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Show II i " lSENEWplbL0Dr r A Short Sketch otthePk-turesque otthePk-turesque City SelectedTo Be the Meeting Place of the League of Nations. Hprrlgbt, 1910, The loteroatloDul Syndicate. CHE League of Nations Is assured and whatever difference of opinion opin-ion there might be as to its terms . and conditions, there was none Bt to the need for such a combination C of Nations. When the establishment BBthe League was determined upon, me contest arose as to the place wher.- h, ibunals created thereby BfcOuld sit and decide the momentous BUestlons coming within Its Jurisdiction Jurisdic-tion Although Brussels made a vlg-frfOus vlg-frfOus fight for -he. honor. Geneva wus finally selected. Tins was an excellent t well as most fitting choice. The I beautiful r!iy rf ihe still more bcau-Bttul bcau-Bttul and picturesque Switzerland has Pn the Bcene of many arbitrations F dealm fi: w -i crious and delicate prob-I prob-I lems resulting from warfare. Scene Of Mam snl meats B It was thero that tho Alabuma claims wore settled, claims of the failed States (ipnlnst England for permitting per-mitting the Alabama and other armed Btaaels to be built in English territory, bo used by the Confederate States BHaln.it a friendly power. Geneva was the scat of two convon-V0ns convon-V0ns establishing the rights and prlv-BVegea prlv-BVegea of soldiers wounded In war and BM those whose sacred duty It Is to Bre for the dead and wounded. The Brst convention held In 1804 consisted BW ten articles In reference to the nou- rality of honp'tals and ambulances Tho second on,, held In 1808 Wl OB BUto same subject and consisted partly Bjt Interpretations of the former convention con-vention and partly of an application B" I's principles as to maritime war-Hre war-Hre I was .it this time that II M elded that the person wearing the I red cross flag as an arm badge and the red cross flag flying over a building was to bo respected by all nations. It was here too that It was decided that all hospital ships must be marked with a green stripe. Geneva is delightfully situated at the couth end of a Lake by the same name. Including suburbs, which arc almost as Interesting as the city Itself, It contains about 120.000 Inhabitants. Tho River Rhone divides the city in two parts, one known M the old town on tho left bank where the government govern-ment offices and business houses are located. On the right bank are tho I Quartlcr St. Gervals and the beautiful i suburb of Les Paquls, which has grown with extraordinary rapidity ! since the removal of tho old fortifications fortifica-tions in 1850. Early History Tho city is tho capital of a small but populous canton of Iho same nurne and has an Interesting history. It Is mentioned as long a-o as the First century. B. C. and was a Roman province. As far back ft 433 It was the capital of Burgundlan kingdom. In 634 it came into the possession of the Franks. Later In 1 033 It be ;m part of the German Empire and in 1 034 the Emperor Conrad II causer) himself to be crowned there as King! of Burgundy. There wcr many conflicts con-flicts between the Bishops of Geneva I and the Imperial Counts of Geneva. In 1518 the city formed an alliance with Frlbourg and eight years later with Bern. Then came tho Reformation which Geneva zealously cmbrari'd and in 1 509 John Palvln, a refugee from Fiance, found asylum at Geneva In 1538 he was banished, but on bis return re-turn three years later, his eloquence charmed the people, but his away was tyrannical and Intolerant and Mlchial ! Servetus, a Spanish physician, who had written against tho doctrine of the Trinity while a visitor to Geneva, wa arrested and executed at the stake through tho influence of Calvin. In 1559 Calvin founded a school of Protestant Prot-estant theology and while ho tiled in 1564 the college become famous and his doctrine has been flrmly rooted in that city over since. In the eighteenth century there wero dissensions and even bloodshed between the old families on account of certain monopolies and trade In which tho poorer classes failed to .hare. Had they occurred In the present pres-ent day they would have been called strikes. Religious troubles oroso in 1712 and a large number of Rousseau's Rous-seau's writings were burned at the instigation in-stigation of Voltaire, who seems to have obtained favor with tho powers at that period. After many political and religious troubles Geneva In 1814 Joined tho Swiss Confederation and in 1846 overthrew the conservative' government, gov-ernment, and in 1847 adopted a democratic demo-cratic constitution which now exists Tourist Paradise The city has always been a favorli tourist resort especially to those who prefer the French languago for there one hears very little of the German which Is used almost exclusively In Zurich and Bern. The Hue Mi. blanc Is the business part of the city and leads to tho Pont du Mont Blanc, which ts separated from the Pont des Morgues by Rosseau's Islard united to the latter by a bridge. The Qual du Mont Blanc Is the main entrance by-water by-water to the city und nearby are quays where tempting whops, including those In which are to be found tho famous watches and Ivory Jewelry, for which Geneva Is so noted Tho best hotels are on the lake front and the view of the famous Mt. Blanc from their windows is beautiful yen more so than at Chamonlx which 'les dlreelly at Ms foot. At sunset the view from tho Lake at Geneva Is un- 6. excelled in tho world for Mt. Blanc o'ver 15.000 feet and always snow covered cov-ered stands out In all lis beauty, with the Aiguille du Midi nearly 12.000 feet at tho loft. The Dent du Giant 'and the Grandcs Jorasses lie directly in front while many of the lower mountains moun-tains slope to the lake and form a panorama of wonderful scenery. At sunset. If tho day happens to be clear (which unfortunately Is rare for Geneva Gen-eva Is famous for Its rains), these mountains are mirrored in the clear water of the lake and tho scene Is one of Indescribable grandeur. IntircstiiiK Boencfl The Cathedral of St- Pierre, a Romanesque Ro-manesque building of the 10th century and consecrated by Conrad II Is one of tho sights of tho town. It stands on a hill ahd seems to predominate the skyline of tho city. The interior Is gothlc and many people famous In Swiss history arc burled In vaults In parts of tho church. The Cathedral was renovated and old parts restored In 1906, and at present organ recitals are given there throe times a week during the summer months. Thero Is no lack of amusoment for there are a number of theatres and a Krusal In which there are vaudovllle shows every ev-ery night In the summer season. This ts on the Qual du Mont Blanc. A small admission Is charged but this does not make It pay. so evory visitor has what Is known as a Kur tax at tached to his hotel bill, a small sum of five or ton a day extra for amusements amuse-ments In this way whether one visits the Krusal and pays tho admission or not he aids In keeping up the amuse-menL amuse-menL For those more seriously Inclined In-clined thero is a museum where some excellent paintings are on exhibition and a department whoro many things belonging to Swla history are exhibit- ed and so perfectly are these arranged that the history of Geneva may bo traced from the early ages. Tho library was founded about the middle of the 16th century and many raro books arc on exhibition Then-Is Then-Is some valuable manuscript written on papyrus of the sixth century. The city also maintains a fine botannlcal garden showing a specimen of every plant growing in the Alps and added to this Is a gallery of portraits of the famous botanists of Switzerland. Tho city has many statues, tho most Important Im-portant being known as the national monument which shows two huge figures fig-ures of bronze representing Helvltla and Geneva. They nro such heroic llgures that a distant view ts bettor than a closo one Many of the old i houses such as tho ono Inhabited by John Calvin, have been torn down and tabldtfl erect i d to their memory placed on tho new dwellings which, of course, are far less Interesting than tho sight of tho real houses Products The city abounds In most attractive shops and very few visitors fall to purchase a Geneva wntch. a piece of Ivory carving or some lace. One of the Swiss cantons is particularly famous fam-ous for its laco making and much of it s for sale in Geneva The ivory carvings are generally brooches, hatpins, hat-pins, ear-rings, etc., carved Into the uipo of (lew ers and then painted. They arc very pretty and not very expensive. Of course, the famous Swiss Chocolate Choco-late finds a market in Geneva and Is always sure to be fresh. During the war a number of soldiers who suffered from tuberculosis were sent to various parts of Switzerland, many to Geneva and Swiss chocolate was fed to them In groat quantities on account of Its strengthening qualities. It Is Lake Geneva, however, that makes this city the tourists paradise and even during the war people of many lands wore to bo found In Geneva resting far from the scene of blood and carnage. The sail boats known as barques of Lake Geneva arc plcturesejue and although the Lake Is very cold people hire these boats for Ashing purposes nnd on procty days the bosom of this clear sheet of water is dotted with them from end to end Castle Of Chillon A steamboat makes trips twice n d.iy, stopping at many towns and Interesting In-teresting places along the lake. The r'astlc of Chillon mode famous by Lord Bvron's "Prisoner of Chillon" is one of thfie, The Castle Is h ru'n yet one may find tho dungeon of Bonevard and several other rooms. It stands on a point projecting Into tho Lake with a double background, the sleep wooded wood-ed slope r-.imbllng down from the Bols de la Raveyre and beyond the head of t bUbI the lake, tho saw like top of the snow capped Dent du Midi. The central tower of the Castle Is red topped and stands out with a startling clearness BB against a background of scenic grandeur. gran-deur. Taken all In all the Castle of Chillon Is one of the most poetic and thrilling scenes In the world with Us combination of picturesque beauty and historical association. When truveling In tho suburbs of Geneva, especially In the mountains, a chalet with a girl with goat milk for sale is sure to be found. She Is alwavs picturesque and frequently has her goats on exhibition. Bread and cheeso are also served for a trifle. Calvin And Rousseau To some historians the city of Geneva Ls known as tho homo of the two famous exiles. Calvin being exiled bv his enemies, and Rousseau by himself him-self his worst enemy- Calvin stuck to his theology and was a Protostant. Rousseau was a Catholic, who canted and recanted many times, becoming a coward as to his beliefs, and finally almost an utholst. The visitor will hear much of these men while in Genova. but the average visitor pre fers tho up-to-date way of enjoying himself by a sail on the lake with the steamer pursued by seagulls that have grown so tame they will catch a piece of bread thrown from the boat in their bills beforo It strikes the wator. |
