The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-04-21
Madame Hensler and Niebuhr, the
Historian.

Madame lIenser's relation TO Niebuhr
was very curious and very German. Du>
ring his residence as student at Kiel she
became young and beautiful widow. lie
was an extremely young and nervous boy
though man already in ripeness of cburac-
Ter and in grasp of intellect; and in refer
ence to his first interview with Dora Hens
Ter, he wrote to his father al felt TO a
painful degree my timldity and bashfulncss
before ladies' however much improve in
other society, AM sure must get worse and
worse rvery day in their eyes" Dora's ia
ther-in.law, DR.. Hensler, was profoundly
learned man but he was ever then aston
ished at the bashful boys extraordinary
knowledge Of the ancient world and at his
faculty OF historical divinaiion. III his FAM
lily circle Niebuhr was soon at home. The
ladies were very kind to him-aDd he made
the young Madame IIensler an offer of his
hand. She, a pietst in religion, had made
a vow at her husbands grave never 10 marry
again, and she was disposed 10 keep her vow.
As she could not marry Niebuhr herself, he
asked her to choose wife for him and, ar,
ter some thought, she selected her own sis>
ter Amelia.
In his union with this lady, Nicbuhr was
happy for some years. He succeeded in
the world-scrved the State in various high
ofices-acquired the friendship of the frat
men in Germany, and Though the delivery
of his lecture on Roman History at Berlin
raised himself TO n high place in the inlellec'
tual hierarchy of Europe. His wife died
aud he again solicited Dora IIenslcr 10 &C,
cept his hand. But she adhered to her vow;
aud again failing in his suit, he again re-
quested her to provide substitute. Ii
would seem that the vow only stood between
her and himself, for she still retained him in
the family. This imc, she selected her
cousin Gretchen, and-slrangc as all thi,
seems to us-he married her. Dora's refu-
sails do not appear, there, to have caused any
even momenrary, suspension Of the friend
shin between N;ebuhr and herself. His let
ters to her--ever kind, serene, aiiectionate-
present an unbroken series. The moment
he parted from her, lie began 10 write 10 her
regularly, In tho most trying situations o
his life during the fierce bombardment o
Copenhagen-amid the lerrors Of the fligh
to RIGA before the victorious French-in the
sickness Of his first months in ltaly-amit
the excitement Of his open lecture session
in Bcrlin-his letters never failed. lie
wrote a long epsile to her only few day
before he died.
ordinary woman. On, of the higheft regiot
of men-the Goethes, the Savignys, ant
the iermachers-Niebuhr could bardl,
find a man with whom he deemed frequen
intercourse either profitable or endurable
The learned men Of Italy, Of France, anC
of Engiand-with the exception OF our sci
entifc prfessors-were so far below his lev
ei oil requirement as 10 fail, altogether, in thu
interest OF their conversation and correspon
dencc yet he wrote 10 Dora IIensler OF
nearly every subject which his wide,rangin!
intellect found employment in. lie related
to her many of his thoughts on politics, &
nance, and diplomacy-kept her famiia
with The nature of bis most recondite search
es into Greek and Italian an,iquilies-an
made her the depository of his doubts ant
speculations in The highest regions of faith
morals and philosophy. His letters 10 he
are. therefore, mine Of wealth for the ad
mirers of his genus.-AMeneum.