MEMOIR OF HUMBOLDT. 675 



the field of the biographer he felt himself a 

 novice. His preparation for the task was 

 conscientious and laborious. For weeks he 

 shut himself up in a room of the Public Li- 

 brary in Boston and reviewed all the works of 

 the great master, living, as it were, in his pres- 

 ence. The result was a very concise and yet 

 full memoir, a strong and vigorous sketch of 

 Humboldt's researches, and of their influence 

 not only upon higher education at the present 

 day, but on our most elementary instruction, 

 until the very " school-boy is familiar with his 

 methods, yet does not know that Humboldt is 

 his teacher." Agassiz's picture of this gener- 

 ous intellect, fertilizing whatever it touched, 

 was made the more life-like by the side lights 

 which his affection for Humboldt and his per- 

 sonal intercourse with him in the past enabled 

 him to throw upon it. Emerson, who was pres- 

 ent, said of this address, " that Agassiz had 

 never delivered a discourse more wise, more 

 happy, or of more varied power." George 

 William Curtis writes of it : " Your discourse 

 seems to me the very ideal of such an ad- 

 dress, so broad, so simple, so comprehen- 

 sive, so glowing, so profoundly appreciative, 

 telling the story of Humboldt's life and work 

 as I am sure no other living man can tell it." 



