62 
HELEN ABBOTT MICHAEL 
ious to have me return and to assist me with all his ability. 
He urged me to send him my scientific papers very promptly.” 
From Leipsic our eager pilgrim hastened to Weimar, with 
which she was favorably impressed. 
“There is an air of homelike refinement in the homes and 
streets. The town seems to have been for all time to come 
influenced by the wonderful coterie of Goethe, Schiller, Wie¬ 
land, Herder, and the hosts of others.” 
She found it “a relief for once not to have any educational 
institutions to visit,” and she gave herself up “to the poetry of 
her surroundings. 
“The weather was very uncertain. Sunshine, pouring 
rain, and hail alternated during the day. The low hills that 
surround Weimar, the park and delightful bits of old archi¬ 
tecture, are all fitting for the residence of Goethe. The venera¬ 
tion in which that literary set was, and still is, held is shown 
by the liberal monuments raised to them. 
“Goethe and Schiller, Wieland and Herder each have a 
fine statue raised in their honor. Many of the streets bear the 
names of these illustrious men. Their houses of residence 
are shown and preserved as the most precious relics. The 
house of the painter Cranach is also preserved, and the house 
which Liszt occupied during several years is also pointed out. 
Well may the inhabitants of this city be proud of its intellect, 
for the public good which Goethe rendered to the people is 
everywhere apparent. 
“His house, a fine roomy dwelling, now belongs to the town. 
It was given by the last member of Goethe’s family, now 
dead. No descendant of that wonderful genius is now living. 
Goethe’s home is preserved very much as it was. It is now a 
museum of the scientific collections of minerals, painting, 
sculpture, and of books and engineering illustrating so plainly 
the wide culture of the man and his power of appreciating the 
good in all art, science, and literature. His workroom was 
impressive. Plain, modern desk, bookcases, cabinets con¬ 
taining specimens, table, and chair, all stand as used by him. 
Opening into his study was his bedroom with his bed, the 
chair on which he died. The table and cup, saucer, and medi- 
