Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-02-25
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fourth page.

ture last night was an intensely interesting one
The speaker remarked that when he last spoke to
a Cleveland audience, be spoke of a country Bra.
ziD which had but little past, but glorious
future; this evening he should speak of land
which had noble past, a living present, and as
glorious future as any country in Europe He
took his hearers in Imagination through France to
Switzerland in the diligence, which is not an ON
nibus, not a stage coach, nor Jersey market Wag.
on, but combination tie three
Each diligence is accompanied by Conductor
who takes charge of goods and valuables, taking
the place of our expresses. And there is vastly
more safety in sending five hundred dollars by
diligence for hundreds of miles, than in marking
them in registered letter as we do here
And now as we travel forward in this convey
ance, at the rate of eight miles per hour, we have
chance to see the beauty of the level country of
France, but We soon leave the green fields of
Burgundy, and climb the nights of the "Jura,"
coming intoa cold atmosphere, ard snowy regions;
as we pass the summit and descend the Jura, we
see afar off to the Eastward lofty summit, and at
its foot blue expanse, which we find to be Mount
Blanc, with lake Geneva at its foot That Mount
Blanc which has witnessed the troublous scenes
connected with the history ofSwitzerland, during
all its vicisstudes. This mountain-the mother of
mountains-stands as the center of Europe, for this
little country is almost the physical centre of the
Continent, as well as intellectual. Great men and
great minds have emenated from this little tract,
which makes so small an appearance on the map
men who have had an immense influence on the
affairs Of the whole world.
There is strictly no Swiss language Seven
tenths Of the people speak German, two tenths
French, and one tenth, Roman and Italian There
are in the country twenty-five States although its
whole extent is less than the State of Ohio Yet
here they have revolutions, though it be like tenn
pest in teapot. Bnt in that revolution whose
incidents have come down TO us. there were men
as noble and heroic as ever trod the soil of Eu-
rope, The story of William Tell is q story which
will never die. 1t is told by the Swiss Of the pres
ent day with thrilling heart as they recount this
tale of their early struggles for liberty, which tale
stern historians have tried in vain TO blot out from
existence
The Swiss are conservative people and chill
dren to the third, fourth or perhaps fortieth gen
Grafton, pursue the same occupation, on the same
spot, as did their fathers and grandfathers Edn
cation is LIBERAL especially in the protestant pro-
yinces. They have no army, but every man is a
soldier, and at the tap of the drum, over 10000
men, nobies and peasants would spring forth ready
to cope with the armies of Europe There is a
population of over 5000 900 and all are trained for
active service for weeks at time. and all are |
aike-the blacksmith and the noble-the peasant |
and the grandee. They are not a fierce and war
ike people, but are ready TO die in the defense of
their homes and one great secret of their martial
fire lies in their battle music one grand overture of
which is enough to stir the blood of old and young
This overture of William Tell had been intro |
duced in other places, and at his own suggestion
it would be done tonight. Accordingly Prof. |
Mann performed the piece upon the piano, to the |
delight Of the audience, and very pleasantly il |
lustrating the lecture.
The diligence has now reached the shores of
the blue lake of Geneva, which is SO peculiarly
blue that tumbler of it shows plain cerulian
hue. We now skirt along the shore of the lake. |
The popular idea is that Switzerland is a very
cold country, but it has all varieties of tempera-
ture, from that of Florence to that Of Greenland.
Here we may see vineyards covering the hill
sides; here Voltaire lived and shivered; here
Madame De Stael had her residence; there where
now stands a Cathedral, Gibbon wrote his De-
cline and fall of the Roman Empire. Further on
is the Castle If ChillOn, and here are carved or
written illustrious names from all countries. Here
he found the name of Mrs. d. B. Stowe, who has,
he must say, cast shade over our country by
means of her Uncle Tom. Here Byron wrote
many of his most beautiful poems, and by this
lake of Geneva he showed forth that he had, un-
derneath his vicious exterior, smouldering con-
science which would sometimes shine forth. Un-
der the calm influence of this beautiful sheet Of
water he had some noble hopes and aspirations.
| The vineyards which are so extensively culti-
vated are the principal property and occupation
of the inhabitants. The process of manufacturing
the Swiss wine, was humorously described. This
wine is too cheap to put brandy into. The grapes
are most delicious and marvelously cheap. Here
at Aontre, is ''Grape Cure" to which patients
come from all adjacent countries to go through
regular course of grapes
Geneva is one of the handsomest cities of Eu-
rope. 1t is celebrated for Calvin and watches
DAubgne, too, was here converted, and from here
q variety in the pronunciation Of this word that
the speaker gave as the true one Dough -bsanyea.
Watch making is the great business of the city.
These watches are made by machinery, the adver-
tisements of the American Watch Company to the
contrary Notwithstanding. Probably not ten watch
es are made in France, and but very few in Eng
land
The music boxes, too, are wonder. Mr.. FIetch-
er found one which gave ''all the national Ameri-
can tunes" Among those he heard, 'Susannah,"
''Poor Uncle Ned, T" "Rosalie," yankee Doodle"
&C. The maker had sent to New York for the
American National Songs, and had received Chris
ty and Woods Negro Minstrelsy. Here Mr.. W. B.
Hall sang one of the Swiss national songs accom-
panied by Prof Mann.
The speaker attended an exhibition at Geneva,
which would require the talents Of Artemas Ward
to depiSt Our distinguished Berlin Hights show
man received compliment from the lecturer.
The ascent to the mountains and valleys, guided
BY the merry Swiss boys, was beautifully illustrated
by charming song, the switzer Boy, sung by Mr..
Hall.
But our report is growing too long for our space
The appearance and costumes Of the pretty Swiss
girls the characteristics Of the males and females;
the houses the occupations of the Inhabitants,
and the manufactures were rapidly passed oVer,
and the speaker passed to the customs connected
with marriage.
Here one of the most amusing, laughable, aud
gentertaning diseOurses we have ever heard ensued
setting forth the trials and trbulatiOns Of certain
/