The San Francisco call., 1896-02-04
A Scholarly Memoir Delivered
at the Acdaemy of
Sciences.
ELOQUENT AND ERUDITE.
He Characterizes the Departed Scien.
fist as the One Master in
Geology.

| Professor Joseph LIE Conte delivered at
the Academy of Sciences last evening a
scholarly and eloquent memoir on the late
James Dwight Dana of New Haven, Conn.
He said:
| By the, death of Professor Dana, the fore
most geologist not only of America, but of the
world. has been taken from us.
My first meeting with Professor Dana was in
the year 1850, when listened at New Haven
hydroids and plants. This subject iiO is well il
known now, but was new then. His slender
form, agreeable, resonant voice and magnetic
personality, together with the deep philosophy
| OF his thought and its poetical expression,
made great impression upon me.
Among such men as Agassiz. Henry, and
William and Henry Rogers, Dana, although
only 81, was prominent figure, for at that
time he had published some OF his greatest
scientific works.
If it is true. as the positive philosopher Kant
has it, that noble life is one in which a noble
fundamental idea is conceived in youth and
which the remaining years of that life are
| eninently noble, for in his early manhood he
conceived the idea of evolution in geology,
and the efforts of his entire remaining years
were directed to the development and elabora-
tion OF that idea.
The idea of evolution in geology was not
Clearly known at that time. Although it per-
science. it did not become vitalizing idea
until Dana. Then 1t was set forth clearly like
revelation, in his manual of Geology.
The publication of this idea marks an impor-
tai epoch in the history of this science.
The idea of the development of the earth as a
unit reconstructed geological science, and on
tn1S OASIS geology became one of the great
branches of abstract science and all through
the eff orts of Dana.
The professor outlined brief history of
the lale scienti SITS life, dwelling on those
epochs when he had achieved fame by the
fruits OF his research and discoveries.
He was born February II, 1913, at Utica.
n. Y, of intelligent New England parents,
aud died in New Haven, Conn, April Ia, 1895,
aged 81 years and 2 months.
His early taste vas fostered by direct contact
men as Fay Templeton and DR.. Asa Gray. In
| 1920 he entered Yale College, and on his
| graduation began a sea voyage on one of the
ships OF theUn1ted States navy as an instructor
| OF m1dsh1pmen. During this voyage he care
| fully studied the phenomena OF volcanoes and
! on his return in 1885 he published his first
scientific paper, which was on ''Vesuvius.'
subsequent to this voyage he made another
| around the world, and afterward lived the
usual uneVentful life of the scientist. His
achievements and activity were in the world
touched he illuminated. There are few men
whose thoughts have ranged SO widely as have
Danas. He became the hig hest living author
| ity in geology and zoology. In these he was
| foremost. and in such sciences as physics,
| chemistry and even mathematics his knowl-
edge was vast and thorough. AS he grew
| graytated to geology.
Dana's wide and exact knowledge in other
| sciences peculiarly fitted him for geology
| fitted him even better than though he were q
specialist in that science.
The subject of corals, coral reefs and coral
| islands interested him greatly, and the mighty
and gradual movements of the earth's crust as
set forth in the subsistence theory of atoms
powerfully affected his mind. This theory
that originated with Darwin. that the fora oi
| the mid-Pacfc is sinking, and in correlation
to 1t that the American continent is rising
| particularly along its western border, and has
been rising for ages, is one on which he threw
much light and to which he furnished many
substantiating proofs
! Another theory that originated from his
4 labors and that received his earnest attention
was the theory of capitalization or "headward
deyelopment'-the increasing of the head
| function over the bodily function. Dana an
nounced this as law of evolution, and as q
guide for classification. He discovered 1t while
classifying crustaceans.
! Like all great thoughts its application is
Doundless, and, like great thoughts, it is ac-
corded many applications. l myself apply it
1 as the increasing dominance of the higher over
the lower and of the highest over all. Begin.
ming with the lowest form of life-the
protozoan-and ascending upward to man we
find the numerous functions to have a ten
| dency toward more rapid and more perfect de-
velopment. In the numerous functions the
highest part, the brain, receives the most at
| tention; in the brain the highest ganglIa OF
| the cerebrum; in the cerebrum the external
mating development of the highest part is evi-
deneed in the increasing proportion of the
| frontal lobe.
| AS there is an increasing disposition of m ind