STOLBERG
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STOLBERG
principles which he held, devotion to God and coun-
try, made a deep impression on the young Stolberg.
Stolberg's religious ideas, it must be acknowledged,
remained at first somewhat misty and confused, as
his parents held to an eclectic form of Christianity and
read for their own edification the most heterogeneous
authors, as Augustine and Luther, Fenelon and Saiu-in,
Zinzendorf and Young. Together %vith his brother
Christian, Friedrich Leopold went to the University
of Halle in 1770, in order to study law. His other
studies embraced the classics and various historical
courses. Two years later the two brothers went to
Gottingen, where they joined the little company called
the "Hainbund", a society of young men who had
high aspirations for the freedom of the country, and
who cultivated German poetry. Some of the poetry
by the members of the "Bund", has a permanent
value. However, besides Burger, Holty, and Voss, of
all the members of the " Bund" only Stolberg has, in
reality, not been forgotten, and his name continues to
live less on account of his literary productions than
because of his conversion to Catholicism.
After completing his studies at the university Stol- berg made a journey in Switzerland with Goethe and Count von Haugwitz in 1775. Here, besides meeting other distinguished persons, he became acquainted with Lavater, with whom he formed a lasting friend- ship. In 1777 he entered the service of the Protestant Prince-Bishop of Ltibeck, and was for a while the bishop's envoy at the Danish Court. Somewhat later, in 17S1, he was chief administrator at Eutin and in 1785 magistrate at Xeuenburg in the Duchy of Olden- burg. Four years after this he was the Danish am- bassador at Berlin. In 1791 he was appointed presi- dent of the board of ecclesiastical administration of the Prince-Bishop of Liibeck, and in 1797 he was sent as ambassador to Russia. On 1 Jmie, 1800, he joined the Catholic Church in the private chapel of the Prin- cess Gallitzin at Osnabrtick, and on 22 August ho re- signed his various positions, -\ftcr this he lived iii'st at Miinster in Westphalia, then from 1812 at Taten- hausen near Bielefeld, and finally from 1816 at Sonder- miihle near Osnaljrlick, where he died after a short illness. He was buried in the cemetery at Stockkem- pen. Stolberg was twice married. His first wife, Agnes von Witzleben, died on 11 November, 1788, after six years of happy married life, leaving two sons and two daughters. Two years later Stolberg mar- ried Countess Sophie von Redern. After their mar- riage he and his wife took a long journey through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. This tour was of great importance for his religious development, as he then made the acquaintance of the devout Catholic Freiherr von Droste-Vischering, as well as of Droste- Vischering's resident tutor, the distinguished theolo- gian Katerkamp. By his second marriage Stolberg had a large family, and all, with the exception of the oldest daughter, followed the father's example and joined the Catholic Church in 1801. The oldest daughter, Agnes, was betrothed to the Lutheran Count Ferdinand of Stolberg-Wernigerode, but her son in 1854 became a Catholic. Foiu- sons and two sons-in-law took part in the campaign against France in 1814; one of these sons was killed at Ligny (1S15).
Stolberg's change of religion attracted great atten- tion. Many of his numerous friends deserted and some abused him, such as Gleim, .lacobi, and others, or attacked him with bitter hatred as Voss in his pamphlet "Wie wanl Fritz Stolberg ein Unfreier?" He was charged, and this charge is even now repeated, with having been a Catholic for years before he pub- licly left the Protestant Church. Men who judged of the facts as they were, as Freiherr von Stein, Goethe, and especially Lavater, looked on his conversion in a kindly spirit and imputed no ignoble motives to him. They were entirely justified in so doing, for even after his conversion and notwithstanding his genuine
piety Stolberg was never able to rid himself altogether
of the syncretism of the paternal home. Both in days
of good and ill health he sought edification, after his
conversion as before, from Protestant hymns and ser-
mons. Even when dying, besides the prayers and
hymns of the Church, he had read aloud to him Klop-
stock's poems and passages from the writings of the
"Wandsbecker Boten", the well-known freemason,
Claudius. He was also a warm friend of the later
Bishop Sailer. Sailer's orthodoxy was doubted in
his own day, but without reason ; whatever be thought
of his peculiar mysticism, he was a strong believer
in the primacy of the pope, and a defender of the
Church against State encroachments.
As regards Stolberg's literary works, there is no doubt that the quantity exceeded the quality. They mavbedivided thus: translations, as "Homer" (1778) "Plato" (1796); "^schylus" (1802); poetry, as "Ballads" (1779), "Iambics" (1784), "Plavs" (1787); "Travels" (1791); novels, as "The Island" (1788). After his conversion he devoted himself chiefly to the preparation of a "Geschichte der Religion Jesu Christi" (1806 — ), which is marked by a warmth of tone, although not without errors in investigation. He also wrote a history of Alfred the Great (1816); a life of St. Vincent de Paul; translated passages from the works of St. Augustine, and also wrote medita- tions on the Holy Scriptures, which, however, together with the "Biieiilein der Liebe", and the polemical pamphlet "Kurze Abfertigung des langen Schmah- schrifts des Hofrats Voss", did not appear until after his death. At first Stolberg's mu.se was entirely influenced by the ideas of Klopstock. However, the poet soon abandoned the antique poetic measures and successfully adopted German rhyme. Most of his poetry is now out of date and scarcely half-a-dozen of his "Lieder" are known to the present generation. In his own day his translations from the classics were considered well done. At times credulity and lack of critical discernment mar his descriptions of travel and historical WTitings. Probably his best work is contained in his devotional writings, but even these are not entirely satisfactory, especially the transla- tion of the numerous passages from the Bible, which at times are not very correct.
See the histories of German literature, both the earlier histories and the more modern ones; of the modern ones, in particular the works of Engel and B.vrtels; of the earlier histories: Menzel, Deutsche Dichtung , III (Stuttgart. 1S24). 175 sqq.; BriJhl, G'eicA. der kath. Lit, Deutschlands torn XVII. Jahrhundert bis zurGegen- warl (Leipzig, 1854). 73-128. Of nther works: Menzel. Neuere Geschichte der Deutschen, XII V II ' H- -=lnu. 1S4S),49; Menge, Friedrich Leopold von Stolbtr : <<.^sen (2 vols., Gotha,
1862): Hennes, Stolberg in :'finten seines Lebens
(Mainz, 1875) ; Idem, ^us F., ion Stolberg's Jugend-
jahren (Frankfort, 1876); Ja;..,.,.. .. i .,,..,, ich L. Graf zu Stolberg (Freiburg, 1876-77) ; Helungu.ius, Fr. L. Graf zm Stolberg u. J. H. Voss (Miinster. 18S2) ; Idem, Briefe Fr. L. Graf zu Stolberg u. der Seinigen an J. //. Voss (Munster, 1891); Rosenthal, Con- verlilenbilder, I (Ratisbon. 1889), 1-49.
Pl0S WiTTMANN.
Joseph, son of the poet Friedrich Leopold, b. 12 August, 1804; d. 5 April, 1859. In 1849 he was president of the general .assembly of Catholic Associa- tions held at Ratisbon (2-5 October). At this con- gress the St. Boniface Association was founded, and Stolberg was elected its first president. In the win- ter of 1849-50 he made a laborious journey to all the episcopal sees of Germany, and until his death was constantly active in the interests of the association. Since 1904 liis son Hermann (b. at Westheim in Westphalia, 28 February, 1854) has been president of the St. Boniface Association.
Kath.\rina, sister of Friedrich Leopold, b. at Bramstedt, 5 December, 1751; d. at Peterswaldau, 22 February, 1832. Gifted with a highly poetical na- ture, she was one of the most le.irned women of her age. As she w.ss most devotedly attached to her brother and lived with him .after the death of his wife, his conversion aroused in her an intense struggle be-
