The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-20
MUNcHAUsEx CENTENNIAL.
The Great PrevaricatOr Was Not n
Myth, But Soldier.
From the New York Sun.


From the New York Sun.
! Most people fancied that the material for
| centenaries was pretty nearly exhausted.
! They thought that the end Of 1t was in
| sight with the anniversary of the battle
| Of Trafalgar. But no; the Germans have
/ now broken the record. They have just
/ celebrated the centenary Of the far-famcd
/ Baron Munchausen.
! Unenlightened mortals hereabouts used
/ 10 think that Munchausen was a legen-
| dairy hero There are few people who have
not read the story of his exploits and
many have seen them and enjoyed the
! spectacle hugely in the old English panto-
mime.
| But the baron was by no means an i'm
aginary character. He hourished in flesh
and blood and the pantomime did not
present anything more than mere sketch
/ Of his adventures. He belonged. we are
told by the Germans newspapers, to one of
the most ancient families Of Germany. and
! his descendants gave to Hanover and
| brunswick many distinguished statesmen.
| He was born in 1720 in the magnificent
| domain Of BOdenwerder. He was educated
| with great care, like ali the young MOBILES
! OF his time, and when he was a youth he
4 became page In the service of his lord
| the Duke of Brunswick. His determined
! character and singular intelligence made
| him prominent. The Duke of Brunswick
was charmed with him. and when he vyo =
| 70 years old he became a lieutenant in the
| Riga regiment of Russian cuirassiers. of
| which the Empress Anna afterward made
| him the colonel Munchausen was an ex-
! cellent officer. lie was conspicuous in two
campaigns against the Turks, wherein no
displayed brilliant military qualities and
unquestiOnable bravery. At last he got
married TO a charming LiVonian lady NAM
ed Jacobine Won Dunten. Thereupon he
abandoned the military career and retired
| to his country seat.
1t was then that his reputation became
| legendary. Rich, hospitable and a passion
ate hunter, he made his house the rendez-
! vous of all the country nobility in the
neighborhood OF the Weser. In company
with his friends, smoking his pipe and
drinking his punch, he liked to tell ex-
| traVagant stories. His imagination was
prodigious and his wit was never exhaust
ed. Everybody listened to him with pleas
ure, because he was comical and good
natuTed. His companions were always
interested By his fabulous stories. which
of course, were never presented in ths
form of facts But as he grew older he
became feeblemin1ed and fancled that ne
was really the hero of the marvellous ex
PLOTS which he used 90 laugh at years be-
fore.
In that way he lived for several vears
with mis- arniabe and good wife, surround
ed by a society of friends who Listened
to MIN with delight, hattering his vanity
and clarifying his exploits.
Then fortune abandoned him; his stories
were turned against himself. An English
man among his guests took 1t into his
head to gather up all the nonsense that
he used to talk about. He published il in
a volume which was fun of satire The
little book had an enormous success. Five
editions of IL were published in London in
two years. After thai IL was translated
into German and reproduced with malie-
nifty in innumerable editions In his own
country. Naturally enough, the baron did
not like the fame that was given to him
in that shape. He appreciated thoroughly
the ridlcule with which his ill-natured his