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DARWIN AND HUMBOLDT. 



to the origin of all things. Before 

 he attempted to discuss the direct 

 action of a Creator in bringing about 

 the present condition of the Universe, 

 he knew that the physical laws which 

 govern the material world must be 

 first understood ; that it would be a 

 mistake to ascribe to the agency of a 

 Supreme Power occurrences and phe- 

 nomena which could be deduced from 

 the continued agency of natural 

 causes. Until some limit to the action 

 of these causes has been found, there 

 is no place, in a scientfic discussion, 

 as such, for the consideration of the 

 intervention of a Creator. 



In the closing paragraph of the first 

 volume of the Cosmos Humboldt 

 distinctly objects to the consideration 

 of the sphere of intelligence in con- 

 nection with the study of Nature. 

 But the time is fast approaching, and 

 indeed some daring thinkers have 

 actually entered upon the question, 

 — Where is the line between the in- 

 evitable action of law and the inter- 

 vention of a higher power? where is 

 the limit? And here we find the 

 most opposite views propounded. 

 There are those who affirm that, inas- 

 much as force and matter are found 

 to be a sufficient ground for so many 

 physical phenomena, we are justified 

 in assuming that the whole universe, 

 including organic life, has no further 

 origin. To these, I venture to say, 

 Humboldt did not belong. He had 

 too logical a mind to assume that an 

 harmoniously combined whole could 

 be the result of accidental occurrences. 

 In the few instances where, in his 

 works, he uses the name of God, it 

 appears plainly that he believes in a 

 Creator as a lawgiver and primaiy 

 originator of all things. There are 

 two passages in his writings especially 

 significant in this respect. In the 

 second volume of the Cosmos, when 

 speaking of the impression man re- 

 ceives from the contemplation of the 

 physical world, he calls nature God's 

 majestic realm, — " Gottes erhabenes 

 Reich?' In his allusion to the fear- 

 ful catastrophe of Carracas, destroyed 

 by an earthquake in 1812, the critical 



inquirer may even infer that Hum- 

 boldt believed in a special Provi- 

 dence. For he says with much feel- 

 ing : " Our friends are no more, the 

 house we lived in is a pile of ruins ; 

 the city I have described no longer 

 exists. The day had been very hot, 

 the air was calm, the sky without a 

 cloud. It was Holy Thursday • the 

 people were mostly assembled in the 

 churches. Nothing seemed to fore- 

 shadow the threatening misfortune. 

 Suddenly, at four o'clock in the after- 

 noon, the bells which were struck 

 mute that day began to toll. It was 

 the hand of God, and not the hand of 

 man, which rang that funeral dirge." 

 In his own words : " Es war Gottes, 

 nicht Menschenhand, die hier zum 

 Grabgelaute zioang." 



One word more before I close. I 

 have appeared before you as the rep- 

 resentative of the Boston Natural 

 History Society. It was their pro- 

 position to celebrate this memorable 

 anniversary. I feel grateful for their 

 invitation, for the honor they have 

 done me. I feel still more grateful 

 for the generous impulse which has 

 prompted them to connect a Hum- 

 boldt scholarship, as a memorial of 

 this occasion, with the Museum of 

 Comparative Zoology at Cambridge. 

 I trust this token of good-will may 

 only be another expression of that 

 emulation for progress which I 

 earnestly hope may forever be the 

 only rivarly between these kindred 

 institutions and their younger sister 

 in Salem. We have all a great task 

 to perform. It should be our effort, 

 as far as it lies in our power, to raise 

 the standard of culture of our people, 

 as Humboldt has elevated that of the 

 world. May the community at large 

 feel with equal keenness the import- 

 ance of each step now taken for the 

 expansion, in every direction, of all 

 the means of the highest culture. 

 The physical suffering of humanity, 

 the wants of the poor, the craving of 

 the hungry and naked, appeal to the 

 sympathy of every one who has a 

 human heart. But there are neces- 

 sities which only the destitute stu- 



