Translated
by
HELEN ZIMMERN, with Introduction by J.
HELEN ZIMMERN, with Introduction by J.
Nietzsche - v08 - The Case of Wagner
Gradually all
Greek antiquity has become an object of Don
Quixotism. It is impossible to understand our
modern world if we do not take into account the
enormous influence of the purely fantastic. This is
now confronted by the principle: there can be no
imitation. Imitation, however, is merely an artistic
phenomenon, i. e. , it is based on appearance: we can
accept manners, thoughts, and so on through imita-
tion; but imitation can create nothing. True,
the creator can borrow from all sides and nourish
himself in that way. And it is only as creators
that we shall be able to take anything from the
Greeks. But in what respect can philologists be
said to be creators! There must be a few dirty
jobs, such as knackers' men, and also text-revisers:
are the philologists to carry out tasks of this nature?
172
What, then, is antiquity now, in the face of
modern art, science, and philosophy P. It is no
longer the treasure-chamber of all knowledge; for
in natural and historical science we have advanced
greatly beyond it. Oppression by the church has
## p. 181 (#219) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS I8I
been stopped. A pure knowledge of antiquity is
now possible, but perhaps also a more ineffective
and weaker knowledge. —This is right enough, if
effect is known only as effect on the masses; but
for the breeding of higher minds antiquity is more
powerful than ever.
Goethe as a German poet-philologist; Wagner as
a still higher stage: his clear glance for the only
worthy position of art. No ancient work has ever
had so powerful an effect as the “Orestes” had on
Wagner. The objective, emasculated philologist,
who is but a philistine of culture and a worker in
“pure science,” is, however, a sad spectacle.
I73
Between our highest art and philosophy and that
which is recognised to be truly the oldest antiquity,
there is no contradiction: they support and har-
monise with one another. It is in this that I place
my hopes.
174
The main standpoints from which to consider the
importance of antiquity:
I. There is nothing about it for young people; for
it exhibits man with an entire freedom from shame.
2. It is not for direct imitation, but it teaches
by which means art has hitherto been perfected in
the highest degree.
3. It is accessible only to a few, and there
should be a police des maeurs in charge of it—as
there should be also in charge of bad pianists
who play Beethoven.
4. These few apply this antiquity to the judg-
## p. 182 (#220) ############################################
182 WE PHILOLOGISTS
ment of our own time, as critics of it; and they
judge antiquity by their own ideals and are thus
critics of antiquity.
5. The contrast between the Hellenic and the
Roman should be studied, and also the contrast
between the early Hellenic and the late Hellenic.
—Explanation of the different types of culture.
I75
The advancement of science at the expense of
man is one of the most permicious things in the
world. The stunted man is a retrogression in the
human race: he throws a shadow over all succeeding
generations. The tendencies and natural purpose
of the individual science become degenerate, and
science itself is finally shipwrecked: it has made
progress, but has either no effect at all on life or
else an immoral one.
176
Men not to be used like things
From the former very incomplete philology and
knowledge of antiquity there flowed out a stream
of freedom, while our own highly developed know-
ledge produces slaves and serves the idol of the
State.
177
There will perhaps come a time when scientific
work will be carried on by women, while the men
will have to create, using the word in a spiritual
sense: states, laws, works of art, &c.
People should study typical antiquity just as
they do typical men: i. e. , imitating what they under-
## p. 183 (#221) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS 183
stand of it, and, when the pattern seems to lie far in
the distance, considering ways and means and pre-
liminary preparations, and devising stepping-stones.
178
The whole feature of study lies in this: that we
should study only what we feel we should like to
imitate; what we gladly take up and have the
desire to multiply. What is really wanted is a pro-
gressive canon of the ideal model, suited to boys,
youths, and men.
I79
Goethe grasped antiquity in the right way: in-
variably with an emulative soul. But who else did
so? One sees nothing of a well-thought-out peda-
gogics of this nature: who knows that there is a
certain knowledge of antiquity which cannot be
imparted to youths
The puerile character of philology: devised by
teachers for pupils.
I8O
The ever more and more common form of the
ideal: first men, then institutions, finally tendencies,
purposes, or the want of them. The highest form :
the conquest of the ideal by a backward movement
from tendencies to institutions, and from institutions
to men.
I8I
I will set down in writing what I no longer believe
—and also what I do believe. Man stands in the
midst of the great whirlpool of forces, and imagines
## p. 184 (#222) ############################################
184 WE PHILOLOGISTS
that this whirlpool is rational and has a rational
aim in view : error! The only rationality that we
know is the small reason of man : he must exert
it to the utmost, and it invariably leaves him in
the lurch if he tries to place himself in the hands
of “Providence. ”
Our only happiness lies in reason; all the re-
mainder of the world is dreary. The highest reason,
however, is seen by me in the work of the artist, and
he can feel it to be such : there may be something
which, when it can be consciously brought forward,
may afford an even greater feeling of reason and
happiness: for example, the course of the solar
system, the breeding and education of a man.
Happiness lies in rapidity of feeling and thinking:
- everything else is slow, gradual, and stupid. The
man who could feel the progress of a ray of light
would be greatly enraptured, for it is very rapid.
Thinking of one's self affords little happiness. But
when we do experience happiness therein the reason
is that we are not thinking of ourselves, but of our
ideal. This lies far off; and only the rapid man
attains it and rejoices.
An amalgamation of a great centre of men for
the breeding of better men is the task of the future.
The individual must become familiarised with claims
that, when he says Yea to his own will, he also says
Yea to the will of that centre—for example, in refer-
ence to a choice, as among women for marriage,
and likewise as to the manner in which his child
shall be brought up. Until now no single individu-
ality, or only the very rarest, have been free: they
were influenced by these conceptions, but likewise
## p. 185 (#223) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS 185
by the bad and contradictory organisation of the
individual purposes.
I82
Education is in the first place instruction in what
is necessary, and then in what is changing and in-
constant. The youth is introduced to nature, and
the sway of laws is everywhere pointed out to him ;
followed by an explanation of the laws of ordinary
society. Even at this early stage the question will
arise: was it absolutely necessary that this should
have been so? He gradually comes to need history
to ascertain how these things have been brought
about. He learns at the same time, however, that
they may be changed into something else. What
is the extent of man's power over things? This is
the question in connection with all education. To
show how things may become other than what they
are we may, for example, point to the Greeks. We
need the Romans to show how things became what
they were.
183
If, then, the Romans had spurned the Greek cul-
ture, they would perhaps have gone to pieces com-
pletely. When could this culture have once again
arisen P Christianity and Romans and barbarians:
this would have been an onslaught: it would have
entirely wiped out culture. We see the danger amid
which genius lives. Cicero was one of the greatest
benefactors of humanity, even in his own time.
There is no “Providence” for genius; it is only
for the ordinary run of people and their wants that
|
## p. 186 (#224) ############################################
186 WE PHILOLOGISTS
such a thing exists: they find their satisfaction, and
later on their justification.
184
Thesis: the death of ancient culture inevitable.
Greek culture must be distinguished as the arche-
type; and it must be shown how all culture rests
upon shaky conceptions.
The dangerous meaning of art: as the protectress
and galvanisation of dead and dying conceptions;
history, in so far as it wishes to restore to us feelings
which we have overcome. To feel “historically” or
“just” towards what is already past, is only possible
when we have risen above it. But the danger in
the adoption of the feelings necessary for this is
very great: let the dead bury their dead, so that we
ourselves may not come under the influence of the
smell of the corpses.
THE DEATH OF THE OLD CULTURE.
1. The signification of the studies of antiquity
hitherto pursued: obscure; mendacious.
2. As soon as they recognise the goal they con-
demn themselves to death : for their goal is to de-
scribe ancient culture itself as one to be demolished.
3. The collection of all the conceptions out of
which Hellenic culture has grown up. Criticism of
religion, art, society, state, morals.
4. Christianity is likewise denied.
5. Art and history—dangerous.
6. The replacing of the study of antiquity which
has become superfluous for the training of our youth.
Thus the task of the science of history is completed,
## p. 187 (#225) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS 187
|
and it itself has become superfluous, if the entire
inward continuous circle of past efforts has been con-
demned. Its place must be taken by the science of
the future.
185
“Signs” and “miracles” are not believed; only
a “Providence” stands in need of such things.
There is no help to be found either in prayer or
asceticism or in “vision. ” If all these things con-
stitute religion, then there is no more religion for me.
My religion, if I can still apply this name to some-
thing, lies in the work of breeding genius: from such
training everything is to be hoped. All consolation
comes from art. Education is love for the offspring;
an excess of love over and beyond our self-love.
Religion is “love beyond ourselves. ” The work of
art is the model of such a love beyond ourselves, and
a perfect model at that.
I86
The stupidity of the willis Schopenhauer's greatest
thought, if thoughts be judged from the standpoint
of power. We can see in Hartmann how he juggled
away this thought. Nobody will ever call something
stupid—God.
187
This, then, is the new feature of all the future pro-
gress of the world: men must never again be ruled
over by religious conceptions. Will they be any
worse? It is not my experience that they behave
well and morally under the yoke of religion; I am
not on the side of Demopheles. ” The fear of a
* A type in Schopenhauer's Essay “On Religion. ” See
“Parerga and Paralipomena. ”—TR.
,
## p. 188 (#226) ############################################
I88 WE PHILOLOGISTS
beyond, and then again the fear of divine punish-
ments will hardly have made men better.
I88
Where something great makes its appearance and
lasts for a relatively long time, we may premise
a careful breeding, as in the case of the Greeks.
How did so many men become free among them P
Educate educators | But the first educators must
educate themselves | And it is for these that I
write.
189
The denial of life is no longer an easy matter: a
man may become a hermit or a monk—and what is
thereby denied This conception has now become
deeper: it is above all a discerning denial, a denial
based upon the will to be just; not an indiscriminate
and wholesale denial.
I90
The seer must be affectionate, otherwise men will
have no confidence in him : Cassandra.
I9 I
The man who to-day wishes to be good and saintly
has a more difficult task than formerly: in order to
be “good,” he must not be so unjust to knowledge
as earlier saints were. He would have to be a know-
ledge-saint: a man who would link love with know-
ledge, and who would have nothing to do with gods
or demigods or “Providence,” as the Indian saints
likewise had nothing to do with them. He should
## p. 189 (#227) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS 189
/
also be healthy, and should keep himself so, other-
wise he would necessarily become distrustful of him-
self. And perhaps he would not bear the slightest
resemblance to the ascetic saint, but would be much
more like a man of the world.
I92
The better the state is organised, the duller will
humanity be.
To make the individual uncomfortable is my task!
The great pleasure experienced by the man who
liberates himself by fighting.
Spiritual heights have had their age in history;
inherited energy belongs to them. In the ideal
state all would be over with them.
I93
The highest judgment on life only arising from
the highest energy of life. The mind must be
removed as far as possible from exhaustion.
In the centre of the world-history judgment will
be the most accurate ; for it was there that the
greatest geniuses existed.
The breeding of the genius as the only man who
can truly value and deny life.
Save your genius ! shall be shouted unto the
people: set him freel Do all you can to unshackle
him.
The feeble and poor in spirit must not be
allowed to judge life.
I94
I dream of a combination of men who shall make
mo concessions, who shall show no consideration, and
## p. 190 (#228) ############################################
I90 WE PHILOLOGISTS
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 pre-
maturely: 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 re-
signed ones in this world—and it is to their number
that we refuse to belong /
NOV 18 1915
FINIS.
Printed at The DARIEN Press, Edinburgh.
## p. (#229) ################################################
THE WORKS OF
FRIED RICH NIETZSCHE
First Complete and Authorised English Translation, in 18 Volumes
EDITED BY DR. OSCAR LEVY
I. THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY. Translated by WILLIAM
A. HAussMANN, B. A. , Ph. D. , with Biographical Introduction by
the Author's Sister, Portrait and Facsimile. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d. net.
Second Edition.
II. EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND OTHER
ESSAYS. Translated by M. A. MUGGE, Ph. D. 3s. 6d. net.
III. THE FUTURE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS. Translated by J. M. KENNEDv. 2s. 6d. net.
Second Edition.
IV. THOUGHTS OUT OF SEASON, Vol. I. Trans-
lated by A. M. LUDovici, with Editorial Note. 2s. 6d. net.
Second Edition.
V. THOUGHTS OUT OF SEASON, Vol. II. Trans-
lated, with Introduction, by ADRIAN Collins, M. A. 2s. 6d. net.
Second Edition.
VI. HUMAN, ALL-TOO-HUMAN, Vol. I.
Translated by
HELEN ZIMMERN, with Introduction by J. M. KENNEDv. 5s. net.
Second Edition.
VII. HUMAN, ALL-TOO-HUMAN, Vol. II. Translated,
with Introduction, by PAUL V. Cohn, B. A. 5s. net.
VIII. THE CASE OF WAGNER: We Philologists, &c.
Translated by A. M. Ludovici. Cr. 8vo, 3s. 6d. net. Third Edition.
IX. THE DAWN OF DAY. Translated, with Intro-
duction, by J. M. KENNEDY. 5s. net.
X. THE JOYFUL WISDOM, Translated, with Intro-
duction, by THoMAs Common. 5s. net.
XI. THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA. Revised Trans-
lation by T. Common, with Introduction by Mrs. FoERstER-NIET-
zsche, and Commentary by A. M. LUDovici. 6s. net. Second Ed.
XII. BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL. Translated by HELEN
ZIMMERN, with Introduction by T. Common. 3s. 6d. net. Third Ed.
XIII. THE GENEALOGY OF MORALS. Translated by
Horace B. SAMUEL, M. A. , with Introductory Note. 3s. 6d. net.
XIV. THE WILL TO POWER, Vol. I. Translated, with
Introduction, by A. M. LUDovici. 5s. net. Second Edition.
XV. THE WILL TO POWER, Vol. II. Translated, with
Introduction, by A. M. LUDovici. 5s. net.
XVI. THE TWILIGHT OF IDOLS, THE ANTI-
CHRIST, &c. Translated by A. M. Ludovici. Cr. 8vo, 5s. net.
XVII. ECCE HOMO AND POETRY. Translated by A. M.
Ludovici. Crown 8vo, 6s. net.
XVIII. INDEX TO WORKS, by Robert Guppy; and
- Vocabulary of all Foreign Words and Phrases, by Paul V. Cohn ;
refaced by an Essay on the Nietzsche Movement in England, by
É. Oscar LEvy. 450 pp. Crown 8vo, 6s. net
T. N. FOULIS, PUBLISHER
91 GT. RUSSELLST. , LONDON, & 15 FREDERICKST. EDINBURGH
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## p. (#230) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAM LITERATURE
THE RENAISSANCE
By COUNT ARTHUR DE GOBINEAU
Translated by PAUL V. CoHN, with an Introductory
Essay by Dr. OscaR LEvy
7s. 6d.
(HEINEMANN)
(In the Press)
These five historical dramas cover the flowering-time of the Italian
Renaissance from the rise to prominence of Savonarola (1492) to the
last days of Michaelangelo (about 1560). While grouped round the
leading figures who provide the titles—Savonarola, Cesare Borgia,
Julius II. , Leo x. , and Michaelangelo—the plays introduce almost
every interesting character of the period. Nor are we only con-
cerned with the great names: the author aims at catching the spirit
of the people, and the thoughts and feelings of soldier, artisan,
trader, and their womenfolk find ample voice in his pages.
The Italian Renaissance is an epoch of peculiar interest to English
readers, not least because of its profound influence on our own
Elizabethan age. It is perhaps the most many-sided period in
history: even fifth-century Greece scarcely contributed so much—
or at any rate so much that has survived—to the world of politics,
art, and thought. Now while this interest is amply reflected in
contemporary literature, from the monumental work of Symonds
down to the flotsam and jetsam of everyday fiction, there is one kind
of man who more than an historian would show insight into this
age, and that is a poet.
It is as a poet's work that Gobineau’s “Historical Scenes” recom-
mend themselves to the public. . But there are many kinds of poets:
there is the religious and moral kind, there is the irreligious and
submoral kind, and there is the super-religious and super-moral
kind. Only the last-named can understand, can feel, can sympathise
with such mighty figures as Cesare Borgia and Julius II. -the
religious poet being inclined to paint them as monsters, the sub-
religious as freaks and neurotics. Similia similibus: equals can
only be recognised by their equals, and Gobineau was himself a type
of the Renaissance flung by destiny into an age of low bourgeois and
socialist ideals. In a century swayed by romanticism and democracy,
Gobineau was a classic and an aristocrat. He is a forerunner of
Nietzsche (“the only European spirit I should care to converse with,”
said Nietzsche of him in a letter), and as such is peculiarly fitted
## p. (#231) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAAW LITERATURE
to deal with one of the few periods that was not dominated by the
moral law. For this reason Gobineau cannot fail to attract the large
and ever-growing circle of students of Nietzsche in this country and
America.
Although Gobineau, especially in his masterly touches of irony,
is a thorough Frenchman, he has not attracted in his own country,
even since his death in 1881, the attention he deserves. This is
mainly due to his anti-republican and anti-patriotic bias. In Ger-
many, on the other hand, his work has created great stir; of “La
Renaissance” alone there are no fewer than four different trans-
lations, and acting versions have been and still are produced with
success. We may hope that England—of late years not behindhand
in welcoming continental authors—will to some extent follow the
example of her Teutonic sister-nation. At any rate, the work of
Gobineau does not lack a distinguished English sponsor—one who
was no less a discerning critic than a great creative artist. George
Meredith writes (in a letter to Mrs. J. G. Butcher, Feb. 27th,
1906, : “I return the book of the Comte de Gobineau. I have not
for long read anything so good. The Renaissance in its chief ruler
and the ideas and character of the time is made alive. So much
has the writer impressed me that I sent for ‘Histoire des Perses,’ an
exposé of his political notions. ”
NIETZSCHE : HIS LIFE AND
WORKS
By ANTHONY M. LUDOVICI
Preface by Dr. OscAR LEvy
Io3 pages, Is. . . net
(Constable & Co)
In this short monograph on Nietzsche, the latest addition
to Messrs. Constable's Shilling “Philosophies, Ancient and
Modern” series, Mr. Ludovici not only gives the reader a
succinct account of the philosophy of the “Will to Power” in
all its main features; but he also sketches in bold strokes the
groundwork of an attack on Darwin, Spencer, English Materi-
alism, and English Utilitarianism, which is perhaps the first
criticism of the kind ever attempted from a Nietzschean
standpoint.
## p. (#232) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAM LITERATURE
NIETZSCHE AND ART
BY
ANTHONY M. LUDOVICI
4s. 6d.
(Constable & Co)
Not only to the Nietzsche enthusiast, but also to the
art student, this book ought to be of particular value and
interest, seeing that it is the first attempt that has ever
been made, either in English or any Continental language,
to apply Nietzsche's AEsthetic to one of the branches of
Art.
In this work the reader will find all the matter included
in Mr. Ludovici's stimulating course of lectures recently
delivered at University College, Gower Street, and a good
deal more besides. “I have done two things,” says the
author in his preface; “I have given a detailed account
of Nietzsche's general art doctrine, and I have also
applied this doctrine to the graphic arts of to-day and
of antiquity. ”
To quote the Daily Telegraph's report of the lectures,
Mr. Ludovici's thesis is simply this: “The finest art,
or the ruler art, as he calls it, is that in which the
aristocratic principles of culture, selection, precision, and
simplicity are upheld, and this art can be the flower
and product only of a society in which an aristocratic
order is observed.
## p. (#233) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAN LITERATURE
THE MASTERY OF LIFE
By G. T. WRENCH
I5s. net
(STEPHEN Swift)
This book is a review of the history of civilisation with the
object of discovering, in the phrase of Nietzsche, “under
what conditions and where the plant man flourished best. ”
The review shows that the patriarchal family has always
been the foundation of peoples who have been distinguished
for their joy in and power over life, and have expressed their
joy and power in art works which have been their peculiar
glory and the object of admiration and wonder of other
peoples. On the other hand, peoples who have not based
themselves on the larger humanity of patriarchalism, and
who have not cultivated a masterful aristocracy, have been
distinguished by a weaker and often miserable attitude
towards life, and by an expression, not of power, joy, and
quality, but of exhaustion, pessimism, and doubts about the
objects of existence.
The author contrasts the two types of peoples, the orderly
and artistic, and the dehumanised or mechanical, and shows
how the latter may hope to attain to the mastery of life, both
social and individual. But to carry out the change of social
basis and values, a new kind of men is needed, and this need
leads the author in the last pages to advocate as an essential
preliminary the self-culture of power and will which Nietzsche
taught so brilliantly through the mouth of Zarathustra.
## p. (#234) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAN LITERATURE
RELIGIONS AND
PHILOSOPHIES OF THE EAST
by
J. M. KENNEDY
Author of “The Quintessence of Nietzsche”
Crown 8vo, 6s. net
“All wisdom came from the East,” and all the wisdom of
the East is bound up in its religions and philosophies, the
earliest forms of which can be traced back 3000 years B. C.
Mr. J. M. Kennedy has now aimed at giving in a single
volume a concise history of the religions and philosophies
which have influenced the thought of the great eastern
nations, special emphasis, of course, being laid upon the
different religions which have swayed the vast empire of
India. A feature of the book is a section dealing with the
influence of the philosophies of the East upon those of
the West, so far as materials are now available for our
guidance in this respect. It may be remembered, for ex-
ample, that Schopenhauer was greatly influenced by Indian
thought, and that he exercised much influence on Nietzsche,
who, in his turn, as shown in Mr. Kennedy’s “Quintessence
of Nietzsche,” has not only swayed modern thought, but is
in addition likely to affect the whole trend of philosophy
for many generations to come.
T. WERNER LAURIE, CLIFFORD'S INN, LONDON
## p. (#235) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAM LITERATURE
THE PHILOSOPHY
OF FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
By H. L. MENCKEN
Demy 8vo, 7s. 6d. net
(FISHER UNwin)
A popular exposition of Nietzsche's ideas, showing their
application to current problems, together with an account of
his life, and chapters upon his origins and influence.
“An admirable manual. ”—Dr. W. L. CourTNEy, in the Daily
Telegraph.
“One of the most interesting and instructive books that has come
from the American press in many a long day. Mr. Mencken can
write. In addition, he has something to write about. ”—Educational
A'ezyzew. -
“A clear exposition, in vigorous, straightforward language, and a
really interesting and thoughtful biographical memoir. ”—Outlook.
“A very readable and clear account of the philosophy and the
philosopher.
Greek antiquity has become an object of Don
Quixotism. It is impossible to understand our
modern world if we do not take into account the
enormous influence of the purely fantastic. This is
now confronted by the principle: there can be no
imitation. Imitation, however, is merely an artistic
phenomenon, i. e. , it is based on appearance: we can
accept manners, thoughts, and so on through imita-
tion; but imitation can create nothing. True,
the creator can borrow from all sides and nourish
himself in that way. And it is only as creators
that we shall be able to take anything from the
Greeks. But in what respect can philologists be
said to be creators! There must be a few dirty
jobs, such as knackers' men, and also text-revisers:
are the philologists to carry out tasks of this nature?
172
What, then, is antiquity now, in the face of
modern art, science, and philosophy P. It is no
longer the treasure-chamber of all knowledge; for
in natural and historical science we have advanced
greatly beyond it. Oppression by the church has
## p. 181 (#219) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS I8I
been stopped. A pure knowledge of antiquity is
now possible, but perhaps also a more ineffective
and weaker knowledge. —This is right enough, if
effect is known only as effect on the masses; but
for the breeding of higher minds antiquity is more
powerful than ever.
Goethe as a German poet-philologist; Wagner as
a still higher stage: his clear glance for the only
worthy position of art. No ancient work has ever
had so powerful an effect as the “Orestes” had on
Wagner. The objective, emasculated philologist,
who is but a philistine of culture and a worker in
“pure science,” is, however, a sad spectacle.
I73
Between our highest art and philosophy and that
which is recognised to be truly the oldest antiquity,
there is no contradiction: they support and har-
monise with one another. It is in this that I place
my hopes.
174
The main standpoints from which to consider the
importance of antiquity:
I. There is nothing about it for young people; for
it exhibits man with an entire freedom from shame.
2. It is not for direct imitation, but it teaches
by which means art has hitherto been perfected in
the highest degree.
3. It is accessible only to a few, and there
should be a police des maeurs in charge of it—as
there should be also in charge of bad pianists
who play Beethoven.
4. These few apply this antiquity to the judg-
## p. 182 (#220) ############################################
182 WE PHILOLOGISTS
ment of our own time, as critics of it; and they
judge antiquity by their own ideals and are thus
critics of antiquity.
5. The contrast between the Hellenic and the
Roman should be studied, and also the contrast
between the early Hellenic and the late Hellenic.
—Explanation of the different types of culture.
I75
The advancement of science at the expense of
man is one of the most permicious things in the
world. The stunted man is a retrogression in the
human race: he throws a shadow over all succeeding
generations. The tendencies and natural purpose
of the individual science become degenerate, and
science itself is finally shipwrecked: it has made
progress, but has either no effect at all on life or
else an immoral one.
176
Men not to be used like things
From the former very incomplete philology and
knowledge of antiquity there flowed out a stream
of freedom, while our own highly developed know-
ledge produces slaves and serves the idol of the
State.
177
There will perhaps come a time when scientific
work will be carried on by women, while the men
will have to create, using the word in a spiritual
sense: states, laws, works of art, &c.
People should study typical antiquity just as
they do typical men: i. e. , imitating what they under-
## p. 183 (#221) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS 183
stand of it, and, when the pattern seems to lie far in
the distance, considering ways and means and pre-
liminary preparations, and devising stepping-stones.
178
The whole feature of study lies in this: that we
should study only what we feel we should like to
imitate; what we gladly take up and have the
desire to multiply. What is really wanted is a pro-
gressive canon of the ideal model, suited to boys,
youths, and men.
I79
Goethe grasped antiquity in the right way: in-
variably with an emulative soul. But who else did
so? One sees nothing of a well-thought-out peda-
gogics of this nature: who knows that there is a
certain knowledge of antiquity which cannot be
imparted to youths
The puerile character of philology: devised by
teachers for pupils.
I8O
The ever more and more common form of the
ideal: first men, then institutions, finally tendencies,
purposes, or the want of them. The highest form :
the conquest of the ideal by a backward movement
from tendencies to institutions, and from institutions
to men.
I8I
I will set down in writing what I no longer believe
—and also what I do believe. Man stands in the
midst of the great whirlpool of forces, and imagines
## p. 184 (#222) ############################################
184 WE PHILOLOGISTS
that this whirlpool is rational and has a rational
aim in view : error! The only rationality that we
know is the small reason of man : he must exert
it to the utmost, and it invariably leaves him in
the lurch if he tries to place himself in the hands
of “Providence. ”
Our only happiness lies in reason; all the re-
mainder of the world is dreary. The highest reason,
however, is seen by me in the work of the artist, and
he can feel it to be such : there may be something
which, when it can be consciously brought forward,
may afford an even greater feeling of reason and
happiness: for example, the course of the solar
system, the breeding and education of a man.
Happiness lies in rapidity of feeling and thinking:
- everything else is slow, gradual, and stupid. The
man who could feel the progress of a ray of light
would be greatly enraptured, for it is very rapid.
Thinking of one's self affords little happiness. But
when we do experience happiness therein the reason
is that we are not thinking of ourselves, but of our
ideal. This lies far off; and only the rapid man
attains it and rejoices.
An amalgamation of a great centre of men for
the breeding of better men is the task of the future.
The individual must become familiarised with claims
that, when he says Yea to his own will, he also says
Yea to the will of that centre—for example, in refer-
ence to a choice, as among women for marriage,
and likewise as to the manner in which his child
shall be brought up. Until now no single individu-
ality, or only the very rarest, have been free: they
were influenced by these conceptions, but likewise
## p. 185 (#223) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS 185
by the bad and contradictory organisation of the
individual purposes.
I82
Education is in the first place instruction in what
is necessary, and then in what is changing and in-
constant. The youth is introduced to nature, and
the sway of laws is everywhere pointed out to him ;
followed by an explanation of the laws of ordinary
society. Even at this early stage the question will
arise: was it absolutely necessary that this should
have been so? He gradually comes to need history
to ascertain how these things have been brought
about. He learns at the same time, however, that
they may be changed into something else. What
is the extent of man's power over things? This is
the question in connection with all education. To
show how things may become other than what they
are we may, for example, point to the Greeks. We
need the Romans to show how things became what
they were.
183
If, then, the Romans had spurned the Greek cul-
ture, they would perhaps have gone to pieces com-
pletely. When could this culture have once again
arisen P Christianity and Romans and barbarians:
this would have been an onslaught: it would have
entirely wiped out culture. We see the danger amid
which genius lives. Cicero was one of the greatest
benefactors of humanity, even in his own time.
There is no “Providence” for genius; it is only
for the ordinary run of people and their wants that
|
## p. 186 (#224) ############################################
186 WE PHILOLOGISTS
such a thing exists: they find their satisfaction, and
later on their justification.
184
Thesis: the death of ancient culture inevitable.
Greek culture must be distinguished as the arche-
type; and it must be shown how all culture rests
upon shaky conceptions.
The dangerous meaning of art: as the protectress
and galvanisation of dead and dying conceptions;
history, in so far as it wishes to restore to us feelings
which we have overcome. To feel “historically” or
“just” towards what is already past, is only possible
when we have risen above it. But the danger in
the adoption of the feelings necessary for this is
very great: let the dead bury their dead, so that we
ourselves may not come under the influence of the
smell of the corpses.
THE DEATH OF THE OLD CULTURE.
1. The signification of the studies of antiquity
hitherto pursued: obscure; mendacious.
2. As soon as they recognise the goal they con-
demn themselves to death : for their goal is to de-
scribe ancient culture itself as one to be demolished.
3. The collection of all the conceptions out of
which Hellenic culture has grown up. Criticism of
religion, art, society, state, morals.
4. Christianity is likewise denied.
5. Art and history—dangerous.
6. The replacing of the study of antiquity which
has become superfluous for the training of our youth.
Thus the task of the science of history is completed,
## p. 187 (#225) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS 187
|
and it itself has become superfluous, if the entire
inward continuous circle of past efforts has been con-
demned. Its place must be taken by the science of
the future.
185
“Signs” and “miracles” are not believed; only
a “Providence” stands in need of such things.
There is no help to be found either in prayer or
asceticism or in “vision. ” If all these things con-
stitute religion, then there is no more religion for me.
My religion, if I can still apply this name to some-
thing, lies in the work of breeding genius: from such
training everything is to be hoped. All consolation
comes from art. Education is love for the offspring;
an excess of love over and beyond our self-love.
Religion is “love beyond ourselves. ” The work of
art is the model of such a love beyond ourselves, and
a perfect model at that.
I86
The stupidity of the willis Schopenhauer's greatest
thought, if thoughts be judged from the standpoint
of power. We can see in Hartmann how he juggled
away this thought. Nobody will ever call something
stupid—God.
187
This, then, is the new feature of all the future pro-
gress of the world: men must never again be ruled
over by religious conceptions. Will they be any
worse? It is not my experience that they behave
well and morally under the yoke of religion; I am
not on the side of Demopheles. ” The fear of a
* A type in Schopenhauer's Essay “On Religion. ” See
“Parerga and Paralipomena. ”—TR.
,
## p. 188 (#226) ############################################
I88 WE PHILOLOGISTS
beyond, and then again the fear of divine punish-
ments will hardly have made men better.
I88
Where something great makes its appearance and
lasts for a relatively long time, we may premise
a careful breeding, as in the case of the Greeks.
How did so many men become free among them P
Educate educators | But the first educators must
educate themselves | And it is for these that I
write.
189
The denial of life is no longer an easy matter: a
man may become a hermit or a monk—and what is
thereby denied This conception has now become
deeper: it is above all a discerning denial, a denial
based upon the will to be just; not an indiscriminate
and wholesale denial.
I90
The seer must be affectionate, otherwise men will
have no confidence in him : Cassandra.
I9 I
The man who to-day wishes to be good and saintly
has a more difficult task than formerly: in order to
be “good,” he must not be so unjust to knowledge
as earlier saints were. He would have to be a know-
ledge-saint: a man who would link love with know-
ledge, and who would have nothing to do with gods
or demigods or “Providence,” as the Indian saints
likewise had nothing to do with them. He should
## p. 189 (#227) ############################################
WE PHILOLOGISTS 189
/
also be healthy, and should keep himself so, other-
wise he would necessarily become distrustful of him-
self. And perhaps he would not bear the slightest
resemblance to the ascetic saint, but would be much
more like a man of the world.
I92
The better the state is organised, the duller will
humanity be.
To make the individual uncomfortable is my task!
The great pleasure experienced by the man who
liberates himself by fighting.
Spiritual heights have had their age in history;
inherited energy belongs to them. In the ideal
state all would be over with them.
I93
The highest judgment on life only arising from
the highest energy of life. The mind must be
removed as far as possible from exhaustion.
In the centre of the world-history judgment will
be the most accurate ; for it was there that the
greatest geniuses existed.
The breeding of the genius as the only man who
can truly value and deny life.
Save your genius ! shall be shouted unto the
people: set him freel Do all you can to unshackle
him.
The feeble and poor in spirit must not be
allowed to judge life.
I94
I dream of a combination of men who shall make
mo concessions, who shall show no consideration, and
## p. 190 (#228) ############################################
I90 WE PHILOLOGISTS
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 pre-
maturely: 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 re-
signed ones in this world—and it is to their number
that we refuse to belong /
NOV 18 1915
FINIS.
Printed at The DARIEN Press, Edinburgh.
## p. (#229) ################################################
THE WORKS OF
FRIED RICH NIETZSCHE
First Complete and Authorised English Translation, in 18 Volumes
EDITED BY DR. OSCAR LEVY
I. THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY. Translated by WILLIAM
A. HAussMANN, B. A. , Ph. D. , with Biographical Introduction by
the Author's Sister, Portrait and Facsimile. Crown 8vo, 2s. 6d. net.
Second Edition.
II. EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND OTHER
ESSAYS. Translated by M. A. MUGGE, Ph. D. 3s. 6d. net.
III. THE FUTURE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS. Translated by J. M. KENNEDv. 2s. 6d. net.
Second Edition.
IV. THOUGHTS OUT OF SEASON, Vol. I. Trans-
lated by A. M. LUDovici, with Editorial Note. 2s. 6d. net.
Second Edition.
V. THOUGHTS OUT OF SEASON, Vol. II. Trans-
lated, with Introduction, by ADRIAN Collins, M. A. 2s. 6d. net.
Second Edition.
VI. HUMAN, ALL-TOO-HUMAN, Vol. I.
Translated by
HELEN ZIMMERN, with Introduction by J. M. KENNEDv. 5s. net.
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VII. HUMAN, ALL-TOO-HUMAN, Vol. II. Translated,
with Introduction, by PAUL V. Cohn, B. A. 5s. net.
VIII. THE CASE OF WAGNER: We Philologists, &c.
Translated by A. M. Ludovici. Cr. 8vo, 3s. 6d. net. Third Edition.
IX. THE DAWN OF DAY. Translated, with Intro-
duction, by J. M. KENNEDY. 5s. net.
X. THE JOYFUL WISDOM, Translated, with Intro-
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XI. THUS SPAKE ZARATHUSTRA. Revised Trans-
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XII. BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL. Translated by HELEN
ZIMMERN, with Introduction by T. Common. 3s. 6d. net. Third Ed.
XIII. THE GENEALOGY OF MORALS. Translated by
Horace B. SAMUEL, M. A. , with Introductory Note. 3s. 6d. net.
XIV. THE WILL TO POWER, Vol. I. Translated, with
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XV. THE WILL TO POWER, Vol. II. Translated, with
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XVI. THE TWILIGHT OF IDOLS, THE ANTI-
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XVII. ECCE HOMO AND POETRY. Translated by A. M.
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XVIII. INDEX TO WORKS, by Robert Guppy; and
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refaced by an Essay on the Nietzsche Movement in England, by
É. Oscar LEvy. 450 pp. Crown 8vo, 6s. net
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91 GT. RUSSELLST. , LONDON, & 15 FREDERICKST. EDINBURGH
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## p. (#230) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAM LITERATURE
THE RENAISSANCE
By COUNT ARTHUR DE GOBINEAU
Translated by PAUL V. CoHN, with an Introductory
Essay by Dr. OscaR LEvy
7s. 6d.
(HEINEMANN)
(In the Press)
These five historical dramas cover the flowering-time of the Italian
Renaissance from the rise to prominence of Savonarola (1492) to the
last days of Michaelangelo (about 1560). While grouped round the
leading figures who provide the titles—Savonarola, Cesare Borgia,
Julius II. , Leo x. , and Michaelangelo—the plays introduce almost
every interesting character of the period. Nor are we only con-
cerned with the great names: the author aims at catching the spirit
of the people, and the thoughts and feelings of soldier, artisan,
trader, and their womenfolk find ample voice in his pages.
The Italian Renaissance is an epoch of peculiar interest to English
readers, not least because of its profound influence on our own
Elizabethan age. It is perhaps the most many-sided period in
history: even fifth-century Greece scarcely contributed so much—
or at any rate so much that has survived—to the world of politics,
art, and thought. Now while this interest is amply reflected in
contemporary literature, from the monumental work of Symonds
down to the flotsam and jetsam of everyday fiction, there is one kind
of man who more than an historian would show insight into this
age, and that is a poet.
It is as a poet's work that Gobineau’s “Historical Scenes” recom-
mend themselves to the public. . But there are many kinds of poets:
there is the religious and moral kind, there is the irreligious and
submoral kind, and there is the super-religious and super-moral
kind. Only the last-named can understand, can feel, can sympathise
with such mighty figures as Cesare Borgia and Julius II. -the
religious poet being inclined to paint them as monsters, the sub-
religious as freaks and neurotics. Similia similibus: equals can
only be recognised by their equals, and Gobineau was himself a type
of the Renaissance flung by destiny into an age of low bourgeois and
socialist ideals. In a century swayed by romanticism and democracy,
Gobineau was a classic and an aristocrat. He is a forerunner of
Nietzsche (“the only European spirit I should care to converse with,”
said Nietzsche of him in a letter), and as such is peculiarly fitted
## p. (#231) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAAW LITERATURE
to deal with one of the few periods that was not dominated by the
moral law. For this reason Gobineau cannot fail to attract the large
and ever-growing circle of students of Nietzsche in this country and
America.
Although Gobineau, especially in his masterly touches of irony,
is a thorough Frenchman, he has not attracted in his own country,
even since his death in 1881, the attention he deserves. This is
mainly due to his anti-republican and anti-patriotic bias. In Ger-
many, on the other hand, his work has created great stir; of “La
Renaissance” alone there are no fewer than four different trans-
lations, and acting versions have been and still are produced with
success. We may hope that England—of late years not behindhand
in welcoming continental authors—will to some extent follow the
example of her Teutonic sister-nation. At any rate, the work of
Gobineau does not lack a distinguished English sponsor—one who
was no less a discerning critic than a great creative artist. George
Meredith writes (in a letter to Mrs. J. G. Butcher, Feb. 27th,
1906, : “I return the book of the Comte de Gobineau. I have not
for long read anything so good. The Renaissance in its chief ruler
and the ideas and character of the time is made alive. So much
has the writer impressed me that I sent for ‘Histoire des Perses,’ an
exposé of his political notions. ”
NIETZSCHE : HIS LIFE AND
WORKS
By ANTHONY M. LUDOVICI
Preface by Dr. OscAR LEvy
Io3 pages, Is. . . net
(Constable & Co)
In this short monograph on Nietzsche, the latest addition
to Messrs. Constable's Shilling “Philosophies, Ancient and
Modern” series, Mr. Ludovici not only gives the reader a
succinct account of the philosophy of the “Will to Power” in
all its main features; but he also sketches in bold strokes the
groundwork of an attack on Darwin, Spencer, English Materi-
alism, and English Utilitarianism, which is perhaps the first
criticism of the kind ever attempted from a Nietzschean
standpoint.
## p. (#232) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAM LITERATURE
NIETZSCHE AND ART
BY
ANTHONY M. LUDOVICI
4s. 6d.
(Constable & Co)
Not only to the Nietzsche enthusiast, but also to the
art student, this book ought to be of particular value and
interest, seeing that it is the first attempt that has ever
been made, either in English or any Continental language,
to apply Nietzsche's AEsthetic to one of the branches of
Art.
In this work the reader will find all the matter included
in Mr. Ludovici's stimulating course of lectures recently
delivered at University College, Gower Street, and a good
deal more besides. “I have done two things,” says the
author in his preface; “I have given a detailed account
of Nietzsche's general art doctrine, and I have also
applied this doctrine to the graphic arts of to-day and
of antiquity. ”
To quote the Daily Telegraph's report of the lectures,
Mr. Ludovici's thesis is simply this: “The finest art,
or the ruler art, as he calls it, is that in which the
aristocratic principles of culture, selection, precision, and
simplicity are upheld, and this art can be the flower
and product only of a society in which an aristocratic
order is observed.
## p. (#233) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAN LITERATURE
THE MASTERY OF LIFE
By G. T. WRENCH
I5s. net
(STEPHEN Swift)
This book is a review of the history of civilisation with the
object of discovering, in the phrase of Nietzsche, “under
what conditions and where the plant man flourished best. ”
The review shows that the patriarchal family has always
been the foundation of peoples who have been distinguished
for their joy in and power over life, and have expressed their
joy and power in art works which have been their peculiar
glory and the object of admiration and wonder of other
peoples. On the other hand, peoples who have not based
themselves on the larger humanity of patriarchalism, and
who have not cultivated a masterful aristocracy, have been
distinguished by a weaker and often miserable attitude
towards life, and by an expression, not of power, joy, and
quality, but of exhaustion, pessimism, and doubts about the
objects of existence.
The author contrasts the two types of peoples, the orderly
and artistic, and the dehumanised or mechanical, and shows
how the latter may hope to attain to the mastery of life, both
social and individual. But to carry out the change of social
basis and values, a new kind of men is needed, and this need
leads the author in the last pages to advocate as an essential
preliminary the self-culture of power and will which Nietzsche
taught so brilliantly through the mouth of Zarathustra.
## p. (#234) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAN LITERATURE
RELIGIONS AND
PHILOSOPHIES OF THE EAST
by
J. M. KENNEDY
Author of “The Quintessence of Nietzsche”
Crown 8vo, 6s. net
“All wisdom came from the East,” and all the wisdom of
the East is bound up in its religions and philosophies, the
earliest forms of which can be traced back 3000 years B. C.
Mr. J. M. Kennedy has now aimed at giving in a single
volume a concise history of the religions and philosophies
which have influenced the thought of the great eastern
nations, special emphasis, of course, being laid upon the
different religions which have swayed the vast empire of
India. A feature of the book is a section dealing with the
influence of the philosophies of the East upon those of
the West, so far as materials are now available for our
guidance in this respect. It may be remembered, for ex-
ample, that Schopenhauer was greatly influenced by Indian
thought, and that he exercised much influence on Nietzsche,
who, in his turn, as shown in Mr. Kennedy’s “Quintessence
of Nietzsche,” has not only swayed modern thought, but is
in addition likely to affect the whole trend of philosophy
for many generations to come.
T. WERNER LAURIE, CLIFFORD'S INN, LONDON
## p. (#235) ################################################
OTHER AWIETZSCHEAM LITERATURE
THE PHILOSOPHY
OF FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
By H. L. MENCKEN
Demy 8vo, 7s. 6d. net
(FISHER UNwin)
A popular exposition of Nietzsche's ideas, showing their
application to current problems, together with an account of
his life, and chapters upon his origins and influence.
“An admirable manual. ”—Dr. W. L. CourTNEy, in the Daily
Telegraph.
“One of the most interesting and instructive books that has come
from the American press in many a long day. Mr. Mencken can
write. In addition, he has something to write about. ”—Educational
A'ezyzew. -
“A clear exposition, in vigorous, straightforward language, and a
really interesting and thoughtful biographical memoir. ”—Outlook.
“A very readable and clear account of the philosophy and the
philosopher.
