The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-09-17
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN.

lEEOlu luc AUlIuOA 0HtCIatOIs august ~
The child.world has lost friend. who
was to- it what Shakespeare is 70 the
grown.up world Of men and women, by
the peaceful passing away of dear
And 'sen,' as every one in Copenhagen
called the wonderful story.tcller to the
last q child in heart and in ignorance Of
the ways Of worldliness. He belonged to
the quaint and simple Danish city all his
life, US entirely as Thorwaldsen belonged
to it in mis- later days, and in more init.
mate way-in proportion to the expan.
siveness of his own nature and the
warmth and variety Of his own sympa.
tAies. He belonged to every family, and
had, more than the entree for, after all
that implies y grace his own place in
every household. With the servants, as
with the masters, he was ''dear And SEN"
and nobody ever passed him without II
salutation. Il is hard to fancy city and
suburb without his familiar, shabby, un-
calmly, slouching figure, in it's ill-fitting,
unbrushcd clothcs-(he always wore
Topping trousers, which touched the toes
Of his gigantic boots, and a shawl, his
own or anybody's, it did not matter,
wrapped round his shoulders)-and his
ugly musing face, distracted seeming,
but keenly observant too, with high, re.
ceding forehead, its closc.set eyes, and
the steep incline from the top Of the fore
head to the nape Of the neck, as if the
back Of the head had been sliced away.
His individuality was perhaps more
marked than that of any famous man on
record, and remained more entirely un-
changed by the lapse Of time and by cir.
cumstances. He never ceased to be a
study to the observer. who first regarded
him with the curiosity he inspired in
every one but each days observs ton
was fresh confirmation OF the impress
sion he had made within al hour Of meet
ing him. in that charming Danish So.
ciety, frank, kindly, simple, cultivated,
it was child they had set NTH midst
child. according to the ideal Of child
hood; keenly sensitive, entirely cgotistis.
teal, inaocently vain, the center Of life,
interest, concern and meaning to him.
self, perfectly unconscious that there ex.
listed another standard, an outer circle.
taking it for granted that everywhere
and in everything he was to be first and
all glad with the gladncss, sorrowful
with the passing grief of childhood, pet.
ulant and pouting, downright, without a
notion Of reticence, or indeed, Of mod
esty, but equally without a notion of
evil or indecency; full of opt,mist salts.
faction when all was we'll with himself,
and yet incapable Of self.secking, or de-
sign. Of any kind; disinterestcd as much
from ignorance Of advantage to be gained
or objects to be sought, as from nobler
source Of disintercstedness Incapable of
considering the convenience, or Of under
standing the ways and methods of other
people; III word, always interesting,
but sometimes troublesome.
Nobody in Copenhagen would, however.
have been guilty Of the treason Of think
ing Andersen troublesome. TO the mex
haustablc indulgence accorded to pet
child they added the profound veneration
with which imaginative people regard
genius, especially in its poetic manifesto
ton. The ''dear And's sen" had rooms OF
his own. but he was rarely in them, and
he not only went as often rs he liked at
any hours he liked to rybody =
house, but he night bring any number OF
people, and friend who knew Ander-
sen was passeparlout. lie was per-
fectly regardless of the ordinary forms of
social lie; his personal habits were cx-
ceedingly careless, not to say repulsive !;
he was not agreeable as next neighbor. or
as observed from over.the-way, at A din.
ner.table. for he ate voraciously. and was
decidedly dirty feeder he had no notion
Of time, and as pertinaciously required
every one to be at his beck and call as
any curlcd darling in the nursery, who is
at once the plague and the JOY Of the
household. lie mad; not an idea Of self
restraint Of u propos, and his intense ego.
tism was nourished by everybody and
everything: It never occurred to him that
he was not the center Of every ones life
aud thought. He once entered a room,
shook hands all round, and then descry.
ing a stranger young English lady
just arrived at Copenhagen-hc went up
to her, took both hands, addressed her
As ''the Eng fish Rose, who had come to
Denmark to see q great poet;" added.
Gail your friends will be happy that you
are with Andersen" snd went off to fetch
photograph Of himself, which he bcstow-
cd on her with much emphasis. The ad
miring circle perceived nothing either ab-
snrd or tblamable in this, or any other
manifesto tiOn If An,loraon'e vanity nd