t6o a '' FAUST " problem. 



hear, by all the living, the shameless murderers praised." So 

 "two souls, alas! reside within (his) breast"; the "one with 

 tenacious organs holds . . . the world in its embraces." the 

 other " strongly rises away from this dust into higher spheres." 



When next we find him in his study, he is for a while longer 

 under the sway of the " Easter-mood," but no sooner does he 

 resume his meditations than we hear him say: "But. ah! I feel 

 . contentment flows from my breast no longer," and when 

 he makes an attempt to find consolation in the New Testament, 

 the first and only result is criticism, doubt, and an interpretation 

 which in reality is a flat contradiction. 



To this doubting, despairing, disgusted, though still vaccila- 

 ing mind, Mephisto presents himself, not with the information, 

 "I am an impotent evil Spirit," but with words that chime in with 

 Faust's pessimistic mood: " I (like you) am disgusted with this 

 world ; in fact, I think it fully deserves complete destruction. I 

 like to do all I can to counteract its usual processes. Many 

 people call this evil, but I maintain that that is good." 



Can we, I ask, have a better opening of a conversation the 

 aim and final result of which is Mephisto's proposal that Faust, 

 wdio is miserable because until now he has tried what others and 

 he himself have been accustomed to call Good, shall now try to 

 find happiness in what Mephisto teaches him to call ( iood ? 



In conclusion, one more remark : it might at first sight seem 

 possible to interpret Faust's question, "Was ist mit diesem Ratsel- 

 wort gemeint," as referring merely to the fjrst words of 

 Mephisto's, " Ein Teil von jener Kraft," and one commentator 

 seems to accept this view. But I firmly hold that this cannot 

 have been Goethes intention, because, first, Mephisto — who after 

 all is a supernatural being, and shows an intimate knowledge of 

 what has been in Faust's nfind — must be taken to know what 

 Faust means by his question ; and, secondly, because Faust 

 listens attentively to what Mephisto says in elucidation, of the 

 words " der stets das Bose will," etc., and neither interrupts him 

 nor, when he has finished, says, anything like : "Yes, 1 see that, 

 but T asked, ' What do you mean by ' ein Teil von jener Kraft?' " 

 Faust docs want to know that also, but he does in no -.vay speak 

 as if it was the only point he thought obscure. 



Grants for Research. — As a result of the recom- 

 mendations recently made by the joint committee of this Asso- 

 ciation and the Royal Society of South Africa ( vide p. 66, 

 ante), a General Committee has been constituted on the lines 

 already indicated, and held its first meeting a few weeks ago, 

 for the purpose of considering ap])lications for grants which had 

 been received. Five grants, amounting in all to £250, were 

 made, and were comprised as follows: — ( i) £40 to Prof. W. A. 

 D. Rudge, M.A., of Grey University College, Bloemfontein. for 



