Hans Christian Andersen.

Evening Post, Volume LXIX, Issue 118, 20 May 1905, Page 11

Hans Christian Andersen.

The news that Denmark is about <o celebrate *ho centenary of Hans Christian Andersen will send tho thoughts of men -and wonwn all tho world over, first gratefully and affectionately to the land of his birth, nnd then to that wider country in which wo were, all onco at homo. As a certain mediaeval town was wont onco n year for n fow hours to open her gates <o all her banished eons and daughters, co on Andersen's birthday wo may all claim the right to roturn to that distant city of which wo havo lost th* freedom. It was in happy accordance with all the bear traditions of fairyland that Audi eryen should havo fitumblod by accidont upon his treasuro-trovo. Ho was born at Odense, in Funon, on 2nd April, 1805. His father, a shoemaker, died befora his son was fourteen, and his "nrlyy^nrs wero steeped in painful nnd not very salutary eipnrioncfs. At fourteen the clever, ambit ions boy went to seek his | fortune in Copr>nhnj;cn ; but though ho found fri«nd« and protector? surely the most generous and constant ever provided for vm exacting young geniun, his hnpfo of winning immortality as a singer, nn actor, a dramat'st, or a pnet — ho trii«d it in all ways — were not realised. It I wn-s not till ho had knocked nt half a ■ dozen wrong doors that he tonehwl by chance tho snring which admitt-ed him into his own kingdom. In 1835 h" pub- i lished his first tales — "Th« Tinder Rox," , "The Princess and tho IVa," "Littlo Chu.s and Hi" Oliim," and "Litrl- Tvh'.i < Flowers." Oth*r little volumes follow- ' «d, nnd the worW itm fiuirk to r*rogniso the.lr summing ounlity Prosne- • rity ra-nc with a rush. Ther« wero ''-\nder<i»n nf lA r»'-"»riv" wh ■« 'i'er.irc ' and nri"itnrrn l ir nii'li'nce.s crowded to h'ar him rend hi tnlei aloud ; the Ring of Prin r i.i Wed him lo d n«<«r and (rive him a derirition • ho'h on 'h- C^ntinon* and h ""Virlin^ h- was feted and *»ntTHir<«d. lie lived *o «e<» his literary jnhiloe rpl-I>r«M hy th' wmd|a rmt^n, dying at CwnKi'nn in August. lft7S. "Aff-r nil," nnifl ho. in tho ..leai-ant i own in 5 of his rl.ivn, "lif-» i ( i»lf is 'ho m^vit bpintiful of fairy .i|v. " On* aMHinp rocrrAt was alwnyi with ht>n ; h^ h\d no particular d« ro I ion so chi'dr n in tho concert.*, and rlid n<->t cir» to l ii« knnnn only as a child r»n's wrier. FTe Rr.«atly r»wntpd a fciitptor's d«wgn nf roprosenlinjr Mm as th' rnntro of a grnnn c>f listeniiiß hoy» and jirl* Who con'd imapirc him roinonsin:* stnri»«, he asked, with * lo! of youne C nienhinrncr.s rl,imlv«r ; n<T «liom' him ' Tn 'he tha creator of the r</lv Pn-klinc hop-d h« micrh' hd r\<m"iTiKpriv? n< th- suM)«r of his Mmm not*!, "The Two RnronTlw fmhns»JAp Is thit Anrl^r•^en w,sn too ,nii. 'i n ch'lfl hi«ns«lf 'o be (|iiit' it . •il. ea.ti» in chil<lr»n's siciety; too vain, ' .on •*M"itir*. fon self. rons -'ons, too ■ t" ionur * child : and !his \\ In part ihe ' .t>ir->t of hi.s power. Xn oth*r writpr si! xi tto easily into ,\ child's jr»"ltr.iibi. ».il posMion : h« iinderstanrN !o perfec- ' tinn hii mistrns' of vast »•■»?«, of ra^uo ditlaneei, th<- drc.sd of b«inc lo«! whirh conflict* so incfMnntly with the eujrcr diiirs to T'nt'if in'o the busy, .snanons world. Wh«n th- chins sh-ihrrd-mm and the chimney sweep *r* 'loping, thry climb up the 'chimn-r. "At last th<\v reached the top ami s'v them«elTe« <U)wn, for th«\v were vrry tir»d. a* may b« supposed. The sky with »!! rt« starn i was above trwm, »nrl Kelorr wore th« roofs of the town. They rnuld r«i« for a very lone; *.iy ont irrto t\ii> wid^> world, nnd the pnnr littl- dhfph«>r(le«i loaned hr h«ad on her chimney -*wer>'.s shonlder nnd wept till she wished the gilt off her sash. 'This is too much, 1 sn : d she, 'lh« word in too kre* ' I wish T \rrre .safe bark on th* tnbi* ajrain nnd«r the lookin^-ulM* : t»k<» m« back if ton lore me!'" When th« Kr? tie nn hi* travels rnme in »'(tht of rh« pond nt the r»i!<l of th? tcirdon, "he was so »stonish«d at th- .vr* of it that h* lav over nn his hack and kiA-eH." Wh»n, bored by the earwig children, he "en- , fiin'rr-rl hia way 'o th-> icarei' dunghill," the '^Twig mured him : "TK»( \* quite out in th« rreat world, on th* other rdn of the Witch. I horvi tiono of mv rhiMren will ever ro »o f»r." Thai sens* of the T*stncss and mystery which fnm« ono'n own small life* is the rery »tnff of which a child's dream* *re tntde. Artder.stn hns thr nsme rl"»r »en»e of lhp rwnn.iblene.ss of chi'dhood. Wh^n the cockfhiif<?r fl^w into a tnv> with ' Thuinhnlina, nnd tod her th.st she wm ! very nrettv, "thonijh not Ihe leas' liko | a cockchafer" ; wh-n the hen urg the duckl'ng to "lny oc;fr.s, and learn to purr a.s anon f as po«sihl«,' in ord<«r >n mnke a pood imnression on aooiety, the child nodi mnrnval. The hen'a ' advico, tho rnck'hif'r's reserve, w iust what one would havo pxppeN-d. Wh^n the tin snldinr (not the (it pad fast boro, hut tho other) has lw> -n prps*>nt'd to the lunoly okl mnn. and is so dull that he weopK tePT.s of tin ano bigs to be allowed to go to the wars and lose n leg or arm, just for a ch-inir--"Ymi must b»ar it," Rays the littlo boy, his former owner. You nre given aw.iy, you must stay wh»r« yon are, don't you see that?" On*' f»el.s it to be nn unanswerable argument, and groups the leg of one's own favourite tighter. Andprs»n's ma'oria' i,s taken from varioiib sources. "Th- Elf of the Rose" is a rendering of "Ifnbelh fln rl the Pot of Basil." "The Emperor's Now Clothes" i« fipnn'sh. Thorwaldsen (who nnvpr wparied of hearing his Vorios) sugtestrd "Th« Darning Needle." Much is his own charming invention, and much was gathered from thp field of folk-loro in which the Brothers Grimm worked so Ions;. Thp German stories are ruder nnd more primitive in their form; tho Danish writer's grnco nnd sunny playfulness are exchanged for a orondor simplicity, a moro elemental mirth ; there is perhaps nothhig in \ndrrw>n that quite equals, to a child's mind, Iho sardonic humour of ("Irimm's Inle of tho cat and (he mouse tin l kep' housp ♦nether On 'ho o'hrr hindj Ihe'ingonious. unscrupuloiiß Little Clntis is a more nivid pf-rsonaije thnn Orimm's Little Farmer, partly no doubt berauso he has a name of his own. Tht animsls in fJrimm nre almost all fonr-footed ; he has hardly any birds, Andoifon loved all fonthefed creatures, nnd th« flutter of wings and fhe twitter of small throats are in nil his pntjps. It is on the qnestion of mornts that tH^ey are mo^t decisively d.ivide<l, Grimm encounges a belief in poetic justice. ! We huvo thronghout the comfortnblo i curtainty that the prince will discover ihe princovs in spit* of all disgimp.s, nnd that tho wicked stepmother will be ingeniously and quite finally ba filed. To this cheerful optimism Ande'sen ivill rarely condescend. Under his cAqiiisito 'enclcrncss, his deceptive ajr (»f bon- j lionuo, a not« r»f finp and moKlant irony ' is always nudihlp. Mi- ilieinc i-, the con- i flict betwoen thu world's 6hrowd com- |

mon-ftenso nnd "ihe high Hint proved too high, tho heroic for earth too hard," and handling it, ho forgets tho frontiers of tho child's kingdom altogether. Tho story is told to tho child; the moral is pointed at .society at large, nnd something poinkd rnlher cruelly. "'I can s.uMI tho Nili. mud,' B nid'tho mother stork. Now you will sw> tho marabout bird nnd tli« ibis nnd tho crane. They Kt\<> themsclvet great airs, especially tho tins; tho fcgvpliana make n inuuuny of lum ami stuff him with spices; I would rather bo ntuffed wit4i li\-<. f ro g S . Better hnvo something in your insidu while you aro alivo than bo made a parado of after you nro d.'ad ; that's my opinion."' " 'Do you know only ono atory?' asked the rats. _ Only one,' said tho firtrco; I hoard it on tho happiest evening of my hfo.' 'W etlnnk it a very miserable- story,' said tha rats. 'Don't you know 0110 about bacon or tallow in ih^ stow room? Many thanks to you then, 1 and thoy marched away." "Tlio molo pushe<l thr <lend swnllow aside with his crooked legi. "Ho will sing no moro now,' said he. 'What miseiahlo cronturoa thry are. lam thankful' "—0 tho airy inimitable hnmour of the pbrn3o!--"'I am thankful that none of my children can be horn birds. 1 " In "tho PorUigiiiao Duck" a singing bird escapes fiom tlio cat with a broken wing, and falls into the fowl-yard, where the Ponugnsse duck take^ him under Her protection. The drnke enmo up and thought him a spiirrow. "'I don't nndrrsiand tha diffnronoo,' said he; 'they appear to mo much the same ; but if peoplo will have playthings, why, let them, I say. 1 Suddenly something to pat was thrown into the yard, 11 nil in rushing over to tho other side the Portugntso trod upon tho littlo bird. 'Tweet !' cried ho. 'Why do you Ik in my wny thon?' aim retorted. 'Yon must not bo touchy. I havo ncrvos of my own, but Ido not cry Tweet. 1 . . . When slip had finnhxxl her meal, tho little bird, fluxions to please, began to sing. '1 want lo slcnp now,' said the Portuguese. 'While you are here you must conform to tha rules of the house. 1 The littlo bird was quite taken aback, for he had meant well. When i>he awoke, there ho stood leforo nor with a grain of corn that he had found and loid it at her feet ; but as shy had not slept well, ffhe was naturally in a bad trmpur. 'Gir* that ton chicken, 1 she said, 'an<t don't always stand in my way.' . , So saying she 1 mide n bite at the littlo singing bird 1 ? h»ad and ho fell dad on th« ground. "Now, what's the meaning of UvuV said ahe. 'I've boen like a mother to him. I know that; but certainly he wax not made for this world. 1 Thon all ihf duoka came crowding round tho little dead bird. 'Spenk of him with f.*oect,' saul the Poriuguev*. 'lie was >;rntlt and affectionate, he had manners and f ducat ion, and h<« could sing ' . . 'l^t us think of «lisfy*ng our hunger,' baid the drake. 'If on* of our toys is broken, we have plenty more. 1 " It is n m.iiit^rpieoa of merciless sntire, a o»ndant to lhat tragic miniature, "The I)ni»y." Dr. Brandrs i-clli in in a striking i«Msy thu And'TSrn i» best underßtood, <tft«r Denmark, in Germany and in Great Britain/ and that h« in lfa«t appreciated in France -Meeting one day a yonng Frfiirhn\«n who profe*«»d to know iVnirurk wall, he int^ minted him with h* qnMiinn, "H*vf you r &i And#r^rn > 8 tal^a? 1 Of cfliirw. hi had. "And what d» yon tKmk of !'otm!" "Un pen ;rop (•nfantin," wm '.h-e fntal an«vfor. "And 1 Am j>ervud<»<l," myn :h» Danish critic «rith jusßiftAbla «r»rmlh. "tha: a FreneK child ot fire would hxvc Mid ho <iame." While h»ait«!in? to accept thi.« terriblt indictment of French infancy, it mini I* admitted tha 1 Fr^nrh literature in xll its .'frrngth and wcali'h is a grown up literal u»*. Th» lncid, anaiylir.il .Krrn<h mind 3c«a thingti ion clearly to be quit* a' homo in tn« -ralm of halt light*, Ihf l;md of maki'-b*li*vfl ; ami then, «i Dr. flrundes snjgMti, th*y h»t» La Fontaine. Th-y have also dh»rli*» IVrraiih and Madame d'Aulnoy. Hut b«lw<^n AnH-rsfn »nd Madamo d'Auln«y lie Rotueeau and his go«nrl of :h» r«tnrn to Nauiro, nnd all tho protest «f the new crniiiry ngairHt th«- manners and m-flthod of the old. We hare only to glance from "Tho Tinder iiox" or "Tho Travelling Companion" to Pfreinet, who, "in his rich green habit," is uddrt«i«ing h'm reaped fn! reproaches to Urnciovi. "Hay* a better opinion of my senlirn"!!* 1 ," r»pl:«l tile prjnc ss. "1 am neither ins-nsihlo to merit nor unprnt'cful for kindness reeeire<l. 'Tis truo thnt 1 have put your constancy on too many trials, but tis to crown it in the end. ' The adventures of Pcrcinet n:id Graciosn, of F.vifar.not nnd Abrkotina, ire recorded for ono nge, ono c1a.13 ; Andersen i* for us all. Tho oni« writer prewntfl us with an ent-or aining comedy of minneri, .ho osher with fr.igin^nta of tho Kornal pottry of childhood. — Spectator.