1889.07.08 English

Journalist og teaterhistoriker, Edgar Collin, 1836-1906. Foto: Det Kongelige Bibliotek.
Hans hustru, Magdalene Collin, 1841-1894. Foto: Det Kongelige Bibliotek.

Malling-Hansen (to Edgar Collin?)

 

THE ROYAL INSTITUTE 

 FOR THE DEAF-MUTE    

     COPENHAGEN

July 8, 1889[1]

 

Dear friend!

 

The ideas are excellent; and the prospects are in every way utterly tempting[2]; however – my wife can under no circumstances participate. Marie[3] is still bedridden with some temperature and is quite emaciated; the wife has to be with her practically all day, at any rate she could not possibly be away from her for a longer period, and there isn’t even the remotest chance for a serious recovery from now and until Saturday evening. – As for myself, today an unexpected possibility to partake popped up. One of the teachers of the institute has fallen seriously ill and cannot make it for the annual examination here. One consequence of this was that the examination will now be 3 days instead of the usual 4 days, and therefore I can take a day off on Monday and would be able to go.

 

But how about Kapers? [4]-

 

Will the excursion be only a 5/8 quartet [5]?

 

If so, it seems to me it should not be a pig excursion[6]

 

I am longing dreadfully to meet you! You brute, who couldn’t pay us a visit! – Do I have to add that I am longing equally to see your dear wife.?! You are not jealous, are you?

 

Thank you very much to both of your 2 pigs[7], R & F who fork out for the booze!

 

I must say that the Kaper friends have shown themselves to be considerably more faithful this summer than you and your wife !!!

 

 

[1] JMC: Handwritten letter, presumably to RMH’s close friend Edgar Collin. The letterhead was pre-printed.

[2] CB: Apparently RMH has received an invitation from Collin for some exciting event – however, we don’t know as yet what it was. SA: The name Edgar Collin with an interrogation mark at the top of the page seems to be added with a different handwriting – possibly an archivist who was not 100% sure that the letter was addressed to Edgar Collin? RMH merely indicates “Dear friend”.

[3] CB: RMH’s youngest daughter, born 1875.

[4] SA: RMH’s friend Johannes Kaper, 1838-1905, lexicographer, head teacher and author of a number of very well-known  textbooks in German language, as well as dictionaries German-Danish-Norwegian; in addition he was a member of the Masonic lodge “Zoroabel and Frederik of the Crowned Hope”, of which RMH was a high-ranking member

[5] CB: This is very difficult to make out. JMC: Possibly he is asking whether only 5 out of 8 lodge brothers will participate??

[6] CB/JMC: This is enigmatic to the non-initiated! “Grisetur” in Danish is the word RMH is using, and evidently this must be some kind of internal language or joke within the group of friends from the Masonic lodge. Quite possibly, “grisetur” indicates an excursion with binge drinking.

[7] CB: Once again he is using this term; perhaps an internal joke? The rest of the sentence confirms this.
JMC: My guess is that the expression has to do with the Danish: “Spæde en kæfert op” = administer a hair of the dog that bit you. In other words, what we in Danish would call a “druktur” = to go on a binge.
SA: Incidentally, it is reasonable to assume that  “R & F” refers to two other very close friends of RMH – Erik Ritzau and Johannes Feilberg. It seems that Ritzau, Feilberg, Kaper and Collin were RMH’s closest friends during the last part of his life, and everything indicates that the five gentlemen were all members of the same Masonic lodge.


Erik Ritzau, 1839-1903. Photo: DKB.
Kaptajn Feilberg, 1836-1895. Photo: DKB.
Johannes Kaper, 1838-1905. Photo: DKB.
Edgar Collin, 1836-1906. Photo: DKB.
The original letter.