Editorial 



327 



in the Whitechapel Gallery, which is so like one of Goethe, 

 that the two might be mistaken. It is to be admitted, 

 however, that there are others of Mendelssohn which are not 

 like Goethe, and others of Goethe which do not resemble 

 Mendelssohn. The one to which we refer was No. 722 in the 

 large hall, It is by the Tassaerts, father and son, as artist 

 and engraver. None of the full-face portraits show any 

 striking resemblance between the two men. 



In what we have written of Goethe's features we have 

 implied a belief that he was not of wholly German blood, but 

 probably derived part of his genius from an Italian, if not a 

 Semitic strain. The following quotations may be added to 

 those given from contemporary observers. 



Gleim writes of Goethe when a young man : " I scarcely 

 know what there was about him which struck me particularly, 

 except a pair of brilliant black Italian eyes." 



Jung Stilling mentioned " Goethe's broad brow and flashing 

 eye." 



An anonymous writer mentions, " His majestic gait and 

 lofty forehead ; the noble form of his head ; his fiery eye 

 and arched nose." 



Descartes' portrait is certainly Jewish. The nose is almost 

 hooked and has a high bridge. The lower lip is large. He 

 was born in Touraine and of a semi-aristocratic family, which 

 made boast that no mesalliances had ever occurred. His rela- 

 tives considered that in devoting himself to philosophy he 

 degraded the family. 



Descartes had in the early part of his career great hope of 

 improving the science of health so as to lead to great pro- 

 longation of human life. It is recorded of him that later on 

 he regretfully acknowledged that the difficulties had proved 

 greater than he had anticipated, " and that he now felt sure 

 that his ambition to prolong life was not to be accomplished ; 

 none the less, he had learned, he tells us, that far more im- 



