We Philologists

Save your genius! shall be shouted unto the people: set him free! Do all you can to unshackle him.

The feeble and poor in spirit must not be allowed to judge life.

194

I dream of a combination of men who shall make no concessions, who shall show no consideration, and who shall be willing to be called "destroyers": they apply the standard of their criticism to everything and sacrifice themselves to truth. The bad and the false shall be brought to light! We will not build prematurely: we do not know, indeed, whether we shall ever be able to build, or if it would not be better not to build at all. There are lazy pessimists and resigned ones in this world – and it is to their number that we refuse to belong!

Finis

notes

1

No doubt a reminiscence of the "Odyssey," Bk. ix – Tr.

2

Formal education is that which tends to develop the critical and logical faculties, as opposed to material education, which is intended to deal with the acquisition of knowledge and its valuation, e. g., history, mathematics, &c. "Material" education, of course, has nothing to do with materialism – Tr.

3

The reference is not to Pope, but to Hegel. – Tr.

4

Friedrich August Wolf (1759-1824), the well-known classical scholar, now chiefly remembered by his "Prolegomena ad Homerum." – Tr.

5

Students who pass certain examinations need only serve one year in the German Army instead of the usual two or three – Tr.

6

Otto Jahn (1813-69), who is probably best remembered in philological circles by his edition of Juvenal. – Tr.

7

Gustav Freytag at one time a famous German novelist – Tr.

8

A well-known anti-Wagnerian musical critic of Vienna. – Tr.

9

See note on p 149. (#x_2_i43)– Tr.

10

Karl Ottfried Muller (1797-1840), classical archæologist, who devoted special attention to Greece – Tr.

11

Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker (1784-1868), noted for his ultra-profound comments on Greek poetry – Tr.

12

"We shall once again be shipwrecked." The omission is in the original – Tr.

13

Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann (1772-1848), noted for his works on metre and Greek grammar. – Tr.

14

A type in Schopenhauer's Essay "On Religion." See "Parerga and Paralipomena" – Tr.