It is related of him, that he used frequently to
steal into one of the book-stores, and for hours together sit buried in
some rare and erudite volume. And here the original bent of his genius was
early developed; subtlety, profoundness, and intense subjectivity of
thought were noticed as the distinguishing characteristics of his mind. In
a letter from Neumann to Chamisso, bearing date February 11th, 1806, when,
of course, he was only seventeen years old, it is said of him: "Plato is
his idol, and his perpetual watchword. He pores over that author night and
day; and there are probably few who receive him so completely into the
sanctuary of the soul. It is surprising to see how all this has been
accomplished without any influence from abroad. It proceeds simply from
his own reflection and his innate love of study. He has learned to look
with indifference upon the outward world." Such was the beginning of his
illustrious career. He was thoroughly a Platonist. And it happened to him,
as to so many of the early fathers of the church before him; he was led
from Plato to Christ. The honored walks of the Academy were exchanged for
the manger and the cross; and so he passed from Judaism to philosophy, and
from philosophy to faith.
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