Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of October 16, 1881

Overview

The newspaper's treatment of election candidates and confessional politics exasperated Richard, who turned the occasion into another dark reflection on German identity, Catholicism, and racial mixtures in art. He found more pleasure in Humboldt's speculation that the inventors of language had been gentle, playful beings and amused the household with sharp remarks to a young copyist. A drive to Drossenfeld was followed by a dejected evening, as raw weather and failing spirits made thoughts of immediate departure seem urgent.

Content

Sunday, October 16:

The newspaper, which is now publishing the portraits of the election candidates, just like those of people sought by the police, annoys R. extremely, and especially because it is now also proposing a completely different Catholic-party candidate. "This is what has now become of anti-Semitism!" R. feels that the Catholics are not true Germans in any case, and says one should stand by Luther, who would have been indignant for this reason. Thus, he says, the Southerners are no true Germans. I observe that they nevertheless have the greatest artistic tendencies. "Maybe so," he says, "and that is the black influence, as Gobineau sees it." We get up laughing at this. He continues reading Humboldt's preface and is pleased with his assumption that human beings, when they invented language, must have been gentle and enlightened creatures, playing like children.

The young apprentice copyist Hausburg has lunch with us. R. asks him whether he has any means of his own and, as if apologizing for such directness, adds, "Oh, at your age I had nothing at all. I was the great musical director of Lauchstadt."

We drive out to Drossenfeld and delight in the yellow buntings fluttering above a plowed field. Since it is R.'s wish, I promise him a game of billiards tomorrow, but observe that it will not be good for the girls; it might give them round shoulders, whereupon he says, "And if I get round-shouldered, we shall all be able to carry our sacks of ashes around on bent backs!"

However, in the evening he feels so indisposed that we spend a very dejected evening and talk of nothing but plans for going away at once. R. is very downcast. The air is so raw that he has no wish to move another step.