yard. Honour to the defenders and martyrs of liberty! (Cheers.) But this was not all: In the sixteenth century everything appeared contrary to Liberty. It was the time of the centralisation of power, the epoch of the triumph of absolute authority in the State, in France, in Spain, everywhere. But just at the moment that absolute power raised its head in the State, it received a terrible blow in the Church. At the moment when kings were taking up the sceptre of despotism, it was taken from the hands of the pope. An adversary, a terrible adversary rose up against civil and religious despotism; this adversary was the Bible. The freedom of examination of the Scriptures of God was proclaimed by the reformers, and at the time when autocratic authority triumphed in the State by the means of such princes as Francis I, and Philip II, it was defeated in the Church by the powerful voices of a Luther, a Zwingli, a Calvin. This Sir, secured the final triumph of civil and religious liberty in the whole world. Geneva was again by the instrumentality of Calvin the centre of this movement. You know the lines of the great poet of the last century Voltaire, « Je ne décide pas entre Genève et Rome. « In other countries were all struggling during the XVIth and XVIIth centuries against the popes, the Jesuits, the inquisitors, and liberty triumphed. Civilisation was saved. But this did not take place without producing its martyrs. In France, in Italy, in Spain, in the Netherlands and elsewhere, thousands of scaffolds were raised, torrents of blood were shed, but this blood of the martyrs was the seed of Faith and of Liberty. (Cheers.) In these modern times new arms were wanted. The little republic of the Old World was not enough; God raised up the great republic of the New World. When our hands began to hang down you came to our help, as a powerful reinforcement. Citizens of the United States, what is the real cause of the strength and of the prosperity of your county? Certainly it is the possession of civil and religious liberty, as the great cause of the downfall of Spain, so powerful three centuries ago, is the want of civil and religious liberty. But as you owe everything to her, so you owe yourselves entirely to her: : you have already done much for her. Washington has been a great hero of Liberty and we honour him in the Old World, as you do in the New. The soldiers of whom he was the leader, and who fell in battle, were martyrs to Liberty.... you have had such even to our days. Lincoln is the great martyr to Liberty in the XIXth century. Tears were shed over his fate in these lands, as in yours. Honour, eternal honour to the defenders of Liberty in every land!...... (Cheers). Citizens of the United States, we, citizens of Geneva, of Switzerland, rejoice to see you in our country, to receive you in our city. We are thankful for the opportunity you afford today to the small old republic of greeting the new great one. Citizens of America, the citizens of Switzerland shake hands with you. We rejoice and we thank God that he has raised up your great people. We rejoice and we thank God that he has sent to you that Gospel which makes free, that you have remained faithful to the great cause of independance that began in a day, which we now meet to celebrate We rejoice and we thank God that you send out to distant nations of the Earth the Bible and the missionaries, who give liberty, true liberty to man. We rejoice and we thank God for the abolition of slavery, for the reestablishment of peace in your country, for the resolutions of Christian men among you to consecrate their strength to the glory of God and the liberty of mankind. Ladies and gentlemen I propose to you a toast which I am sure will be responded to with joy Civil and religious liberty in the whole world! (Great applause.) Fifth toast.« The European friends of the American Union, who in the darkest hours of its trial, were yet true to our cause. Their names will ever be held in grateful remembrance by all true hearted Americans. » In announcing this toast, the President rose and said that among the distinguished friends referred to in this sentiment, may be named, in Switzerland, the count de Gasparin, Dr Merle d'Aubigné, M. Serment, M. Lombard, and many others; in France there were Messrs. Laboulaye, Pelletan, Laugel, and Cochin; and in England Messrs Cobden, Bright, Foster, Goldwyn Smith, John Stuart Mill, Sir Morton Peto and tho' last not the least, the duke of Argyle, whose youthful worthy son, lord Walter Campbell, is now present, a welcome guest; among these, - none had rendered us a more effective service, than the author of the Uprising of a great people» and it was hoped that Count de Gasparin would be present to respond to this toast, but he was away from the city, as the company would learn from a telegraphic despatch, which was then read. In his absence M. Phelps said he was happy to be permitted to call upon M. Tronchin, Rédacteur en chef of the a Nation and also always a consistent advocate of our cause. M. Tronchin's Speech. Mesdames et Messieurs, Je vous demande pardon, d'abord, de venir prendre la parole dans une langue qui n'est pas la vôtre, mais soyez persuadés que, si l'idiome diffère, les sentiments sont les mêmes et que mon cœur bat à l'unisson des vôtres en ce jour mémorable. Mesdames et Messieurs, Comme les hommes, les nations ont entre elles des liens, surtout quand elles sont, comme l'Amérique et la Suisse, liées par des institutions semblables et devant toutes deux la vie à la liberté. Ah! Messieurs, quand il y a quelque quatre-vingt-dix ans une sœur cadette nous naissait tout là-bas, de l'autre côté de l'Atlantique, nos cœurs tressaillirent de joie. Nous suivîmes ses premiers pas dans la vie avec une anxieuse sollicitude fraternelle. Nous applaudimes à chacun de ses pas de géant dans la civilisation, et nous sommes heureux et fiers aujourd'hui de pouvoir vous dire, à vous Américains : Il n'y a pas un siècle que vous existez, et déjà vous êtes à la tête de la civilisation. Il n'y a pas un siècle que vous existez, et dans ce court laps de temps vous avez fait plus que les autres peuples dont la vie compte quinze et vingt siècles. Il n'y a pas cent ans que vous vivez, et votre puissance est déjà si grande, que le vieux monde étonné redoute non-seulement de vous attaquer chez vous, mais tremble à la pensée que vous ne veniez sur ses rivages promener votre glorieux étendard étoilé. (Cheers.) Citoyens des États-Unis, pourquoi toutes ces merveilles? Comment se fait-il que n'ayant rien... vous ayez tout créé ? Que n'étant rien... vous êtes tout devenu? Ah! Messieurs... c'est que vous étiez libres, c'est que vous avez accueilli dans votre pays tous les peuples de la terre et que tous, sitôt qu'ils ont touché votre sol béni, ils sont devenus par le cœur les enfants de la patrie et que tous leurs vœux et tous leurs efforts ont tendu vers un même but: le bonheur, la prospérité et la grandeur de leur mère adoptive. |