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SfPCJt ¦ ^ . . ¦ . ^ ' "• fill LEAIfB, ^...
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ffirritee.
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Critics are not the legislators, but-fch...
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The Germans hare at least this pre-emine...
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One oaen wishes that tho Platonic notion...
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THE FUTURE OF GERMAN PHILOSOPHY. Gegenwa...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Sfpcjt ¦ ^ . . ¦ . ^ ' "• Fill Leaifb, ^...
SfPCJt ¦ ^ . . ¦ . ^ ' "• fill LEAIfB , ^^ j $$ .
Ffirritee.
ffirritee .
Critics Are Not The Legislators, But-Fch...
Critics are not the legislators , but-fche judges and police of literature . They do not make laws—they- interpret and . try to enibrjoe the en . — 'JHcUahuargh Rob * ew .
The Germans Hare At Least This Pre-Emine...
The Germans hare at least this pre-eminence over us- —their attempts at Hig h Art are not a total failure . No one , we think , can have seen their finest efforts in this way without recognising in them a grandeur and affluence of conception which are entirely wanting in the correspondent productions of English artists . Among the German painters who are most successful in this direction , in the noble , the grandiose , and the preternaturally terrible , is Wiltielm VON Kaulb \ ch—that very Kaulbach whose humour is richer even than the humour of nations stored up in the wonderful Reineke Fucks , which he has illustrated for us . The man who can shake us with delicious laughter at the mere hack of Grinxhart the Badger , clad in a
shortlapped coat and three-cornered hat , is the man whose figure of the German Saga ( in the New Museum at Berlin ) is worthy to be placed beside Michael Angelo's Sybils ; none can create more real , chubby children than Kaulbach—few can thrill us with more ideally awful , spectres than those in his great cartoon of the Ilunncmcldacla ( Battle of the Huns ) . Is not this combination of the humorous with the sublime , of an exquisite sensibility to the human with a power of imagining the preterhuman , precisely what 13 wanted in an illustrator of Shtakspeabe ? And Kacxbach has undertaken the task of illustrating him . Three engravings from his sketches for Macbeth are now ready for purchasers , at a price which will
be thought moderate by those rich enough to indulge in pictures ; the impressions on tinted paper being fifteen thalers , and tbose on white paper twelve thaler 3 . We can speak of the merit of these illustrations , not merely from our faith in Kaui . ba . ch , but from a sight of two ; and of one we were permitted to see the original sketch , so as to be enabled to appreciate the excellent rendering of the engraver . No . 1 of the series represents the meeting of Macbeth and Banquo with the three witches : the figures of the two warriors with their horses are admirable ; you see in Macbeth the startled interest of a Kazakh whose evil ambition is ready to be kindled by the hellish prophecy ; in Banquo , the naive , eager curiosity of a soul free
from criminal thoughts . The three witches satisfied us less completely , " they are too much like a hideous nightmare , too Gorgon-like , and have none of that sardonic eujojment of evil which is a principal trait in the weird sisters . Kadlbach has made them hover a little way above the earth , and he has certainly been very successful in the preternatural fire which flits under their feet . No . 2 represents Lady Macbeth walking in her sleep ; but this we have not seen . No . 3 , of which we saw the original sketch , is taken from the third scene of the fifth act , where Macbeth is girding on his armour for the last desperate struggle , while he talks to the Doctor , who brings him news of his wife ' s wretched condition . It is the same
Macbeth as in the first engraving , with his face hardened and made haggard by crime and despair—perhaps with a little too much of the fiend in his expression . The drawing of this figure is admirable for the solidity of the limbs and the ease of the posture ; indeed , actors would do well to take a hint from this posture , which is quite different from the one ordinarily assumed in this scene . The lea foot rests on a block ; the right hand holds tho naked sword ; and the left hand presses the crown against the brow . Scyton is kneeling to fasten on his master ' s spurs , and another attendant Stands behind holding the helmet ; the Doctor , a finely-conceived figure , stands a little in front with his face partly turned towards Macbeth . The
horrors which are gnawing nt the tyrant ' s conscience are indicated by a group of spirits—the spirits of those he has murdered—hovering above him . lathe centre is the , venerable Duncan allowing his wounds ; on oue side of him is Lady MacduiV attempting to shield her two boys ; on the other , Btmquo with his crowned grandchildren ; and in the background the drunken guards . Tho group of Banquo ' s grandchildren , one leaning on his grandfather ' s knee , looking down in cluibby serenity on his would-be Murderer , and two smaller ones cooing and kissing , is enough to mnko this it has
picture a treasure , even if it had no other meritorious element—and many . Besides the direct interest of these illustrations , arising from their intrinsic excellence , they have an indirect interest , as presenting us with a German's conception of Shakspcarian scenes and characters ; and although We . English arc not inclined to admit the assumption of the Germans that they understand Siiakupkarh better than we do , wo arc glad to have nil their ideas , since thcro is much good to be obtained by an intellectual , as "Wall as by a physiological , crossing of races .
One Oaen Wishes That Tho Platonic Notion...
One oaen wishes that tho Platonic notion of marriage , as tho union of tho incomplete soul with its other half , could bo renliaod in friendship for scientific ends—that tho man who has tho creative intellect of a ( Juofpkoy Saikt JtIu . Aian , without the power of exposition , could have a coadjutor Bowpssing tho literary talent of a Cuvum . That the man of inventive * Wnlty could have n Jidus Achates at his elbow with all tho patience and (¦ MtftMM so rnroly given in company with brilliant conceptive power . A Case of this kind was actually presented by Dui . os »« and Petit , of whoso
combining experiments the patience to carry them out to completeness : Pejtlt was more of a mathematician , Dclong more of an experimentalist ; Petit had more of brilliant facility , Duiohg more of thoroughness and persistence : the one represented the imagination necessary for scientific achievement , the other the reason necessary to guide that imagination . " L ' on peut dire , " says the writer in the Revue , " que de Peffort commun de ces deux esprits si elevens , mais si diversement doues applique tk . une meme etude , il sortait comme une intelligence unique a laquelle les quality ' s les plus brilliantes et les plus solides auraient £ te
and tobpiFWm 4 emmsto 2 tm 4 he < hms of StaticTHestf-ffcej *& ' * $ e ^ fofere * 6 iig account m the Revue ties Deux-Mondes . Kartell togefifter-w . tiieEcole FblyfecTini auG , they entered < m foejr joint career oX . experfoent- ^ eir scientiiw joaMiage- ^ m HJL 5 , when they wesre hajh ab ^ ut * wenty , fiveyeaKS of age . J / neir mmds seemed to lmve dovetailed . completely ; Pbxbt having what may be called scientific infcaitton and p ^ wer of invention , -with vivacity of intellect and ease and grace of expression , while Dttlong had the love of scientific exactness and of precise experiment , together with the power of
d ^ volu es . Unhappily , Petit died of consumption in 1820 , when only twenty-nine , leaving Ddlong to pursue his investigations in widowhood . This is a beautiful bit of romance in the history of science , and is charmingly told by M . Jamin in the Revue des Deux Mbndes , where , also the reader will find an interesting paper on * ' Patelin , " dear to all students of Mo / libbe , by M . LrrTBE , one of the many erudite physicians who grace the study of the great sciences by -the cultivation of literature . St . Maec " GiBAKinN also continues his agreeable series of papers on Jeax Jacq . tjes Rousseau , this month touching on the education of women as treated in Ernile , and by Madame de Maintenox .
The Revue Coniemporaine contains several good articles , but we have only space to notice in passing " Les ^ Finances de l'Autriche depuis 1848 , " and a very interesting analysis of a very interesting book by Comte Roger Raczinskt , " La Justice et la Monarchic Populaire , " which proposes a remodelling of the map of Europe . These two articles , both connected with the topics of the day , are worth looking out for .
The Future Of German Philosophy. Gegenwa...
THE FUTURE OF GERMAN PHILOSOPHY . Gegenwart und Zukunft der PhUosqphie in Deutschland . [ Present and Future of Philosophy in Germany . J "Von O . F . Grappe . Berlin ; George Reimer , 1855 " The age of systems is passed . . . . System is the childhood of philosophy ; the manhood of philosophy is investigation . " So says Professor Gruppe in tho work of which we have given the title above , and we quote this dictum at the outset in order to propitiate those readers who might otherwise turn away with disgust from the mention of German . philosophy , having registered a vow to trouble themselves no more with those spinners of elaborate cocoons—German system-mongers . Perhaps , however , there are . some of our readers who would not require any such password from Professor Gruppe ; for although he is better known in England as a writer on classical literature than as a philosopher , still it
is likely that many German scholars amongst us are acquainted with his two philosophical works , Antaeus , published in 1831 , and WendepunTct der Philosop 7 de im neunzehuten Jakrhundert , published in 1834 . He is a man of very various accomplishments , and throws bis active intellect with equal fervour and facility into many channels—into poetry and politics as well as into classical literature and philosophy . This versatility in authorship is rare among erudite Germans , and is held rather in suspicion by them , in spite of the fact that some of their greatest men—Lessing , Herder , Goethe , and Schillerwore productive in several departments . Those who decry versatility—and there are many who do so ia other countries besides Germany—seem to forcet the immense service rendered by the suggestiveness of versatile
men , who come to a subject with fresh , unstrained minds . You have perhaps been spending much time and ingenuity in planning a house or m spinning a theory which seonis to you to account satisfactorily for many things : ° an intelligent neighbour comes in , and you show him your plan , or explain to him your theory . He is not an accomp lished architect , but he sees at once that you have put a door and a chimney in incompatible positions ; he is not , perhaps , a profound thinker , but he makes an obsorvntion on your theory vrliich directly shows you that it yrill not " hold water . " Such is the service wMch the versatile man will often render to the patient , exclusive inquirer . To return to Professor Gruppe : ho has vindicated his versatility by achieving more than an average
success in more than one department ; his Ariadne is one of the best books , if not tho very best , wo have on the Greek Drama ; ms Cosmic System of the Greeks is an ingenious application of scholarship ; many of his lyrical poems have considerable merit ; and his Wendcpunkt der Philosophic is a striking philosophical work , showing much acumen and independent thought . In tho work now before us , which was originally intended to bo a more pamphlet , but which has swelled to a volume of nearly three hundred pages , bo rapidly ( and somewhat too allusively for tho ff en ™ IM 1 * IVA 1 U < 11 I" *&* - "'> mv A * % y ** i ~** j ^ ¦ . •¦• v * . WW ..--T--- — - - — — ^ \ ra flirt in liis earlier hilosohical worKstuo
render ) restates the views contained p p , Antcens and the Wendepunkl—views which twenty years of addition * «»? £ ami considerable experience as a professor of Moral Philosophy m tno University of Berlin have sorved to confirm and make clearer . .. . . The object towards which Herr Gruppe chiefl y directs his C 9 ™ Ration ia tho Reformation of Logic , or tho rectification of ' t home <><* ft * * Xt ™ o inquiry , which , as he > st ! y insists , is tho ? ssen V | THmt we owe all 21 progress . It is , ho says , simply to a reform in method that weowe a * the splendid achievementsof mocWn natural science , ?»^ , ;?^ nauirv that tension of that reform to every department ot p hilosophical inquiry that
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), July 28, 1855, page 15, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_28071855/page/15/
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