AUGUST WILHELM VON HOFMANN. 415 



seemed to be a single motion, he took them off and laid them 

 on the table; then plunged into his lecture, rather quietly at 

 first, but gathering energy as he went on, until he carried all 

 along with him in the rush of his ideas. Not that he talked 

 very fast, but his lecture seemed like a broad rapid stream, flow- 

 ing with irresistible force. When he grew excited, he had a 

 curious gesture, apparently taking the words from his mouth 

 and throwing them at his audience with the whole strength of 

 his body. His style was clear, vivid, and picturesque, his 

 experiments striking and apt, since he had a rare faculty for 

 contriving them, and was usually most successful in carrying 

 them through; but if, as rarely happened, an experiment did 

 not go well, or an assistant was slow in his work, he would fairly 

 dance with impatience. 



In the laboratory it was much the same. In his tall hat and 

 the invariable knit scarf, he hurried up to a student, and called 

 out almost as soon as he was within hearing, "What have you 

 got to show me to-day? " Then, if the new substance crystal- 

 lized well, — "This is a beautiful substance, a superb substance. 

 We will make a couple of experiments with it." After which 

 came a host of watch-glass experiments, leading deep into the 

 subject, all done with the same dash and enthusiasm. But if 

 the student had not enough clean watch-glasses, or did not 

 answer his questions quickly enough, he in his impatience 

 shook his knees with a peculiar sideways motion, — a most 

 alarming gesture, which also greeted the man who had not 

 looked up all that had been done on his subject, and did not 

 have his knowledge at his fingers' ends. This mode of teaching 

 was terrible for shy, nervous men ; but for others it was wonder- 

 fully inspiring, and all his students realized that this impatience 

 was only the overflow of his superabundant energy, and in no 

 way allied to bad temper. He was, in fact, one of the kindest 

 of men, and took the strongest personal interest in his students, 

 adopting their successes or failures in the laboratory as his 

 own; and when they were in misfortune he was always ready 

 with his help, whether in advice, sympathy, or money, as I 

 have the best reason to know. 



The energy which charaterized his teaching also appeared in 

 his researches. A rough count shows that at least three hun- 

 dred and fifty-eight papers bear his name; but even this number 

 does not give a just idea of his productiveness, since probably 



