The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-15
stitutes the real value OF Humboldrs liSo and

fear sou wi! feel somo impatonco when,
uLrr aI nil thiS preliminary analysis, answer
| that tho real basis OF Humboid,'s scientific
| lame is work which appeared after its author
had already Ion3 beon famous. Does not ovcry
one know; yon will say, thnt tho Cosmos /, 4
| as BunBon said on itB first appearance?
But what L hope will appear, az wo proceed
| is, that tho Cosmos must not be regarded
| merely as tho greatest work of it's author but
as his ,ohoie ,oork, tho ond and aim OF his life,
and tho embodiment OF all he could DO to sci.
| ence. In short, Humboldt was famous in his
earlier years, because ho was then preparing
| his great powers Tor the task Of writing the
/ Cosmos" in ''the lato evoning Of his life;" be-
cause he was then writing the Cosmos. and now
that tho marvellous energy OF that cosmical in-
tellcct has ceased to exhibit its operations to u.s.
aumboidt Ia famous because he has written
| the Cosmos.
There are, OF course, many different points
OF view from which TINT great work may be
regarded. As literary composition, believe
| it takes rank among the classics of his couu-
try. AS an artistic effort, it is really wonderful,
ea lor tho success with which, while sacrificing no
trivod to throw off the conventional nd usual
| ly necessary trammes OF technical tel erminology
anu professional usage, aud to intuae tho Ito
, ana motion OF nature into details which, out
| side tho circle OF his intellectual influence,
uoually appear as the d v bones of lfeless
anatomy. Moreover, as an exhibition OF ex.
tensve and varied learning, there aro few it
pared with il.
But that which constitutes the value OF the
cosmos to the progress OF science, and con-
| soquently determines Humboldts position
among tho great men OF the past, of the
present, and Of tho future, is tho conception of
| tho whole work, aud the success with which
| that conception has been communicated to the
| world.
| What this conception is, we may find clabo-
orateiy sot forth i'll tho preface and introi,uc.
ton to tho Cosmos; but it will be found I.oro
convenient for out present purpose to condenso
it, though at sonic risk into tho compass of
| few words.
Humboldt conceived the possibility aud cxo-
| cuted tho task OF presenting to the ago in
which he lived view of tho Cosmos, OF the
| entira physical creation as one Wltote, n,ouod
and animated by internal forces, as prepara-
tory study to tho solution OF the problem OF
| tho rational unity OF creation. The reaza.
| tion or this design appears to have been at
once the ultimate object and guiding motive
OF his intellectual ife Even from bis earlior
years, peculiar longing appears to have pos
sessed him to attain 10 a conception Of tho
| physical universe as q whole, and to express
t1is conception in ono grcat series of connect
cd pictures, every line and shade Of which
| should have roal aud definite scientific value
| determined by scientific methods.
To show how all his sciontifc Iabors gravitat-
ed towards the realization Of this design, we
he declares, 1.-THE outward relations of lilo, and
an irresistible impulse towards knowledge of
various kinds have led mo TO occupy myself for
many years, and apparently exclusively. with
1
with descriptive botany, geognosy, chemistry,
astronomical determinations oil position and
terrestrial magnetism, in order that might
| tho better prepare myself for tho extensive
travels in which I wns desirous of engaging,
| the octuil object OF my studios has, neverthe-
less. been Of q higher character. Tho princi-
pal impulse by which was dirccled, WAS tho
earnest cndeayor to comprehend the phenomo-
ma OF physical objccs in their general connec-
tion, and to represent nature as ono great
| whole. moved and animated by internal forces
ln naIr ill., II
lions, that is to cay, the great laws by which
individual groups of these pnenomena are gov
erned, have been Recognized, and what course
has been pursued in ascending from these laws
to the discovery OF their causal connection"
And he explains his devotion to the special-
ties OF 30 many branches or science by telling us
J that his "intercourse with highly gifted men
early led him to discover that without On ear
nest striving to attain to knowledge Of spe-
cial branches OF study. all attempts to give q
grand and general view Of the universe would
be nothing moro than vain illusion"
The great magnitude OF his undertaking,
mont, he recognizes in tho following words !:
''ln work OF 30 comprehensive n character,
the object OF which is to give q scientific and
.s rs sms psnmsea ns ca%
to the merit OF inciting. than to that OF satis-
Tying Inquiry
But We nav add that this Lesser merit is that
which constitutes its principal practic Il value
to science. in that it has given q new and q
cosmical character to subsequent researches.
Such being tho scientific mission OF Alexander
Won Humboldt, let us endoayor to form a good
idea OF its absolute aud relative value to the
propress of human knowledge. We can only
ductiye science, and the laws by which, indie.
pendeptly OF tho volition OF man, it's gradual
eyplution has been effected. And it was one oil
tho many proofs OF tho grandeur Of HumboldL,s
work that its true proportions can be appreci-
ated only when We view it at o distance as a
'Iepyominent point in tho v9st fold OF human in
tellectual labo", and ope which has somo iIff-
fold. ~
So accustomed are wo at present to tho To pid
accumulation OF facts and swift succession oil
discoveries, that wo have to be reminded OF
the time when the amount OF mans positive
knowledge of natural phenomena was very
small In compass. and when no wide circle OF
reading nor very prolonged application to ro.
search was necessary to enable, studenta OF
iar abilities to master the whole domain of
physical knowledge. It was then no very diff
cult thing to acquire all that was really known
IN the fields OF astronomy, geognosy, natural
OF Roger 3 icon, OF Leonardo do Vinoi, and so
it: continued 10 a less eminent degree even to
the time OF Newton and Linnpus.
t5G vas .en ose IN
opments, occupied but small space in the
intellectual world. Yet was This small space Of
very manifold comprehensiveness, for In it lay
the germ OF all tho special soiences since un-
folded. Men indeed had not followed the in
duoive method great way befors discovering
that nature is infinite In the number aud DIVER
sity OF her special phenomena ss well as in her
cosmicai expansion. The determination Of one
fact in any one direction OF study, instead Of
satisfylng inquiry, was found to create want
Of further information by betrayinR the exist
once OF creator or less number OF unsus-
pected and often very puH1ling appearance
lying beyond 1t. To ascertain the cause OF
these appearances, further Investigations be-
came necessary. From the very oomplextty
itself Of nature. II resulted that the attain
ment OF accurate knowledge, in one particu-
lar. involved the necessity OF attaining equal
ly. accurate knowledge in eeveral other
related particulars. and consequently the
observer Was led to expepd much
greater amount OF time and labor on
every several object Of research than could at
hrat have been anticipated. The growth OF
positive or empirical knowledge, onco begun,
was found to be OF auoh o nature that the moro
1t grew. the moro must it continue to grow,
and that, in short, 80 exhaustisss was the va
riety OF phenomena in tho unity OF nature, no
limit could be ussigned to the continuous ac-
CumuAtf0n n nj O a Init tt,ns