2 -] HIS HOME AT CAMBRIDGE. 37 



ume of Agassiz's Life. Agassiz corrected the manu- 

 script; and it was occasionally read aloud to his children, 

 as an exercise in their English studies. 



It was no small task for Mrs. Agassiz to manage a 

 family which, until then, had never used the English 

 language, and whose manners and thoughts were those 

 of the French Swiss, with many German elements. She 

 applied herself with rare perseverance, much gentle- 

 ness, constant watching, to Americanize the whole 

 family. As a rule, she never spoke French, although 

 understanding it perfectly. Her uniformly calm man- 

 ner and temperament helped her immensely ; she took 

 everything quietly, never losing her temper, always 

 serene, and determined to attach Agassiz and his chil- 

 dren to America, at whatever cost. 1 She was admirably 

 seconded by her sister, Mrs. Felton ; and it is not too 

 much to say that to these two ladies is due Agassiz's 

 remaining in the New World and the Americanization 

 of his children and grandchildren. At first Agassiz was 

 easily won ; he even affected, during the first twelve 

 years of his union with his second wife, to see and hear 

 nothing but what was American, severing almost every 

 tie with Europe. If it had not been for the prolonged 

 life of his mother, who died only seven years before 

 him, he might have been considered a devoted natural- 

 ized American citizen. But a gradual change came 



1 There is a sentence taken from a French author, very applicable to 

 the second marriage of Agassiz : " II n'y a d'amitie durable et feconde 

 qu'entre gens qui ne se ressemblent pas." How true of Agassiz and his 

 second wife. They differed in every way : education, character, disposi- 

 tion, and ideas. 



