Page:Stories Translated from the German.djvu/221

 Many travelling Danes often visited our old friend Balzer, or Balthasar. He had formerly been so fortunate to become acquainted with such men as Oehlenschläger, Ingemann, Rosenwing, Molbeck and other highly-talented men, and these frequently sent him their friends and acquaintances who were travelling through Germany.

The whimsical professor even pretended that he preferred the company of Danes to that of other foreigners, because they were all so well educated, and were so spiritual and clever, and that he was particularly delighted with their cheerfulness of mind, with that rash enthusiasm with which they entered upon every subject, and then with that persuasive vivacity with which they spoke and disputed.

"That," said he, "is the most entertaining antithesis to those all-sufficient wiseacres, who never express a decided opinion, and scarcely will ever listen to other people, because they are at all times convinced that they alone know every thing better, and will not believe that any one else can understand it. Such worthless arrogant people are greatly on the increase in our beloved country, and circumscribe all communication. They will not only