Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-12-07
Humboldt In His Study.

Those who have seen the admirable
colored lithograph of Hildebrant'i
picture know precisely how the room
looks. There was the plain table, the
writing-desk, covered with letters and
manuscript, the little green sofa and
drab-colored walls. The pictures had
been so long hanging in my own room
at home, that L at once recognized
each particular object. Seifert went
to the inner door, announced my
name, and Humboldt immediately
appeared. He came up to me with a
heartiness and cordiality which made
me feel l was in the presence of a
friend, gave me his hand and inquired
whether we should converse in Eng
lish or German. "Your letter. said
he, was that of German, and you
must certainly speak the language IA
miliarly; but am also in constant
habit of using English" He insisted
on my taking one end of the green
sofa, observing that he rarely sat upon
it himself; then drew up plain cane
bottomed chair and seated himself by
1T, asking me to speak little louder
than usual, as his hearing was not so
acute as formerly. AS looked at the
majestic old man, the line of Tenny-
son, describing Wellington, came into
my mind
Oh, good grey head, which all men knew.
The first Impression made by Hum
boldt's face was that of broad and
genial humanity. His massive brow,
heavy with the gathered wisdom of
r,n pl o.,I -, Il
overhung his breast like ripe ear of
corn; but as you looked below it, a
pair of clear blue eyes, almost as
bright and steady as child's, met
yours. In those eyes you read that
trust in man, that immortal youth of
the heart, which made the SHOWS of
eighty-seven winters lie so lightly on
his head. You trusted him utterly at
the first glance, and felt that he would
trust you, If you were worthy of it.
had approached him with natural
feeling of reverence, but in five min
utes found that l loved him and that
l could talk with him as freely as with
o friend of my own age. His nose,
mouth and chin had the heavy Teu-
tonic character, whose genuine type
has always expressed an honest sim
pliCICy anu ulIcCUucSS. l. WdS alulOSJ
surprised by the youthful character of
his face. l knew that he had been
frequently indisposed during the year
and had been told that he was Begin
ming to show the marks of extreme
age; but should not have suspected
him Of being over seventy-five, His
wrinkles were few and small, and his
skin had a smoothness and delicacy
rarely seen in old men. His hair, al
though snow white, was still abund-
ant, his step slow but firm, and his
manner active almost to reStlessness.
He slept but four hours out of the
twenty-four, read and replied to his
daily letters, and suffered no single oc-
currence of the least interest in any
part Of the world to escape his atten-
tion. could not conceive that his
memory, the first mental faculty to
show decay, was at all impaired. He
talked rapidly, with the greatest ap-
parent ease, never hesitating for a
ut0rd. ..,l> l>atl~-.< a.-s, it-t- -Ssxss-
man, and in fact seemed to be uncon-
scious which language he was using,
as he changed four or five times dur
ing the conversation. He did not re-
main in his chair more than ten min
utes at time, frequently getting up
and walking about the room, now and
then opening book or pointing to a
picture to illustrate q remark.-Fron
the Lite Of Alexander von Humboldt.