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About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (May 4, 1899)
THE TORCH OF REASON, SILVERTON, OREGON, MAY 4, 1899. another way of stating the axiom, The S tory of Tell a S olar M y th . Blue-tooth, and the occurrence is placed by Danish writers in the “Things which are equal to the E asy L essons in P hilosophy. BY B. F. UNDERWOOD. year 850. The legend also appears i same thing are equal to each in England, Norway, Russia, Fin I other.” I see no way of escape BY CHARLES CLARK MILLARD. “I am done with all fiction,” land and Persia. A similar story from this conclusion. Only two kinds of knowledge are conceiv- «aid Horace Walpole, in his last is told of a famous magician on the VI. Upper Rhine, and it is common to lueaum ____ able, Idealism u.. is practically dead; its namely, true knowledge and ¡llneae before his death when his assumptions have not “ become a fa|8e or mistaken knowledge; ar.d «on asked him if he would like to the Turks and Mongolians. The part of science,” and the verdict of n0 sane person will claim such a hear read a few pages of history, essential elements of the story—the science upon its conclusions is ‘‘not difference as this between our in- Matthew Arnold calls history “a command of a tyrant, the shooting proven.” Idealism represents na telligcnce and that of the other vast Miemwippi of falsehood.” of an apple or other small object . i i These remarks may be _ extrava- by an unerring archer from the ture, or God, as an arch-deceiver, n i m is* and the universe, humanity in And last, hut not least, it in easy gant, hut many scenes that have head of one dear to him, the cluded, as a grand universal scheme to establish the identity of Ihe'been described and events that archer’s providing himself with a of deception, and according to its sense impressions, which are the have been narrated never occurred; second arrow, and his reply, when teachings our mental faculties are elements of knowledge. Sugar and many of the pages of history- questioned, that it was to kill the not adapted to the outer world, but tastes sweet to all. Elephants, contain more error than truth, and tyrant should he slay his son or so constructed that all things con dogs, monkeys and red ants he- some of them no truth at all. friend—all these appear in the stantly appear to us to be what come as fond of molasses and Among the once universally be- myth, whatever differences there they are not, and what they candy as do children, while they Heved narratives, those relating to may he in names and circumstances. will not take kindly to quinine or the heroic achievements of William really are does not appear to us In its general features, the myth vinegar. Sights and sounds which Tell have long been known by was known probably to our Aryan at all. On the contrary, things are are agreeable to us are generally scholars to be without any histori ancestors thousands of years ago— what they seem, and the real, the liked by our dumb friends, and the cal foundation, and they are now before they left their home in Cen imperishable, the eternal is con reverse is also true, showing that being relegated to the limbo of tral Asia. The touching story of stantly in view and always striking the sense impressions are similar, fables by the Swiss people them the brave dog, Gelert, who saved selves. By the cantonal order of against our organs of sense. And if not the same. his master’s child by killing the Schwytz, the youth are not in A bright spring morning or a in fish and reptile, bird and quad wolf, and was hastily slain by the future to be taught the story of gloomy one has about the same ruped, from the lowest species to father, who saw Gelert’s mouth the highest, nature has followed effect on the whole animal world William Tell, the government de dripping with Mood, before the cry the same plan in adapting the liv that it has upon us; the ditch or claring that Tell is a myth and the of the child behind the cradle and ing to the non-living world. First, precipice, which seems dangerous legend of his romantic deeds pure- ttie sight of the dead wolf revealed a living substance having as a to you, frightens your horse, and , ly fanciful. to him his mistake, is one of sev The earliest work that alludes to eral similar stories which occur in property “irritability,” that is, a when returning late at night, the sensitiveness to direct or indirect imagination that presents to your William Toll’s adventures was the fireside lore of all Aryan contacts with the non-living world; inner vision a warm room and a written in 1482, which leaves an peoples, and which have evidently second, a system of nerves to trans- gOOd supper quickens the pace of interval of 186 years—from 1296— descended from a common ances mit contact feelings and internal your horse by presenting to his when the shooting of the apple was tral source. The myth of St. feelings; third, ganglia of “gray inner consciousness the warm stable supposed to have taken place, dur George and the Dragon is found in matter,” to receive the contact and the generous feed which awaits ing which there was no reference all Aryan nations; and that of feelings when transmitted and to him. By an easy series of experi to the stories of Tell. The chart Jack and the Beanstalk belongs to respond to them. Notice that the ments and observations, making ers of Kussenach show’ that no the stories of not only Aryan living has always adapted itself to allowance for habits and heredity, man of the name of Gessler ever peoples, but of the Americans and the not living, and not vice versa. the most skeptical can convince ruled there. The chroniclers of the Zulus of South Africa. Many the fifteenth century, who describe of the superstitions current among In addition to having similar himself of this basic fact. The influence of heredity (in the acts of tyranny of the Duke of people of Aryan descent, including means tor acquiring knowledge, all animals come in contact with the stinct) is stronger in some species Austria, by whom the Swiss were some of the stories that are so dear same inorganic world; they must than in others, but it is absent in goaded to rebellion, show no ac to childhood, have come down from necessarily learn about the same none and forms but a small part of quaintance with \\ illiam Tell’s ex very ancient mythology. things, properties and relations, for the intelligence of any species. ploits and make no mention of him It is the general conviction of there are no others. The very Sometimes the sense impressions of John of Winterthur, who wrote those who have made myths of this same light vibrations strike the other animals are more acute than early in the fifteenth century, at class subjects of thorough investi eyes; the same sound vibrations ours, and as far as this is the case, the time of the battle of Morgarten, gation that they are the explana roll in upon the ear, and the they have a better foundation for minutely describes all the inci- dents of the Swiss revolution, but tion by the uncivilized mind of primal necessities and desires exist knowledge than have we. Lack of space loroieis my enlarg- nowhere alludes to \\ illiam Tell, natural phenomena. Thus, in re in all. gard to the Tell myth, John Fiske Since like causes produce like ing upon this subject, but I believe In 1598 Guillimann published a says: “The conception of infallible effects and all knowledge is the I have written enough to put the work on Swiss antiquities, in which skill in archery, which underlies effect of two causes acting together reader who wishes to learn the he pronounced the story of \\ il such a great variety of myths and at the same time, and in the differ truth in the way of experimenting, liam Tell a pure fable. In 1760 popular fairy tales, is originally ent animal species acquiring knowl observing and thinking out the de- another writer published his opin derived from the inevitable victory edge, one cause (the inorganic tails and finding proofs for him- i°n that the legend had a Danish of the sun over his enemies, the world) is always the same, then self. But whatever you do, dear origin, and for this he was con- demons of night, winter and tem the knowledge of each species can reader, do not attempt to make a demned by the C anton of I ri to be pest. Arrows and spears which vary only as the nerves and brain compromise with truth; it cannot burnt alive. never miss their mark, swords It is certain that the Danish of each species vary from the gen- lie done. Between error and truth, from whose blow no armor can eral plan of organization and ac- between the schemes of ancient story of Palnatoki, who, when protect, are invariably the weapons cording to the development it has dreamers, supported by traditional asked by the king why he bad of solar divinities or heroes. The ignorance, and the facts of science, taken more arrows from the quiver 1 attained. shafts of Bellerophon never fail to supported by the common sense of when it had been settled that he Another line of argument slay the black demon of the rain equally conclusive. If universal mankind, there is an “irrepressible should try the fortune of the bow cloud, and the holt of Phoibo;- skepticism is discarded, and it is conflict.” but once, replied, “That I might , Chrvaor deals sure destruction to --------—------- avenge on thee the sw’erving of the admitted that the evidence given the serpent of winter. Odysesseus, Nature is truth. Natural science first with the points of the rest, bv our senses is true, then from the warring against the impious night similarity of the nervous organiza is a method of describing nature by 1 lest, perchance, my innocence might heroes, who have endeavored tion the evidence given by the pen and pencil. The pencil and have been punished while your throughout ten long years or hours senses of all animals is likewise the brush produce art. The object violence escaped scot free,” is de- of darkness to seduce from her al true, and all true presentations of of art is to bring the best imita- rived from the same source as the the same things must be alike as tions of nature within our dwell- Swiss story. The tyrant in the legiance his twilight bride, the far as they coextend. This is only ings.—[Common Sense. Danish myth is evidently Harold weaver ot the never-finished web of For the Torch of Reason.