The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-23


 the masterpieces of Goethe. He wrote It in the period when his genius was bright, the period which gave 10 the world Faust and Herman and Dorothea.' But to many the significance of wilhelm ! Meister' will always remain uncompre- hended, It's beauties unseen. The book Is full of that half-mystic introspection so common to the German of intellect and which is so difficult for a person of an- other race to entirely comprehend. Carlyle could, perhaps, fully comprehend "Wil- helm Meister." But Carlyle was mora or less of freak among his own peo- ple. At any rate the dyspeptic historian and essayist pretended to revel in this work of Goethe and made careful trans lstfon of 1t.
 XNIILHELM WEBSTER was on his W travels He was young and
 w badly stages struck He was at that age when every callow youth consid- CTS falling in love to be part of the days work, and Wilhelm made speci- .alty of falling in love with actresses which complicated matters. His inclina- ton for the stage had had Its beginning in a puppet show which his father,
  him when Wilhelm was boy. He grew Up to his majority with the firm belief that he was a great genius in the actor, author poet line, and naturally despised trade, into which calling his father sought to introduce him. The father thought the boy young ass and Will helms friend, Werner whose father was
 fho of S Werner, in vain sought to induce him to do as he did and seek his life work In the carrying on of the great mercantile house which the two were ultimately to inherit Of course, Wilhelm had an affair with an actress as soon as the opportuni- ty presented itself. She was called Mari- ana, and really liked the boy. AS for Wilhelm. he considered the actress as the embodiment of all that the poetic imag- ination of his head and heart had seen in his youthful visions-oh, she was per- feet beyond compare! It was pretty. if immoral, romance while it lasted. But one day wilhelms gorgeous palace of pleasure fell into heaps of sordid ruins about him. He learned that Mariana had
 
 whose absence from town alone the boy had been allowed to visit his beloved. He was quite ready now to set out upon that bill collecting tour through Germany upon which his father had so long urged him to proceed, thinking that experience , of the world would regulate the vagaries of youth. So Wilhelm Meister was on his travels.
 His lost love of Mariana gave In recoi- lection just that tinge of delicious and romantic melachonly which was needed to complete the poetic egotism of young Meister What man of delicate sensibil- ity does not know of what I speak? What man is there of us who does not. now and then recall his puppy love- with smile, to be sure, but with a smile which has in 1t something of sadness, while through his heart vibrates chord of not unpleasing melancholy sounding from the days that are no more? And how we did enjoy the delicious sorrow of the thing for few years after we had discovered that 'qt was not at all what the lady meant" Such was the condition of Will helm Meister when, having really collect ed some bills in ono town, he was jour neying to another and. getting down into the level country from tho mountain re- gions where he had been travelling, he looked out into a fertile and beautiful plain intersected by flowing river to see aycheerful little town lying upon its banks all glittering In the sunshine. Wilhelm had no business in that town and he knew it. But it caught his fancy and fancy was his presiding deity just then.
 So he did what everybody does when they resolve to do something they know 1, they ough. not to do, and brought be- fore himself most excellent reasons why he should tarry a while at the place his inclination pointed out. On alighting Tn the market place of the town he found everything most stirring and joyous. A company of rope dancers, luggers and leapers had arrived and, with their wives and children, were preparing to give a 5 performance on stage the carpenters were erecting in the square.
 He bought a bouquet of flowers from a flower gir! who was plying her trade in the market place and, as he turned around from doing so, he saw window in an inn on the opposite side Of the square open and out of it looked hand some young lady. Her face was anil !, mated. by a pleasant cheerfulness; her fair hair fell carelessly streaming about her neck, she seemed to be looking at him. A short time after boy touched him on the shoulder and said: "The lady at the window bids me ask if you will favor her with share of your beauti- ice" returned Wilhelm, giving the nose- say to the messenger and lowing to the lady in the window.
 Amused with this small adventure, Will helm was going upstairs in his inn wheh young creature sprang against him and attracted his attention. A short silk waist, with slashed Spanish sleeves, tight trousers with puffs, looked very pretty on the child. It's long black ha'r >.e,s curled and wound in locks and plaiti About it's head. He looked at the figure with astonishment. Was 1t boy or q girl? He decided for the latter, took the child up in his arms. bade her good day and asked to whom she belonged-though he saw clearly enough that she was one of the stroling bands of acrobats and jugglers.s She viewed him with sharp sidelong looks as she pushed herself from his arms and ran without word into the kitchen.
 Tn the large parlor of the inn two men f were fencing with foils. One of them he