INTRODUCTION. 



ization has been named, Louis Agassiz, was in his 

 younger days pre-eminently an investigator, later in 

 life he became, perhaps even more, a teacher, and also 

 a popularizer of natural history. He possessed facul- 

 ties of rare power in all three directions, and, there- 

 fore, succeeded in making a deep and lasting im- 

 pression upon the history of science, as well as upon 

 the minds of the people. Before his day scientific 

 men were looked upon as busy triflers ; after that time 

 they had gained a certain standing in the eyes of the 

 public, and in the permanent respect of the better 

 educated classes. I have often heard him say that 

 science in America could not prosper without the good- 

 will and respect of the people. 



Darwin's service to science would have been much 

 slighter in its immediate effect had it not been for the 

 multitude of teachers who echoed his voice in every 

 institution of learning,and the lecturers who repeated 

 his theme with infinite variations from every rostrum 

 and newspaper throughout the civilized world. 



Fortunately for the future of science in this country, 

 there is now a daily increasing popular constituency. 

 This has been largely gained by the unselfish and 

 unrewarded efforts of investigators, and also by a 

 growing disposition on their part to help forward all 

 organizations having the education of the public in 

 view. Though needing as much as other men the 

 comforts of life, and having as great desire for the 

 enjoyment of its luxuries, and feeling quite as keenly 

 the need of making every effort remunerative, they 

 have nevertheless not hesitated to sacrifice their valu- 

 able time that others might be better educated and 

 the cause of scientific culture advanced. 



Sooner or later in the history of institutions there 

 comes a period of ripe development and increasing 

 usefulness, which must be supported not only by those 



