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(later destroyed by the Nazis),
stating: “I cannot approve of any
laws against the Jews, but the one
containing these four words:
SAME RIGHTS, SAME DUTIES.”
When Minister Hardenberg was
defeated in his noble efforts, Hum
boldt wrote a letter to Count
Weingrode, saying: “It is a very
dangerous assumption of frail
humanity to explain the ancient
laws of God. The history of the
preceding dark ages teaches best
what fatal errors such interpreta
tion encouraged. Please do us this
letter and especially the above
lines without any fears that they
might become detrimental to my
person and safety.”
4 Humboldfs own' courageous
action on behalf of the Jews spoke
louder than his protests. Althougn
he was not able to improve the
lamentable situation of Prussia’s
downtrodden Jews, he helped
many individuals to obtain covet
ed positions otherwise barred to
them.
During the reign of Friedrich
Wilhelm IV, Humboldt relentlessly
championed the emancipation of
the Jews and the abolition of
slavery.
In a letter dated January 2, 184i':,
addressed to the King of Prussia,
Humboldt warmly pleads the cause
of the Jews and expresses him ■
self fearlessly in opposition to a
threatened enactment against
them.
In his book “Humboldt and the
Jews” (published in 1877), Alex
ander Kohut, well-known his
torian, quotes numerous examples
of the scientist’s relentless fight
for Jewish equality and of his
warmhearted assistance to indi
vidual Jews.
Pleading for Giacomo Meyer
beer, the famous composer, Hum
boldt wrote to King Friedrich Wil
helm of Prussia: “It is very ini -
portant that Meyerbeer should not
be passed over.” And so the great
composer of operas was awarded
the coveted order “Pour le Merite,”
a distinction rarely given to a Jew.
Before Meyerbeer was given this
award, the composer Felix Men-
delssohn-Bartholdy, the son of
Abraham Mendelssohn, reared in
the Christian faith, had received it
and Humboldt’s sense of fairness
and justice saw to it that Meyer
beer should not be overlooked.
The world famous chemist, Just
us von Liebig, dedicated his book.
"Chemistry In Its Application to
Agriculture and Philosophy,” to
Humboldt and wrote him grate
fully: “As for me, a stranger with
out introductions in a city where
the confluence of so many men of
distinction from all parts of the
world, forms the greatest barrier
to making personal acquaintances
with the celebrated men of learn
ing and science there assembled,
I should most probably have re
mained, as so many others have
done, lost in the vast crowd an.l
perhaps perished, had you not once
and for all rescued me from such
a danger. From that time all doors
were thrown open to me, I hao
access to every institution and to
every laboratory. It is a pleasure
for me to express publicly the
feeling of deep veneration and
heartfelt gratitude with which you
have inspired me. I might have
been drowned in the maelstrom—
had it not been for you. You have
averted this danger and I cannot
thank you enough for it.”
In 1842, the mathematician, Dr.
Peter T. Riess steadfastly refused
to change his religion in order to
be elected to the Prussian Aca
demy of Science. Only through
Humboldt’s relentless intervention
was Riess inducted into this au
gust and learned society. On this
occassion, Homboldt remarked that
“the event was the first step of
atonement for the twenty-five-
year-old injustice which the Prus
sian Jews had to endure.”
Humboldt helped many talented
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT
Jews to enter the German univer
sities and was proud of each of
them. For in later years, they be-
the pride of those institutions
which had barred them because
cf short-sighted laws.
The gratitude of the Jews knew
no bounds. Highly renowned Jew
ish scholars wrote his biography
in Hebrew, among them the fam
ous mathematician Selig Slonim-
sky who, on the occasion of Hum
boldt’s eighty-eighth birthday, is
sued his biography and elaborated
in detail on his great scientific
merits and his profound knowl
edge of the Bible.
No one before Humboldt undei-
stood so w’e'l Israel’s spiritual
horizon. With his scientifically
trained mind and keen under
standing, he grasped the great
value of ancient Jewish poetiy, of
the Psalms, the rhapsodic hallelu
jahs, the maxims and apopiiteg-
mata, the heartrending lamenta
tions and the merry songs of the
shepherds.
In a time of oppression and in
justice, he believed in freedom,
tolerance and justice and was con
vinced that democracy would fi
nally triumph over near-sighted
bigotry and persecution.
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225 PEACHTREE AND LINOX SQUARE
\
Beauty for the Holidays
and later is as near
for you as
d3iitmore a
/v_ C
Con
HILTMORE HOTEL
MR CAROL DAVIS
CAROL DAVIS
TR 6-0637
The Southern Israelite 13
J