"Leave him alone!" said Paulsberg. "I don't see why you want to annoy
him."
"It certainly looks bad for our poor country!" sneered the Journalist. "No
talents, no youth, nothing only a 'general condition.' He, he! God only
knows how it will all end! And we who have innocently assumed that a
people should honour and respect its young writers!"
Coldevin seized on this.
"Yes, but that is exactly what people are doing; nobody can justly
complain on that score! People respect most highly a man who has written a
book or two; he is admired far more, for instance, than the ablest
business man or the most talented professional! To our people an author
means a great deal; he is the essence of all that is distinguished and
admirable. There are probably very few countries in which the intellectual
life is dominated by authors to the degree it is here. As you probably
will admit, we have no statesmen; but our authors direct our politics, and
they do it well. It may have struck you that there are barren spots in our
scientific attainments; however, with true intuition, our authors are not
afraid to assume the burden and pose as scientists.
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