New-York tribune., 1900-09-02

drew from these marks of esteem wherever he
could; this loud and noisy praise of Wagner's
was repugnant to him" He returned to Bay
reuth to hear four performances. but kept him
self as far as possible aloof from the coryphantic
throng of worshippers
Ihe men met only few times after 1876 in
the course of a visit to a mutual friend at
Sorrento. Nietzsche had already begun work on
his "Menschliches AlIzumenschlches'' (''Human
Altogether too Human'), in which he began to
lanpoon his former master In 1888 came Der
Fail Wagner" C'The Case of Wagner'O-the Bit
terest attack on the Bayreuth masters works
and theories that has ever been printed. Tow
ard them Wagner's public attitude always re-
NAMED dignihed and reserved, and six months
aTter the issue OF this book night settled down
over poor Nietzsches mind forever. There is
evidence a-plenty that Nietzsche always con-
sldered himself aggrieved and never forgot the
intellectual debt which he owed to the early
meetings at Triebschen- Even after he had
written Der Fall Wagner" he wrote: Here
While 1 am speaking Of the recreations of nv
NE lack the word to express my gratitude for
that which formed my deepest and my heartiest
soiace. This beyond all doubt was the intimatr
communion with Richard Wagner. I would give
little for the rest of my human relations; at no
price would l cut out of my life the days Of
Trebschen. days Of rust of cheerfuIness of
sublime inspirations of deep moments. l know
not what others have gone through with Wag-
ner: our heaven never traversed by
cloud" On the authority Of an unnamed writer
in the Revue des deux Mondes' Houston
Stewart Chamberlain says in his book on Wag-
ner that shortly before insanity enshrouded his
mind Nietzsche journeyed to Lucerne. drove out
to Triebschen, and sat there apart by the lake
apparently occupied in tracing signs in the sand;
but when his companion bent down to look into
his face she saw the tears streaming from his
eyes
1t would be idle to attempt to find any bond
Of reconciliation between the books which
Nietzsche wrote pro and those which he wrote
/ contra Wagner. On both sides there are evi-
dences in abundance Of that curse of musical
dialectic-the love Of phrase for the sake OF
phrase and the want of conviction fortified on
fact. More than any other writer's musical
critics OF the transcendenta kind love the
music of their words and having an art
that is so largely subjective to deal with they
are freer than all other critics from the thraIs
of logic. reason and common sense. Pretty
words suffice them for praise and fugurant
I phrases for argument It would be quite as un-
wise to cite Nietzsche against Wagner as for
him There is more need to take him
seriously in either of his attitudes than John
F Runcimay or Bernard Shaw Cpardon shade
OF NietzscheD But he has been & power in the
world in the promotion of pessimistic philos-
Ophy, and his iuggIery with words was amazing
Musicians viii need not long have 10 reckon
with him. but m0rasts viii. With their dis
putations have nothing to do; it Will suf-
fee the present purpose to bring together a
few expressions TO show how complete was the
somersault which he accomplished in the Wag-
ner matter In 1876 Nietzsche asserted that
Wagner was not only the discoverer of a new
art, but of itself, and of its true relation to
human society. Wagner was a musician, phil
Of language mythologist and "mytho-poet"
I The kernel Of his nature and Of his works was
fidelity unseish fidelity; he was accomplish
ing The first great universal deed since Alexan-
der conquered the earth. The HelIenizing of
the world and-to make this pOssible-the Oren-
/ talizng Of the Hellenic the double task Of
Alexander the Great, and the last great deed of
. universal significance; but the world being now
sufficiently OrientaIized longs again to be Hell
Ienized and cut Of this longing there has grown
I'D the need of a series of auti-AIexanders, and
one Of them is Richard Wagner" Between
Kant and Eleates, between SchOpenhauer and
/ Emped0cles. between -Eschylus and Richard
/ Wagner. there are such afinittes that one can
I almost feel the relativity of all ideas Of time
. Wagner was the absolutely free artist. who
. cannot do otherwise than think in all the arts
at once" the reconcier and mediator between