The sun., 1903-12-27
The ETHICS OF "PARSIFAL." 1"
now MICH REAL CHRISTIANITY
rs THERE?
Influence OF Arthur SchOpenhauer's Philoso.
ply on Observation-Disclosures Doctrines
In the Drama-Christianity Made a
Theatrical Pageant for Curious Eyes.

ply on -Buddhistlc Doctrines
In the Drama Christianity Made a
Theatrical Pageant for Curious Eyes
Macbeth--How now you secret. black and mid
night hagS' What lst you do
Aha deed without name.
The deed is done. "Parsifal" has beer
performed outside of Bayreuth. Darkness
has fallen upon the sacred depths. Black
Alberich Conred has wrested the festspie
Rhinegold from its bed and with it aspires
TO the power of the operate world, while
the affrghted Wagner family swims madly
in the neither gloom and shouts to the
chords of its dead founders music
Haltet den Rauber!
Rettet das Gold!
Hulfe! HGlfe!
Wehe Wehe!
And now what? A thousand considera
tons throng upon the mind and make con.
fusion worse confounded. But one thing
stands out 80 prominently that it perhaps
should command the first discussion. Much
purposeless talk has been thrust upon the
world as to the religious aspects of this
strange drama. Ministers of the gospel
have Numbered in the podium anent the
desecration of holy things by painted
actors. How much of real Christianity has
been disclosed in "Parsifal?" How much
more of German mystic philosophy, OF
medi valism, Of the teachingsof Siddartha,
and lastly Of pure Paganism? What is this
work after all but summary of the blind
gropings of the imaginative Wagner after
philosophy beyond his reach?
Why all this pother about the sacrilege of
putting the Holy Grail on the stage3 Was
there ever Holy Grail? Is the green glass
chalice which now reposes peacefully in
Genoa holy vessel? Did the blood of
Christ ever sanctify it? Did Joseph of
Arimathea catch the precious drops in it,
and was it really the vessel used at the last
supper of Jesus and his apostles?
The ceremony of the Last Supper is un-
questionably represented in crude manner
in Wagner's drama, where II is mixed with
a pictorial representation Of the legendary
tale that the Grail fed and sustained its
knights. To this devout Christians may
make objection with good ground. The
place which the communion occupies in the
ceremonies of the church is known to all
Its sacredness is such that to see it made
matter how solemn, or how artistic, or how
honest in its purpose to treat holy things
reverentially. must be repugnant to every
Christian mind.
As to this nothing more need be said
Ofthe effect of the representation on Thurs
day nights audience there could be no
doubt. 1t was impressive in the highest
degree. The emotions caused by the un-
yelling scene were a tribute to the power
of theatrical art. But let it be thoroughly
understood that the stage picture and the
music were the most influential elements.
Taking that scene as point Of suggestion,
let us ask ourselves how much Of real Chris
tianity there is in "Parsifal" Let us ex-
anime the ethics of the drama and probe
its philosophy.
The doctrine of enlightenment by pity,
preached so insistently in this drama,
has no relation to Christianity. The religion
of Jesus Christ knows Of but one enlight-
eminent, that by faith 1t is -he that be-
lieveth," not he that piteth The inward
eve of Faith enables the Christian to see
God. But what do we find in "Parsifal?"
A man has committed a mortal sin, in that
he has fallen from that state of personal
chastity in which the servants of the
Holy Grail are required TO live. The out
ward and visible sign of his fall is an
immediate physical with accompanying
sprituaD punishment. inflicted by the
impious hand of the tempter himself
Here Wagner follows the story as told by
Chretien des Troyes and not the version OF
Wolfram Won Eschenbach. Chretien made
the spear that with which Longinus pierced
the side OF the Saviour Wolfram made
it simply poisoned lance Wagner &C.
cepted the sacred spear because he was
always an eager searcher after ethical
significance, even when there was less
virtue in it than there is in this one
The wound of the sacred lance is more
than physical; it is a mortal hurt of the
soul. Wagner tells us that for such a wound
there can be but one cure, a touch of the
self-same lance in the hands Of one who
has successfully withstood the temptation
to which the sufferer fell victim.
Very we'll. There is absolutely no author
ity for such a conclusion, 1t is a bit OF
ton of the fabulous miracles. Wagner,
however, has right to manufa cture mira
cles for fabulous story. He has as much
rlRnt 10 90 IL III tIe tale Oh ITe f1Oly NITall
az he had in the matter of Hdgen's wonder
working beverages in "Gotterdammer-
ung"
But when he tells us that the reason for
Pdrsifars action is enlightenment by pity
he goes still further away from the dogmas
and doctrines of Christianity and moves
through the philosophy of Arthur Scho-
penhauer toward the religion of the Buddha
1t is a grave error to relegate to a secondary
place the influence OF Schopenhauer on
Wagner and to credit the poet-composer
with direct entry into the teachings of
the Guatama. We must bear in mind
continually that Wagner got from Scho-
penhauer two great doctrines, one arts-
tic and the other ethical.
Schopenhauer propounded as the basis
of his aesthetic system the theorem that
il is the business of art to represent to US
the eternal essence of things by means of
prototypes. The conditions of time and
place, cause and tendency. must be cleared
away and the naked eternal idea under
meath disclosed The discernment and
revelation of this idea are the duty and
privilege Of art.
Wagner, then, sought to set forth his
personages and their actions as symbolical.
They were to be visual embodiments of
eternal ideas. Amfortds is the sinner in
the agony of his punishment. Pdrsit1i
is the savior, the pure one who can redeem.
Ebuosfr is the evil one and KHndru the