The Washington times., 1905-05-07
Friedrich Schiller
Centenary of The Death of
Germanu's Greatest and
Most Popular Poet.

One hundred years ago next Tuesday
one of the worlds giants in the domain
OF literature passed from the scene Of
his earthly labcrs. On the sta day OF
May, 1896, the centenary OF the death OF
/. Friedrich Schiller will be observed with
appropriate exercises wherever the Ger
man tongue is spoken. Genius. however,
! belongs to no one nation nor TO one age.
1t is the universal heritage OF ali man.
! kind. And. therefore, not Germany alone.
but every other country, America as
well as Europe. has a share in what
there is of glory and greatness on this
remarkable anniversarg. Indeed, Amer
leans more perhaps than any other peo-
ple-save. of course, Germans-owe to
Schiller profound homage. for from his
earliest youth until his eyes closed in
/ death he was one Of the foremost cham
T pions of the freedom of thought and the
J dignity of man.
That ardent spirit which would not
brook tyrannous restraint was first made
ssaalifest TO the world in that passionate
protest of the youth, 1.-The Robbers"
and had its subIiInest expression in the
product OF his maturer years, Don
I Carlos True, the former was but the
gem in the rough. while Don Carlos
was the very choicest of his works.
Schiller himself is credited with the re-
! mark: I would give my Don Carlos if
/ had never written The Robbers!' 1t
may be that this utterance is merely
iapocryphaI but it may well be imagined
that the ripper thoughts Of 1887 regarded
with some sort of regret the ruder out
1sourings of f7Sf.
In this place we are, however, less
concerned with the political aspirations
OF Schiller and the humanitarian ten
dency of his labors than with the re-
suits that have accrued 10 the dramatic
literature of his age and country and
! no less 10 those OF our day. Never be-
fore had the dramatic writings of any
one so penetrated the very soul or the
German people. He stirred that soul 10
its very depths. Goethes towering gen
ius was regarded with something akin
to awe, but Schiller touched the hearts.
and thus IL has come to pass that no
other German poet and dramatist has
ever approached him in popularity &C
among the German people and talk IL
them 6 Goethe and Lessing. of Herdef
and Nieland, and all the other great
minds of that time. They will answer
you with reverend mien, for Faust
and Nathan the Wise" stand as In a
temple But say Schiller and the at
mesphere changes There are radiant
eyes and the words leap forth; "Ah
yes. our Schiller His 1'Robber!i," his
wilhelm Tell" his "Fiesco, his tAaiC
OF Orleans his Mary Stuart" his
Don Carlos. are the steady diet with
which the German theater manage
feed their public. Faust or 'Egmont'
or sNafilfn the WISE or Minna vo1
Barnheim, are brought forth at longer
Intervals.
To the English stage Schiller must
always be an interesting personality. for
he was among the first of the grear
German poets who turned their atten
tion to Shakespeare and aspired Il
make known TO the German stage and
people the transcendent genius Of the
Bard of Avon. Schiller's version ot
Macbeth is among the best, If not the
very best. IL the German language. II