By his marriage, in 1882, to Irene Passow, Eucken increased his prestige among intellectual and social leaders. He says that his wife “was not one of the learned women,” but that she had intellectual interests, gifts in art, and fine administrative ability. Her mother was the daughter of the noted archeologist, Ulrich, born in Athens; thus Eucken’s circle of friends widened among scientists and historians. He continued to write books with cumulative power, like _The Life of the Spirit_, _Contributions to the History of Modern Philosophy_, _The Problem of Human Life as Viewed by the Great Thinkers_, _Life’s Basis and Life’s Ideals_, _Christianity and the New Idealism_.[30] Many of his own countrymen, who were materialistic philosophers or monistic evolutionists, criticized Eucken severely; he declared the German press “ignored him.” He popularized religious philosophy, especially under such titles as _The Truth of Religion_, and _Can We Still Be Christians?_ He was invited to deliver lectures in Holland, France, England, and America. Some of these later books followed the award of the Nobel prize in 1908. He was called “the winning dark horse of that year”; he said that the honor came as “a great surprise” to him. As further recognition he was made a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences. The comments in the German press were noticeably restrained beside the enthusiastic tributes in France, Holland, and England. In 1911 he went to England and, later, to America as academic lecturer; he was “exchange professor” and gave lectures at Harvard University, Columbia University, the Lowell Institute at Boston, and Smith College. His wife and daughter came with him to America and were guests in the homes of Professors Moore and Münsterburg at Cambridge. The reader of his Reminiscences will smile at some of the comments upon Americans and his reception here. In Germany, with the arrival of “an exchange professor” and his first lecture, there is a demonstration of welcome, with formal program and the presence of notables in statescraft as well as letters. He found no such condition at Harvard University. He presented himself to President Lowell and was told, “You may begin at once.”[31] By contrast he says, with naïveté, President Butler of Columbia University gave a banquet in honor of Eucken and Bergson, who were lecturing in New York at the same time.