SWITZERLAND. 



725 



15. Education. In this, the Protestant cantons excel the Catholic, though neither except 

 Geneva have kept pace with the spirit of the times. Basle has the only Swiss university, and 

 "t has also a good Missionary Seminary. The superiority of education in Geneva is greatly 

 owing to maternal care and zeal, and to die ellect of the Sunday Societies. At Yverdun is 

 the school founded by Pestalozzi, in whicli it is the great aim of the teacher to make the pupils 

 construct the sciences themselves, as far as they are able, without the artificial rules which 

 might facilitate their progress, but leave them in ignorance of the rationale of a science. At 

 Hofwyl, near Berne, is the school of De Fellenberg, who, in his celebrated institution, has 

 united agriculture, &c. with education, though education is the primary object. His system is 

 the best to show on a large scale, how the children of the poor may be taught, and their labcr 

 at the same time profitably applied ; and if it were universal, would change the mcral aspect 

 of the world. In executing it, however, much depends on the personal character of the teach- 

 er. The pupils go to their work soon after sunrise, having first breakfasted and received a 

 lesson of about half an hour. At noon they return, and after dinner, which takes half an hour, 

 a lesson follows of 1 hour, and then work till G. On Sundays the lesson takes 6 hours. The 

 boys seldom see books ; they are taught viva voce a few matters of fact, and rules of practical 

 application ; much of their education is moral, and they grow up in habits of industry, kind- 

 ness, and veracity. 



16. State of the Arts, Sciences, and Literature. At Geneva, and in some other towns, 

 there is a general taste for the arts, which is so far cultivated, that the Indies commonly draw 

 with much precision. Mr. Decandolle, at Geneva, having borrowed for a few days, a great 

 collection of drawings of American plants, 860 in number, and filling 13 folio volumes, had 

 them well copied in a week, by 114 female artists. Switzerland, however, has not produced 

 any leading ardsts ; the best have been Holbein, Graf!', and Angelica KaufI'mann. The talent 

 for music, especially in the German cantons, is general. The ranz des raches is an air singu- 

 larly wild and melancholy, and when sung, is broken by a sudden shriek, like the war-song of 

 an American savage. A peculiar strain like this is associated with the remembrance of home ; 

 and the impressive scenes of Switzerland have a powerful efiect on the Swiss in foreign coun- 

 tries ; in some military services it has therefore been forbidden to play the ranz des vaches. 

 The literature is merged in that of Germany and France. The French cantons have produced 

 Beza, Causabon, Necker, De Stael, Huber, Le Sage, Rousseau, Sismondi, Decandolle, &c., 

 and the German cantons, Haller, Gessner, Lavater, Paraceki;s, and others. 



17. Religion. The Reformed or Calvinistic Piotestants foi .n three fifths of the population, 

 most of the remainder being Catholics ; but there are a f-^w Lutherans, Anabaptists, and .lews. 

 The Catholics have 190 cloisters, and 3, ,500 recluses. The Protestant form of church gov- 

 ernment is Presbyterian. The Catholic religion predommates in 10 cantons, and the Protest- 

 ant in 12. In several, however, both creeds are mingled, and all parties live in much harmony. 



18. Government. Each canton is a sovereign state, but the 22 cantons are united by the 

 act of confederacy into a federal body for the preservation of order, and the security of liberty 

 and independence. The diet or federal congress is composed of deputies from the cantons, 

 each canton having one vote. The president of the diet, who is considered the chief magis- 

 trate of the confederation, is styled the Landammann ; this dignity is borne by the chief of the 

 canton in which the session of the diet is held. The diet has power to make war and peace, 

 contract alliances, and make treaties with foreign States ; regulates the military contingent of 

 each canton ; provides for the general security, &c. The federal army amounts to 33,758 

 men. Each canton, like the States in this country, is governed by its own laws, and the con- 

 stitutions of government are various ; Neufchatel is a constitutional monarchy, the king of Prus- 

 sia being its executive head ; Berne, Lucerne, Friburg, and Soleure are aristocracies ; the 

 other 17 cantons have constitutions based on more or less democratic forms and principles.* 



19. LaiDS. .Justice is generally well administered in Switzerland ; but this is as much rrora 

 the good spirit of the people, as the excellence of the laws. The revolutions of tne present 

 century have, however, much ameliorated the system. At Zurich, the legal proceedings are 

 secret ; and if there is corruption, it is not of the kind which comes from venalit}^ The tor- 

 ture by flogging, was until lately applied ad libitum., to extort confession ; now it is regulated 

 by a special order of court, prescribing the number of lashes ! The administration of justice 

 in France is better than in most of the Swiss cantons. 



* Tlie cantons of Appenzell and Scliweitz, divided into Lower ; and that of BAIe into lije City and Country, ac- 

 Inn.^r and Outer; that of TTnderwnId into Upper and tually form 8 separnte governn^.enla. 



