The record-union., 1897-11-05

Monday evening, October %, 1897.
Johann Wolfang Won Goethe was
born at Frankfort on the Maine in
1149. His father was an imperial coun-
cillor and of course in afiiuent circum-
stances. In 1865 Johann entered the
University of Liepsic. ostensibly for
the legal profession, but his real stud
les were in the domain of literature
In l110 he was sent to Strasburg to
finish his judicial studies, but spent
his time in the study of Shakespeare
and Rousseau. and the statement is,
''on anything but the statute books. -
After various, and more or less scan
dalous amours, he published his first
book, Cots Won Berlichingin." in 1773
This was translated into English by
Sir Walter Scott.
In lIl9 he became Actual Privy
Councillor to the Grand Duke of Sake
Weimar. In 1852 he received a patent
of nobility. and in the following years
till 1ISS Travelled in Switzerland and
Italy, issuing several books as a re-
suit In 1892 he took part in the Ger
man campaign against France In 1915
he was made Minister of State of the
Grand Duchy of Sake Weimar. After
the death of the Grand Duke in 1923
he lived mostly in retirement till his
death, in March, 1882, at the age of 81
years.
1t viii thus be seen that. born to af-
ffuence, highly educated, every want
supplied, he reached commanding po-
sitions, and aside from his literary la
bors was a potent political factor in the
4 sg,--.1 L:-.
he is more generally known and appre-
ciated. In many particulars he was to
Germany what Lord Byron was to
England, except that his lines of
thought never brought him into antag-
onism with the German system. In
other words, none of his poetic dreams
and fancies brought him into self-exile
The closest point of resemblance is
to be read between the lines of his
works. The leading poets of the Vic
torean age have been, and are. inper-
sonal, in other words, they eliminate
the personal equation from their writ
ings, divest themselves of the ego. and
invest their writings with new and nov
el constituents, new creations, or in his
torical works, with the historic sur
roundings. Not so Byron. not so
Goethe Byron, from start to finish
unconsciousiy, perhaps, carries himself
/ into the principal place of his poems
Read the matchless "Childe Harold, 8"
and through all its mastery word
painting you see the same great
gloomy, gifted Byron. Take up his
Corsair." and you find the same By
ron as freebooter. and if by any mis-
hap You turn the pages to Don Juan. -
you reach the closest picture of this
talented libertine
With Goethe, the surroundings were
different, and the social and conven-
uonM structure far less exacting.
Here you would find your Byron more
at ease. and here you find Goethe
reaching old age, while the English
Byron stings himself to death before
reaching middle age In Goethe you
see the polished and unscrupulous
courier, rather than the open libertine.
But in his writings there is the same
inability to divest himself or Goethe.
In his Sorrows of Werther." "Iphige-
ma, Hermann and Dorothea." and
"Fasso." Goethe's characteristics shine
out plainest in the leading characters.
In the wandering student. wilhelm
-ACtStOA. SNu HAY Tpd1liy QlSCGrn the
younger Goethe on his trip through
Switzerland and Italy In the aged and
blase student philosopher, Faust, behold
the exhausted and soured. and Goethe
in his later life.
One moment let us note the differ
ence between this overpowering self
consciousness of Byron and Goethe.
and what Is commonly called intro
specton. The one cannot pass beyond
the self-boundary, cannot create a hor-
izon beyond ego; the other is self
examination. Longfellow and Tenny-
son both gave US master pieces that
Were essentially introspective Byron
and Goethe, because they never grasp
ed the spiritual lever of self control.
blemished most of their works with
sensualism.
UnquestionabIy the greatest work of
Goethe was Faust" Whatever NAV
be said OF Goethe's life, there is an
effort at equity in Faust" With GER
tainiy no experimental knowledge of
the .Qcep rhiucS of God - ha roo chas