New-York tribune., 1909-12-26
SWISS CULTURE
Some Genera Lectmcs-ZaT-
rilIa and Ferrer.
Geneva. December -

a.
DR.. De Reynold Of the University Of
Geneva is giving during the vinder senies-
ter a course on The History OF Intellect
usl and Artistic Culture IN Sv'itzeriana-
His lectures are attracting consideraOie at
tention because they present clear eNp"''-
tion OF that rather complex subject the
unity and the variety of the Swiss genius
IN his original introductory conference D''
de Reynold turned his attention ehieny 70
Geneva and Protestant Switzerland. me
Alps had been a centre about whicn were
grouped branches OF the cne race. with
difference Of Language. history and institl-
tions.
The lecturer got rather far ava troih
the facts when he asserted that Switzer-
land owed It's intellectual and literary
progress almost wholly 20 Protestants
while the chief contribution TO culture
made by Catholics. even in the Catholic
cantons had been IN the sphere OF art II
would be easy to show BY a review Of the
swiss galleries as well as by a survey Of the
national poetry. that this distinction IS not
IN accordance with the facts FrlbOuF1. for
example. an important Catholic centre. has
had many men OF intellectual and literary
ability even among IT'S priests In their
day. Pere Girard and the famous Jesuit
Canisius had a reputation in the cause OF
education equal 20 that afterward acquired
by PestalozzL Certainly. the art collections
especially Of Northern Switzerland are
famous chiefly from the works of Protes-
tant painters and sculptors, while the most
popular pOet OF La Suisse romantic has
without doubt been Juste olivier, who vas
Protestant
This Is not 70 say that the fine arCht-
tectursl monuments OF she Middle Ages
we're not the work OF Carholic genius. for
tLey were planned before the days Of the
great schlsm- Nor can n be denied that
from Geneva. Zurich and Lausanne p-o-
ceeded the great literary movement Of the
Reformation. which affected men Of letters
everywhere by It's humanism and its emau-
cipstiOn from outward authority. But that
vas chiefly because switzerland became
very early a Protestant country.
The already famous Spanish brochure IN
the Ferrer case Oudicio Ordinario ssguidO
ante las tribunsles militares en- IA plaza
BarceiOTe contra Francisco Ferrer Guar
dial contains an ex parte report OF the
so-caiIeG trial which f. already known 20
American readers. The Official documents
we're given 70 the "Cfazette de Lausanne
by the Spanish Legation az Bern. The
Swiss have been especially interested IN
one part OF the report made by the chief
OF the military court % the captain general
OF Catalonia For. n true. this report
shows that thirty years ago Ferrer was
engaged IN a revolutionary conspiracy
which had its origin At Geneva. II Is con
tended that IN fSs0 Fsrrer was an employe
cf the Madrid -Ssrag0ssa railway. At that
time he became agent and Lieutenant Of
RuizsZaFrills. who had formerly been
President OF the Spanish republic" but
was then political refugee az Geneva.
II was through Ferrer as a railway man
that Zarrilla conducted his revolutionary
correspondence with his Spanish followers.
Ferrers place as controleur who took the
tickets gave him unusual opportunities for
aiding hts chief Zarrilla Is said 20 have
declared that with a few men OF this stamp
he could set up the republic at Madrid.
The report goes on 20 say that in iSSj,
after being prosecuted for sedition. he came
20 Paris. suspected also Of having robbed
priest IN a railway carriage. Here he sold
wines and gave lessons IN Spanish. But
uppermost IN hts thoughts was a coming
revolution. and he still kept up his relations
with ZarriIla- II Is alleged that ZarriIls
aims were solely political while those OF
Ferrer we're social; that one vas a repub-
lcan, the other an anarchist
II was further maintained that at this
time Ferrer held a subordinate place al
though the more radical Spaniards were
constantly urging him 10 use his influence
at Geneva ana persuade ZarriIia 20 give
the signal for a general uprising. II was.
indeed. owing 20 Zarrilla's inaction that
his disciple came into prominence For
after attending the Congress of Free
Thought held al Madrid in 1892 which was
really an assembly Of socialists. Ferrer
concluded that revolutionary schools must
be established There were forty-seven OF
! these in Catalonia alone. with branches in
Valencia. Granada and Seville He was
aided especially with money by one Of his
pupils. Sonora Ernestine Meunier she eft
the Catholic Church and became an anar-
Chist. In one OF her letters found among
Ferrer's papers she wrote.
Il used 20 have an adn1iriug worship for
the clergy. that Is dead. had respect and
sdmiration for the men and articles of Jus
tce; that is dead. I had esteem and ad-
miratiOn for the army that is dead I re-
spected in general all authority and gov
eminent. that is dead Above all. had a
supreme~ Master. God. the God OF my
mother. whom she worshipped. who made
her happy. and gave her a sweet and quiet
The Spanish authorities maintain that
Ferrer had lost the respect OF Republicans
like ZarrtIla. that he was in close relations
with many anarchists. and that both he and
his followers were Jealous IN the diffusion
of anarChistic literature II Is well known
that he was on intimate terms with Kura-
potkin. the nihilist
While general indisna tion has been ex-
pressed throughout Switzerland az the sum
mary disposition OF Ferrer's case the gov
ernment Is showing more than ordinary
severity toward revolutionary agitators.
The notorious Bertoni who was once An
editor at Geneva. has lately been natural
lied In switzerland. Last SUNDAY a cele-
bTatiOn had been planned for hin IN Como
where a number Of anarchistic orators were
advertised 10 speak Possibly fOrewarned
Bertoni did not appear. ana the police
broke up the meeting.
Bertoni himself was a native OF Milan
some years ago. 10 will be remembered he
edited lie ReveiL" an infamous sheet
which published warm eulogies OF the
sssassins Of King Humbert and Mckinley
But. OF course. I am not comparing him 10
Ferrer. about whom the truth will probably
never be fully known. "A