, 1873-08-17
ALEXANDER Won HUMBOLDT.

Mid. n fnn,,n VoN iluMl,opr: YEN. M
| Brtl, by J. LoEwrADKnd. Il. AVE. I,ALIEwSur, null
AZ Mhf3tn ID, DONE. Iran'nsed frnm thu uernai:
ton a,l Now York: Len Shonsrl ia1S w. ''''@
A biography Of Humboldt Inns 1on,, Imam 7o-
atdoratu.n. 80 far NJ wo l,ayo ham o}1o IN 1ix,
covor, thcro did not exist provfona IN t,,o .a,r
1879, In any language Of ISurone anvt,inc M.
proaching to worthy history Of I,is1fn. RI tho
thousands to whom his na1no is familiar. t1oro
nro but very fow who hayo any idca OF whot
mnnnor OF nun tho author Of tho '.Cosmoa" +"
was; worry fcw men who arc ablo to optirnnto
him justly, to tell urecIse]y In wlnt hla
merits consist or what place ho Ia
likoly to hold In tho history of
ncionco Tho work boforo us. a TRANSLATION Of
tho Gorman biography aboyo rcforrcd to. will
afford tie reador tho best information to bo bod
concerning tho lifo and character Of Alexander
Won Humboldt. Tho labor of rendering tho
book into English waa performed by tho hripscs
Lassoll, tho accomplished translators Of scl,ol-
Ions "speotrum Analysis "--n guarantee of tia
accuracy and elegance of t1lo work
It would DO difficult to find moro difficult life
| to write than Humbo1dt's. soyontY yoars OF It
Wero devoted to tho intoroats Of scionco, and
| hence 1t In that only scfcntfBt can do It
| Justice, only n aciontigt aa mapy-Bitlotl
a8 WAS Humboldt himself; for lo was
truly no specialist. 1Io sproad himnolf, 80
to speak, over an Immense surface
and 30 great WAS Ills ambition tllat thero was
nothing tn tho whole range of physical pl,onoul-
ena, and scarcely anything in social or political
phonomona. which ho did not nuke subject of
original investigation. Aristotle anl Leibpitz
aro the only two mon in history tl,at rival him In
multfariousnoaa Of knowledge. Neither qcog-
raphy, nor Astronomy, nor Botany, nor
Geology, nor Metoorology, nor Magnetism,
nor cltmatoloey, nor Zoology, nor Comparative
anatomy nor Ethnography. nor Political
economy, nor P1ilology was foreign to
linn. Ho had studied them all. 1Io had writ
tan on most Of thon. In fow Of them was
those In his day o higher authority than
himsof. No wonder his biography-which
IN the caBo OF humboldt meanH mainly IN ao-
count Of Ills scientific lnbora,. aInco Of hiH homo
ire thero ii not great deal to DO said-haH been
delayed, andno wonder that, nov that 1t appears,
It comes not tho work of ono man hut Of several.
1t needed moro penH than ono to appreciate him
at hs truo value.
Aiexandcr Won Humboldt was born III Berlin,
sept' IL, l7Ge and educated On tho Tegil estate
made famous ny Ills brother Willolm, whore
campo %as Tor time lis toacher. Ills father.
VINO wae Chamberlain to tho prnsaiau
KING, dlod "hon tho boy was only 10
years OF ago, Lowing tho caro- OF Ills education
to Ills mothcr, woman, 1t would soem, Of q
fatheF sterh chaIac1or, but VINO aa" TINT he did
not neglect his Studies. Young Humboldt, in
attor yoars-and it is no credit to his charactor-
aooma to hnve romembored his mother only an
an old lady, au invalid, causo of Isolation and
restraint to himself; and to lnvo Heard tho nows
OF hor death, III l796, whom ho waa 27 years old,
with tho utmost indifference; 30 much HI that,
writing to friend OIL tho subject, llo could sny:
"4ou know do not take 1t much to heart; We
have bocn strangers for many yoar."
Alexander WIS not prococious child. Few
men of marked ability, perhaps, arc. Perhaps
it iB IN the montal as iii the physical order, aud
TINT tho inertia Of great minds Is In the direct
rntio Of their magnitude; or, as III tho organic,
| that tho mind which goes through its period Of
intellectual gestation III q worry short t;nlo s rel