,,humboldt  ,by ,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll  
,,humboldt  ,,the ,,universe ,,is       
,,governed ,,by ,,law4  ,,great men seem
 to be a part of the infinite--brothers 
of the mountains and the seas4          
,humboldt was one of these4 ,he was one 
of those serene men1 in some respects   
like our own ,franklin1 whose names have
 all the lustre of a star4 ,he was one  
of the few1 great enough to rise above  
the superstition and prejudice of his   
time1 and to know that experience1      
observation1 and reason are the only    
basis of knowledge4  ,he became one of  
the greatest of men in spite of having  
been born rich and noble--in spite of   
position4 ,i say in spite of these      
things1 because wealth and position are 
generally the enemies of genius1 and the
 destroyers of talent4  ,it is often    
said of this or that man1 that he is a  
self-made man--that he was born of the  
poorest and humblest parents1 and that  
with every obstacle to overcome he      
became great4 ,this is a mistake4       

,poverty is generally an advantage4     
,most of the intellectual giants of the 
world have been nursed at the sad and   
loving breast of poverty4 ,most of those
 who have climbed highest on the shining
 ladder of fame commenced at the lowest 
round4 ,they were reared in the         
straw-thatched cottages of ,europe2 in  
the log-houses of ,america2 in the      
factories of the great cities2 in the   
midst of toil2 in the smoke and din of  
labor1 and on the verge of want4 ,they  
were rocked by the feet of mothers whose
 hands1 at the same time1 were busy with
 the needle or the wheel4  ,it is hard  
for the rich to resist the thousand     
allurements of pleasure1 and so ,i say1 
that ,humboldt1 in spite of having been 
born to wealth and high social position1
 became truly and grandly great4  ,in   
the antiquated and romantic castle of   
,tegel1 by the side of the pine forest1 
on the shore of the charming lake1 near 
the beautiful city of ,berlin1 the great
 ,humboldt1 one hundred years ago       

to-day1 was born1 and there he was      
educated after the method suggested by  
,rousseau1--,campe1 the philologist and 
critic1 and the intellectual ,kunth     
being his tutors4 ,there he received the
 impressions that determined his career2
 there the great idea that the universe 
is governed by law1 took possession of  
his mind1 and there he dedicated his    
life to the demonstration of this       
sublime truth4  ,he came to the         
conclusion that the source of man's     
unhappiness is his ignorance of nature4 
,after having received the most thorough
 education1 at that time possible1 and  
having determined to what end he would  
devote the labors of his life1 he turned
 his attention to the sciences of       
geology1 mining1 mineralogy1 botany1 the
 distribution of plants1 the            
distribution of animals1 and the effect 
of climate upon man4 ,all grand physical
 phenomena were investigated and        
explained4 ,from his youth he had felt a
 great desire for travel4 ,he felt1 as  

he says1 a violent passion for the sea1 
and longed to look upon nature in her   
wildest and most rugged forms4 ,he      
longed to give a physical description of
 the universe--a grand picture of       
nature2 to account for all phenomena2 to
 discover the laws governing the world2 
to do away with that splendid delusion  
called special providence1 and to       
establish the fact that the universe is 
governed by law4  ,to establish this    
truth was1 and is1 of infinite          
importance to mankind4 ,that fact is the
 death-knell of superstition2 it gives  
liberty to every soul1 annihilates fear1
 and ushers in the ,age of ,reason4     
,the object of this illustrious man was 
to comprehend the phenomena of physical 
objects in their general connection1 and
 to represent nature as one great whole1
 moved and animated by internal forces4 
,for this purpose he turned his         
attention to descriptive botany1        
traversing distant lands and mountain   
ranges to ascertain with certainty the  

geographical distribution of plants4 ,he
 investigated the laws regulating the   
differences of temperature and climate1 
and the changes of the atmosphere4 ,he  
studied the formation of the earth's    
crust1 explored the deepest mines1      
ascended the highest mountains1 and     
wandered through the craters of extinct 
volcanoes4  ,he became thoroughly       
acquainted with chemistry1 with         
astronomy1 with terrestrial magnetism2  
and as the investigation of one subject 
leads to all others1 for the reason that
 there is a mutual dependence and a     
necessary connection between all facts1 
so ,humboldt became acquainted with all 
the known sciences4  ,his fame does not 
depend so much upon his discoveries     
7although he discovered enough to make  
hundreds of reputations7 as upon his    
vast and splendid generalizations4  ,he 
was to science what ,shakespeare was to 
the drama4  ,he found1 so to speak1 the 
world full of unconnected facts--all    
portions of a vast system--parts of a   

great machine2 he discovered the        
connection that each bears to all2 put  
them together1 and demonstrated beyond  
all contradiction that the earth is     
governed by law4  ,he knew that to      
discover the connection of phenomena is 
the primary aim of all natural          
investigation4 ,he was infinitely       
practical4  ,origin and destiny were    
questions with which he had nothing to  
do4  ,his surroundings made him what he 
was4  ,in accordance with a law not     
fully comprehended1 he was a production 
of his time4  ,great men do not live    
alone2 they are surrounded by the great2
 they are the instruments used to       
accomplish the tendencies of their      
generation2 they fulfill the prophecies 
of their age4  ,nearly all of the       
scientific men of the eighteenth century
 had the same idea entertained by       
,humboldt1 but most of them in a dim and
 confused way4 ,there was1 however1 a   
general belief among the intelligent    
that the world is governed by law1 and  

that there really exists a connection   
between all facts1 or that all facts are
 simply the different aspects of a      
general fact1 and that the task of      
science is to discover this connection2 
to comprehend this general fact or to   
announce the laws of things4  ,germany  
was full of thought1 and her            
universities swarmed with philosophers  
and grand thinkers in every department  
of knowledge4  ,humboldt was the friend 
and companion of the greatest poets1    
historians1 philologists1 artists1      
statesmen1 critics1 and logicians of his
 time4  ,he was the companion of        
,schiller1 who believed that man would  
be regenerated through the influence of 
the ,beautiful2 of ,goethe1 the grand   
patriarch of ,german literature2 of     
,wei-land1 who has been called the      
,voltaire of ,germany2 of ,herder1 who  
wrote the outlines of a philosophical   
history of man2 of ,kotzebue1 who lived 
in the world of romance2 of             
,schleiermacher1 the pantheist2 of      

,schlegel1 who gave to his countrymen   
the enchanted realm of ,shakespeare2 of 
the sublime ,kant1 author of the first  
work published in ,germany on ,pure     
,reason2 of ,fichte1 the infinite       
idealist2 of ,schopenhauer1 the         
,european ,buddhist who followed the    
great ,gautama to the painless and      
dreamless ,nirwana1 and of hundreds of  
others1 whose names are familiar to and 
honored by the scientific world4  ,the  
,german mind had been grandly roused    
from the long lethargy of the dark ages 
of ignorance1 fear1 and faith4 ,guided  
by the holy light of reason1 every      
department of knowledge was             
investigated1 enriched and illustrated4 
,humboldt breathed the atmosphere of    
investigation2 old ideas were abandoned2
 old creeds1 hallowed by centuries1 were
 thrown aside2 thought became           
courageous2 the athlete1 ,reason1       
challenged to mortal combat the monsters
 of superstition4  ,no wonder that under
 these influences ,humboldt formed the  

great purpose of presenting to the world
 a picture of ,nature1 in order that men
 might1 for the first time1 behold the  
face of their ,mother4  ,europe becoming
 too small for his genius1 he visited   
the tropics in the new world1 where in  
the most circumscribed limits he could  
find the greatest number of plants1 of  
animals1 and the greatest diversity of  
climate1 that he might ascertain the    
laws governing the production and       
distribution of plants1 animals and men1
 and the effects of climate upon them   
all4 ,he sailed along the gigantic      
,amazon--the mysterious ,orinoco        
--traversed the ,pampas--climbed the    
,andes until he stood upon the crags of 
,chimborazo1 more than eighteen thousand
 feet above the level of the sea1 and   
climbed on until blood flowed from his  
eyes and lips4 ,for nearly five years he
 pursued his investigations in the new  
world1 accompanied by the intrepid      
,bonpland4 ,nothing escaped his         
attention4 ,he was the best intellectual

 organ of these new revelations of      
science4 ,he was calm1 reflective and   
eloquent2 filled with a sense of the    
beautiful1 and the love of truth4 ,his  
collections were immense1 and valuable  
be-yond calculation to every science4   
,he endured innumerable hardships1      
braved countless dangers in unknown and 
savage lands1 and exhausted his fortune 
for the advancement of true learning4   
,upon his return to ,europe he was      
hailed as the second ,columbus2 as the  
scientific discoverer of ,america2 as   
the revealer of a new world2 as the     
great demonstrator of the sublime truth1
 that the universe is governed by law4  
,i have seen a picture of the old man1  
sitting upon a mountain side--above him 
the eternal snow--below1 the smiling    
valley of the tropics1 filled with vine 
and palm2 his chin upon his breast1 his 
eyes deep1 thoughtful and calm--his     
forehead majestic--grander than the     
mountain upon which he sat--crowned with
 the snow of his whitened hair1 he      

looked the intellectual autocrat of this
 world4  ,not satisfied with his        
discoveries in ,america1 he crossed the 
steppes of ,asia1 the wastes of         
,siberia1 the great ,ural range1 adding 
to the knowledge of mankind at every    
step4 ,his energy acknowledged no       
obstacle1 his life knew no leisure2     
every day was filled with labor and with
 thought4  ,he was one of the apostles  
of science1 and he served his divine    
master with a self-sacrificing zeal that
 knew no abatement2 with an ardor that  
constantly increased1 and with a        
devotion unwavering and constant as the 
polar star4  ,in order that the people  
at large might have the benefit of his  
numerous discoveries1 and his vast      
knowledge1 he delivered at ,berlin a    
course of lectures1 consisting of       
sixty-one free addresses1 upon the      
following subjects3  ,five1 upon the    
nature and limits of physical geography4
  ,three1 were devoted to a history of  
science4  ,two1 to inducements to a     

study of natural science4  ,sixteen1 on 
the heavens4  ,five1 on the form1       
density1 latent heat1 and magnetic power
 of the earth1 and to the polar light4  
,four1 were on the nature of the crust  
of the earth1 on hot springs            
earthquakes1 and volcanoes4  ,two1 on   
mountains and the type of their         
formation4  ,two1 on the form of the    
earth's surface1 on the connection of   
continents1 and the elevation of soil   
over ravines4  ,three1 on the sea as a  
globular fluid surrounding the earth4   
,ten1 on the atmosphere as an elastic   
fluid surrounding the earth1 and on the 
distribution of heat ,one1 on the       
geographic distribution of organized    
matter in general4  ,three1 on the      
geography of plants4  ,three1 on the    
geography of animals1 and ,two1 on the  
races of men4  ,these lectures are what 
is known as the ,cosmos1 and present a  
scientific picture of the world--of     
infinite diversity in unity--of         
ceaseless motion in the eternal grasp of

 law4  ,these lectures contain the      
result of his investigation1            
observation1 and experience2 they       
furnish the connection between          
phenomena2 they disclose some of the    
changes through which the earth has     
passed in the countless ages2 the       
history of vegetation1 animals and men1 
the effects of climate upon individuals 
and nations1 the relation we sustain to 
other worlds1 and demonstrate that all  
phenomena1 whether insignificant or     
grand1 exist in accordance with         
inexorable law4  ,there are some truths1
 however1 that we never should forget3  
,superstition has always been the       
relentless enemy of science2 faith has  
been a hater of demonstration2 hypocrisy
 has been sincere only in its dread of  
truth1 and all religions are            
inconsistent with mental freedom4       
,since the murder of ,hypatia in the    
fifth century1 when the polished blade  
of ,greek philosophy was broken by the  
club of ignorant ,catholicism1 until    

to-day1 superstition has detested every 
effort of reason4  ,it is almost        
impossible to conceive of the           
completeness of the victory that the    
church achieved over philosophy4 ,for   
ages science was utterly ignored2       
thought was a poor slave2 an ignorant   
priest was master of the world2 faith   
put out the eyes of the soul2 the reason
 was a trembling coward2 the imagination
 was set on fire of hell2 every human   
feeling was sought to be suppressed2    
love was considered infinitely sinful2  
pleasure was the road to eternal fire1  
and ,god was supposed to be happy only  
when his children were miserable4 ,the  
world was governed by an ,almighty's    
whim2 prayers could change the order of 
things1 halt the grand procession of    
nature1 could produce rain1 avert       
pestilence1 famine and death in all its 
forms4 ,there was no idea of the certain
 all depended upon divine pleasure--or  
displeasure rather2 heaven was full of  
inconsistent malevolence1 and earth of  

ignorance4 ,everything was done to      
appease the divine wrath2 every public  
calamity was caused by the sins of the  
people2 by a failure to pay tithes1 or  
for having1 even in secret1 felt a      
disrespect for a priest4 ,to the poor   
multitude1 the earth was a kind of      
enchanted forest1 full of demons ready  
to devour1 and theological serpents     
lurking with infinite power to fascinate
 and torture the unhappy and impotent   
soul4 ',life to them was a dim and      
mysterious labyrinth1 in which they     
wandered weary1 and lost1 guided by     
priests as bewildered as themselves1    
without knowing that at every step the  
,ariadne of reason offered them the long
 lost clue4  ,the very heavens were full
 of death2 the lightning was regarded as
 the glittering vengeance of ,god1 and  
the earth was thick with snares for the 
unwary feet of man4 ,the soul was       
supposed to be crowded with the wild    
beasts of desire2 the heart to be       
totally corrupt1 prompting only to      

crime2 virtues were regarded as deadly  
sins in disguise2 there was a continual 
warfare being waged between the ,deity  
and the ,devil1 for the possession of   
every soul2 the latter generally being  
considered victorious4 ,the flood1 the  
tornado1 the volcano1 were all evidences
 of the displeasure of heaven1 and the  
sinfulness of man4 ,the blight that     
withered1 the frost that blackened1 the 
earthquake that devoured1 were the      
messengers of the ,creator4  ,the world 
was governed by ,fear4  ,against all the
 evils of nature1 there was known only  
the defense of prayer1 of fasting1 of   
credulity1 and devotion4 ,man in his    
helplessness endeavored to soften the   
heart of ,god4 ,the faces of the        
multitude were blanched with fear1 and  
wet with tears2 they were the prey of   
hypocrites1 kings and priests4  ,my     
heart bleeds when ,i contemplate the    
sufferings endured by the millions now  
dead2 of those who lived when the world 
appeared to be insane2 when the heavens 

were filled with an infinite ,horror who
 snatched babes with dimpled hands and  
rosy cheeks from the white breasts of   
mothers1 and dashed them into an abyss  
of eternal flame4  ,slowly1 beautifully1
 like the coming of the dawn1 came the  
grand truth1 that the universe is       
governed by law2 that disease fastens   
itself upon the good and upon the bad2  
that the tornado cannot be stopped by   
counting beads2 that the rushing lava   
pauses not for bended knees1 the        
lightning for clasped and uplifted      
hands1 nor the cruel waves of the sea   
for prayer2 that paying tithes causes1  
rather than prevents famine2 that       
pleasure is not sin2 that happiness is  
the only good2 that demons and gods     
exist only in the imagination2 that     
faith is a lullaby sung to put the soul 
to sleep2 that devotion is a bribe that 
fear offers to supposed power2 that     
offering rewards in another world for   
obedience in this1 is simply buying a   
soul on credit2 that knowledge consists 

in ascertaining the laws of nature1 and 
that wisdom is the science of happiness4
 ,slowly1 grandly1 beautifully1 these   
truths are dawning upon mankind4  ,from 
,copernicus we learned that this earth  
is only a grain of sand on the infinite 
shore of the universe2 that everywhere  
we are surrounded by shining worlds     
vastly greater than our own1 all moving 
and existing in accordance with law4    
,true1 the earth began to grow small1   
but man began to grow great4  ,the      
moment the fact was established that    
other worlds are governed by law1 it was
 only natural to conclude that our      
little world was also under its         
dominion4 ,the old theological method of
 accounting for physical phenomena by   
the pleasure and displeasure of the     
,deity was1 by the intellectual1        
abandoned4 ,they found that disease1    
death1 life1 thought1 heat1 cold1 the   
seasons1 the winds1 the dreams of man1  
the instinct of animals1--in short1 that
 all physical and mental phenomena are  

governed by law1 absolute1 eternal and  
inexorable4  ,let it be understood that 
by the term ,law is meant the same      
invariable relations of succession and  
resemblance predicated of all facts     
springing from like conditions4 ,law is 
a fact--not a cause4 ,it is a fact1 that
 like conditions produce like results3  
this fact is ,law4 ,when we say that the
 universe is governed by law1 we mean   
that this fact1 called law1 is incapable
 of change2 that it is1 has been1 and   
forever will be1 the same inexorable1   
immutable ,fact1 inseparable from all   
phenomena4 ,law1 in this sense1 was not 
enacted or made4 ,it could not have been
 otherwise than as it is4 ,that which   
necessarily exists has no creator4      
,only a few years ago this earth was    
considered the real center of the       
universe2 all the stars were supposed to
 revolve around this insignificant atom4
 ,the ,german mind1 more than any other1
 has done away with this piece of       
egotism4 ,purbach and ,mullerus1 in the 

fifteenth century1 contributed most to  
the advancement of astronomy in their   
day4 ,to the latter1 the world is       
indebted for the introduction of decimal
 fractions1 which completed our         
arithmetical notation1 and formed the   
second of the three steps by which1 in  
modern times1 the science of numbers has
 been so greatly improved2 and yet1 both
 of these men believed in the most      
childish absurdities1 at least in enough
 of them1 to die without their orthodoxy
 having ever been suspected4  ,next came
 the great ,copernicus1 and he stands at
 the head of the heroic thinkers of his 
time1 who had the courage and the mental
 strength to break the chains of        
prejudice1 custom1 and authority1 and to
 establish truth on the basis of        
experience1 observation and reason4 ,he 
removed the earth1 so to speak1 from the
 centre-of the universe1 and ascribed to
 it a two-fold motion1 and demonstrated 
the true position which it occupies in  
the solar system4  ,at his bidding the  

earth began to revolve4 ,at the command 
of his genius it commenced its grand    
flight mid the eternal constellations   
round the sun4  ,for fifty years his    
discoveries were disregarded4 ,all at   
once1 by the exertions of ,galileo1 they
 were kindled into so grand a           
conflagration as to consume the         
philosophy of ,aristotle1 to alarm the  
hierarchy of ,rome1 and to threaten the 
existence of every opinion not founded  
upon experience1 observation1 and       
reason4  ,the earth was no longer       
considered a universe1 governed by the  
caprices of some revengeful ,deity1 who 
had made the stars out of what he had   
left after completing the world1 and had
 stuck them in the sky simply to adorn  
the night4  ,i have said this much      
concerning astronomy because it was the 
first splendid step forward6 ,the first 
sublime blow that shattered the lance   
and shivered the shield of superstition2
 the first real help that man received  
from heaven2 because it was the first   

great lever placed beneath the altar of 
a false religion2 the first revelation  
of the infinite to man2 the first       
authoritative declaration1 that the     
universe is governed by law2 the first  
science that gave the lie direct to the 
cosmogony of barbarism1 and because it  
is the sublimest victory that the reason
 has achieved4  ,in speaking of         
astronomy1 ,i have confined myself to   
the discoveries made since the revival  
of learning4 ,long ago1 on the banks of 
the ,ganges1 ages before ,copernicus    
lived1 ,aryabhatta taught that the earth
 is a sphere1 and revolves on its own   
axis4 ,this1 however1 does not detract  
from the glory of the great ,german4    
,the discovery of the ,hindu had been   
lost in the midnight of ,europe--in the 
age of faith1 and ,copernicus was as    
much a discoverer as though ,aryabhatta 
had never lived4  ,in this short address
 there is no time to speak of other     
sciences1 and to point out the          
particular evidence furnished by each1  

to establish the dominion of law1 nor to
 more than mention the name of          
,descartes1 the first who undertook to  
give an explanation of the celestial    
motions1 or who formed the vast and     
philosophic conception of reducing all  
the phenomena of the universe to the    
same law2 of ,montaigne1 one of the     
heroes of common sense2 of ,galvani1    
whose experiments gave the telegraph to 
the world2 of ,voltaire1 who contributed
 more than any other of the sons of men 
to the destruction of religious         
intolerance2 of ,august ,comte1 whose   
genius erected to itself a monument that
 still touches the stars2 of            
,guttenberg1 ,watt1 ,stephenson1        
,arkwright1 all soldiers of science1 in 
the grand army of the dead kings4  ,the 
glory of science is1 that it is freeing 
the soul--breaking the mental           
manacles--getting the brain out of      
bondage--giving courage to              
thought--filling the world with mercy1  
justice1 and joy4  ,science found       

agriculture plowing with a              
stick--reaping with a sickle--commerce  
at the mercy of the treacherous waves   
and the inconstant winds--a world       
without books--without schools--man     
denying the authority of reason1        
employing his ingenuity in the          
manufacture of instruments of torture1  
in building inquisitions and cathedrals4
 ,it found the land filled with         
malicious monks--with persecuting       
,protestants1 and the burners of men4   
,it found a world full of fear2         
ignorance upon its knees2 credulity the 
greatest virtue2 women treated like     
beasts of burden2 cruelty the only means
 of reformation4  ,it found the world at
 the mercy of disease and famine2 men   
trying to read their fates in the stars1
 and to tell their fortunes by signs and
 wonders2 generals thinking to conquer  
their enemies by making the sign of the 
cross1 or by telling a rosary4 ,it found
 all history full of petty and          
ridiculous falsehood1 and the ,almighty 

was supposed to spend most of his time  
turning sticks into snakes1 drowning    
boys for swimming on ,sunday1 and       
killing little children for the purpose 
of converting their parents4 ,it found  
the earth filled with slaves and        
tyrants1 the people in all countries    
downtrodden1 half naked1 half starved1  
without hope1 and without reason in the 
world4  ,such was the condition of man  
when the morning of science dawned upon 
his brain1 and before he had heard the  
sublime declaration that the universe is
 governed by law4  ,for the change that 
has taken place we are indebted solely  
to science--the only lever capable of   
raising mankind4 ,abject faith is       
barbarism2 reason is civilization4 ,to  
obey is slavish2 to act from a sense of 
obligation perceived by the reason1 is  
noble4 ,ignorance worships mystery2     
,reason explains it3 the one grovels1   
the other soars4  ,no wonder that fable 
is the enemy of knowledge4 ,a man with a
 false diamond shuns the society of     

lapidaries1 and it is upon this         
principle that superstition abhors      
science4  ,in all ages the people have  
honored those who dishonored them4 ,they
 have worshiped their destroyers2 they  
have canonized the most gigantic liars1 
and buried the great thieves in marble  
and gold4 ,under the loftiest monuments 
sleeps the dust of murder4  ,imposture  
has always worn a crown4  ,the world is 
beginning to change because the people  
are beginning to think4 ,to think is to 
advance4 ,everywhere the great minds are
 investigating the creeds and the       
superstitions of men--the phenomena of  
nature1 and the laws of things4 ,at the 
head of this great army of investigators
 stood ,humboldt--the serene leader of  
an intellectual host--a king by the     
suffrage of ,science1 and the divine    
right of ,genius4  ,and to-day we are   
not honoring some butcher called a      
soldier--some wily politician called a  
statesman--some robber called a king1   
nor some malicious metaphysician called 

a saint4 ,we are honoring the grand     
,humboldt1 whose victories were all     
achieved in the arena of thought2 who   
destroyed prejudice1 ignorance and      
error--not men2 who shed light--not     
blood1 and who contributed to the       
knowledge1 the wealth1 and the happiness
 of all mankind4  ,his life was pure1   
his aims lofty1 his learning varied and 
profound1 and his achievements vast ,we 
honor him because he has ennobled our   
race1 because he has contributed as much
 as any man living or dead to the real  
prosperity of the world4 ,we honor him  
because he honored us--because he       
labored for others--because he was the  
most learned man of the most learned    
nation--because he left a legacy of     
glory to every human being4 ,for these  
reasons he is honored throughout the    
world4 ,millions are doing homage to his
 genius at this moment1 and millions are
 pronouncing his name with reverence and
 recounting what he accomplished4  ,we  
associate the name of ,humboldt with    

oceans1 continents1 mountains1 and      
volcanoes--with the great palms--the    
wide deserts--the snow-lipped craters of
 the ,andes--with primeval forests and  
,european capitals--with wildernesses   
and universities--with savages and      
savans--with the lonely rivers of       
unpeopled wastes--with peaks and pampas1
 and steppes1 and cliffs and crags--with
 the progress of the world--with every  
science known to man1 and with every    
star glittering in the immensity of     
space4  ,humboldt adopted none of the   
soul-shrinking creeds of his day2 wasted
 none of his time in the stupidities1   
inanities and contradictions of         
theological metaphysics2 he did not     
endeavor to harmonize the astronomy and 
geology of a barbarous people with the  
science of the nineteenth century4      
,never1 for one moment1 did he abandon  
the sublime standard of truth2 he       
investigated1 he studied1 he thought1 he
 separated the gold from the dross in   
the crucible of his grand brain4 ,he was

 never found on his knees before the    
altar of superstition4 ,he stood erect  
by the grand tranquil column of ,reason4
 ,he was an admirer1 a lover1 an adorer 
of ,nature1 and at the age of ninety1   
bowed by the weight of nearly a century1
 covered with the insignia of honor1    
loved by a nation1 respected by a world1
 with kings for his servants1 he laid   
his weary head upon her bosom--upon the 
bosom of the universal ,mother--and with
 her loving arms around him1 sank into  
that slumber called ,death4  ,history   
added another name to the starry scroll 
of the immortals4  ,the world is his    
monument2 upon the eternal granite of   
her hills he inscribed his name1 and    
there upon everlasting stone his genius 
wrote this1 the sublimest of truths3    
,the ,universe is ,governed by ,law6