Page:Nicolae Iorga - My American lectures.djvu/7

 took place in Roumania a few years ago, the consequences of which have been so far-reaching as to result in the revival of democracy in several countries of western Europe — this great liberal movement for which we are all grateful, harks back to the steadfast faith in the principles of democracy shown at all times by the great Iorga. The Roumanian people expressed their gratitude to him by later making him the first President of the Parliament of Greater Roumania.

But Iorga’s indefatigable activity did not stop there. He realized at once that, if Roumanians were to enjoy to the full their new found liberty, they must be educated, and so he founded in 1908 the popular University of Vălenii de Munte, where he counted among his disciples not only plebeians but even royalty, for His Majesty King Carol II was among those who received inspiration from his lectures there.

Professor Iorga then shed the light of his genius upon Roumanian drama, which he felt was in need of new form and new ideas in order to interpret adequately the life and character of the Roumanian people. In order, therefore, to illustrate his theories with examples, Iorga wrote several plays which were produced with great success at the National Theatre of Bucharest.

For the past twelve or more years, Iorga has been Exchange Professor at the Sorbonne of Paris, where, as member of the Academy of Inscriptions, he has continued to give to the world a remarkable series of historical, scientific, philosophical and literary studies. To list them would be like cataloguing a large and choice library. They run from a monumental History of the World through Histories of Romance Literatures and of Roumanian Literature down to such specialized studies — illustrating the wide range of his genius — as History of the Roumanians in Portraits and Ikons and Inscriptions in Roumania’s Churches. Suffice it to