The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-09-22
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER % ,s,,
The Flying Dutehm..

The story of the Flying Dutchman can ho
traced back as far as the sixteenth centnrv
and, like that of his fellowsufferer BY land
the Wandering Jew, seems to be an out
growth of the thoroughly revou.ionized and
exalted state of feeling caused by the two
great events of those times the discovery of
new world by the Spaniards, and of new
faith by the Germans. Capt. Vanderdecken
as is generally known, tries to double the cape
Notwithstanding heavy gale blowing dead
In his teeth, and finding his task too much
for him, the obstinate Dutchman insists that
he will carry out his purpose even if he should
have to sail till doomsday. The evil one,
hearing this oath, accepts it in its most liter
al meaning, and il consequence the unfor-
tunate sailor is doomed to roam forever and
aye over the ocean, far from his wife and his
beloved Holland. However, the poets of later
ages, plying the weary wanderer of the main
nave trieo IN dlnerent ways to release him
from THIS desolate estate. Capt Marryat in
his well known novel has been very fortunate
IN thls respect. Another deaouenaent of the
story was Invented by Heinrich Heine. and
upon TINS wagner has avowedly based the DO.
EN- OF his opera. In Heine's tragmentary sto-
ry, "The Memories of Herr Won Scbnabele-
wopski," the hero (who, by the bye. shows
only slightly disguised the characteristic fea
lures OF the great humorist himsell) tells us
how, on his passage from Hamburg to Am
sterdam, he saw vessel with blood red sails,
very like the phantom ship OF the FLYING
Dutchman, whom shortly afterward he saw
in ipsissima persona on the stage OF the last
named city. The new feature added to the
old story is this-tlIat, instead of an uncondi-
tional sentence, Wander decken is condemned
to wander till doOms1ay, unless he shall have
been released by the love of a woman faith
full unto DEATH" The Devil, stupid as he is,
does not believe in the virtue of women. and
therefore allows the doomed captain to 90
ashore once every seven years, and to take a
wife. The poor Dutchman has been d;sap-
pointed in the attempt of finding such para
gon OF faithful spouses Tor many time, till
at last, Just after another period OF seven
years has elapsed, he meets a Scotch (accord-
ing to Wagner, Norwegian merchant, and
readily obtains his paternal consent to pro-
posed marriage with his daughter This
daughter herself has formed a romantic at
tachment for the unfortunate sailor, whose
story she has heard, and whose picture hangs
in her room. When she sees tie real FLYING
Dutchman she recognizes him at once by the
resemblance with bis likeness, and, heroicalIy
deciding to share his ill fortune, accepts the
offer OF his hand. At this moment Schnabel-
ewopski-Heine is, by an Unforeseen and inde-
scribable incident, called away from the
house, and when he comes back, is just in
time TO see the Dutchman on board his own
ship, which is weighing anchor for another
voyage of hopeless despair. He loves his
bride, and would save her from the fate that
threatens her if she accompanies him. But
she, faithful unto DEATH" ascends high
rock and jumps into the waves, by which he
roc deed the spell is broken, and the Flying
Dutchman, united with his bride, enters the
long-closed gates of eternal rest.
Heine pretends, as we have said, to have
seen this acted on the Amsterdam stage !. this
statement, however, he withdrew aiterward,
and emphatically claimed as his own inven-
ton the beautiful and eminently dramatic
episode. The former statement was also in
so far inaccurate that he never sailed from
Hamburg to Holland his voyage was, on the
contrary, directed to London, and here ii
most likely was that he really made The ac
quaintance of the "Flying Dutchman" in a
theatrical capacity. The story of the phal-
tom ship seems to have been at that time
(1S27) to certain extent popular in England.
very impressive version OF it had appeared
il Blackwood's Magazine, MAY, 1921, } and
this was made the ground work of melodra-
e.AesoiS PAo"NSeioh VI fi1zodh, a vi
those days, whose adaptations were almost as
"Originap as those of some contemporary stage
favortes. The piece in question is extremely
silly, and bad in every respect. Mynheer
Vanderdecken here is the slave and ally of
some hOrrid monster of the deep, and his mo
tive In taking a wife is only 20 increase the
number OF his victims. In this wicked pur-
pose, however, he does not succeed, the hero
inc escaping his snares aud marrying l(if
remember rightly young officer whom she
had loved against the will of her father. This
piece was running at the Adelphi theatre
about the time OF Heine's visit to London !;
and nothing is more probable than that the
German poet. who conscientously studied the
English stage, should have seen it. For the
circumstances of the Dutchman's taking a
wife, Heine would in this case be indebted to
Fitzball, in whose piece there also occurs an
old picture connected with the story.
no& Xaqhldt Xaqhldt ts Rf mQsi Qu iJRtsEsstpgt fa R4te }
dicatiOns his noble idea of the Dutchman's
deliverance Oy the love of woman. And
Wagner, on his part, has heightened the dra-
matte pathos of the table by making his hero
symbolic profound philosophical idea
thus raising the conception of his character
from that Ut popular tale into thai of artis-
tic significance, or, to speak with Edgar Poe,
out OF fancy into Imagination. The pitifui
figure of Mynheer Vanderdecken becomes
an embodiment of life-weariness, longing for
death. and forgetfulness of individual pain
and struggle or (which is the same thing) Of
Axys-k