Evening star., 1937-11-07
By John CIagett Proctor.
TIA recent dinner given in honor

T A recent dinner given in honor
n of DR.. Leonhard Stejneger.
II who had just reached the
4 \ eighty-sixth year of his age,
there were present several early en-
ployes of the Smithsonian Institution
and its branches, who worked in the
same institution with the doctor or
who knew him and were familiar with
his scientific work for a period of
more than half a century. 1t was,
indeed. an outstanding group of cul-
tured men and women who had given
their lives to science, some of whom
had come from far-off points to cele-
brate with the venerable scientist, who,
though old in years, is still young in
mind and body, and who enjoyed the
occasion with the spirit of a man
many years his junior.
Naturally, large part of those in
attendance were present as former
employees of the Smithsonian or the
National Museum, or those who had
once been identified with it, and had
it not been for the technical addresses
on ornithology, herpetology ZOO
well have been called gathering of
old-timers, or members of the Oldest
Inhabitants Association. However. in
this event, these high-faluting terms
would have had to be boiled down to
simpler terms, and ornithology given
as study of birds; herpetology, relat-
ing to reptiles. such as snakes and
lizards, and zoogeography, relation to
the distribution of animals. But this
was distinguished scientific gather
ing and everything was done scien-
tifically-most everything!
THE Norwegian Minister to the
United States. fine representa-
tive of his country. was there, and his
repeated reference to DR.. Stejneger as
a Norwegian by birth caused the sober
and staid DR.. Abbot, secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution, to burst into
song, without an accompanist, and
sing verse from "Pinafore," that ends
something like this: For he, himself,
has said it, and it's greatly to his
credit, that he is an Englshman, he
Is an Englishman." Instead. however
Of following Mr.. Gilberts words, the
doctor ended the verse with-"for he
is an American" And when one con-
siders the great number of years DR..
Stejneger has lived in this country
as an honored citizen Of the United
States, he is certainly all Of that.
Dr. Abbot, it might be here stated,
was the toastmaster, and indulged in
the liberties of that position to the full
est, and sang another song, about a
whale that tied his tail to the North
Star, or maybe it was the North Pole,
or something. The doctor himself is
a near old-timer. having come to the
Astrophysical Observatory of the in
stitution in 1895, first as assistant to
Prof. S. P. Langley and afterward as
director. He was made secretary of
the institution on January 10, 1928,
following the death of Charles D. Wal
colt.
incidentally, DR.. Abbot owes his
voice culture to having been men,
Der of the Washington Choral Society,
back in the S0s, when he helped to hold
up the bass end of the singing with
such we'll known Washingtonians as
Rolla P Curry, Carl A. Droop, Charles
j. James, Charles F. Roberts, w. F.
Rodrick, Eugene E. Stenus and about
80 others.
A LITTLE woman, quiet and unas-
suming. who was present then
told Of her early days in the institu-
ton. She was Miss Mary j. Rath-
bun, sister of the late DR.. Richard
Rathbun. Indeed, we might also call
her doctor, for she received the degree
of doctor of philosophy in 1917 from
George Washington University, and
the degree was certainly worthily be-
slowed, since her many friends regard
her as one of the foremost scientific
women in America.
When the writer first knew her, in
1884 she had the modest title of copy
ist, and was employed in the office of
her brother, then located in the west
end Of the Smithsonian Building, and
the other evening, in her remarks, she
referred to the numberless rats that
once infested the basement Of this old
building and the thrill she frequently
got when she had to go there, in this
poorly lighted place, for alcoholic
specimens, and had dozen or more
rats rush by her in their effort to
escape.
DR.. G. Wardell Stiles told of the
first settlement of an argument on
nomenclature when Cain and Able,
failing to agree upon this important
scientific subject, settled their differ
ences for all time when Cain slew his
brother. And there were other speak
ers. including DR.. c. Hart Merriam,
who recounted an incident in the life
OF DR.. Stejneger, when about so years
ago, he thought he was about to die,
and had granted him as his last wish
sight of the Grand Canyon, after
which he concluded he was going to
live; just another illustration that a
man is nns always out when he is
down. DR.. Merriam built one of the
flrst houses on what was then upper
Sixteenth street, then known as 1919,
or between T and U streets, at time
when this section was being con-
Verted from slashes and marshes into
Q residential part Of the city.
DR.. l.. o. Howard, retired entomolo-
gist of the Department of Agriculture,
and early connected with the Smith
sonian as honorary curator, was also
present. The writer recalls him as an
enthusiastic bicyclist of the early days,
who was particularly fond of riding on
the Conduit road as far as Great
Falls. and along other roads leading
In and out of the city.
RUT to the writer the thoughts of
the old Smithsonian Building
brought back the fondest recollections
OF all, when in his minds eye he
could almost see that fatherly old gen.
tleman, Spencer Fullerton Baird, who
succeeded Prot. Joseph Henry In 1878
as secretary Of the institution. He
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