of which he would have been the first to repudiate. The admiration which
a discriminating man acquires as a philologist is in proportion to the
rarity of the discrimination to be found in philologists. Bentley's
treatment of Horace has something of the schoolmaster about it It would
appear at first sight as if Horace himself were not the object of
discussion, but rather the various scribes and commentators who have
handed down the text: in reality, however, it is actually Horace who is
being dealt with. It is my firm conviction that to have written a single
line which is deemed worthy of being commented upon by scholars of a
later time, far outweighs the merits of the greatest critic. There is a
profound modesty about philologists. The improving of texts is an
entertaining piece of work for scholars, it is a kind of riddle-solving;
but it should not be looked upon as a very important task. It would be
an argument against antiquity if it should speak less clearly to us
because a million words stood in the way!
56
A school-teacher said to Bentley, "Sir, I will make your grandchild as
great a scholar as you are yourself." "How can you do that," replied
Bentley, "when I have forgotten more than you ever knew?"
57
Bentley's clever daughter Joanna once lamented to her father that he had
devoted his time and talents to the criticism of the works of others
instead of writing something original. Bentley remained silent for some
time as if he were turning the matter over in his mind. At last he said
that her remark was quite right; he himself felt that he might have
directed his gifts in some other channel. Earlier in life, nevertheless,
he had done something for the glory of God and the improvement of his
fellow-men (referring to his "Confutation of Atheism"), but afterwards
the genius of the pagans had attracted him, and, _despairing of
attaining their level in any other way_, he had mounted upon their
shoulders so that he might thus be able to look over their heads.
58
Bentley, says Wolf, both as man of letters and individual, was
misunderstood and persecuted during the greater part of his life, or
else praised maliciously.
Markland, towards the end of his life--as was the case with so many
others like him--became imbued with a repugnance for all scholarly
reputation, to such an extent, indeed, that he partly tore up and
partly burnt several works which he had long had in hand.
Wolf says: "The amount of intellectual food that can be got from
well-digested scholarship is a very insignificant item."
In Winckelmann's youth there were no philological studies apart from the
ordinary bread-winning branches of the science--people read and
explained the ancients in order to prepare themselves for the better
interpretation of the Bible and the Corpus Juris.
59
In Wolf's estimation, a man has reached the highest point of historical
research when he is able to take a wide and general view of the whole
and of the profoundly conceived distinctions in the developments in art
and the different styles of art. Wolf acknowledges, however, that
Winckelmann was lacking in the more common talent of philological
criticism, or else he could not use it properly: "A rare mixture of a
cool head and a minute and restless solicitude for hundreds of things
which, insignificant in themselves, were combined in his case with a
fire that swallowed up those little things, and with a gift of
divination which is a vexation and an annoyance to the uninitiated."
60
Wolf draws our attention to the fact that antiquity was acquainted only
with theories of oratory and poetry which facilitated production,
[Greek: technai] and _artes_ that formed real orators and poets, "while
at the present day we shall soon have theories upon which it would be
as impossible to build up a speech or a poem as it would be to form a
thunderstorm upon a brontological treatise."
61
Wolf's judgment on the amateurs of philological knowledge is noteworthy:
"If they found themselves provided by nature with a mind corresponding
to that of the ancients, or if they were capable of adapting themselves
to other points of view and other circumstances of life, then, with even
a nodding acquaintance with the best writers, they certainly acquired
more from those vigorous natures, those splendid examples of thinking
and acting, than most of those did who during their whole life merely
offered themselves to them as interpreters."
62
Says Wolf again · "In the end, only those few ought to attain really
complete knowledge who are born with artistic talent and furnished with
scholarship, and who make use of the best opportunities of securing,
both theoretically and practically, the necessary technical knowledge"
True!
63
Instead of forming our students on the Latin models I recommend the
Greek, especially Demosthenes · simplicity! This may be seen by a
reference to Leopardi, who is perhaps the greatest stylist of the
century.
64
"Classical education" · what do people see in it? Something that is
useless beyond rendering a period of military service unnecessary and
securing a degree![5]
65
When I observe how all countries are now promoting the advancement of
classical literature I say to myself, "How harmless it must be!" and
then, "How useful it must be!" It brings these countries the reputation
of promoting "free culture." In order that this "freedom" may be rightly
estimated, just look at the philologists!
66
Classical education! Yea, if there were only as much paganism as Goethe
found and glorified in Winckelmann, even that would not be much. Now,
however, that the lying Christendom of our time has taken hold of it,
the thing becomes overpowering, and I cannot help expressing my disgust
on the point--People firmly believe in witchcraft where this "classical
education" is concerned. They, however, who possess the greatest
knowledge of antiquity should likewise possess the greatest amount of
culture, viz., our philologists; but what is classical about them?
67
Classical philology is the basis of the most shallow rationalism always
having been dishonestly applied, it has gradually become quite
ineffective. Its effect is one more illusion of the modern man.
Philologists are nothing but a guild of sky-pilots who are not known as
such · this is why the State takes an interest in them. The utility of
classical education is completely used up, whilst, for example, the
history of Christianity still shows its power.
68
Philologists, when discussing their science, never get down to the root
of the subject . they never set forth philology itself as a problem. Bad
conscience? or merely thoughtlessness?
69
We learn nothing from what philologists say about philology: it is all
mere tittle-tattle--for example, Jahn's[6] "The Meaning and Place of the
Study of Antiquity in Germany." There is no feeling for what should be
protected and defended: thus speak people who have not even thought of
the possibility that any one could attack them.
70
Philologists are people who exploit the vaguely-felt dissatisfaction of
modern man, and his desire for "something better," in order that they
may earn their bread and butter.
I know them--I myself am one of them.
71
Our philologists stand in the same relation to true educators as the
medicine-men of the wild Indians do to true physicians What astonishment
will be felt by a later age!
72
What they lack is a real taste for the strong and powerful
characteristics of the ancients. They turn into mere panegyrists, and
thus become ridiculous.
73
They have forgotten how to address other men; and, as they cannot speak
to the older people, they cannot do so to the young.
74
When we bring the Greeks to the knowledge of our young students, we are
treating the latter as if they were well-informed and matured men. What,
indeed, is there about the Greeks and their ways which is suitable for
the young? In the end we shall find that we can do nothing for them
beyond giving them isolated details. Are these observations for young
people? What we actually do, however, is to introduce our young scholars
to the collective wisdom of antiquity. Or do we not? The reading of the
ancients is emphasised in this way.
My belief is that we are forced to concern ourselves with antiquity at a
wrong period of our lives. At the end of the twenties its meaning begins
to dawn on one.
75
There is something disrespectful about the way in which we make our
young students known to the ancients: what is worse, it is
unpedagogical; or what can result from a mere acquaintance with things
which a youth cannot consciously esteem! Perhaps he must learn to
"_believe_" and this is why I object to it.
76
There are matters regarding which antiquity instructs us, and about
which I should hardly care to express myself publicly.
77
All the difficulties of historical study to be elucidated by great
examples.
Why our young students are not suited to the Greeks.
The consequences of philology.
Arrogant expectation.
Culture-philistinism.
Superficiality.
Too high an esteem for reading and writing.
Estrangement from the nation and its needs.
The philologists themselves, the historians, philosophers, and jurists
all end in smoke.
Our young students should be brought into contact with real sciences.
Likewise with real art.
In consequence, when they grew older, a desire for _real_ history would
be shown.
78
Inhumanity: even in the "Antigone," even in Goethe's "Iphigenia."
The want of "rationalism" in the Greeks.
Young people cannot understand the political affairs of antiquity.
The poetic element: a bad expectation.
79
Do the philologists know the present time? Their judgments on it as
Periclean, their mistaken judgments when they speak of Freytag's[7]
genius as resembling that of Homer, and so on; their following in the
lead of the littérateurs, their abandonment of the pagan sense, which
was exactly the classical element that Goethe discovered in Winckelmann.
80
The condition of the philologists may be seen by their indifference at
the appearance of Wagner. They should have learnt even more through him
than through Goethe, and they did not even glance in his direction. That
shows that they are not actuated by any strong need, or else they would
have an instinct to tell them where their food was to be found.
81
Wagner prizes his art too highly to go and sit in a corner with it, like
Schumann. He either surrenders himself to the public ("Rienzi") or he
makes the public surrender itself to him. He educates it up to his
music. Minor artists, too, want their public, but they try to get it by
inartistic means, such as through the Press, Hanslick,[8] &c.
82
Wagner perfected the inner fancy of man . later generations will see a
renaissance in sculpture. Poetry must precede the plastic art.
83
I observe in philologists ·
1. Want of respect for antiquity.
2. Tenderness and flowery oratory; even an apologetic tone.
3. Simplicity in their historical comments.
4. Self-conceit.
5. Under-estimation of the talented philologists.
84
Philologists appear to me to be a secret society who wish to train our
youth by means of the culture of antiquity · I could well understand
this society and their views being criticised from all sides. A great
deal would depend upon knowing what these philologists understood by the
term "culture of antiquity"--If I saw, for example, that they were
training their pupils against German philosophy and German music, I
should either set about combating them or combating the culture of
antiquity, perhaps the former, by showing that these philologists had
not understood the culture of antiquity. Now I observe:
1. A great indecision in the valuation of the culture of antiquity on
the part of philologists.
2. Something very non-ancient in themselves; something non-free.
3. Want of clearness in regard to the particular type of ancient culture
they mean.
4. Want of judgment in their methods of instruction, _e.g._,
scholarship.
5. Classical education is served out mixed up with Christianity.
85
It is now no longer a matter of surprise to me that, with such teachers,
the education of our time should be worthless. I can never avoid
depicting this want of education in its true colours, especially in
regard to those things which ought to be learnt from antiquity if
possible, for example, writing, speaking, and so on.
86
The transmission of the emotions is hereditary: let that be recollected
when we observe the effect of the Greeks upon philologists.
87
Even in the best of cases, philologists seek for no more than mere
"rationalism" and Alexandrian culture--not Hellenism.
88
Very little can be gained by mere diligence, if the head is dull.
Philologist after philologist has swooped down on Homer in the mistaken
belief that something of him can be obtained by force. Antiquity speaks
to us when it feels a desire to do so, not when we do.
89
The inherited characteristic of our present-day philologists · a certain
sterility of insight has resulted, for they promote the science, but not
the philologist.
90
The following is one way of carrying on classical studies, and a
frequent one: a man throws himself thoughtlessly, or is thrown, into
some special branch or other, whence he looks to the right and left and
sees a great deal that is good and new. Then, in some unguarded moment,
he asks himself: "But what the devil has all this to do with me?" In the
meantime he has grown old and has become accustomed to it all; and
therefore he continues in his rut--just as in the case of marriage.
91
In connection with the training of the modern philologist the influence
of the science of linguistics should be mentioned and judged; a
philologist should rather turn aside from it . the question of the early
beginnings of the Greeks and Romans should be nothing to him . how can
they spoil their own subject in such a way?
92
A morbid passion often makes its appearance from time to time in
connection with the oppressive uncertainty of divination, a passion for
believing and feeling sure at all costs: for example, when dealing with
Aristotle, or in the discovery of magic numbers, which, in Lachmann's
case, is almost an illness.
93
The consistency which is prized in a savant is pedantry if applied to
the Greeks.
94
(THE GREEKS AND THE PHILOLOGISTS.)
THE GREEKS. THE PHILOLOGISTS are ·
render homage to beauty, babblers and triflers,
develop the body, ugly-looking creatures,
speak clearly, stammerers,
are religious transfigurers filthy pedants,
of everyday occurrences,
are listeners and observers, quibblers and scarecrows,
have an aptitude for the unfitted for the symbolical,
symbolical,
are in full possession of ardent slaves of the State,
their freedom as men,
can look innocently out Christians in disguise,
into the world,
are the pessimists of philistines.
thought.
95
Bergk's "History of Literature": Not a spark of Greek fire or Greek
sense.
96
People really do compare our own age with that of Pericles, and
congratulate themselves on the reawakening of the feeling of patriotism:
I remember a parody on the funeral oration of Pericles by G. Freytag,[9]
in which this prim and strait-laced "poet" depicted the happiness now
experienced by sixty-year-old men.--All pure and simple caricature! So
this is the result! And sorrow and irony and seclusion are all that
remain for him who has seen more of antiquity than this.
97
If we change a single word of Lord Bacon's we may say . infimarum
Græcorum virtutum apud philologos laus est, mediarum admiratio,
supremarum sensus nullus.
98
How can anyone glorify and venerate a whole people! It is the
individuals that count, even in the case of the Greeks.
99
There is a great deal of caricature even about the Greeks · for example,
the careful attention devoted by the Cynics to their own happiness.
100
The only thing that interests me is the relationship of the people
considered as a whole to the training of the single individuals · and in
the case of the Greeks there are some factors which are very favourable
to the development of the individual. They do not, however, arise from
the goodwill of the people, but from the struggle between the evil
instincts.
By means of happy inventions and discoveries, we can train the
individual differently and more highly than has yet been done by mere
chance and accident. There are still hopes . the breeding of superior
men.
101
The Greeks are interesting and quite disproportionately important
because they had such a host of great individuals. How was that
possible? This point must be studied.
102
The history of Greece has hitherto always been written optimistically.
103
Selected points from antiquity: the power, fire, and swing of the
feeling the ancients had for music (through the first Pythian Ode),
purity in their historical sense, gratitude for the blessings of
culture, the fire and corn feasts.
The ennoblement of jealousy: the Greeks the most jealous nation.
Suicide, hatred of old age, of penury. Empedocles on sexual love.
104
Nimble and healthy bodies, a clear and deep sense for the observation of
everyday matters, manly freedom, belief in good racial descent and good
upbringing, warlike virtues, jealousy in the [Greek: aristeyein],
delight in the arts, respect for leisure, a sense for free
individuality, for the symbolical.
105
The spiritual culture of Greece an aberration of the amazing political
impulse towards [Greek: aristeyein]. The [Greek: polis] utterly opposed
to new education; culture nevertheless existed.
106
When I say that, all things considered, the Greeks were more moral than
modern men what do I mean by that? From what we can perceive of the
activities of their soul, it is clear that they had no shame, they had
no bad conscience. They were more sincere, open-hearted, and passionate,
as artists are; they exhibited a kind of child-like _naiveté_. It thus
came about that even in all their evil actions they had a dash of purity
about them, something approaching the holy. A remarkable number of
individualities: might there not have been a higher morality in that?
When we recollect that character develops slowly, what can it be that,
in the long run, breeds individuality? Perhaps vanity, emulation?
Possibly. Little inclination for conventional things.
107
The Greeks as the geniuses among the nations.
Their childlike nature, credulousness.
Passionate. Quite unconsciously they lived in such a way as to procreate
genius. Enemies of shyness and dulness. Pain. Injudicious actions. The
nature of their intuitive insight into misery, despite their bright and
genial temperament. Profoundness in their apprehension and glorifying of
everyday things (fire, agriculture). Mendacious, unhistorical. The
significance of the [Greek: polis] in culture instinctively recognised,
favourable as a centre and periphery for great men (the facility of
surveying a community, and also the possibility of addressing it as a
whole). Individuality raised to the highest power through the [Greek:
polis]. Envy, jealousy, as among gifted people.
108
The Greeks were lacking in sobriety and caution. Over-sensibility,
abnormally active condition of the brain and the nerves; impetuosity and
fervour of the will.
109
"Invariably to see the general in the particular is the distinguishing
characteristic of genius," says Schopenhauer. Think of Pindar,
&c.--"[Greek: Sophrosynae]," according to Schopenhauer, has its roots in
the clearness with which the Greeks saw into themselves and into the
world at large, and thence became conscious of themselves.
The "wide separation of will and intellect" indicates the genius, and is
seen in the Greeks.
"The melancholy associated with genius is due to the fact that the will
to live, the more clearly it is illuminated by the contemplating
intellect, appreciates all the more clearly the misery of its
condition," says Schopenhauer. _Cf._ the Greeks.
110
The moderation of the Greeks in their sensual luxury, eating, and
drinking, and their pleasure therein; the Olympic plays and their
worship . that shows what they were.
In the case of the genius, "the intellect will point out the faults
which are seldom absent in an instrument that is put to a use for which
it was not intended."
"The will is often left in the lurch at an awkward moment: hence genius,
where real life is concerned, is more or less unpractical--its
behaviour often reminds us of madness."
111
We contrast the Romans, with their matter-of-fact earnestness, with the
genial Greeks! Schopenhauer: "The stern, practical, earnest mode of life
which the Romans called _gravitas_ presupposes that the intellect does
not forsake the service of the will in order to roam far off among
things that have no connection with the will."
112
It would have been much better if the Greeks had been conquered by the
Persians instead of by the Romans.
113
The characteristics of the gifted man who is lacking in genius are to be
found in the average Hellene--all the dangerous characteristics of such
a disposition and character.
114
Genius makes tributaries of all partly-talented people: hence the
Persians themselves sent their ambassadors to the Greek oracles.
115
The happiest lot that can fall to the genius is to exchange doing and
acting for leisure; and this was something the Greeks knew how to value.
The blessings of labour! _Nugari_ was the Roman name for all the
exertions and aspirations of the Greeks.
No happy course of life is open to the genius, he stands in
contradiction to his age and must perforce struggle with it. Thus the
Greeks . they instinctively made the utmost exertions to secure a safe
refuge for themselves (in the _polis_). Finally, everything went to
pieces in politics. They were compelled to take up a stand against their
enemies . this became ever more and more difficult, and at last
impossible.
116
Greek culture is based on the lordship of a small class over four to
nine times their number of slaves. Judged by mere numbers, Greece was a
country inhabited by barbarians. How can the ancients be thought to be
humane? There was a great contrast between the genius and the
breadwinner, the half-beast of burden. The Greeks believed in a racial
distinction. Schopenhauer wonders why Nature did not take it into her
head to invent two entirely separate species of men.
The Greeks bear the same relation to the barbarians "as free-moving or
winged animals do to the barnacles which cling tightly to the rocks and
must await what fate chooses to send them"--Schopenhauer's simile.
117
The Greeks as the only people of genius in the history of the world.
Such they are even when considered as learners; for they understand this
best of all, and can do more than merely trim and adorn themselves with
what they have borrowed, as did the Romans.
The constitution of the _polis_ is a Phoenician invention, even this
has been imitated by the Hellenes. For a long time they dabbled in
everything, like joyful dilettanti. Aphrodite is likewise Phoenician.
Neither do they disavow what has come to them through immigration and
does not originally belong to their own country.
118
The happy and comfortable constitution of the politico-social position
must not be sought among the Greeks . that is a goal which dazzles the
eyes of our dreamers of the future! It was, on the contrary, dreadful;
for this is a matter that must be judged according to the following
standard: the more spirit, the more suffering (as the Greeks themselves
prove). Whence it follows, the more stupidity, the more comfort. The
philistine of culture is the most comfortable creature the sun has ever
shone upon: and he is doubtless also in possession of the corresponding
stupidity.
119
The Greek _polis_ and the [Greek: aien aristeyein] grew up out of mutual
enmity. Hellenic and philanthropic are contrary adjectives, although the
ancients flattered themselves sufficiently.
Homer is, in the world of the Hellenic discord, the pan-Hellenic Greek.
The [Greek: "agon"] of the Greeks is also manifested in the Symposium in
the shape of witty conversation.
120