Passionately patriotic though Orla Lehmann was, he was very far from
falling into the then usual error of overestimating Denmark's historical
exploits and present importance. He related one day that when he was in
Paris, as a young man, speaking under an impression very frequent among
his travelled compatriots, he had, in a conversation with Sainte-Beuve,
reproached the French with knowing so shamefully little of the Danes.
The great critic, as was his habit, laid his head a little on one side,
and with roguish impertinence replied: "_Eh! bien, faites quelque
chose! on parlera de vous_." He approved of the reply. We younger
ones looked upon him as belonging to another period and living in
another plane of ideas, although, being a liberal-minded man, he was not
far removed from us. He was supposed to be a freethinker, and it was
told of him that when his old housekeeper repeatedly, and with
increasing impatience, requested him to come to table, he would reply,
in the presence of students--a rallying allusion to the lady's Christian
disposition:
"Get help from Religion, little Bech, get help from Religion!"--a remark
that in those days would be regarded as wantonly irreligious!
People felt sorry for Lehmann because his politics had so wholly
miscarried, and somewhat sore against him because he wanted to lay all
the blame on the old despotism and the unfavourable circumstances of the
time.
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