Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-08-05
THE TRAGEDY OF
GEORG BRANDES
Lonely, Profound Pessimist, As
Claire Price Sizes
Up Critic

Georg Brandes, the veteran Danish.
Jewish critic, author of "Main Cur
rents in Nineteenth Century Litera-
ture,' is, at s5, lonely and profound
pessimistic man who sees his idea of
Europe shattered, according to Claire
Price. Copenhagen correspondent of
the New York Times magazine.
Beneath its scintillating surface.
there exists to this day in Copen-
hagen a resentment against Gcorg
Brandes. 1t was a generation of ell.
derly jingoes that once made the Dan
ish capital too uncomfortable for him
to live in. 1t is a new generation of
young jingoes, generation peculiar
to this riven nationalistic Europe, that
warns foreign visitors today that
Georg Brandes is not to be accepted
as a representative Dane" the cor
respondent writes.
EurOpe's Non n-ComprOmiser
80 some Danes. there is n suggeS-
tion of something slightly satanic in
the two streams of white hair that
arch back from Georg Brande's fore
head; something mandarinlike and
foreign in the tufts of thin white hair
at the ends of his upper lip. Men who
will not compromise are never pop
ular, not even in Copenhagen. And it
may even be that good Europeans
are no longer wanted in Europe" she
writes.
'Europe' Brandes exclaimed. Does
the idea of Europe still exist? We
have an European civilization in the
sciences, but it is questionable whether
we have an European culture. Knowl-
edge is no longer regarded as SUI
preme. Stupid and insipid things are
praised today. The nations dislike one
another. Glasses, political parties, re-
ligious denominations distrust one an
other. Justice remains an ideal. The
peace palace at The Hague remains
empty and desolate. The demon tina,
rules us is the World War and its con.
sequences he declared.
1 Bewails Stupid Nationalism
'Nationalism characterizes oul
present age" he said. The nation,
have fallen into the stupid habit Of
praising themselves. Almost every
nation thinks itself the first in tn,
world. This love of self, this habit o.
praising ones self, has spread from
Europe to the United States. Nation
alism has taken root in the United
States, although, with the exception
Of Switzerland, no country in tn,
world would seem to be less nationa
in its composition. Its population ha!
been recruited from countries of wide
ly varying types. But by barring it
doors to immigration, the Unitet
States has turned nationalist.
"'The result of nationalism is I
nervousness that stiles legitimat,
criticism. The political life of Eng
land and of the United States has al
ways been SO strong that foreign cri
ticism has never seemed to touch it
but IN Continental Europe, the ner
vousness that existed before the wa
has been increased beyond belief. Th'
Germans and the French have alway
been nervous in the face of foreigl
criticism. Since the war the Frencl
and the Poles especially have suffere,
through their desire for foreign ad
miration. France and Poland hav
gone so far as to suspect as enemie
foreigners who have failed to yiel
them the admiration they demand
Lovers and admirers of both Of thes
nations today do not dare express thci
opinions for fear of being msunder
stood, he declared"