Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/681

 GENEVA 669 composed of 25 lay members and 6 clergymen. The compagnie des pasteurs, which comprises all clergymen and professors of theology, pre- sides over the religious instruction of the Prot- estant population, and controls ecclesiastical appointments. The Catholics of the canton, who are divided into 23 parishes, formerly be^. longed to the diocese of Lausanne. In 1872 the pope erected it into a diocese, a measure which the government of the canton denounced as contrary to the law, insisting that a new diocese could be erected only with the consent of the government. The free "Evangelical Church," which is unconnected with the state, has a theological school in the city of Geneva, and had in 1872 eight clergymen. The admin- istration of education is in the hands of the government, but the parishes are called upon' to contribute toward its support. II. A city, capital of the canton, at the W. extremity of the lake of Geneva, where the Rhone issues from it, and 3 m. above the confluence of the Arve; pop. in 1870, 46,774, of whom 25,397 were Protestants, 20,284 Catholics, 519 mem- bers of other Christian denominations, and 574 Jews and other non-Christians. Including the suburbs, the population in 1870 was 57,697. The old city, on the left bank of the Rhone, is hilly and narrow. It was enlarged in 1850 'by the conversion of the fortifications into prom- enades and quays. On the right bank is the more modern part, where the streets are most- ly straight and wide. The two parts are con- nected by six bridges. The Mont Blanc bridge, near the lake, is magnificent. The cathedral, dedicated to St. Peter, erected in the beginning of the 12th century, in the Byzantine style, is believed to occupy the site of an ancient tern- Geneva. pie of Apollo. The h6tel de ville formerly had a number of inclined planes without steps, enabling the aged senators to ride up to the highest story in their litters or even on horse- back. The public library contains about 60,000 volumes and 600 MSS. The Musee Rath is named after its founder and devoted to the fine arts. On a small island of the Rhone, below the Mont Blanc bridge, stands a monument to Rousseau, who was born in Geneva in 1712. Of the churches in Geneva, the Reformed have seven, the Catholics three ; there are also one English and one Greek church, and a syna- gogue. In 1873 all the Catholic churches passed into the hands of the Old Catholics, as they alone took part in the election of pastors ordered by the new church law of the canton. Geneva has celebrated private schools, which attract many pupils from abroad, and commer- cial, industrial, artistic, and musical schools. The university of Geneva was founded in 1368, and was reorganized by Calvin and Beza. The college attached to it resembles the English Eton and Westminster schools, and is conduct- ed by masters (regentes), under the direction of a rector, a principal, and the professors of the university. The studies at the university embrace belles-lettres, philosophy and science, divinity, and law. The environs of Geneva are dotted with villas. The suburb Plainpa- lais is regularly built, and has about 8,000 in- habitants. Les Eaux Vives, a suburb on the road to Chamouni, has a population of about 6,000. In the vicinity is a celebrated lunatic asylum in a magnificent edifice. Geneva has long been celebrated for its manufacture of