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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



tunities for leading the young into 

 correct methods of study, and every 

 leisure moment out of the classroom 

 for perfecting himself in those original 

 investigations that were his life work. 

 Mason's interest in anthropology be- 

 gan in his boyhood days, and his in- 

 spiration may be traced directly to the 

 enthusiasm with which he read a copy 

 of Guyot's '-Earth and Man" that 

 accidentally came into his hands. Fol- 

 lowing Guyot, the writings of Maury, 

 Guizot, Lane Fox, Klemm, Lubbock, 

 Tylor and Evans were devoured, and 

 his text for life became " thoughts in 

 things, or human history written in 

 human inventions." Ever a devout 

 churchman and a leader in Sunday- 

 school work, he equipped himself with 

 a knowledge of Biblical archeology, 

 which subject he pursued assiduously 

 whenever opportunity afforded. His 

 deep and growing interest in this and 

 kindred studies attracted, in 1873, the 

 attention of Professor Joseph Henry, 

 secretary of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion, through whose influence Mason's 

 studies became diverted to the Amer- 

 ican field at a time when but few 

 students were aware of the fruitfulness 

 and the possibilities of the western 

 continent for ethnological and arche- 

 ological research. In the same year he 

 was made a collaborator of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, and commenced to 

 compile the synonj'my of the North 

 American tribes — the inception of what 

 has developed into the " Handbook of 

 American Indians," now in process of 

 publication by the Bureau of American 

 Ethnology. He also prepared schemes 

 for anthropological exhibits at the Cen- 

 tennial Exposition in 1876, and became 

 the editor of the anthropological sum- 

 maries that appeared in " Harper's 

 Annual Record of Science and In- 

 dustry " (1874-8), in the American 

 Naturalist (187G-87), and in the 

 Smithsonian Reports (1875-93). Pro- 

 fessor Mason was appointed curator of 

 anthropology in the United States 

 National Museum in 1884, and head 



curator of its department of anthro- 

 pology in 1902. 



Otis Tufton Mason was the most 

 charming of men. Kind, generous, con- 

 siderate, patient beyond measure, with 

 a fount of humor that bubbled forth on 

 every occasion, one would never suspect 

 fiom outward appearance that the best 

 years of his life had been blighted by 

 mental anguish. Paralyzed after hav- 

 ing passed his sixtieth year, he began 

 life anew, as years before he had begun 

 again, after years of application, when 

 Henry advised him to drop the eastern 

 Mediterranean field and adopt America 

 as the subject of his labors. His right 

 hand being practically dead, in a few 

 weeks he learned to write as well with 

 the left, and planned further work 

 with bravery worthy of a young man 

 in prime physical condition. 



Being essentially a worker among 

 collections. Mason's activities w'ere de- 

 voted chiefly to the material culture of 

 primitive peoples. This is exemplified 

 by his writings on the " Latimer Col- 

 lection of Antiquities from Porto Rico " 

 (1876); "Basket-work of the North 

 American Indians" (1884); " Throw- 

 ing-sticks in the National Museum " 

 (1884); "Cradles of the American 

 Aborigines" (1887); "North Amer- 

 ican Bows, Arrows and Quivers " 

 (1893); "Origins of Inventions" 

 (1895); "Aboriginal American Zo- 

 otechny" (1889); "Aboriginal Amer- 

 ican Basketry" (1902), and many 

 others. He insisted that the most rigid 

 methods of the naturalist should be 

 applied to the investigation of human 

 problems, and that every human act 

 and invention be subjected to this close 

 scrutiny. His long experience in the 

 training of youth made him ever a 

 willing guide and instructor of those 

 in search of the knowledge that he pos- 

 j sessed, and many a young student re- 

 I ceived his first impetus in the study 

 of ethnology through Mason's friendly 

 aid. His scientific papers, numbering 

 many score, are written largely in pop- 

 ular vein, as if designed for the benefit 

 of youth rather than for his fellow 



