The laying of the corner stone for the Schiller monument was an occasion, at which the Germans of Chicago showed how highly they esteem and honor the favorite poet of Germany, Friedrich Schiller...

Mr. Julius Rosenthal, President of the Citizens Committee, said in his address: " The decision to erect a monument to the beloved of German poets was made by our German-American citizens of Chicago, September 24th, 1884. The Schwaben Society made the first step in this direction. The German population of this city was delighted with the project, and the necessary funds for the undertaking was subscribed in a very short time... "

The following are excerpts from Mr.Wilhelm Rapp's address: "At the time of young Schiller's death, this country was still an unpopulated wilderness. Since then, it has developed into a great and free country. It is Schiller's country also, for he was the greatest of all poets devoted to freedom.

Just as Goethe's works breatned love for nature, so does Schiller's express love for freedom...Schiller is indispensable for us in America. The wonderful German spirit and the beautiful family devotion which he glorified in his poem "The Glocke" ( The Bell) shall help to retain in our children the German spirit in the midst of English surroundings..."