608 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



Ph.D. from that university in 1875. While there he gave his time to 

 chemistry as the principal subject and mineralogy as the subordinate. 

 Wohler was still living but had retired from active service. Never- 

 theless he spent part of his time in the laboratory and a few favored 

 students, generally Americans, were given the privilege of working 

 with him. Morse was one of these, and throughout his life he took 

 delight in recalling his personal experiences with Wohler. The active 

 head of the laboratory was Hiibner and it was with him that most of 

 Morse's advanced chemical work was done. It is interesting to note 

 that Hiibner was distinctly an organic chemist and those who worked 

 with him naturally tended to follow in that field. For some reason, 

 however, very little of Morse's later work was in that field. His 

 best work, that which gained him distinction, was really in physics, 

 though, in reference to present custom, probably should be called 

 physical chemistry or perhaps chemical physics. 



Returning to America in 18/5, Morse was given a minor assistant- 

 ship at Amherst and spent the academic year there under Harris and 

 Emerson. These two men have had a marked influence on the lives 

 of many men. The number of chemists and geologists who had their 

 early training under them I do not know, but I do know that among 

 them were many of note. In Johns Hopkins alone there were two 

 Amherst men, students of Emerson, who became successively pro- 

 fessors of geology. I refer to George Huntington Williams and 

 William Bullock Clark. Here also Morse came. I have elsewhere 

 (see Science, November 26, 1920) told that story in brief and I may 

 here repeat what I there said. 



In 1875 it was announced that the Johns Hopkins University would 

 begin its work in the year 1876. Shortly after it became known that 

 the writer of this notice was to be the professor of chemistry in the 

 new university he received a call from Morse who brought a letter of 

 introduction from Emerson. This letter led me to take more than 

 ordinary interest in the bearer. Whatever we were to do in Balti- 

 more, it seemed clear that I should need an assistant, and I told him I 

 would in due time arrange for his appointment. Hearing a little later 

 of the fellowships that were to be awarded I secured one of these for 

 Morse and so his connection with the Johns Hopkins University began. 

 Before the doors were opened, however, he was designated associate, 

 and we began our work together for better or for worse. We had no 



