-per-hour pace speed. The suspensions were also mod-
ified with mismatched shocks for stability in the Indy turns. Reportedly, only
HISTORICAL TIDBIT two of the cars were completed and delivered to Indy, both Ford Fleet White
After its pace car duty, the with Indy Pace Car lettering and blue Rally stripes. VIN 100241 actually
Mustang convertible that paced paced the race—driven by Henry Ford’s grandson, Benson Ford—where it
the 1964 Indy 500 was returned
was seen by an estimated three hundred thousand Indy spectators.
to Holman Moody for servicing,
then shipped to Sebring For maximum exposure, another thirty-five convertibles were provided
International Raceway, where it for use as VIP cars and parade-lap duty for the Indy 500 festival queens.
served as a parade vehicle and Continuing to take advantage of the Indy 500 publicity, Ford produced
loaner vehicle. It survives today 190 Mustang Indy Pace Car replica hardtops for a pair of Checkered Flag
in private hands. and Green Flag dealer sales promotions, with the top five performing deal-
erships in each sales district receiving a car, each painted in a special
BY THE NUMBERS
1964 1⁄2 : Like all early 1965 code C Pace Car White with white and blue interior, 260 V-8, and automat-
Mustangs built between March ic transmission. Indy 500 Pace Car decals and over-the-top Rally stripes
and mid-August 1964, the pace were also part of the package. Lee Iacocca personally presented the keys
cars became known as 1964 1⁄2 to around a hundred dealers during a special Checkered Flag delivery cer-
models because they were emony in Dearborn.
assembled during Ford’s 1964
production cycle. The major
difference is 1964’s generator
charging system, which was
replaced by an alternator
for 1965.


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 MUSTANG 25

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 BABY BOOMERS
Japan’s surrender in September 1945, which ended World War II, launched
a new era of American prosperity. Not since the Roaring Twenties had
America experienced such a feeling of well-being as soldiers returned
from the European and Pacific theaters. Manufacturers switched from
producing tanks and fighter planes to the peaceful production of styl-
ish automobiles and passenger planes, providing good-paying jobs.
Congress passed the GI Bill to provide low-interest loans for homes
and higher education. Returning war veterans married their high-school
sweethearts, found jobs, and bought homes. The American Dream was
in reach for millions.
The millions also started families. In 1946, one year after the end of
World War II, 3.5 million births were recorded in the US, nearly three-quar-
ters of a million more than 1945. During the post-war years of 1946 to 1964,
America saw a boom of 79 million newborns, a group that would become
forever defined as the “Baby Boomers.”
The first Baby Boomers, born in the late 1940s, came of age in the
1950s. Unlike their parents, who had worked hard through the Great
Depression and survived World War II, Baby Boomers experienced a
happier childhood. Families bought their first television sets so they
could watch The Lone Ranger and I Love Lucy. Elvis Presley and Jerry
Lee Lewis ushered in the rock-and-roll era, which would provide the
Baby Boomer soundtrack for the following decade. Companies catered
to Baby Boomer fads with hula-hoops and Davy Crockett coonskin caps.
Post-war prosperity put a fancy new car in every driveway as individual
mobility became a way of life, leading to drive-in movies and restaurants.
Times were good as Americans moved into the 1960s.
The first of the Baby Boomers would reach the age of 18 in 1964. Lee
Iacocca and his Fairlane Committee saw it coming. Ford would be ready
with the Mustang.

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Discovering Diverse Content Through
Random Scribd Documents
trees. The whole of this portion is on the site of the former land-slip,
now the richest and most highly-cultivated district of the mountain.
On every side the views were enchanting; Mount Pilatus standing
forth in all his grandeur just opposite, displaying folds and tracts of
pasture-ground we had not attributed to his rugged form. Lost in
admiration, we rode on in comparative silence, until we halted, to
refresh the men and horses, at a café under a splendid tree, and
soon after reached a chapel sheltered by a rock, called in our hand-
book the Heiligenkreuz, or Church of the Holy Cross. “The beginning
of the Stations to Kaltbad,” said my guide, a dark-eyed, refined-
looking man, who had spoken but little hitherto. “Stations to the
Wallfahrtort, or place of pilgrimage at Kaltbad,” he repeated, noticing
my perplexed countenance. “Kaltbad is a Gnadenort, or ‘place of
grace,’ to us, madam,” he continued, “although you perhaps only
know it as a Curort.” And such was the sober truth. I had never
heard it spoken of as anything but a huge hotel with salubrious air.
So now I entered into conversation with my guide, and found that
he constantly made the Stations, in common with all the Weggis
population, up this rugged ascent, until they reach the church at
Kaltbad. “Would I not go to see the church?” he asked. “It was
indeed a Gnadenort. But the feast of the year I could not see, for it
takes place in the middle of May, just before the flocks are sent up
to the summer pastures. Then there is a procession up the
mountain, with the banner we had noticed in the parish church—the
white cross on the red ground.”

So here was the explanation of its place of honor inside the

sanctuary—one more reason why the Weggis folks should hold it
dear and we strangers regard it with reverence. Nay more: should
we not love and cherish a flag which not only symbolizes, but is
practically used by, a modern free people in connection with their
highest and noblest feelings? “In this procession, headed by the
priest,” my informant continued, “we, the people, make the Stations
with hymns and prayers as we go up, and, after first visiting the
Kaltbad church, all ends by the priest blessing the pastures on all
sides before the cattle are permitted to be brought up to them for
the summer season.” The higher we ascended, the steeper became
the road under a straight face of rock, and we could readily fancy
how picturesque, even from an artist's point of view, such a
procession must be, headed by the red flag, winding its way up this
rugged mountain-road; but, combined with the spirit and faith which
animate it, it is impossible to conceive anything more beautiful.

This peasant was a native of Weggis, and soon grew communicative.

“Oh! yes, he had often been to Einsiedeln; every one in that country
had many, many times made the pilgrimage there.” And in fervent
language he described the place to me. He had also been to Tell's
Chapel often, but not yet to Tell's Platform. That was the great
object of his ambition, what he most wished to accomplish, with a
visit to Sachslen to see “Bruder [pg 393] Klaus,” as so many of his
neighbors had done; but another year should not pass without his
carrying out his intentions. Amidst conversation of this kind we
climbed up the straight wall of rock, which seemed to have no issue,
until suddenly we reached a curious group called the Felsenthor,
composed of large fragments fallen from above exactly in the
semblance of a “rocky gate,” as the name implies, and whence the
view is magnificent.

The afternoon was lovely. At each turn one snowy peak after
another had been coming into view. The air, though warm, was
fresher and brisker than at Weggis, while the vegetation had
sensibly changed from the luxuriant chestnuts to the pines and fir-
trees of the Alpine heights. Nothing could be more poetic and
tranquil than our half-hour's repose at this beautiful point, noticing
the approach of sunset-tints on the mountain-wall just opposite
which overhangs Vitznau; watching the pretty steamers looking like
dragon-flies hovering over the lake two thousand feet below; and
then reflecting on the faith and piety of our humble attendants,
which shed a vivifying atmosphere over the whole scene. Our minds
were still full of these thoughts as we set forth again for our last
ascent to Kaltbad, about three-quarters of an hour distant, through a
pretty dell of fallen rocks and fresh verdure. We had quite forgotten
the existence of the railway or its feverish life, when all at once a
turn in the road gave a rude shock to our peaceful meditations.
There were the trains laboring up a barren, steep hill beside us—one
that would be too steep for any horse without three or four zigzag
turns and windings. Three separate trains were coming up at certain
distances in succession, the engines puffing and snorting, panting
and laboring, in the effort to push the one carriage before each, as
though the struggle were too much for their fast-failing strength. It
made one tremble to watch them, and it seemed impossible to
comprehend how the passengers looked so quiet and unconcerned.
How Mrs. C—— and I congratulated ourselves on having kept old-
fashioned ways and despised “progress,” at least for once in our
travels! And when I also thought of the varied charms of our ride,
and all that I had seen of the population and their ways, I felt that
no one who rushes through a country at high-pressure railway speed
can ever hope to understand its people half as well as those who
come into closer contact with them.

Before we had time to recover from the impressions of the railway,

Kaltbad itself appeared in sight, high above our heads, like a green-
jalousied monster of some German watering-place lifted bodily up
from the depths below. Anything more unpoetic than its first view is
not to be found; though it must at once be admitted that first
impressions are not to be trusted in this particular case. It was a
cruel shock, however, to our visions of pious pilgrimages and
processions; a return to the prose of life we had never contemplated
at four thousand four hundred and thirty-nine feet above the level of
the sea.

Our young friends were anxiously awaiting us on the long terrace in

front of the hotel with such sensational accounts of their railway
journey as might well have obliterated all remembrance of the
Wallfahrtort, or “place of pilgrimage,” but for the parting reminder of
my guide, that “the church was behind [pg 394] the house, and he
hoped I would be sure to see it.” But the C——s' only thought now
was of the sunset about to take place, and they hurried us off,
without a moment's delay, to a beautiful spot, called the Käuzli, ten
minutes' distance from the hotel. Certainly no view could be more
glorious! Before us spread half the northern portion of Switzerland—
Mount Pilatus right opposite, Lucerne at our feet, Sempach, the
great lake, just beyond, bathed in a flood of crimson, as though in
harmony with its memories, and bringing back to our minds at one
glance Arnold von Winkelried and all the grand history related to us
so recently by Herr H——. The seven great peaks of the Oberland,
including the Wetterhorn, Monk, and Eiger, towered above the
clouds to our right, while the summits on the south, half facing the
sunset, were lit up by the same kaleidoscopic coloring that we had
witnessed on the first evening of our arrival at Lucerne. Spell-bound
by this fairy-like scene, we lingered here till nearly dark, and it
seemingly became too late to seek out the little church. But young C
—— had discovered it that afternoon, and led me by an intricate
back pathway to its very door. Even at that late hour it was open,
the lamp burning before the altar, and many figures could be
distinguished devoutly praying in the twilight. These, as I afterwards
learned, were servants of the hotel—the laundresses, bath-women,
and porters, who came to pay their visit to the Blessed Sacrament
before retiring to rest after their busy day's work. Mass was
celebrated every morning at half-past seven o'clock, they said. My
own devotions over, I was again led back to the hotel, where the
brilliantly-lighted rooms and crowd of fashionably-dressed ladies—
although the material comforts are by no means to be despised—
were still in harsh discord with our ideas of mountain life.

Next morning, as if we had been in the plain, the church-bell tolled

at the stated hour, and found us ready to sally forth in answer to its
call. In the hotel all was bustle and clatter; but what wonder? Three
hundred guests and upwards have, on an average, to be provided
for daily during the season. In the middle of July four hundred and
twenty were at one time under this roof, but, happily for us, the
numbers had now sensibly decreased. No church, however, was
visible, and it was only on inquiry that I found a pathway in the rear
of the house leading behind two rocks—a true Felsenthor, or “rocky
gate,” they made—hiding away their little treasure. Once past them,
there stood the church, with the sun shining on its roof, small and
simple, but perfect in all its proportions, nestling amongst the
encircling crags and overhanging trees, from amidst which, opposite
the door, trickled a stream of the clearest water. Mass had just
commenced at the centre altar, over which stood a statue of the
Blessed Virgin and Child, surrounded by a garland of flowers, and
two bouquets were laid, evidently as a pious offering, on the two
side altars, which were also adorned by excellent paintings. A
handsome silver lamp hung in the sanctuary, and there was a
confessional, besides benches capable of accommodating a couple of
hundred people, all neatly painted and very clean. To-day the
congregation was small, for the servants could not be spared, we
were told, at that hour from their work, and [pg 395] there were few
Catholic visitors in the house; but we noticed that the clerk rang the
church-bell at the Gospel and the Elevation, so that the shepherds
and others scattered about on the mountain might join their
intention with the priest at the altar. Nothing could exceed the quiet
of the spot. It might have been miles away from the noisy world
hard by, no sound audible but the trickling of the stream outside,
heard through the open door, and enhancing the deep tranquillity of
the scene. A most perfect haven of rest it made for weary souls or
pious pilgrims, and a worthy aim, with the constant presence of the
Blessed Sacrament, for any procession toiling up the precipitous
mountain-side. When Mass was over, we lingered awhile, and,
looking round, a large, illuminated tablet caught our attention. What
was our delight to find it gave the whole history of the place in the
following words:

“Kaltbad on the Rigi.

“Amongst the venerated spots which the goodness of God

seems to have especially chosen for the distribution of rich
spiritual and temporal gifts, Kaltbad on the Rigi has for
centuries enjoyed a well-founded reputation. The natural
operation of the remarkably cold water has in itself given life
and health to thousands. But far more effect has been
produced by trustful prayers, joined with the contrite and
devout reception of the holy sacraments, and aided by the
powerful intercession of the pure Virgin-Mother of God and of
other saints. Remarkable and often perfectly miraculous cures
of countless Christians, in the most different circumstances of
body and soul, have here taken place, which have partly been
recorded in writing, and partly live on in grateful remembrance.

“In former times this place was called the ‘Schwesterborn,’ or

‘Spring of the Sisters’; for the legend relates that in the reign
of the Emperor Albert of Austria—in the beginning of the XIVth
century—three pious sisters retired to this wilderness in order
to escape from powerful governors, or Vogts, and here led
holy and saintly lives. The first miraculous cure on record is
that of a devout Landsassen of Weggis, named Balthasar
Tolen, in the year 1540. From year to year the reputation of
this spring increased. In the year 1585, on the 20th of May,
the first small chapel was consecrated in honor of God, of the
holy Archangel Michael and the other angels, and of the holy
shepherd Wendelin, by Balthasar, Bishop of Ascalon. It proved,
however, insufficient for the number of Alpine inhabitants and
pilgrims. Even after those belonging to the canton Schwytz
built themselves a chapel, a hundred years later, at Mary in the
Snow, or ‘Maria zum Schnee,’ the want of a larger church was
still felt. The present one, with three altars, the middle one of
which possesses the image of the ever Blessed Mother of God,
and the two side ones the pictures of the holy martyr S.
Lawrence and the father of the church, S. Jerome, was built in
the year 1779, and considerably renovated in the year 1861,
when the two new side altars and their paintings by Theodore
von Deschwanden were added.

“On the 20th of July, 1782, His Holiness Pius VI. granted a
plenary indulgence to all the faithful, on any day whatsoever,
 on the condition that after approaching the holy sacraments of
Confession and Communion, with contrite and worthy
dispositions, they here devoutly pray for the union of all
Christian princes, the extirpation of heresy, and the increase of
the Holy Catholic Church—an indulgence which can be applied
to the souls in purgatory.

“In order to afford the opportunity of assisting at divine service

on Sundays and holidays to the shepherds as well as to the
pilgrims, and also of approaching the holy sacraments, a
special priest is here appointed during the whole summer
season.”

So here again, even here, the Austrians and imperial Vogts were at
the root of all things—in this instance, however, and unconsciously,
the source of good to many poor sufferers; for numberless ex-votos
filling the end of the little church eloquently told that it had proved
[pg 396] to them a true “place of grace,” as my guide of yesterday
had so beautifully called it. And the little stream outside was the real
“Kaltbad,” whose wonder-working effects had first given the place its
name. Quaint and rude were all the paintings, but full of life and
feeling, mostly from the neighborhood—from Weggis, Vitznau, and
Gersau. Yes, there was a man in a boat in danger on the lake, just
as we had seen from the Gersau hotel two evenings ago; but this
one is praying fervently with clasped hands, and we longed to know
if those who were saved the other day had done likewise.

Then here is a family of boys and girls kneeling in rows, the father
and mother behind, all with their pink, and blue, and green rosaries
twined round their hands, in the selfsame manner that the Gersau
children had theirs during Mass! Above, a child of two years old,
kneeling beside its mother, has a rosary hanging on its arm; quaint
little things in caps like those of their elders, or infants tied on
pillows with quantities of red bows. Red was so much the prevailing
color that it seemed as if it must have some reference to their
beloved national flag. And then there were small waxen hearts, and
ears, and a wooden hand with a fearful gash, the offering, no doubt,
of a grateful wood-cutter. Some of these are upwards of a hundred
or a hundred and fifty years old, with inscriptions in the native
dialect, full of pathos and local color. But most striking of all is a
large painting of the very wall of rock up which we had climbed from
Weggis yesterday, bearing the following simple-worded inscription:

“Be it known to all, that by the breaking up of the dangerous

Rigirocks on the Weggis mountain some of the inhabitants were
threatened with the complete destruction of all their possessions. In
this extremity and distress they turned to heaven, and, with firm
confidence in the gracious Mother of all the angels, they here sought
and found help; for instantly the loosening of the rocks ceased, and
all became quiet again. Therefore, as a perpetual memorial of praise
and thanksgiving to God and the Mother of Mercy, they have
consecrated and hung up this tablet, anno 1753.”

This was clearly forty-two years before the fatal mud-slide which
destroyed so much, and it would be most interesting to know
whether the later victims turned hitherward for succor; but of this no
record exists in the church. In the above painting the Blessed
Mother, holding the divine Infant in her arms, is represented
standing in the centre of the rock-wall, with S. Michael on one side
and S. Lawrence on the other, just as if they had been visible. Had
we only beheld this tablet before, with what different eyes should we
have looked at this face of rock yesterday from the cemetery below,
as also during our ascent! And what proof such a picture and
inscription give of the strong faith of the Weggis population in the
unseen world under whose blessed protection they live in peace and
confidence! Whilst we tarried, peasant after peasant came in. One,
an old woman, took out her rosary, and told her beads leisurely;
another, younger and busier, laid down her basket, prayed for a few
minutes with recollection, and then went on to her work; but what
most struck us was a little girl of about twelve, who also had her
basket, full of fruit and flowers, and had [pg 397] been there before
we arrived for Mass. She waited until we left, and then evidently
thought that we had finally departed. Unexpectedly, however, I
returned to look at the tablet again, and I beheld the little maiden in
the act of dropping some money into the poor box, blushing
modestly when her eyes caught mine. I asked, and found that she
was a Weggis child—one of the number that climb the mountain like
antelopes up to this hotel daily to sell their “fresh figs,” “peaches,”
and “flowers”—for they offer them in good English—the majority of
whom first pay their visit to the Blessed Sacrament in this church,
and leave some little offering for themselves or their parents. She
was a blue-eyed, intelligent girl—one who had made her first
communion two years previously, and approached the Holy
Sacrament manchmal—many times, she said, during the course of
the year.

As time went on, experience taught us that the children of the Rigi
are one of its most distinctive characteristics. Intelligent, bright-
countenanced, and yet modest, they are the most attractive race of
juveniles to be met with in Switzerland, and, as yet, are unspoiled by
contact with the stranger crowd. They form the most remarkable
contrast to those of the Bernese Oberland, where the grandeur of
Grindelwald and other spots is so much marred by the swarms of
sickly beggar-children that there flock round one from all quarters.
Here, on the contrary, they are brimful of health and intelligence,
and never once during all our wanderings in the forest cantons did a
beggar, old or young, ever cross our path. So much for the popular
fallacy, or rather calumny, which says that prosperity, comfort, and
thrift are alone to be found in the Protestant cantons, and that
beggary, want, and uncleanliness mark the entrance into the
Catholic districts. Like many such sayings, it does not bear
investigation; but when even the most just-minded start on their
travels with prejudiced minds, it is astonishing how readily they
accept the opinions of men whose want of observation they despise
at home. Above all, should the question be anything concerning
Catholicity, their wilful blindness surpasses all belief. Some
exceptions to this rule there certainly are, increasing, too, each year,
like the celebrated Dr. Arnold, for instance, who frankly admitted
that he had found nothing in Switzerland to justify such a verdict
being passed on its Catholic population, and was generous enough
to acknowledge this.

Nor are the children who cover the Rigi, selling fruit and flowers,
idlers in any way. The law requires their attendance at school up to
the age of eight all the year round, but from eight to twelve only
during the winter months. This arrangement has been made in order
that they may accompany their parents to the upland châlets, or, as
often happens, mind the cattle alone on the higher pastures. A most
interesting class they are, and one must ardently pray that nothing
may ever change or modernize them, according to the present ideas
of so-called “civilization”!

For several days we took up our abode at Kaltbad, and never had
cause for one moment's regret. The hotel is in itself a marvel of
material comfort and luxury at such an altitude; the air brisk,
invigorating, and yet balmy, and the views simply lovely. Who can
forget the terrace facing the Uri-Rothstock, [pg 398] Tittlis, and
many another peak and pass, and overhanging Vitznau, whence we
could even distinguish my favorite red standard floating over its
hotel, as the steamers came and went to Lucerne or Fluelen, and
the light smoke of the engines told that the trains were creeping up
towards us? Sometimes, it is true, the lake and all below were
hidden by the clouds that settled in thick masses over the water or
floated beneath us in light, vapory forms, while the heights and
summits opposite shone, like Kaltbad, in brilliant sunlight; making us
more fully realize the great elevation we were inhabiting in such
tranquillity.

Then, the mornings spent in the “Wilderness,” which is represented

nowadays by fir-trees, descendants of those the three sisters knew,
but at present embedded in velvety turf on the hillside, with seats
and tables carefully placed at the best points of view! And the dear
little church to turn into at all times and hours, with the lamp ever
burning, and never quite empty! The afternoons we devoted to
longer excursions, ascents and descents in all directions. That to the
Kulm, or Summit, was made by rail, despite its terrors and perils.
The young people insisted on our making the experiment, but they
could not succeed in persuading us elders to return, except on foot!
The Kaltbad world seems to go through the ordeal unconcernedly;
but nervous and uncomfortable work it must always be, no matter
how custom may familiarize them with it. One spot especially is most
alarming, where the precipice seems to go straight down from the
railroad to the plain many thousand feet below. As a matter of
course, the sunset at the Kulm is the great event on the Rigi—one,
however, which altogether depends upon the weather. We were
most fortunate in catching a clear atmosphere, and consequently
distinct horizon. Then, sleeping at the large hotel at the top, we
included the famed sunrise in the same excursion. Oh! for the pen of
poet to describe either of these sights properly. They are among
those grand scenes which nature holds so completely in her own
keeping that no rush of commonplace humanity can ever lower or
vulgarize them. Crowds from all countries were present, yet we saw
nothing save the glorious panorama before us—the sun sinking
grandly behind the Jura Mountains in the west, or rising majestically
from behind the Sentis far away in Appenzell, after having first
heralded his approach by coloring with the light touch of “rosy-
fingered morn” the Finster-Aarhorn, Wetterhorn, Monk, and
Jungfrau, as they stand in gradual succession, facing the east, in the
Bernese Oberland.

Here, too, were all the scenes of that famous Swiss history which we
had been studying within the last few days—the town of Schwytz in
the Urschweiz, bright and cheerful on its fresh, green meadows;
Lomerz, where Stauffacher commenced the great revolution; the
small lake of Egeri, the site of the battle of Morgarten; Kappel, on
this side of the Zurich line of hills—the Albis—with its monument to
Zwingle, who was killed here in battle against the Schwytzers;
Königsfelden, further north, the scene of Albrecht's murder, and,
later, the site of the sanguinary Agnes' convent; Küssnacht at our
feet, with Tell's Chapel close by, the object of my guide's
pilgrimages, and where the fatal arrow is said to have entered
Gessler's heart; the [pg 399] Lake of Sempach, and Lucerne towards
the northwest—every spot, in short, hallowed by some memory
sacred to Swiss patriotism or piety.

A circumference of three hundred miles is said to be included in this

panorama, dotted here and there with thirteen lakes, distinguishable
in clear weather. But it needs a mountaineer's eye to detect this
number, for, though they certainly do exist, as proved by the map,
even the youthful sight of George C—— and his sister failed to count
more than eleven. The other two had “to be taken on trust,” on the
word of the guides, who declared that particular gleams of sunlight
rested on distant waters. But it is not the number of lakes or the
extent of view which gives such renown to this favorite spot. It is the
grand poetry of its nature, the interest of its associations, and that
great, indescribable influence which the poet addresses as

“Spirit of Beauty, that dost consecrate

With thine own hues all thou dost shine upon.”

Amongst the pleasantest of many pleasant memories, that of

Sunday at Kaltbad stands forth pre-eminent. The weather was
brilliant, and high and low appeared in corresponding costume. It
cannot be said that in the hotel proper the day was altogether
sanctified or edifying; for, except the Catholics, the English
Protestants, and a rare few others, the foreigners show little outward
sign of remembering the day. Indeed, one lady ingenuously
confessed her surprise that we should be so careful about attending
church, considering that she never thought of it whilst “taking the
waters,” as she liked to fancy she was doing at Kaltbad. “Who did?”
she asked; and certainly it looked as if the majority were of her way
of thinking. Not the peasants, however, and let us hope that their
example may yet influence the strangers. Alas! alas! how one
trembles, lest the reverse may be the result of this inroad of
“civilized” multitudes to their midst! But so far no harm seems to
have come of the contact. As the hour for Mass drew near, men and
women were to be seen coming from various points, and when we
reached the church it was so full that a large overflow of the
congregation had taken up their position in the little porch outside.
It seemed as though the history of the past century would repeat
itself over again; that a new church would become necessary, and
another new tablet be put up, telling future generations that the
present one had “proved insufficient for the number of Alpine
inhabitants and pilgrims.” No sight could be prettier, considering the
locality, the bright sun, and all these people in their Sunday dress. In
the latter particular, however, one peculiarity had a singular effect,
namely, that on the Rigi “full dress” for the men seems to consist in
the absence of their outer coats, and the Sunday distinction is
shown only by the snow-white linen of their shirt-sleeves and collars.
All had their alpenstocks and their prayer-books, which they read
devoutly during the whole time. Anna and I also remained outside,
as there was no room within; but we heard every word distinctly,
and could see the altar through the open door and windows. The
service began by an oblation of the Mass and the Acts of Faith,
Hope, and Charity in German, in the very manner and words used in
so many other countries, but notably in all the churches of Ireland.
This was followed by a good sermon, in which the preacher chiefly
urged the necessity [pg 400] of “keeping holy the Sabbath day,” of
living in peace and concord, but likewise of holding fast to the
principles of religion, “like their forefathers of old,” of whose virtues
and steadfastness he spoke in glowing language. It was the first
sermon we had had an opportunity of listening to in these parts, and
it was very curious to hear, even in a small out-of-the-way place of
this kind, such allusions thus brought in as a matter of course, and
so thoroughly in accordance with Herr H——'s predictions. At its
termination we were surprised to see half a dozen of the hotel
guests rise and leave; but these, we later learnt, were Lutherans,
who, having no chaplain of their own, find no difficulty in coming to
the preliminary part of the Catholic service, though they consider it
their duty to leave before Mass commences. It was a curious
instance of liberalism, and of the little essential antagonism German
Protestants entertain towards the Catholic Church. At the end of
Mass a prayer was said in German in honor of the Five Sacred
Wounds, joined in by all, after which the congregation dispersed,
some to the front of the hotel, and others in various directions. On
these days alone a few picturesque costumes appear, but they are
generally from other parts, as the Rigi boasts of nothing special of
this kind. To-day two women in bright bodices covered by silver
buttons and crosses, and with silvered head-dresses, enlivened the
group of women—relations of the clerk coming, they said, to visit
this spot from Bürglen, a long distance on the other side of the lake,
and beyond Sachslen, the sanctuary of “Bruder Klaus.”

Not wishing to disturb our Anglican friends, who were singing hymns
and performing their service in one of the drawing-rooms of the
house, Anna and I sauntered past the “Wilderness,” until we reached
the Käuzli. The atmosphere was most clear, and the landscape so
enchanting that a rest here seemed a fitting and heavenly portion of
our morning worship. Weggis lay below; its church and the children's
corner, where I had stood lately gazing upwards in this direction,
were at our feet, and Lucerne, with its girdle of battlemented walls
at the upper end of the lake, further north, its houses and boats
distinctly visible in the transparent atmosphere. The peasants could
be seen here and there returning to their gray-roofed châlets, but,
save the tinkling bells of the light-limbed cattle browsing in our
neighborhood, no sound broke the perfect stillness of the scene. All
at once the peal of Lucerne Cathedral came booming to us across
the waters! It was eleven o'clock, which in those cantons is the
Angelus hour, and in a moment the deep-toned bell of Weggis sent
its sound up to our very resting-place. Then swiftly the echo was
caught up by the churches of all the numberless pretty villages that
here cover the land, until the whole country seemed to sound as
with but one note. A more thrilling instance of faith and practice it
were impossible to imagine, and, looking down at such a moment at
this fruitful, prosperous district, one felt as if our Lord had already
heard its prayers, and in his mercy blessed it.
Our afternoon walk was this day directed to the other Rigi sanctuary,
“Maria zum Schnee,” or Mary of the Snow, the same mentioned in
the Kaltbad tablet, and which, from Wordsworth's beautiful poem,
has obtained a more world-wide [pg 401] name than its pretty
neighbor; though in the locality itself no difference in celebrity is
admitted between the two. The only striking distinction is that whilst
Kaltbad has but the one simple appellation, “Mary of the Snow”
rejoices in a pet name, by which it is more generally known on the
Rigi, where Klösterli, or “the little convent,” is its familiar and every-
day title. It lies deep in a southern fold of the mountain, unseen
from Kaltbad, but only a couple of miles distant; so that it is a
favorite walk with those visitors whose strength is unequal to the
longer excursions. This year the charms of the mountain-road have
been sadly interfered with by the blasting of rocks necessary to the
making of the railway branch to the Scheideck, and another line up
from Arth to the Staffel, besides the building of an additional hotel,
all which modern material improvements make one look forward
with trepidation to their future effect on the old inhabitants. In a few
years more these heights will be one vast mountain-city—a new
phase of life, which may have its own poetic side, it is true, and
bring health and advantage to humanity in general, but which,
during two or three months of the year, so completely changes the
old character of the beautiful mountain that its friends of twenty and
thirty years' standing say they can no longer recognize its former
simplicity. Hence our musings were somewhat melancholy, as we
wandered on above the new railway-line, until, from a bend in the
hill, we unexpectedly came in sight of a completely new scene, the
curious Mythen rocks rising above Schwytz, in the distance, and
Klösterli itself lying peacefully below us, as if sheltered from all harm
in a dell beneath the Kulm! It seemed a spot exactly made for snow,
and one could almost fancy it buried at times under the soft
embrace of some snow-white drift. Whether the name first came
from this circumstance of its position, or from its connection with the
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore at Rome, we had no opportunity of
ascertaining; but, whatever the cause, the name and connection
seemed most appropriate. Certain it is that the painting which is the
chief ornament of S. Maria zum Schnee is a copy of the one at the
great basilica, and, moreover, that the church at Klösterli has been,
as is fitting, affiliated to the one in Rome. The festival is kept on the
same day, the 5th of August, and the Rigi church was consecrated
by a Papal Nuncio in 1700, and endowed since then with many
privileges by Pope Clement XII., so that the link in interest and
connection has never been wanting. Mr. C—— knew all the
particulars, and as we descended the steep pathway to Klösterli he
recalled to us the beautiful tradition about the foundation of Santa
Maria Maggiore. He reminded us how a Roman senator and his wife
having been converted to Christianity, the latter had a dream which
made her believe they ought to build a church in honor of the
Blessed Virgin. Her husband, however, dismissed the idea as a fancy
of her brain, until, having had the same dream for three successive
nights, his wife on the last occasion understood that she ought to
choose the site which should be covered with snow on the following
morning. Her husband, still unwilling, accompanied her in the
search, when, not far from the house, they found the top of the
Esquiline Mount completely [pg 402] covered with a fine crust of
snow! This occurred on the 5th of August, and, bringing conviction
to the husband's mind, he at once consented to give up his fortune
for the purpose, and built on the spot the Basilica, which now covers
the extent of ground marked out by the fall of snow. Another version
states that it was the result of a vision which the pope, S. Liberius,
and John, the patrician, had on the same night, and which was
confirmed the following morning, the 5th of August, by a miraculous
fall of snow, which extended over the space the church was to
occupy. Certain it is that the fall of snow occurred, on this very spot
too, and that the recollection of this wonderful origin is still kept
alive in Rome. On the Feast of Santa Maria ad Nives, on the 5th of
the hot month of August, a shower of white leaves is made to fall on
the congregation attending High Mass at the great Basilica. What
affiliation, therefore, could be more fitting for a mountain chapel?
With renewed interest we hurried to the spot. The village consists
entirely of a few inns, the convent—where live the Capuchin fathers
who have care of the church—and of the church itself, much larger
than that at Kaltbad, and which forms the centre of the whole place.
The old character is maintained up to the present time, these inns
being still most homely—very different from the luxurious abodes
elsewhere on the mountain—and the convent in reality an hospice
for pilgrims, which at once gives the impression of a higher aim than
mere pleasure-seeking. The Capuchin fathers, who glide about with
serious mien in their brown habits, add to the solemnity, further
increased by the depth of the valley “making sunset,” as the sailors
say, to the place long before it happens on the surrounding heights.
It has nothing cheerful or peculiarly attractive to the general public,
so one might hope that it would escape the contagion of a worldly
spirit. This year the gloom has been added to by a dreadful accident
connected with the unwelcome railway, and one heard of little else
on the spot. A young lady who was sitting with her father outside
the Sonne Hotel, writing at one of the small tables, was suddenly
struck by a large stone, thrown by the blasting of a rock close by,
and died in less than half an hour. She was to have gone away from
Klösterli on the previous day with the rest of her family, but had
remained a while longer merely to take care of him. His grief,
consequently, was overwhelming. It was a melancholy inauguration
of the “iron road,” and for the moment made a deep impression on
all concerned. But it is much to be dreaded that it will not be a
lasting one. The father, to whom we spoke, shook his head gravely,
as he pointed to the railway works, expressing his fears that from a
place of pilgrimage they would soon convert his dearly-loved
Klösterli into a simple Curort, or, in modern parlance, a Sanatorium.
He complained of its baneful influence already; for, though the
peasants are thoroughly good and pious, the immense influx of
tourists gives them little time for devotions during the summer
season, especially in the month of August, when the church festival
occurs. They, the monks, belong to the large Capuchin convent at
Arth, from which two or three have been sent here at the special
request of the commune, ever since the foundation, to take care of
this church and attend to [pg 403] the wants of the pilgrims. But the
numbers of the latter are diminishing from the above causes, and
hospitality has this year been chiefly bestowed on invalid priests,
who here seek change of air for weeks at a time. The procession
similar to that from Weggis, which used to come up from Arth for
the 5th of August, making the Stations on the way, did not take
place this time. Nor had the people leisure, either, for their old
games, which followed the church services as a matter of course.
Sad and melancholy, he seemed fearful of this inroad of materialism
and the many temptations to which the poorer classes may be
exposed. The tranquillity of the spot will doubtless be ruined by the
puffing engine and obtrusive railway, and we could not but rejoice
doubly that the “haven of rest” at Kaltbad lies safely hidden away
behind its rocks out of reach of such disturbance. But so many have
been the prayers answered and hearts cured within the last two
centuries by the intercession of holy “Mary of the Snow” that it is
hard to believe so favored a sanctuary, though this may perhaps be
a moment of transition, will be altogether swept away or lose its
holy influence on so essentially pious a population. The church is
crowded with ex-votos, many of them the same seen by Wordsworth
in 1820, when he sang in the following strain of

“Our Lady Of The Snow.

“Meek Virgin Mother, more benign

Than fairest star upon the height
Of thy own mountain set to keep
Lone vigils thro' the hours of sleep,
What eye can look upon thy shrine
Untroubled at the sight?

“These crowded offerings, as they hang

In sign of misery relieved,
Even these, without intent of theirs,
Report of comfortless despairs,
Of many a deep and cureless pang
And confidence deceived.

“To thee, in this aërial cleft.

 As to a common centre, tend
All sufferings that no longer rest
On mortal succor, all distrest
That pine of human hope bereft,
Nor wish for earthly friend.

“And hence, O Virgin Mother mild!

Though plenteous flowers around thee blow,
Not only from the dreary strife
Of winter, but the storms of life,
Thee have thy votaries aptly styled
Our Lady of the Snow.

“Even for the man who stops not here,

But down the irriguous valley hies,
Thy very name, O Lady! flings,
O'er blooming fields and gushing springs,
A holy shadow soft and dear
Of chastening sympathies!

“Nor falls that intermingling shade

To summer gladsomeness unkind;
It chastens only to requite
With gleams of fresher, purer light;
While o'er the flower-enamelled glade
More sweetly breathes the wind.

“But on!—a tempting downward way,

A verdant path, before us lies;
Clear shines the glorious sun above;
Then give free course to joy and love,
Deeming the evil of the day
Sufficient for the wise.”

In our walk hither along the brow of the hill we had talked to some
pretty, bright-eyed children running about to call in their father's
cattle, asking their names and other questions; but, returning the
same way, all our thoughts and attention were given to the distant
sound of avalanches, which the C——s declared came to us across
the mountain-tops from the region of the great Oberland range.
Anything more sublime it were difficult to conceive in the fading light
and soft hues of the sunset twilight. We had quite forgotten the
children, but they had been thinking of us, and, passing on by their
châlet, little Aloysius (a fair-haired boy of three years old) was seen
skipping down the green slope with a paper in his hand. It was a
mysterious proceeding, especially when he came and eagerly
presented it to me. But my surprise was greater on reading it to find
that it consisted of prayers printed at Einsiedeln: the first teaching
how to offer up one's intention with the Masses that [pg 404] are
being said all over the world; another to be said when present
during the offertory of the Mass; and a third, when unable to attend
in person, for daily recital at home in union with the priest at the
altar. The little fellow evidently prized it, as taught by his mother,
and it was fortunate that I was able to promise him it should hold a
place amongst my treasures, and that I would say the beautiful
prayers daily, which I have never failed to do. But he could not
altogether know how much happiness his act caused me, chasing
away the gloomy fears of the Capuchin father, and giving bright
hope that a true spirit of piety will grow up with the rising
generation.
Church Song.

“And when they had said an hymn, they went forth to the
Mount of Olives.”—S. Mark xiv. 26.
“Hymnum cecinit, ut et nos similiter faciamus.”—S. Chrysostom.

The Disciple.

A world I'd give to hear thee sing

That song!
Too long
Is life until it bring
The breaking of the bonds that cling
About this deadly flesh.
Sweet Lord, refresh
My weary, longing soul;
And this sad banishment condole
With one faint echo of that strain
Of melody divine, which must remain
Yet murmuring through space
Of all creation's bound;
And so controls
The harmony that rolls
In floods of majesty and grace
Throughout thy dwelling-place,
From tuneful lyres
Of angel choirs,
From ceaseless rapturous songs
Of shining saintly throngs,
 That every sound
Heaven hears doth merely seem
Made to accompany thy theme.
Wondrous Singer, O my Lord and King!
Tell me, who taught thee how to sing
So sweet a strain?

[pg 405]

The Master.

I heard my Mother's voice one morn,

Whilst yet in womb unborn,
Chanting the canticle of praise
She still in heaven doth raise;
And when a boy, oft at her knee,
She did the tuneful mystery
Unfold to me.
Wouldst hear me sing?
'Tis no hard thing.
Go, hearken to the singing of my Bride
With whom my Presence ever doth abide;
Who is a Mother unto thee,
Like as the Virgin, full of grace, to me.
Her voice, in melody her own,
If thou wilt mark its heavenly tone,
Hath cunning art
To make thy heart
Hear mine again.
A Discussion With An Infidel.

XVIII. Personal Continuance.

Reader. The next question you treat, doctor, regards the immortality
of the human soul, or, as you call it, “personal continuance.” In your
opinion the spirit and the body, the soul and the brain, are so
intimately and inseparably connected that a soul without a body, as
“force without matter,” can never exist. I remember having already
answered some of the grounds of this opinion; but as you make
“personal continuance” the subject of a special chapter, I presume
that it is in this chapter that you have condensed the strength and
substance of all your arguments. How do you, then, establish your
position?

Büchner. “A spirit without a body is as unimaginable as electricity or

magnetism without metallic or other substances” (p. 196).

Reader. Unimaginable! Of course, a spiritual substance is not the

object of imagination. Perhaps you mean that it is unthinkable,
inconceivable, or unintelligible; which I deny.

Büchner. “Unprejudiced philosophy is compelled to reject the idea of

an individual immortality and of a personal continuance after death.
With the decay and dissolution of its material substratum, through
which alone it has acquired a conscious existence and become a
person, and upon which it was dependent, the spirit must cease to
exist” (ibid.)

Reader. Beware of fallacies, doctor. You have not yet proved that the
human soul needs a material substratum. Again, you merely assume
that it is through the body [pg 406] that the soul has acquired a
conscious existence, whilst the fact is that the soul through itself is
conscious of its own existence in the body. Moreover, the soul does
not become a person through the body it informs, but, on the
contrary, confers on the body the privilege of being a part of the
person. Lastly, the spirit is not dependent upon the body, except for
the sensitive operations; and you cannot assume that the soul
depends upon the body for its own being. Hence your conclusion is
yet unproved.

Büchner. “All the knowledge which this spirit has acquired relates to
earthly things; it has become conscious of itself in, with, and by
these things; it has become a person by its being opposed against
earthly, limited individualities. How can we imagine it to be possible
that, torn away from these necessary conditions, this being should
continue to exist with self-consciousness and as the same person? It
is not reflection, but obstinacy, not science, but faith, which supports
the idea of a personal continuance” (pp. 196, 197).

Reader. I am rather amused than embarrassed at your identifying

reflection with science and obstinacy with faith, as I know that you
are absolutely incapable of accounting for such a nonsensical
ranting. It is not true that “all the knowledge acquired by our soul
relates to earthly things.” We have already discussed this point, and
shown that our knowledge of earthly things is only the alphabet of
human knowledge. Nor is it true that our soul “has become
conscious of itself by such things.” Consciousness is, even
objectively, an immanent act, and the soul cannot be conscious of its
own self, except by looking upon itself. No one can say I perceive
without a knowledge of the I; and therefore the soul knows its own
self independently of the perception of other earthly things. But, as
there are philosophers who account for self-consciousness by the
primitive accidental sensations experienced by the child, I will
suppose with you that our soul becomes conscious of its own
existence by means of such sensations. Does it follow from this that
the union with the body is “a necessary condition” for the existence
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