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It is peaceful here and pleasant at Interlaken.
Nothing going on-at least nothing but
brilliant life-giving sunshine. There are
floods and floods of that. One may properly
5 speak of it as "going on," for it is full of the
suggestion of activity; the light pours down
with energy, with visible enthusiasm. This is
a good atmosphere to be in, morally as well
as physically. After trying the political
10 atmosphere of the neighboring monarchies,
it is healing and refreshing to breathe in air
that has known no taint of slavery for six
hundred years, and to come among a people
whose political history is great and fine, and
15 worthy to be taught in all schools and
studied by all races and peoples. For the
struggle here throughout the centuries has
not been in the interest of any private
family, or any church, but in the interest of
20 the whole body of the nation, and for shelter
and protection of all forms of belief. This
fact is colossal. If one would realize how
colossal it is, and of what dignity and
majesty, let him contrast it with the purposes
25 and objects of the Crusades, the siege of
York, the War of the Roses, and other
historic comedies of that sort and size.
Last week I was beating around the Lake
of Four Cantons, and I saw Rutli and Altorf.
30 Rutli is a remote little patch of a meadow,
but I do not know how any piece of ground
could be holier or better worth crossing
oceans and continents to see, since it was
there that the great trinity of Switzerland
35 joined hands six centuries ago and swore the
oath which set their enslaved and insulted
country forever free; and Altorf is also
honorable ground and worshipful, since it
was there that William, surnamed Tell
40 (which interpreted means "The foolish
talker"-that is to say, the too-daring talker),
refused to bow to Gessler's hat. Of late years
the prying student of history has been
delighting himself beyond measure over a
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45 wonderful find which he has made-to wit,
that Tell did not shoot the apple from hisson's head.
To hear the students jubilate, one
would suppose that the question of whether
Tell shot the apple or didn't was an
50 important matter; whereas it ranks in
importance exactly with the question of
whether Washington chopped down the
cherry-tree or didn't. The deeds of
Washington, the patriot, are the essential
55 thing; the cherry-tree incident is of no
consequence. To prove that Tell did shoot
the apple from his son's head would merely
prove that he had better nerve than most
men and was as skillful with a bow as a
60 million others who preceded and followed
him, but not one whit more so. But Tell was
more and better than a mere marksman,
more and better than a mere cool head; he
was a type; he stands for Swiss patriotism;
65 in his person was represented a whole
people; his spirit was their spirit-the spirit
which would bow to none but God, the spirit
which said this in words and confirmed it
with deeds. There have always been Tells in
70 Switzerland-people who would not bow.
There was a sufficiency of them at Rutli;
there were plenty of them at Murten; plenty
at Grandson; there are plenty today. And the
first of them all-the very first, earliest
75 banner-bearer of human freedom in this
world-was not a man, but a woman-
Stauffacher's wife. There she looms dim and
great, through the haze of the centuries,
delivering into her husband's ear that gospel
80 of revolt which was to bear fruit in the
conspiracy of Rutli and the birth of the first
free government the world had ever seen.
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