EDITOR'S TABLE. 



271 



mature virtues, arid are rather dis- 

 posed to repress recognized tendencies 

 to precocity ; but we believe that the 

 germs of good are sown in every 

 normal human being, and that, unless 

 killed by most unwise treatment, they 

 will fructify in due time. 



What we may well consider seri- 

 ously is whether our modern modes 

 of life enable us to do that justice to 

 children which evolutionary teach- 

 ing requires. Can true health of 

 body and mind be conciliated with 

 social ambition or with commercial 

 ambition ? Are we not hampered at 

 every turn by false schemes of edu- 

 cation, the object of which is to turn 

 out certain conventional products ? 

 How many of us can rise up in effect- 

 ive rebellion against the very fash- 

 ions that in our hearts we most con- 

 demn ? Before there can be any- 

 thing like a perfect education for the 

 young there must be a much more 

 fully developed sense of duty than 

 we see as yet in the older generation. 

 The doctrine of evolution is putting 

 the key to a true system into our 

 hands ; but to use that key aright re- 

 quires courage and high purpose — 

 qualities that are not of everyday 

 occurrence. Still, it is matter of con- 

 gratulation that the truth is not far 

 from us. It is well established in 

 our theories, and one of these days 

 we may hope it will gain a wide and 

 secure footing in our practice. 



DAVID AMES WELLS. 



In the death of David A. Wells, 

 which occurred at his home in Nor- 

 wich, Connecticut, on the 5th of No- 

 vember, 1898, America has lost one 

 of her ablest and most productive 

 men of letters and science a distin- 

 guished representative. Out of a 

 life of seventy years it may fairly 

 be said that Mr. Wells gave fifty of 

 them to intellectual pursuits, which 

 were mainly devoted to the advance 



of science and its application to prac- 

 tical affairs. After passing the pe- 

 riod of early study, and particularly 

 since he became interested in eco- 

 nomic questions, much of his work 

 was in the line of original investiga- 

 tion, the results of which have from 

 time to time been given to the public 

 either through his books or in the 

 magazines. Another and more con- 

 spicuous feature of his career, the 

 one perhaps that made him best 

 known at home and first gave him 

 reputation abroad, was the valuable 

 service that he rendered the coun- 

 try at large in straightening out 

 the financial tangle the Govern- 

 ment had got itself into during 

 and after the civil war. In this 

 undertaking his great store of learn- 

 ing, rare practical sagacity, and un- 

 wavering confidence in the final 

 result, carried him through to a 

 brilliant success, earning for him in 

 high quarters the most flattering 

 testimonials of admiration and re- 

 spect. 



Looked at in the light of what 

 he actually achieved, Mr. Wells's 

 preparation for his life work seems 

 to have been almost an ideal one. 

 Gifted with a strong love of Nature 

 and having a decidedly practical 

 turn of mind, he early showed a 

 fondness for the study of science. 

 This led him, soon after graduating 

 from Williams College in 1847, to 

 enter the Lawrence Scientific School 

 of Harvard University. Here he 

 completed the course with the first 

 class that was graduated by that in- 

 stitution in 1852. While studying 

 in the scientific school young Wells 

 became the special pupil of Agassiz, 

 and, as the sequel shows, caught the 

 enthusiasm with which that great 

 master was wont to inspire the young 

 men who were fortunate enough to 

 come within the range of his influ- 

 ence. During this period Mr. Wells, 

 in association with Mr. George Bliss, 



