Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-04-24
Doctor Schlieman.

Inc example Vi III. OOhiiODohh OooA
to lead the way to similar enterprises.
Already the Dilettanti Society have
added to the glories of England by their
costly and conscientious publications OF
Greek antiquities; already the German
government have shown what can be
done with very moderate outlay, In
tslligently directed, at Olympia. and still
later at Pergamus. Let US hope that
among the many men who have inherited
fortunes far beyond the requirements
even of luxury, some will apply their
wealth to this very noble end.
For a noble end it is to inquire into
rudest remains of long departed races,
and to inquire Hot by theory and con-
lecture, but by an examination of actual
facts. rke pure savage attends only to
the wants and pleasures of the day, and
when the sun sets, has no desire but to
sleep. The higher men rise out of this
condition, the wider their sympaty with
remote and by-gone members Of their
race, the more do they prolong into the
night the interests and pursuits of the
day. This 1t is which has ennobled CIV
ilized meh; this it is which has given
dignity to the poorest and narrowest
conditions of life.
No more striking illustration could be
found of these truths than the remarka-
bic autobiography which DIR. Schlelmann
has pretixed to his Ilios. We there see
him beg nning his life in poverty and
obscurity, and yet from the beginning
showing an enthusiasm which raised
him far beyond the trifies and troubles
of every day life. At the ageof eight he
begins to take an interest ia the story of
Troy, and to wonder how its walls could
have totally disappeared. Even then he
dreams of exploring 1t. When appreD-
ticed to grocer's shop at Furstenberg
(Mecklenburg), at something like sal
ary Of 60 per annum, and selling her
rings, butter, potato whisky, oil, etc.,
from five in the morning to eleven at
night, he still hopes against hope to OBJ
tain an education, and spends "hls two
mites. that make a farthing, TO reward
with three glasses of whisky drunken
miller, who could recite to him Homer
In the Greek, which was then but a
rhythmic sound to his ear. After prrils
by sea and by land, vixen he reaches e32
per aEnum, pays eight francs month
for his lodging, and never mure than 2d.
fer his dinner, he is learning with assId-
uity English, ard praclicing his memory
which he considers weak. And IL the
while he Is dreaming some day of learu
ing Greek and excavating Troy. By
dlnt of work his weak memory brc"meS
so prodigious that he can acquire in ii
few weeks the vocabulary of language,
and so he masters successively all the
literary languages of Europe. Doubtless
his knowledge of Russian directly paved
the way to his fortune, tor an intelligent
agent who spoke it was rare, and the
house in Amsterdam who employed him
found him Invaluable for missions to 81.
Petersburg. But how did he acquire hls
Russian? He found grammar, lex
icon, and bad translation of Telemaque.
No one could be procured to speak To
him one word. He had to compose for
himself and recite his own compositions.
at occurred to me that | should make
more progress if bad some one To whom
/ could relate the adventures of Tele
MdC0uS, 50 l. niTeu d ppOl JFN dG lOui
francs "A week. who hal to come every
morning for two hours to listen to my
Russian recitations. of which be did hot
understand syllable. AS the ceilings,
he adds, "of the rooms of the comDOn
houses in Holland consist of single
boards. people on the ground flnor can
hear what is said in the third story. My
recitatiens, therefore, delivered in loud
voice. annoyed tie other tenants, and
twice while studying the Russian Ian
guage | was forced to change my lOdg
iDgs" Could anything conquer this in
defatigahle man?
We can not follow out further the de-
tails of his extraordinary career-his
realizing at the age of forty 10000 d
year; his vast travels through the habit
able globe; his settled determination to
make discoveries in archaeology. Few
men have lived to see more complete
realization of their dreams. Instead of
herrings and butter, he has handled the
gold and the jewels of forgotten kings !;
instead of treating with whisky the
drunken miller in the purlieus of Ger
man village, he inhabits a palace at
Athens, where the elite of society and
of letters congregate about his hospita-
BILE table. He adds an alphabet of hOnOrs
to his name, and has added to the wealth
of nations by his public gifts.-J. P.
Mahaffy, in Harper's Magazine for May.