Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-05-03
THE GAZETTE.
WAS WILLIAM TELL A MYTH?
TUESDAY MORNING, MAY ?, 1859.

.'the Character of Washington, before the
Al,imni OF Bowdoin College. An educated
Swiss lady was charmed by the finished elo-
ouence of the ''gulden-mouthed' orator Of
New England, but observed, at the con
clusion. 10 President Gods, Il wonder why
MIR. Everett, in his catalogue OF great men,
with whom he compared Washln ston, has
made no mention OF the patriot Of Swtzer-
land" President Woods, in a subsequent
conversation with Mr. Everett named the
omission spoken ofby the ludy. Mr.. Ever
EFT remarked that as some doubt had hung
over the history Of William Tell he had
thought best not to bring him up in compa-
rison with our PatriCe Paer. 1t was, how
ever, observed by some who had heard Mr..
Everett at Brunswick, and listened TO HIM
again at Portland, that in the latter city the
orator most beautifully and eloqueuly allud-
ed to the mountain hero whose very name even
at this day stirs the Switzers heart with the
deepest emotions Of patriotism. The atten-
ton of Mr. Everett having been called I" the
subject in the manner alluded TO, he doubt
less was led to an examination Of the hisrori-
cal claims Of William Tell, and, beng salts
fed that they were true, frankly did justice
to one of the noblest men that ever lived
Our notice of this subject at the present,
time arises from the fact that the New York
Observer recently had in its weekly columns
Of Questions and Answers" the following
INQUIRY: Was William Tell myth" The
answer returned was, that history records
six other apple-shnoting feats performed by
different individuals before and after the
time of Tell. How this decides the question
whether Wm Tell was u real character or
not, we are not able to see. But As there
has been some discussion in by-gone days on
this subject, and some seem still to be IN
doubt, let Us reduce the question to Il logi
cal form: Saxo Grammaticus n chronicler OF
the twelfth century, narrates that Tecco, an
archer of the tenth century. performed the
same feat which is recorded of William Tell
in the fourteenth century: ergo, William
Tell is myth ANY one may see that such
an inference is illogical. Yet this is the
greatest fact that has been adduced to prove
that Tell heroism is mere Pigment OF the
past. 1t is not improbable that the deed
referred to was performed by even more than
six different men Such skill i'll marks
manship was not rare in the days Of archie
ry. Recently it was stated, on the authorl-
tv of one of the continental journals, that q
German peasant had initiated the feat of
Tell, only that he had used gun instead OF
a crossbow. Indeed the ''Snufing of the
candle" by our Kentucky rihemen is per.
haps more difficult than for a firm hand and
steady eye to pick off an apple from the
head of 4 boy. .-.
But Tell g non-existence is not to be made
out from the Himsy inference mentioned
above. No character Of the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries is better attestcd i'll Swiss
history than that Of " illiam Tell. The ballads
Ofthe present day sung to his memory; the
annual festival on the blue lake OF Lucerne IN
his honor; and the monuments erected to HIM
by those with whom he WIS c0tempOraneous,
all bear upon this point. Tells chapel on
the "Tellenspring" 1.-THE rock 80 called be-
cause the Swiss hero here leaped when he esca-
ped from Gessler) was erected in the pre-
sence Of one hundred and fourteen persons
who had known Tell when living. No one
can 60 to yaI -..s".
"That sacred lake, withdrawn among the hills"
and witness their various scenes and inveS-
tigate the facts without being convinced that
William Tell was no myth.
Sir James Macintosh, one of the most I'M
partial of historians, visited the glorious re-
zion associated with the name and deeds OF
Tell. He examined history, and became
perfectly convinced of the existence OF the
mountain hero, and of the part that he played
in little Switzerland, when,
Few were the numbers she could boast
But every freeman was host,
And felt a. though himself were ne
On whose sole arm hung victory.
The testimony of such man as Sir James
Macintosh is of the most important character,
if there were any room to doubt, tor Baron
Macaulay thus speaks of his Judgment and
impartiality: Whatever was valuable IN
the compositions of Sir James Macintosh, was
the ripe fruit of study and meditation. -
His mind was a vast magazine admirably ar
ranged; every thing was there and every
thing was in its place. His Judgment on
men. ON books, on sects, had been often and
carefully tested aud weighed, and had been
committed to their proper receptacle in the
most capacious and accurately constructed
memory that any human being ever pos
sessed." -.
But the mode of reasoning used in regard
to William Tell comes from the Germans, and
has bearing upon things OF graver import.
During the last century, when religion was
dead in Germany, and during this century,
when rationalism, with an appearance OF
erudition, was rife, many critics formed theo-
ries Of their own in regard TO Homer and the
ancient writer's in general. The German
mind was not schooled in the weighing OF
evidence. in trials by jury. or in looking at
both sides of question. The result was that
book after book issued from the presses OF
Leipsic and Berlin filled with the most alb
surd theories Every student who came from
the University had the ambition to write a
book. Each one thought himselfa verltahle
Daniel come to judgment. Homer was a
myth, nearly every historical character was
being of imagination, and thus William Tell
became myth 1t would be we'll if these
sophists had stopped here. But they laid
hold upon the word of God; Moses became a
myth in their hands: job was mere story IN
poetry, like the arabian Nights Ecclesi-
astes was the blatingo "a worn-out debanchee
or of an Epicurean philosopher no longer
Young Thus every book of the Bible was
Invested of all that was holy and authorlta-
tive by men of real erudtion as we'll as by
the shallowest of tyros. Good. however
came out of this evil. The attention OF the
few eminent evangelical Christians in Ger
many was led to examine the basis on winch
the truth stands; the best men OF England