Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-28
Literary Notes.


There are three books notable for
their description of the instructive
recognition of the sexual passion and
It's bold yet modest expression by
maidens as pure in thought as in act.
These are, "Peveril of the Peak"
"L'Homme Qui Rit" and Wilhelm
Meister." In the last. the character,
Mignon, is the prototype of the
Finella and the blind girl. Eve, of
the others. Mignon, Goethes concep-
tfon, in his monumental autobio-
graphical romance, is the most life
like, also, of the three maidens. The
full current of her warm southern
blood makes her a woman while she
is yet a child, and as she appears in
the romance she stirs the hearts of
all those who read the book 1t is and
has long been generally known that
Goethe had a very different scheme
for Wilhelm Meister' than that
which is formulated in it, under its
published framework, as a French
review says.
Goethe, like others in his circle,
particularly his friend, Zebel, had
habit of exchanging manuscripts
when he had written some Thing
he regarded with especial favor.
Thus through the reports of friends
to whom the poet had shown the
manuscript, it became matter of
common knowledge that the work
was first written bearing the title,
Wilhelm Meisters Theatrical Mis-
sion." Thus 1t was thought that the
work was to be concerned only with
the hero's theatrical development.
Lately there has been found In Zurich
Goethe's manuscript of the first six
books of the romance written before
the Italian journey of the poet, mo-
mentous in more than one respect.
This manuscript, translated into Eng
lish, has been published by Heine-
mann in London. The story as told is
that Goethe showed his work to Frau
Barbara Schulthess, among others.
This woman was the wife of a
wealthy manufacturer of Sciloenhof,
near Zurich. The poet, though not in
love with Frau Schulthess, admired
her as a woman of noble tempera-
merit and exalted mind. Thus he
sent her his manuscripts, always ad-
monishing her with emphasis that
these must be returned to him. This
was done, but the woman and her
daughter, like herself idolatrously
fond of the magnificent Goethe, made
complete copy to retain themselves.
1t is this copy, true labor of love,
that has been discovered. This man
uscript is the key to the earlier con-
ception of Wilhelm Meister." 1t
proves how high was the aim of
Goethe, who feared not to aspire to
guide the horses of the sun. wilhelm
Meister" was to be presented as the
German Shakespeare and a transcen-
dental theatrical entrepreneur. But
Goethe was 28 when he wrote these
first books. Then he cast them aside.
He did not look at them again until
nine years later. What lesson for
the poet of today! When they were
again taken up Goethe was twenty
years older than when he first har-
bored the idea of the Apprentice
ship" The six books were inconti-
nently cut to four. or. as they are
now. The hero's theatrical ambition
was summarily disposed of. Like
Goethe himself he was sent into the
maeistrom of life, its actual, not
mimic form. Action, humanity, was
his aim, not puerile stagecraft. And
the dignity of the story expands with
the expansion of the mind of the au'
thor. The troupe of actors disap;
pears; poor little Mignon and tina
harper are dismissed with scant
courtesy and higher figures and
greater experiences are presented in
the foreground. The Italian journey,
so wonderfully described by the poet,
had awakened him. Thenceforth he
was to assume his place in a grand
ducal encourage, greater than the SOW
ereign, infinitely above his courtiers.