New-York daily tribune., 1856-01-15

ings wbo through crcumstanee. the moe. trying, ss
wen through the ordinary details Of fe, manifest
! notle character. The Queen Of Prussia and the
in modern German history who boh opposed the chez
man Of the age, Napoleon and were both admired ~
him for that very opposition. Luce vae % grand
creature that can afford 10 add that she was OF
cold temperament somewhat rigid in her enforcement
! Of etiquette lin this 20 unlike the dowager,l and
to the last the old costume which had been the
fashion in her youth; apt in the cary years o' De.
marriage 10 be little querulous with her husband,
but showing throughout their lives q real and nooe
friendship for him. And he worthy OF thai iElend-
ship much az his strange, and in many respects opPo
site nature, may have tired her. Kari August whom
Frederick the Great pronounced at fourteen, 70 oe
the prince, OF al be had seen, who gave the grates'
promise, in truth very mixed. but very adnira
bic, character. He can afford 20 be looked at more
/ coeely and amilarly than most princes. lie was
man whose keen appreciation Of genius 10;
only drew the most notable men of the day to Nenar,
but whose own intrinsicaly fine qualities Kept them
there II IL easy for prince TO assemble men o taht
Ii j. not easy for prince 10 make them remain oesde
him, in the full employment of their faculties, and IN
reasonable enjoyment of their position. Kari August
the prince who with the smallest means produced
! the greatest resul; in Germany. he was man OF
restless activity His eye was on every part OF his
domnions; his endeevors to improve the condition OF
the people were constant. In his tastes no man IN
Germany was so simple, except hs dearest frlehd;
Goethe with whom, indeed. he bad many carulnal
points in common. | remember, on hrst seeing Their
busts together, being struck with sort OF ialnt 'ay
resemblance between them. Kari August might have
been younger brother. considerably animanzed,
but It'll belonging 10 the family They had both, on
the paterna side Thuringan blood in their VEINS ana
in many respects Amaia and Frau Ala were AKIN.
But while Karl August had the active, healthy sen-
suous pleasure-loving temperament of his inend, ne
wanted the tact which allowed Goethe, even IN
bic widest period to overstep limits; he wanted the
tenderness and chivalry which made the poet go uni
iormly acceptable to women; He was witty but & nis
b0nos mostly Of that kind which, repeated atter
dinner not considered h for drawing-room pubh'
cation. Very characteristic it of him. who had be-
slowed unusual pains in collecting BH.0tttcd Ere
tcG tha. when Schiller wrote the Mad Of orleans ne
fancied Schiller was going to give another verelon OF
La PUceLe, and abetted his mistress the fTau Won
Heygendorf in her refusal to play the part of the re-
habitated Maiden He rough soldiery, orusque
and imperous He was al home when in garrison with
Prussian soldiers but out of his element when az for
eign Courts and not always at ease IN hrs own Goethe
describes him longing for his pipe at the Court Of Bruins
wick in 1894; DE son cote rotre bon Due ennne
terrblement il cberche intere il ny voudralt pas
etre pour ren la marche tres ben mesuree de tout ce
gu on fat lei ie gene, il faut quI renonce "a enere
pipe ct fee pourrot lui rendre un service pus
agreeable quen changant ce paais dams une caoshe oe
cbarbonnier." In letter unprinted), he writes TO
Goethe then at jena saying be longs to be with nm
TO watch sunrise and sunset for he cant see the sun
set in Gotha hidden as is by the crowd OF courties
who are so CONNIE Il fdut and know their hsh duty
with such terrible accuracy that every evening he
feels inclined to give himself TO the devil. His de-
light when not with soldiers, was TO be with dogs or
with his poet alone in their simple houses, discussing
philosophy and "tskirg of lovely things that conquer
death lie mingled freely with the people. At j.
menau he and Goethe put on the miners dress de-
scended into the mines, and danced all night with
peasant girls. Riding across country, over rock ana
stream, in manifest peril OF his neck; teaLing the
maids of honor sometimes carrying this NJ tar AZ 10
offend his more prncely wife; wandering alone with
his dops or with joyous companions seeking eS-
citernsnt in wine, and in making love to pretty
women, without much respect OF station; onena,
-. L., b;a nd uillfulnrss though
estranging his friends - Karl August, often griev-
ing bis admirers, was with all hls errors
genuine and admirable character; His intellect
was active, hs judgment, both OF men and
things, sound and keen. Once, when there was
discussion about appointing Fichte as Professor at
Jena, one Of the opponents placed WORK OF rlchIe
in the Dukes hands, as sufficient proof that s"ch
teacher could not hold chair Karl August read the
book-and appointed Fchte. He had great aims; he
also had the despotc will which bends circumstance
to it's determined Issues. d" lie was always in progress
sad Goethe to Eckermann; "when anything failed he
dismissed il at once from his mind. often bothered
myeelf how to this that failure; but he ~
nored every short coming in the cheerfules way, and
always went forward to something new
The friendship of Goethe and Schiller was
memorable feature in the lives of both the great
rival poets. Rarely have two eminent men pre-
sented greater contrasts Of character; still more
rarely have antagonistic natures been united in
closer bond of brotherhood. ITO look on these
great rivals was to see at once their profound dis
similarity. Goethe's beautiful head had the calm
victorious grandeur of the Greek ideal; Schilers
the earnest beauty of Christian looking toward
the Future The massive brow, and large-pupil
eves-like those given by Raphael to the infant
Christ. in the matchless Madonna di San SistO-
the strong and well.propOrtioned features, lined
indeed by thought and suffering, yet showing that
thought and suffering have troubled but not van
auished, the strong man-a certain healthy vigor
in the brown skin, and an indescribable something
which shines from out the face, make Goethe
striking contrast to Schiller, with his eager eyes,
narrow brow-tense and intense-his Irregular
features lined by thought and suffering, and weak
ened by sickness. The one looks the other looks
out Both are majestic; but one has the majesty
of repose, the other of conflict. Goethes frame ID
massive, imposing; he seems much taller than he
is. Schiller's frame is disproportioned; he seems
less than he is Goethe holds himself stIffy erect;
the longnecked Schiller walks like a camel.
Goethe's chest is like the torso OF the Theseus;
Schillers is bent, and has lost lung"
The parallel between their intellectual character
istics is drawn with happy discrimination by Mr.
Lewes and indeed forms one Of the best specimens
of his more thoughtful style Of composition IN these
volumes:
In comparing one to Greek ideal, the other to
Christian IDEAL has already been implied that one
was the representative Of Realism the other OF ldee
ism Goethe has himself indicated the capital dstinc-
tion between them: Schiller animated with the
idea Of Freedom; Goethe, on the contrary, was ani-
mated with the idea Of Nature. This distinction runs
through their works. Schiller always pining tor some
thing greater than Nature, wishing to make men dem