New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-05-05

kind wou a have solved more protlsms. l have
seen M Oh, bat still far less than l hoped to
see." "The state of the world" he writes six
years later (July 9, 1e50), sis like to tue water
a web Of differently shsprd bubbles Then. ridi'
calipg the hy drsuuc science Of which himself was 30
celebrated an expounler, he sad: 'Caaul'= moi
te,a' Many Of the bubbles VII be burst b1fors
men will have automatically calculated their perish
able forms" Jan IL 1856, he meutionS to Warn
hagen 40 article Of aGsrmsn paper published in Cali
iorDia (which receive occasionally from the host Of
sGernaa tavern in San Francisco tqnte filthy, they
say, bearing ny name" The writer Of that article
had bcasted that 1--WE Germans are q nation of
thinkers and our superiority over otnsr nations
seems to consist in this, that zoe little or
Nothing about political or municipal mat.ers."
"Tbis, thsn," Humboldt adds in . ssrrow ul
tone, els the way in which Germans assert
their superiority on the coast of the Psnno
Aud bow do We act here Among hundred cleo
much trouble! It's our business to think, forsoota "
II may be remarked hire that Humboldt himself,
as an octoseparan never failed to cast his vote at
elections, though sometimes he had to wait for
hours before BIS name was called in ts ALPHABETICAL
order. He always voted for the liberal candidates
such rs there were.
In letter, dated March 13. 1853, he takes
more hopeful view of the prospects Of human
liberty. Speaking Of tho death Of Leopold Won
Bucb, he says: I" His death was warning
given to me; cesi CONNIE celia que - sera' dsmanehe
Ard IN what state will leave the world l, VINO
lived iD 1889, and sympathized with tne sentiments
which at that time pervaded mankind. But cen
tures ere merely seconds in the grant march Of
progressing humanity. Yet the ascending curve
has, here and there, some little downward index.
ions, and 1t is uncomfortable to live in slch period
CT temporary descent"
The view. entertained by Humboldt on religious
matters constitute theme which generally, is but
slightly touched upon by his admirers in TINS cOunr
try or England Yet It seems somewhat pu'r'e to
mlnce matters on this subject as, sooner or later,
postery will establish the facts in regard to it. IL
would not he difficult undertaking to envelop the
Oplnivub VI ~ PVOSN"i 'oP"Ab SN'N- -~~
fashion of Faust "Who dares to nsme him, who
to profess HIM, 10 say: / believe VINO dares to
say do not believe The AlLembracios, tho
All maintaining, does He not embrace you, me,
bin.elil" etc But then, Humboldt himself plainly
disclaims any such mlsty speculation. "a Christian
dosmati.m ba,sdupon philosophical Interpretation,
consider the stratest Of all strait jackets" he re-
marks in q letter of March Is, $780, Tue fact is
that HuGboldt Ike great many other natural
philosophers, cou not perceive God as distinct
from the universe. The q" universe" the " Kos
moe" was to him the great unit Of all cause and
effect, and the teachings of revealed religion in re-
gard TO mediation between God and man, be con-
ridered as myths Thus, when his attention has
been directed to the bold criticisms Of Bruno Bauer
he smiles at the geAt pains Bauer takes to prove
what 10 hun (Humboldt) seems q ,elfegident
trui,m, viz the non-autbcuticity Of the Gospel
He writes Oetter, dated December 3, ls4D:
" Bruno (Bauer) has found in me prsad-
amitical convert When l was . boy, the
very CouItprescheIs taught Like him.
had to JON the Church under minister who also
told o. that the evar gelsts had left some memo.
RAJ da which, ct later period, had boor sood as
material for fictitious Biographies (,corans man
spatey Bicgraphieen gediehteD. Many years ago
wrote: All positive religions consist Of taree dis
met parts-a code of morsls which is nearly the
ssmein all of them, and generally very pure; agoolog-
zeal chimera (rtre geOloyqsc and myth or little
historical novel, 1t ID the last named Of the three
elements which in the course of time acquires the
greatest Importance Speaking of Strauss " Life
of Jesus" which he calls remarkable book"
he says (ApIil 6, 1922: 1.-THE critical methed of
Strains is excellent Besides tho book is valuable
in giving the entire dogmatica history of The times
and especially in uncovering tbs crafty tricks of
those tbeologiaps, who, following the wsys of
ScbleeImacbsr profess to believe in all forms of the
Christian myth, and are pompously followed to the
grave by royal carriages, while they slyly substi-
tutc So sailed philosophical explanation to all
those myths. What l dislike in Strauss is the
fippancy with which be asserts the genera
ticn of organic beings from inorganic matter,
of man from Chaldnan mud (Ursehlamm). That
be thinks lightly of the nebulous matters (uaatn
DIsgen) beyond the grave, j eaiiiy forgive him.
perhaps only from ths fact that man likes to bs
ageeably surprised by lowering bis expectation as
fer as possible" On May 10, 1876, Prince Met
tm,ch had written q long letter to Hum
boldt, in which be spoke of the "eternd limits
which God has erected around human knowledge"
and of tho "irivolous boldness of too ambitious
minds who, having vHinly attempted in their search
for TIE Crest Cau.s to trsnsgress those limits, re-
turn on their paths only TO tumble back into the
stupidity of ps2ansm by pretending to discover the