SAMUEL CABOT. 555 



effect of atmospheric currents. While in Europe in 1896 he saw 

 Maxim and Lilienthal, and provided the latter with money to carry on 

 his work ; and in this country he stood ready to help the Wright 

 brothers, when the time should come to make their experiments 

 public. 



Another engrossing pursuit was the study of the authorship of the 

 plays of Shakespeare. He espoused the Baconian theory with great 

 vigor, and defended his position by elaborate and costly investigations. 

 His fine taste for art made him an authority on this subject also, and 

 proved of great use to him in some of the branches of his business. 



He was elected a fellow of our Academy in 1893, and served on the 

 C. M. Warren Committee from its establishment in the same year until 

 his death. That he held no other office was from his own choice, since 

 he was at one time elected treasurer of the Academy, but declined to 

 serve. He was also a member of the Society for Chemical Industry. 



In 1878 he married Helen Augusta Nichols, of Lowell, and they had 

 two children, a daughter and a son. In his family and society his 

 genial, affectionate nature won all hearts. It made one happier for the 

 whole day simply to exchange a few words with him in the street. 



This life, so full of various beneficent activities, was brought to an 

 end by a sudden attack of pneumonia, November 26, 1906. 



In looking back at his life the most striking characteristic was, J 

 think, his very high standards. It was not enough that he should be 

 successful from a worldly point of view, but in all his undertakings 

 the good of the country was a prime consideration ; the introduction 

 of new and useful processes, the utilization of waste materials, were his 

 objects quite as much as his own personal advantage. Further, all his 

 products must be of the highest quality, all his processes brought to 

 the highest perfection. His probity was without a flaw, and anything 

 mean or underhanded aroused in him a scorching, disdainful wrath, — for 

 he was always a fighter, never afraid of an outspoken expression of his 

 opinion ; yet even in his more vehement controversies his antagonists 

 could never lose sight of his sincerity of purpose and his large, warm 

 heart. With all his vehemence of opinion his character was a singu- 

 larly gentle and affectionate one, so that his genial nature won the love 

 of all who knew him well. His thoroughness in all his pursuits, and 

 the good judgement with which he selected or abandoned his manu- 

 facturing experiments, have been dwelt on sufficiently in the narrative 

 of his life ; but not enough has been said there of his generosity — always 

 on the watch to help the deserving, yet concealed so carefully that in 

 one case at least even the person benefited did not know from whom 

 the help had come. To these he added a modesty and humility which 



