New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-03
PROCTOR ON HENRY DRAPER.

WITH SOME OBJECTIONS TO A PHRASE ATTRIBUTED
TO PROFESSOR YoUMANs.
TO the razor Of The Trtbune.
SIR: time when all true lovers of science as
we'll as all no were personally acquainted with the
late DR.. III. Draper, mourning tue great loss SCI
ence has sustained in his death, is not for TAX
ing quick offence at detraction coming in the form
OF comparison with one wht m l have ever de-
lighted tc honor. My most valued friend, DR..
Henry Draper, knew, others lstill happily llvingl
know, with what warmth and zeal have ever ap-
banded tho work of American students OF science,
wnen some on this side of the Atlantic spoke co'dly
of it or even denied its worth or originality. L
had OF thought any American would have copsld
cred ii worth while or worthy thing to do, TO ry
to add to Or. DrspeI's we'll won fame 10y compari
son or contrast with work or ways of nine still less
by u contrast which though doubtless intended Cor
truth is utterly untrue and misleading. II my good
friend Professor Youmans we're right III saying that
DR. Draper v'as not like Proctor and others mere
watcher" i. would have still been an ungracious
thing to say unsuited TO the time. and most unlike
the ways of the kindly, generous man whose loss
we deDlore. But if there is one thing winch. IN his
evidently complete ignorance of myself and my
work Professor Youmaus could have said that
more remote from the truth than another, 1t was
this assertion that am u mere watcher. What L
chiefly admired in DR.. Henry DraUer. what aroused
my fullest sympathy with him in all his ldbors was
that lac was not of the mere gazing astronomers
for whose ways have sometimes expressed feel
Ing akin to contempt. AS to myself; eau only say
that If have done any mere watching work which
has attracted Professor loumanss attention. must
have accomplished great labors indeed for 1t is Ger
tain that not ono part IN a hundred scarce in a
thousaud of the work which have done has been
of tho gazing sort. II may be there is o misprlnt,
and what Professor Youmans really said was that
WAS mere writer" which would be equally I'M
gracious and only in appearance nearer the truth;
for If have written and said mnch about astron-
omy it has been because have worked and studied
more might turn for evidence in the Judgment of
Others ~ Professor Younans's own account OF my
work. when as get was beginner, IN tue pages OF
The Popular Science Monthly for 1873. But do not
care TO meet detraction with self.assertiOn. Con-
tent to labor and to wait simply ask my fellow
workers not e say of me what is untrue.
Let me. however, turn 10 other matters Let me
axe this opportunity to tell Americans how deeply
the loss Of Dr. Draper was deplored by all in this
country who knew his work and worth, how still
more deeply by those who knew HIM personally.
For my own part can truly say that If he bad been
n brother of my blood could not have sorrowed
more feelngly than | did when the sad news
reached us. met that day friend of bis aud mine
Mr. COwper RanYardl, and noted that rs he spoke
of our friends death his voice was broken through
emotion Many others here feel our loss as deeply.
MAY be permitted to quote here the closing
words of the obituary notice that wrote for hhoc'
edqe SO soon as the sad news reached us in Eng
land:
The loss sustained By science in the eatly death of
SO honest and Jealous a worker Is that whlcn we
must chiefly consider here. But It Is Impossible Tor
those who knew DR.. Draper personally TO omit some
reference to HIS qualities as II man. KINDLY genial,
ana bright he was "a living contradiction TO the
common idea tnAt the ardent student vi science
must be a man OF worn and gloomy aspect. serious
# not morose disposition. uncheertul IN tenpera-
,urut He spoke of the results OF patient long con.
nm apd toll as "a boy might talk OF trophy won al
cricket or baseball lie passed lightly over tho
rOnQheadedness OF evlOus because less successiu
workers 10 his hel of labor Blessed WITH the con-
punonshIp OF q wife who shared his aspirations en-,
cOuraged his abors relolced over MS sucSessIs ~
mpathized When less complete success imam no nau
hooed for lew arded him. lie pursued MIS- WJrk ear
estiy and zealously. With that lady, all VINO know
he aud knewhr ES.'1 in w the Sss Of
nIost valued friend. with whom we had hoped TO
fJregather again before many months were past
and Tor years If life had been granted us, 10 nave
hard IN his own country Jour home before long
and ftom his own lips the recital of bis hopes ana
fears, his partial failures ana MS maj and
recognizing IN him. ms we thought man OF enuur'
ioq cor stitution We should have hoped for him
longer span than for ourself by many years but
IL wns not be- and science has to mourn the pre-
mature death of one Of the most faithful Of her
servants
~ RICHARD A. PROCTOR.
l8ranstone House, Keic Surrey. Dec. 10. 1852.
tit is never well to take casual newspaper inter-
view too literally. in such cases the speaker Is
always at the nArCy If the reporter-who with the
best intentions and with general accuracy, may |
still, by the nero turn of phrase, or of single
word. convey q shade of meaning quito dinerent
from what the speaker intended. What man /
yritas can DO taken ntetallyi what anybody else