412 LOUIS AGASSIZ. 



merits of a workman's life. The most eminent 

 men vie with each other in instructing and 

 forming the education of the population at 

 large. I have not yet seen a man out of em- 

 ployment or a beggar, except in New York, 

 which is a sink for the emptyings of Europe. 

 Yet do not think that I forget the advantages 

 of our old civilization. Far from it. I feel 

 more than ever the value of a past which be- 

 longs to you and in which you have grown up. 

 Generations must pass before America will 

 have the collections of art and science which 

 adorn our cities, or the establishments for 

 public instruction, sanctuaries as it were, con- 

 secrated by the devotion of those who give 

 themselves wholly to study. Here all the 

 world works to gain a livelihood or to make 

 a fortune. Few establishments (of learning) 

 are old enough, or have taken sufficiently deep 

 root in the habits of the people, to be safe 

 from innovation ; very few institutions offer a 

 combination of studies such as, in its ensem- 

 ble, meets the demands of modern civilization. 

 All is done by the single efforts of individuals 

 or of corporations, too often guided by the 

 needs of the moment. Thus American sci- 

 ence lacks the scope which is characteristic of 

 higher instruction in our old Europe. Objects 



