New-York tribune., 1909-09-05

fions. How do such notions get into the minds of
the people? / attempted not answer but an
PLANTATION in a preface to Gounod's opera published
by Schirner some years ago. which IS serving
good turn For the 1ucomprehensible the
supernatural IS the only accounting. These things
products or mans myth making capacity and
desire With the advancement Of knowledge this
capacity and desire become atrophied bat spring
into life again IN the presence OF the popular slim
nlant The superstitious peasantry Of Bavaria be-
held a In league with the devil In the engineer
who the first locomotive engine through that
country More recently. am told, the peo-
pie conceived the notion that the Prussian needle
gun which had wrought destruction among their
soldiery In the OF 1856, Internal
chine for which Bismarck had given the immortal
part OF himself.
When printing invented it looked upon
in double : a black art, and II long
and widely believed that Johann Fust. or Faust of
Mayence. the partner Of Gutenberg. the orig
ina DR.. Johann Faustus. the prototype of Goethe's
Faust who practised magic toward the Of the
fifteenth and al The beginning Of the sixteenth
century, made compact with Mephistopheles.
performed many miraculous feats and died horribly
at the last But F'Ist, Faust was a rich and
reputable merchant of Mayence who provided cap
ital to prOmate the art Of Gutenberg and Sch0ffer
end Mr. H. Sutherland Edwards, who gossips pleas
unity and al great length about Faust legends
in Volume / Of his book The Lyrical Drama in
duges rather wild fancy when he considers it
probable that he the father OF the real med
teval incarnation of the ancient superstition The
real Faust had been poor lad, but money in
herited from rici uncle erabled- him TO attend
lectures at the University of Cracow, where he
seems TO have devoted himself with particular as
sduity TO the study Of magic which art, science
had at that period respectable place in the cur
'1culuu Having obtained his doctorial hat he
travelled through Europe practising necromancy
and acquiring thoroughly bad reputation To the
fact that this actually lived. and lived such a
h2 %, flaef ba.ra
OF a physician. Philip Begard; theologian Jo-
ham CAST, and no less witness than Philip
Melanchthon, the reformer Martin Luther refers IN
Faust in his liable Talk" as a man lost beyond
all hope OF redemption: Melanchthon who says that
no talked with him. ADDS This sorcerer Faust
an abominabe beast, a common sewer Of MANY
devils tturpissina bestia ct cloaca mutorun dabo-
iorum)' ooasted that he had enabled the imperial
armies TO win their victories In ItaIy"
The literary history OF Faust Is much too long
TO oe even outlined here: few points must suffice
u.s. In book published in Frankfort In 1887 bv a
German writer named Spiess the legend received
JUS nrst printed form. An English ballad on the
subject appeared within a year In 1880 there cane
translation OF the entire story which was the
source from which Marlowe drew his IRA gscal
History OF the Life and Death OF DR.. Faustus -
brought forward the stage 1893 and printed in
1Uo4 New versions OF the legend followed each
other rapidly, and Faust became favortte char
acter with playwrights. romancers and poets
Toward the end OF the eighteenth century when
Goethe conceived the idea Of utilizing the subject
for publishing his comprehensive philosophy of
human life IL seems to have held possession Of a
large portion OF literary Germany. Altogether II
IN the mind or the great poet from his Adde'S
cence till his DEATH but while ne was working on
his original plan literary versions of the legend
were published by fwenty-eight German authors
including Lessng. whose manuscript, unhappily
was lost Goethe had known the legend from
childhood, when ne had puppet plays based
on it--these plays being the vulgar progeny OF
Mariowes powerful tragedy. which is still an orna-
rnent OF English literature. Music part OF
these puppet plays In the irst one that fell into
my hands md the influence OF opera manifest In