The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-02-18
ABOUT AGAssIs.

LII HIS hdultos Meu WHO iiytss anu
work by rule would be puzzled to-
understand how q gassis managed
to 40 SO much without 7 these 81 helps
re lived and Worked by lnspifa-
ton, y ne was sud denly ssazez
With an interest ~ SOME scien tltic
inquiry ne would pursue lt at 0nces
putting by perhaps = 4 otllsr y work sn. q
when ne NAG Just tairly ot started
= always IKE 70 take ,a.1I advanf s 6 ~ q
my Proauctl7e MOODS, !, S e said z, Io'
me. lnus oIten o' ne rag 3, seyerat q fs,
irons 70 tae nIe onsS 95o oI y ,aLl tleh
nlighs aftima.eiyspelst ,rop-
apiy ne saw 1hat. aal1a sne 1&ss non prom
isea 1 TO work up DeEer than the
hrst; he never could be made to
work hks g machine, turning out
dehnlte Quantity ! at regular inter-
yals; ne never 4 Ielt pound g M Ies
gara tne RUE that you must nplsn
one tnlng De1ofe. you Degln another,
80 emphatlcal,y presented N tne
oid schooI-Dooks. Ills was q meth
od OF working which World be RUM
Gus to any man who had not ms
wonderful facgltles, his S' far slgnt
and insight. With his great log1-
cal brain ana ms marvellous power
OF observation, there was anlted q
certain telescope intuition which
made his view OF probabilities some
thing more than a guess. He never
his own methods of work.
ing as a model for others. Once,
however, in my preseneeea q near
relative ventured to ask him if he
did not think he would accomplish
more if he finished one thing be-
fore he began another. Every
man must work according to his
own method" he replied. He was
in himself "a great contradictionFof
the methods by which many have
won success. He achieved, but at
was after his own way. 1t was tre-l
quently a hard thing to get MN 70 |
sign paper or write a letter lex
cept Tor somebody else), or to look
over accounts or reports, or do lit.
tie routine work. Yet he could
never have attained his great emf.
nence in science it ne had not paid
in this department great attention
to the mlnutest and apparently most
insignificant details. Looking at
the drawing OF a hsh made by MS
artist, he said, after taking a single
glance: cit is a beautiful drawing,
but don't you see you have LETT out
two or three of the scales r. This
story, which | have seen elsewhere
is vouched for by the draughtsman
who formerly drew his specimens
for him.
I know what those silent lips
would say if just here their testl-
mony could be gathered. 1t would
be testimony as sweet and beau
tiful as that Of John Stuart Mill to
the helpmate he SO devoutly loved.
1t may be a fact less familiar to the
public, but it is one we'll known to
Prof. Agassis's friends, that his
wife was his complement and in
every sense a helpmate. What the
Professor lacked in order, method
or business habits was abundantly
by Mrs. Agassis. 1t was
her graceful and assiduous pen that
rccast and put into more classic
molds the Professors ready En-
glish. It was her constant encour-
and stimulus that sup
ported the Professor In new and
difficult undertakings. Her coun,
sci was always listened to with re-
spect. 1t is safe, to say that we
should not have mad SO many OF MS
works put IN a permanent form 10
English ii it had not been be, 10 tor h her
earnest cooperation. The Profes-
sor, as all know, was a ready lect-
urer, and always delivered ms ad.
ol HIS !ec'uies "ne 0pesoneo n."
nome Mts' hs'sslS aeeoliiPauls
Mini whenever posslDle anu took