, 1874-01-02
A AEcminisccncc Of PrOf. A&-ns3fz.

From the Springfield lAass) isputtletn.
An incident Illustrative Of toe remarkable
Eower Of Prof. AGlsSi1 over the popular tnlnd
occurred under nv notice during the session OF
the Legislature Of 1859. petition WAS before
tue House asking al appropriation OF 1loD 0oo
III aid OF his museum OF natural history ut Cam
BRIDGE md was referred to tho Committee on
Education. ~ occaAioned much comment among
the members, i large portion OF whom we're hos
tile to the project ut tue start, considering it IN
utter waste OF the States tnsnces. The hep1e-
scntatiyes from the rual districts partlc,,
eallips on tho State to establish
bug-echool" AZ guch an enormous cost,
to crafty the whim Of q balf.crazy man,
and a foreigner tehldes- The Committee, having
had tue Professor repeatedly before the1n in ad-
yocacy- of his fayorlte tllcne aud being charmed
with the earnestness aud childish simplicity of
the man, resolved to secure his SERVICES aud
reputation to the old Bay State by reporting
bill in accordance With tho petition. But
they were aware Of the stubborn and probably
successful opposition it would encounter Oh
its presentation aud proposed to forestall it
by procuring for Linn wider hearing Oh the
subject than was afforded by the walls OF the
couuni,tec-roou. AID for this purpose obtained
all order for tho use of the Lau Of Repro
sentariycs. This arrangement gave all the
legislators m opportunity to becoMo acquainted
with the nlan anu his entire devotion to his
fayoritc science. On the appointed day the
hall was c;owdcd with the members OF both
Boston. Tho Professor rose and for nearly MI
hour, in the quiet. simple, and earliest manner
peculiar TO him, kept Lis vast audience in breath
less attention to succlact account OF Ills lie,
labors, purposes. ard aspirations. Ills were IN
deed ii thoughts that breathed and words that
burned, "-uot with the pyroteeaDic flame that
dazzles md dies without effect, but with the
glow Of Goals of jumper. It was known that lie
lad lust declined an invitation from Louis Na-
roleou to take charge of the Jardin dcs Plantes
at Paris with stipend Of SIS, 900 per annum, and
several other eligible proffcrs from the crowned
alluded, and dwclt chiefly the reasons that had
determined him to make our country his hume,
and deyoto his energies to the establishment hero
Of an institution that should rank every similar
enterprise in the world Most a0ectInSly he al
ludcd to tho munificcnt aid already rendered lin
BY wealthy and appreciatirc gentlemen in Bos-
ton aud vlciuity,-a circumstance which had set
tied Lis resolve to give our State the honor OF
possessins the great cosmopolitan Institute he
proposed to fo1nu. uither, ho prophcsied
should tho seekers of truth in natural science
from every nation come, to enlarge their ac1ul-
museum bo quoted throughout the civilized
world, through all future time. It WAS 40 ap-
peal to our amor patrin, which, without the least
affcctatiou Of oratory, wrought the highest
effect of orntory, and, spiccd with just enough OF
foreign accent to interest its auditors, WIS clo-
quenl beyond anything ever heard IN that l1ne.
Every eye was n2ed upon him during his whole
speech, and observed como OF tho hard-fea-
tnlred, loary opponents Of the 'bug-school
bent forward in profound attention, with tears
oven rolling down their brouZed faces. Tho aim
of all true eloqucucc-petBuaslon- most
triumphantly attained ; aud when the bill came
befo,e the Legislature. it wont on its way
rejoicing to III enactment Of which, l believe,
old Massachusetts Aas never Icpe1teu.
L. VI. B. CANNING.