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MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 111 
words with the accomplished lady who had brought the man- 
ners and tastes of Paris into the wilds of western America. 
These were probably Mr. Shaw’s happiest years, to which 
he always looked back with fullest appreciation of the bless- 
ings they bestowed upon him. He had youth, health, friend- 
ship, agreeable associations and surroundings; everything 
except wealth—and that was rapidly coming. Natural busi- 
ness ability of a high order, united with strictest integrity, 
unrelenting energy, rigid economy and close personal atten- 
tion, were producing their appropriate fruit. 
When the balance sheet for 1839 was struck it showed, 
to the great surprise of Mr. Shaw, a net gain for the year 
of $25,000. He could not believe his own figures, and so 
went over them again and again until he could no longer 
doubt the fact. Telling the story many years afterwards he 
said it seemed to him then that ‘‘this was more money than 
any man in my circumstances ought to make in a single 
year,’’ and he resolved then and there to go out of active 
business at the first good opportunity. The opportunity 
presented itself very early in the following year, and was 
promptly improved by the sale of his entire stock of mer- 
chandise. So at forty years of age—only the noon of life 
—with all his physical and mental powers unimpaired and 
vigorous, Henry Shaw was a free man—and the possessor 
of $250,000 (equivalent to $1,000,000 in our day) with which 
to enjoy that freedom. The practical philosophy—usually 
called common sense, because perhaps it is so very uncom- 
mon—which was the ruling feature of his character, was 
never more clearly and happily displayed than in this re- 
tirement. To it he owed what has secured him grateful 
and generous remembrance forever; to it we, and those who 
will come after us, owe the rare and precious gifts of per- 
fected Nature whose ‘‘infinite variety age cannot wither nor 
custom stale.’’ 
In September, 1840, Mr. Shaw made his first visit to Eu- 
rope, stopping on the way at Rochester, N. Y., where his 
parents and sisters resided. The youngest sister, now Mrs. 
Morisse, accompanied him to England, from whence, after 
a lengthy stay among relatives and friends, he proceeded 
alone to the Continent for an extended tour. Returning to 
