New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-03
A DONNELLY FOR GOETHE.
THE SAGE OF WEIMAR CHARGED WITH
STEALING FAUST FROM LESSING.


trRom AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBussI
Berlin, January 16.
Goethe has been dead for more than half
century, and has stood as god in the German
Olympus But at last an attack, and bold one
has been made upon his integrity. Nothing is
sacred in the latter half Of the nineteenth century
An Ignatius Donnelly has appeared upon this side
of the Rhine, who asserts that the immortal poet
never wrote Faust" The accuser is man Of
no mean parts. Herr Moritz Carriere, the founder
of the new theory which is causing profound
sensation in literary Germany, is man OF note,
writer of celebrity, residing at present in Munich,
where he has chair in the university with ths
title of professor Herr Carriere says that tive
things led to his theory Of Goethes literary crime:
That Lessing wrote Faust" and that the manu-
script was lost and never accounted Tor. lhs
natural question to me was he continues, : how
did that happen? There was much talk Of the
Faust of young Goethe for many years, bus
nothing appears from his pen on the subject until
after Lessing's death. 1t is well known that
Leasing dislilxed Goethe, and during his lifetime
never overcame the prejudice against him. lie
spoke derogatorily of the young poet, both in
letters aud in conversation. Leasing spent soms
time in Leipsic while Goethe was a student there,
but they avoided one another and refused to DO
brought together This was unnatural, ana far
different from the relations which existed between
Goethe and Herder at Strasburg. Could Faust
have come into Goethe's hands? Could that have
been the reason of their hatred?'
Herr Carriere relates that it was customary IN
those Gays for the authors to steal from one
another. and it was popularity called "schiesscn.'
Goethe did lot publish Faust until 1907, sew
eraI years after Lessing's death. the second part
not appearing for several years following bis own
demise. Goethe is said to have written q part OF
his Faust in Strasburg, and yet Herdef teis
that he never wrote anything while IN that In
sttution, and characterizes him as INDECENT and
lazy Lessing's Faust IL is true, was written
in prose, but William Seherer, the well-known
professor proved several years since that Goethes
work was not written at first in verse. Herr
Carriere concludes, then, that Goethe's work at
Frankfort, far from being original, consisted n
TRANSMITTING Lessirg's prose into verse Many
passages were allowed to remain in the original
text. because says the professor, they were
beyond the scope Of Goethe's intellect He oitc&
too. number of passages from Faust and COM
pares them with extracts from Lessing. showing
in some their strong similarity in others even theif
exact coincidence.
As TO the second part of Faust Herr Carriers
broadly asserts that Goethe not learned enough
to compose it, that all the questions OF philosophys
religion and science found IN the pfihiane pases
are opinions of Leasing, which the Weimar pocs
never studied sufficiently to acquire. What tho
result of the controversy viii be, it is difieut 70
tell Many noted Goethe scholars have sxen
up their pens in defence of the nations idol while
Others spurred ON by Herr Carreres temerity' navs
come forth with theories which, heretofore, they
had fear,d TO express. IL is but the begnnins OF
a controversy which may prove as interminsole
as that of Shakespeare Bacon. There is an in-
finite satisfaction % many people in robbing q
great man of his laurels. But the majority OF
Germans who defy Goethe, win resent the at
tack and many positive proofs mast be adduced
are they will believe that leasing. great Is hs
was, was the author of Faust