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for very long, over the (in their opinion) hideous frivolity, or indeed sinful extravagance, but their cackling went unheeded.

At last the long anticipated day arrived. People were worried about the weather, since for some time the sky had looked dark and threatening, and indeed on that morning it looked very threatening and let fall some drops of rain. But heaven heard the prayers of the Toggenburg girls and the tender-hearted mothers. For certainly many thousands of ardent sighs were sent up to heaven for good weather, so that heaven would not spoil their pleasure. At last towards midday the sky cleared, to everyone's joy. One commune after another came marching in with their captain at their head, in as good an order as could be expected in such a short time. The captains and other officers are mostly young men, and very few among them have seen foreign service, so in exercises and manoeuvres they were no more advanced than the common men. But at the outset one would not expect perfection in all things. I have never seen such perfection in other places in Switzerland, never as good as, for example, in Prussia, though men have been trained to the use of weapons for centuries. With time our military manoeuvres may well go better, if the leaders are still so intent upon it and everyone is as eager as they are now.

Every commune brought their banners and their musicians with them, more or less well ordered and appropriate. On the whole the music seemed to me very fine and festive, and thoroughly suited to these solemn processions. Some of our more populous communes or captaincies strove fraternally for the advantage in arming their men, their order and harmony. The smaller and more remote ones did what they could according to what leadership they had. Every captaincy had some advantage, either in great matters or in small, one excelled in music, another in riding, a third in grenadiers, and so on. But none envied another their advantages, but bore witness to their satisfaction in it. Young boys could not leave out the old custom of including in such solemn processions many harlequins and jesters. One saw many painted fools imitating the most ceremonious movements with dancing and capers, and also old-fashioned Swiss costume. But indeed, it's the same the whole world over. The Swiss even in foreign courts must still wear their old Pomphosen and national dress, and no comedy pleases them so much as when Harlequin and Ruppel appear in it and know how to play their part as fools.

At last it was twelve o'clock and all the communes were assembled together on the square at Lichtensteig. Our whole council of sixty men climbed to the platform. Herr Landrats-Obmann [the president of the provincial council] and Pannerherr Stadler made a fine speech to the assembled men. Then the oath was read aloud and the oath to the country was sworn. On this subject the provincial official Squire Landvogt [governor] von Müller also made an elegant speech (both speeches have appeared in print, otherwise I would report them here)

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Then with banners flying and music ringing out one commune after another withdrew. A great crowd of spectators, among which there were many foreigners, loudly applauded their good order and brotherly unity. For everyone joined in so willingly, in unity and accord such as

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The Chronik [p 394] adds that Stadler's speech was published in the following year, but Müller-Friedberg's now exists only in quotations in Dierauer's biography, for example (p 53): "You are free enough to be happy, men of the Toggenburg! and as truly as God lives, you shall remain thus free. So do not trust those who wish to spread disunity in a fortunate household, who wish to inflame your minds with invented images of terror, who think so poorly of you that they can claim to cozen the favour of a brave people through smooth, slippery words." The authorities were obviously well aware that revolutionary propaganda was reaching Switzerland. Bräker's enthusiasm for military exercises in this description seems out of character, but he was always patriotic and may have written like this because he feared that his homeland was threatened by revolution or invasion. On the other hand, he may simply be trying to make his writing more acceptable for publication.

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