Evening star., 1932-11-08

tion. We hope. to q purer and
better world, has eliminated, as is nat
ural, in q closer study of his pathetic
epic, Faust" Though there were few
persons on the Continent presumptuous
enough to claim for themselves any
sufficiency of culture, or even a Smat-
tering of elementary education. who did
not already possess some acquaintance
with this Goethian masterpiece. it Is
scarcely an exaggeration to say that
now knowledge Of the man and his
works is well nigh universal. News
papers and periodicals have been filled
with stories regarding his life and
achievements which in their various as
poets comprised domestic, civic, politi-
cal and industrial services, as we'll as
gifts and bequests to poesy and litera-
ture generally which rarely have been
surpassed in the writings of any age or
people.
In these anniversary days people nat
urally have wished to visit the scenes
Of his life and quite as much the scenes
immortalized in his compositions. The
Broken, cluster Of Jagged peaks in
the Harz Mountains, where witches,
sorcerers and necronancerS were wont
to congregate for weird performances,
has been the special destination Of
many people interested in the super
natural and occult, but all of these, it
must be admitted, have been profoundly
disappointed Of any contemporary dem
onstration tending to strengthen the
presumption that spiritual forces, good
or evil, are in the control Of man.
Perhaps the latest fatuous exploit of
such investigations was to conduct a
white goat, as perfect a specimen of the
quadruped as could be found, to this
loftlest summit Of the Harz range with
the expectation that the "Brockenge-
spenst" would appear and convert the
goat into handsome young man.
There are some who contend that such
metamorphosis would be considerably
to the detriment of the goat. If q cur
rent type of youth were the result of
the transformation. However that may
be, despite the best. or perhaps We
efforts OF the psychic researchers, and
such amateur witches and specters as
were to be found in the locality. the
goat remained, to all outward and Wis
lble appearances, merely q goat. Yet, a
goat Is no mean creature, considered as
natural phenomenon. We doubt much
whether college of the most proficient
alchemlsts, and ritual of the most
stupendous incantations would be very
successful in changing poodle dog into
a goat! Magic no longer seems to have
lts old sureness and cunning Perhaps
1t was the object of the midnight meet
ing IN the charmed square and triangle
on the Broken to prove that such rites
and ceremonies are Pigments of ancient
superstltlons, embellished by the poet
with pictures both of fact and fancy. in
order to teach all generations whole
some leSSonsI
\
German Town Marks
l,lOOth Anniversary.
Deutsche Verkehrsblaetter, Berlin
MuenSterelfel, a small town near Bad
Neuenahr. noted as a Kneipp cure re-
sort, is completing 1,1OO years as an
incorporation. The original village
grew and prospered because of the in
f1uerce and agricultural industry of
Benedictine monastery, established there
In 832. During the Middle Ages the
town became of considerable import
tance, both commercially and culturally
and retains much of its inspiration and
ancient atmosphere t. the present day,
due in the first respect to the fash
ioned courtesy and intelligent character
istics Of the inhabitants, and in the
second to the quaintness Of the me-
dieval walls, towers and gates which
still survive in different portions of the
town for which they once formed the
outer barrier.
Peiping Welfare
Drive Started.
Yenching Gazette, Peiping - The
Peiping Home Finding Society," a local
charitable institution which receives.
cares for and endeavors to find homes
for fundlings and unwanted babies, has
issued q statement that it Is in need of
contributions. Unlike most appeals, the
society is not asking that money be