H. Boros Vilma: Stein Aurél ifjúsága: Hirschler Ignác és Stein Ernő levelezése Stein Aurélról 1866–1891 (A MTAK kiadványai 61. Budapest, 1971)
Jegyzetek
138 What he inherited from his family was first of all a wide - ranging interest. His brother and his uncle were well versed in the cultural trends of the age: they read everything, beginning with Homer and Kalidasa up to the French, English and particulary German classics and if possible in the original language. The language of their correspondence is German, but they consider the Hungarian language as their second mother tongue, as Aurel does the German language besides his Hungarian. Ernest Stein requires that his brother should know first of all German (that is why he sends Aurel as a grammarschool-boy to Dresden, to the Kreuzschule. ) and besides the German language French and English. The latter was to become the language of Aurel Stein's literary works. Latin and Greek are naturally among his subjects in school, further he achieves a first-class school-leaving certificate in Budapest These all show his extraordinary talent for languages. His interest in the Asiatic civilisation was early kindled by one of his teachers in Dresden, Hausmann, who narrated Alexander the Great's campaign to India so vividly that Aurel Stein immediately desired to make a journey along the same route. In 1879, at the University of Vienna, he starts learning the Sanskrit language and takes up comparative linguistics; from that time on with all his energies and efforts he becomes absorbed in the subject: he studies at the University of Dresden, of Tübingen ( in the latter he was appointed teacher beside Rudolf von Roth) later in Cambridge, Oxford, and London. The beloved and highly esteemed I. Hirschler embodied the paragon of a scientist for him; as his letter for the uncle's birthday says: once he desires to become such a useful member of the community, as his uncle's example taught him (see Aurels" letter published in facsimile on page 15). The example of the scholar ( he was the real founder of the scientific ophtalmology in T lungary ) and that of the practising physican - being always generou devoted and ready to help inspired him alike. Hence the care he i >k of each of his companions during the expedition. None of his men was ever harmed, not even one
