The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1878-08-29
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE No. II.
From Geneva to Luzerne and Zurich.

EDllVHlALC VhhLSfVNU NVs lie
From Geneva to Luzerne and Zurich.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, July 10.
The "sights" of the city of Geneva are
few and can be seen IN very short or
der. Geneva watches, 80 celebrated the
world over, "roside here" Ono can
hardly visit the place without being re-
minded at nearly every step of his way
that he is in the "boss" town for
watches. Watch Manufactures are
found in numbers, in and about the
town, and watches of all sizes and shapes
and styles stare at you from the shop
windows. As one stands by small
square stone in the cemetery bearing the
simple initials o: J. c., he is told that
John Calvin is buried there. 1t was in
the good old town of Geneva that Calvin
taught from 1543 to 1864. The canopy
of tho pulpit from which he preached is
today as it was in the Reformer's time,
and does not look very much worse for
wear.
In the Hotel de Vile you can see the
rooms used by the commissioners Of ar
bitration on the Alabama claims. We
have seen very many better rooms in
our own country. The houses of Rous-
seau and Calvin are pointed out to the
tourist. They look very commonplace
now.
The great have congregated here on
account Of the thousand attractions of
"clear placid Leman." Not far away
among hundreds of others are villas
once inhabited by Sir Robert Peel, En-
press Josephine, Byron, Voltairo and
Madam De Stacl. If there ever was a
spot on the face of the earth just suited
for the erection of o most charming
villa, it Is right on tho shores of this
lake. Of all the charming lakes of
Switzerland or any other country which
we have seen, Lake Leman Cor Geneva
Lake, appears to US the most beautiful.
The readers of the JOURNAL have seen
lake scenes in water colors, where the
water seems unnail:::.llv blue. Well,
that blue is the color of Leman's water,
and shall not despise the water OLIVIA
ter colors" any more. 1t is so blue, as
to have the appearance of having been
stained with indigo-bluer than ealt wa
ter ever is. And so clear! But here
is Byron for authority:
Lake Leman woos me with its crystal fall.
The mirror where the stars and mounta ms view
The stiffness Of their aspect in each trace;
Its clear depth yields OF their lar height and hue
OF course the first thing to be done
was to ride around the lake on one of
those elegant, fast-sailing steamers
which are so we'll patronized by travel
ers. Our steamer was the "Mont
Blanc" Passing beyond 'thc lights"
we saw on one side of the lake the villa
where Madam de Stael, who could not
employ her talents in defending and ex-
tolling the policy Of the empire of Ma
poleon l, was compelled to spend many
years in exile. On the opposite shore ap-
pears the villa of Diodati, whore Byron
once dreamed the hours away and wrote
poetry. A short ride brings US in front
of the old chateau which Was once the
property of Joseph Bonaparte, and pass
ing . number of handsome little villa
ges sometimes tucked away between
lofty eminences, and then hugging the
pebbly shores so close as to be duplica-
ted in the silvery waters of the lake, the
stesmer touches for q few moments at
Clarens, "sweet Clarens." From near
Role to Clarcns, extends the celebrated
vineyard OF La Cote-9 miles IN length.
Leaving Clarens it was but very short
ride to the renowned Castle of Chillon.
The towers OF the old castle looked as
the pictures represent them and As We
imagined them. We were conducted
about by . guide who talked only
French. We managed to understand .
portion he said, but had to guess ct the
balance oft We went down FIRST to
the rock-hewn dungeons, in one OF
which thousands Of Jews are said to
have been sentenced to death, and i'm
mediately drowned in the lake. Then
there wss the "beam," the "torture
chamber" the "opbliette," and other
horrors. The old stone pillars and
walls are covered with inscriptions snd
fgures, and these were left there BY
those who learned to vary the terrible
monotouy Of their dungeon life BY the
most trivial acts. Wesaw the stone door
which bad bssa vosn down BY the feet