, 1870-05-22

THE LEGEND OF WILLIAM TELL,


tury-that is to say. from it's first invention
until the introduction Of ctiticism-tle story
Of Tell, Tells sou, GessltI, aud the celebrated
apple trick, Seems to have found general
c1edcnce. Indeed, it 1As not safe to express
any doubt Oh the subject; so much 30 that
the sixteenth century, first discovered the
anccdotal character Of the incidents, took
care, in publishing his history Of ancient
Switzerland, to keep his discovery to himself.
As to what yon ask me about TELL he writes
to friend, although III my book on the
ancient history Of Switzerland l have cou-
formed to the vulgar tradition on tie subject.
I must tell you that after mature reelection
look upon it all as pure fable, the moro 10 a.
! have not',vet been able to find 1t mentioned
in any writer or record more than 3 century
old. The people Of Cri are not agreed al to
when Tell lived, and they can give no inforna-
tim az to his family or descendants. though
mAne families aubsist who figured 1t tho Same
period.
When. in tue last century, FreudenberGer
renulred TO publish his famous pamphlet,
"WlliAn Tell, Legend Of Denmark" the
work wac publicly burnt in the A1tort markot-
plaee by order of the magistrates OF U1. OF
the legend has been clearly demonstrated By
the critics Of Germany and German-Switzer-
land; and in the cantOns most interested in
regarding William Toll "a an historic po1son-
age his mythical character ID now generally
recognized. It was not until very lately
anti assoa u Of ls ins T se aas
ruis.l in French Switzerland; but u. Kinett
de Caudolle published last year at Geneva a
work On the "OriKln OF the Swiss Confelera-
tion, III Which William Teli, as an actual per-
etnalits, il quite rut All end TO-. Tho legend
of William Tell belongs to no fabulous age.
Tie Swisa cLrouicltrs Of the fifteenth century
were imyrulunt enough to liz tho precise late
If the incidents. which are alleged to have
taken plac. i'll the year 1905. Yet no account
Of the incidents il to lie met with until moro
than century and a half afterwards.
The battle Of Morgarten, 1915, in
which tho men Of Scllwyz liberated
themselves forever from Austria. found three
contemporary historians: but not one of them
has word 10 say about William Tells insur-
rcction. which should have taken place only
seven years before, or Of the feat OF archery
hy which that iusurrection IS held to hnvo been
preceded. Nor, III the absence Of historians
and cLzoniclers, are there any contemporary
poets in whose verees mention il made of
William Tell OR Of the Three Swiss. On the
contrary, the earliest known ballad on the
subject ID postezior to the earliest prose
chronicle.
The Legendary atorics out Of which Schiller
formed tho plut Of his William Tell appeared
for the first time about the year l470 in the
manuscript known ~ the "Nhite Book
Until that time no one had ever heard Of Will
lam Tell OF Of the three Swiss patriots But
the anonymous author OF the White Book"
knew exactly what hsl taken place 163 years
neu, named L.at1enbers. had been ordered to
seize the o1enot poor man belonging to Nell
Chi lwhence 'Melclthal}," and being attacked
in tue execution Of Lis duty, had put tho poor
mans eyes out; that various acts OF uppres-
sion had been committed BY an Austrian (iov-
Al
these acts, leaongiug 10 Obwald, Sidwald. and
Schwyz, had formed league to resist and
overthrow tic Austrian domination For tho
canton Of Cri, tic cradle OF uelvetlc liberty
another nnecdote had to bc provided, and the
author Of tue "White Eook dill not hesitate
to aaAptt Il, ore :. from q, tho Danish: le had
maticus-an abrilgmcnt Of Which, III Ger
man, was published in 143e-she story Of
Toxic, one OF Hing Ilaro1da soldiers, who.
Ioasting Of hir skill as AL archer, WAS ordered
to ehoot an apple from the head " his own
sou. Substituting. Tell for Toxic, Geasler for
tile author Of the '' White Book :" turned the
old Danish Etory into capital story Of Swift
zerland. The hat fixed on pole before which
al who passed were 10 low, il All effective de-
tail added by the aiAptes himself, whose tala
is certainly more complete and fat more dra-
matte than the one toll by Saxo-Grammaticus.
Of tho anecdotes on Swiss afIairs inserted
in the "Wlite Yooa: N. Hungerbuhler
ard rEofeseer Vaucller agree in attributin6
tler invention to . political motive. About
the uid1lo Of the fifteenth century the citizeus
If Zurich were well-lisposed towards Austria,
aud profeseel great contempt for the people
Of Schwyz. with whom they were ut war.
Songs ndiculiug the peasantry of Sehwyz,
were composed, and Canon uemmezlin. III o
treatise on the nobility, represented them AZ .
slle 1acc, who had dared to shake of theis
Allegiance to their lawful master. the rrince Of
tho House Of Aapsb',sel,: twas probably, then,
Ill ItlhS 10 the attacks Of uetnmarlin that the
4,.;Lur Vi tie - Whl.e Look" meeting luyen-
tan rith invention. introduced into lis work
| the tales Df Austrian tyrnnnr and SNi6s
courage, which together make up tho story Of
| William TIL. 1le majority Of legends may be
] .!cscliLcd as Eoe:lcal formations around sim
},ic fat; hut in ths case of the William Tell
Legend tie simple fact etelns TO have beeu
w.l.tl..S- Instead, moreover. Of getting pulled
t. [ilree like Other legends III which. IL time
.ece ~. tue falre gets gradually separated
trsln the true, the legend of Wlliam Tell
Neht on l1ospering aud increasing from CEN
tufy 10 century and from generation tu
generation. The Swiss soil must certainly
have tpcu we'll suited for its reception, for II
At once struck root and grow. and now. Hhat'
ever criticism may SAY, is for pottacA put
Poses understandable. After the ''WMts
Look came the s. TelletlieI - l414l, in whict
the hero, WHO in the prose ell1oniclo il callei
the name. Which is never at,eEwa1d to desert
him. Wilhelm Tell" The ''Telleplipd
| celebrates the formation OF the Swiss Con
! federation OF which Cri Is the nucleus. willie
Of this nucleus Tell IL the heart and soul
lbs chronicle q ssun.rd (lSi5' aud that :, q
accounts Of the hlatofy Of the in
Aginasy william Tell; aud Tschudi
| With the IAivo n,euIacity OF Al inventive
| child. names the very day on which each sup
| posed incident took Place. It Was On the 25tl
| Of July, 1907, Icing St. James Day, that Cess
lcts hal WAS tirrt holsted on tha polo, and Il
! WAS on the Sunday after the festival Of S,
Othmar, the 18th Of November, in the sant
year. that William Tell pissed to and t1o be
fore 1T without uncovering. himself. Ih'
lnsu1reetiouarr movement began on tho Is
Of Jannazr. 1898. and :he oath Of the thret
cantors vas sno1n Or the It'll OF January
Vsehrl could, If be pleased, name tLe Lou
AID the minute. rs its, he tells Es tho OK
| &C: ter1nf Of the alliance, which wAs furne.
1 ttr ten years. He was personally aeNu1inte<
with Iurst, Of Cr, and reveals for the lss
tine tic tset, since accepted by Muller. ~.
al later period By Schiller AID By Rosaill
that lis Christian ua1ne was Walter.
Muller comes forward with details unsuspec
ted even ly Techuai- William Tell, he h1s as
certained, was born at Bu1Glen. He Marie
Fu5sts Waller Eurst's) daughter. and he ha
Lad t.So sons. William, named after himself
and Walter. named aft.r the farther-in-laN
| EcstleI g Christian name was Hermann, an.
NarEuet, the vito Of Stausfacher, Vas Hel
tob:E by birth These particulars, obviously q
hrllet i own fabrication. impart, nevertheless
a wonderful III Of trntufulntas to the narrs
tive. The historian knew a. well Al = aio1eri
novelist the ARTISTIC value Of details, ana
| give additional reality 10 his tale did not he's
.atc to name and characterize every parsonaS
tlat lie introduced So when be brought OF
the second edition OF his Peau dc Clla',rio
Galzac. in the scene Of the bauque:, and desiG
mated by proper nance Incidental character
rho@; in The TT h, edition. he had ysg9s
"a journalist" "a physician" the Frenc
novelist had discovered what the Swiss listo
ian knew full well-tAat II you Introduce \ pc
sonsge to reader, and w1sl, him to be b,
lieved in you must At least take the trouble
Sive lin Eamc+
Muller, all the 6aue, WAS conscientious q
ter his own manner, only he held strange view
~ to the duty Of HI historian, thinking appa
emily that Lis own great ain should be
render work interesting to the reader, D
not let us blame hm too severely, for Muller
descriptions furnished Schiller with IL
ground hia work of some Of his finest passage
ard supplied material which WIS one day
inspire Ros.ini- The r0nx des caches, Il
storm on the lake, tho fishermen, the sael
! he.sls, aud al the picturesque details "hs !,
give such natura1ness aud beauty TO Il
drama, wero OF alullez's OWL invention. Nm
CT had contempt for mere truth perhaps
did not believe in it. But he profesaed .
artists regard for huthin1neas, prohahilit.
Appropriateuess and he tAkes care in foo
uote 10 Justify his description Of StAunacher
house observing that g The antiquity OF th
nude Of building il proved by pnscas, tas
= l ~ = ~ i-,ya~t rllElrt