New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-28

and may help and have helped each Othor. The life
that began It's work atWeimar differed much from che
life that has conferred in Philadelphia and New-fork
and Boston and Washington. The latter had an In
tense nationality, and began in deadly struggle Tor
existence, while the former had 10 national feeling
and the Wcimar which was the Parnassus OF art and
letters was the Little Peddlington of politics. The
new America had hard and serious work to do, and
left books and meditation for the fc,d OF warfare
and the hall Of debate and legislation while Woimar
made of culurc devotion, and the rising poet was
more busy rs superintendent of artistic pleasures
than as Privy councillor of State Around our Wash
ington gathered The sturdy men who were TO 'oaa
tina continent forward from the cd monarchy to the
new republic while around the Duke of Weimar as
semblcd the restless spirits who were 20 soothe Tie
daring radicalism of German thought into new
order of conservatism and in spite OF their quarrei
with Napoleon were to join him i'll ms gigantic TASK
Of impcr;al;zng the Revolution and carrying Dem
ocracy forward or backward toward the Empire aud
thu Pope Certainly Goethe was in his way very
much of an atistocrat and his Wilhelm Meister
ike himself illustrates the cultare that goes from
simple life end plain people TO the parade OF courts
and the grandeur of mobiles, yet does not forget ma
ture and humanity there.
Ill As (;oethe's times thus have certain afinites
and contrasts with national lifc 50 the temper
of his career the tone of his experience, touches us
in important points. Brother jonathan began
hundred years ago. with quarreling pretty sharply
with the world. and WAS moved TO hght ior
very life But his rebellion differed very much
from that of the "StorIn and Pressure" pc
Rod that set SO many of the young bloods
of Germany and France at about the same
time in arms against the old regime Of Thought
and socisty and made its mark IN such romanceS as
the "Nouvcilc Hcloise" anu Werthcr." two epoch
making works which Erich Schmidt, a critic oil
much ability has Just connected together by COM
mon motive and traced deliberately to the kn'a!ins
touch of so old-fashioned a thinker and go thril-
ling a story teller as Samuel Richardson and 10 his
lonQ-winled but Incompatible novel "ClarisSa
Harlowe.r Oar American revolution a civil not
a sociaI revolution, and neither Washington and ms
cenera,s nor Franklin and his statesmen, had any
dsnostion to quarrel with distinct oDs of property
or of social standing OF to set up any revolutionary
code of ethics OF religion. The leaders were TO great
extent gentlemen OF men OF education and OF posi-
finn and in throwing of the old monarchy they had
noidea of bringing all down to tlocve OF any radical
socialism Certainly there is nothing OF the stormy
snirit of Werthcr" in the dominant literature OF
our revolutionary fathers and such bold thinkers as
Franklin and Jefferson did not cha!e ut the tyranny
of the marriage bond or think oil blowing th"LI
brains ont because Charlotte was married TO Albert
and the courtly Miss v could rot smile consolation
she novel
Tbore was. of course new life stirring the mind
af the voDnc generation in the New World the
Old and tie problem set before Goethe IN f&usi,
~,s virtually before our earnest thinkers The con-
fict between man aud circumstance between the
soul and nature the split and the hesh IS the OLD
story; and sin and salvation, tbs fall and the re-
de1np.ion were studied in new lights everywhere as
the old theories and prieSthoods were challenged
But cur Yankee Faust except IN such case as
Aaron Barr's vino had something TO DO with Mepbs-
topheles without doubt, took different turn from
Aha q" Faust" of Goethe and instead of being cap
tured by the senses and running himself by the ruin
of Margaret he had 700 nuch work upon has hands
n Weld 10 pleasure and was saved thus from that
fall So among our bold thinkers the Second Part OF
Faust came irst and if may take our chief man
Of letters and our best writer Of that as specimen
franklin who as printer as well as a philosopher,
NAV be fifty named with Faust as shining mark for
the devil, we may say of him thai in spite OF his
carly indiscrct;ons he kept himself out Of the
clutches of Mephistopheles by bis loyal service and
his last hours were cheered with visions as bright as
those that gathered around Faust the aged In
GOethe's drama:
"To many millions let me furnish soil
Though not secure yet free 10 acti,o ton; ...
Green frI tile fields where mcn and herds 90 forth
AT once with comfort gu the newest EARN,
Aud swiftly settled on the hills hrn Base
Created ny the hold industrious raco
And slch a thrung fam would zee, .
Stand free soil among people Iree:
Our new generation is more likely to illustrate the
First Part Of Faust and after trying to throw OIL
the old faith and learning to cut acquaintance with
the pas 10 put away or bura the Old books and try
80 jump out Of history into the charmed youth OF
nature and the ma -c of the orr Faust finds
h;mself IN a terrific bondage and the nature is
a stra;-jacket more crampiHs than the old vest
ments of faith and obedience. Ii may be that our
Young America is learning this lesson now as nevor
hefore and frec-thinking is rushing " into liber-
tinisn more grinding than the old routine" Ii was
probslly great check TO this movement when the
late struggle for the life of the nation came, and TO
many rcsiive spirits who were questioning every
thing sacred saved their faith by brave actions and
we had go many young heroes who might have been
cynlcs in their satire daredevis III Their rash
ness "WDIcIm Meister" completes the trio of
Goehe's master works and this novel Of culture is
likely to have new importance with our people as
Art is rising power, and 40 many of onr youth are
striving for thorough art education i'll the most
genero.s sense of the word. The old generation did
not apparently trouble themselves much about such
culturc and franklin and his set won their culture
by their work and did not do their work by their
culture Tho best writing of the old school came IN
this way and speeches and documents took shape in
the furnace OF AFFAIR." and under the hammer OF OBJ
position. These men had positive aim. and an CO.
Quent experience. and they spoke and wrote with
point and with fire. Our Young generation must not
forget this in its new privileges and it is excel
lence Of Gocthes "McisteI that in spite Of lis
dwelling so much upon culture the end. and
somctimes coming near dainty dettantsm, it
teaches 50 generous and brave and broad adiscpne.
In fact the Second Part of Meister" is school OF
remuneration, and drill in manly daring. II pre-
scnts not merely the kindergarten whore children