The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-15

sttures the real value Of Humboldt's life and
Isbors to science.
I fear YOU Will feel some impatiencel whep
after all this preliminary analysis, answer
that the real basis OF iHumboldts sclenG,lne
fame is work which appeared after lts sutnol
had already long been famous. Does not every
one know. you will say, that the Cosmos is
great work-he great work OF our age, in short
as Bunsen said on its first appearance
But what hope will appear, as we proceed
is. that the Cosmos must not be regarded
merely as the greatest wo;k OF its author, Du'
as his ,chole Dork, the end and aim OF his llfe
and the embodiment OF all he could be to Sci
ence. In short, Humboldt was famous In hia
earlier years, because he WAS then preparing
his great powers for the task OF writing the
cause he was then writing the Cosmos, and now
that the marvellous energy Of that cosmical ln-
tellect has ceased to exhibit its operations 10 u.s.
humboldt is famous because he has written
the Cosmos.
There are, OF course, many different points
of view from which that great work may De
regarded. AS literary composition, DeheVe
it takes rank among the classics OF hls coun-
try AS an artistic effort it is really wonderful,
for the success with which. while sacrificing no
little of it's scientific value, the author has con-
trived to throw off the conventional and usual
ly necessary trammels OF technical termnoiogy
and professional usage, and to intuse the lite
and motion OF nature into details which, out
side the circle Of his intellectual influence,
usually appear as the d y bones of lifeless
anatomy. Moreover. as an exhibition OF ex.
tensive and varied learning, there are few IL
any works, in any language that can be conf
pared with it.
But that which constitutes the value OF the
Cosmos to the progress Of science, and con-
sequently determines Humboldt's position
among the great men OF the past, OF the
present, and of the future is the conception of
the Whole work, and the success with which
that conception has been communicated to the
world.
What this conception is we may ind elabo-
orately set forth in the preface and introduc-
ton to the Cosmos; but it will be found more
convenient for our present purpose to condense
it, though at some risk, into the compa:1 OF
few words
Humboldt conceived the possibility and exc
cuted the task OF presenting to the age In
which he lived view of the Cosmos, OF the
entire physical creation as one lCllole, nooued
and animated by internal forces, as prepara-
tory study to the solution Of the problem OF
the rational unity OF creation. The realza-
ton OF this design appears to have been at
once the ultimate object and guiding motive
of his intellectual life. Even from his earlier
years, a peculiar longing appears to have pos
sessed him to attain to conception OF the
physical universe as q whole, and to express
this conception in one great series OF connect
ed pictures, every line and shade ot which
should have q real and definite scientific value
determined by scientific methods.
To show how all his scientific labors grayltat-
ed towards the realization OF this design, we
have but to quote his pwn words: Although" }"
he declares, 1.-THE outward relations Of lite, and
an irresistible impulse towards knowledge OF
various kinds have led me to occupy myself for
many years, and apparently exclusively, with
separate branches OF science, as for instance
with descriptive botany, geognosy, chemistry,
astronomical determinations oil position ana
terrestrial magnetism, in orier that l might
the better prepare myself for the extensive
travels in which was desirous OF engaging,
the actual object OF my studies has, neverthe-
less, been Of higher Character. The princl-
pal impulse by which was directed, was the
earnest endeavor to comprehend the phenome-
ma OF physical objects in their general connec,
ton, and to represent nature as one .grea
whole, moved and animated by internal forces
to show IN what manner the common condl.
tions that is to cay, the great laws by which
individual groups OF these phenomena 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 so many branches OF science BY telling us
that his intercourse with highly gifted men
early led him to discover that without an ear
nest striving to attain to knowledge OF spe'
! cial branches OF study, all attempts to give q
grand and general view Of tie universe would
be nothing more than vain Illusion"
The great magnitude OF his undertaking
and the impossibility Of it's perfect accomplish
ment, he recognzes'in the following words
"In work OF so comprehensive character
the object Of which is to give scientific and
at the same time IN animated description o
nature first attempt must rather lay clam
| to the merit OF inclting, than TO that OF satls
| flying inquiry
But we nav add that this lesser merit is thai
which constitutes It's principal practc u value
to science, in that it has given new and
cosmical character to subsequent researches.
Such being the scientific mission OF Alexander
Won Humboldt lot US ondeavor to form 2ood
idea Of Its absolute aud relative value to the
progress of human knowledge. We can only
do so by O consideration OF the history OF ln-
ductive science, and the laws by which, lnde,
pendently Of the volition OF man, its gradual
evolution has been effected Aud it was one o
the many proofs Of the grandeur OF Humboldts
work that it's true proportions can be apprecl-
ated only when we view it at distance as
prominent point in the vast field OF human IN
telleetual labor, aud one which has some I'M
portant relation to almosi everv part OF tha'
field. =,
So accustomed are we at present to the rapid
accumulation Of facts end swift succession o.
discoveries, that we have to be reminded o.
the time when the amount Of mans positive
! knowledge Of natural phenomena. was very
small IN compass, and when no wide circle o
reading nor very prolonged application to re-
search was necessary to enable students o.
tar abilities to master the wSiic!e donlain oi
! physical knowledge. II was then no very diff
cult thing to acquire all that was really known
in the fields OF astronomy, geognosy, natura
history aud chemistry. Soft was. in tho epoct
OF Roger B icon, OF Leonardo da Yinci, and sc
it continued 10 less eminent degree even tc
the time of Newton and Linn@us.
Inductive science was then in embryo, and,
like the beginnings Of macy other great deve'
opment5 occupied but small space in the
intellectual world. Yet was this small space Of
very manifold comprehensiveness, for IN 1t lay
the germ OF all the special sciences since un-
folded. Men indeed had not followed the in
ducuve method great way before discovering
that nature is infinite in the number and diver
sity of her special phenomena as well as IN her
cosmiccl expansion. The determination OF one
fact in any one direction OF study, instead OF
satisfying inquiry, was found to create want
OF further information by betraying the exist
ence OF greater or less number Of unsus-
pected and often very puzZling appearances
living beyond it. To ascertain the cause OF
these appearances, further Investigations be-
clme necessary. From the very complexity
itself Of n1ture. it resulted that the attain
ment OF accurate knowledge, in one particu-
lar. involved the necessity OF attaining equal
ly accurate knowledge in several other
related particulars. and consequently the
observer Was led 10 e1pend much