New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-09

one of pure criticism, and his mind would nave
been hvpercritcal save for a certain accuracy
of discrimination that led the men TO whom he
Iectured to scribble down his very epithets on
the margin OF their notebooks. and which car
ried into all he wrote a flavor few writer's nave
tho leisure to bestow" He criticised so much
that but little OF his own writing survived MS
censure II was in his conversation. In MS d.
rect influence upon other minds. That MS 1ahe
lives now He was nspiring-it was to him
that the recent study Of Plato at Campr'usc
owed Its enthusiasm; but he was also caustc
and derisive to an uncomfortable degree ohe
would like TO know what the victims thought or
his remark that he never knew what the phrase
"the inferior clergy In the Prayerbook meant
till he saw the canons Of a certain cathedral IN
the North of England; or this. so ana so was
very fortunate" abiding to pubic speaker
"he reminded me OF his father; he succeeded
in being at once dull and fippant. TO rel
low whose learning was of the trivial SORT anu
still did not include something OF moiheh'a'y
interest he exclaimed Il am surprised that you
are not acquainted with the fact; IL Is so very
unimportant" Hypochondriac IN temperament
he looked a contempt for the world which he did
not feel. and his bitter sayings were not meant
to be as cynical as they seemed. To this man
not recorded that Thompson said anything but
doubtless his sense of humor was tlcked when
the youth surprised him with bundle Of papers
nrobabv those which had already been pub
lshed in Edinburgh. remarkng Perhaps these
may show that am not unfit to enter at your
college, The masters Of colleges are not usually
over-impressed by the claims of budding genius
Nevertheless Maxwell was already famous, and
II was the prompt verdict Of Hopkins renowned
as q tutor in mathematics. that excellence In
Maxwell was matter of genius. 1T is not pos
sible for that man to think wrong on physical
subjects" he said admiringly. but added at
once that Maxwell deficient in the powers
of ANALYSIS This seems to be still the best
opinion on Maxwell's work.
1t was this fact perhaps that made him de-
fective as a teacher He reached conclusions
so easily. so much OF what with other men was
learning was with him mere intuition. mat he
found lecturng difficult. He could not see why
things so plain to him should be less OBVIOUS 10
others Mr. Glazebrook evades the question by
raising greater one. Teaching Is not all done
by lectures to crowds Of raw undergraduates
he urges and then points to MaXwelTs writings
the ideas and suggestions of which are not yet
exhausted though they have been worked over
by the ablest minds for the last twenty years.
IT is. of course impossible here to go into the
details of Maxwelrs Investigations respecting
color vision heat gases and, above all, electricity
and magnetism. But it Is we'll to keep the mind
fixed upon the point that since his time the hope OF
reducing the facts of electricity and magnetism OF
light and gravitation to unity. and thus of ex~
plaining at once the character Of the medium by
which force Is transmitted throughout the APP
parently empty depths of space. has become
stronger and stronger. Just because Maxwell
took the frs. steps toward this discovery, ana
pointed out the lines along which the future dis
coverer must direct his search, concludes Mr.
Gla-ebrook. I'VE claim for him foremost place
among the leaders of this century OF science.