The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-08-31
THE SWISS MOBILITY.

AAauy u8settts bu uoNe
passed the ruined feudsl castles in the
valley Of Martigny and on the way to
the stsubbach. and not . few must
have stopped to wonder what bad be-
come Of the noble families who must
have once inhabited thsE, and Why
Switzerland should be the only Euro
pesu country uuprovided with IN upper
class This will be especially puzzlipg.
as the average koovledgs Of SsisS
history is confined to the three nance OF
John Calvin. Downward. the prisoner
of Chillsn. and William Tell, none OF
whom. il Is safe To cay. were territorial
lords Ia the Tell of Schiller, we
hear. to be sure. Of IN Emperor and
his cruel bailiff. But all confidence
fades away when. sfte: making eh en-
thusisstic tour of the Lake Of the Four
Csnton.. and identifying every little
scene OF Schiller's play, We stand oa
the top of Moust Rlgi. looking down
on the 'Hohle 6Asss' Of tragic associa-
tions, and some skeptical college grad :
nate pricks our little illusions by Offer
ing to prove that there never Vas any
such person ss the William Tell OF the
cap aud apple legend.
But the old castles remain unsc.
counted for Who bnilt them. and
why are their dssceudAnts not there
still. Was the whole Swiss nobility
spirited of from the facs Of the earth on
some night of tempestuous darkness !?
Surely those who nave travelled in Eu-
rope and those who expect to do 20 =
tina. 10. oil the world-will bs glad to
hear the true story of the disAppesrance
Of the Rarons.
After the Roman Empire fell 70
pieces. Helvetis was again Conquered by
German bsrbarisIs, who divided the
laud among themselves. We fnd in
the fifth century q well established
order Of landgrayes. who owned serfs
and judged in their own right questions
of pro, ,erty AMI life. Their tribunals
were held in the open air. under some
old tree. and cap set up on pole Was
as in the days Of Gessler. the symbol Of
their authority. BY the side OF this
high nobility there rode in battle the
large numbers of rich free meo. . clsss
privileged to wear beard and to bear
arms. These were the cavalry, While
the serfs. colons and others. more or
less subject classes. were the infantry.
the history Of several centuries is the
story of the constant xggrsndizement
OF the great .ords and the degradation
of all classes beneath the highest. In
the confusion of the later Carlovingian
times, the most powerful counts made
themselves practically independent in
their own provinces. and acknowledged
no restraint from above or below their
own station. They joined together to
ruin the fresmen who refused to bow
the knee to them. and thus the middle
class Was being reduced to uniform serf-
dom,
In 920 Henry I. became Emperor of
Germany. and laid yoke upon the un-
ruly lords of Bavaria, Swabia, Lor.
raine and Switzerland, who thought
themselves ss Independent and - pow
erful as any Emperor who might be
elected Henry /. created the earliest
bourgeoisie or middle class Of townsmen
in Europe, 100 years before the CORES
ponding movement IN France. and 800
years before that in England; Zurich
aud other towns were fortified aud
placed under direct imperial protection
and the few remaining freemen OF the
country districts rose up in the rebslliOn
against their feudal lords. In the 10th
century, then. we find the earliest man
Hesitation ofthat sturdy Swiss ts@psra-
ment, reminding ono Of Polly Nss6t in
Trollops's story. who .ain't going to bs
drove
But these were small and Intellectual
beginnings. At the end OF the elsv>
snth century We ses the noblssss
stronger 10 Switzerland than ever.
There were then in Switzerland. or
high Germany, as it Was called. not
fewer than 1900 oobles. among whom
we're $50 barons and 80 great counts.
All the rules OF ohivalry we're fixing
themselves. Banners. Gratis Of srms,
family seats and territorial names were
coming into use. and the country bris-
tied with newly built castles. protected
by walls. moais. and donjon towers.
The ruins at Msrtigny. Leon. Brigne
and many other places date frsm thia
period. which will be remembered -
the time at the early crusades.
The bonrgeoisis. meanwhile. ere In.
cressing also. and taxing family Names
after their occupations thsir native
cities. their mental or physical psDuli-
arities. The serfs. though much OPP
presssd. are working thsir usy sin0ly
| 10 freedom, and learning - carry asos.
| A few little copsmHRss il the valleys q
the Lake Lucerne. or Lake Of the Fool
] Csntons, manage their own internsl
/ AFFAIRS. and join together nov and then
to arrange matters Of opunoo Interest
with Duke or Emperor.
The city Of Bsrue vas becoming sicl
and restless under the exActions Of thu
peighboring barons The 1ords assem-
bled ct the csstls Of one Of their number
and resolved 10 'cbaetise the rebels e
the extent OF not leaving oos stone upog
another in the plehian shops a. Bsrse
| The result OF this bold undestnhipg vi
fbttls harm to Berns. but general de.
structiou, Of mediaval castles IN the
country round about. some Of N
nob!es we're killed In battle and soms
were sxiied. The rest inside prsdsnl
peace With the despissd Bsrnsss shsf
keen era
Similar troubles at Znrich resulted il
the extinction Of many noblsi lAmlliel
and the rsxiua Of thsir castle& Tbil
Was in the fourteenth centasy. III
little collection Of osss~aaes on LAX
1 "a