158 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 



really attract, control and lead a child, and help to form his habits and character, without 

 first loving him ; that nothing in the world is so powerful as real disinterested affection. 

 He gave, himself, by lectures most carefully prepared, an hour's instruction, real instruc- 

 tion, every day. All his pupils retain their respect and love for him, and some keep the 

 notes they made of his talks, and read them with delight. The school was continued for 

 sjeven years, with great success, attracting pupils from distant parts of the country. 



One of the secrets of his success as a teacher was, that he brought in nature to teach for 

 him. The young ladies of a large school were amused at his simplicity in putting a grass- 

 hopper into the hand of each, as he came into the hall ; but they were filled with surprise 

 and delight, as he explained the structure of the insect before them, and a sigh of disap- 

 pointment escaped from most of them when the lesson, of more than an hour, closed. He 

 had opened their eyes to see the beauty of the wondei'ful make of one of the least of God's 

 creatures. What a lesson was this to young women preparing to be teachers in the public 

 schools of our Commonwealth, showing that in every field might be foimd objects to 

 excite, and, well explained, to answer the questions, what ? and how ? and why ? which 

 children will always be asking. 



He had all the elements necessary to an eloquent teacher : voice, look and manner, that 

 instantly attracted attention ; an inexhaustible flow of language, always exjiressive of rich 

 thoughts, strong common sense, a thorough knowledge of all the subjects on which he 

 desired to speak, a sympathy with others so strong that it became magnetic, and a feeling 

 of the value of what he had to say, which became and created enthusiasm. He thus held 

 the attention of his audience, not only instructing and persuading them, but converting 

 them into interested and admiring fellow students. 



The advent of Agassiz is to be considered a most important event in the Natural His- 

 tory of the country. The example of his character, his disinterestedness, his consecration 

 to science, his readiness to oblige even the hinublest and most modest, his superiority to 

 self-interest, his sincerity and absence of all pretension, his enthusiasm in all that is noble 

 — all these recommended not only him, but the science he professed. Never was a life more 

 richly filled with study, work, thought ; and all was consecx'ated, not to the benefit of 

 himself, but to the promotion of science for the good of his fellow creatures. 



For many years Mr. Agassiz has seemed to live only for the advancement of natural 

 history, by the building up of his Museum, for which he had collected material, of the 

 greatest possible diversity, which would, properly cared for and arranged, form a Museum 

 superior in numbers and variety to any similar collection in the world. Shall this great 

 work be allowed to fail ? 



Let every person who honors the name of Agassiz, say No ! Let every one who regrets 

 that the great main support of the noble structure is taken away, resolve that it shall not 

 fail, but that, so far as depends on him and what he can do, it shall go on and be 

 built and filled, and stand firm, a glorious temijle of science forever. 



At the conclusion of Mr. Emerson's address Rev. Dr. R. C. Waterston in response to 

 an invitation from the chair, spoke as follows of Pi'of Agassiz's connection with the Cen- 

 tennial Anniversary of the birth of Humboldt : 



At a meeting of the Boston Society of Natural History, June, 1869, it was moved and 

 voted that a celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of the birtli of Alexander von 



