SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 81 



trinities. Dr. Dall told me the story of the origin of the National 

 Museum building. The need was very great, but congress did not 

 seem at all disposed to do anything. However, when the Centennial 

 Exhibition was held at Philadelphia, money was loaned by the govern- 

 ment to that city, aDd the congressional committee on appropriations 

 was persuaded to agree that if the money was repaid a portion of it 

 should go for a museum building. This was a qualified sort of promise, 

 especially since many supposed that the money would never be seen 

 again; but Baird was determined to make the best of it. He called 

 together his associates, and exjxlained the situation, adding that un- 

 doubtedly the final action of congress would depend very largely on 

 the sort of exhibit they could make at the centennial. Under these 

 circumstances, said he, it was for the staff to do their utmost, and he 

 depended upon them to help him to produce an exhibit such as the 

 people of America would be proud of. So they all worked day and 

 night for six months or more, several of them without financial com- 

 pensation, and when the exhibition was opened, every one was delighted 

 with the result. The money was repaid by Philadelphia, the museum 

 appropriation went through in 1S79, and the building was ready for 

 occupation in 1882. To-day it is as crowded as the old one was then, 

 and happily another and better building is in course of erection. It 

 is thus seen, that from first to last, it is no exaggeration to say that 

 our National Museum owes its very existence to Baird. It is difficult 

 to say what would be the condition of biological science in this country 

 to-day had he not lived. It is at least probable that our credit as an 

 enlightened and progressive nation would in this direction be very 

 different, so greatly does a country depend upon its gifted sons ! 



As time went on, and the museum expanded, Baird was obliged to 

 seek an assistant to share the administrative duties, and his choice fell 

 upon Dr. George Brown Goode, who was already connected with the 

 Fish Commission. In 1887 Dr. Goode was made assistant secretary 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, in charge of the National Museum. 



Baird had met Goode in 1872 on the Maine coast and had at once 

 become greatly interested in him. Miss Baird writes : 



From the time of their first meeting, a warm personal attachment sprang up 

 between them, which deepened every year up to the time of my father's death. 

 From the time when Mr. Goode became associated with the museum work, my 

 father's burdens in connection therewith greatly lessened, as year by year Mr. 

 Goode's ability in that line developed. No cloud ever obscured their harmonious 

 relations. I can recall but one difference between them, and that was on an 

 occasion where some idea having been carried out in connection with the 

 museum work in which they both felt a natural pride, each was so determined 

 that all the credit belonged to the other, and argued so strongly, that they 

 absolutely grew a little hot in discussing the matter! My father wished Mr. 

 Goode to take all the credit, and Mr. Goode insisted that he had only developed 

 what my father had directed. 



vol. lxviii.— 6. 



