Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-09-19

The FLYING DUTCHMAN.-The story of the
Flying Dutchman can be traced back as far as
the sixteenth century, and, like that Of his fell
low sufferer by land, the Wandering Jew, seems
to be an outgrOwth of the thoroughly reyolu-
tionized and exalted state of feeling caused by
the two great events of those times-the discoY-
cry of a new world by the Spaniards, and of a
new faith by the Germans. Can't. Yanderdecken,
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 car
ry out his purpose even if he should have to sail
till doomsday. The evil one, hearing this oath,
accepts it in its most literary meaning, and in
consequence the unfortunate 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 have tried in different ways to re-
lease him from this desolate estate. Capt Mar
ryat in his well known novel has not been very
fortunate in this respect. Another deROuenlent
of the story was invented by Heinrich Heine, and
upon this Wagner has aYowedly based the
poem OF his opera, In Heines fragmentary
story, The Memories of Herr Won Schnabelewop-
ski, the hero (who, by the bye, shows only
slightly disguised the characteristic features of
the great humorist himsel) tells us how, on his
passage from Hamburg to Amsterdam, he saw
a vessel with blood red sails, very like the
phantom ship of the Flying Dutchman, whom
shortly alterward he saw in ipsssma persona
on the stage of the last named city, The new
feature added to the old story is this-that, in
stead of an unconditional sentence Wander
decken is condemned to wander till doomsday,
unless he shall have been released by the love of
a woman faithful unto DEATH" The Devil
stupid as he is, does not believe in the virtue of
women, and therefore allows the doomed cap
tain to go ashore once every seven years. and to
take wife. The poor Dutchman has been dis
appointed in the attempt of finding such para
e l...A E,,I
last, Just after another period of seven years has
elapsed, he meets Scotch according to Way
ner, a NOrwegian) merchant, and readily OBJ
tains his paterna consent to a proposed mar
Tiage with his daughter This daughter herself
has formed a romantic attachment for the I'M
fortunate sailor, whose story she has heard and
whose picture hangs in her room. When she
sees the real Flying Durchman she recognizes
him at once by the resemblance with his like
ness, and, herocally deciding to share his i'll
fortune, accepts the offer of his hand. AT this
moment Schnabelewopski-I1ein is, by an I'M
foreseen and indescribable incident, called away
from the house, and when he comes back, is
just in time to see the Dutcbman 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 ii she accompanies him. But she, "faith-
iul unto death, ascends high rock aud Jumps
into the waves, by which heroic deed the spell is
broken, and the Flying Dutchman, united with
his BRIDE enters the long-closed yates of eternal
rest.
Heine pretends, as we have said to have soon
this acted on the Amsterdam stage; this state
ment, however, he Withdrew afterward and EN-
phatically claimed as his own the invention of
the beautiful and eminently dramatic episode
The former statement was also IN so far inaccu-
rate that he never sailed from Hamburg TO Hol-
land; his voyage was, on the contrary, directed
TO London, and here it most likely was that he
really made the acquaintance Of the "Flyng
Dutchman" in theatrical capacity. The story
OF the phantom ship seems to have been at that
time (1S21) to certain extent popular in En-
gland, very impressive version of it had APP
peared in Blackwood's Magazine, MAY, 1921
and this was made the groundwork of a meo
dramatic production of Fitzball, playwright of
those days, whose adaptations were almost as
original as those Of some contemporary stage
layortes. The piece in question is extremely
silly, and bad in every respect. Mynhcer Van
derdecken here is the slave and ally of some hor-
riu inonstcrof the deep, and his motive in taking
Wlle Is only TO increase the number of his vic
tins. In this wicked purpose however. he does
not succeed, the heroine escaping his
snares ana marrying Gl l remem-
Der flghtly young officer whom
she had loved against the will of her
father. This piece was running at the Adelpbi
theatre about the time of Heine's visit to Lon
don; and nothing is more probable than that
the German poet, who conscientiously studied
the English stage, should have seen it. For
the circumstances Of the Dutchman's taking A
wife, Ileine would in this case be indebted to
Fitzball, in whose piece there also occurs an old
picture connected with the story. 1t would
thus be most interesting TO note how Hene de-
yeloped out of these trivial indications his
noble idea of the Dutchman's deYerance by
the love of a woman. And Wagner on bis
part has heightened the dramatic pathos OF the