, 1873-07-01

infancy. Gov. Gardner was successful cnnt- |
lsso for recollection on tho Know-Nothing plat
form in 1896, and at tl,o same election l1 Mr For
iii Congress- In tho Springfield District, tho roor-
resontativo having roBignod before taking l,is |
eeat aia opponent, Q. .. ohatfoo, eanonacd The the
Know Nothing oanao, @ ana " wan ita champion. Il9
fooling. hIr. Fostor Was acouaod Of boing ro-
crennt to tho KnowNothing faith, but Of TINT llo
was proud, as he had adopted in its atoad tho |
cause Of human freedom, which 30 signally TT,
fight but was bosten by q majority OF fow !
over 100 vo.os. This waB lis laat motive nppoar-
anco IL tho political aroma. 1lc forBook 1t for
pursuits moro congonia] and 1t fs vol for sci-
onco ho did no.. Soon after. he loft Maasaehn-
eetts for tho Wont, and sottled permanently }n
Chicago. about 1868.
Whilo on his yarious expeditions, Mr.. Foster
COLLECTED vast quantity Of matoria! MT porli-
cif1c, supplemented tito fund Of informa-.
tton already In hta possession. and s
enabled hin to Issue hln frat x,,,dn i
It's It's rhysIcni Geography, including Sketches II
tho Topography, botany, climate geology, aml
mineral rouourcos md OF the progrcss OF dG,
yelop1ncnt il, population md material woalth.'
published in 1900 by s. q. Griggs l. Co., Of this
city, and at the anno ti'no vas honored with tho
imprinlatur Of Trstbner l. Co., London. It ins-
mcliato1y took high rank, both in this country
aa in shed
nuthortioB. Wo have before us ono Of tho vol
1mos, tho platos Of which were unfortunately
consumed in the gront fire., 1t is wrtten III
IN non5 oydonse OF
On this work ho might have safely rested his
reputation, but 1t was not tho browning work
OF his lifo. His spocinity was Archaeology. In
bis. many wandorlngs bo studied TINT subject
III $r$ ttS$t
anccoss that fow sciontistB achove. For twenty
years ho investigated the strange mounds that
arc found hore and there in tho American con-
tinent, giving il1;calions Of d race Of beings
We belong. Tho Significance Of thouo
scentiBts in tho old world devoted then,-
selves to dociphering tho hierog1yphics
Ing tho no Ions hioroglyphieal language Of those
Occidental mounds. His Impressions, when frat
ho gazod on these strange symbols Of d by-gono
age, arc beautifully Expressed In tho introduce
tion to his "Pro-hiatoric Man." Ho Bay6: ~.
In carly manhood, when for tho nrst ume gazed
tho Mound builders. my mind roceivod glass Of I'M
sfas wh e 9 s snS failed t es
eas, tio m9ss sl.oorate ID tho wholo sor5ss: r.
aga e oss dHese
e1af e eenaas n. as tFea sii out Sp s1yrnhne
system Of oarthworks horo displayed, with lts great
circles nna SQUARES its o9tagons gateways parallel
sevorn1 square uicB; and % spcculatotl unon tho
purposes of their constracion and on tho origin and
extinction Of tho people by whom they Wore used. I
waa profoundly Impressed.
Tho volume was born as Ito author died.-it
having been iaauod fow week ago. Alrcady 1t
has received merited praise from tho American
aud English press. It is expected to occupy
high piaoo in tho library Of science. porhap6 it
is not inappropriate to noto that this work will
tend to ond the controversy on the Neanderthat
skull about which European scientista have long
disputed. Alnny OF them contendod that tho
beings inferior to the ptoscnt, but DR.. Foster
had in his possession q skull aomnwhat
similar, but smaller, which ia fully described in
his last volume. He intended prosecuting his
investigations in this interesting domain, the in
tention being embodied in tho conclusion OF his
preface, in which he wrote:
II the public manifest sufciont interest in queaona
relating to our pre-hstorie archnoosy to Justify tho
draw morn nbsrally from tho materials at my conf
maul.
Death catue,-to finite minds 1t would seem too
soon, ,--and lis n1nbitiou waa uufulnlle1.
piecos to which we lnse roforred, he WIS a con-
stant contributor to Bciontiic knowledge In other
formH. Among tile most notable of his pntu-
phlota were tho following:
Mounds Of Ohio. TRANSACTIONS Of the Ameri-
can Aasociation for tho Advancement Ut Science,
1859.
plenents Used BY tho alound-Builders (Trana-
actionb Of tho Chicago Aoadomy Of science, vol.
66u Recont Discoveries in Ethnology rs oou-
Troy, N. Y; as tho retiring President Of the
American Association tor tho Advancement Of
6cionee.
On Certain pecnlRrities in the Crania Of the
Mound Builders. (rransaction Of the American
Association for tho Advancement Of Science.
| 1872.)
| On tho Pottery Of tho Mound Builders.
! {dmeyican Naturalist February, 1879
llr. Fostor also contributed generously to tho
.currant literature of tho day, and was regular
contributor for many years to Silinaan's Journal,
| Tho american Naturalist, the Lakeside Monthly,
| and other periodicals.
| Alr. EoHtor WAS olocted President Of tho Amori-
| can Association for tho Advancement Of Science,
and has boon for three years President Of tho
! Ohicngo Acadomy OF Sciences. Ho served az
Professor Of Natural History in tho University
| Of Dhicago which honorod itself by honoring
him with tho degree Of Doctor Of Laws. lie
| made the pursuit OF scionce tho object OF bis
lifo, roaping q large reward Of famo occaHion-
ally lo was engaged In service where siis wonder
| ful knowledge was invaluable. lie was In the
Land Department. Of tho Illinois Central Rail-
| formation of tho country along tho line. lie
hold q like position on tho Chicago, Alton l. st.
| Louis Railroad.
| Perhaps it waB in Europe that the scientific
| 1abors Of Mr. Foster wero most highly prizod.
| His fame had CROSSED tho ocen1, and the
soiont1o mon Of Europe, such as Tyndall,
Huxley, Liale,. nnd Lubbock, worei hle
| intimate friends and correspondents. Tc
| many hoart in tho loarnod circlos ol
European capitals tho nova Of DR.. Fosters
death will bring q pang Of grief. His place
among tho eolentiilo mon OF this continent, II
not Of this ago, is in tho front rank. and ,hia
name will stand in history nlde by side with
| Agasaiz and Maury.
| Personally. bIr. Foster was hno specimen of
manhood, Blrong, fnely-built portly. and hand
| Bonlo-featured. His hcad bore tho stamp Of in.
talloct. III manner he was courtly aud courte-
ous genaal ara k.na to a an M. y mas oaen ~ sa
| enomy on earth.
| A vito and three daughters, one Of them tho
wife Of Jamoa Nick. Sanger, mourn him who will
| nf ia Hhr1 tn 1,n