The Hawaiian gazette., 1876-01-19
The prusSian Order OF Merit.

The Civil Glass Of the Prussian Order Of Merit tc
which the telegraph reports to-day that Mr.. Longfel
low and Mr.. BanO5oft have been elected. was insti
tuted May 81, 1912, by King Frederick William
". to be conferred any person. :" who" lin the
original terms Of foundation) " throughout Europe
had won for themselves either in the arts
or sciences" When the limitation Of its members tC
Europe was modified we do not know. The military
class Of the order was Instituted by Frederick the
Great after his accession the throne in 1870
upon the foundation of ancient order Of Branden-
berg, entitled the Order of Generosity, and
organized by Frederick William H.. in 1910 in the
Of the general reorganization of Prussia after
its downfall at Jena and Auerstadt.
Alexander Ton Humboldt was the first Chancellor
Of the Civil Order. and the Office subjected him to
many vexations. His acceptance Of it was one
Of the Inconsistencies that marked and mared
his iilustrious The original design to
establish the number of the members at forty ysix-
the number Of years 10 reign of Frederick the Great
but this recOnsidered. and the number limit
ed to thirty. The duty Of making out the first list of
them was nominally left to the Ministers Eichhorn,
Thile and saEigny, bat really was perfOrmed ed by
Frederick William w.. himself who, Humboldt tells
u.s. drew it up in Sanserit characters, habit with
this enthusiastic Prince, that should read the
memoranda lying on his writing table" Meternich,
Liszt, Hersebel, Mseauley, Robert Brown, Faraday,
Arago. Ingris, BOckh. Ruckert. Teck, Jacob Grimm.
Gauss, Scheling, MellOni, Thomas Moore aud Man
zoui were among the early members
MAnzoni declined first accept the honor, on
the ground that his principles prevented him from
wearing order; but be was overpe rsuaded by
personal appeal from Humboldt into acquescing in
the nomination. Ludwig INLAND, the sturdy repub-
lcan poet of South Germany, however. persisted in
refusing election the vacancy created the ord
er by the death of Tieck in 1853 and the corres-
pondence between him and Humboldt may well be
perused by Mr.. Bancroft aud Mr.. LongfcllOw before
they return their replies TO the notice of their
election. They can find it published at large in all
the Independent German Journals in November 1865.
Under date Of December 2, 1853, INLAND " unhesi-
tAtingly" refused to accept such honor, "nsepa-
rAbly connected it is with position of rank" be-
cause be should be thereby occupying position en-
trey inconsistent with his principles, both in tera
ture and politics. This inconsistency" be adds.
referring to the autOeratie suppression Of Liberalism
by Prussia in 1919. would be all the more striking
from the circumstances that after the wreck of nation
al hopes in which 1 also inuuged it would i'll be-
come me to the insignia of honor, while those
with whom associated in the endeavor to re-
aliEe these hopes have-merely because in the late
troubles their zeal carried them few steps further
incurred the loss of home, freedom, citizenship
nay even life itself."
1t was in vain that Humboldt argued with him and
held out to him, among the why he should
reconsider the refusal, the prospect of shortly n
cluding members from the free land of America"
Accede to my request he wrote " have not some
right to ask you to relieve from the labyrinth Of
embarrassment in which 1 have been undeservedy
plunged?' But INLAND not TO be cajOled by
the personal considerations which prevailed with
ManEOni. lie replied, regretting the perplexity in
which Humboldt found himself but grmly and final
y refusing TO relieve him from it any cansidera-
tioa whatever; and he died in 1862 without a shadow
Of regret crossing his noble mind in consequence
Of the decision.-N. Y. Post