New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-03
SWISS PATRIOTISM
One Way of Celebrating indie
Dendence.


From The London Spectator
on August | every year the Swiss cele-
brate their national fate day. The day is
TO them what July is to the United
States and July II to France: il is the
day when they recall the victory Of three
small states against the house Of Habs-
burg. The struggle with the Austrians,
of course, went on for centuries, and was
tempered with phases of friendship, but
the year 129l, which is the subject of
Veneration on the national fete day was
the beginning Of Swiss independence. A
correspondent described in The Times"
OF Tuesday the character Of the celebra-
ton. We were much struck by the en-
phasis laid on the delicacy and reticence
of the rejoicings. There was nothing
official; there were no public banquets,
no striking parades, no fuss noise or
Boosting. And yet the patriotism of the
Swiss is one of the most effective patri-
otisms in Europe The Swiss serves his
country as a soldier with more cheerful
ness and more intelligence than any citi-
zen in Europe. but he does not need to
keep his patriotism up to the mark with
any of the Dutch courage of vainglorious
rhetoric.
The Swiss did not initiate their gori-
fed militia from some other country.
They invented 1t for themselves The
whole heart of the country is put into it,
Many of its superior officers may be
hotel keepers in Lucerne, Geneva or
Bale, but the problems Of war are the
recreation Of their leisure. Rifle shoot
ing is the hobby and pastime of the
whole youth Of the cOuntry-it is what
cricket or football Is to uS--and when
young man has served his time in the
elite of the army he receives his rifle as
a present from the state, is proud of il,
and takes a S much care of il as a sports
man in England takes care of his gun.
Not long ago the Swiss were asked by
means of q poll of the people whether
they We're willing to accept bill which
laid on them a longer period of service
and the burden of more military expen-
diture By great majority they
answered Yes" The result of a poll of
the people is frequently a negative.
Here, if ever, one would have expected
negative. Surely this extraordinary in
cident is worth bordering.
Now, Is II not, as We said, worth pom
dering that the Swiss. who make more
cheerful sacrifices than any nation in
Europe. should be so restrained in doing
public honor 10 the motive which in
spires them? To them il is more inn
portant to act than TO talk Being a
only admissible democratic principles
that there should be no undertaking of
war without personal responsibility. and
that the duty Of defending the state is
one Of the essential obligations of citl-
zenshp. II passes our understandings
why II should be difficult to induce any
political party in Great Britain to admit
the same logic and consent To the adop-
ton Of a scheme which would put an end
Al. 8
Is what it amounts to-those who wish
to fulfil the rudimentary duty of de-
fence Political rights and the obliga-
ton of defending the country ought to
be interdependent Such an interdepend-
ence is delightfully."- and quantity illus
trated i'm Switzerland In those Cantons
Uri, Unterwalden, AppenZel and
Glarus) which have preserved their an
cent ssemblies-remnants Of the origi-
nal Teutonic councils Of the people The
burghers Of each canton assemble them
selves together on certain spring day
In the open air To choose a committee OF
government You may see the burghers
walking To the meeting place with their
swords at their sides and their umbrellas
IN their hands. Could either the sword
or the umbrella he displaced as an ade-
quatc emblem of the combined response
bilities of tho complete citizen? We
thing not. Those who imagine that any
Swiss army must only be meant for
show forget. perhaps, that men who be-
came mercenaries i'm the pay of other
countries did so. after all, because they
liked being soldiers: and ii is too often
forgotten how gallant was the unsuc-
cessful resistance of the Schwyzers and
the Unterwaldners To the French. The
name of Alois Reding who for two
months held the heights of Norparten
Is still an inspiration To the Swiss sol