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Leader (1850-1860), 24th March 1860, Edition 1 of 2, Page 280

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    • ANTONY GUNTHEll.
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      Untitled Article

    • ANTONY GUNTHEll.

      ANTONY GUNTHEll.

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      MODERN philosophy in Germany , in Europe , is the offspring of Protestantism . It is the fruit of the application to jnind of that principle of individual inquiry which Protestantism had applied to faith . Moat absurd is it , then , to speak of Desoautes as he ta whom wo are indebted for all modem philosophy . That ft new philosophy could spring * from the prodigious discovery oQ Djisoaptbs—that lid thought , and that , therefore , ho Existed—a discovery wherein the lesser ia supposed to prove the greater , caa le admitted by no one who knows how vast ia the realm which philosophy embraces . Desomtes was a gifted geometrician , but

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      £$ O Tfte * Leader and Saturday Analyst . ' - \ .. $ ILa $ ^ -: 24 , l&efc

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      Although much younger than HjcaiBOtDT , he was , to use an expression of the latter , " the first to be removed from earthly things : " and at his death , which happened in October , 1858 , his papers fell into the hands of his niece , Ludmilla Assing , by whom the present volume has been published , in fulfilment , as she says , of a duty to the memory of Hubiboldt . The letters bear no appearance of being like those of Hobace Wa : lpole > written for publication ; but IiUT > mili . a Assike was intimately acquainted with Humboidt , and there is , no reason to suppose she has given them to the world in opposition to his will- We have appended to this notice a series of extracts , comprehending the passages which have excited the loudest comments ; but there are other indications of the character of the writer which ought not to be overlooked . On the 24 th October , 1834 , he tells Varnbca . gen that lie has begun printing his work , " the work of his life , " and adds , "I have the mad purpose of picturing the whole material world—all that I see to-day of its phenomena in celestial spaces and in terrestrial life , from nebulous stars down . to the geography of the lichens upon the granite rocks . . . . . It must mark rtn epoch in the intellectual development of man . " After dilating on the character and contents of the proposed work , he states that he began to write it in French fifteen years ago , and called it " Essai sur la Physique du Monde . " , " In Germany I first intended to call it the ' Book of Nature , ' after Albebtus Magnus ; now my title is Kosmos . He further informs us that his brother ' s decision was in favour of the latter name , and lie begs "Vabnhagen to cast a eriiieal eye over the MS . which he sends . In a postscript , lie remarks , " The ' chief fault of my style is an ; unhappy tendency to poetical forms , a long participial construe ^ tion , and too great a concentration of manifold views and feelings into a single sentence . . . . . A book of Nature must yield the impress of Nature herself . " In April , 1835 , Httmboldt writes to his friend in a very different mood , for his beloved and celebrated brother was dying . He describes , in a few words , his happy frame of mind , filled with " love and consolation . " " Soon he hoped to be with our mother ,, and to have an insight into a higher sphere C Weltordnung ) . " Among the miscellaneous political matter we find VaeShagen describing a conversation with Htimboldt , in which the Matter told him he had heard-the . Emperor . of Russia ( Nicholas ) express great dislike to the proceedings of the English in the East , and declare that he would do his best to overthrow our Indian empirea truly benevolent inteniion , wliicli he tried to fulfil . The letters of Mjetteknich to Humboldt are very curious . In one lie describes three sorts of men : " real savants , whose' number is very limited ; friends of science in general , or of some science in particular— anumerous class ; and the third , and most numerous , are dry souls , narrow minds , mere livers , who are often good people , but for whom arts and sciences are superfluous . " He classed himself with the second sort , and went on to talk , in a mechanical kind of wayv of the success of his efforts in forming philosophers and useful workers in'the Austrian dominions . In another epistle he tells Humboidt that in early life lie desired to have devoted his time to- science , but that circumstances threw him into practical life . There are thousands who will heartily wish he had carried out Ins original intention , as the world woivld not have suffered much from an inoiifcrent philosopher ; and would have been well quit of an unprincipled politician . When Metteknioh read jCosmos he wrote to the author to express his admiration , and especially commended Huaiboldt for having brought the word "discipline * into honour by speaking of the discipline of learning ; and the evil-minded diplomatist added , " God grant that this idea niay conquer its everlasting . rights over civil society . " What Austrian " discipline " was , the infamous crimes perpetrated in Italy and Hungary may tell . v Gtjizot writes to Humboldt from London ( August 1840 ) , in a formal , affected sort of tone . He regrets the departure of JJuLow , for . " conversation— "true conversation , cultivated aud free , is very rare here , " Arago writes in a much more natural and mnnly way . He assures Humboldt that , " outside his own family , he is of all the world the man he loves most tenderly , " aud that- " he ia of all his friends the only one he relies upon in difficult circumstances . " The letter in which t < hese passages occur , whs given by Humboldt to Vabnjjcagen , with a note appended to it , enjoining him to keep it in strict privacy until Abago ' s death . In another letter , written in 3 . 884 * , Akago continues : ' All that I see daily in this lower world > of buwent'ss , servility , and ignoble passions ,- make mo look with sangfroid at those events about which mankind conoern themselves most . " We find an illustration of Humboldt ' s kindliness of heart in a letter to Vaunhaobn , dated 1 st April , 1844 , in which he comments upon various letters sent for his friend ' s collection , including one from Sir Robert Peel , notifying the fact of ' u small pension having been awarded to Robert Brown . Humboldt says , They wrote to me from Oxford , that the first botanist in Europe , Hobjrrt Pbown , suddenly found himself in great » eed of money , and Sir Robert Peel , at my solicitation , has granted him one of lour small pensions which Parliament h « s assigned to learned men . This has delighted mo . " It must not bo supposed that JJumbqldt ' s animosity to a certain faction was without sufficient muse . Its ' members hated him for Iiis intellect and liberal opiniuus , and would gladly have got rid of him if th ' oy could have had their way . This is shown by a note of VABNHAaiEN ' s , 20 th Deqombur , 1845 , to this effect : " Mumboldt called upon mo , and remained an hour . Kunmrkablo news . Ho assured hie that were jt not i \ w his connection with tho Court , ho could not live here nny longer , but would bo diivou out , so much did

      the Ultras and Pietists hate him . It was incredible how strenuously they tried , day . by day , to set the King against him , and he would not be tolerated in other German States if he were deprived of the protection and glitter of his appointment . " ' . ' ¦¦ ... '¦' In 1845 the Queen and Pbince Axbebtvisited the Rhine , and from some cause , never very clearly explained , but supposed to be connected with questions of etiquette , the Royal pair were iidt in their happiest mood , This may liave had something to do with thfr unfortunate impression His Royal Highness made upon the Great Philosopher , but we cannot agree with him about the " wooden , letter '' which lie says the Prince wrote to him . We ^ shall give a . literal translation * and pur readers will see it is by no means a bad epistle for a gentleman of his exalted rank . Koyalty in . Germany has not presented itself for these many years ia very enviable colours , and HuMBOLbT seems to liave been thoroughly weary of the absurd pretensions of royal people . Hence he sends VAENHAGENa translation from AijtoitioPekez * and evidently enjoyed the republican prophecy at its conclusion . Antonio Perez said , " It is because I desire the preservation of kings that I advise them toremain within their permitted boundaries . A prudent counsellor said to P hilip II . when he endeavoui-ed to make his power absolute , " Seuor , remember the supremacy of Gob over earth as well as Heaven , in order that God maty not become weary of monarchies , which are a mild form of Government if used with , moderation . God in Heaven is too jealous to suflvr companionshi p * and He is outraged by every abuse of human authority . If Gojo grows tired of monarchies He will give the ( poll tieal ) world another form . ' . " A man capable of such expectations must have appeared a very terrible person in a court which did not clierish . one liberal or enlightened idea . His sentiments certainly did not agree with those of his weak-spirited master , who kept maundering over Legitimist restorations , and had no conception , of the force of events or the wants of his time . Even in 1847 we find the following description , in Tarnhagen ' s diary : " 31 st March—Humboldt said to me yesterday , The king believes firnily in Don Miguel , Don CabIos , and the fill of the July dynasty ; and that he will yet travel to Paris to greet the legitimist sovereign . " Hxxmboldt himself was reckoned as a Jacobin , who cairied a tricolour flag in his pocket . " Illustrations are plentiful of the dislike of tlie king and his ministers to Constitutional Government , and Huhboldt appears to have acted the part of a patriotic statesman , and exerted himself continually in favour of liberal ideas , although by so doing he made many enemies and endangered his position witli the Court . In 1850 , as will be seen , below , he speaks of the " gloomy perio * d of reaction , " indicating aframe of mind widely different from that of the courtiers who were rejoicing at the successful crimes of kings . Scarcely any information , is given about 1848 , and it is believed that Ludmilla Assikg mustbe in possession both of letters of Humboldt and entries by her uncle , which have been suppressed for prudential reasous , but which may see the light when it is safe to tell in a German city the real history of that revolutionary year . The deep esteem in which Humboldt was lield is shown in some , remarks of Varnhagen in 1857 , when the great philosopher was ill . ' " Should we lose Humboldt it would be an in-eparable injurj ' .. He is the counterpoise to so much that is bad and mean , arid which , after his death , will grow lively , and spread far and wide . Honour and learning are united in him , and will both sink when lie is nomore . No name in Germany or in Europe equals his ; ho reputation in Berlin was greater or better recognised than Iiis . And how painful would his loss be to me ! I have known his friends , jfor more than fifty years of my life , and he has also known those trusted and dear to me . " We close our remarks on Humboldt's personal chai * acter with an , anecdote Which Varnhagen tells of his . devotion to science , and winch seems almost incredible in a physiological point of view .. " H uatBOi'Di told mo that when ho was busy with magnetic observations , he once , for seven consecutive days and nights , went every hall-hour to the magnetic station , having 1 during that time no regular sleep . " With reference to the extracts which wo have subjoined , opinion a will no : fc differ much , as in the main the correctness of their strictures will bo admitted , and we cau understand that the publication , of such a masa . of political opinion , emanating from a man of high , character and splendid talents , and in a position to see clearly what influences were at work , will strengthen tho hands o ( tho liberal , party in Germany , and encourage them to persevere . It , is unfortunate that Pbincij Albekt should havo uieunrcd so . much animosity ; but persons conspicuous from artificial rank da not always remember how much loftier is the dignity of nature's nobility . Many quoens may find husbands before another Hum > boldt sheds the light of genius upon the world . We bIwII , next week , give our translations of a portion of tho-Diary .

      Antony Gunthell.

      ANTONY GUNTHEll .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), March 24, 1860, page 280, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2339/page/12/