Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 04.djvu/331

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GENESEE 279 GENEVA side its octave will strike an attentive ear with its twelfth above or G in alt, and with its fifteenth above or C in alt. In steam, a vessel in which steam is gener- ated from water, for use in a steam en- gine, a heating apparatus, etc. The term was first applied to the Perkins steam boiler, in which water in small quantity was heated to a high temperature. It is now specifically applied to a class of instantaneous generators. The name is now rapidly coming into use for all apparatus for generating steam, being held to be more correct than the usual term. GENESEE, a river of the United States, which rises in Pennsylvania, flows N. through New York, and falls into Lake Ontario 6 miles below Roches- ter, after a course of 145 miles. It is notable for its varied and romantic scenery, and its extraordinary falls. These falls are five in number; three of them occur about 90 miles from the mouth of the river, and are respectively 80, 90, and 110 feet high. The other two are near Rochester, and are both about 100 feet high. GENESIS, in mathematics, a term for- merly used, meaning the same as genera- tion. In the genesis of figures, the mov- ing magnitude or point is called the describent ; the guiding line of the motion is called the dirigent. In Scripture, the first book of the Pentateuch, of the Old Testament, and of the Bible, In the Hebrew original, as well as in the Septuagint and all modern versions, it occupies this place. It is called in Hebrew bereshith, which is its initial word, correctly translated in the authorized English version, In the beginning." The Jewish and, following it, the early Christian Church almost unanimously pronounced Moses the author of the work, deriving his knowledge of the events prior to his time either from direct revelation or from prior docu- ments consulted under divine guidance. In A. D. 1753 Astruc, an eminent French medical professor, attempted to point out two such documents, distinguishable by the fact that in one the Divine Being is called almost always Elohim, while in the other he is named Jehovah. On the re- vival of this hypothesis in the 19th cen- tury, Hengstenbei;g and others contended against it, maintaining that in every case there was a reason why the Divine name which we find in the particular verse was chosen. Most critical scholars adhere to the opinion of the noted physi- cian and theologist, Jean Astruc, and perpetually speak of the Elohist and the Jehovist. GENEVA, a town of Switaerland; capital of the canton of the same name; at the W. extremity of the Lake of Ge- neva, where the Rhone issues, here crossed by several bridges, and dividing the town into two portions, the larger and more important of which is on the left or S. bank. The upper town, occupied chiefly by the wealthier citizens, consists of well-built houses and handsome hotels; the lower town, the seat of trade and residence of the poorer classes. The more important public buildings are the cathedral or Church of St. Pierre, a Gothic structure of the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries; the town house in the Florentine style; the Musee Rath, con- taining a collection of pictures, etc.; the university building, nearly opposite the botanic garden, rebuilt in 1867-1871, and containing the public library, founded by Bonivard (see Bonivard, Francois de), in 1551, and the Museum of Natural History. Manufactures, watches, music- boxes, and jewelry, for all of which the town is famed. In literature and science Geneva has long occupied a distinguished place, and it has been the birthplace or the residence of many eminent men, including Calvin, Beza, Knox, Le Sage, Necker, De Candolle, Rousseau, Sis- mondi, etc. Geneva early adopted the principles of the Reformation, and chiefly through the teaching of Calvin the town acquired an important influence over the spiritual life of Europe, and became the center of education for the Protestant youth of Great Britain, France, and Germany. Pop. for the commune (1919) 125.520. Geneva was chosen in 1919 by the great powers for the home of the League of Nations and an administration building was pur- chased in 1920. The canton is bounded by the canton of Vaud and the Lake of Geneva, and by France; area, 108 square miles. Pop. (1919) 170.000. It belongs to the basin of the Rhone; the only important streams are that river and the Arve, which joins it a little be- low the town of Geneva. Manufactures, chiefly clocks and watches, music-boxes, mathematical instruments, gold, silver, and other metal wares, woolen cloths, and silk goods of various descriptions, hats, leather, and articles in leather; and there are numerous cotton mills, calico printing works, and dye works. The territory of Geneva having, through the Congress of Vienna, obtained an accession of 15 communes, detached from France and Savoy, was admitted a member of the Swiss Confederation in 1814, and ranks as the 22d canton. Its constitution of 1848 is the most demo-