The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-12-29
Genevans Celebrate Centenary.

Genevans will celebrate this week the centenary of the city's admission into the Swiss Confederation. While Napoleon, hemmed up in Paris, was dissolving the corps legislatif and vainly seeking ways and means to defend France against the enemies which encompassed it's borders, Gen eva took advantage of the opportun-, ity to throw off the Napo1eonic yokes. On December 80, 1913, it was solemn ly resolved that Genevans no longer owed allegiance to the Corsican des- pot-a resolution in which the allies opposed to France heartily concur red. It was not until 1915, however, that the congress at Vienna gave formal approval to the plan which made Geneva a full member of the Swiss confederation.
 Geneva has had a long and glorious history. The lake on which it is sit uated, one of the largest in Europe and one of the most beautiful in the world, is famous in literary history as the scene of the "'NouvelIe Heloise," and for the abode in it's vicinity of many celebrated authors, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Byron. Shelley, Gibbon and Madame De Stae1. The immortal Jean Jacques was born in Geneva, and voltaire's Geneva home. Les DeIices. is still an object of inter est to literary pilgrims.
 In the century before the begin ming of the Christian era Geneva was the rude capital of the A11obroges, Gallic tribe. It was subjected to the Romans. became the capital of the kingdom of Burgundy, and a part of the empire of Charlemagne. For long time prior to the institution of the republic four centuries ago the district was under. the Jurisdiction of the counts of Genevois, who were the lords of the neighboring province of Savoy, and later of the dukes of Sa- voy. In 1513 the republic of Geneva was founded, and in 1526 the eman- cipation from Savoy was completed, and the dukes were given their pass ports. The bishop of Geneva was also expelled, and the service of the reformed religion was established ia 1885. Calvin took up his residence in the city, and became so influen- tia1 that Geneva was called t'the Rome of Calvinism.'' In Geneva Ser vetus was burned for heresy.. During this period of Geneva's history, when it was far famed as seat of learn ing and literature as well the cen ter of the Reformation and the me tropolisF of Calvipism, the city was in dependent, allied with the other Swiss h11t nof 77nitod fn
 In 1798 Geneva entered upon an- other stage of it's existence when it was occupied by French troops and incorporated with France as part of the department of Leman. As soon as Napoleon's star began to wane the powers brought pressure to bear upon Geneva and the other Swiss states, and they threw off their a1legi- ance. Geneva entered the Swiss Con- federation, and the great powers en- gagged to maintain the confederation's independence and neutrality, thus freeing the Swiss from three centur- ies of subserverency to France.
 Geneva has long been a center of civilization, and scores of great move ments for the welfare of humanity had their origin in the Swiss city. One of these was the International Red Cross, which was organized at the Geneva Convention of half cen tury ago, when delegates from all the great powers of Europe joined in a project which has since become one of the foremost of the worlds human itarian agencies.