Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-01-03

u
a beaming face for every body, aud he
impaired to others something of his own
joyous mood. he had his sorrowful mo-
ments, his occasions of anxiety, when the
expression of his face took painful sig
nificance, and one could see that there was
some burden pressing upon him; but let
him meet friend, especially child, and
the shadow fled from his face so quickly
that in the after-warmth you forgot there
had been any there. Grasp his hand, and
you never found it cold.
1t was this greatness of heart that caus-
ed him to make such a host of friends
and acquaintance among all classes. He
was one of those men whom, when sick.
the butcher, the baker, the grocery man,
and the laborer always asked about. He
was great lover of children. He was
constantly speaking to them in the street
and caressing them, not from afectation
or desire to be popular, but because he
could not help it. His grandchildren,
George and Max, were always running
over to see grandpa, aud grandpa was al
ways glad to see them. If grandpa had
had the entire training of them, perhaps
there would have been some spoiled chill
dren
A friend tells me of an instance which
well illustrates his tenderness for chill
dren. Once, while conducting some scien-
tilc experiments, it became necessary TO
have some water Immediately. Agassiz
seized pitcher and ran out to pump
near by. He went out quickly but was
slow IN coming back. They waited twice
IS long for the water as would suffice to
bring is, and then went out to see what
was the matter. There sat Agassiz,
down by the pump, his legs crossed, and
little child, which ne was fondly soothing
and caressing, nestled in between them.
In his haste at the pump he had accident
ally struck the child, near by. Though
the blow was of little account, the exi-
gences of science seemed to him the less
important, and ne had put down his pitch
er and opened his heart When deeply
engaged in scientific investigation, he
would leave his work to seize and fondle
child that had strayed into his room,
and the interrupted mental process seem
TO be resumed without difficulty.
Agsssiz was philantEropist by nature.
He was fond Of "doing good as he had an
opportunity"
"Who can get to make some drawings
for meH" asked once.
"Take -; he Is a good draughtsman,
and he needs the money; it will help
him alongn z.-- -'--
One day, from my window noticed
horse and buggy standing in the street.
The horse had been carelessly hitched,
and worked himself loose, and, having
moved a little way out in the street, SEEM
ed inclined to move on with an empty
wagon. A student and a minister of the
gospel in turn passed that way, but neith
er made any effort to keep this horse
from straying. Presently / saw Agassiz
coming down the avenue, apparently abb
sorbed in deep thought, his eyes bent up
on the ground. He stopped when he got
to the horse, without seeming to take
his thoughts off the subject on which
be was engaged, picked up the hitching
strap, tied the horse and went on, leaving
the owner ignorant that any one had done
him favor. ,t
1t was one of the traditions among the
old bellies of Cambridge, that when Agas-
siz first came here he was regarded as the
Eandsomest man they had eyer seen. The
tradition does not need much testimony
for even to the day of his death he was
handsome. especially when he smiled.
It was wonderful what an Illuminating ef
feet that smile had. His personal attract
tions, geniality and attention to little cour-
tesies, always made him favorite with
the ladies. They attended his school in
great numbers. There was not great
deal of discipline there; the rule was that
you must speak in French, but there was
a great deal of whispering in English,
which the teacherfsOmehow overlooked.
This worship of the man was not confn-
ed to Cambridge. 1t would be hard to
name place in the country where Agas-
slz had been that he was not affectionate-
lY canOnized. On his return from the
Hassler expedition he could not slip qui-
etly into the Lowell Institute to hear his
friend TYndall lecture, without being OBJ
served and compelled by perfect thun-
derstorm of applause to bow again and
again his recognition of the tribute. He
was a sort of pope in Boston.
"Do you see that man sitting over in
that corner, there ?" said an intelligent
reporter of a Boston newspaper to me.
YES"
swell that is Agassiz. He kno,os sosry-
thing" .
He was always Indifferent to money
where science was concerned. He spent
it lavishly whenever he could get it, often
for things which, would not make show
for the public, but which were invaluable
for the pursuit of scientific t-uth. He
was not a business man nor fnancier. If
he wanted money for his museum he
would appeal to his friends and the pub
lie, and was sure to get it. Then he
would spend it rapidly for collections or
improvements, confident that he could
get more when he needed il.
He was also singularly methodical in
his habits. Men who lived and work BY
rule would be puzzled to understand how
Agassiz managed to do so much without
these helps He lived and worked by
inspiration. If he was suddenly seized
with an intererest in some scientific in
Quiry, he would pursue it at once, put
ting by perhaps other work in which he
had fairly Just got started. "I always
like to take advantage of my productive
moods" he said 10 me. Thus often he
which might ultimately be finished
Probably he saw that the last iron prom
ised to work mp better than the first, He
never could be made to work like ma
chine, turning out definite quantity at
regular intervals, He meyer felt bound TO
regard the rule that you must finish one
thiu5 DOiOAo yOu DO6la duOLuot, " ,cLl'
phatically presented in the old school
books. His was q method of working
which would be ruiIOus to any man who
had not the wonderful facilities, his far
sight aud insight With his great logical
brain and his marvellous powers of OBJ
servation, there was united certain tel
escopic intuition which made his view of
probabilities something 44ore than a
guess. He never proposed his own meth.
DDS of working as a model for others
Once however, in my presence a near
relative Ventured TO ask him if he did
not think he would accomplish more if
finished one thing before he began an
other. every man must work accor-
ding to his own method" he replied
He was himself great contradiction of
the methods by which many have won
success. He achieved, but It was after
his own way. 1t was frequently a hard
thing to get him to sign q paper, or write
letter Except for somebody elsel, or to
look over accounts or report, OF do little |
routine work Yet he could never have |
attained his great eminence in scienca ~