Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-10-28
Death in the Hour of Triumph.


fered a number Of valuable prizes for the
best essays that should be written on sew
eral subjects Of importance to the learned
| world, prize of two hundred thalers for
| the best metaphysical essay. and an equal
!; sum each for essays on medieval history,
astronomy, celestial mechanics, sociology,
geology, poetry, apparently to snow
! his world wldeliness-fi five hundred thalers
i each for the best romantic tale and the
best poem, the prizes to be awarded by a
! committee selected from the various uni
versities, and various designated Hterdteu
of eminence who were supposed to be, and
as the sequel showed. really were disinter-
ested in the matter, and willing to do only
what justice might require. The essays
and poems were to be of no particular
| length, and were 10 be judged simply by
! their real merits, but the authors must all
be German. The wealth and reputation
| of the man who offered the prizes were
IEsuch sufficient gaarantee of certainty of
i payment and of consequent reputation, as
to set half, if not all, of the younger men
| of Germany at wosk to achieve the guer-
| don of success.
| On the 7th of j uly, at the Gewandt-Haus
at Leipsic, the prizes were awarded, a
large company of gentlemen and ladies
peing present. The ceremonies vera be-
gun by most exquisite music by the OLD
| orchestra-among whom were men who
knew and loved Mendelssohn at the con-
! clusion of which the venerable DR..
Schmidt, so long known for his kindness
and learning at Heidelberg, announced the
| names of those who had been so fortunate
as to carry off the very valuable prizes Of
fered. The names of the authors of the
various works had been sent in sealed en-
| velopes, on which were inscribed the tic
titious names signed to their productions.
The author of the metaphysical essay
had chosen as his theme Rants ''Antino-
; aaioa der Reiae1a Vernu1tt" (Antinomion
| of Pure Reason,) and taken as his name
for the occasion "Hans Wildenstein. p
After passing an eulogium on the essay,
DR. Schmidt broke the seal and found in
the envelop the name of Max Markham.
to receive the reward of his work. A pale,
poorly clad and most Notwithstanding
young man stepped forward, and was re-
ceived with hearty applause. His hair
was thin and gray. although he was plain
ly yet young, and his whole appearance
thies of the audience. He stepped quietly
aside, and DR.. Schmidt continued his an
nouncement, Markham sitting near him,
pale and still, in large armchair.
The astronomical essay was on the 'sEv-
olutioD of Nebula, with particular refer
ence to the large nebule in Orion" and
here too the successful author was found
to be Max Markham. When this an
nuncement was made, great enthusiasm
was manifested, and after receiving his
prize poor Markham took his seat, ap-
parently more weary and detected than at
first.
The next essay was a review of Ranke,
and here too this young man was success
full; and so on through the whole list of
prizes, Max Markham stepped forward
amid thunders of applause and received,
his award. No one knowing the enthusiasm
of the Germans will fail to know that all
the students were ready to carry the young
man off on their shoulders to have a good
Kneip.
The poem was an exceedingly fine one.
somewhat in the vein of that exquisit poet
of natures Otto Roquette, yet breathing
tile air of loftier and mightier soul
which had dwelt alike with Shakespeare and
Goethe and Homer. It was wnnderful
composition. Herr Auerbach, the author
of ''Village Tales, ""On the Heights" and
other works, and who was the head of the
committee Cd the tales, had said, of the
one named 1.-The Village Rector that 1t
was one of the finest he had ever read
And the successful competitor for all the
prizes was Herr Max Markham.
The prize for the tale was the last one
ward to receive it, amid thunders of ap-
plause, his face suddenly became ashy in
it's whteness, and he fell fainting on the
stage. A deathlike silence succeeded,
during which he was removed to an ante
room, and but partially restored to con-
seriousness. He fingered but for four
hours, and when he died. the physician
who had attended him announced that
death was caused by priyation-in other
words by starvation. All that the high
est medical skill could do had been of no
avail.
1t was found that for years he had occu-
pied little chamber in an obscure Case,
where he had worked, gaining most pre-.
carious living in teaching languages, and
nearly everything which anybody required
to know. LII his room were found incom-
plete models of remark able mechanical
contrivances, a broken chair and mounds
of Manuscript, among which were letters
from some of the most distinguished men
in Europe. He had apparently lived on
almost nothing for months, and poor, de-
iected, weary, yet glowing with the fire of
genius, had worked for the prizes offered,
amounting in all to twenty-four hundred
thalers, and then, hungry and weary, bad
dragged himself to the Gewandt-Haus to
win them all and die. If the history Of
genius and its rewards has sadder tale to
tell than this, know not of it.-Graphic.
HE WAS cross and fretful at home. He
was terror to his wife and children; still
he was deacon and ''pillar" in the
church. Yet he was by no means wholly
bad. On the other hand, he was very
good everywhere except at Monochrome,
of all the places in the world, the very
place which should be little heaven be-
low. And worst of all, he was typical, to
a certain extent, of a great many men,