Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-01-31

4 cnateaus anu Wnat was, allerwarQs
Charles School, in Stuttgart, was
favor on the part Of the Prince. h
refusal Of which was, necessarily,
critical matter to Schiller's father
However, he freely disclosed to tn
Duke his design Of devoting bis sol
to profession for which he could no
be prepared at the new school. Th,
Duke was not offended, but requested
the choice of another course of study
Schiller's family were greatly perplex
ed; he, himself, could not, without /,
severe struggle, sacrifice his inclina
tons to the circumstances of hi,
father; but, at length, he decided upor
the legal department, and was admit.
ted into the new institute in the, yea,
1773. Yet, in the following year, wher
every pupil was required to compose
his own charaeter-portraiture, Schiller
ventured the avowal: THAT he would
esteem himself far happier, if he could
serve his country as divine"
! Moreover, in the year 1775, he seized
an opportunity to give up the study Of
law, which had no attractions for him.
Near the institute had been set up a
new academy for future physicians.
The Duke accorded to every pupil the
choice of making use of this establish
ment, a privilege of which Schiller
availed himself.
Itwas at the Charles School that his
earliest poems originated. An attempt
to fully explain the popularity of these
productions, the outgrowth of the cir
cumstances by which he was then sur
rounded, would be fruitless trouble.
Of that which determined the direc-
tion of such mind, naturally, much
lay hidden, and only few facts, grown
familiar, in regard to this, are worthy
of notice.
There was little opportunity for
reading German poets at the Charles
School, as in most of the educational
institutions of Germany, at that time,
Schiller remained yet unaequainted
with great part of the literature of
his native land; but he became so
much the more familiar with few of
his favorites. Klopstock, Utz, Les
sing, Goethe, and Won Gerstenberg
were the friends of his youth.
At the German Parnassus new life
sprang into being. The best mind re-
belled against the despotism of fash
ion and the tendency towards cold ele-
gance Powerful delineation of pas
sion and character, deep insights into
the innermost recesses of the soul,
richness of fancy and diction, should
alone found the merit of the poet. In
dependent of all external surround
ings, he should seem like being from
another world, careless whether, soon
er or later, he shall meet with worthy
acceptance with his contemporaries
Not through foreign influences, but
only through itself should German
poetry unfold its secret workings. Ex-
amples of such character could not
fail of taking a strong hold upon a
youth of Schiller's parts. Hence his
peculiar enthusiasm for Goethe's Goetz
ron Berlichingen and Gerstenberg's
Ugoiino. Later, his attention was
turned to Shakespeare, through the in
fuence of his teacher, to whom he was
indebted for several important services.
His intimacy with the poet Schubart
extended no farther than his visiting
him at the fortress of Hohenasperg
from sympathy with his misfortunes.
An epic poem, entitled Moses, belongs
to Schiller's earliest attempts of the
year 1773, and not long after, came
forth his first tragedy, Cosmus voa
Medicis, in substance similar to
Leisewitzen's Julius Uon Tdrent. Iso-
lated passages from this piece were,
subsequently, inserted into die Raeaber,
but, besides this, not one of Sehiller's
productions of the period previous to
1880 has been preserved, except few
poems that are found in the Swabian
Magazine. At his own instigation he
was then engaged not only in reading
the poets; Plutarch's Lives also, and
the writings of Herder and Garven
were especially attractive to him, and
it is worthy of remark, that he particu-
larly applied himself to the study of
Luther's translation of the Bible into
the German language.
%Koerner, the counselor of appeals in
Dresden, as the author of this Life, gives
security for the authenticity thereof. sub
sequently to the year 17S5, he was number
ed among Schiller's most trusted friends,
and was assisted by valuable contributions
from several persons who had sustained
the most intimate connection with the de-
ceased. Not the smallest circumstance has
been admitted into this biography that is
not founded upon Schiller's own express
ions, or upon credible testimony. 1t must
be remarked that IL was composed in the
year 1872.