The Silesian Horseherd - Questions of the HourMüller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)
Religion
The Silesian Horseherd - Questions of the Hour
Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)
Christianity; Church history; Logos (Christian theology); Logos (Philosophy); Religion
The main issue in all these questions is honesty, honesty toward ourselves
even more than toward others. We know how easily we may all be deceived,
how easily we are put off with words, especially when they are words of
ancient use. It was the sincere tone of the Horseherd that prompted me to
public discussion of his doubts, for doubts are generally anticipations of
truth, and to be true to oneself is better than to possess all truth. It
gave me pleasure to learn recently that he is still among the living,
although for an interval he was beyond the range of the usual postal
facilities, so that my letters did not reach him. Whether he thinks me as
honest as himself, we must wait to know. I did not seek either to persuade
or to convince him. Such things depend too much on circumstances and
environment. I merely wished to show him that others, who do not agree
with him, or with whom he does not agree, are honest, and may honestly
hold entirely different views. To learn to understand each other is the
great art of life, and to “agree to differ” is the best lesson of the
comparative science of religion.
CHAPTER VI.
Conclusion.
The allusion in the foregoing page is to a very long letter which the
Horseherd wrote to my husband, dated September 10, 1897, eighteen months
after his first letter. This was followed three days later by a short
note, saying that the long letter was not written for publication, and
that it was the Horseherd’s express wish that it should not be printed. In
this note he mentions that he was perfectly well, and that he had been so
successful in his trade, that he no longer sat with an oil lamp by an iron
stove, but was “every inch a gentleman,” as he expressed it. The
_Pferdebürla_ was brought out early in 1899, and my husband sent a copy to
the only address he had,—“Pferdebürla, Post-Office, Pittsburgh,”—with the
following letter:—
“
(Translation.) 7 Norham Gardens, Feb. 10 /99.
Dear far-off Friend:
“You see I have kept my promise, and after many delays the book is ready.
How are you? whether you are sitting by your iron and oil light, or have
become a great and rich man. Well, all that is only external, the great
thing, the Self, remains unchanged. I am growing old—past seventy-five—and
have still so much to do, and am now printing a big book, the _Six Systems
of Indian Philosophy_. That would please you, for those old fellows saw
deeper than our philosophers, though they don’t talk so much about it. Now
write and tell me how it is with you, and whether you are pleased or not
with your and my book. But make haste, for who knows how long it may last.
It is strange how well one can know those whom one has never seen,”
With all good wishes,
F. Max Müller.
”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account