SKETCH OF EDWARD L. YOUMANS. 695 



intelligible and attractive to the unscientific, and was an impressive 

 public speaker. His first course of lectures was on " The Chemical 

 Relations of the Living World to the Atmosphere," and dealt with 

 the geological history of the earth and with those large generalizations 

 concerning the respiration of plants and animals that were shown to 

 depend ultimately upon the forces of the sunbeam. These lectures 

 were early examples of his fondness for broad scientific conceptions 

 that bring together all departments of Nature, and his later lectures 

 upon the " Chemistry of the Sunbeam," the " Dynamics of Life," etc., 

 by which he was at one time widely known as a popular teacher of 

 science, are also illustrations of this mental tendency. 



The " Hand-Book of Household Science," published in 1857, was 

 designed as a text-book for girls, and is another illustration of my 

 brother's passion for applied science. He believed that the bearings of 

 science upon the economy of the household was " first in the order of 

 importance among things to be considered by rational and civilized 

 people " ; and that " it is the duty of popular education to communi- 

 cate that information which can be reduced to daily practice and 

 yield the largest amount of positive good." The book was a most 

 painstaking labor, and is a mine of useful knowledge concerning mat- 

 ters of constant interest to everybody. 



Professor Youmans was married in 1861 to Mrs. William L. Lee, 

 the widow of a distinguished lawyer and jurist, and a lady of culture, 

 refinement, and much critical literary ability. That a wife of such 

 nice perceptions and intellectual gifts should earnestly sympathize 

 with the literary and scientific work of her husband was to be ex- 

 pected. As his amanuensis, and as an assistant and companion in the 

 occupations, correspondence, and travel, by means of which he was 

 brought into intimate relations with the leading thinkers of England 

 and America, she rendered him valuable aid which he highly appre- 

 ciated. 



"The Correlation and Conservation of Forces" (1864) is a col- 

 lection of essays and addresses by the most eminent leaders of science 

 concerning the new theory of the relations of forces, with an introduc- 

 tion by the compiler, prepared in order to bring forward certain facts 

 in the history of discovery concerning the correlation and conserva- 

 tion of forces in which we as Americans have a special interest ; and 

 also to indicate several applications of the principles not treated in the 

 body of the volume. At one time my brother was strongly urged to 

 take the presidency of Antioch College. He did not entertain this 

 proposal, but when asked to take the chair of Chemistry in that insti- 

 tution as non-resident professor, he accepted, the appointment pro- 

 visionally, and gave a course of lectures there in I860. Various 

 circumstances, however, made it impossible to continue the arrange- 

 ment. 



"The Culture demanded by Modern Life" (1867) presented a se- 



