The Washington times., 1920-01-18


Jewish, but not exactly orthodox.
She described herself as "a
philosophical deist of Voltaire's
school" That was the start of
the young thinker and poet told
by his mother in childhood. "Rea-
son is the sole arbiter in the puz-
zle of religious and other beliefs"
Heine was recognized as one of
the great poets of Germany when
a mere boy. At thirty he was call
ed second only to Goetz." Not
exactly pleasing to Goetz, who said
of Heine, after the young man had
called at Weimar. "Heine has all
gifts except love"
Let your children learn by heart
many of eHinie's songs; for in
stance, the eight beautiful lines
that begin
"E'n, Fichtenbaum steht einsam,"
"A pine tree standeth lonely,
On a far Norland Height
IL slumbereth, while around it
The snow falls thick and white,
And of Palm it dreameth
That in a Southern land,
Lonely and silent standeth
Amid the scorching sand"
Many of Heine's songs have been
set to music by German musician
worthy OF the task. All children
should be taught to recite and
sing, "On Wings of Song" When
/ Look On Thine Eyes," Lay Thy
/. Cheek Against My Cheek "The
Lorlei," and others.
Heine was baptized in the
Lutheran Christian Church. much
against his will, and baptized
Harry" an added horror, al
though it reads Heinrich" on his
tomb. He consented to baptism
because Prussian law will not al
low a Jew to practice law without
it. This baptism of the greatest
has distressed many Jews, proud
of their ancient faith, but it need
not.
Heine never was a first class
Christian. He said: 81 consider
it a degradation and stain upon
my honor to submit to baptism. to
qualify myself for state employ
ment in Prussia" He got even
with the Hohenzollerns on every
occasion, and did it thoroughly.
Pressure by his rich uncle, Gallo
man, who didn't want to support
a nephew, sent Heine into the law
via baptism.
That practical uncle, who lives
in history, thanks to the nephew,
used to say: 'If Heinrich had
amounted to anything he wouldn't
have been driven to make books
for a living"
Heine never took the trouble to
learn what Christianity had done
for democracy or to read st.
James, the original radical, who
would be promptly depor,cd by a
careful government if he should
walk out of the New Testament
now and begin his preaching from
a soap box. Heine's idea of Chris
tianity was thus expressed:
Christianity, by inculcating
hound-like humility and angelic
patience, has proved the surest
support of despotism."
When he was lying on his mat
tress prison." slowly dying in
Paris, religion came to him, but
n tvp'c~l Heine fashion. He thus
describes it:
"A religious reaction has set in
upon me for some time. God
knows whether the morphine or
the poultices have anything to do
with it. ] believe again in a per-
sonal God; to this we come when
we are sick, sick to death and
broken down. If the German peo-
pie accept the King of Prussia in
their need, why should not / ac-
cept personal God? When
health is used up, money used up
also, and sound human sense used
up, Christianity begins-for the
sick man is very good religion"
He never changed, alas, lived
and died heather. Four hours
before his death an anxious
friend asked, Have you made
your peace with God?" The poet,
who for years had been dying by
incheJ, replied wearily, with his
last smile, "Do not trouble your
self, Dieu Me Pardonnere; Cest
son Meter" God will forgive
me-. that is his trade"
Those were Heine's last words.
He had his hours of sadness
when even he found it hard to
laugh at life, with its long pow
erty and cruel suffering. "In
many moments a doubt quivers
through me whether man really
is a two-legged God, as Hegel as