Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-01-31
For the Chronicle.
ITEMS FROM THE LIFE OF SCHIL-
LER.*
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY
saet aI9 FRANK JOHNSON.

The habits and disposition of tn,
paternal household, in which Schiller
passed the years of his childhood, were
not favorable to the precocious devel
opment Of natural powers, but, fo.
spiritual healthfulness, exerted bene.
fcient influence. The father, though
simple and destitute of varied accom-.
plishments, was vigorous, quick anG
active in the practical walks of life
upright and pious. In the year l745
in the capacity Of surgeon, he accom-.
panied Bavarian regiment of Hus.
sars to the Netherlands, and his lack
of sufficient employment there led him
to obtain for himself the position oi
sub officer during the war then in pro-
gress, when small detachments were
sent out on expeditions. When, after
the conclusion Of the Aachner peace,
part Of the regiment, in which he
served, was dismissed, he returned to
his native country-the Duchy of Wur-
temberg-received appointment there
and, in the year 1857, served as ensign
and adjutant in the regiment then un-
der the command of Prince Louis.
This regiment belonged to anauxiliary
corps of Wurtemberg that composed
a part of the Austrian army in some
of the campaigns of the seven years
war. In Bohemia this corps sustained
a considerable loss through a violent
infectious disease; but Schiller's father
preserved himself by moderation and
great activity, and, in this time of dis
tress, voluntarily assumed every need
full Office in which he could be employ
ed. He attended the sick at time
when surgeons were in demand, and
filled the place of clergyman, in the
divine service of the regiment, by
reading prayers and leading in song.
After the year 1859, he served in
another Wurtemberg corps in Hesse
and Thuringia, when he made use of
every leisure hour, IN order to retrieve,
by private study. without extraneous
assistance, that which, under the press
ure of adverse circumstances, he had
failed to learn in earlier years. He
zealously pursued the study of Mathe-
matics and Philosophy, and agricultu-
raj pursuits had, at the same time, a
peculiar charm for him. A nursery
garden, which he established in Lewis
burg-where he was quartered as Cap
tain, after the close of the war-was
attended with the happiest consequen-
ces. This was the occasion of the
Duke of Wurtemberg's conferring
upon him the control of a larger es-
tablishment of this kind, which had
been instituted in the privacy of a
ducal chateau In this position he
fully realized his cherished anticipa-
tions, was esteemed by his Prince and
respected by all who knew him, reach
ed an advanced old age, and had, more
over, the pleasure of living to witness
the glory of his son. Concerning this
son occurs the following passage in
paper of the fathers, yet extant, and
written in his own hand:
And Thou Being of all beings
Thee did | supplicate, after the birth
of my only son, that Thou wouldstadd
to him in strength of mind what l,
from lack of instruction could not at
tain, and Thou hast heard me, thank
Thee, most kind Being, that Thou hast
regard for the prayers of all NOR
tails p l....-
Schiller's mother is described by
credible persons as an unpretending,
but sensible and good -natured house
wife, she tenderly loved her husband
and children, and her fervor of feeling
made her very dear to her son. For
reading she had little time, but Utz
and Gellert were her favorites, espec-
tally as religious poets. of such par
ents was born John Christopher Fred
erick Schiller, November the 10th,
1859, at Marbacb, a market town of
Wurtemberg, on the Neckar. His in
dividual propensities, the memory of
which has been retained from his ear
liest years, were indicative Off tender
ness of heart, righteousness, and rigid
conscientiousness. He received his
first instruction from Moser, the curate
of Lorch-a frontier town of Wurtem-
berg-where Schiller's parents resided
during the years 17G5-176S. This
clergyman's son. subsequently minis
ter was Schillers earliest friend, and
this friendship, most probably, gave
the first impulse to the prediction he
afterwards manifested for the minister
ial Office. The Schiller family re-
moved to Lewisburg again, in the year
1888. There the nine-year.old boy.
for the first time, saw a theater, and,
indeed, one no less splendid than the
magnifcence of the court under Duke
Charles government, demanded. The
effect was powerful; there was reveal