The Greatest Name in German Literature

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the acknowledged prince of German literature, was born at Frankfort-on-the-Main, Aug. 28, 1749, and died in Weimar on the 22d of March, 1832.

His works embrace almost every department of literature, and many of the sciences. For half a century he stood at the head of the literature of Germany.

His greatest work is "Faust;" but it can never become popular, as its wisdom does not lie on the surface. When he had finished it he said the work of his life was done. "Hermann and Dorothea" is as immortal as the "Vicar of Wakefield."

Among his juvenile productions, "The Sorrows of Werther" rendered him famous. It was his first great novel; and it became so popular, that it was soon translated into every language, even the Chinese; young women cried over it, and young men shot themselves with a copy of "Werther" in their hands. It is said that the "Werther fever" ran so high, that in some countries booksellers were forbidden by law to sell it. A German writer, Knebel, says of Goethe, "He rose like a star in the heavens: everybody worshipped him, and especially the women." His last words were, "Open the shutters, and let in more light."