New-York tribune., 1912-08-30


Intelligent companion and his faithfuI
nurse during the years Of twilight that
ended in his incurable insanity To
her pen we owe already the large,
three-volume biography that must be
accepted as the standard work on its
subject. The present volume OF the
shorter 'Gife." which is published
simultaneously in English and German,
will. FRAU Foerster- -Nictzsche hopes,
create an interest In Nierzsche's earlier
work. and in the lasting value Of his
studies in classical philology, the
problems Of education and the flrure
Of German culture. which have been
entirely overshadowed, beyond the Ger
man borders at least, by the sensa-
lional, If short-lived, success Of his
fragmentary philosophy. That has done
its service that Of tonic, Of a sharp
hllip to modern thought. but we have
found. or believe that we have found,
other answers 70 the problems with
which he dealt. Withal, the mans life
and work present a paradox, for
q is problem that Friedrich Nietzsche.
who denied our present moral values. or
az least traced them 10 sources absolutely
INST sDectad hitherto-thiS Transvaluer Of
all Values-should himself have fulfili
all the lOftiest and most subtle demands
made by the morality now preached
among US. And he did not do this be-
Gauge Of any moral imperative, but from
a perfectly cheerful inability TO act other
wise. leave it 90 others 70 solve this
problem.
In these days Of preoccupation with
heredity, environment and eugenics nc
biography can be considered complete
that does not at the outset pay proper
attention ID its subjects ancestry and
the atmosphere, material, intellectual
and moral, in which his early years
were spent. In Nietzsche's case we
End q record Of meritorious. gifted
cultured progenitors on both sides, the
clerical strain predorninating. His
father was a clergyman, so was his
grandfather. His grandmother was a
pastors daughter. and so was his
mother. Still further back, on the
earliest Polish ancestor, a Count Nick
pronounced Nietzky). who. sentenced
10 death for his share in q Protestant
conspiracy. escaped to SaXony. AL
though the dates do not seem to tally
quite accurately, and nothing accurate
can be said" the NietZsches cherished
this tradition and currently ascribed to
their reputed noble origin the distinc-
ton Of looks and dignity Of manners
that was part Of their heritage.
N!etzsche, who through life attached
great importance 10 heredity. repeat
edly referred to this Polish descent
he was often mistaken for a Pole by
ex!les from the extinguished kingdom
but he laid even greater stress upon
his authentic forebears. AS late as
1883 he wrote OF them in 'Zarathus-
ira: Ever am your loves hcir and
heritage, blooming 10 your memory of
many gorgeous native virtues, o ye
dearest ones!'
A love Of and q gift for music were
part Of this heritage. together with
minor Instances Of authorship. II oc-
cas!oned no surprise in the family.
therefore, when. at the age OF ten, the
future philosopher composed q motet
and began 70 write verse and dramag
FRAU Forester Nietzsche lays great
strcss on her brothers musical gifts.
for, euriOusly enough. the beginning Of
his mental breakdown coincided with
his growing discomfort with Wagner's s
art and the violent breach Of their close
friendship. II is here that this first
volume stops.
Reviewing the first phase Of Metz
sche's life and work, one can only
reach the conclusion that as material
for hereditary research II is hut Of
small value. Nietzsche's insanity can
not be explained on hereditary
grounds. since his ancestors on both
sides were normal. intellectually highly
gifted people. There are ether prob
lens to be solved besides the one pro-
posed by the biographer in the OPEN
ing pages OF her book. All we know II