The morning call., 1893-10-07
A GREAT GERMAN.

whether Bismarck will ever leave the bed
on which he Is lying al Kissengen,
greater German than he, in full mental
and bodily vigor, is conducting an explora-
tion in Thuringia which will shed light
on the Roman conquest of Eastern Gaul.
This is Theodore Mommsen. whom Ed
ward Augustus Freeman described as
"the greatest scholar of our time, well
nigh the greatest scholar of all time. grand
master of them alp'-a man In whom
others besides Freeman have dlscerned
lineal successor of Erasmus.
Mommsen combines the highest politi-
cal science with the shrewdest practical
politics" and the broadest devotion TO
country and liberty. He is little known
ont OF his own country. because he abhors
publicity and what is popularity called
fame. For fifty years he has devoted his
whole working hours TO the pursuit and
diffusion of knowledge. He has risen to
the highest rank in the science of states
manship, law, history and archaeology;
the ripest scholars in Europe have been
glad TO listen TO his lectures. But he has
always been keenly alive to his civic
duties, and has at times taken an active
part in the political controversies of the
day. He took vigorous share, on the
German side, in the Schleswig- Holstein
controversy, Hnd when the Franco-Ger-
man war broke out he flooded the Italian
press with letters advocating the neu-
trality of Italy, furnishing paper on the
subject to every Italian journal that would
print il. Some of the letters we're signed
with his name; others. where the editors
preferred it, were published anony-
mously. 1t was immaterial to Mommsen.
He thought of his cause. not of himself.
When the German empire was estab-
lished and Bismarck showed that his real
aim was imperial absolutism rather than
German consolidation Mommsen broke
with him and proclaimed that conquest
is crime against the rights of nations"
For this and other similar utterances Bis
marck had him indicted and the court
condemned him to go to prison or pay
fine, with the altern atiye OF recanting his
opinions. M0mmsen recanIed. His friends,
angry at his backdown. protested that
they would have paid the fine ten times
over Yes" said Mommsen, ''but if they
should imprison me and take me from my
books and my work who would make good
the loss to the world of science? ?" So he
wrote a letter in which he stated that in
his bitter and sarcastic censures ot Bis
marck he had not meant the German
Chancellor, but a forgotten tribune of
ancient Rome. The apology deceived no
one, but Mommsen remained free to carry
on his lifework. He refused, however. to
accept a seat in the RechsIag as long as
Bismarck was in power.
His present dream is the foundation of
an international university, in which the
most eminent men of every nation shall be
invited to fill professorates. 1t is noble
conception. not the least of its merits being
its obvious tendency to efface national
pre- ejudices and to supply eacn nation with
a body of highly educated men pledged to
international amity. Leading universities
are already looking outside OF their own
national confines for the ablest teachers of
the sciences they inculcate; it was left for
Mommsen to put their uniformed purposes
into pra ctical shape and to sketch plan
for school al which students could rely
upon hearing the very last word in every
branch of human kno wledge.
Mommsen is man OF the world as well
as savant. He speaks all languages, of
course. but he loves best the homely Ger
man cf his Schleswig birthplace. He has
biting wit, which he clothes in colloquial
phrase. When Napoleon was at the height
of his power he described his Government
as "a band of adventurers, who, having
robbed France OF her rights, were now try
ing to subject the demi-monde." When
he was asked why, with his genius, he
remained poor, he answered: Poor? of
course Pm pOor [ have sixteen children
and it takes money to feed sixteen mouths.
AS for myself l have never had time to
make money"