The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-07-03
Reminded of Them by tile Story of
William Tell.
HITS ALL THE IcONOCLAsTS.
Says They Are Trying to Tear Down
All the Idols the People Have Wor.
shipped.

stories and traditions that charmed
their childhood. Goold 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. Somehow the story Of William
Tell came up, and when l remarked
that it was now generally set down
among the critics as myth or pref
ty fable she said "she would not read
any such heartless scandals nor did
she believe them. The world Is full
Of these iconoclasts who would break
I'D every idol that we have worship.
ed. The story OF William Tell is one
that Is fit to be believed and handed
down from generation to generation.
Voltaire started that fable theory De-
cause 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 is their religion. William
Tell is as much today their national
hero and the founder Of their republic
as Washington is Of ours and the III
tie chapel on the lake where he was
drowned is still preserved to com.
memorate him."
Well whether it is a fact or a fable
it is one of the prettiest stories ever
told and ought to be repeated to the
chinldren of every household. 1t was
in the fourteenth century when Aus.
tria had overridden and conquered
Switzerland and had stationed her
tyrant bailiffs in every canton to sub
due and humble the people that one
Gessler placed the ducal cap upon a
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 to be the best
bowman in Switzerland ne was offered
the alternative of shooting an apple
from his sons head. The boy was his
idol and he begged for some other
alternative, but Gessler refused. Six.
ty yards was measured off, the boy
stationed and the apple placed. Cess
Ter and his cohorts looked on while
Tell bowed his knees in prayer. Ris-
Ing he looked to heaven and then let
fly the arrow and pierced the apple in
Its 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 ar
row for?" said Gessler. ITO shoot
you, you brute, had l slain my son."
For that he was condemned 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 for 4
rock and with pole showed the boat
back into the stormy waters. Hurry.
Ing along the lake he procured bow
and arrows from countryman and
shot Gessler as the boat passed.
TELLS Leap" and "Telps Rock" are
still known to every child In Switzer.
land. Later On he lost his life while
saving a lad from drowning. What is
unreasonable about this story? We
had Gessler in Rome at the close Of
the civil war. His pane was de la
Mesa, a spaniard who came over to
fight for pay. He did not hoist the
ducal cap, but he stretched the flag
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 an.
other across the whole street and they
walked around the block. 1t was not
50 much Of disrespect to the flag as
1t was contempt Tor the foreigner who
unfurled 1t. He refused to let our
wives and daughters receive our mail
letters unless they came before him
and took an ironclad oath of allegi-
ance. He had ten of our young men
and several young ladies arrested for
acting in a tableaux to raise a little
money to replace pews in the church
es. The pews had all been taken out
and made into troughs to feed their
norses IN. lie was forewarned that
night By a negro that if he didn't re-
lease those girls he would be killed
before morning, and he would have
been. Yes, Leopard Spots" were al
around here just as they were in
North Carolina. We had Gesslers
and We had Tells, too.
But l was ruminating about Switz.
erland, that historical and wonderful
country Now, children and young peo.
pie, listen. 1t is only a little scrap of
a country about one-fourth the size Of
Georgia. and nearly half Of that is
taken up by lakes and mountains. The
most beautiful lakes in the world.
Lake Lucerne Chats Tell's); Lake
Geneva Chats Calgins); Lake Wen
ner and Wetter-aId just think Of the
grand old mountains-the Alps and
the Jura and the Jungfrau. Think Of
the hospice of the good st. Bernard,
where they kept that fine breed Of
dogs who were trained to go out in the
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