Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-05-08

Nothing could prove more clearly
| that he is, no mere bookworm than a
glance atttlle tall. handsome figure and
| bright, clear blue eyes of the man who
all through life has cultivated his
physical powers. AS "a young F.privat-
decent" or university lecturer, he Won
a prize at q meeting of German ath-
letes for a six-Inetre long jump and
In. his 72nd year he could be seen with
q knapsack on his back making a tour
on foot through the Harz mountains,
beloved OF Heine.
Haeckel5 possesses an invincible good
nature, which the attacks of a whole
life time spent in intellectual strife
have not been able to sour, an engage
ing simplicity and lack of self-con-i
seriousness and a keen sense of humor,
The goodness Which Is such a striking
feature Of his nature as well as of his
ideal is shown not only in his graft.
tude and attachment to relatives and
friends. But in his sympathy for the
Hess fortunate of his fellows. This was
evident even in boyhood, when he fire.
Guentiy gave his pocket money to the
poor and took food to an ailing fellow
pupil at the national school to which
he WIS sent by his well-to-do parents.
In defeating his Travels in India"
to his mother, he says: 1t was you
who from my earliest childhood cher
ishcd and developed in me a sense OF
+ the infinite beauties of nature. At an
early hour you impressed upon the
growing boy q value of time and the
happiness OF work, You have fol@
lowered my many changing movements
with all the tireless thought and care
that can only be expressed in the
words, Mothers love.
Els warmth of affection is evident in
the gratitude which he constantly has
manifested for the princely house of
iSaxe-Weimar, which afforded him a
secure refuge at the jena University
during n period of storm and stress
when the clerical and other defend-
crsiGof the old school strained every
nerve to silence the most eloquent Ger
man advocate of the theory of evolu-S
ton. One day an ardent and irritated
theologian complained to the Grand
Duke Karl Alexander of Haeckels
lectures and begged that they should
be prohibited. .sDo YOU believe that
Haeckel is convinced of the truth of
what he SAYS" quietly asked the
grand duke. Certainly I do" was
the reply. .and what he says is all
the worse for that very reason" But
them retorted the grand duke, Tin
that case he is doing nothing more
that what YOU are doing yourself."i'
FRANK SIMPLICITY.
Hacckels frank simplicity and open
ness oil character are We'll illustrated Dy
the remarks he made al his last lee
ture at the Geological institute OF the
Jena University on Feb. 10, when he
said
Il must frankly confess that I have
never been a good teacher. Often
when had taken special pains to pre-
pare myself on a subject in which |
was particularly interested. l fell into
a melancholy state of depression be-
cause / could not find the right words.
! have seldom been able to teach as |
would have liked to do. I am firmly
convinced that my successor, Prof.
Plate, one of my most capable pupils.
will not only fill my place but sur
pass me-
This public statement III the presence
Of the students who had just honored
him with manifestation of boundless
and attachment helps to
dispose of the unfounded charge that
Professor Haeckel is disposed to as
sumo the attitude of an infallible pom
tiff of science, who lays down the law
for his fellows The same nodesty
,(Continued ON page eighteen.)