New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-23
LOUIS AGASSIZ.
A NEW BIOGRAPHY BY THE SCIENTIST
JULES MARCOU.

The personality OF Louis Agassiz was even
more remarkable than his achievements IN SCI
ence. Mr.. Marcou has written biography
which. full 1t is of scientific Information
nevertheless makes this subordinate to the HE
drama Of an active. restless man, whose DIE
brain in the end wore out an exceptionally
strong body. He thus takes the view OF the
matter which Agassz himself might nave
taken. judging by the last words he spoke III
the presence of death Agassiz returned "
his native language, and would speak In no
other THE play Is done" he said. In trench'
as he neared the end Mr.. Marcou is reminded
Of Rabelais's dying words THE farce is over
There Is just the difference between the two
EXPLANATIONS that might be expected between
the bitter humorist and the genial man OF action
Learned as Agassz was the vast array OF his
writings makes only a fraction of what ne ala
for the advancement of science. In the future
what he accomplished by his winning mastery
of men will grow upon the Imagination ana
the Museum of Comparative Zoology AT hai-
ward will be familiar under his name TO multi
tudes who may know little of his printed BOOKS
He anticipated this fortune himself Inc
formal name of the museum Is cumDrous' anu
as Mr. Maroon says. peonastic, Tor there can
be no study of zoology without comparison
Agassz admitted the Appropriateness or the
title vet he hesitated TO say what he real!
had at heart. In his earlier years he might
have spoken out clearly, but in later HE ne
grew reticent. Only indirectly. and to none put
Mr. Marcou himself. was the wish confessed
81 did not want the name of any patron or
benefactor given TO It," he said; MIR. PEABODY
the generous American banker. of London has
lt,tt
with a large sum of money. but on condition
that II shall bear his name, that cannot ac-
cede to-" Mr. Marcou OWNED the rest OF the
thought "Of course" said he ut will be Agas-
.z.s Museum" Agassiz answered as If under
cbnstra.nt Yes you have ferreted out my
secret"
In reading these volumes through one VIII
not come upon many such incidents. OSuaIE'
when Agassiz wanted anything he wanted IL
with all his might. and was quick to say so
Mr. Marcou applies TO him the Wit'lclsh VI
Sidney Smith that Merit and Modesty nav
nothing in common except the initial letter Ills
whole life up 70 the moment OF the little con-
yersation just repeated illustrated the Ngor
with which he claimed the honors that were
due him The reader after going over THESE
volumes will surely turn back to the beginning
~ smile AT Mr.. MARQUIS account OF the origin
and meaning of the family name Agassz' II
there were any possibility Of Arabic or Moorish
derivation the name might mean conductor OF
leader But "in old French. and more especially
IN the patois Of the Canton de Naud, AgZ
Agiez. Agesse. Agassiz and Aigasse mean mag
pIe' a bird which was and Is still common III
the country around Orbe and La Sarraz' The
family coat-of-arms on the covers Of these
volumes shows that this meaning of the name
was accented as the right one In the most
favorable sense the name and the heraIdlc
symbol belonged to Louis Agassiz. FOR he wae
an enthusiastic talker
Agassiz was all his life an assiduous coiiec'or
OF specimens. He was Unsuitable, says MI
Marcou emphatic,lly land had real mania Tor
nossess,ne and keeping everything; and he never
rejected any specimen or drawing. NO'mhs
could equal the persistence and skill with Whlch
he besieged those who possessed the treasures
which he coveted Mr.. Marcou illustrates with
a leaf from the book Of his experience. In
1853 on one OF his numerous geological eXpiora-
tions. Mr.. Marcou had obtained from the Mocene
of Nebraska the head Of mammifer. showing the
brain with even a little of the reddish color OF
the animals blood on II. To a naturalist the
thing was almost like a living creature from a
remote past and Mr.. Maroon naturally wished 70
keep IT, But Agassiz was equally eager t. obtain
H. He asked for 1t several times. always meet
ING with refusal But in 1864. when Mr.. Marcou
was about to leave Cambridge Tor Europe
Agassiz gave a dinner party In his honor. Inc
guests had no sooner been seated at the table
than Agassiz began his last attack. In a loud
voice with an imporing tone and in the most
friendly way he begged for that specimen so
hard that II would have seemed cruel to deny his
request In fact, that day he acted Ike spoiled
child who wanted ong-desired toy or course
he got it,
This passion was not confined to his later years
and to his work for the museum which in the con
yersaton of the people bears his name. On the
contrary. when he began life teacher In
science he already had a collection which he
soId for over 1000 and 1t is probable that nc
would not have parted with It, such was his
acouisi,ive temper If t had not been purchased
for q museum which he was expected to create
His desire to accumulate specimens was not d
lust for his own enrichment 1t was the natura
result Of his absorbing interest In any sciehtih'
enterprise which he ventured upon. He was as
enereetlc al play as he was at work He wished
10 be al the front In everything. In school anc
college ne was marked scholar and he had M
sooner discovered his bent for natural science
than he began to look forward to being the hrs
of naturalists II Munich was the foremost uni
versity Of Germany In his student time, ne was
easily the most renowned among his contempt
raries there.
II.
mere scholar could not have won his notori
ety. The man who In a few years was to displa,
a marvellous knowledge Of fishes was for time
celebrated as the best fencer In Munich "WheI
At Heidelberg an insult to the Swiss clan o
which Aeassiz was the president was considere'
an serious among the students that a challeng
WAS sent BY Agassiz to the German club At
meeting of the German students choice wa
made OF one of their best swordsmen TO meet MIN
Aqassiz however. would not accept snch 'ohdi
-. ota ,ro,1lv not with o