The Indianapolis journal., 1896-10-11

to trace the legend In Swabfa and found
several houses In which the magician was
said to have lived including the one from
which he was carried off by the party of
the second part. Few subjects have offered
writer than this famous story. BESIDES the
grand drama by Goethe. which stands at
the head of the list, the story has been
aramatized by Bailey. under the title of
Festus, by Mariowe. In a tragedy now
forgotten, but little If at all inferior to that
play named after the hero. IT has been
made the subject of two grand operas one
ny spohr. which bears no relation TO
which is still a favorite among opera -goers.
BESIDES this, dozen musicians have WRIT
ten descriptive or programme music to the
Goethe drama, some of 1T so extensive in
scope as almost to rival the production of
Gounod The subject still has charm. for
the story twisted to suit the uses of the
writer frequently reappears in literary as
Wei as musical form.
IN SPAIN AND FRANCE
The Hbretto of Don Giovanni, Mozart's
greatest opera, is founded on a Spanish
legend, of which a garbled version was
given in tale by Toiso de Molina. from
which Da Ponte framed the libretto used
by Mozart. Da Ponte followed Molina very
closely and so omitted several very strik-
ing incidents which are found in the legend
but were not Incorporated in MoIsna's YER
sion- According TO the original story, Don
on Zerlfna, applied to Satan for help in
carrying them out, signed the usual COM
pact, but was cheated by the devil. who
knew perfectly well before making the
agreement that he had no power over in
nocence. Even at the end of the story
however, the Don did not discover how he
had been tricked, but was carried Off IN
ignorance of the fraud practiced upon him
poetic justice being satisfied by the CON
sciousnesS that he deserved all he got. In
Of, ,-Ta~
as important and dramatic a part as in
Molina $ version. this feature being original
IN the Spanish story and not to be found in
any other. Robert lie Diable. the grand
opera by MeyeTbeer, is based on the French
version of the same legend. In the French
story robert the Devil earns his title not
only from his own wickedness but also
from the fact that he is supposed to he
really son of the evil one who as his;
Ialher, IS naturally desirous of seeing his
offspring walk in his own footsteps The
noretto is a fearfully mangled version of
the story. although it was written in co.
e. lsoI oLatlon by TWO such noted librettists
scribe and Delavigne: but bad as il is if
would nave been worse had not Meyerbeer
nlSisted on a revision of the text and the
exclusion of several features which did moi
commend themselves to his judgment. In
The lines as originally given hin, for Tnueic
Scribe had introduced a bevy of sen nvrnnFc
with golden oars and scant apparel as the
tenpters of Robert but Meyorbeer would
TO the leyei OF the opera bouffe and Instead
prepared the scene in which the ghostIv
nuns appear, which caused no end of ridi-
cule AZ the time, but is now accepted as
one of the most effective passages in the
opera- 1he compact feature of the story
appears prominently in this opera and
forms one of its strilSingly dramatic fea-
lures.
DEVIL AND TOM WALKER.
The well known story of the devil and
Tom Walker, which has been put in literary
form by more than one gifted writer. is
popularity supposed to be of New England
hlIt
same old medieval tale of the money
lending miser, who became very wealthy
by lending on short time and charging high
rates of interest and was thus believed to
have made his money by the aid of Old
NICK. The stery, with trifling alterations,
is adapted from an old yarn well known in
the south of England where ii has prob
ably been told by parent to child for cen
turies. Not even the name OF the hero is
changed, for in the English version it is
Tom Walker. Just in the American story
IS fond OF money, but hndS it exceedingly
hard TO get. After trying various shifts
and expedients he finally calls the devil
Tor ald. the oiG party appears, and after
some dickaring. for fIom was very clever
at u bargain, the contract is signed and
the devil gives Tom the necessary capital
TO start In business as a money-lender,
teaches him bookkeeping and initiates him
into the mysteries of the business. Tom
his twenty-year term approaches he grows
reluctant to give up his soul as per agree
ment and casts about for ways and means
to cheat his benefactor. He buys all the
Bibles and prayer books he can get hold
OF and stores them away in the hooks and
corners or his house, so as always to
have one handy in case Satan should drop
in Unexpectedly; has leaves from the Scrip
lures se@ed in the lining Of his coat ana
as a last resort. has his horse killed, sad
died and bridled and buried close to the
house, right by the place where he intended
h fN-n-r1
day Of Judgment he would give his enemy
a good race but ali his precautions
heavy storm was raging, he heard a rap at
the door, opened it and here was the
devil, with black horse waiting. Tom
tected coat was in his bed room, he had on
so Satan simply whisked him upon the
horse. rode off and that was the last ever
seen of Tom.
THE IRISH LEGEND.
The folk lore of Ireland is full of tales
of the devil and of bargains made by him
and with him. 1t is interesting to notice
in this connection how the lively magma
ton of the Irish peasantry can so meta
morphose a story to bring it down to
date. An illustration of this is seen in the
story of the devil and Capt Dunmore the
incident being supposed to have taken place
after the Great Ruction," insurrection
Oh lf5J. Inc captain was a renegade Irish
man who had Joined the English army and
fought against his country, bad luck to
him. during the "Ruction;' but finding the
business of hanging and shooting his coun-
trymen not altogether to his taste, he left
the army and went home to his estate.
There he was stunned by all his neighbors
and finding himself devoid of society and
pressed for means, he determined to apply
to the devil for funds to get out of the
country and have good time abroad. The
devil demurred a making q bargain with
him, being tolerably sure of him anyhow
but the Captain was urgent. Old Nick
finally consented to fill a room with gold
and allow the Captain twenty years to
spend it before foreclGsing the mortgage
and taking possession of the Captains soul
At first the Captain considered himself in
great luck entirely to get so good a bargain
out of the devil, but in thinking over the
matter that night he began to have high
er appreciation than before of the value of
his soul and determined TO beat the devil
and II possible get 4 little more gold. So
he summoned a carpenter and had q tran
door made in the floor of the room which
Satan was to fill with guineas and con-
cealed the opening with carpet On the
next day the devil came according to con-
tract and began to shovel in the guineas
as fast as he could, for it was only a small
Job and that was his busy season. but the
faster he shoveed the more the room did
not get full and finally he sat down to rest