New-York tribune., 1885-10-18
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
AGASSI LIZ.

LOUIS AGASSTZ. His Life and Correspondence. Edited
by ELIZABETH CARY AGASsL 2 vols, crown oVo
PIP xii, 79i HOughton, Miilin Il Co.
Mrs. Agassiz has presented a memorial of her dis
tingnshed husband which surpaSses ia some rspects
every similar biographical work which we can re-
call to mind. 1t is principally occupied as the lie
OF such q thorough man of science ought to be,
with the record of his scientific labOrs and this
gives with n clcarness fulness. and precision which
we can hardly praise too highly, although OF course
it is intended for popular rcading rather than for
the sturdy of tho learned. With this intelligent
and sympathetic synopsis Of his work however,
which could Only have come from the pen OF stu
don't of bis favorte pursuits. we have picture OF
his personality which could only have been drawn
IN the soft light of domestic affection. There is no
deliberate attempt to illustrate lis character. his
temperament his habits, his manner; but little by
little the traits of sngnlary engaging personality
shine ont in the course of the narrative until there
results as complete representation OF the man
aud the scholar as we could desire. Before we have
finished the charming volumes we arc ready to clap
our hands over the letter which LOngfcllow wrote
Agassz from Rome in 1868;
One of the things most wished to say. and which
memory so beloved in England At Cambridge Pro-
fessor Scdgwick said: " Give my love TO AgassH.
Give him the blessing Of an old man." In London
Sir Roierick Murchison said: al have known a
great many men that liked bat love AgasSiz: ., .,
In the Isle of Wight Darwin said; " what a sct Oh
men yOu have in Cambridge! Both our universities
put together cannot furnish the like. why, tucro Is
rAgassiz,-ho counts for I hroe.'
Mrs. Agassiz lays special stress upon her Ol"sra-
ply as the story of intellectual life marked 10y
rare conference and unity of aim" She brings out
this point admirably for the continuity the scope
and the aim of her husbands labors are always
clear in her own mind. "Thc ability, so emlnchtly
possessed by Agassiz, of dealing with n number of
Ina fon nQrlip l.
ity. To him his work had but one meaning 1t was
never disconnected i'll his thought, and therefore
hc turned from his glaciers to his fossils, and from
the fossil to tho living world with tho feeling that
h, was always dealing with kindred problems
bound together by the same laws All lines OF
research IN his department of science led only 10
chapters in the great history of life and ITS dlStrOu
tion-the book of croatiOn-which he read with an
ALWAYS increasing belief in Col His opposition to
the current theories of evolution is well known but
perhaps it is not understood just how far that Op
position was carried and the explanation of the
limits within which he was ready to accent tho de-
yelopment doctrine, rs we'll as his reasons for re-
fusing to 60 further, will be read with deep inter
est both in the narrative portions OF the biography
and still moro in certain of the private letters
Some very curious remarks upon evolution may he
fonnd in a letter to Professor Adam Scdgwlck as
carly rs 1S45.
The full account of tho busy life of Agassiz in
Europe, before his removal to this country in 1916,
is not only attractive but II Is in great part fresh
He was only thirty mine years of age when he sailed
for Boston, on visit which was destined to become
n permanent settlement. but he was already famous.
His early career was vexcd by poverty and lack of
orportuuitcs but we can hardly say that it was re-
tarded by such discouragemcnts, for he possessed
such fund of enthusiasm, ingenuity, and boldness'
with snch lofty spirit of Sclsacrhcc that success
in his chosen pursuit was certain n magnificent
impru1ence was one of the secrets OF his rapid adj
vance To the end of his life he never could be in
duced to count tho cost. of scientific undertaking
and although he was thus involved in severe per
sonal embarrassmcnts, he faced them with serenity,
bore privatun with extraordinary chterininess,
and triumphed in the end. Tho story of the publi-
cation of his first independent work. the great Illus
trated treatise on Fossil Fishes" has sometimes
oil almost thrilling interest lie undertook TINS
costly and laborious affair at his own risk ana cX-
pense, when he about twenty-thIec years OF
ago. al kept always one AMI sometimes two artists
in nv paw" he says I" 1t was not easy, with an al
lowance of $3.50 a year, but they were even poorer
than l. and so we managel to get along together.
NV microscope hal earned by writing" One oi
the artists, Joseph Dnkel, who was associated with
Acassiz for long time. gives the following descrp-
ton of tue young .naturalists way of life at
Munich
His studio was a perfect German students room.
1t was large, with several wide windows; the furnl-
ture consisted of II couch and about nall q dozen
chairs besides some tables for the of his arts
and himself DR.. Alex. Braun and Dr. Schllnper
LODGED in the samo house. and seemed 70 me 70
share his studio Beng bOtansts they too, brought
home what they collected in their excursions, ana
all this found place in the atelIer, on the coucn
on the seats on the floors. Books filled the chars;
one alone being left for the other artist. While
occupied n standing desk with my drawing NO
visitor could sit down. and sometimes there was
littl IN about.
white, and diagrams were drawn on them, 10 which,
by and by, VIC artists added skeletons ana callca-
lures IN short, it was quite original. was some
time there before cOnld discover the real names Oh
his friends: each had q Observation-Disclosures,
Cyprinus, Rhabarb, etc.
The Fossil Fishes occupied Agassiz for more
than ten years. appearing somewhat irrcgularly in
numbers More than once it was in danger OF stop
ming for lack of money. In Paris, whittier he had
gone to examine certain indlspens bic collections
Agassiz was reduced to the last stage OF poverty
when he was rescued by an unsolicited enclosure of
a thousand francs from humboldt. An appoint
ncnt as Professor of Natural History in tho newly
established Lyceum of Neuchatcl at last gave hn
settled though very small income. 1t was OF some
help in the prosecution OF the great work which
was to give him rank, even before 1t finished.
with the most distinguished of European savans
and perhaps IT was of still higher mI ortancc as 1t
served to reveal his phenomenal gifts as an in
structor
He had. indeed, now entered upon the occur a
tion which was to be from youth to old age the de-
light of his life Teaching was passion with him,
ana his power over his pupils Light be measured by
his own enthusiasm. He was Intellectually. as well
as socially, democrat in the best sense. lie de,
Lighted 10 scatter broadcast the highest results oi
thought and research aud to adapt them even to the
Youngest and most uniformed minds In ms later
American travels he would talk OF glacial phe-
nomcna to the driver of a country stage-coach
among the mountains or to some workman, Spit
ting rock at the roadside, with as much earnest
ness as ii lie had been discussing problems with q
brother geoloGst; he would take the common hsh
erman into his scientific confidence telling him tho
intimatc secrets offish-structure or ishcmbryoogy