The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-12-16
akeaatelIigrnrea::
The Death of Agassiz.

II would be an easy matter 10 Wr1te o.
length about this illustrious man whose
wonderful career has just closed indeath
for he has LEFT behind him material enough
10 supply q great variety OF literary and
scientific tastes In the way Of biographical
sketches. BE filled such space In the
world Of letters and OF science, especiall y
science, as to enable writers to choose at
will amongst his discoveries and his
theories and to connect hislite and labors
more or less prominently with any one Of
them. To the world generally, however,
he ia known under the broad name OF Q
Scientist, that Is, man whose Life was
devoted to the investigation oi facts,
events and phenomena in the physical
world, and to the explanation and classi'
Acstlon Of the causes. principles and laws
that governed them. As Scientist he 10
known to the educated world as especial
~ famous in geology, botany, zoology and
ichthyology, and particularly In the last
named science. No Scientist ever before 80
successfully and exhaustively developed
the wonders Of the great deep, as regards
its myriad forms OF lile,as AeAssIz. In this
department OF knowledge he Is with
out rival. And yet to read his lectures
as published and illustrated in the New
York Tribune last winter one could see
and feel how deeply impressed he was
that with all his attainments, after q life
Of the widest research and experiment, he
only stood on the threshold Of knowledge
in this and other kindred departments Of
science. Notwithstanding he told how
be had actually evoked and organized life
BY artificial formulation, yet he spoke
Of 1t as an experiment that was simply On
luitiatory step in the grand inquest upon
which he would like to enter Of discover
Ing the secret and origin Of life. 49,
No one can read those lectures and fail
to deeply regret that their author could
10, have lived to more perfectly digest
and assimilate the vsst stores Of knowl-
edge and material that he had gathered
together by unwearied study, travel and
exploration during q long life. he has
left behind him q museum at Harvard that
Prot. Tyndall said was not excelled in the
old world, and that Agassiz himself re-
garded as bis monument.
One Of the cardinal theories Of AaAssIz
was that all lie retained Its original type,
whatever that might be, and never de-
veloped into anything different. In this
theory no relentlessly antagonized the
evolution theory Of the DARWIN school, q
school that maintains that even man him.
self is an outgrowth and development
siler millions Of years,ota lower animal, a
school, by the way, that has numerous and
learned champions to defend it Unlike
very many scientific men, he claimed that
The personal relation Of Creator to the
universe was established by rigid demon
sration on truly scientific foundation.
This he claimed, mot as q professor ofrelig,
lon, for he was not a professor, but simply
@a Scientist
AoAsslz was born In 1907, in Switzer-
land, and consequently was in his 9Th
year. As early as 1885 he was elected a
member Of the Academy Of Sciences in
Paris. He was thefriend and co-laborer OF
the great HuMBoIr for years, and also OF
Cuv1RR. Hlsattainments while yet q youth
were incredible. There were no bounds TO
bis zeal. He was a lover Of knowledge
and great as was his ardor it was secon'
dairy to his patience and thoroughness.
The great problems of the earth and the
water were his study from youth to old
sge and perhaps no mortal ever saw
deeper into the arcana Of nature or stood
nearer to the unattainable in knowledge.
The whole world will deplore his loss.
Great men will feel that Light has been
put out that was leading them deeper
than they could travel alone into the mys'
tssiouS confines that separate the known