CHAPTER XX 



HELMHOLTZ IN BERLIN CLOSING YEARS AND 

 PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS 



T T ELMHOLTZ devoted much time and atten- 

 J- A tion to the affairs of the Technical Institute 

 during the last few years of his life. He was much 

 esteemed and revered by the staff, whose reward was, 

 as one of them said, a kind glance, or a pressure of 

 the hand, or a word of appreciation from the master. 

 His great mental gifts, his splendid record of work 

 accomplished, and a certain nobility of nature impos- 

 sible to describe, combined with a quiet, unobtrusive 

 manner, brought tokens of regard for Helmholtz as 

 the years passed onwards. The Emperor William I. 

 often received Helmholtz in the domestic circle to 

 discuss with him some of the more recent advances in 

 science, and he was also in close intimacy with the 

 Crown Prince Frederick (afterwards Emperor) and 

 his Princess, both of whom took the deepest interest in 

 everything relating to Art and Science. The Emperor 

 William I. ennobled him, and in doing so conferred 

 distinction not only on Helmholtz, but on the ranks of 

 the peerage. Honours of many kinds flowed in upon 

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