The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-06

copal services on Sunday in the fore
noon and devoted part Of the afternoon
and night to his flies.
If he read an article in newspaper
which he did not like he Invariably sat
down and wrote the editor a letter
about it. not caring what the editor
did with it.
Il guess they'll think I'm some old
crank he would say, but that don't
matter. I'd rather tell him honestly
what 1 think Of his views than harbor
my thoughts or speak to others about
it
OF course. a positive character like
DR.. Strecker made enemies. as well as
friends. Among the latter was George
= Raer. president of the Reading sys-
tenn and the jersey Central railroad.
They were -neighbors, and DR.. StrecKer
snent an hour or two with MI Baer
every Sunday.
Mr. Baer is a flower and plant lover
and the two combined their hoDoles 70
the interest and edification OF eacn oth-
er as they smoked and chatted IN MT.
Baer's greenhouses.
II DR.. Strecker made an enemy oy MS
positiveness of character ana outspoA-
en- oDinions, he would invariably accos
the offended person later and explain;
Here. old fellow. let US bury the
Ratchet and begin over again. pear
no i'll will. and you should not be I'M
friendly to me"
Such renewed friendships were moro
firm and lasting than ever before.
q @ g
One of the most difficult jobs Of
printing ever submitted to an office
here was an index of the technical
names of every butterfly and moth in
the world, which DR.. Strecker pre-
pared Some of the printers got head
aches doing the work of spelling out
the almost unpronoUnceable vocabu-
larry.
Years ago he determined to print an
illustrated book OF butterflies. He en-
graved the flies on stone, for he was
quite an artist, sent the plate to New
York, had 300 copies printed and then
had the stone returned, when he en-
/ graved a new series Of illustrations on
the same stone. Then he returned if
to the printer
trips before the work was ready to be
bound. The edition consisted of 300
copies and all were sold.
g q -
| DR.. Strecker's collection was begur
here shortly after he left Philadelphia,
where he was born. He published sew
/ eral books on the study of his life. He
would frequently say:
Yes, IL seems to be folly. but Tn,
! IN 1t now and can't we'll get out of il
! When collection is the delight of a
man lie his whole heart is in it. and
/ there you are. While I have spent q
/ great deal of money in collecting nv
moths and flies, am glad to know thai
nave neglected nothing
We are all comfortable. and when I
! die some one may come along to take
UP the work where I leave off and keen
on adding to the collection from the
! isles of the South Pacific and other
lands that have not yet contributed to
any collection
Dr. Strecker's collection contains
/ some flies valued at $1,000 each. They
are perfect. Some tattered flies of the
same species in other collections are
held at $1,000 each also.
/ Some Russian grand dukes were in
i monthly correspondence with him. His
largest butterfly is about twelve inches
/ across the wings, and came from Bra
I'll.
His butterfly library consists of more
/ than LOCO very large volumes in several
| languages.
He rarely. If ever. spoke on his favor
tie subject TO anyone not a scientist
In fact. he disliked to converse with
unlearned people on any scientific sub
ject. and it was with great difficulty
that he could be induced to give even
| the shortest answers in relation to his
collection
DR.. Strecker leaves a widow, a grand
son and a married daughter.