Somewhat later in the same year, a circumstance occurred which afforded Schleiermacher a welcome opportunity for expressing publicly the relation in which he stood to the political parties of the day, that is, of the period of fermentation immediately succeeding the July Revolution in France. In the Parisian journal Le Messager des Chambres, there appeared in February, 1831, a series of fictitious letters from Berlin, which caused great sensation in that city, and in which, among other things, Schleiermacher’s political position was represented in a manner which he felt himself bound emphatically to disavow. This he did in a letter to the Messager, which was not, however, inserted, but which, at his own request, appeared subsequently in the Allgemeine Preussische Staatszeitung, accompanied by a complaint of the unfairness of the Messager, in refusing to insert this refutation of matters of a personal character. The letter to the Messager, written in French, was as follows:—
To the Editor of the “Messager des Chambres.”
[CCCCXLVII.] Berlin, 8th March.
SIR,—As it has pleased one of your correspondents in this city to allude to me repeatedly, I trust that you will allow space in your columns for the subjoined answer to his remarks, if for no other reason, at least for the sake of your German readers.
First of all, I must disclaim the surname of great, as we Germans use this word so very sparingly that it can hardly be applied to a man like myself, except for the purpose of throwing ridicule upon him, which I am not aware that I have deserved.
Secondly. I am equally far from being “the most eminent Christian preacher in Germany”—I believe that was the expression used—and my sermons and discourses cannot possibly be models of eloquence, as I never write them before delivering them. To attempt to be “sublime,” as a preacher, would even be contrary to my principles; for the more sublime the Gospel, the more simple may the sermon be.
Thirdly. We pray every Sunday that God will grant the king such wisdom as he needs for the fulfilment of the duties imposed upon him by God: but when doing this we are not aware that we express any other “wish of the people,” than that it may lead a tranquil life under the rule and protection of the king, and ever draw nearer to the goal of Christian perfection. Such, sir, is the language of our Protestant church, and from this I have never diverged.
Fourthly, it is very true that I was “for a time forbidden to preach;” but it was from my doctor that the order eminated.
Fifthly. I belong to no party of the Left. Your expressions, right and left, right and left centre, are quite foreign to our relations; and were your correspondent in truth a Prussian, he would not have made use of party appellations which, among us, no one would apply to himself. More especially, he would not have spoken of a party of the Left, secretly intent on revolutionary thoughts. We have made enormous progress since the peace of Tilsit, and that without revolution, without chambers, nay, even without liberty of the press; but the people have ever been with the king and the king with the people. Under these circumstances, must not a man be out of his senses who would pretend that henceforward we should progress more rapidly by means of a revolution? I, for my part, am always sure to be on the king’s side, when I am on the side of the most enlightened men of the nation.
Finally, in order not to be utterly opposed to your correspondent on all points, I am willing to express to him my thanks for the honourable place which he assigns to me among the teachers of the university, though I am bound to confess at the same time, that I would rather be confounded in the comprehensive etcetera, under which he conceals the names of a number of highly distinguished men. Accept, &c.
SCHLEIERMACHER
Schleiermacher to his Step-Son.1
[CCCCXLVIII.] Berlin, March, 1832.
Accept also my hearty greetings, beloved son, on occasion of your birthday, and my best wishes that you may advance in your career through healthy, cheerful activity, remaining united with us in spirit, though distant in body. Remember that your old father is daily drawing nearer to the last goal, and that it would be a great consolation to him could he live to see you in an independent position, so that your mother might be left with fewer anxieties weighing upon her… . . You did quite right to participate in the merriment of the late carnival; but I am not so pleased to find that you write letters while the board is sitting. You must endeavour to acquire the power, not only of listening attentively to an uninteresting discussion, but also of learning something from it. It is this that leads to the position of Ober-Regierung-Rath and of Präsident. During the vacations I will write more fully. I commend you to God, dear son of my heart.
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Footnotes
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The son had a few months previously received an appointment as Referendary to the Government in Aix-la-Chapelle. ↩