Prodosh Aich - Truths

She devotes in her book approximately 6 pages to this life period of Friedrich Maximilian under headings: “Nicolai School Leipzig”, “Dr. Carus”, “Music”, “Letters to his Mother” and “Examination at Zerbst”. She does not care for chronology. She quotes letters without referring to dates. Amongst them, there are also six letters of Friedrich Maximilian to his mother. These letters are translated into English from German original. We do not know by whom. We know only that the diction, the style in English, is almost that of an English scholar and not of a schoolboy.

We take liberty to quote her only once. We refrain from our comments on Georgina Max Müller’s presentation, but presently parts are highlighted by us.

“ Before leaving the house of Dr. Carus, Max writes to his mother :— Translation.

'When I remember the time that I first sent you my birthday greetings from Leipzig, and now see that this period of life is nearly over. I must gratefully acknowledge how good God has been to us in various ways, and has given us many compensations. But above all, how grateful we should be that God has preserved you, our dear mother, to us, to sweeten for us all that is bitter, to reward all effort. How I rejoice over next year, in which a new existence opens for me, a higher aim in life floats before me, and I shall have you both with me. I cannot tell you how I rejoice at the thought of this time, when I must take another step forwards, and shall again, at all events for a time, be with my own people.'”

It has not escaped our attention that this quoted letter did not carry a date. But we know by now that he was fifteen and half yearsold when he should have left the household of Professor Carusto join the school at Zerbst. How could it be “next year” that “I shall have you both with me” , unless we assume that his mother joined him at Zerbst in Prussia? There are more questions.

Why was it necessary for Max Müllerto conceal this important information that Friedrich Maximilianwas not merited enough to obtain his “Abiturienten-Examen” from the “Nicolai Schule” at Leipzig? Why did he pack his lack of “excellent merit” so slyly, very casually only?

“It was rather hard on me that I had to pass my examinations for admission to the University (Abiturienten-Examen) not at my school, but at Zerbst in Anhalt. This was necessary in order to enable me to obtain a scholarship from the Anhalt Government”.

The second sentence is more deceptive. It diverts attention to the need getting a scholarship. We have already dealt with this aspect. It comes even worse. He continues in the same paragraph with schools systems in Anhalt-Dessau and in Prussia and then returns to music. He informs that Friedrich Maximilianhas just resisted the lure of music encountering in the household of Professor Carus. Quite a few pages have then been bestowed to music. Professors in those days were topping the list of all professions in terms of accorded social prestige. Musicians were glad being invited by professors in their social gatherings. There is no doubt that Friedrich Maximilianwas exposed to music in the household of Professor Carus. Did Max Müllerwant us to assume that the real reason for Friedrich Maximilian’s leaving Leipzig was his exposure to music in the household of Professor Carus?

Well! The next issue is more important. Friedrich Maximiliancomes back to Leipzig in 1841 and takes admission at Leipzig University. Why does he not get back to the household of Professor Carus? Why didn’t he stay with his friend Victorin the household of Professor Caruswhile both of them were admitted at Leipzig University? We could not get to the bottom to find an explanation. We are puzzled by another contradiction.

The fact is that mother Adelheideshifted to Leipzig with her daughter before Friedrich Maximiliangot his school-final certificate at Zerbst in 1841. Therefore, the question did not arise that Friedrich Maximilianeventually stayed in the affluent household of Professor Carusand studied together with his friend Victorat Leipzig University. But why did she shift to Leipzig and robbed Friedrich Maximilianthe chance to study at Leipzig University not in poverty again? No questions, no answers.

Instead we read on page 112 in the “My Autobiography” what Max Müllerwanted us to believe: “In order to enable me to go to the University, my mother and sister moved to Leipzig and kept house for me during all the time I was there – that is two years a half ” .This is another example of the wrapping-technique used by him that conceals facts, distorts facts. And the hard fact remains for our judgement of the situation: Friedrich Maximilianfalls back to poverty.

We must refer back to the casual remark by Max Mülleron pages 103-104 to comprehend his wrapping technique:

“It was rather hard on me that I had to pass my examinations for admission to the University (Abiturienten-Examen) not at my school, but at Zerbst in Anhalt. This was necessary in order to enable me to obtain a scholarship from the Anhalt Government.”

In the first sentence, he reports that Friedrich Maximilianhad to pass his examinations for “admission to the University not at my school, but at Zerbst in Anhalt” . As if passing “Abiturienten-Examen” from his Nicolai School would have excluded him from “admission to the University” , which is absurd. For “ admission to the LeipzigUniversity or to any other University ” he by no means needed to go to Zerbst.

Now we look into the second sentence: “This was necessary in order to enable me to obtain a scholarship from the Anhalt Government.” We all know that Friedrich Maximilianis poor. University studies are a privilege of well-to-do people only. We all sympathetically note that passing his examinations at Zerbst enabled him “to obtain a scholarship from the Anhalt Government.” What should be wrong in this bypass? Who will care to know or will know that Zerbst had nothing to do with the “Anhalt Government” ? And who will care to raise the simple question as we did? Was it “a scholarship ” on merit ? It was not on merit, as already mentioned.

Before we get into Friedrich Maximilian’s studies at the Leipzig University we must recall another obvious issue. On the pages 45 to 111 “The Rt. Hon. Professor F. Max Müller, K.M.” wanted us inform how the life of Friedrich Maximilianhad been during the “schooldays at Dessau” as well as during the “schooldays in Leipzig”. We have put together all scattered information to get an adequate picture regarding the school life of Friedrich Maximilian.These are rather meagre.

What did Max Müllerwant us to believe? We are inclined to conclude that Max Müllerwanted us to believe in the extraordinary brilliance of Friedrich Maximilianmanifested already during his schooldays. That is why Max Müllerhas imported in these two chapters a lot of “scholarly” lectures of his own. On topics which were totally off the way for a boy as Friedrich Maximilianwas up to 1841. Thus, Max Müllerescaped his duty in an autobiographyto deal with the schooldays of Friedrich Maximilian.An evaluationof his schooldays by Max Müllerwas not the purpose in those two chapters: “Childhood at Dessau” and “School-days at Leipzig” .