108 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



During his career as a student at the University an incident occurred 

 which gave a direction to his whole life. His stepfather, Professor De 

 Wette, who had enjoyed the hospitalities of the parents of the student 

 Sand, the assassin of Kotzebue, wrote a letter of condolence to the 

 mother of the unhappy young man. Although the letter, far from jus- 

 tifying the deed, merely pointed out general sources of Christian conso- 

 lation, the Prussian government was not inclined to pass it by unno- 

 ticed : on the 28th of August, 1819, Professor De Wette was asked if 

 he acknowledged the authorship of the letter ; two days after he was 

 summarily dismissed from the University. After an interval of three 

 years he was called to the University of Basle as Professor of Theol- 

 ogy. His step-son meantime having finished his theological and philo- 

 logical studies at the University of Berlin, and after passing his exam- 

 ination as candidate of theology, having been ordained as a clergyman 

 in Heidelberg (July 7, 1822), left Germany and joined his step-father 

 at Basle in the same year, and spent the next two years as a successful 

 Teacher of the Latin Language and Literature in the Pedagogium at 

 Basle. During this time he took the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 

 at Tubingen (September 18, 1823). 



The state of affairs in Germany and Switzerland convinced Dr. 

 Beck that there was no field in either of these countries for one of his 

 sentiments. He left Switzerland accordingly in the year 1824, and 

 came to this country with his valued friend. Dr. FoUen. They landed 

 in New York, December 24th. The testimonials and letters brought 

 with him insured him a favorable reception at once. As an evidence 

 that America was henceforth to be his permanent home. Dr. Beck took 

 the preliminary steps to being naturalized in Philadelphia, a month af- 

 ter he landed : he was naturalized in Northampton, March, 1830. The 

 first five years of his American life were passed in Northampton, in the 

 well-known Round Hill School of Messrs. Cogswell and Bancroft. At 

 this school Gymnastics were taught for the first time in America. In 

 1830, he on the Hudson opened a school of his own for boys. Two 

 years after, in the beginning of 1832, he was called to Harvard Col- 

 lege as University Professor of Latin, and remained in that office till 

 1850. After his resignation he was occupied with his own private 

 studies, and with many trusts of a public chai'acter, till his death. He 

 was twice a member of the Legislature, Vice-President of the Oriental 

 Society, President of a Savings Bank, and Director of another Bank, 

 and a valued member of many boards and commissions in his own 

 town. 



