OF ARTS AND SCIENCES : MAY 24, 1870. 229 



after appointed Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, and 

 held that chair until 1827, when he was called to the similar chair made 

 illustrious by the genius of Dr. Robert Adrain, at Rutgers College, 

 New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he continued in active duty until 

 1862. He married, in 1819, Lucy Dix, of Boston, who survives him, 

 with three of their seven children ; one son of great promise, who was 

 in the army, fell during the late civil war. 



As a teacher Dr. Strong was remarkable for his faith in spontaneous 

 effort, and his utter want of faith in any sort of coercion ; he would 

 arouse the enthusiasm of his pupils to study subjects, not compel them 

 to study books. With this faith in the value of spontaneous effort, his 

 desire was more earnest to affect the character of the students than 

 merely to give them specific knowledge ; and with his firm convictions 

 of the truth of the Christian religion, he sought ever earnestly to 

 awaken religious life in his scholars, as the most effectual means of 

 arousing intellectual life. 



All his convictions, whether in religion, philosophy, or politics, were 

 very strong, held with extreme tenacity, and, if attacked, defended with 

 courteous but earnest warmth. It was said that he never failed, in the 

 College Faculties with which he was connected, to bring the majority 

 to his views. His conclusions were never hasty ; he was a patient 

 thinker and careful reader, and took especial pleasure in the writings of 

 the deeper English theologians. His firmness of conviction gave pleas- 

 ure even to those who differed from him ; no man could resist the 

 attraction of his frank, honorable self-poise ; and it was good also to 

 look upon a man of such robust health, maintained by habits of great 

 activity and cheerful self-control. 



His mathematical powers lay rather in the direction of geometry 

 than in analysis, yet his analytical power was also great. He was too 

 far advanced in years, at the time when the modern rapid developments 

 began, to be much affected by them, but has himself taken important 

 steps. 



The following is an imperfect list of Dr. Strong's mathematical 

 writings : — 



1. Twenty-two communications in Gill's Mathematical Miscellany. 



2. Seven communications in the Cambridge Miscellany. 



3. Twenty-two papers in the American Journal of Science, viz. : — 



On Trigonometric and Diophantine Problems, Vols. I. and 

 XXXI. 



