The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-24

oountorb.lancp 70 the power Of the foudal
Inability in Svitrsriand was ultimately furnished
Inv tho 'oommunes. A large number OF houses and
farmsteads lying near ono another would form
i. domestic and political society called q com
mupe" (oemsfnds) OF peasantry tpursdne). Such
felowsbip related especially 70 tho possession Of
-. common tract Of woodland and pasture. undi-
yidod and enjoyed by the whole community, called
the aiyrend, or mark. The Msrkgenossonschaft
or Association Of the Mark, also looked after
other agricultural conccrns and hxed the time for
vintage and harvest Some forest oommuncs
managed TO extend these rights and TO obtain their
freedom by successive limitations Of the rights Of
their lords by purchase OF by force; In the forma
tion of these FREQ communos, wo find the germ Of
Swiss liberty. OF particular importance were the
oommunes in towns These were formed In places
surrounded BY walls within which the houses
adjoined ono another. This method Of colombia
ton, once dotested by tho Alamanni. camo more
and more into favor as means OF defence during
tho time of tho Hungarian inroads and intestine
fe,,da Such walled towns gradually acquired CON-
siderable privileges beyond those possessed BY
villages the right OF holding fairs. the right Of
coinneo the right 10 elect municipal ofioerA to
levy tolls and TO exercise local Jurisdiction. All
the Swiss towns whether founded by ecclesiastical
or temporal lords rose 70 distinction In tho twelfth
and thirteenth centuries by trade and manufac-
ture and became the scat Of q now civilization
Certain forest communes gained local indcpen-
dence contemporaneously with tho towna The
inhabitants Of Uri, Schwiz Unterwaldcn, and
Glarus and some others wcre protected BY their
mountains, as wero tho towns by their walla
The dweilers in tho mountain cantons had been,
from the FIRST, united by tho possession Of a COM
mon woodland and pasture land. II was these
forest cantons that took tho load In the Swiss up
rising against the House OF HapsbuIg. and or
panized the confederation which was 70 play %
great mart in Central Europe In the last quarter
Of the fifteenth, and tho frst quarter OF the si1.
tenth cen ury.
What has DR. Dandhkor 70 say aoou. ne ie.
legends' He points OUT thah Gown 70 inc SECOND
hall OF tho sixteenth century inc ueaihone feiae
ing to William Tell were uncertain ana 70 some
extent contradictory ~ was uno cnronioei "mes
Tschudi OF Giarus who' In io!o' "iouen' tn'
legendary materials in'o a pseudo nisoiico PIC
ture he followed the accoun' OF lei given eoou'
1910 In the Chrons des 'e'ssen suehes 'onionicie
OF tho "hi'e BOOK! out amp'ned ana empe'iiSheo
IT, partly with oral uaditions OF tne county ana
partly BY using poetshoonse Tvs me version OF
theiegend which was accepted az au'nen"o n's'oiy
Ior many generations. ana Which mas become 'he
common property OF the civillzeo woho 'nroueh
Schiller's drama OF William Tell
The truth OF tho Tell story. however, was quoe-
noned az an early date About LOU. Franst uii-
mann OF Fribours. ventured to dispute tho trust
worhiness OF the tale on the scoro OF tho diverse
ana irreconciinbie versAona In the eighteenh
century IL began 70 DO noticed that In tho folklore
OF denmark and Iceland much Older traditions
han thoso Oh Switzeriand. there were tales OF
ssi'lui marksnan Sloko: higiD VINO was ioreed 70
ehoot an apple from the head Oh his favor1te little
son. ana VINO ore" ou' second or third aIrowin
oraer 70 ki' IN case OF ianuIe, ne tyran' VINO nad
subjected MIN y" INC oioeai mo nie' 70 nouoe tnis
CIRCUMSTANCES "eio D. u i'eiin ana oIol fIeuoen-
berger, 'he ia''or IN pampniet enuueo ouuoums
req Fdo'e Ddno'Se litoo'' lei advocates ON
,hef part fesor'ea 70 forgery IN oroei 10 furnish
documentary evidence Oh iens reany In inc
journal Oh oeha.orh' INC name lruiio was ei'e'eo
TO de Teo In the parish register oil At'inghauseu
N a decision NJ tho I.ndsocmeind. N IJ, In 1877
by which pilgrimage 10 Stein was revived. and Il
was also ordained that in Burelcn, where stood
the house of William Tell, the first restorcr OF
freedom" a sermon should DO preached: and Of
testimony given BY ia persons In Uri In 1888 10
the LAnesEemeinde that they had known Tell -as
H." says Dr. Dandliker, Ii would have been neoes-
sary surprising Tell to have been an historical
parsonage 10 rcfute doubts about him only seventy
eighty yeaIs after his existence"
Through the labors Of Joseph Utch Kokk. who.
from 1882 to 1885. sifted and published all the
records bearing upon the origin Of tho Swiss Con-
federation, criticism gained a complete victory.
1t was then shown that originally tho inhabitants
of the Forest States werc mostly serfs and depend
ents and that they only obtained their local indie
pendence gradually in tho OF the thirteenth
century and in close connection with events In the
history Of the German Empire II was made evil
dent that the Perpetual League Of certain oantons
was concluded in 1891 and not in 1908; that IL 10
barely conceivable that there were bailihs in Uri
appointed by the Hapsburgs after 1881. and that
the Gesslers were never lords Of Kussnach. It's.
indeed. made clear that the traditions concerning
the storming Of castles and tho meeting Of the
founders Of the League on the Ruth have some his
torical foundation. but they can by no means lay
claim to acceptance az authentic history In
detail
vi.
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in swi,,.r,.nd dndro ~. a.. 10 - rhu ~
,,.nth c.ntw-- Tan.-I, ~. VI VIC VIM.