The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-04-01

HE TuRNvERE1N, as will be seen BY an adver-
| tisement in to-day's NEWS, is to have gala time
this afternoon and evening. The performances will
commence at P. NJ, when the young Turner's viii
ven!t, leap, swing, run, wrestle, &C., and show to
an admiring audience that they have not been idle
during the past twelve months. In the evening
az o'clock, al will assemble, young and old, to
witness dramatic performance, after which the
days festivities will be closed with dancing. Y
mat the Turner's are German society is prob
ably all that the majority of our readers know on
| the subject. Some few there may be who hive
some indefinite idea that the Turner's are an asso
| ciation Of gymnasts. Beyond this, we feyl sure
nothing is kno N to the average non-Germans
! The word turner" is generally derived from t,xr-
nser (tournament), one Of the best known institu-
| nons OF chivalry. The founder o. the modern
Iurners-"Father JAHN"-one Of the noblest of
men, whom Germany honors for his patriotism
and love of liberty, in contemplating the physical
strength and agility developed BY those medieval
tournaments, thought that restoration Of this
institution would secure to the youth OF Germany
return of that strength Of muscle which made
| the old Germans such formidable antagonists to
thelr ambitious neighbors. But he had his eve
not only upon mere physical development He
was mindful, also, Of the old saying,-"si1 mems
| sdnd IN corpore sdnO",-that sound mind could
only be looked for in sound body. The exercises
of the Turnerz embrace every species of eymnas.
| tic practice: swinging, climbing fencing running.
| wrestling, ETC., etc.
The Charleston Turnverein has been in opera
| ton over fifteen years, and is composed of three
sections: eymnastic, dramatic and q musical
| tslnging) section. Formerly it had special meet
1ngs Tor the furtherance Of literary and scientific
culture among it's members and they had not un-
frnnn1nt1v ir&or rocfr
exercised banefu1 influence upon it's operations
as it did upon every kindred association through
out the country; but the society is hopeful that,
with the increase Of German immigration. it's
ranks will soon be filed to more than their pristine
strength.
Ihe play this evening, seCourtshjp in Helgo-
land, promises to be Of more than ordinary in
terest. The following is an outline Of the plot !:
Peter Pump rich fisherman, is desirous Of mar
rying his son 'Hannes," who is almost an idiot to
Clara, the supposed daughter Of poor fisherman
named Michael stefens. She, however is averse
! to such a union Stefens owes money to Pump.
who threatens him with the law, if he does
not consent to the marriage Jack Trolle, who in
his youth, had run away from his parents in
| Heligohnd, and never been heard Of since. sud
denly turns up, and with him came a sailor
Trolle designs spending the remainder Of his days
on the island, and learns OF stoffens the IN
pleasant posture Of affairs between himself and
Peter Pump. The young sailor, IN the meantime,
falls IN love with the supposed daughter Of Stef-
fens and communicates TO his commander, Trolle,
that he would like to marry her. Trolle tells him
that this could not be, without, however, giving
the reason.
| Next appears an English nobleman Cord Water
cock), who has laid wager that he could abduct
The prettiest girl from Heigoland without saying
word. 1T is funny how those English lords,
when they get on the Continent, or even on an
island in the German Ocean, make foolish bets and
never speak word.] John, his lordship's groom,
enters into negotiations with Peter Pump, who, al
lured by the offered reward, agrees to assist. The
abduction is to take Fiace at night But Clara ac-
c1dentaly that night slept at neighbours, and
Jack Trolle slept IL her room at her fathers house.
They secure him, Of course under the impression
Of having the girl, and that very moment comes
| the young sailor. The story ends in the declara-
tlon Of Jack Trole, that the sailor is the SIN Of
steHens, whom his parents had long since thought
drowned Hence, Trole's refusal to his union with
Clara, his supposed sister. But it soon turns out
that she is not the daughter Of stefens but dig
tant relative, and that there u.s. therefore, no bar
to their union. The English lord commences a
boxing match with the sailor and is Of course
| foored. n .,8SSl
I