, 1873-12-16

Treasurer Of Harvard Collo "a. In 1B5s-its
founder having Hpopt tho interval ii, greatly ald-
ing 10 ts yalno-a Honerols boquoat IF 100000
from Francis 9. Gray, Of Boston, followed by
| grant tho following yoar from tho State Of
| at00000 and by private subscriptions to tho
amount of s71 900, placed Prof. Agassiz's chor-
ishod plan Of q At1iaeu'n Of Comparative Zoology
on sro financlal basis. fits obtoot was Hta.od
In his at1rosH to tho Legislature III 1859, In It's
bolialf, to 10 "to lnvo museum founded l6ro
which will eqHal tho great m,lael,1nu Of tho
| old World. We havo continent before III for
| exploration Which Inns aH yoL bcon only skinned
Oil the nurfaco. My earnest tloeiro las always
been, and IN now, to put onr univcrnitios Of, I,
| 1oot'ny with those Of Europe, or eyen ahoat of
thotn.' Tho Museum iB but IA yonra old and
Inns 60 we'll fulfilled tho hopes and mud plans Of
tts founder that Prof. Tyndal1 aaid of 1t, after
thorough examination: "Wo llayo nothing like
tla In tho Old World" a scientific npoc,a1lpt.
who was familiar with every similar institution
abroad Bn:1 OF tllo Cambridge Museum, that
nowhere olso had he "soon 10 much original
woll lono." Everything is thoro dono systenlat-
icaly. Az Prof. Agasalz himself has aaid, "1lo
timo las paagod when tho vnluo Of a museum in
to DO measured by the number of ita stuffed
birds md empty sllolla" And ho llns according
" kept tho Institution ftom degeneratiug into q
moro repository for dry bones.
It las boom objected to tho organization Of tho
| Alslsonm that itwas too comprehensive, mud coy-
orcd 90 wide range that it would collapse when
1ts founder was talson awny. It wau in ren1y to
tl'cso criticisms TINT Prof. Agnssiz sail, In
reporting its condition for Inst year, "The Mt
scum IL now 30 organized (vitalized III it wcro
trff III Hin us&
TINT my proaenco or absunco ia Of ]ittlo imuor-
tHnco. It wllI keep OH itB course without auy
new or repeated stimulus beyond the NECESSARY
| appropriations for its maintenance" There
could DO no more fitting monument orcc.ed to
| ASasalz's memory tlnu tho perpotuatlon of tho
work ho las 30 woll and uuaelhahly begun, and
1t is 10 bo hoped that, wcu tho prcsont RESOURCES
Of tue Museum fail-wich will be in about a
yoar-moans will bo found to commemorate lin,
by giving it permanent endowment.
Prof. AgaaBix leaves unfinished study which
he Ind begun Of tho Eehinodcrms. lie had
purchased and added 10 bis fayorito Museum, Il
very fino collection Of those fossils, which Ind
been made in Town, and Is Haid to afford tho
bost opportunity for classification that has 70
boon obtained. His son, Alexander, has boon
particularly instructed by his tatner in this
branch Of natural history, mud may continuo tho
work.
Tho arrangement, study, and comparison Of
tho Invaluable geological collection mado by
Prof. AgaBsiz md llis associates on the voyngo
OF tho coast survey steamer HaBslor, from Bos-
ton to San Francisco, Is nnothor Important u.l-
dertaking that must Forever remnu unfinished
as flo would havo dono it. This collection was
80 large tint more than $500 gallons Of alcohol
"orc required to preserve It, For many weoKs,
tho attaches Of the Ntuaeum hayo been
preparing 1t for the inspection of tholr
chief, who meant to havo begun work
on II carly III tho coming year, and
beloved that It would bo ono OF the greatest
1abors Of his life. Its material WAS Of immense
scontltlc value. It covered in some respects tho
whole fold Of zoology, including ths natural his
tory OF mankind, tlat Of marine mammalia,
| marine birds. rcptilea and fishes. Another
study that Agassiz had planned waB tile order or
relations Of development in birds, from tho om-
bryo to tue moro mature forms, and for this p,lr-
pose ho had made fine collection OF eggs aud
still another WIS the preparation Of synthetic
collection showing tue alllnities Of animals.
Besides these projects which wore part of lis
work in connection with the Museum, Prof.
Agassiz had promised to write series OF articles
on Evolution for the Atlantic Monthly. The
first OF these las appeared; the rest must re-
main unwritten. Ho was also busy OH review
OF Haecko1s work on sponges, IN which no i'll
tended to combat strongly tie Development
Theory az applied to spongos by the aushor
He was to havo lectured, in addition, to tho
studonta Of Harvard and Yale, and WIS engaged
for course OF Lectures in Washington in Feb
ruary.
Tho latest, most novel, and one Of tho most
III s~11.
tho Natural History School at penikose Island,
aud 1t is tho QUO most likely to suffer most from
Lis death. Its plan was sugSaHtod by bis pro-
found disbelief III any other maaua OF teaching
natural history Than that Of bringing the student
face to face with Nature. Tho iloa was wholly
original, and its execution. 30 fur, las beon
altogether his personal work. It was luis great
reputation that brought hundreds of applications
for admission bofore the school was opun, and,
without that attraction and guarantee. the school
can barely hope to achieve tho results his
proaenco would lavo iusurod. During itB frs.
year, just cioRing, good dsal was done
in tho erection of necessary buildinga, but tho
founder had planned his most important work
for the coming spring. Thou thu pupils wore
to have becn supplied with lodgings and looturas
aud nil appliances necessary for carrying on
thorough scientific training. Extensive works
were planned for supplying fresh Hoa-water to
tho aquariumH; aud an observatory waa pro-
teoted to occupy tho Highest point Of tho ialand.
Willie Agassz lived, tAo SUCCESS OF tho oxperi-
mont depended simply Oh tho munitconco OF Mr..
Anderson. 1t renai1,s to bo seen whether, oven
If Mr. Andorson's generosity fails not, my one
can bo found ablo to continue the work Of etlu-
eating class Of teachers wilo may teach what
they have Reen and not simply what tloy have
read. |
NOTES AND OPINION,
Fernando Wood, in hs notwithstanding lot