Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1871-1872, 1872-02-06
Removal OF Or. Parry.
tCommuuicAtcd.l

Could there bs more urgent plea in ia
vor Of the Civil Service Reform, than the
action Of the Commissioned Of Agriculture
in the removal Of the late bo,SuiI,, DR.. c.
O. Parry, from position which be filed
wish sueh eminent fitness aud scholarly
ability.
The sslf-consequsui Waite recommends
"tie signs Of tie -oaiae' rs an agricultural
advantage. Whore ia Jayne's Almanac
The poor farmer nigh, study the signs
there To this man is given the power TO
remove an eminent scholar from a position
which BIO had filed with credit aud honor
during the official torn of she previous
commissioner, and that without an hours
notice or single reason, Prof Asa Gray,
Of Cambridge University, Prof WIN. II.
Brewer, Of Yale, and other scientific men
determined 20 know the reason for this sum
mary proceeding. The greA: man condo
scendsd to answer them. A truly BrobdIgnag
10 gigantic effort. They publish the CORES
poudencs 10 the american Nctualist Of
Jan, 1872. Prof Gray epitomizes the
the grea, Watts letter OF reasons thus
You will permit ne TO remark, that the
dismissal, without al hours notice, Of DR..
Parry from = position the duties Of which
he was thought TO have performed accepts-
bly, 10 your predecessor, must of itself, II
unexplained, cast an injurious reelection
upon his character or conduct Then yeur
letter in reply to the memorial which SO
lioited bis recall, stating that the reasons
for such dismissal were Of nature which
It would have been as disagreeable for you
20 utter ~ for him to hear, aud that you
'do not now desire 10 say anything about
DIR. Parry which might disparage him IL
the estimation OF his friends all this Ger
tainly conveyed TO my mind the conviction
that some serious delinquency had been
charged. IL is with satisfaction, therefore
that J have read your letter now before me
obigingy written ITO pat inc in posses
sion OF the whole subject" / learn from
il that the reason for DR.. Parrys summary
and ignominious dismissal related to some
details Of form in the mode of conducting
official botanical correspondence to a
momsntary loss Of temper in the presence
OF one Of your subordinAtes (evinced by the
mode in which he destroyed a letter Of hi.
which had been returned to be cancelled
and for which he duly apologzed-to the
subscribing Of . letter addressed familiarly
my Dear Doctor (eyidently some botani
ca correspondent, by the phrase "your
ieially that 10 some letters you found
"his mode Of expression wanting in per
spiou,i,yn Ia fault into which more prac
tced writer's may sometimes fall j and final
~, that you did not discover IN DR. pArr,
the kind or degree OF botanical qualification
for the post which you were entitled to ex
pect, and deemed tbs services Of ian her
barium botanis,' practically unimportan,
As your letter has relieved my own min
from a painful anxiety on this subject,
may have the same effsc, upon 9th rs, upoi
whose minds also your action had left th
alternative of supposinR either bad Conduc
on the part OF one hitherto highly esteemed
or Of very hard usage towards him III wa
though through some misapprehension o
him or some Misrepresentation of yours.)
This tells the whole story.
To one who has heard the Dr's. leoiur
on funRoid growths the plea made in IN
same letter that n botanist was needed oh
could explain the diseases Of plants will b
assured that DIR. p. was eminsntly able
treat the subject in all its hearings. "
Watts keeps his accusations, rather ApolC
gies, on the tapis TO excuse himself. In
notice OF the Annual Report of the Cen
missioner Of Agriculture in the Chicag
Tribune Of Jan. Oath We notice the follow
ing hit At the Doctor.
at appears to have been the ambition
the Botanist 10 accumulate an extensiy
herbarilm. rather than TO study the valu
Of plants for useful purposes The school
are fully qualified to teach what is ealle
Botany, and all We want of the Botanist
20 give us some idea Of the uses Of plan,
as well as their peculiar forms and relation
ships. Are they susceptible Of chan
when surrounded by new conditions, III
the cAstor-bean, or can We ut them to ne
usss7'
That man needs thorough applicable
Of Civil Reform. A competitive exAmin
ton will give him ample opportunity
study 'the signs Of the zodiac" and lea
from his SUPERIOR something Of civility
least. In Washington we hear the gia
Commissioner is considered asynouym
selfoonssquenoe. Hood describes hi
"A column of fop. A lighthouse Wit
out any light atop" G..