1890.07.30 English

Niels Bache, 1841-1895, teacher and author. Photo: The Royal Library

 

This letter comes in two parts: the first part is a message from Niels Bache, representing the preparatory committee for the great Nordic Educational Conference in Copenhagen in the autumn of 1890, to the effect that RMH’s lecture has been moved to Tuesday August 5[1]

 

The second part is the reply from RMH, informing that he will not be able to give his lecture on that day since he will be occupied the entire day before that, preparing the Jonstrup jubilee 1890[2] for which he is the chairman, and that he has not recovered fully from his prolonged illness.

 

It is worth noting the marked contrast between the neat copybook writing of Niels Bache and the almost illegible scrawl of RMH. Part of it may, of course, be due to the circumstance that RMH’s notes on Bache’s letter were presumably only a draft, and that the letter proper was written or typed on a separate sheet of paper (which we don’t have).

 

 

Copenhagen 30/6 (corrected with a colour pencil to be 30/7 and added 1890)

 

By this message I take the liberty to inform you that the committee, after being forced by various circumstances to make certain changes to the original programme, has now definitely fixed your lecture for Tuesday August 5 at 12.00 o’clock.

 

(The lecture hall of the Industrial Association)

 

 

                                   Respectfully                                 

                                 Niels Bache[3]

 

Mr Malling-Hansen, Principal

 

 

Mr Bache, School Inspector

 

That was a particularly unfortunate change of schedule. I am very reluctant to miss giving my lecture and – plainly speaking – for the sake of the deaf-mutes, the teachers also should not miss it; however, it is not possible for me to deliver it on Tuesday. – I am still far from recovered from my prolonged illness, and on Monday I will be occupied from morning until evening with the Jonstrup jubilee, for which I am chairman, and will have my hands full on that day until late evening. Hence, I dare not burden myself (with this change[4]), even more so since I have given …..(illegible[5]) some days.

 

 

 

 

[1] SA: In reality, the re-scheduling of RMH’s lecture did not take effect. He gave his lecture on Friday August 8 from 12.00 until 14.00 hours at the National theater. Our website has a major article about this lecture  - see:
“Lectures by Malling-Hansen”.

[2] SA: RMH held a very prominent position at the Jonstrup jubilee which took place on August 4 and where he, among other duties, gave the jubilee speech, reproduced in several Danish newspapers. The speech can be found on our website under the title: “First Among Equals. The Jonstrup Anniversary 1890”

[3] SA: According to the “Danish Biographical Dictionary” (Dansk Biografisk Lexikon): Bache, Niels; 1841-95; historical writer and chief education officer in Copenhagen. Born May 22 ,1841 at Roskilde, where his father, Niels Bache(!), was a merchant. The bright young man enrolled into the Metropolitan School, graduating in 1859. Already from the age of 16 he had to tutor in order to make a living, and he continued this activity while simultaneously reading History and Law. In 1865 he passed the exam for latin and law. In 1872 he was appointed teacher of History and Geography of the Naval College. He translated Arnd’s “Twenty Years of History” (two volumes 1871) and Landfrey’s “The History of Napoleon I” (5 volumes, 1872-77), produced the ‘Overview of the Period 1855-66 in the French translation of Allen’s History of Denmark; he also contributed to the “Nordic Encyclopedia” , 2nd edition and the “Publisher’s Desk Dictionary”. Shortly after having passed the examination for graduate in law he started the publication of a major illustrated popular History of the Northern Countries. The first edition was launched in 1875 and the second in 1887. In 1886 he was appointed director (JMC: probably with a role as inspector) of private schools in Copenhagen. On Jan 25, 1879 he married Marie Hornemann, daughter of Dr Med. E.H. He died in November 9, 1895.

[4] JMC: translators addition for clarification

[5] SA suggests this word to be ‘Repetenten’ = a senior student that attends a lecture in order to be able to, later on, to render it to others in a different context, e.g. to other students. JMC suggest that we keep the issue open for interpretations.