FR 

 tane 



;OM ACCESSION OF FREDERICK WILLIAM IV. TO 1848. 283 

 ous act of Frederick William IV. Humboldt was accus- 

 tomed to disclaim in the most vehement manner having 

 had anything to do with the institution of this Order, and 

 criticised without reserve the weak points in its regulations ; 

 but there was so much in the fact of such an Order that 

 embodied his views upon the need of representing by some 

 outward token the might of intellect, that we feel constrained 

 to enter more fully into the subject. It is well known 

 that, theoretically, Humboldt viewed with contempt all modern 

 decorations of this sort. He never made use of his own, 

 except where it was absolutely necessary ; l in accepting the 

 dedication of books or maps, to which he invariably manifested 

 the greatest reluctance, 2 he distinctly forbade the employment 

 of his ' decoration hieroglyphics ; ' 3 while the sarcasms are 

 familiar to all in which he perpetually indulged upon those who 

 sought to ' make themselves conspicuous by their glass buttons, 

 peacocks' feathers, and ribands,' 4 as for instance upon the rich 

 decorations worn by Berzelius, described by him as ' une voie 

 lactee de crachats aux deux hemispheres.' 5 Nevertheless, con- 

 stituted as the world now is, he looked upon orders and decora- 

 tions as a necessary evil. In writing to Jacobi, he remarks : 

 ' There is something very irrational in the connection between 

 our foolish decorations and intellectual distinction, something 

 very incomprehensible, that is to say, unreasonable. From 

 this condition of things it follows that in certain cases an 

 irrational cause may be found to produce a reasonable effect, 

 such as influencing public opinion, and inspiring an enthusiasm 

 for the study of science.' Upon another occasion he remarks 

 to Berghaus, for whom he was anxious to procure a Eussian 

 order, in recognition of his ' Physical Atlas ': ' You must in 

 this point give way to the customs of the world, which I admit 

 are rather unreasonable, in the belief that merit is to be judged 

 by outward tokens, such as ribands, stars, &c. It is just on 

 account of this weakness that I wish you to fall in with 



1 See ' Briefwechsel mit Berghaus/ vol. iii. p. 317. 



2 De la Roquette, vol. i. p. 171. 



3 { Briefwechsel mit Berghaus/ vol. ii. p. 285. 



4 < Briefe an Varnhagen/ No. 68. 



5 De la Roquette, vol. ii. p. 304. 



