The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-09-15
IN tho annals Of fame higher and proulcr
than any that will be occupied by his contom-

In tho light of the preseut alone, we as Ger
mans can well feel proud of fellow German
whose nnmo has beon sounded to-day in mil
lions OF human cars. Yes the beams Of his
view ourselves In the great mirror of tho age
there IS reflected upon us something OF that
halo which glorifies the name OF Humboldt,
and through him the German people.
greet you. then, my ellow-countrymon,
with thatjo which befita tbis occasion, and
bid you God speed In tho use of that iulelli-
Eence, energy aud patient industry which you
,' nave eahibited in oil the pursuits of life. and
tho countrymen OF Won Humboldt.
greet you, dear German women-you whose
domestic virtues adorn the circle Of homo
you whose faith, purity aud excellence cement
the bonds OF socety-you whose devotion to
the fatherland is only one OF tho msuifesta-
tions OF that lovo which you bear to the good,
tho true and the beautiful everywhere.
May God, in His mercy, watch over and pro.
tect your career. and bless aud comfort you in
all tho relations OF life.
1t Is but Justice to General Wagener to add
that the above is meagre translation aud
synopsis, and conveys but an imperfect idea Of
the address as spoken in the original German.
Part Ii was opened with a handsomely
rendered chorus-"To thee. I Sing, beloved
German Fatherland," aftor which Professor
McCrady delivered tho following address:
Address OF Professor McCrady.
In tho distribution of tho duties of this me-
mortal evening, it has fallen to my lot to trace,
however imporfoctly, tho position occupied BY
the intellect and la6ors OF Alexander Won Hum
toldt in tho history Of physical science. Con
sclous as am that TO execute such O task
with skill proportlonate TO tho magnitude of
inc subject, ls something quite beyond the
may lay claim, l shall nevertheless endeavor
faithfully TO delinoato the impres sion made
upon mo by tho scientific career OF tho great
author of Cosmos, III tho co:.vietlon that whore
there - Opportunity to rendor homage to tho
memory ot those who mark epochs in the ad-
venconcnt of human knowledge, it is tho duty
OF every ono to contribute what ho may to-
wards o rightiul use of such opportunity.
feel Particular satisfaction in being thus
limited to tho consideration OF Humboldts
scientific achievements, as I may thereby avoid
tho barron diverse of his llfc, whorein, sur.
rounded by tho folblcs of humanity and over
shadowcd By q defiant pride Of intellect, lies
tho defaccu symbol OF that religion to whose
| influence modern scionce owes nearly oil itr
peculiar CHARACTERISTICS, and without which
Humboldt'5 achievements themselves would
have been impossible.
1t is one OF The teachings of that religion to give
| honor to whom honor is duo, and go from evory
part OF his fatherIand and from those distant re-
gion5 into which the German race has pushed
ITS vigorous ofshoots. as we'll as from the oy-
ers OF scientific advancement throug hout Chris
| tendon, there arises at this voluntary festival
hearty recognition OF ono Of tho mos. extra
OAoahaiy thlSutCtuti II nus ever
beer. g!von to man to acquiro-a reputation 80
great that the boldest who may differ from him
would hardly venture 10 attack tho sc entiflc
opinions aud Judgments of Alexander yon
HUMBOLDT with levty, or with other than the
| reverence which wo insiinctiveiy feel In tho
presence OF the highest order OF Genius.
When We ash ourselves, howovsr, what spe-
cial achievement III science it is that has left,
| sion upon the mind Of tho race, q satisfactory
| answer to our question is by no means 30 OBJ
| yious as We might naturally have expected.
1t is easy to 6x upon the source OF Newton's
fame, in the fact that he was the dlscoverer ol
| q law which science has slnce accepted as uni.
| versal, and was, moreover, the inventor OF q
wonderful machinery Of analysis by which the
Investigation Of tnat law became pos .ible. II
ls likewise evident that the worldwide repute
which attachce to tho pame Of Ln1Pus iS de-
rived from his being the Rrst to perceive the
scientific importance Of tho coordination oi
groups in Nature, and the frat to devise the
/ means OF rejecting the systom OF Nature In
scientiflc thought and scientific lsnguage.
Nor is it dificult 10 trace the celebrity OF the
| great Cuvier 10 his discovery Of tho correla-
| tion OF animal structures, by Which 1t became
| possible TO obtain q knowledge, more or loss
precise, of extinct forms OF lite. by the careful
| study OF few OF their less perishab.e parts
preserved in tho metropolis Of tn; geological
I'd each ur rnese instances, and in many
others which. could be added to the compari-
son did time permit, there is some special dis
coyery capable OF being designated in q few
dehnite words which has opened long ave.
nue. OF research to Students, nd yielded an
endless harvest to science, more than sufic-
ing TO account to us, even at q. glance, for the
venerntion In whioh mankind have embamed
| tho name Of its author. 49,
But whom wo seek to lay.. tho finger OF cor
tainty upon that one thing in Humboldt's sci
entifio career, to which as to o fountain head
may be traced the mighty stream OF his fame,
| it seems like the vain effort to determine the
source OF the Apazon, or the spring from
which the Mississippi first secs Thought at
is true that he waS.a great trayeilor. and
has left his footprints iR worry remote quarters
Of the globe; in tho Steppes OF Asia, and the
| equatorial forests OF America, ON the Peak oi
Tenerife and in tho mines OF Mexico. It is
true that everywhere he made even tho acct
dents OF travel. tho opportunities Of science
and has left behind him a store of original OBJ
| seryations Of imperishable value. It is true
that he was the fortunate witness OF many
grand exhibitions OF the forces at work in
Nature, aud that ho has left such records ol
them as no other man has surpassed, il any
have over equalled. IL is true that he made
original researches in physical geography
motoorology, terrestrial magnetism, ohemis-
try, mineralogy,. botany and zoology. and in
the geographical distribution Of organic lite
II is true that history, archB olosy and eth.
noloRy did notescape his comprehensive grasp
| In word, 1t is true that he could take ranA
among the pro6cisnts OF each science in turn,
aud that he made numbsr Of valuable con.
ttibutlons to several sciences, besides def
nltely settling many points Of uncertainty.
| All this would have entitled him to such I'D
miration as we give to men OF we'll balanced
and varied learning, vivifed by wholesome
| personal acquaintance with the sources from
which such knowledge has been derived; and
such alone. We may freely acknowledge, would
have been the groundwork OF q much more
than ordinary reputation. Yet this reputation
w,,uld haYe had little other foundation than
the exhibition OF vast personal power; and
wheI ~e snOuii come to inquire what impulse
had been giyen thereby TO- the progress OF sol.
ence. no honest mind would. for moment
compare such achievements 70 those OF Copper.
nlous, Kepler. Newton, or to those OF Linnmus
| JussIen, and Cuvier. It would be even an in.
Justice 10 tho memory OF Humboldt were We To
institute parallel between his contributions
70 physical geography, which constitute nearly
| the whole Of his contributions to science,
and the discoveries OF tho great men just mon.
| toned, or with some OF the more recent revela-
tions OF science, as, for Instance, that which ID
known variously as tho Correlation, the Con
servation or the Persistence OF forces, o dis
covery which has shed lustre upon the cames
OF Mayer. in Germany, aud Joule, in England
That physical discoveries like this were await.
ing development in Humboidt's lite ime, and
| that some Of them, like that Just mentioned