The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1850-06-01
THE DAILY SPY.
WORCESTER,
saTURpAY, JU.NE |, 1850.

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..LtFE OF JEAN Paul. FREDERIC RITcHTER,
compiled from various sources together with ms
Autobiography. Translated by ELIZA BUcKMiS-
srKR LEE.'' II mo. New York and Philadelphia:
Appleton Co. 1850.
Mr. Lee has given US delightful picture Of the life
and character of this great This autobiography
describes his childhood far his thirteenth year,
and the life is continued by selections from various Ger
man biographies, and Jean Paus correspondence with
his friends complied with the best taste and judgement
Few memoirs have been more successful in making us
acquainted with the whose life they describe; and
the book almost realizes the wish OF Ritchter expressed
ia the sentence il takes its motto 81 would gladly,
after my death, have that which has yet happen
ed to any author, all my thoughts given to the world
n9toa should be concealed This is nothing more
than we have right to demand in life Of Jean Paul.
for tits the daily beauty his life which is his
ing glory, and which pre-eminently distinguishes him
among his literary compeers The materials for such
history he has left in rich profusion; for no man
spoke and acted more constantly just what he felt This
made him in his life win the warmest love Of all noble
men and high-ninted women with whom he met and
him forever from the charges often justly brought
again men Of genius, which he fuey states in the fol-
loving extract:
ssWe have had great spirits, but not great men. All
genuses raise themselves By their understanding too
far above this earth We look serrowuly alter their
flight, and regret that only Wereyerence,
but do not love them. Rousseau alone is excep-
ton. His talents made him great individual his
heart allied him to all humanity We love him the
more because he discovered his faults to u.s. and was
not ashamed to be our fellow creature We
know of the heads Of celebrated men than of their
hearts they have sketched the former in their works.
their heart is found in their secret actions and they
would more certainly please ii they represented their
thoughts, opinions and feelings with less disguise
Life, p. los.
The selections from Ritchers journals and correspon-
dence abound in pcnctraye descriptions of the great
men with whom he associated and the richest gems of
thought We have here an account, in letter to his
friend Otto, Of his meeting with whose character
presents, in many respects, perfect contrast to his
ossn,-the great Goethe
80 went timdIy to meet Goethe Every
enc had described him as cold to every thing upon
the earth Madame Won Kab said he no longer admires
anything, not even himself Every word is ice Curl
osities merely, warm the hbres of his heart There
fore asked Knebel petrify incrust by some
mineral spring, that might present myself to him like
a statue or fossil. Madame Won Kalb advised me
above all things to be cold and sef-possessed, and
went without warmth, merely from curiosity. His
house, palace rather pleased is the only one in
Weimer in the Italian style-wth such steps!
Pantheon full of pictures and statues. Fresh ANXIETY
oppressed my breast! At last the god entered, cold
one-syabed, without accent. sThe French are draw
ing towards Paris said Knebal. sHem 2 said the
god. His face is massive and animated, his eve ball
Of light But, at last, the conversation led from the
campaign to art, publications, etc., and Goethe was
himself His conversation is rich and flowing
as Herder's but sharp-toned. penetrating, and calm.
AT last ne read, that is, played for u.s. an unpublished
poems IN which his heart impeled the fame through
the outer crust Of ice, that he pressed the hand M