The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-02
The Child Who Died at Seventy,

! The Child VINO DIED &C seventy
In the village OF Odense, Denmark,
there lived, just one hundred years ago
this spring, young married couple who
were much in love with each other. The
husband, a shoemaker, had scarcely
passed his twenty-frst year, while the
wife, although somewhat older, was
even mora ignorant than he OF life and
the great world They occupied one
small room, furnished for the most part
with a cobbler's bench and a wooden
bedstead which a short time before
| had borne the coffin OF the deceased
Count TRAAiPB, as he lay in state. Inthat
room, century ago to-day. was born
one who was destined 20 become a ia
nous writer. AS he naively remarks
in his autobiography: Instead OF a
noble corpse, surrounded by Grape and
wax lights, here lay, on the second Of
April, 1905, living and weeping child
that was myself, HANS CHRISTIAN
ANDERSEN
It is a long way from such surround
ings to acquaintance with kings and
princes; friendship with famous scien-
lists, authors, statesmen, players, artists;
familiarity with the capitals Of Europe,
and with it's seas and mountain peaks.
But the distance was comprised finally,
and although the physical body of the
little child born in Odense could not
travel 80 widely, nor endure so long, yet
the creations Of his mind have made
their way to the uttermost parts Of
the earth, 10 find abiding place, perhaps
permanently. But why HANS CHRISTIAN
ANDERSEN could write his wonder tales
no man can say. How was he able to
imagine characters and situations that
other authors OF creative literature we're
unable 10 conceive? In what did his
mind differ so radically from other
minds? We do not know.
As soon as the little boy was old enough
TO understand such things, his father
made him perspective glasses, toy thea
tres, and pictures; he was fond Of telling
him stories and reading aloud TO him
from HoLBERos plays and the Arabian
Nights These and other tales must
have made a strong impression, for as
a lad HANS used 10 gaze at the Odense
prison-standing at a safe distance-and
dream stories about the robbers and
thieves who were confined there. When
he was only six years old his mother and
his grandmother assured him that the
great comet Of 1911 would destroy the
earth, and took him TO St. Canut's church,
yard, where, trembling with apprehen-
sion, he viewed the mighty ball Of fire.
Again, he often visited this grandmother,
who was employed in an asylum for the
insane, and spent many hours telling
stories TO the harmless patients or listen
ing to their weird tales in return. He
seldom played with other children, who
might have counteracted his fears and
dreams to some extent; and when he
finally left home, at the age Of fourteen,
to seek his fortune in Copenhagen he
was III prepared to struggle with the
world
II ever a man saw Fate loom up ahead
OF him. again and again imposing an
absolute and effective barrier 20 plan
after plan, that man was HANS CHRISTIAN
ANDERSEN. Possessed OF what was
thought TO be remarkable voice, he
studied with the ambition Of becoming
a public singer. Failing in this, he hoped
to become an actor. He spent years
In the fond belief that he was a poet,
and composed verse constantly; later
he wrote novels. dramas. books OF
travel He was very proud Of all Of
these works, now so generally for
gotten; and, strange to say, the only
things he ever accomplished Of which
he was not especially proud arc the
things by which he is known tho world
over, his stories for children. Net in
some form or other-in translation,
adaptation, legend or inscription-they
may, perhaps, DO repeated from genera
ton 10 generation, after the statue
erected in his honor has crlmbled away.
ANDERSEN frankly admitted that Of all
his stories those which met the widest
appreciation were the ones he himself
had heard as a child. These he retolI |
more or less faithfully, but undoubtedly
them by adding the play
Of his marvellous, Illuminating fancy,
and invariably endeavoring to write
his narrative as one child would repeat |
il TO another The ability to preserve !
in himself tho ohild's point Of view
would have been remarkable in any
other man. In his case, however. Il |
was unavoidable for, contrary 10 the |
prevailing belief, HANS CHRISTIAN An
DERsRN never grew up; ip spite Of seventy |