The Portland daily press., 1892-01-15

MADAME DE sTAEL'S OLD MANSION.
Madame de Staael was bred at Coppet,
Neclzer, her father, being native OF
Geneva, when he retired from the bank
ing business in Paris, founded this home
at Coppet, which is still in good condl-
ton and to be seen. This antique little
chateau is square-built stone mansion,
with round tower at the end; 1T looks
homelike still and contains many souve-
Mrs of the family life. There is por--
trait of Madame de Stael herself and
the writing desk at which she wrote;
there is also bust of her father, and
MANY things to recall her distinguished
career.
It is with feelings mixed with sadness
and speculation that one views the old
homes of men and women of letters,
that he passes over the ground they pos
sessed, that he treads the thresholds
they have trod, and sits down to the
same desks at which their burning pages
were written and turns over the same
leaves of the volumes from which they
gained the inspirations which have
thrilled the hearts of men for centuries
The Rothschilds have also charming
villas near Geneva.
From the deck of the steamer an old
roof, which can scarcely be seen through
the trees in the distance, is pointed OUT
as the home of Voltaire at Ferney, vii
lage which he founded and which, after
ali the changes in politics, is still on
French soil.
THE CITY OF GENEVA.
The little canton of which Geneva is
the capital is only fifteen, miles square,
so small that Voltaire said when he
shook his wig he powdered the whole
kingdom.
The city was mentioned for the first
time by Caesar, he beginning his refer
ence with ''ExtremUm oppidum," and
ending 'sfinibus Genva," which quota
ton all our high school scholars too well
remember.
Geneva is said to be the best place to
see the Mt. Blanc chain to advantage.
The afternoon of our arrival the noun
tains stood out like a picture in relief.
The whole glorious range was like a gilt
tering staircase with scarcely an inter-
cepting film, but as we looked back for
the last time before exploring the city
we babe it farewell, as all the morning
connoisseurs on the lake had prophesied
that the too clear skies foreboded rain.
Before 10 o'clock it poured, and at mid
night the whole city was drenched as
with food, together with the gay peo-
pie at the opera and other pleasure re-
sorts.
HELvETIA AND RoUssEAU's ISLAND.
1t is of no use to describe Geneva as it
is historically OF personally familiar to
ALL We went over one of its many beau
tiful bridges which spen the Rhone and
saw Helvetia, thatmagnifcent monument
of the union of Geneva with the Swiss
Confederation; we crossed another tiny
bridge to Rousseau's Island, and sat I'm
der the shadow of his monument among
the trees.
BRUNSWICK MEMORIAL.
We saw the Duke of Brunswick's
Gothic monument, which, although an
exact copy of the ''Tomb of the Scale
gers at Verona, is so fiimsy that the
sarcophagus is always getting upset, and
the great war horse, with Brunswick
for rider, is continually being I'M
bridled for repairs.
We found, after much search, Rous-
seau's birthplace, which is tumble down
looking, like all the rest of such dwell
ings.
After mounting the long flight of
stairs, such as almost always lead up to
the great cathedrals, we sat down in
Calvin's chair, just outside the door of
the lovely chapel of the Maccabees.
Geneva ever since the days of Calvin has
been all Protestant, and so the cathedral
is made for worship, and not for mum
merry.
CALvINs HOUSE.
In narrow street near the cathedral
is Calvin's house, with good sized
court, and over the door the inscription,
''Dominus est propugnaculum meum."
One recurs to early religious prejudices
when he visits these old scenes, and
thinks of the effect of intolerance on the
character, when he remembers that so
good a man as Calvin, while seeking ref
uge in Geneva from persecution himself
was engaged in bringing Servetus to JUS
| tice and Condemnation for heresy. 1t is
also an interesting fact that like the
grave by 'sNebo's lonely mountain no
one to this day knows the exact place Of
| Calvin's burial.
LAUSANNE.
| Halfway across the lake on Mt. Jorat
is this city built in terraces and assembled
by the rope railway, Gibbon wrote the
last pages of the Decline and Fall of
Rome in the garden of the hotel by the
same name, which is situated on some
of the heights of Lausanne projecting
out above the lake over which our apart
ments looked.
|
vEvEY, CLARENs AND NfINBRENE.
But perhaps the most classic part of
the lake is near Villaneuve, at the end of
the crescent. These cities slope from
| heights above to the waters brink and
their beautiful walks amidst scenery,
which, if Rousseau had not rendered inn
mortal, would be immortal still in beauty
and loneliness.
The mountains of Valais seem to close
around Veyey like thinly yelled clouds
and almost shut it in. The illumined
Deut de Midi smiles down upon the Dent
d. Oches and the Sugar-loaf, and they
themselves are only cornice to lofty
mountains above from which all the
Kingdoms far and wide may be seen and
Mt. Blanc.
The terrace back Of the quay and the