, 1879-06-15
His Sympathy with ALI Kinds Of AMI
- mails, and Belief in the .1m-
mortality OF Their Souls.
Darwinigm His Bete Noir-How Hs Pro-
posed to Investigate "spirit-
ualistio" Phenomana~
Ais Passionate Lore for His Adopted Country,
sud Hatred oi Exhibitions Of Provincial.
ism by American Stientistk
Hdfpe,'s Ma0dztn6.

tons in difficult department Of zoology, he re-
ceived letter from the President OF lyceum
at the West, offering him large sum for
course OF popular lectures on natural history.
His answer was: ri CANNOT AFFORD TO WASTE
MI TINE IN MAKING MONEY" The words de-
serve to be printed in capitals; but Agassiz was
inuocentlY surprised that sentiment very
natural to him should have excited SO much
comment. He knew that scores of his brother
scientists, American and European, would have
used the words "afford " and "waste in the
same sense had they been similarly interrupted
In an investigation which promised to yield
them new fact or principle. Still, the an
nouncement from such an authority that there
was body of men in the United States
who could not afford TO taaste time in
making money had IN immense effect.
It convinced thousands OF intelligent and
opulent men of business, who ha never before
thought a moment Of time devoted to the max
ing of money could be wasted, that science
meant something; and it made them liberal OF
their money when it was asked for scientific
purposes. It did even more than this-it made
them honor the men who we're placed above the
motives By which they themselves we're .ordi-
narily influenced
MI FlHST IMPRESSION
OF the genius of Agassiz was gained when he
was in the full yigor of his mental and physical
powers. Some thirty-fve years ago, at meet
ing of a literary and scientific club OF which I
happened to be member, a discussion sprang
up concerning Dr.. Hftchcock's book on "Bird
Tracks," and plates were exhibited representing
his geological discoveries. After much time had
been consumed in describing the bird-tracEs as
isoloted phenomena, and in 1avishing compli-
ments on DR.. Hitchcock, man suddenly rose
who in five minutes dominated the whole as
eembly. Hewas, he said, much interested in
the specimens before them, and he would add
that be thought highly of Dr.. Hitchcock's book
as far as it accurately described the curious and
interesting facts he had unearthed;
but, be added, the defect in DR.. Hitch
cocks volume is this, that sit il dees-
creep-taae, and not Compensated" It was
evident throughout that the native language OF
the critic was French, and that he found some
difficulty IN forcing bis thoughts into English
words; but never can forget the intense
emphasis be put on the words "descriptiVe"
ana "comparative, " and by this emphasis fash
ing into the minds OF the whole company the
difference between an enumeration Of strange,
unexplained facts, and the same facts as in
terpreted and put into relation with other facts
more generally known. The moment be con-
trasted
"cEEs- CREEP TEEvE'' WITH "CoM-PAR-A-
TEEyE''
one felts the vast gulf that yaTned between
mere scientific observation and scientific intelli-
gence, between eyesight and insight, between
minds that doggedly perceive and describe and
minds that fnstinctively compare and combine.
The speaker vehemently expressed his astouish-
meat TINT scientist could observe such phe-
nomena, yet feel no impulse to bring them
into relation to other facts and laws scientific
ally. established. The critic was, OF course,
Agassiz, then In the full possession Of ali
his exceptional bowers of body and mind. You
coulL not look at him without feeling that you
were In the presence OF magnificent specimen
OF physical, mental, and moral manhood; that
in him was realized sainte-Beauve's ideal OF
scientist-" the soul Of a sage in the body Of
m athlete" At that time he was one OF the
comel,est of men. His full and ruddy face,
glowing With health and animation, was crowned
Dy brow which seemed to be the fit home for
such a; comprehensive intelligence: and the
slight difficulty he oVercame in enuDciating En-
g!ish words only lent to them increased sig
nificance. He gave the impression that every
word he uttered embodied fact or principle.
Afterward be so adapted his organs Of speech
~ LllC AQE4l5u !AuEuHIF L1lAL uG Gu0EU Ill 6pEak-
ing aud writing it as though it were his mother
tongue It there was any exception to be made,
It Was ~ one OF his fayorite terms, "deyelop-
ment- He never completely oyercame his ten
dency to pronounce it deyil-ope-ment.
THE MPULsE
that Agassiz gave to the cause of science in the
United States Is universally admitted to have
been as remarkable as It was benefcent. A dis
1inguished American scientist, who was entirely
unint1ueneed By tile geological and geological
theories OF Agassiz, once confded to me hts
Judgment as to the value OF the great natural
ist's work Is scientific force ~ look upon
him." he said, ''as prophet, as an apostle of
science; he has made every honest investigator
his debtor; he has not only elevated in public
esteem the Intellectual clasg to which he be-
lougs, but ne has induced the rnoneyed class
and the political class to give science the means
Of carrying ont Its purposes. Since Agassiz
came into the country you cannot but have
noticed that private capitalists, State LegisIa-
lures, and the Congress Of the country have
been liberal OF aid to every good scientific en-
1erprise. We owe great part Of this Iberality
to AgAssiZ- He it was who maguetized the
people With his OWL scientific enthusiasm. he
made science popular, because in him science
was individua1fzed in the most fascinating and
Of human beings. All the rest OF US
are more or less SO dominated by our special
lines Of Investigation, or SO infrm in physical
health, or so supercilious, or SO controlled by
some innate 'clssedpess' of disposition, that
ne cam OF readily adapt ourselves to the WAYS
Of men Of the world; but Agassiz, with bis
enormous physical health and vitality, and
his capacity to meet all kinds OF men on their
)wn lcvel, drew into our net hundreds OF
people, powerful through their wealth or
heir political influence, who would never have
aiken any interest in sciencen they had not first
been interested in Agassiz. And these men
we're the men who gave us the money We need
ID for the extension OF scientific knowledge and
he promotion OF scientific discovery. AgassiZ |
& 4 great scientific intelligence; but he is even
yreater considered IS an immense scientific |
orce."
The extraordinary influence which Agas.iz e1-
.rtcd over assem- blagcs OF men who had small |
OF the scope OF his thinking was due |
o general impression OF
tuls D1sETERKsTEDTEss,
Is well as to his magnetic personality. On one |
occasion, when his museum was In need Of |
money for purely scientific purpose, be invited |
lie members OF the Legislature Of the State of |
Massachusetts, to visit 1t, with the design of in
ucing them to vote the sum be required After
short persuasive address, delivered In the ball
4 the museum. be led them over the building,
ointing out the great things that had been
chieVed, and the still greater things that we're
o follow II bis plan was carried out. In ascend
1g the stairs l happened to overbear
no intelligent legislators, evidently
,f1uers, who were considering the propriety OF
wing the proposed Legislative aid. II don't
nov much" said one, sabout tile value Of