New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-01-17

DC ,uaiDted with life lie had gaiped knowledge OF
die world and of men, as wen ls taclnty IN III III
tsrcouraa with o classes of society. His actual sue
@ @ ~ dva,natc noet taught him his vocation to
TtroTv career aud kindled his ambition to become
t6e teacher of his countrYmen through the meulun
Inon his arrival at Berlin, Leasing was not twenty
wears of age lie had 10 money, no recOnnlehet9I,,
no friends, scarcely any o,vers
and the discipline acquired through past prIl a'Iul,
lie was so poor that he was unable TO Obtain ~
the decent clothing necessary 70 ina9G nareIfs hut
that aid was withheld. His father lndeeu NeiaII ~
his immediate return home. But ne 1lay @ ISM
comply with the request. Il shall not re Lo,
said he; "nor shall 90 to any university, psta"
my stpends are not sufficient to pay MY u o u,n
shall certainly visit either vienna ap, =, icb
over and shall vet come to some place Wl9lo SUI
cobIle stone asnyself can be used tlS eltcl h i
the desired effect. His parents consiGeIS, s ISL,
to see the world and even 10 go TO On 0 IN free
rs still dangerous thah ltsuouoO , - Inch
thinking Berlin. They sent Inn some hi3nel Maetod
with few dollars of hs.own earning ne lhEe Hft
in q new suit of clothes, so that nc was IedS W
himself be by oil men, ana to appiy III RIs
10 those whose assistance be Sought, lhiol poon5
and manuscripts, which he had leIt 40 nome M,
also sent 10 him after repeated requests. lheA
were not relieved however OF their suspicious, a,t
constantly annoyed him with pr0EOking iInpol,un,l
ties His letters TO his father al is I; b Is
q singular nobleness of nature Wlthout lOslls Hs
childish reverence, he firmly opposed every uiWVIt!y
SANDER Meanwhile he fought his way IN Beihh
The FIST means which he employed for earning
teca was TRANSMITTING FROM foUign languages.
lie translated several volumes OF hoiln ana learned
SPANISH and Italian for the same purpose In con-
nectiOn with literary friend. he 1Clihded . Qu"t
terlv-Review, intended as an encyclopedia Journal
for the whole compass of the drama ana the theater
The plan ~ broad and ambitious as the lllIei'
spirit Of youth could suggest IL was no sall ehISI
prise for a young man OF twenty 10 uhdellahS tue
reform of a whole department of literature and art
The German public was 10 he made acquainied, ny
means OF good trauslHtiOnS, both with the dralnoc
literature of the Greeks and Romans and wan the
productions OF modern cultIVa'SH nations ills eSg
was chiefly directed to the English theator ana
Shakespeare, butthe Spanish, French .ltahan, ana
Dutch were not forgotten. As he always Dr0ught
his literary efforts to bear upon actual he, IN TINS
case he pointed out The importance of the dramatic
art not only for the sta9e-playeI, but also loi INC
pulpit orator 80 ~. !,
formed connection with prominent literary jour
nal OF Berliu This gave him sphere OF coueenal
activity ltcalled into IequiSltlQn ms various ana
thorough scholarship and enabled HIM 10 express nls
thoughts 90 the public the teTaly'nterestS oI Tue
times, which otherwise would have been confined TO
the circle of his immediate acquaintance. lie now
won the genuine golden spurs of critical chiNalry"
and gained fOreaste of the reputation which eighty
years after prompted Macaulay To declare him be-
yond all dispute the first critic in Europe"
In these first-frus Of his genius, Losing displayed
the same qualities for which he was conspicuous III
tho maturity of his fame Every line oi ms Writings
shows his aversion To ihc tor1uallty OF the pcdoil
and 10 theological intolerance lie was no less M
dignant at the frivolous spirit of the French which
had given an af'of eteminaey 10 the literature oi
the age His strong relgiOcs sCUse, though inpa-
tient of the shackles of crceds ana rituals, found eN-
preston in words of love. lie cherished generous
and lofty patriotism lis love- d justice wa ,;, inter S
woven with the very nbeIs OF bis being. With his
/ uuerrng eye for the detection of shans he COM
! bned wonderful sensibility 10 every genuine form
of truth and beauty. IN point Of style, he had al
ready attained sptcss and elegance of language,
facile grace and sportye huu0r of treatment, such
as few writer's of that day had even dreamed of.
His manner lent enclntment 10 the dryest subjects,
and even the dUllest books gained interest from ms
criticisms Even at this early age, ms essays en-
brace the whole circle oil the 9siheuc ana literary
interests OF the day, mover taulng 10 bl1ng thtlf
essential points into notice and subectng them TO
/ an exhaustive treatment notwithstanding the rag
| lncntary form of the composition.
After three years of labor ~ critical Journalist
leasing resolved 10 leave Berlin for time and give
! another direction to- his studies. His employment
did not satisfy bis intellectual needs. With regard
10 his capital of knowledge he felt that he was ca
pending what he had acquired without being able to
earn anything in addition lie decided, therefore, 90
continue his studies at the university of Wttenberg,
where he could penetrate into the innermost sane
tuary of book-wOr1n erudtiou." Ills time was di,
yded between the history of learned men and classical
philology. The Reformation and the Reformeis ere
otsects of his special attention. After twelve
month Of intense literary labor at Wittct1erg, he
left that melancholy university town. and returned
20 the more exciting life Of the PIJlssian capital.
! The next three years which he spout III Berlin
were rich i'm important results for hismenal progress.
lie had now won irn position IN the literary world
He formed connections with men of historical note
Ia the intellectual life Of Germany, whose friendship
he never subsequently, lost. His relations with hs
family became more pleasant, and they gained the
| conviction by degrees that the son whose writings
were commended by illusiIOUs scholars aud theolO-
gians could no longer bc regarded a prndal. His
| literary activity ut this time was immense. lie Ie-
suned the writing of critical notices for the journal
| with which ho had been previously connected and
! continued bis TRANSACTIONS from the French. English,
aud Spanish teTatures Beside these labOIs he pub
lished several volumes of his own collective writings,
agd completed many works OF a miscellaneous char
acter
Passing over several years of Lersiugsfe, in hch
he produced many OF the great dramatic works on
which his fame rests, come 10 the composition of
his laOkO0n, in which he explains the principles Of
| gsthetics that have since been received Of the
highest authority IN the criticism Of ert Up to that
time, uo philosophical distinction Ind been established
| between the provinces OF poetry and the formative
arts. The central point Of LaOkOGn is 10 be found
the side Of poetry the function Of which is to initiate
objects 10y suggestion rather than by description The
poet must pant, not by individual features, though
The reader looked np0n the read picture, but only by
outlines III such manner that the sketch is filled UP
by the imagination The celebrated art critic Wnck-
emann had censnred Virgil because in his descrip
he makes laokOOn shrek; and praised The sculptor
Of the group because he had tempered the piercing
! cry of anguish into a sigh. Leasing main
tains that the poet and the sculptor acted in
formity with their respective arts The sculptor was
moi striving alier the expression OF higher moral
mobility, as Wmckemanu suppOSes, but was governed
\ bya regard 90 the law of beauty, which anOng the
the imperative duty of the artist TO tranquze the
violent, the distorted, and the hideOus where these
must be employed, so that degree of beauty might
/ be obtained Tins the master of LaokO0n, since he
aimed at the highest beauty possible under the given
circumstances OF bodily pain compelled 10 soften
theagonys that the expression ght yet be beautiful
Another law deduced by Icssng from the comparison
of Nirgs description with the work OF the sculptor
was connected with the category of time, which re-
Strcts the artist 10 the maging OF single instant.
Hence tho instant must De selected which contains
| the fullest meaning But the most significant mo-
Inent Is that which grants the irccst scope to the I'M
a3gnatiOn of the behoder-tle il presents 10 the
sight, the il offers to the thought The repre-
sentation oil passion Ny formative art consequently
onght never To show an extremity beyond the reach
If nuti fltae..
! makes the Transition to the laws of poetry He
shows that lLe law OF the nrollic nnnent doc moi