Life and works of Alexander Csoma de Körös : $b A biography compiled chiefly from hitherto unpublished dataDuka, Tivadar
History
Life and works of Alexander Csoma de Körös : $b A biography compiled chiefly from hitherto unpublished data
Duka, Tivadar
Kőrösi Csoma, Sándor, 1784-1842
Even among the people and the high ecclesiastics of Tibet the fame of
the Hungarian scholar lived for many years after him. The name of
“Philangi Dàsa,” the European disciple, as he was affectionately called
there, has been mentioned with appreciation to Dr. Leitner, who in 1866
had an interview at Pukdal with the Abbot of the Monastery in which
Csoma lived. Judging from Dr. Leitner’s report, we find that Csoma’s
sympathetic individuality left a lasting impression behind him, and
when the Tibetans heard that Leitner was a fellow-countryman of
Csoma’s, he was received with every mark of attention, and the Abbot
offered to conduct Dr. Leitner safely to Lassa, leaving, if desired,
his two sons as hostages in the hands of the Government. As, however,
Dr. Leitner was not prepared to accept the unlooked-for offer, the
Abbot was willing to extend it to any other European who may be
actuated by the same love and devotion to philological researches as
Csoma had been.
This circumstance was repeatedly brought to public notice by Dr.
Leitner, but no advantage has as yet been taken of an opportunity so
favourable to linguistic and perhaps political objects.
In the Székler land, his native province, Csoma’s memory lives in
affectionate remembrance.
The Kenderessy-Csoma Scholarship, founded by him at the College of Nagy
Enyed, is administered in accordance with his wishes. Csoma’s relations
made an endowment at the village school of Körös, at which, as a child,
he learned his first lessons. The yearly proceeds of this sum are
devoted partly to purchasing of books, and partly to improve the
stipend of the schoolmaster. There is a third memorial also, namely,
the donation made by Csoma in 1836 to the Military Institute of
Kézdi-Vásárhely. After the historical events of 1849 the funds of this
Institute were amalgamated with those of the College of Szent György;
towards this the Emperor-King, Francis-Joseph, contributed ten thousand
florins. Csoma’s money is administered in a separate account there, and
the yearly proceeds are divided among the most industrious scholars,
each prize-book being marked with the founder’s name.
“I have no doubt,” adds Baron Orbán Balázs, “that a day will come when
a better future dawns upon our country, and when past omissions and
neglect will be made good, and then a substantial monument will rise to
the imperishable memory of Alexander Csoma de Körös.”
We heartily add our Amen. May it be so!
The contents of the four boxes mentioned by Dr. Campbell, constituting
Csoma’s travelling library, were as follows:—
1st Box.
1. Grammar and dictionaries of Bengali, Turkish, Tibetan, Greek,
Latin, French, and English languages. 7 volumes.
2. New Testament in Russian.
3. Hodgson, on Buddhism in Nepal.
4. Index of the Asiatic Society’s Transactions.
5. The twentieth volume, Part I., of Asiatic Researches.
Total 13 volumes.
A medicine-box.
2d Box.
1. Grammars and dictionaries:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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