Deign to bless our dear Country,
Our Homes, our Priests, our Bishops;
And may Canadians ever be
Faithful Servants of Jesus and Mary!
Adorable Heart,
Always conserve
To the Land of the Maple
The Faith of our Fathers!
* * *
We reached Geneva last night and are leaving to-morrow morning for
Berne. Geneva is a beautiful city, situated at the head of the lake
of the same name. The atmosphere is wonderfully clear here to-day
and the sun shines out of a cloudless sky. Afar off--though it seems
not far, it must be some score of miles away--the snowy summit of
Mont Blanc is distinctly visible. All around are Alpine peaks. The
city is full of historic interest. Here Calvin preached his gloomy
creed and ruled with an iron rod. Here, too, the very opposite of
Calvin in every way, that sweetest and most lovable of Saints,
Francis of Sales, wielded episcopal authority over a devoted flock.
His spirit seems to breathe in the peace and calm of this June day.
One can even fancy that one hears the accents of his gentle voice
calling his sheep away from earthly pastures to heavenly ones,
guiding them ever onward to the Great Shepherd of the sheep, in the
fold upon the everlasting hills.
* * *