The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-02-22
o we CELEBRATE.
Birthday Of sehopenhauer, Prince 9
German "Kultur."


German "kultur," OF which we have
heard so much OF late. finds It's high.
est expression In the realm OF philo.
sophy. and Of all the Teuton Tphiloso.
piers Author s~chopenhauer exercised
the deepest and most profound In,
fluence upon the thought OF the whole
world. This Is the l27th anniversary
OF the birth OF this prince Of German
"kultur." He was the son OF a
wealthy German banker. and his
mother was a woman OF brilliant at.
tainments. He was educated In metl,
cine, sclence, philosophy and the ma.
turay sciences. and Travelled widely
before he settled down in Frankfort
to devote tie last thirty years Of his
life-which ended In lsG0-to the de.
v!ooment OF that pessimistic and
melancholy philosophy with which his
name Is associated. Recognition was
slow in coming, and It was not until
the twilight days OF his career that
he achieved that fame for which he
so paasionatety lorged.
Although he formulated the most
celebrated system OF philosophy that
ever emanated from a German brain,
Schopcnhauer held a poor opinion OF
his countrymen. Perhaps embittered
BY lack OF recognition, he often
launched his satirical. shafts In tho dl:
rection Of his fellow.G erman, and held
them up to scorn and riticute. French:
men he detested quite as much, a.
evidenced In this eplgram:
Other parts Of the world have
monkeys; Europe has %Frenchmen..
The only people he found tolerable
were the English. and he spent much
time among them. and, 1t Is said, re.
fused to read any but English news.
papers,
From his young manhood he was a
woman.hater, and he expressed his
opinion Of the fair sex as "rIch in hair,
but poor in thought"
He conceived this as the worst pos
sible OF words. the slum OF the UNI.
verse;" His profound pessimism, re.
duced In his works to system Of
philosophy. deeply affected the art
and literature Of the whole world. I'm.
like so many Of the Teuton philoao.
piers, he expressed his ideas In words
that could be grasped by the mind OF
the man in the street, and his literary
style was remarkable for Its clarity
and perfection. The following extracts
suggest both his philosophy and his
style:
There are some really beautiful
landscapes in the world. but the hu.
man figures In them are poor, and
you had better not look at them"
mo rose without a thorn. Yes, but
many a thorn without q rose"
I'VE feel pain, but not painlessness;
we feel care, but not the absence of
care; fear, but not security"
Noise does not disturb Germans
In reading or thinking, simply because
they do not think. Their senses are
.obtuse. The prevailing habit of mind
Is dullness and lack Of thought"
Where are there any real mono.
gamists? We all live, at any rate for
a time, and most Of us always, in
polygamy. And 80. since every man
needs many women, there is nothing
fairer than to allow him, may, to make
1t incumbent upon him. to provide for
many women. This will reduce woman
to her true and natural position as a
subordinate being: and the lady
that monster Of European civilization
and Teutonico. Christian stupidity
will disappear from the world, leaving
only women, but nj more unhappy
women, Of whom Europe is now SO
full"