← Back to the beginning of Letters to the Son
The Wife to Schleiermacher.
[CCCCLIV.] Salzbrunn, 15th August.
… . The rebuke contained in your last letter but one, darling father, I accept with childlike submission, and I will not fail to watch over myself, that I may not give cause for misapprehension. As regards myself, I must confess to you, that I never feel any desire or necessity to keep God our heavenly Father, and God our Saviour, distinct. I know not to whom it is I raise my heart in prayer or thanksgiving—to my feelings they are one—and I only become conscious of the distinction when I think of the human life and activity of the Saviour. If there be in this a confusion of ideas against which I ought to struggle, do tell me so. Farewell, my own dear life.
Schleiermacher to his Wife.
[CCCCLV.] Berlin, 5th September, 1832.
My dear mother, on my return from church last Sunday, I found Häckel in my room, and was gladdened by the receipt of your dear letters, and of all the accounts he gave me of you, which, thank God, contained nothing but what was good… . . Our Jonas left yesterday. He seems to have made a very favourable impression on Bishop Neander, which gives me much pleasure. To-day, I had a long conversation in the street with A. von H——, who, as an ultra-liberal, is furious at the present state of German affairs. I do not quite participate in his feelings, but I am not either so easy in regard to these matters as our dear Eichhorn. It often makes me sad to think, that after all our bright hopes and good beginnings, I shall, when I depart this life, leave our German world in such a very precarious state—for this will most probably be my lot. But I will not now give way to these reflections, or my letter will be too late for the post. May I only be allowed to continue my life of domestic contentment with you and the children. God be with you, my dear, dear heart.
The Mother to her Son.
[CCCCLVI.] Berlin, 26th November, 1832.
… . How merciful is God to allow us to be all gathered again in renewed health and spirits around your dear father, who is always the most precious figure in the picture! On his birthday, he was so cheerful, so indescribably amiable. The detailed account of the festivities I leave to the girls to give you. You will receive an abundance of letters, and, taken all together, I have no doubt they will afford you a very lively picture of our present state. Our home life is just now very cheerful and animated, and I am greatly pleased with all the children… . . How uncertain, however, is the future, and you also, my dear son, may be thrown out of your present career by the war—in what an unsettled state are all the great common interests of mankind! I thank God that He has given me faith to trust so entirely in His fatherly love that no cares or anxieties can trouble me, but that I feel ready to submit cheerfully to all his ways, and that I can rest in Him. My prayer is that you also will allow yourself to be guided by Him; for He will guide you better than any thoughts or wishes of mine… . .
[CCCCLVII.] Berlin, 11th May, 1833.
These lines will be delivered to you by Mr. von St——, of whom we have unfortunately seen but very little… . . But now, let me turn to you, my dear son, with whom I have not exchanged a word for so long a time. I often yearn for a voice from your heart addressed to mine, and cannot conceal from you that I miss it sadly. For I cannot allow myself to believe that my Ehrenfried is entirely devoid of all inward life and emotions, and I therefore think that in his letters he only shows us the one side of his life—that which is turned towards the outward world. How could I doubt that in his soul also there are quiet depths which reflect the images and re-echo the tones of the Eternal and the Holy! I will not warn you not to allow too great a preponderance to that half of your being that is turned towards the outward world, for you will find this warning in every line of the Book of books, which I trust you do not fail to open every day; but I would fain beg you to bestow from time to time upon your mother, who feels little interest in the things that belong to the noisy mart of life, some word from the quiet depths of your heart, or some earnest thought, gained as a solid acquisition amid the noisy bustle.
Do not suppose, my dear Ehrenfried, that I do not from my heart rejoice that you should learn to know life from its outwardly attractive sides likewise, and draw lessons from it in this way also; I do not object to this, I only say, Beware that you do not habituate yourself too much to leave the deeper wants unsatisfied. If these cravings have once been entirely suppressed, it may at another time be too late to try to call them forth again… . .
As concerns our social life, I suppose your sisters have told you that our Wednesday receptions are very much frequented, so that we cannot be said to live in great retirement. Mr. von Haxthausen in particular, has requested me to remember him very kindly to you. He is again here, and a very welcome Wednesday guest; for he never talks for the sake of talking; but the things that he has seen he has judged with understanding, and his culture has penetrated deeply—that is to say, it has assumed an original character—and how few people are there of whom this can be said! … . The Wednesday evenings are often rendered doubly cheerful by a great number of young people. The circle of young maidens in our house, is a spectacle which gladdens many hearts; and how this fresh and youthful circle gathered round your father embellishes and sweetens his old age, you will readily conceive.
Schleiermacher to his Step-Son.
[CCCCLVIII.] Berlin, 19th May, 1833.
… . For the rest, my dear son, I almost upbraid myself for having yielded to your wish to go to Aix-la-Chapelle, because your life there, independently of your official occupations, seems to me to be very empty. I can hardly conceive that there should not be among the officials in the place, some men from the other provinces, in whose homes there is some kind of family life, to which you might gain admission… . . I am willing to believe that this exclusion has not caused you to lose all taste for a better mode of life, but at all events this taste has found no nourishment… . . Your sisters have told you, I presume, how many melancholy losses we have sustained latterly in our most intimate circle. Poor Jacobi!2 I do not know how he will ever get over it. The unexpected and sudden death of Prince Radzivill and the almost hopeless illness of the Princess Elizabeth have also affected me very much. Indeed for some time one painful call on our sympathies has followed close upon another… . .
… . However, these considerations have no part in my proposal to you to get yourself removed this last year to some other centre of administration; for herein I have only been guided by what you say about the different arrangements that prevail. For on the one hand I am not quite sure that total unacquaintance with certain branches may not injure you at your final examination; and, on the other hand, I also fear that, by remaining where you are, you may in future be considered as being exclusively destined for that locality, which would, I confess, be far from what I wish for you, as the higher elements of life are thrown too much into the background there. However, I may and will leave this entirely to your own judgment and decision. If, therefore, you feel sure that your stay at Aix will not entail either of these disadvantages upon you, I am content that you should remain… . .
← Herrnhut Sympathies · Contents · Visit to Scandinavia →