The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, March 1844: Volume 23, Number 3Various
Philosophy
The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, March 1844: Volume 23, Number 3
Various
Periodicals
An air of great simplicity and truth pervades this wander-book of the
German schneider. Mr. HOWITT tells us, that when in the autumn of 1840 he
returned to his native village, a great reputation preceded him, and all
came, eager to see the brave traveller, and to listen to the relation of
his adventures. He never sought purposely to turn conversation upon the
subject of his travels, nor to impress an idea of his own importance; but
when he was drawn into discourse, it was speedily found that he had noted
and deeply impressed on his mind every thing with a truly admirable
interest, and an acute spirit of observation, for one of his rank and
education; that he had not merely passed through the countries, but had
gleaned valuable matter on his journey; various things which he had
brought with him testified this interest, such as different kinds of coin,
engravings, plans of cities, etc. We have found, on an examination
necessarily cursory, the commendatory remarks of the Berlin
_Gesellschafter_ upon this work to be well deserved: 'We see in the
individual expressions almost every where the evidence of its being the
production of immediate observation. There prevails through the whole a
noble simplicity and singleness of purpose, a genuinely German sound mode
of thinking; here and there is not wanting a humorous and pithy remark.
The author sees in every place nature and men without spectacles, and
thence it arises that we acquire from his book a more living and actual
view of foreign countries, especially of Egypt, Palestine, and Turkey,
than was the case from the travelled labors of many a learned and
celebrated man. Frequently, nay almost always, it is a fact, that the
learned are destitute of the opportunity of acquiring a knowledge of the
real life of the people, while it is exactly here that the greatest
peculiarity of the manners and customs of foreigners is to be found. Our
honest hand-worker lived among the people, and therefore possessed the
best means to describe them in graphic characters.' There is something
very forcible and comprehensive in the subjoined passage from the author's
preface. It is indeed a sort of compendium of the most interesting portion
of the writer's journeyings:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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