St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-08-23
ARP ON THE SWISS.
Reminded Of Them by the Story Of
William Tel.
Hits All the Ioonoclasts-Says They
Are Trying to Tear Down All the
Idols the People Have
Worshfped.,-
Copyrighted by the Atlanta Constitution,
and reprinted by permission)

copyrighted by the Atlanta Constitutes
and reprinted by permission)
How the old people cling to tn
stories and traditions that charme'
their childhood. Good old Mother Akil
came to see me and to comfort me il
my sickness. She has had her trouble
but she is always bright and Cheerful
and brings sushine with her. Some
how the story of William Tell came up
and when I remarked that it was nov
generally set down among the critic!
as a myth or pretty fable she sale
"she would not read ally such heartless
scandals nor did she believe them
The world is full of these iconoclasti
who would break up every idol that we
have worshiped. The story of William
Tell is one that is fit to be believed anG
handed down from generation to gen
GRAFTON. Voltaire started that fable
theory because he did not like the
Swiss. Many books have been written
on both sides, but the old family tradi-
lions that have come down to us for
WV y Nu1 al 2 . lAAA do A1uN1l Vic 1d1Uu VI
the Swiss people as is in their religion
William Tell is as much to-day their
national hero and the founder of their
republic as Washington is of ours and
the little chapel on the lake where he
was drowned is still preserved to COM
memorate him."
Well, whether this is fact or ia BILE
it is one of the prettiest stories ever
told and ought to be repeated to the
children of every household. It was
inthe fourteenth century when Austria
had overridden and cong switzer-
land and had stationed her tyrant
bailiffs in every canton to subdue and
humble the people that one Gessler
placed the ducal cap upon pole in the
public place and ordered everyone who
passed to uncover his head and bow to
1t. Tell refused and was seized and
condemned to death, but as he was
known to be the best bowman in
Switzerland he was offered the alter
native of shooting an apple from his
sons head. The boy was his idol and
he begged for some other alterna-
tive, but Gessler refused. Sixty yards
was measured off, the boy stationed
and the apple placed. Gessler and his
cohorts looked on while Tell bowed
his knees in prayer. Rising he looked
to Heaven and then let fly the arrow
and pierced the apple in it's center.
The boy ran to his father and leaped
into his arms, and another arrow
that had been concealed fell upon the
ground. "What was that arrow for?"
said Gessler. "To shoot you, you
brute, had slain my son." For that
he was condemned to prison and
Gessler took him in a boat on the
lake, but a violent storm came up
and Tell was unclaimed to steer the
boat. He made for the shore, leaped
to rock, and with pole showed the
boat back into the stormy waters.
Hurrying along the lake he procured
! bow and arrows from q country
nan and shot Gessler as the boat
passed. ''Tell's Leap and "Tells
Rock" are still known to every child
n Switzerland. Later on he lost his
life while saving a lad from drown
ng. What is unreasonable about this
story? We had Gessler in Rome at !
he close of the civil war. His name
vas de la Mesa, Spaniard who came
'ver to fight for pay. He did not
loist the ducal cap, but he stretched
he flag over the sidewalk and our
emale Tells (some of whom are liv-
ng yeti would not walk under it,
tut crossed over to the other side.
hen he stretched another across the
Whole street and they walked around
he block. 1t was not so much of
isrespect to the flag as it was con-
empt for the foreigner who unfurled
/. He refused to let our wives and
aughters receive or mail letters I'M
ess they came before him and took
n ironclad oath of allegiance. He
ad ten of our young men and sew
raj young ladies arrested for acting