New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-07
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

~up MrNprIssoHY FAMILY G729-ls40 From n, sSS
Al ,ers and Journals by SEBASTIAN BENsE Nun rrans
,nr,aits from drawings by WILHELM hENshi" i
INV caEI KIINdMAS aud an American So'I n q
iT,tor with notice by Gh0kSt Smo Wv iarper
a Brothere 1882 .
ithaca aCbronicles of good midde-class family
an Germany" were compiled originally b" NV
EDITOR tells MS for the eyes of the living rep'eS'n
atiyes of the family only; yielding' no"0,'
tho suggestions of friends he put them al pm ~
,ho ,uLlic This was in 1879, and the appearances
Of n second edition from which thls Ensi''
lotion was madel so soon thereafter can pe ",,'P
';,ono. of the soundness of this friendly ad-
. ,;oo The editor Is himself scion oi 'no NV"
selssebn family-tne only of Felix's iavot''e SIS
,be translator is the son of Felix's most
;o,,mate friend. the recipient of many ana 'no
liter of several of the letters which make up Tue
,rlk NJ the book On every page there ho WV
marks OF atiectionate and painstakng WORK
A. tbc annals of n refined and intellectually
brilliant family and the record OF inc uanS''SSN'
NV beredity OF mental and moral traits these VOL
umcs are delightfully."- entertaining; but they ih"s'
lac taken as such. and without the nope OF uhuins "
tbcm either weghty or new contributions l" 'no
bistorv of the two men whose Accomplishments
Ie,od tho name of Mendelssohn into prominence.
p,t ,,b,le nothing is added To our knowledge III
.ho rbilosonhcr who was the vigorous root, OF INC
,,rsician who was the beautiful flower. OF t's
domestic growth, bright gllmpses are gwen mo INC
public and private life of the TWO great ii'ci'uoi "
the family and many interesting traits ana cn"ln'
teristics of the lesser members are unioideu. ino
record begins with the birth NJ Moses Meh"cisSon"
ii ords with the death of Felix Mcndessohn-
Bartholdy. The essay on Moses MehueiSSo"n %
c,everly written and gives more evidences OF care
in IFS literary preparation than any oil 'he s'oSe
orent chopters; but il is sadly incomplete anu
unless one can manage to keep steadily III mhu 'ho
alan of the editor il is dhcult TO proceed 10 the
next chapter without an expression OF dlSappoiht-
,uent There are only thirty pages devo'cd 10 one
of the lights of German letters, the ircnd Oh
LEASING and the prototype OF his Nathan '"o
Wise ~: the philosopher who 10y the beauty an"
yiror of his reasoning on the immortality Oh 'no
,on1 won rbe name of the German Socrates -; the
reformer who by the force OF his example anu '"o
eloouence of his pen lifted the German Jews ont OF
a wocfnl slough of intellectual and political degra-
dorion and opcned for them the way to citizenship
and social posltion and influence. Felix Members
sohn's motives were too pure, his aims ana 'aSJcS
foo lofty and his accomplishment IN ART 100 I'M
nortant for us TO wish to dctract from them I'D 'he
least but il is unqucstonablc that his iaWe Will
prove less enduring than that OF the R'"'"'a'"'i
whom he ranks in these books. The sturdy moral
and intellectual vgor. the genuine creative energy
,vbicn distinguished Moses Mcndcssohn we're much
waning of the influence of the lattors lovely per
sonal character has led in Germany. and is leading
IN England TO n depreciation of his real merits as
composer the superiority of the philosopher
mowers is indsputablc. Yet to that philosopher ~
given less than one-twenticth of the space ID the
books. ,
A ,nerir of this work. 10 which Mr. Grove calls
attention in his short preface, IL the new interest
with which il clothes Abraham MendcsSohh-
Barthody the father of the composer. ms IN
tercst however is of a reflex kind. Had he not
occupied the position which he himself good
natnredly defined as in his early years tho son OF
ms father and in his later the father OF his son. III IL
questionable whether all that an ahectonate
grandson could write about him would have maze
him the worthy subject of a book. 1t IS only as an
example of the speedy fruit of his fathers Iah"rS /"
behalf of n despiscd that his TRAITS appear
vor,hv of studv He is an Intermediary i'll several
respects between the rugged moral and intellectual
nature of the philosopher and the refined and some
what efleminate Semslbllity OF the musician Nlhle
admirng his refined tastes and the wisd"m "h'ch
enahled him in the midst of an active business
career "a see that his children received Just that
education which was best calculated to develop the
bent of their minds it is impossible To aV"ld per
ceivInu certain subseIvency to social prcJndlceS
which was very foreign TO the character "t MS
father Born and bred jew. Inc brought up ms
children as Christians, not because ne recOgnZeI
higber trutb in Christianity than in Judaism, but
because it opened wider the door of society. Ana
this ne did secretly that their grandparents might
MT bc displeosed II was not for this that Moses
Mendelssohn taught his to fling away their de-
grading preindces against modern learning, to &C
ouire German though 1t was lntcrdIcted by the
teacLers who wore Rabbinical vestmentS. ana TO
give their thoughts to living questions instead oi
10 the sub,lcticS of IalmudIc lore. lie showed the
way to independence OF thought, bnt remained from
conviction a champion of his races religion. Inc
posop taken 10y his son is well stated IN letter 10
lis da,,ybter Fanny ON the occasion of her CON
frmaton in the year 500. Out of It all there CLEAN
traces of the patriarcha system of family govern
,nent which was vigorously maintained in the
bouse of his father but likewise clcar-eyed alice
tjon which more than atoncs for the trait when
we have mentioned. In it he says:
The outward form of religion your teacher has
given you is historical. and chAhgeaGlo IKE an
human ordinances. Some thou ands OF years ago
the Jewish form was the relgnlng one, then the
heather form, and now 1t Is the Christian. We,
yJur mother and l. were born and brought up bY
our parents as Jews and without beng Obliged 10
change the form of religion have been able 10
follow the divine instinct In us and III our con
science. We have educated you ana your DtothGIs
and sister in the Christian faith because III Is the
creed of most civilized people and contains nothing
that can lead you away from what IS good, ana
much that guides you to love. Obedience tolerance
and resignation even If it offered nothing but the
example of its iOunde', UNDERSTOOD ny 80 Ic"' anu
followed by still fewer.
By pronouncing your profession of faith you have
fulfilled the claims of society on you, ana obtalheu
the name of a Christian. Now be what Your DUTY
as a humar being demands OF you, true. tJiutW,
00Od: Obedent and devoted I'LL death TO your
mother ard may also say TO your father, unre
Inittngly attentive TO the voice of your conscience
which may be SUPP ressed but never silenced, ana
YOU will gain the highest happiness that IS to he
found on earth. harmony and cOntentedness with
yourself.
That Felix MendelssOhn was a happy lettcr-wrter
we know from bis published correspondence The