The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-07-08

Copyright. 1902 by Atlanta Constitution
How the OLE people ol.ns to the stories
ana traditions that charmed their child
hood. Good old Mother Akin came -
see me ana to comfort me IN MY 81 l.
ness. She has had her share Of trouble
but Is always bright ana cheerful ana
trings sunshine with her Somehow tho
story OF Wllnam Tell came up, and When
! remarked lhat il ives now generally SGT
down among the critics as a myth OF
pretty fable She said she would not reaa
any such hcartless scandals nor did she
believe them. The world is full o. chose
iconoclasts who would break up every
idol that We have Worshipcd Tho -lory
C William Tell IS ono that Is tit TO BE-
believed and handed down from genera
tiCn 10 generation. Noltairs started that
fable theory because ho did not lik. fha
Swiss. Many books have been written on
both sides, but the old family traditions
that have como down 20 us for 500 wears
arc still as much the faith OF the SNiss
people as is thcir religion. William Toii
is much today their national hero
and the founder of their republic IS
Washington is Of ours and the little
chapel on the lake where he was drowned
is still preserved to commemorate him.
Well. whether it is q fact or a fable
it is cne Of the prctticst stories eyer
told and ought to be repeated TO the
children Of every household 1t was IN
the fourteenth century whom Austria had
ovcrridden ana conquered Switzerland and
had stationed her tyrant bailin in every
canton to srtduo and humble the people
that on Gcsslcr placed the ducal cap
| upon pole in the public place and order
| cd every one who passed to uncover his
| head and bow to it. Tell refused and
was seized and condemned TO death. but
| as he wa known 10 be the bcst bowman
in Switzerland he was offered tho alt"r-
! native Of shooting an apple from his
| sons head. The boy was his idol and he
/ begged for some other alternative, but
| Gosslcr refused Sixty yards WAS meas
ured off tho boy stationed and the apple
placed. Gesslor 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
its center. The boy ran to his father
and lea9ed into his arms. and another
/ arrow that had been concealed fell upon
| the ground '-What was that arrow for"
said Gcsslcr. ITO shoot YOU YOU brute,
/
condemned to prison and Gcsslor took
him in a boat on the lake but violent
storm came MP and Tell was unclaimed
to steer the boat. He made for tho
shore, lcapcd to a rock ard with a pole
showed the boat back into the stormy
waters. Hurrying along the lake he
| procured a bow ana arrows from q coun-
/ trvn7an and shot Gesslcr as tho boat
| naesod. Tolls Leap and Tells Rock
| are still known to every child in SWitz-
| crland. Later on hc lost his life WiiIe
/ saving a lad from drowning. what is
unreasonable about this story We had
! q GossIar in Rome ct the close Of tn"
| civil war. His name was dc Ia Mesa, z
| Spaniard who came over TO t&ht for pay
! lie did not hoist the duCal cap, bnt H."
| ctrctchei tho flag Over tho silcWal" and
! our female Tells (sOIC OF whom are llF-
/ ing yeD would rot walk under It, bAi
| crossed over to ITO othcr side. Thon
| he stretched another across the whole
street ana they walked around the bloe&.
i WIS not so much of disrcspact 10 the
flag as it was contempt for tho forolen-
or Who unfurlod it. ITo refused 70 let
| our wives and daughters receive or mail
| letters unless they came before him and
| took a. ironclad oath Of allogianc9. Itc
! had ten of our young men and seNercl !
young ladies arrested for acting a tab
| leau to raise little money to rcpla T
pews in tho churches. The pcws had all
been taken out and made into tronghs
| to feed their horses in. He was fore
warned that night by negro that u q.
| didn't release those girls ha would re
! killed before morning and he would A&Fe
been. Yes. LEOPARD Spots were al
around horc Just as they Wore ~ Nef'A