A ROMANTIC STORY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 92, 30 January 1875, Page 11

A ROMANTIC STORY.

A Leipsic paper publishes the following story :— About ten months ago a rich patron of sciences and arts in Berlin offered prizes amounting to about 140dok each for the best essays on the history of the Middle Ages, astronomy, geology, poetry, and metaphysics ; and about 385d01s each for the best romance and the best poem. A committee of several members of the several University faculties was appointed to award the prizes, and the awards were made a short time ago. A large number of persons competed, and the work offered had a large amount of excellent material among it. The names of the writers were enclosed in sealed envelopes, on the outside of which fictitious names were inscribed. The prize for" the essay on metaphysics was awarded to a young man named Max Markmann, who had sent his essay under the name of "Hans Wildenstein." When Markmann's name was announced, a pale, poorly-clad, exceedingly wretched-looking young man stepped forward and v/as greeted with a hearty round of applause. His hair was thin and already sprinkled with grey, and his whole appearance excited the sympathy of the audience. After receiving the prize he quietly returned to his seat. One after another as the titles of the best essays were announced, the accompanying envelope disclosed Markmann as the author, and the. applause grew tumultuous as the young man, looking more weary every time, stepped forward. The excitement among the students was so great that a suggestion would have caused them to carry him off in triumph. The essays all examined, the poems came next in turn, and the prize was Markmann's. Then the romance prize was found to be his. It was entitled "The Village Schoolmaster," and Bethold Auerbach, who was of the committee, pronounced it as one of the most gracefully written stories he had ever'read. This was the last prize awarded, but hardly had the fortunate competitor risen to go and receive it when he f ell fainting to the floor. A death-like still. ness reigned in the hall, while they earned the poor young man into an adjoining room, where the physicians succeeded in restoring him to consciousness, but that was all, for four hours afterwards he was a corpse. His death was the result of long years of depriva* tion. He was literally starved to death.