New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-04

This volume which was publlshed-in the
original-in 1889 is a revision OF the author
well known earlier Manual Of the History OF
The Swiss People" 40 better outline Of that
history can be found. and for ranslatng II INTO
,diomatic and readable English Mr. Salisbury
deserves the thanks OF the history loving puohc
Within its narrow limits 1t was of course I'M
possible to include more than the materials OF d
sketch; but II is a sketch from which nothing
essential is omitted and which Is drawn with
exceptional clearnees and Skill
The aim Of the book is 10 make clear the
steps by which. out Of the extraordinarily d.
verse elements existing within the geographical
limits Of Switzerland. the idea and fact Of Swiss
nationality have been evolved. The congomeia-
ton Of races and languages-German. ltallah
and French-whicn occupies the little space pc
tween the northern border Of Italy and the
Rhine IS seemingly poor material out OF "hcn
70 build a unitary State. The aslohisHen
traveller often meets with German villages IN
the middle Of Romance districts. or places "hch
are half German and half Romance IN origin
Every valley almost every place differs IN d'a-
lect character customs and mode Of he. bu''
az the author remarks. IT is not this diversity
but rather "the unity which binds these con-
trasts together. which forms the distinctive
character Of Switzerland To quote the pas
IN when lne lolNt anu N'S'''''''''''
national sentiment is stated
II IS the common possession Of quite peculiar
roli.ical and social institutions which forms Inc
indissoluhle cement uniting these otherwise
heterogeneous elements The French OF VI esO-
ern Switzerland the Germans Of Eastern SNi"
erland the Italians and the komanOe ~
Rhatia all these hold in common the psihc'pies
Of the democratic state. which are nowhere olse
In Europe carried perfectly and so uniformly
into execution. the sovereignty OF the people
orfc1 lot ion on
free communal system. political equahty' the
liberty OF the press Of trade and manufactures
and OF religious creed. Hence a common ma
tonal feeling inspires and unites tne SwlsS 81
every State and every nationality The FIench-
man Of the Naud. who was under the DOMINION
OF hgrne IN binself n5 less suis=e than
the inhabitant Of the original cantons feels nm
self q "SohWeitzer'. and oppressed as the
dweuer in Ticino formerly was under the bailifs
% the original cant0ns and of the Confederation.
since 179S he nevertheless as good ,SVlzzer'
utters hearty "evviva' To the "CohieoerA-
zione."
How this unity Of national sentiment and I've
was brought about-the first steps toward lih-
erty the gradual promoting and strengthening
Of the political league and the final perfectng
Of the Federal State-Dr Dandhker explains
most satisfactorily incidentally. also, there are
inserted many useful paragraphs on matters
not political-customs literature. religion and
so on The earlier chapters which deal with the
FIRST leagues and the wars Of freedom. are par
ticularly interesting The germ Of Swiss liberty
Dr. Dindliker traces TO the communes which In
the twelfth century became effective checks
upon the powers Of the nobility. In Switzer-
land as elsewhere. where a considerable num-
Der Of homes and farmsteads lay together a
local political organization had sprung up in
which lay the right TO establish regulations for
the Mark" or portion Of wood and pasture
held 10y the community as whole In some
cases the rights thus held were extended 10y the
communities either by force or 10y the purchase
~ ,umunities from their lords and n class Of
free communes came into existence in which
the conception and the spirit Of liberty found
the soil proper for their growth. Most im7or-
tant Of all We're the communes which had de-
vclopee into or been founded as walled towns
FOR IN these the acquisition II special privileges
was the most rapid and extensive A free po-
Ntical spirit ruled within them Bondmen and
freedmen who settled in a town became free II
they were not fetched back by their lords with
IN a year. CThe air Of towns sets one free
SO the class Of freedmen whose very existence
had been threatened by the federal system
gradually increased"
A similar development took place in the val
ley communes, for they We're protected by their
mountains as the towns We're by their walls
In Uri Schwyz UnterWaden. Glarus and else
where the spirit Of liberty hourished and sub
stantial advances toward the attainment OF free
dom were made As early as the beginning Of
the twelfth century. for instance. Schwyz quar-
relied with the monastery Of Einsiedeln about
wood and pasture lands on it's borders. and stub
bornly maintained its claims IN spite Of ad-
verse decisions by two emperors. The oppor-
tunitv for the successful assertion Of this spirit
Of independence came IN the thirteenth century,
when. TO protect themselves against the en-
croachments Of the houses II Kihurg Savoy and
Hapsburg. the Swiss states espoused the cause
Of Frederick II and the Empire and established
defensive alliances one with another. The For
est States boldly attacked the enemy ana in
itiated the long struggle with the house Of
Hapshure which was crowned In 1910 by the
glorious battle Of Morgarten, IN which the Aus
trian power was shattered at blow "hy a
handful Of peasants and which established the
freedom q the three Fore, Cantons.
In his account OF this heroic of S~itzer-
land Dr. Dandliker emphasizes the fact. brought
out by modern research that the acquisition Of
Swiss liberty was gradual and not as the
popular traditions represent the outcome Of a
sudden and spontaneous uprising To the growth
OF this tradition. and Of the TIL legend in par
ticular. several interesting paragraph are de-
voted. II is ascrbed 10 the fact that the great
events Of the struggle FOR freedom lacked at
first a chronicler-that the memory Of them was
handed down 10y word Of mouth from genera
ticn 10 generation. ut WAS inevitable that here
and there the colorine became rather vivid. and
that occasionally a fresh and fragrant flower
sprang up OF itself out u the ever fresh gar
dens Of tradition Details were forgotten
events were misplaced COMPOUNDED OF distorted
the people forgot that Swiss liberty first arose
on the basis Of the original legal conditions Of
the population by slow birth and growth. in the
same way and AT The same time that the towns
we're attaining their rights and liberties step by
step" and the different struggles against the
H.. a-..r.. -orn cn.nL.r.l r.nll-ar mind