Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-03-21
For the Chronicle.
ITEMS FROM TIE LIFE OF SCHIL-
LER.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY
81 eG FRANK JOHNSON.

LER.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN b
81 FRANK JOHNSON.
The design of drama, der Men
scheyeind (''The Enemy of Man, "
and some extant scenes of the sam'
belong, likewise. to this period, Blu
few short poems were then produced
fromhis pen. This was partly because
he was too busily engaged in carrying
on his journal, partly because there
had been aroused in him the wish il
some sphere of action to lay the foun.
datlon for an independent subsistence
without the province of poetry. He
wavered, for some time, between med.
icine and history. but, finally, chose
the latter. His historical researches
preparatory to writing Don Carlos
had turned his attention to fruitful
subject, "The Revolt of the Neither
lands under Philip the Second. u
Thence he began to collect the mater
ials for treating this subject. He then
also determined to Publish histories Of
the most remarkable revolutions and
conspiracies, of which, however, only
a part appeared, in which was also con-
tanned something relative to Schiller
himself.
Cagliostro was, at that time, actinga
role in France thatmade quite figure;
from among the accounts related Of
this singular man Schiller found much
that was servicable for romance, and
thus originated his conception of ''The
Ghost Seer" 1t was altogether with
out foundation in true history, but
Schiller, who never belonged to a
secret society wished merely to try his
powers in this species of writing. The
work became distasteful to him and
remained unfinished, when, from the
questions propounded to him from
several sides, it seemed to become
manifest that be would only have at
tracted to the adventure the curious
of the public. His had been
q higher aim.
The year 1887 took him to Weimar.
Goethe was then in Italy, but he met
with warm reception from Wieland
and Herder. Herder was extremely
fascinating to him, but the fatherly
affection, with which Wieland antici-
pated his wants, worked still more
powerfully upon Sehiller's suscepti.
bility. At that period he wrote to a
friend thus:
I'VE shall have glorious times. Vie
land is young when he likes"
So intimate relation gave rise to
Schiller's being invited to take regu-
lar part in the German Mercury" !"
The idea, by means of him to give
this journal a fresher and more youth
full aspect, was very pleasing one to
Schiller used all diligence
and furnished die Goe1er Griechen-
lands, C'The Gods of Greece,D die
Kuenstler ('.The Artists, ~ a fragment
of the history of the Netherlands, die
Briete ueJer Don Carlos ('The Letters
concerning Don Carlos and some
other prose writings for the annualsets
of THE Mercury" of 1873 and 17S9'
which, generally, were of the most
copious and. at the same, were distin
guished by contributions from Goethe,
Kant, Herder and Reinhold.
In the year 1857, Schiller received
an invitation from the lady in Meinin-
gen, from whom he had met with so
kind a reception after his removal
from Stuttgart, to pay her visit. Upon
this trip, which he undertook from
heart felt thankfulness and esteem, he
also stopped, for time, in Rudolstadt,
was greatly pleased with his stay there,
made interesting acquaintances, and
saw, for the first time, his future wife,
Fraeulein Won Lengefeld. Some
months had passed, after his return
from this visit, when he wrote thus to
a friend:
81 need medium through which to
enjoy the other pleasures. Friendship,
taste, truth, and beauty will exert a
more powerful influence upon me
when an uninterrupted train of deli
cate, charitable, domestic feelings dis
poses me to pleasure and warns my
benumbed being through again. Till
now, l have been an isolated man and
a stranger, a wanderer in the domain
of nature, and have possessed nothing
as my own. l long for a civil and do
mestic existence. For many years l
have not experienced complete happi-
ness, and not so much because objects
thereto were lacking. as be-
cause it was more stolen indulgence
in pleasures than full enjoyment of
them that 1 experienced, since l was
always destitute of that even and gen.
tie susceptibility which the quiet of
domestic life alone can give"
The country around Rudolstadt had
cha med Schiller SO greatly that he de-
termined to spend there the summer
of the year 1888. He resided, from
May till November, partly in Volk-
staedt-not far from Rudolstadt-
partly, after this, in Rudolstadt itself,
where almost every day found him in
the society of the family of Frau Won
Lengefeld. In November, he wrote
"It was, indeed, hard for me toleave
Rudolstadt. Ihave passed there many
delightful days and have established a
precious bond Of friendship"
During this stay in Rudolstadt Il
happened that Schiller saw Goethe for
the first time. His expectations were
raised to the highest pitch. not only
from his earlier impressions ofGoethe' Z
works, but also from everything he had