Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-11-07
Switzerland,s Tell.

Inc Cologne Gazette, in reporting the
proceedings at the recent meetings at
zurich of the Historical Society of the
old Swiss Cantons, makes the following
remarks on the inquiries which have
shown the story of William Tell to be
purely mythical
1t is painful to be forced by the incon-
testible evidence of historical records to
abandon belief in cherished traditions
long accepted as literal truth, and to
exchange for them dry narratives around
the moral foundations of which there
is no garment of romance.
The Historical Society of .ile Old Can
tons-that is, of Lucerne, Uri, Schwvz,
Unterwalden, and Zurich-which was
founded thirty years ago, and which has
conducted its inquiries in the most eau
tious spirit for the last twenty-seyen
years, under the Presidency of the his
Photographer of Lucerne, Joseph Schnel.
Ter, has rendered pre-eminent services
in investigating the early history of
Switzerland. The honor of having first
penetrated into. this field of research,
and of having torn off the legendary
vail which hid the true history of the
liberation of the forest cantons, is I'M
doubtedly due TO the lamented Prof.
Eutychias Kopp, of Lucerne.
No doubt one hundred years before
him, the Genevese preacher, Uriel Freu-
denberger, made an attempt, in an es-
say devoted to the subject, to shake the
historical foundations on which the story
o. Tell rested. He was not, however,
in position to convince historical stu
dents that the details the Swiss rev.
olution were mythical. This book, how
ever, did attract attention, for it was
publicly burned under the gallows in
Altorf. Kopp was more successful. He
brought forward positive evidence to
show, that the received version of the
events which led to the foundation of
the Swiss Confederation were at variance
with historical fact. His conclusions
were these: There never was a Land
vogt Gessler nor William Tell.
Tell never refused to lift his hat,
never fred at an apple placed on his
sons head, although the cross-bow with
which the deed was done is exhibited at
Zurich; he never crossed the lake of
Lucerne in tempest of wind and rain :;
he never boldly jumped upon the Tell.
plate, never spoke his speech in the de.
file at Kusnach, and never shot the
Landvogt. What IS more, the inhabi-
tants Of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden
never met by night on the Ruch. Jo-
names Won Muller, the great historian,
adopts the mythical story, and tells it
in his . History OF Switzerland as alb
solutely true but the chroniclers Of the
period know nothing of William Tell,
and the story appears for the first time
a century and half later.
Kopp SIX llfully separates the legen-
Diary matter from the historical facts,
and with the records in his hand esti-
mates at their true value the fables
which were first dressed up as historical
narratives by Tschudi. Those who know
with what affection the Swiss cling to
the story of Tell and all the romantic
incidents which belong to it, will not
deny that much personal courage was
required to say plainly to them that
there was no truth in traditions so init
matley interviewer with all their
thoughts and feelings, and with all their
political institutions. Prof. Kopp dis
played this courage, and the Historical
Society has based its inquiries on his
labors.