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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1884)
THE HESPERIAN STUDENT. ' masonry where oven the loved sunlight creeps dimly through the painted windows" dreaming of "mountain cavcrns'whcrc the moonlight weaves spirits from tho un certain shadows." Ho was atruo seeker after knowledge a"man who had drained the thon scanty cup of lonrn Ing'and finding it insufilolcnt sought to quench his thirst with Intoxicating poisons. His picture hints of many who slowly suffocated in that sad lime; who died of thirst in the midst or pleasant waters. His strength was wasted in rniBing the heavy stono of falsehood, ever fall ing back by its own weight: in listening with ovory norvo intent, for harmony, when tho very music of tho spheres was drowned only by tho din of his misdirected efforts. Ho', Invoked Uio very powers of darkness to bring 10 His eyes the light excluded by his own ignorant act and true to their nature they only made the blackness more intense. It was despair, not idle curlositv which drove the old magician into his terrible c mpact with evil. His stormy soul had long been lashing itself on the rocky unknown, seoiug only bubbles and froth of its own substance as a sesult. His aim was to dash beyond Hint boundary and he saw not, nor would he have been content had ho seen that grain by grain, a pebble at a time the shore was yielding. There is a grandeur in tho mind that looses all thought ofsclf, of present or future hrppiucss in struggling with its human limitation. Nowhere on his journey through tho world docs Faust Btoop to any fumlllarity save that of contempt with his un. earthly servant. Condemned by fate to yield to the enomy lie never loses his proud superority. And wc can be lieve that had tho utmost penalty, tho last letter of his con. tract, been demanded of him, the same contempt of evil even in himself, the same lofty nature looking down upon his imperfection, would have remained with him to tho end. His long bailie with a finally irrcsistable power, a power licensed by tho Almighty himself to drag him down; his fall and subsequent repentance, all merit and obtain our sympathy not our condemnation. Little need Yas there for Faust to caul inn his companion "Be not a devil so dilute!" There is found in him none of the faint hcartcdness of Marlowe's Mephistopheles, sighing for the lost delight or heaven. No conception of evil has even heen so complete with the single excep tion, perhaps, of Shakespeare's Iago. Goethe lias shown us a strangely assorted trio, Faust, Mephistopheles and pure Margaret: Margaret, the most beautiful and touching picture the world has ever seen trusting so much and so deeply deceived, inuocent even in her deepest sin; Faust, wilii such strength, such powers, and with tho land of destiny upon him Satan, so weak in himself, so strong whan allied witli human passion. The world has seen this sad dram, many, many times Tho Middle Age saw it on tho grandest scale though not for the first time then did hu manity follow falsehood while hand in hand with truth, one day no doubt to sec his leader as he In -and turning And right ever at his side. The first part of this tragedy is complete in itself, as complete as anything can be tliat begins not with crea ation and ends not with thc.cnd of time. The second part loses all human interest The mind is lost in an at tempt to bring the whole course of human progress and the universe of men's passions into a single viow; each passage with its manifold meanings is like to a movable gulde.board pointing as tho wind or tho imagination may direct, to ways that aro no thoroughfares. Fow rend the second part of Goatho's "Faust;" To wcr still, read it a sec ond lime in spito of tho fact, or rather because of tho fact that with each moaning seen anotlier rises in per spective like images in parallel mirrors. Tho work of the "Gorman Shakespeare's" Hfo from his Iboyhood to his dcatli with four score years behind him may well bewil der any mind loss groat than his own and uiiiil such a one appears to enlighten us, it must remain amostory. Humanity too, lias arrived at an ago when meanings multiply, when only a small part of tho whole can be the portion of any ono mau. Wo still await tho Interpre ter who will oue day see things as tho arc, as grand, a symmetrical unit. Once only in tho history ol mankind has such an interpreter appeared many hundreds of years ago, but wo may hope for tho coming of such another, in which time tho dark places of carlh shall be made light. 1894. m ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS: Yoimnruii Inquiuer. You show much gouius for one so slightly advanced in years, but wo fear that your bril liant plan for reforming the Literary Societies and their slates is scarcely feasible. There might bo objections in various tlirectioiH to having the slates as well as tho pro grams published in the daily papers. Give us something easier next time. Bob Iuaiinsoiiii: These columns aro no place for relig ious controversies. However, we have carefully investi gated the Holy Writ and are totally unable to quote a sin gle passage favorable to Greek-Letter societies. The verse "Men of Athens, in all things yo aro too supersti tious" may possibly refer to the goat and greased pole. Still there is a difference of opinion among commentators which wc cannot hore agree to settle. FitiisinE: Yes you cerlaiuly took tho right course in having it removed, especially as the barber was so con scientious as to charge you half rates only. Bui. we scarcely like to say that it would look well when braided into a ring for your girl. Perhnps you can dis poseof it to tho Olemargarino manufacturers. If it la ns crisp and tender as you affirm, it might prove quite appe. tizlng when served cold with boarding-house butler and the other conventional entrees. Pkkp. Gnu,: No; there is no way that wc know of in ydiich you can convert your second-hand chewing gum intocla8s-plns. There are several blight points ofdiffor crence between the two articles. John Jones: We fear that there is no way for you to restrain the Palladians from their customary allusions to you on Friday night. It is certainly embarrassing to hear ones name shouted out in discordant tones by a whole society, but the law will lie unlikely to give you any great degree of satisfaction. Injuked Innocece: We are surprised (hat you should ask us so simple a question. Of course it was the dog and not her pa as you seem to imagiuo. How could any one savo n canine get away with a square loot of your "wardrobe" in a single round? There is still hope for you and you must not despair.
