10 SKETCH OF THE LIEE AND ACHIEVEMENTS 



truly religious triumph, " Oh, Almighty God, I 

 think thy thoughts after Thee." To Humboldt 

 the active forces of nature were equally the 

 thoughts of God. Such noble daring as urged 

 him to comprehend them, was, indeed, one of 

 the sublimest devotion. There are, I know, 

 shallow-headed critics, who endeavour to throw 

 doubt on Humboldt 5 s Christianity, because 

 his feelings were too deep, too profound to 

 be ordinarily exhibited ; and there are those 

 who, because there did not happen to be in 

 botany or astronomy, or physical geography, 

 anything which substantiated special doctrines, 

 denounced all science as atheistic. Now, I 

 would ask, who does best understand the sun, 

 the owl or the eagle ? For iny own part I 

 always approach with awe the profound reli- 

 gious sentiments which underlay the life and 

 the character of such a man as Humboldt. 

 The ideal of his life, like that of every true 

 man, was too great to be offered for miscel- 

 laneous public exhibition, and a pearl too costly 

 for those ready to trample it under foot. 



The mind of Humboldt was in one respect 

 almost a phenomenon, in its power of gene- 

 ralization, and at the same time entering into 

 minute details. It was not inaptly described 

 by Lady Morgan "as reminding her of the 



