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Citadel of Lofty Ideals
By Marie Widmer

A Glimpse of Geneva Switzerland

GENEVA, first mentioned in Book I of Caesar's "Commentaries," adopted Christianity in the fourth century, was annexed by the first kingdom of Burgundy one hundred years later, and fell under the dominion of the Franks in 534 A. D. In 888 A. D. the second kingdom of Burgundy, east of the Jura, rose from the ruins of the Carolingian Empire, with Geneva as one of its principal cities.

Rapidly destiny wove her threads. Out of the struggles of intervening centuries, Geneva's security was definitely established after it had adopted the doctrine of the Reformation, as preached by Farel in 1535. It now became a Republic governed by Syndics and by Councils elected by the people.

A year later, on August 5, 1536, there arrived in Geneva the man whose name still lives in the city-Jean Calvin, a native of Noyon in Picardy. Attaching himself to the new religious party, he soon acquired tremendous influence in Geneva and throughout Europe. Calvin not only organized the new church, but also the state; he developed public instruction and founded the Geneva Academy, which became in those days the leading school of Protestant theology, with the gentle Beza, Calvin's devoted friend, as its first rector.

Geneva consequently gained prominence as a stronghold of the reformed faith and it became a refuge for Protestants driven from various countries, especially from France.

Intellectual life gained in intensity and when Jean Jacques Rousseau, son of a local watchmaker, startled the world with his Contrat Social, his Emile, his Confessions, and his Nouvelle Heloise, Geneva, more than ever, held the attention of the cultured public. Gradually the city and its wondrous lake shore became the mecca of leaders in science and literature. Voltaire, Mme. de Stael, George Sand, Dumas, Daudet, Byron, Gibbon, Ruskin, Frances Havergal, Sismondi, De Saussure, Amiel-a veritable parade of illustrious authors, philosophers, and scientists-were sojourners in this enchanting realm. In more recent years modern luminaries too have succumbed to its charm.

THE MINIATURE LIBERTY BELL CONSERVED IN THE ALABAMA ROOM OF THE ANCIENT TOWN HALL OF GENEVA, SWITZERLAND. THIS BELL, ORIGINATING FROM THE ME SHAWE BELL FOUNDRY IN BALTIMORE, WAS ACTUALLY MADE FROM THE REMNANTS OF THE METAL FROM WHICH THE GREAT LIBERTY BELL WAS CAST AND IS AN EXACT COPY.

Several momentous events have become milestones in the city's newer history, and each of these has enhanced her prestige and magnetism. Thus Jean Henri Dunant, a philanthropic citizen, stands out as the founder of the International Red Cross. He happened to be present at the battle of Solferino on June 14, 1859. Three years later he published a book on his experiences, and advocated an international convention to provide for care of the wounded in war. This convention, which took place at Geneva and was concluded and ratified on August 22, 1864, neutralized the surgical corps of hostile armies and volunteer societies caring for the wounded. As a tribute to Switzerland, the Swiss flag in reversed colors, i. e., red cross on a white field, was adopted universally, and white arm bands with a red cross have since been worn by all members of the neutral staffs.