The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-09-13
Agassiz's Early Years.

in the whole history of Saratoga no such
profitable season has been known.
|
Agasslzs Early Years.
1 Emile Blanchard, the celebrated
French scientist and writer, has just
published very interesting paper. in the
Revue des Deux Mondes on the part OF
Agassiz's life with which the public Of
this country Is least conversant-his
early days in Europe. A short review
of Mr.. Blanchard's paper can not tiail to
mirers Of the great Zoologist.
| Louis Agassiz was born on the 2Sth of
May, 1897, at the Village of Motier,
Switzerland, on the northwestern shore
Of Lake Norat, not Tar from the battle
field where Charles the Bold met with
his celebrated defeat. Agassiz's father
was pastor of the Village OF Motier, and
his grandfather and great-grandfather
had been clergymen also.
| At an age when other children were
only beginning to so to school, young
| Agassiz was attending the Brienne
Gymnasium. His fayorite amusement,
| both going and returning from school,
was, at this time, the collection of in
sects. A little later, after his father had
removed from Motier to the small city Of
Orbe, we find him take also to plants,
and constructing herbarium. When
he reached that stage in his studies at
which it was customary to enter OIL the
| classics, he was sent TO the Academy of
Lausanne TO get initiated into them.
fhis, it would seem, was the least con-
genial portion oil his student life; for No
sooner were the doors OF the Lam.
Academy closed upon him TN No rn
tuineu w ND nie' ioNe- scientific inves-
Compelled =. ~ choose profession. he
pesah :. study Of medicine. Tne first
wv . years of his medical course he spent
rat Zurich and the following years in
Germany. We find him in 1876 at Heidel.
berg where Tiedemann was then Profess
sor of Comparative Anatomy, Bischoff,
of Botany, and Leukart, Zoology. A
year later he went to the University OF
Munich, where Oxen and Dollings, and
other eminent naturalists, were resid-
ing. Oxen foresaw that Agassiz was
predestined to celebrity, and said one
day, speaking of the young Swiss: III
have had many scholars, but only one
has understood me-" adding very char
acteristically, sand yet am not sure
that even he has understood me WELL"
The period of Agassiz's stay at Munich
was an important one in the history Of
science. Investigators had just begun
10 study the conditions of embryonic life.
The new study proved exceedingly at
: tractive to AgassiZ. The completion of
an important work on the subject de-
manded kno wledge of certain animals.
There was no one to undertake the task
but Agassiz. He set TO work, and while
engaged upon it conceived the idea OF
the gigantic undertaking which was des-
! tined 10 prove monument to his genius.
fI,ip fi,an in "A mr.
other studies. He was an assiduous
listener for many years to the philoso-
lphical lectures OF Schilling; believing
the study o< metaphysics part of the
preparation necessary tofitfor the study
OF the phenomena of Nature, and to in-
vestigate as far as possible the origin of
Life.
From 1917 to 1920, two philosophers, j.
B. de Spix and Z. Martins, had made
prolonged explorations in the interior of
Brazil. The fora and fauna of South
America were at this time. but very im-
perfectly known, and the collections Of
plants and animals made by Spix and
Martins contained number OF species
which had never as yet been seen in
4 Europe, and which were therefore of
great interest to naturalists. The two
undertook the publication Of an illus
trated work, in which they intended to
acquaint the reading world with a
minute knowledge of the newly-discov-
cred fishes. Spix died, leaving the
geological part Of the work incomplete.
| Martins, looking about him for a COM
petent co.laborer, hit upon Agassiz.
The young naturalist did not receil from
the task. His execution of it was equal
to his promise.
Agassiz now went to Vienna to study
| the fishes of the Danube and its tributa-
ries, The oonservators OF the museum
/ received him with great courtesy and
consideration. The living species Of
fishes Agassiz always observed with
great delight, but his ambition was to
throw light on the history of the extinct
species.
| In 1881 he went to Paris, where CuYier
the founder of new science, received
HIM with the greatest kindness, placing
every thing in his possession which might
nelp to advance the ambitious stranger
in his studies at his disposal. Alexan-
der Won Humboldt, at the same time
in France, recognized Agassiz as his
peer.
1t was soon after this that Agassiz,
feeling the necessity of permanent in
OF Natural History in the Gymnasium OF
Neufchatel, where he remained a num-
Der or years, and where some of his most
important work was accomplished.
--sss ss-~----
Time, the cradle of hope, but the grave
of ambition, is the stern corrector OF
fools, but the salutary counselor Of the
wise, bringing all they dread to the one,
and all they desired to the other; but,
/ like Cassandra, it warns us with voice
that even the sagest discredit too long,
| u Az EnI. IuAN