Humboldt's Letters. 345 



you have been made to play in the unfortunate debate 

 of our religious politics. 



The old Minister Dechamps, who sat on your right at 

 the dinner of the Baron of Arhim, and who was so much 

 astonished at hearing you say that you were as much of 

 a Republican as your friend Arago, having associated 

 your name with those of the illustrious believers who 

 profess the Catholic faith, a liberal journal this morning 

 answered him as follows : 



" M. Dechamps, in the last homily delivered by him 

 in the Chamber, cited the name of M. de Humboldt to 

 prove that science could well be made subservient to the 

 creed. It must be admitted, as Mr. Devaux showed, 

 that the example could not have been worse chosen. 

 M. de Humboldt is one of those rationalists, pure and 

 simple, against whom M. Dechamps has already written 

 so many letters. If M. Humboldt had taught in Bel- 

 gium he would most certainly have been pursued in 

 pastoral letters, and discharged by M. Dechamps, if M. 

 Dechamps had been the Minister. Nevertheless, it is 

 thus that history is written, and thus that the most 

 important questions of our intellectual and moral future 

 are appreciated !" 



Here is another unmixed and undisguised political 

 opinion : 



" As often and so sure as you base your church upon 

 human obtuseness, the gates of the mind will not pre- 

 15* 



