The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-08-06
CHI A r T. ES TON.
FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST 6, 1869.
The Humboldt Jubilee.


fellow-citizens have taken the initiatory
steps to secure proper celebration Of the
centennial birthday ofAlexander Won Hum
boldt, on the 18th Of September next. True,
the time is short, but the countrymea of
Humboldt can improvise q celebration, q
jubilee, Schuetzenfest, a smngerkranz, or
| bal n'asque, in less time than any other peo-
pie we know of. So, we may be sure be-
! forehand, that the Germans of Charleston
will acquit themselves next menth, as they
have always done, whenever called upon to
commemorate the glory of their glorious
Fatherland. We can hardly expect, Of
course, celebration such as was witnessed
here November IL and IL, 1860, when the
Germans Of Charleston had made prepara
tions for many months to do suitable honor
to their national bard. That Schillerfest
was brilliant beyond precedent, in our staid
old city, where professions and festal ex-
hibitions are but of rare occurrence Still,
We have no doubt, the Germans of Charles.
ton will not fall behind their fellow citize ems
in other cities of the Union, in admiration
for their distinguished coun,rymen, and
their zeal, alacrity and enthusiasm, will in
sure very creditable celebration.
The Germans, surely, cannot be held un-
grateful to those Of their countrymen who
have shed lustre on their native land.
Other nations vie in the homage they pay
to their victorious captains, but the Ger
mans etand pre-eminent in the profound
respect in which they cherish the memory
Of those Of their great men, whose claim to
distinction lies in the Important services
they rendered to mankind in the nobler
arts Of peace. They hold dear the memory
Of Gutenberg and Of Luther, Of L essing
and of Goethe, Of Schiller and of Hum
boldt.
Nor is it from the learned only that this
grateful incense is offered. In this espe-
cial]y, the difference between the Germans
and other people. rebounds to the credit Of
the former. The heart Of the entire nation,
prince and peasant, professor and plough
man, the wise and the simple, all feel en-
riched and ennobled, by the achieyem ents
Of any Of their countrymen in the field Of
science, Of art, or Of letters; and wheresc-
ever beat German hearts, whether in Ber-
lin, Vienna, Paris, taPetersburg, New
York, San Francisco, or Constantinople,
they all join with one accord, with, heart
and soul, to sing praises and do honor, to-
those who have won right to ,wesr the
crown of laurels.
80 familiar is the name and fame Of Hum
boldt, throughout the civilized world, that
we need not refer in detail to the triumphs
which marked his distinguished career. We
shall have occasion to return to this subject
next month, when the celebration of the
Centennial Jubilee will have awakened q
fresh and lively interest in the oar eer of
the great naturalist. .i
We translate from the s"Sudlicher Cor.
respondent the German paper published
in this ci y, the following remarks, to show
our readers what rank Humboldt takes
among savans in the estimation Of his own
oountrymen:
Alexander Won Humboldt, the broth
er Of the great philosopher, wilhelm
Won Humboldt, accomplished in the field
Of natural science, what Lsssipg, VIE
land, &chubarth, Goethe, Schiller, and tho
brothers Schlegel did for literature and
philosophy. His clear and comprehensive
mind was ooupled with . desire to observe
| and explore, and an indefatigable zeal. unr
dismsyed by difficulties, geographical or
Typographical. He built colossal super
structure upon the foundation, which had
been laid BY his teachers in Frisherg Tin
the celebrated mining echool In Saxony
He aim.d at q knowledge Of the who'e
earth; he left the field OF speculative ph iloso-
phy, and cultivated the rich and promising
soil Of natural science. He opened the
book Of Nature, read it xealously and at
tentiyely, learned 1t page by page, chapter
| by chapter, volums after volume; and what
soever he had read, whatever he had learned
from Nature, he gave back again, not only
to sc,ence, upon which new light was
thus sned. but ne proclaimed it TO ths whole
world, which turned to profitable account
his experience and obsel vations. in the in
crease ST its commerce asaBFthe improve
ment Of it's useful arts.
It was Alexander Won Humboldt who set
the world in different light to the speou.
lative savans and philosophers. They threw
their old empirical learning into corner
and burst the letters Of their musty tradi.
tions, which they had gathered together
from tho books on magic, alchemy and as
trology. Such had been their science
But it was to be So no longe. Natural
science became free, and developed, into q
mighty tree, which bore abundsn.iy the
fruit Of knowledge Geology, now FRS, as.
fainsd TO the dignisy of i practical <ciencs;
chemistry and 8 botany scoptributed mate Z
rally 70 the emancip .iicp Of medicihe from
the slough Of empir. r.asEs. IA which II lsy1