Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-06-09
UNION AND AMERICAN.
PRUsSIA's ORDER OF MERIT,
New York Evening Post.


The Civil Glass of the Prussiau
Order Of Merit, to which the telegraph
reports that Mr.. LOngfellow and Mr..
Bancroft have been elected, was insti-
tuted on May 81, lS42, by King Fred
erlck William ~, to be conferred on
any person "who" in the original
terms Of foundation) throughout Eu-
rope had won for themselves a name
either In the arts or sciences" When
the limitation Of It's members to Eu-
rope was modified we do not know.
The Military Glass Of the Order was
instituted by Frederick the Great soon
after his accession to the throne In
1740, upon the foundation of an an
Gent Order of Brandenburg, entitled
the Order Of Generosity, and was re-
organized by Frederick William III in
1910 in the course Of the general reor-
ganizatiOn of Prussia after its down.
fall at Jena and Auerstadt.
Alexander Won Humboldt was the
first Chancellor Of the Civil Order, and
the Office subjected him to many vexa-
tons. His acceptance lof it was one
of the inconsistencies that marked and
marred his illustrious career. The
original design was to establish the
number Of members at forty-six-the
number of years in the. reign of Fred
erick the Great; but this was recon-
sidered, and the number was limited
TO thirty. The duty Of making out the
first list of them was nominally left to
the Ministers EichbOrn, Thile and
Savigny, but really was performed by
Frederick William " himself, who,
Humboldt tells us, drew it up in San
scrit characters, 'a habit with this en-
thusiastic Prince, that no one should
read the memoranda lying on his writ.
ing table" Metternich, List, Hers
chel, Macaulay, Robert Brown, Fara-
day, Arago, Ingres, Bockh, Ruckert,
Teck, Jacob Grimm, Gauss, Schelling,
Melloni, Thomas Moore and Manzom
were among the early members.
ManzOni declined at first TO accept
the honor, on the ground that his prin-
ciples prevented him from wearing an
order; but he was oTeTpersuaded by
perronal appeal from Humboldt into
acquiescing IN the nomination. Ludwig
INLAND, the sturdy republican poet of
South Germany, however, persisted in
refusing an election to the vacancy Gre |
ated IN the order 10y the death of Tieck,
IN 1858; and the correspondence be-
tween him and Humboldt may well be
perused by Mr.. Bancroft and Mr.. Long
fellow before they return their own re-
plies to the notice Of their election.
They can find it published at large IN
all the Independent German journals |
IN November, 1866.
Under date of Dec. 2, 1853, INLAND |
'unhesitatingly" refused to accept |
such an honor, ''inseparably connected |
as it is with position Of rank" be- !
cause he should be thereby occupying
a position entirely inconsistent with his
principles, both in literature and poll
tics. ''This inconsistency, he adds, |
referring to the autOcratic suppression |
Of Liberalism by Prussia IN lS49, /
would be all the more striking from /
the circumstance that after the wreck |
of national hopes IN which l also IN |
dulged, it would Ill become me to wear |
the insignia Of honor, while those with |
whom I was associated in the endeavOr /
to realize thtse hopes have-merely |
because IN the late troubles their zeal |
carried them a few steps further-in-
CURED the loss Of home, freedom, cltl- !
zenship-nay, even life itself .
1t was In vain that Humboldt argued |
with him, and held ont to him, among |
the reasons why he should reconsider |
the refusal, ''the prospect Of shortly in
Guiding members from the free land Of |
America" "Accede to my request,
he wrote; "haye 1 not some right to ask |
you to relieve me from the labyrinth Of |
embarrassment in which I have been |
so undeservedlyplunged?" But INLAND |
was not to be cajoled by even the per-
sonal considerations which prevailed |
with Manzoni. He replied, regretting |
the perplexity in which Humboldt |
found himself, but firmly and finally |
refused to relieve him from Il on any |
consideration whatever; and he died IN |
1862 without a shadow of regret ever |
crossing his noble mind IN consequence |
Of the decision.