The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-03

or professed to love. The eternal wom-
anIy" had constant charm for him. and
he was never afraid to yield himself to
II.
; When Johann Wolfgang Won Goethe
was born. Aug IS, 1749 his mother was
but IS years old. twenty years the junior of
her stern and dignifed husband. Neither
her family Textor by name, nor her hus-
bands was aristocratic. There was
tailor ancestry on both sides, yet Goethe's
grandfather Textor had been an imperial
councillor and magistrate at Frankfort,
and the family had money enough to give
it considerable Importance.
TRAITS OF GOETHE's FATHER.
Goethe's father had studied law and
had even practiced it at Wetzlar, and had
not only inherited wealth, but attained
certain social position. He had the re-
spect of all who knew him, If not always
their affection, for his stern and imperi-
Gus manner was sometimes a little for
bidding. From him young Wolfgang in
herited his imperiOusness as well as his
love of order and his zeal for learning.
His poetic fire seems to have come rather
from his mother, and his imagination was
early stimulated by the wonderful fairy
stories which she was in the habit Of
telling him.
From her, too, probably came his love
of beauty and aversion to ugliness He
was only years old when he cried on
seeing a very homeIy child, THAT black
child must go away. I cannot bear her"
Four brothers and sisters Of young
Goethe died early. Only one sister, Cor
nelia, grew to womanhood. He was de-
voted TO her and to his mother, the
charming Frau Ala as her friends
called her. Her letters today are delight
full reading, and to the end Of a long life
she retained the love of all who knew
her. She was good friend and by no
means selfish, yet so unwilling was she
TO look on anything but the most cheerful
side OF life that the family never men
toned anything painful to her. Once
even when her son was seriously III moth
ing was said to her on the subject until
the crisis was passed and his recovery
was certain.
YOUNG GOETHE PRECIOUS
The poets early education was carried
on privately under the eye Of his father
He had mastered Latin at s, he made
great progress before that time in Greek
he picked up Italian from hearing his
father teach his sister Cornelia. and ha
soldiers CHARTERED in Frankfort-for a
time in his fathers house-during the
seven years war, English was added to
his repertoire before he was u and He
brew at about the same time.
He had a certain amount Of artistic
talent. and always thought that he might
have been an artist He received consid-
cradle instruction in drawing and paint
ing, and even as boy had many friends
among artists, but undoubtedly the art
In which his genius could best express
itself was poetry. would his poetry"
some may ask, have been as great If he
had fewer love affairs?" Certainly, from
his earliest years his heart was very sus-
ceptible.
HIS FIRST LOVE
He was not quite Is when he fell deeplv
in love with a beautiful girl three years
his senior of humble station. This Gretch-
en- was the sister of a young man whose
acquaintance he had made without the
knowledge of his family. He and his
companions were hardly the associates
for carefully reared boy like young
Goethe. Later, when some Of the group
got into trouble on account Of forgeries
committed by one of the number,
Goethe's sedate father was greatly dis
turbed by learning of his sons intimacy
with persons so far outside of his circle
AS to Gretchen (who seems to have been
q thoroughly good GRID the halo which
the lad had set on her head fell away
when she; made her deposition regarding
her connection with the forgeries. In
mentioning Goethe she said: II will not,
deny that have often seen him, and seen
him with pleasure. but treated him as
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