Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-07-09

rs full name was George Christian Leo
pDld Dagooeri Cuvicr. From the time he
was old enough to run about and play, h.
loved to motto, the ways of animals aud to
stuly them in their homes and hidden places.
He was sent to school at Stuttgart. 1t was
the wish Of his soul to be student of nat
ural history, and to give his life to search
ing into his favorite science. Great men
are always learning all their lives But
Cuvier YVES a poor boy. He had to start
out early to work for his own living.
Many boys. perhaps most of them. would
have thrown over their life plan, when they
found they had no money with which to
carry it out. But not this boy. He was
very quiet; indeel he never made much
fuss about anything, although he. was one
of the greatest of workers When he was Is
years old, he became teacher in a private
family. He hal been obliged to leave
school before completing his course,
because he was SO poor. He was a
teacher in the same family for six
years. AMI all these years he spent
the time he couli spare studying his favor
lite natural history. He knew the call of
every bird, the footprint of every animal
however wild or shy. The wild creatures
But genius cannot remain always hidlen
however poor and humble it may be. Some
learned gentlemen III Paris heard of the
gifted young naturalist, and urged him to
come to that city. He did so, and then his
fame began to grow. He made in time at
Paris the largest collection of birds, reptiles
and animals in Europe. Heplaced them in
the Jardin DIES Plants, the geological garden
of Paris. He made classified science of
the study of comparative anatomy; that is
the anatomy of animals as distinguished
from man. Zoology had never been regu-
larly arranged science before his day He
studied fishes as we'll, wrote books full
of knowledge about them. Upon rocks and
in caves and earth-mcunds are sometimes
found footprints, imprint', and fossil re-
mains Of unknown animals, monsters and
other strange creatures. They lived before
the period of history, and hence are called
"prehistonic.' Nobody knew much about
these before the days of Baron Cuvier
With his wonderful power of searching into
things, and finding cut about them, lie took
up the subject Of fossil remains of animals,
and socn the world knew nearly all that
has been found out about these uncouth
monsters. He advanced the doctrine that
animal life began with the simplest forms,
and from them, from age to age, were
grown animals more and more highly or
ganized. There is not room here to mention
half the work he did for science.
Honors were heaped upon him by his
country. High political and educational
offices were given to him, and grand titles
bestowed on him. And always his voice
was lifted for liberty and enlightenment
for the people. Through all his high digni.
ties his bead was never turned by vanity,
and he was never SO pulled up in his
mind that he thought he was better than
other persons. He remained the same SIM
pie, Woodworking student down to the end
OF his life. Death found him still busy with
his studies ard plans for science and for the
good Of his fellow-man. He was a genius,
because he could do everything he under.
| took and do it well.
| The portrait of him here given does no:
show the shape of his head fully. After bi:
| death his Eraln was weighed and found tc
be the largest and heaviest on record. He
| was also said to be the most beautiful man
| Of his time. He was so kindly, SO pure
minded and intellectual that after a while i,
just showed through in his face and made
him far nobler looking than other men. He
died suddenly Of paralysis, May 10, 1882.