The Soul in Nature

THE LIFE OF H. C. OERSTED.

through mutual instruction and communication. Later, they learned Latin from a private tutor. However, at age twelve, Hans Christian began working as an assistant in his father’s apothecary shop, where he quickly found great joy in the chemical aspects of his work. At the same time, he eagerly read every book on history and warfare he could find in that remote town original: "retired spot".

The brothers soon realized that, thanks to their natural talents and the constant sharing of what they had learned individually, they could—with only a little extra help—pass the entrance exams for the University of Copenhagen. They succeeded in this goal. In 1794, they moved to Copenhagen. At first, they were forced to live very frugally, but they wanted nothing more than to immerse themselves in their studies. They passed their first two sets of examinations with excellent results.

They received some financial aid from the government and made up for their remaining expenses by giving private lessons. At this stage, however, their academic paths began to diverge. Nearly oblivious to the world around them and following interests that had appeared early in childhood, the younger brother Anders Sandøe Ørsted (1778–1860) devoted himself to philosophy and law, while the elder, Hans Christian, focused on astronomy, physics, and medicine.

They continued to live together and shared the results of their different studies with one another, but they rarely participated in general society. The university had seldom seen two students who so completely ignored the typical distractions and pleasures of youth, instead dedicating themselves with such passion and joy to a life of serious study.

Oehlenschläger Adam Oehlenschläger (1779–1850), the famous Danish poet and playwright mentioned on the previous page.—whose sister later married the younger Oersted—was almost the only friend of...