Humboldt in Hebrew Humboldt Alexander von Oliver Lubrich Thomas Nehrlich Gesamtherausgeber Vollständige digitalisierte Ausgabe. Schweizerischer Nationalfonds Yvonne Wübben Sarah Bärtschi Herausgeber Band 1, Texte 1789–1799 Rex Clark Sarah Bärtschi Herausgeber Band 2, Texte 1800–1809 Jobst Welge Michael Strobl Herausgeber Band 3, Texte 1810–1819 Norbert D. Wernicke Michael Strobl Herausgeber Band 4, Texte 1820–1829 Bernhard Metz Thomas Nehrlich Herausgeber Band 5, Texte 1830–1839 Jutta Müller-Tamm Michael Strobl Herausgeber Band 6, Texte 1840–1849 Joachim Eibach Thomas Nehrlich Herausgeber Band 7, Texte 1850–1859 Norbert D. Wernicke Redakteur Apparatband Johannes Görbert Redakteur Forschungsband Corinna Fiedler Redakteurin Übersetzungsband Michael Hagner Eberhard Knobloch Alexander Košenina Hinrich C. Seeba Beirat Thomas Nehrlich Luca Querciagrossa Norbert D. Wernicke Frank Wiegand XML-Kodierung Frank Wiegand Programmierung Universität Bern Alexander von Humboldt in Bern Alexander von Humboldt: Sämtliche Schriften (Aufsätze, Artikel, Essays). Berner Ausgabe digital
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 VII.172 1858-xxx_Brief_an_Slonimski-09-neu secondary Humboldt in Hebrew Humboldt Alexander von 1858 New York City, New York in: <i>The Eclectic Magazine of Foreign Literature, Science, and Art</i> (November 1858), S. 433. unknown

Antiqua

Antiqua; Spaltensatz; Auszeichnung: Kursivierung, Kapitälchen.

 Englisch
Humboldt in Hebrew.

—A curious Hebrew pub-lication has just issued from the Berlin press, a bio-graphy of Alexander von Humboldt, written in theancient tongue of Moses, and destined to extendthe knowledge of the life and scientific labors of thiscelebrated man in the wide circle of the Russo-Polishand Asiatic Jews. The full title is, “Alexander vonHumboldt: a Biographical Sketch. Dedicated tothe Nestor of Wisdom on his 88th birthday. ByS. Slominski.” The author is a Russian Israelite,who some years ago invented a very clever calculat-ing machine, and drew upon himself, at that time,by his mathematical knowledge, the attention of thecelebrated astronomers Herren Bessel and Jacoby,of Konigsberg. These gave him letters of recom-mendation to Alexander von Humboldt, in Berlin,who, with his accustomed benevolence, effectuallyassisted the poor Jewish scholar. The first half,consisting of 100 pages of strong, correct, and flow-ing Hebrew, is devoted to the life and general re-view of Humboldt’s works; whilst the second formsa sketch of the Kosmos, and in which the authorspeaks of the double stars, and of earthly magnet-ism, of volcanoes, and of the South-American Flora,in such a way as to lead one to imagine that itwould be impossible to find expressions worthy ofclothing the “ideas of this great Western sage.”The author, who had transmitted the manuscript ofhis work to Humboldt as a tribute of homage on his88th birthday, received from him the following cha-racteristic reply:

“Honored Herr Slominski: I owe you a thou-sand apologies for so long delaying my thanks forthe honor you have been pleased to confer uponme. The unquiet condition in which I live, in thisage of social and political excitement, can scarcelyplead my excuse. A recommendation from two re-nowned, and to me personally so dear friends asBessel and Jacoby, leaves a lasting impression. Astranger, alas! to Hebrew literature, but from myearliest youth intimately connected with the noblestof your co-religionists, and a warm and perseveringadvocate for their numerous and unjustly withheldrights, I am not indifferent to the honor you haveconferred upon me. The testimony of a learnedOriental linguist, the celebrated and highly learnedDr. Michael Sacks, (one of the Rabbis of the BerlinJewish congregation,) leads me to prize still morehighly this distinction. It is almost a comfort to himwho is the object of the praises not to be acquaintedwith the original language. After next Tuesday Ishall again reside during a few weeks in Berlin, andat that time, if you, Herr Slominski, have not yetreturned to Warsaw, I shall be pleased to see youdaily in Berlin between one and two o’clock, andpersonally renew the expressions of my high esteemfor your noble, prompt, and learned efforts.

“Yours, with high esteem,“Alexander von Humboldt.”