OF THE SPIRIT. 357 



has been done in a less systematic manner in other 

 countries, and, in the first instance, in this country. It 

 is a very significant fact that it was the literary creations 

 and the personality of Goethe himself which first gave 

 to one of the foremost thinkers in this country a deeper 

 insight into, and a real understanding of, the originality 

 and importance of German thought. It is still more 

 remarkable and noteworthy that among those who 

 created this interest in German thought Thomas Carlyle 

 stands out as by far the most impressive and powerful 

 writer ; a man who had been brought up within the 

 narrowest and hardest form of Scotch puritanism, who 

 for a moment was in danger of losing his deeper hold of 

 the Spiritual, but who, after a violent struggle with 

 unbelief, passed from the " Everlasting No " through the 

 centre of indifference to the " Everlasting Yea," and laid 

 down in a series of writings, which are unique, and have 

 become classical in English literature, the story of his 

 doubts and the restoration of his belief.^ And among 

 his numerous essays none is more remarkable than the 

 one in which he introduces to his readers that very 

 work of Goethe which deals with the religious problem 

 in Education.^ To many thoughtful persons in this 



^ A very interesting study of this 

 subject is to be found in a tract by 

 J. H. Wilhelmi, entitled ' Th. 

 Carlyle und Fr. Nietzsche, Wie sie 

 Gott suchteu, und, was fur einen 

 Gott sie fanden ' (1897). It draws a 

 parallel between Carlyle and Nietz- 

 sche as having encountered the 

 same doubts and difficulties, and 

 contrasts the direction and result 

 of their respective solutions ; admit- 

 ting at the same time that Nietz- 

 sche's solution was probably not 



final, as his philosophical develop- 

 ment was prematurely cut short. 



■•^ It is a remarkable fact that 

 Carlyle's appreciation of Goethe 

 written during the lifetime of the 

 poet still ranks amongst the best 

 utterances on the subject, con- 

 taining not only a full and true esti- 

 mate of Goethe's genius and person- 

 ality, but also a very adequate ap- 

 preciation of his influence, both 

 on German and more generally on 

 European thought and literature. 



