The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1857-07-29
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING.
From the Intelligencer.
THE TURNER'S.

From the Intelligencer.
THE TURNER'S.
AS the Turner'S of Wheeling intend to
celebrate their fourth anniversary on next
Monday, perhaps it will not be amiss to
say something of an association of which
many of your readers, probably, know
nothing. >.
The Turner's Cor Tournamenters, as
they might be called,) derive their name
from those gymnastic exercises which, in
the middle ages, were chiefly practlced at
Tournaments; with the disappearance of
the latter, those exercises also ceased to
be practiced in general. The military
exercises, as they came into vogue, par
ticularly under the father of Frederic the
Great, of Prussia, could hardly be called
gymnastics (Turnuburgen), because their
end was not the development of muscular
agility and power for the sake of nourish-
ing the independence Of a manly spirit,
but rather the reduction Of body and soul
to mere tools Of tyranny. Gymnastics,
in the sense they had existed before, vir-
tually ceased then Only when Bona
parties army over flooded Germany, the
idea was conceived by one chivalrous and
patriotic spirit, of the name of John, to
revive the gymnastics of the old tournea-
ments, and thus again arouse that manly
Independents spirit of knighthood which is
certainly engendered by manly, vigorous
muscular exercises. His efforts succeed
ed. In ten or fifteen years every German
University, every College, every promi-
nent school had its Turning-greunds.
But the spirit, called into life by those
hard, masculine, warlike, Spartan exer-
cises, soon became too independent for
German Princes They watched it with
jealous eyes. They feared evil. would
come from it. And they were, certainly
not mistaken. Hundreds of thousands OF
Vigorous youths, boiling over with vigor
and independent spirits, scattered over all
Germany, might have knocked at their
doors one day demanding the acknowledg
ment of popular rights. Hence, Turning
became odious in Germany. And when
| it was asceytained at last that the great
conspiration which cost George Land his
life, had chiefly been carried on by num-
] bers of Turning schools, then the fate Of
4 Turning, as it had existed, was sealed.
1t was killed with one stroke, although we
hear again of Turner's in Germany after
that period, yet they were not the old
Turner'S. They were mefelysa corpse, =
carcass. The grand ideas of manhood
independence, knightly honor and liberty
were cut cut from it, as the tongue from
a living body. Nor was it till a very late
period that that body was again filled
with life, that its tongue began to grow
once more. 1t was in 1873. Then The
Turner'S fought, bled and died for tn,
, establishment of freedom. Liberty ha
been failure in Europe in ls48, ant
thousands of her followers were driven t.
American shores. a
Turning Societies were soon establish
ed in America, because we all love tn
associations of youth; we oil seek to estab
! lish again what once we embraced enthu
a siastically. Their chief aims are to nour
t ish manly independence in the light @
: humanity and social progress. Thei
. means, as employed by them, are develop
S ment of muscular power by gymnasti
3 exercises, sociable gatherings. in whic
e brotherly love and politeness is to prevail
: lectures, debates and singing.
: These are the aims and ends of Turnin
d Societies as they exist in America. Who
ever sees in these political or religious ten
denotes, can only do SO in the same spir
: in which petty German princes have loob
ed down on them. Turner's are odious
r those who love darkness more than ligh
d oppression more than freedom, and to sue
: people they do not want to be otherwise
IS Indeed, if the day ever should arrive
o when they will be caressed by those wh
IS tread the dark path of spiritual and poll
ical oppression, then will the Turner's haV
If done; then will they fall ignominiousl.
If May that day never arrive. ERNST.
u