Friedrich_Nietzsche - Untimely_Meditations_(Cambridge_Texts_in_the_History_of_Philosophy__1997)

---, ISclwpenhauer as educatorappears when he does not disdain to acquire a little culture from thevanquished! Handicrafts especially are repeatedly invited to competewith the more cultivated neighbour, the fitting-out of the Gennanhouse is to be made similar to that of the French, even the' Gennanlanguage is, through the foundation of an academy after the Frenchmodel, to acquire 'sound taste' and rid itself of the questionableinfluence supposedly exerted upon it by Goethea view expressedquite recently by the Berlin academician Dubois-Reymond. Ourtheatres have for long been quietly and with due decorum aspiringtowards the same goal, even the elegant Gennan scholar has alreadybeen invented: so that we can expect that everything that has up tonow refused to conform to the law of elegance - German music,tragedy and philosophy - will henceforth be set aside as un-Gennan.- But truly, Gennan culture would not be worth lifting a finger for ifthe Gennan understood by the culture he still lacks and is to aspireto, nothing but arts and artifices for prettifying life, including all theingenuities of the dancing-master and the wallpaper-hanger, ifin thematter of language too he was concerned only with academicallyapproved rules and a certain general polish. The late war and selfcomparisonwith the French seem, however, hardly to have evokedany higher pretentions than these; on the contrary, I am oftenassailed by the suspicion that the Gennan now wants violently to castoff those ancient obligations which his wonderful talentedness andthe profound seriousness of his nature imposed upon him. He prefersto play monkey-tricks and to learn the arts and manners thatmake life entertaining. But there can be no more grievous slanderagainst the German spirit than to treat it as though it were wax to bemoulded in any way one pleases and thus also into a semblance ofelegance. And if it is unfortunately true that a good proportion of theGerman nation is only too willing to be-moulded and kneaded intoshape in this fashion, then one has to reiterate until the words areheeded: it no longer dwells in you, that ancient German naturewhich, though hard, austere and full of resistance, is so as the mostprecious of materials, upon which only the greatest of sculptors arepennitted to work because they alone are worthy of it. What youhave in you, on the contrary, is soft, pulpy matter; make with it whatyou will, form it into elegant dolls and interesting idols - here too thewords of Richard Wagner will hold true: 'The German is angular andclumsy when he affects polish and politeness; but he is sublime andsuperior to everyone when he catches fire.' And the elegant haveevery reason to beware of this German fire, or one day it may con-167