A month in Switzerland

"A Month in Switzerland" by F. Barham Zincke is a travelogue written in the late 19th century. This work narrates the author's experiences and reflections during a month spent exploring the Swiss landscape, culture, and society alongside his family. It aims to offer a thoughtful interpretation of both nature and human conditions in Switzerland and how these contrasted with his previous experiences in Egypt. The opening of the book sets the stage for Zincke's journey, detailing the travel from London through Paris to Switzerland. He describes the transition from urban environments to the breathtaking mountainous scenery of Switzerland, emphasizing the stark differences in physical and social landscapes. The narrative introduces his family, consisting of his wife and young stepson, who accompany him on this expedition. As they begin their exploration, Zincke reflects on the virtues he observes in Swiss society—such as industry, communal living, and a close relationship with nature—while foreshadowing deeper philosophical discussions about the implications of these observations on broader societal issues. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Foster Barham Zincke was a clergyman, a traveller, and an antiquary. Zincke was born on 5 January 1817 at Eardley, a sugar estate in Jamaica. He was the third son of Frederick Burt Zincke, of Jamaica, by his wife, Miss Lawrence, a descendant of Henry Lawrence, president of Oliver Cromwell's council. He was fourth in descent from Christian Friedrich Zincke, the miniature and enamel painter. He entered Bedford School in 1828 and matriculated from Wadham College, Oxford, on 5 March 1835, graduating B.A. on 18 May 1839. He rowed in the Oxford boat at Henley in the same year. In 1840 he was ordained by Charles Richard Sumner, bishop of Winchester, to the curacy of Andover, and in 1841 he became curate of Wherstead and Freston, near Ipswich. In 1847, on the death of the vicar, George Capper, he was appointed vicar of Wherstead on the presentation of the Crown. Soon afterwards he began to contribute to Fraser's Magazine and the Quarterly Review, and in 1852 published Some Thoughts about the School of the Future, in which he criticised with some severity the system of education pursued in the universities and public schools. Shortly afterwards he was appointed one of the queen's chaplains.