Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-03-14

Excerpts rom n Popular Book.
These extracts are from Frederika Bremer's
last volumei
A Visit to Merle d. dubi0ne.-I visited the
celebrated historian, Merle d'Aubigne, at his
couDtry-house near Geneva, by 'the living
watersh-murmuring brooks-ohiIdren OF
the river Arve, or Of its Alpine SPRING
which never freeze or dry up, and winch
water this region in many directions The
historian of the Reformation, Merle d'Au-
bigne, is q man of q vigorous and splendid
frame, with brilliant eyes under black, bushy
eyebrows, and handsome and worthy repre-
sentation of old Geneva Of the militant,
Protestant city. His conversation is ami
mated and rich in imagery, like a living
chronicle. "The living waters" murmur
cheerfully through his grounds also the
home of his childhood-watering its wonder.
fully beautiful trees. Death, however, has
lately visited his house, rObbing him of his
wife, and with her, of much of the cheerful
ness of his life. Bot be has another wife in
the Goddess of History, and he begins again
TO listen to her inspiration. He is now en-
ployed upon the fourth part of his History
of French Reformation, in which he has a
great work before him.
Over the door of his house is inscribed,
TenpuS brepe.
Geneva Watches in Chird.-The manufac
luIt VI lUlhtA- MhlNltb 3D. " luN HlboCuh NAulc,
carried 10 a great extent at Geneva. An
immense number are required for the Chi
nese market. A well equipped Chinaman,
/ have teen told, carries a watch on each
side of his breast, that he may be able TO
re- ulate the one by the other. Wealthy
Chinese cover the walls of their rooms with
watches. These watches are of a more
Ornamental character, aud rave more fiji
gree work upon them than those made for
Europeans.
Female Watchmakcrs.-The workwomen
who are able to execute certain more diff
cult larts Of the watch get higher wages, and
can earn from FIVE to ten francs a day.
In the mean time, this great dlyisien Of
labor causes the great part of the women not
to earn much more than their main enance.
"My pradmother mode whole watches "
said an old woman, With n sigh, who was
now sitting at home with her daughter, en-
ployed in one single operation in n little
cog, for the great mandatory, "and at that
time, women we're much higher in the work
han they ere now, aud also got higher pay
ment. TLey were few in number, but ex
tremely dexterous. Now they are iunumer-
able, but their dexterity is employed upon a
mere nothing very crumb."
And this was true, as far as the old
woman was concerned, for tue whole of her
work consisted III drilling one little hole in
q small sleel plate, WIN d lltlle machine,
which rUseWbled a tiny spinning. wheel.
Her daughter was seated ut another little
machine, end YVES merely making a little
alienation in the hole which her mother
lcd drilled and GOO of such holes must be
maze before they could earn three francs.
The old woman, who came of a race Of
watchmaE ers "lrom time immemorial," and
whose grandmother had made whole watches,
seemed to me, rs she sat there, reduced to
making one sill g e little hole, a little portion
of the watch, lie II dethroned watal nakiug
queen. You saw plainly that her fate
grieved her, but she bore it worthily, and
with resignation acknowledging that num-
beTs now lived by that work, which, ia her
gIandmother's days, belonged to a few pri-
vileged persons, AID made them rich.