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

synclasy which persists in putting all real iac's
and things upon the rack of preconcelved ana
arbitrary metaphysical system His antagonism to
hege s repeatedly expressed in the correspond.
ence with Vamhngen. In 1887 he wrote: " shali
read attentiyely the historical essays OF Hegel
especially since / hold savage prejudice against
the theory that every nation must represent some
thing (some abstract idea), that everything in the
world has happened merely in order that there
shall be fulfilled what the philosopher has thought
6t 10 demonstrate" This is aimed directly at
Hepel whose entire system consists in reducing
everything that has ever existed or happened to q
stage in The development Of "toe ides" Applying
this system to geographical facts, Hegel had taught
that the coD6auraton of the dry labd on earth
was in accordance with tho contrast OF the idea
that tie eastern hemisphere represented the mae
culipe element the western the feminine; that
hence the American continent had slender forms,
| moe weakly fauna and flora; that the, cattle
were less vigorous the crocodles weaker than taoe
in the ancieht world. All such philosophical vasa-
ries we've treated by Humboldt in the plainsst
terms a. sheer nonsense and rehabilitation.
In his letters be vigorously contends for She etor
nal rights Of individuality" against all eq0azing
metspby steal stems which to him appear to W mere
remnants of medieval schOlasticism-,t beat play
at words and bigh sounding phrases, as bootes' as
laborious. From q religious point of view,
| Humboldt muit perhaps be called q mate.
rialist philosopher, or, perhaps, an atheist
Considered from q philosophical standpoint, the
term "Iehlist' would seem Dore appropriate to
| the views entertained by Humboldt than that Of
"nateiialist" But in stating this, it ought never
| 10 be foft often that Humboldt had been reared
aud lived 10 nentol atmosphere, where the idea
of pcstive religion had long since ceased to DO cou
siderrd Us inssparsble from the idea Of morality
| and humanity. In EnglaLd or America tho all
but universal belief is that an unbelevsr cameo. but
| be an immoral man at the same time. That bolisf
did not snd does net exist in the society in which
| Humboldt lived In all his doings be might well
| DO called Christian in bis faith he was not, nor
| did he pretend to be.
| Tim fact being known to many, several attempts
| were made to convert him. Thus q maa named
Aueu,t Grau, in Montgomery County, Oaio, wrote
to hw, in February, 1852, entrestDg him to be-
cone Christian; and curiOusly enough, pointing
out to him tie glorious example Of Bernadotte (the
| late King of Sweden), whose Mr. Grau ASSERTS
had been conseIted BY tho simple teachiogs of T.
| poor PEASANT. Among many other thugs, no says:
| II Jesus Goes not dwell in our hearts, who can
| dwell there but Satan7" Whefespon Humboldt,
ia sending this letter to VarDhsgen, says: "Pace
this sing u-r goid natured letter among Jour p,y
Geological cuicsities. This maD, VINO is SO deeply
& h Ram hnrt talII
u roundabout way that Satan holds the relns in
my hear, as he did in Goethe's, the plous Ksnt's
ard Wielsnds." At another time a similar
attempt was made by an inmate of a Joung
ladies' boarding. Echool. On the Plat Of March,
1874, an anonymous lttter-wrter from S9lingen
tells HUMBOLDT: "Some time age read in a
new spsper that some one from Konissberg is said
to have consulted you about some discovery in
physical scierce. From isis ! conclude that you
a;e q natural philosopher (NatHJorsclsr), and may
be acquainted with some friends who also natu
rel philosophers. Nov, having rnyself made some
important discoveries in respect to the secrets of
nature, would like some time or other to confer
with you. Perhaps either Of US may confer some
adv antsge upon the other, etc, etc. p. S.-M
Got,tried H., merchant at Berlin, can give you
all necessary reference in regard to my posi.
ton and character" Humboldt good humoredly
replies: The conclusion which some time
aimee has dawned upon you from tina columns
of Newspaper, that might be a writer on nstu-
raj philosophy il quito correct. In fact have
been 10 presumptuous as TO publish some works
about the Datural sciences since the year 1852"
Scarcely ayear before bis death he received letter
from Nebraska in which the grave question was pro-
pounded to him where the swallows stay during tho
Winter season. Varnhagen, to whom h. showed
the letter, asked him whether that was not ques-
ton as yet undecided. "Of course il ls," II. an
swered 81 know az little about it as any other |
man; but" he added, playfully, "of that L have |
told my Nebraskian correspondent nothing, because |
such things must not be made public
Having, in the course of our peregriaation |
through Humboldt's correspondence, safely landed |
in America, we may az well translate his remarks |
on American political matters. In letter of his,
dated July 81 1854, tie following remarks occur:
"Tis true, great deal Of friendliness 10 shown b
in the United States still, ca1sot refrain from
perceiyiDg that, unfortunately, freedom in America
is but mechanism in the element of utility, but |
little improving man, nor giving impulses to human
nature toward the vndicston of truth and the de-
velopenent of correct sentiment (das Geistgs snd
G,mothlehs GmregssO which ought to be- the uti. |
mate object Of Liberty Hence, indifference toward
the subject IF slavery prevails there. But the
United States are Cartesian whirlpool carrying
away everything and grinding 1t down to q tedious