New-York tribune., 1893-12-10
GALORE.

PROFESSOR MAX MULLER.
a,,,,,, rostern libraries and deciphering out
,andish manuscripts with all the zeal OF youth,
o,d receiving from the hands Of monarchs all
,,orner NJ noble decorations, as though just
,rrnino his spurs in the knghthood OF htera-
,,re II Is thus equally difficult to realize that
be was only youth Of twenty-six when he be-
gan editing the Rig -Veda," and that he Is now
at the Psalmists limit of three score years ana
ton. Yet IL Is true. Last Wednesday was the
SEVENTEEN anniversary of his BIRTH
The student Of heredity can find much or IN
tercst and encouragement in Professor M"'ier
ca reer The very series Of portraits OF himseH
and his male progenitors. which one may see OH
the walls of his study, afford an extraordinary
oxorn,a of the transmission OF qualities Pro-
faasor Miller himself Is a strkngly handsome
man. end there Is not one in the line FOR seVerai
generations that was not evidently ois'ih-
gushed In the same manner, WITH varying eA-
pressions. according to the particular pent oi
zach ones genius The father. Wilhelm Muller,
for instance was singularly handsome Win
graceful. artistic cast of countenance. befitting
a great poet The grandfather. who was a dipo-
matlst was perhaps less handsome. and less
fr,rk IN exnression though still fne-looking lie
u,as tho wearer Of many decorations. OF course,
hut IN that respect Is probably surpassed by
professor Miller who If he should pin upon MS
coat all the orders and medals he has received,
would almost stagger underneath the weignt'
To go back further still. TO the great-grahd-
father we find face and head tnat present
aawless model OF intellectual development such
as might be looked for in the great educator that
bo was Eut the finest of the line is the present
ranrasentative whose mobile. clear-cut, express
give face Is a singularly accurate index or the
great mind within.
Domlciled for more than forty years at Oxforo'
and with an English Wife Professor Muller
seems as much an Englishman as any one could
be- Yet his career was already distinguished
FOR great usefulness before he left the CONT
nent. He was twelve years old when he ieft
his native Dessau. where his great-grandfather
founded an educational system, and where n
national monument to his father now stands.
and entered the Ncolaischule at Leipsic. a
scbool IN which the illustrious Leibnitz was also
n pupil Iyp TO this time Max had been almost
an "iufant prodigy" In music. Perhaps there Is
some relation between music and linguistics.
But. at any rate. at Leipsic. where he became
I'm the university n favorite OF Hermann BROCK
haus his mind was soon and permanently set
upon comparative philology. Brockhaus taught
him Sanscrit Hebrew and Arabic and prompted
him to bring out his first book. translation
into German Of the famous indian rabies Known
as the "IIitopadesa." Then he went on, In 1874.
TO Berlin, to pursue his studies under Bopp
There he read the great collection or Orientai
manuscripts purchased by the Prussian Govern
wont in ENGLAND after the death Of Sir Robert
Chambers There, too. he made the acquaint-
ance OF Boeckh and Of Alexander Won Humboldt.
and studied Persian under Rnckert and philoso-
nhv under Schelling Then he went to Paris. In
1sa5 TO hear Burnouf's lectures. and from him
got the prompting to edit and publish the Rig
Veda.' This latter enterprise he was to under
take under the patronage OF the East India
Company and accordingly In 1S47. he visited
Fngland-a most important VISIT for him and
for England.
Now. with all his learning. young Miller could
not sneak n word Of English, and knew one
in that country. He was. moreover, scholar
and not a business man or man Of the world.
So he naturally felt much trepidation in thus
going alone. to a strange land. whose language
he did not know and where his language was
little known. But chance--or fate-favored him.
On the boat as he crossed the Channel. he made
the acquaintance of a genial. good-natured Irish
man. who seemed to know everything and every !
body. including the German language. and who
generously offered to see him safely through the
custom house and settled In a suitable home !
In fact, he took the young German to his own |
rooms In the Temple, and kept him there until |
other desirable chambers could be found. Thus |
began a lifelong friendship between the great !
philologist and DR.. William Howard Russell. the |
famous special correspondent Of THE London |
Times"
The proper place for this rising scholar to |
dwell I'm was OF course oxford. and there he /
must also of course, get into the University. |
His friends of whom already he had many In |
England, advised him to seek entrance through |
Christ Church, OF which the famous and re-
doubtable DR.. Gaisford was Dean. This great
parsonage. when an undergraduate or other ap-
pcant entered his presence. would stand upon
the hearth-rug, as a dias. on which no other
might dare to tread. and thence deal out au-
thority as Jove cast thunderbolts from high
Olympus. Thus he received young Muller.
frowned awfully at thought OF entering him on
Christ Church's roster. and dismissed him into
outer darkness until his-the Dean's-high
mind might eisurely revolve the important
problem. Presently however. he recalled him;
told him he had carefully scanned the Sybiliine
books. and had found there precedents FOR
granting his wish 'in the cases OF Gronovus
and Grevelius'-names greatly known to fame!
but that-and here Joye Smiled a smile more
dreadful than his own dreadful frown'-even IL
no such precedents existed. he should be happy
to admit a scholar so well approved as Mr..
Frederick Max Muller And Dean Gaisford
never made a happier decision. For In three
years time this new member Of the old Univer-
sity had become Professor Of Modern Lam