The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1902-07-24
BILL APPS LETTER
Barlow Philosopher Writes Of the
Swiss and Their Little Domain
GIVES A RAP TO THE lcOEOCLASTS
Reverts to Beautiful story Of William
Tell and His Deeds Of Daring. i,
Great Peaple; Great Country.

How old people cling to the stories
and traditions that charmed their
childhood. Good old Mother Akin
came to see me and to comfort me in
my sickness. She has had her share
OF trouble, but is always bright and
cheerful and brings sunshine with her.
Som chow the story Of William Tel
came up, and when remarked that it
was generally set down among the
critics as a myth or pretty fable, she
said she would not read any such
heartless scandals nor did she believe
them" The world is full of these ICON
oclasts who would break up every idol
that we. have worshiped. The story
of William Tell is one that is At to be
believed and handed down from gen.
Grafton to generation. voltaire start
ed that fable theory because he did
not like the Swiss. Many books have
been written on both sides, but the
old family traditions that have come
down to us for 600 years are still as
much the faith OF the Swiss people as
their religion. William Tell is as much
today their national hero and the
founder of their republic as Washing.
ton Is ours and the little chapel on the
lake where he was drowned is still
preserved to commemorate him"
Well, whether it is a fact or a fable,
II is one of the prettiest stories ever
told and ought to be repeated to the
children of every household. 1t was
in the fourteenth century when Aus
triS had overridden and conquered
Switzerland and had stationed her ty-
rant baililrs In every canton to subdue
and humble the people that one Cess
Ter placed the ducal cap upon pole in
the public place and ordered every one
who passed to uncover his head and
bow to it, Tell refused and was seized
and condemned to death, but as he
was known as 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
!
but Gessler refused. SIXTY yards was
measured off, the boy stationed and
the apple placed. Gessler and his co.
horts 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 Cess.
Ter. ITO shoot you, you brute, had |
slain my SON." For that he was con.
demned to prison and Gessler took him
In 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 a
countryman and shot Gessler as the
boat passed. Tells Leap" and Tells
Rock" are stil known to every child
In Switzerland, Later on he lost his
life while saving lad from drowning
What is unreasonable about this
story? We had a Gessler in Rome at
the close of the civil war His name
was de la Mesa, Spaniard who came
over to fight for pay. He did not hoist
the ducal cap, but he stretched the nag
over the sidewalk and our female
Tells (some of whom are living yeti
would not walk under 1t, but crossed
over to the other side. Then he
stretched another across the whole
street, and they walked around the
block. 1t was not so much Of disre-
spect to the flag as 1t was contempt for
the foreigner who unfurled 1t. He re-
fused to let our wives and daughters
receive or mail letters unless they
came before him and took an iron-clad
oath of allegiance. He had ten Of our
young men and several young ladies'
arrested for acting in a tableau to
raise little money to replace pews
in the churches. The pews had all
been taken out and made into troughs
TO feed their horses In. He was fore
warned that night by a negro that IL
he didn't release those girls he would
be killed before morning, and he would
have been. Yes, Leopard Spots"
were all around here Just as they were
In North Carolina. We had Gesslers
and we had Tells, too.
But was Illuminating about Switzer-
land, that historical and wonderful
country Now. children and young
people, listen. 1t is only little scrap