In the 19th century in Weimar, Johann
Wolfgang Goethe wrote to his friend Carl Fredrich Zelter in Berlin on June 6th,
1825:
“… Everything
nowadays … is ultra. Everybody keeps surpassing himself, in thinking as well as
in action. People do not know themselves anymore, they do not understand the
element they live and move in, nor the material they handle. There certainly is
no pure simplicity, though there is simpleness enough.
Young people are stirred up far too soon and then
whirled along with the times. Wealth and speed are what the world admires, and
what all are bent on. Railways, express … and every possible means of communication
– that’s what the civilised people of today strive for; so they grow
over-civilised, but never get beyond mediocrity. And the general result is that
a middling culture becomes universal…
This is the century in fact, for men of ability,
quick, practical understanding, whose skill gives them a feeling of superiority
to the masses, even though they themselves have no gift for higher things …”
Photograph c1900 (below) of Goethe’s garden in the
Faurenplan, Weimar
Aerial views (below) of Weimar's Schloss and closeup of Goethe’s
house and garden (lower left)
In the 20th century in London, Empress
Marie was staying in Marlborough House and wrote in her dairy on Friday, March
23rd, 1923 “…Already at 7 AM, I was awakened by the noise of the
lawnmower cutting the grass. This is a marvelous invention, of course, but not
to start so early in the morning!…” On Saturday morning the Empress wrote “ … was
up at 7:30 AM because that horrible machine with a motor, which cuts the grass,
created an inconceivable noise right under my windows…”
Photograph c1900 (below) of Marlborough House
Aerial view (below) of the Mall with Marlborough House
on the left
Their 19th and 20th writings
resonate with us in our 21st century. Yet Goethe’s is difficult to
comprehend when reading about the small Duchy of Weimar and his peaceful
garden. How did Goethe know about railways in 1825?
It seems unbelievable that the gardeners at
Marlborough House would mow the lawns early in the morning when the Royal
family was in residence. Our bane today but one we thought an Empress would be
immune to!
Excellent post! Amazing - and rather sad - that Goethe's words could be written today, exactly as he wrote them then.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, the lawn mowing! One certainly doesn't imagine Queen Eliabeth, say, being awoken to the drone of lawnmowers or, worse, leaf-blowers!
What a lovely little place Goethe had.
ReplyDeleteWe have noise restrictions here no lawn mowing or power tool noise before 7am Monday to Friday and 8am Weekends and public holidays.
I loathe mowing the lawn!
Ghostie x.
Thank you very much. You dream in winter for spring, forgetting the noise of road repairs, mowers and the horror of wasps and mosquitoes!
ReplyDeleteThe Grand Duke had given Goethe the Gartenhaus also - beautiful setting!