The New York herald., 1922-02-12

mother tongue"
1t would seem unnecessary 10 state
that when in France Georg Brandes
speaks in the language OF that ccun-
try, that ne employed German when
in Germany, English in England and
the United States. lie is familiar
with Italian and has at his. command
both ancient Greek and Hebrew. IL
is needless TO add that without these
linguistic qualifications he could not
make so intimate an appeal to the
audiences away from his native Den
mark. His love for his mother
tongue, however. amounts almost TO
passion, and if there is anything in
which he takes justifiable pride il
is that he has brought Danish to a
state of perfection unknown before
his time and labor.
At breakfast in his honor in the
House of Parliament, London, Dc
cember 2, 1913, Brandes made a
speech that reflected his pleasure
that the English people appreciated
his efforts TO make literature uni
vcrsal
.'It is a great honor for me to find
myself in this circle, small but Sc
lect," he said. "Some of England's
foremost men are gathered around
this table; statesman like the Mar
| quis of Crewt. leader of the House
of Lords; LTd of the Privy Seal,
| the Earl of Cromer. who understands
| better than any one before him how
| to rule Egypt: the Lord Chancellor,
Viscount Haldane, with whom meet
I on common ground in our interest
for Hegel and I.asalle; further such
intellectuals as Sir Edwin Ray Lam
kester, foremost among biologists:
the excellent historian Mr.. Evan
Charteries; finally, such outstanding
writers as have shown me heartful
interest before to-day, Henry James.
always dear to me and who since last
/ saw him has been transolanted
from an American to an Englishinan;
Herbert George Wells, whose i'm
aginative power and vision ] envy
and admire; and then Edmund Gosse,
! the friend Of my early youth, 10
whom 1 am indebted Klore than tc
ane one else for my initiation into
British intellectual life. love him
as L love all my friends. thinly scat
tered as they are throughout Eu
rope"
Continuing in this strain Brandes
spoke on how early friendships ROW
and then do stand the test of tune
l. .icfa ut1
ferent personalities. how one mae
cling to friends, while these Them
selves may become estransed from
each other. This latter hardly sp-
plies to Edmund Gosse. who to-day
stands as a conspicuous example OF
unselfish interest in all that pertains
| to broadening of the mind, and no
other Englishman has done more, If
as much. to make Denmark known ro
| his countrymen.
Standing at the bier of one Whom
ne loved dearly. Sophus Schandorph,
an author who found in Georg
| Brandes the loadstar that led him on
/ to become one of Denmark'S fore
most poets and novelists, BrandeS
spoke as If each word came from his
! innernost self. "A Sealander was
he" said Brandes. "Openminded a.
| is Sealand's nature, rich and fruitful
as the soil of Sealand. A landscape
like this, covered lightly with snow
and with q half-clouded sky is moi
the worst surrounding for the pur-
pose of honoring his memory. We
do not do him honor in q chapel but
in the open.
I'VE bid him goodby from out OF
a heavy heart. a devotiona II un-
churched heart. lie was himself q
pious IL unchurched soul. Deep dowT'
within him dwelt sympathy. anxiety
for the lowly, admiration for the
really great, ridicule for the would
be great, anger and contempt Tor
those doing harm. But the inner
most within him was sympathy for
the lowly placed. This il was that
gave his productivity its sense OF
realism. its truthfulness.
"I see here before me workers
unions, the students society. the
authors society. Workers, He war
true lahorer. stubhorniy industrious
as few. You students. Until his
very death he was q real student.
You Danish poets, He was true
poet. lie belongs 10 all OF you.
"Schandorph, Deep is our sadness
as we direct these last words to you