ger. This horrible method of torture was only
abolished at the French Revolution in 1790.]

The ruined family left Toulouse and made for Geneva, then the
head-quarters of Protestants from the South of France. And here it was
that the murder of Jean Calas and the misfortunes of the Calas family
came under the notice of Voltaire, then living at Ferney, near Geneva.

In the midst of the persecutions of the Protestants a great many
changes had been going on in France. Although the clergy had for more
than a century the sole control of the religious education of the
people, the people had not become religious. They had become very
ignorant and very fanatical. The upper classes were anything but
religious; they were given up for the most part to frivolity and
libertinage. The examples of their kings had been freely followed.
Though ready to do honour to the court religion, the higher classes
did not believe in it. The press was very free for the publication of
licentious and immoral books, but not for Protestant Bibles. A great
work was, however, in course of publication, under the editorship of
D'Alembert and Diderot, to which Voltaire, Rousseau, and others
contributed, entitled "The Encyclopaedia." It was a description of the
entire circle of human knowledge; but the dominant idea which pervaded
it was the utter subversion of religion.

The abuses of the Church, its tyranny and cruelty, the ignorance and
helplessness in which it kept the people, the frivolity and unbelief
of the clergy themselves, had already condemned it in the minds of the
nation. The writers in "The Encyclopaedia" merely gave expression to
their views, and the publication of its successive numbers was
received with rapture. In the midst of the free publication of
obscene books, there had also appeared, before the execution of Calas,
the Marquis de Mirabeau's "Ami des Hommes," Rousseau's "Emile," the
"Contrat Social," with other works, denying religion of all kinds, and
pointing to the general downfall, which was now fast approaching.

When the Calas family took refuge in Geneva, Voltaire soon heard of
their story. It was communicated to him by M. de Vegobre, a French
refugee. After he had related it, Voltaire said, "This is a horrible
story. What has become of the family?" "They arrived in Geneva only
three days ago." "In Geneva!" said Voltaire; "then let me see them at
once." Madame Calas soon arrived, told him the whole facts of the
case,