PERSONALITY OF AGASSIZ 



Agassiz, it is said, had been afraid of soften- 

 ing of the brain, and of a long and painful 

 illness like that which preceded the death of 

 his friend Professor Bache; it had been his 

 hope that he might rather go quickly. Yet it 

 was not easy for him to think of dying, when 

 his imagination teemed with projects, and 

 when the two main visions of his life were on 

 the point of being fully accomplished, in the 

 great Museum and the Anderson School of 

 Natural History on the island of Penikese. 

 Stricken though he was, he clung to life, nor 

 did he give up all hope of recovery until the 

 last day. Still there w T as a change of demeanor, 

 for the aims of his career as a scientist were now 

 less obtrusive in his mind than thoughts of his 

 family. And with the arrival of Dr. Brown- 

 Sequard he resumed the language of his youth, 

 so that his last words were uttered in French. 

 In the closing hours, when at length all hope 

 was abandoned, he was more than once heard 

 to say: 'Tout est fini.' On the eighth day, 

 when death itself was approaching, his family 

 and friends among these, Pourtales withdrew 

 to an adjoining room, keeping watch over the 



[51] 



