, 1874-06-14
THE STORY OF 4 GENIUS,

| E1oW f1e Met Ills Reward In Death.
Le'psie l1fav 10) Correspondents u tbs N<s7 Yort
| Graphic
4 wealthy gentleman OF Berlin some ten
months ago offered number Of valuable prizes
for the best essays that should be written on
several subjects Of Importance to the learned
world; prize Of 200 thalers for the best meta
physical essay, and IN equal sum each for
essays on medieval history. astronomy,
celestial mechanics, sociology. geology, poetry,
anl-apparently to show his wor1d-wideli-
ncss-500 thalers each for the bcst romantic tale
and tho best poem, the prizes to be awar ded by
com mittee selected from the various univcrsi-
ties and various designated lntcrateurs of emf
nance who were supposed to be and LIS thesequel
showed, really were disinterested in the matter,
md willing to do only what justice might re-
quire. The essays aud poems were to be OF no
particular length, aud were to be judged simply
By their real merits, but the authors must all be
Germans. The wealth and reputation Of tho
man who offered tho prizes were such sufficient
guarantee OF certainty Of payment md Of conse-
quent reputation as to set hail. if not all, of the
younger men CT Germany at work to achieve the
guerdon Of SUCCESS. On last Thursday, at.the
Gewandt-Haus at Leipsic the prizes were award
ed large company OF ladies and gentlemen be-
ing present. The ceremonies wcre begun by
most exquisite music by the old orchestra
among whom are numbered man who knew and
loved Mondelssohn-at the conclusion Of
which, which the venerable DR.: schnide; SO long
ing at Heidelberg, announced tho
names Of those who had been go Fortunate as to
carry off the very valuable prizes offered. The
names OF the authors Of tho various works had
been sent in sealed envelopes, On which were
inscribed the fictitious names signed to their
productions. Tho author OF the metaphysical
estay had chosen US his theme kant's ~ Antlno-
mein der reinen Veraunft" (Antinomies OF Pure
Rcason). and taken as his name forthe occasion
:. Hans Nildenstei1,." After passing an cu.o-
gium on the essay. Dr. Schmidt broke the
seal and found IN the envelope the name OF
Max Markmann, who thereupon was called upon
the stage to receive the reward Of lis work. A
pale. poorly clad. aud most vroched-looking
young man stepped forward and was received
with hearty applause. His hair was thin and
gray, although he was plainly Jet young. and
his whole appearance Was such Gs to ut once
awaken the synpa.hies Of the audience. Hav-
ing received bis reward, he stepped quietly aside
and DR.. Schmidt continued his announcements,
Markmann sitting near him, palo and still, IN =
large armchair. The Astronomical essay was on
the "Evolution of Nebuln, with particular
reference to the largo nebnla in Orion" and
here, too, the successful author found to be
Max Markmann- When this announcement IVES
made great enthusiasm WAS manifested, and af- |
ter receiving his prize, POOR Mark,nsnn took his
scat, apparently moro weary ard detected than
At first. The next essay a review of Ranke |
and here, too, this young was successful,
and so on through tho whole list Of prizes. Max |
Markmann step;'ed forward amid thsr1ders Of ap- |
plause. and received his reward. No oae who |
knows the enthusiasm Ct tho Germans will |
fail to know that all the students wore ready to |
carry the young man off on their shoulders to |
have good - kneip." The poem was An exceed
ingly fine one,-somevhat in tho vein OF that |
exquisite poet Of Nature. Otto Roquette, yet |
brcathins tho air of c loftier and mighticr gou1 |
which bad dwelt alike with Shakespeare, and
Goethe, and Homer. It was wonderful COM
position. Herr Auerbach, the author of |
;" Village Tales "Oa the Heights" and other
mittee on the Tales, had said OF the ono
named "The Village Rector that it Was one OF
tue Gnegt 1o had ever read. And tho successful
competitor for all tho prizes was Herr Max
Aarkrnann. The prize for the tale WIS the last
one announced, and as hartmann stepped for
ward to receive it amid thunders Of applause hia
lace suddenly became asby in its Wilderness, aad
he fell faintng OH the stage. A dcathiika silonco
during which ho WAS removed to an
ante-room, and but partially restored to con-
hciousucss. He LINGERIE but for four louryd.
aad when be died the physicians who had at
tended him announced that bis death was caused |
ny lvation,-in other words, by starvation All
NAV u the hlghest n1edica! skill could do had been
u no avail It WAS found that for years he had |
occupied little chamber in an obscure Qasee. |
"nefa ne had worked gaining a most prccarous
nIvlns N teachlne Languages and nearly every
IL tIans n ~n,en snsoouy required to know. Iu
OF remarkable mechanical coutr;yapcea n
broken chair and mounds Of manuscript. among
which we're letters from some of the most dis.
lnguiEhod men 10 Europe. He had. aonarentiv
lived on almost nothing for months and 1,onr
detected. woary, yet glowing with the nrn ~
genius. had worked for the prizes offaredN
amounting in al to 2, 400 thalers-ant then. hnn.
sry and weary, had dragged himself to tue
toEy Of labor, genius, and its rewards, has sad
dct tale to tell than this, I know not Of it.