The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-09-30
HUMBOLDT.

| Eonof as 10 require no accessCrIeS of snyFs 9Ft
to give it dignity, and wbica ms been so bold
for pe'iod longer than many suppose As
early as 1929, Frederick Henri Alexander On
Humboldt was appointed an acting Prvy Co L.
cillor of the Plussian Court, with the title of
Excellency; ard lie retains that post now, rs
he enters, thirty years lister, on the nineiiSth
year Of his honoIed life. That honor was never
before conferred upon one no Of royal lineap /:
and whatever value we may set upon such a
restr ction, it is stl the highest proof that ,e
Prussan Government con,I giFa that it for OF lie
recognised greatness hyperion 10 Ell other DR..
tinctions
More than thirty years YET earlier. Humboldt
travelled extensively IN South Ameiice, havi, Q
left Europe By way Ct Ccrunns, in Spain, d
June, 1899. He spent the next three pc, )
mainly in the tropical regions Of Southern Q 4
Central America, Mexico, and the West Iud /.
In May, 1904, lie reached Pniadelphis, on Biz
homeward quincy, aid, Wei ing Washipg,e.n
and other points within reach during two
months, sailed from this port in August G,r
bordeaux. Such was the thcru0noticed visit
OF the great student oi physical science WHO
now, III the bodily weakness Of ninety yeaTs,
bu. with the clear and strong MIND which aas
ever distinguished him, receives the ugittsl
honors Of all men, from the most democrat e
lover of science in the Uuittd S.ases. 20 Q.csG
Victoria ard her royal coraort on heir Prfs.
siau tour.
IL is the greatest AID hrightesl feature II
Humboldi's fHne, that il is acclried rot II e
becauee be liz great Ia; h. Gauge he is inst L >
character is, perhaps, more than that Ct 2
scientific man q any sge, nnseiGsh. None
the Injustice and graz ping which stained Az.
COS name, with hundred less than Araeo. as 4
some as great IS be, was ever clarged or tholp. (
against Humboldt. He did not need to arpt-i
pirate honCrs not bis own, nor to ignore meS L
where the public could never intervene to Of
tect the uDknoWn scientific laborer D.scovG !.
les wrought out by the hands Of retired az I
batant prosecutors Of researches weje
never stolen and put forth, slightly noulde !
aud modified, as his own work Indeed, "
suggestion of such deeds is almoss out Of plae
and unworthy when Humboldt is named, so f5r
above this vice of SO many who seek ecientif c
honors is all that relates 10 this Priv Counc; /.
lor of Nature fer more Than sky years i,
The leading Characteristic Of Humboldt 4
mental organizsiicn - an untqua,!ed cacaciI9
for comprohending 81 = igo knorledge 4
what are cal ed natural ;ba.onenl, ard anu,,
eq1aled ppWeF of generalization n pon this ,la.4
OF iects This power OF general zation is q IA, r
one, AID 1t differs extremely from the snalyt,
Cal process, or that by which s. student parsuls
SINGLE line OF experiments unit! he attgins
! a knowledge of the law that governs the fac 1
he traces.
Humboldt has no specially, as It is ines
gnntly called, and he stsnds at a. vast dista, O.
from all scientists Of that Glass; The hreadiS
and fullness OF his mastery of The great science
OF Nature, which embraces within Ma hundred
minor sciences, has been cdnsp7eunts' ~ every
period CT his HE, ard was sufficiently proved
By the enthusiasm With which he entered upoo
| a M IL 4
OF the last century; grasping. even then, not
only all known natural sciecces, bat observing
and evolving others then unknown, and viii b
were too great to be studied in one continent
acne. 1t IL decisive evidence Of his greatne ss
OF scope, to see that we have not YET, after half
a century of unparalleled mental activity. cot
beyond the work be opened cut in his great
American journey, and put in definite form
when his equally great Asiatic journeys Ct
1888 were in progress.
The recognition Of this high capacity has
been made on the reception of the Kosmos.
and we have yet to see single suggestion,
from any quarter, that this Physical History Of
the Universe was conceived on too grand a
scale, or has been inadeqnaely treated in any
OF its parts. OF what other author, scientific
or philosophical, could it be said Ina. 10 at
tempt kosmos would not be presumptuous?
There neither is nor has been any Competent
hand other than or before his for euch a work.
and American readers, who fnd themselves
batfted In the perusal CT the portion which has
already been issued, must bear i'm mind that
no edition has yet appeared which has been
more than hall rendered fr0nl the German. or
more than half cleared Of diom3 aud tcchri, !!
obscuritiee, as It might have been 81 red
The fourth volume OF the Kosmcg is now 10
offered in our hook market from an Hughst
translation; aud the llth volrma is completed
at Berlin, aid is about to apP,af there. /
was supposed that the fourth y9urle would
close the work, hut We belle ye year or no I'll
health on the part OF the iliustrious au.hcr viii
add archer append; x-iks vc inma to he I've. .
So much it seems pfriinea, TO sag st The pas
sage of the eighty niuth birthday Of this great
master of science BE was born at Berlin
September l4th, 1869, and n10,e than half |
century since visited this city, then ripe trav.
eller and scientific observer, who had cpe,ii
fourteen years in such ser7ice, ana more than
four years in tropical Am RIGA. Mature al q
mastery in all dep1 tmen;s 0f natural scierei
at that ti1e, be rs rot Allowed month q
| the httyhve years since passed 70 20 uuem.
| ployed, and we Iced rot wonder at his attain
| ments when we bear in mind his metal struc
ture. TO Us it nay pot DE- easily * pained
how the social and political struggles CT this
period could avoid Involving a man of such
universal activity, and VIZ chcose to place it TO
the account OF clearne6s of vision Which
could see through ire weakness Of the apparent
or pretended friends Ct greater liberty ana a
higher socia, state emo, foreseeirg their short.
eomir gs, wait calmly for the slow progress OF
the sges. One thing is true, that Hum oldts in !
huence on the Prussian Government has ALWAYS
been strongly liberaliziog. Russia, particular;
ly, owes him much in this respect, ard all Cen.
trail Europe has fel. ipoge or lees of Lis IL au.
erpe Tod peace and advancement. A man who
go advances physical science, and yho go rem.
ders ITS pursuit iIlgstrious, Yields an iLhueuce
second to no other, without effort or exertion
to give that influence any special direction.
MAN OF FASHION EIGHTy YpARs AGO -
The man OF fashion Of this period was com.
pouna OF etteminacy and sfiectation. He paint
cd ana perf1med like woman His toilet oo gu. |
pied great proportion of Ais tine his dress
was OF the most costly materials and the mos, 1
fantastic patterns. Silks ard brocades, EN- /
broidery, gold lace, and jewtlry adorned his per |
son, both IN morning and evening costume. He |
seldom stirred abroad on foot, except to take a /
turn IN the mall and if he he'd ia cross the /
street only from mis- Il dung TO a tavern, he was
conveyed in a chair Cunning was his chief
employment gailaRtry occupied the hours
WHICH could De spared from dress al pay. He
had made the grand tour, and, const quently,
knew the world. OF books he knew little OF
nothing. Men Of education be called "prigs
and "pedants" The only literature vaich h.
cultivated was plays, novels, lampooEs. or trac /
in ridicule IF ,e,gion. Such were the beaux |
end iribbles Of the time Of Anne and CT the
Hanover succession. The reader who would
know more OF the manners and Ger versation OF
vii hcir CA