BIOGRAPHICAL MEMORANDA 



nological University at Delft, asking whether he would consent to 

 being placed, as first choice, on the list of candidates for the chair of 

 general and applied microbiology that would become vacant at the 

 end of the academic year 1920-192 1 owing to the retirement of M. W. 

 Beijerinck who had reached the 70 years' age limit. 



Kluyver was greatly astonished; he had expected that Prof. Dr. N. 

 L. Sohngen, then at the Agricultural University in Wageningen, would 

 be appointed as Beijerinck's successor, and never for a moment 

 thought of himself in that position. With the image of his father before 

 him, he soon realized the attraction of devoting the remainder of his 

 life to science and teaching; but at the same time he recognized the 

 great responsibility he would take upon himself. After careful delibera- 

 tion he cabled his acceptance. 



Kluyver took leave of Java and, with his family, boarded the S.S. 

 'Patria' at Tandjong Priok on October 26, 1921, reaching Rotterdam 

 at the end of November. Thus ended the 'Indian adventure', as he 

 used to call it. 



Those who have read the foregoing account may perhaps be inclined 

 to look upon this period as the story of two more or less unsuccessful 

 ventures; but Kluyver himself was also keenly aware of another 

 aspect. To be sure, there had been disappointments with the activities 

 during these years, but these were counterbalanced by an enormous 

 gain. The 'adventure' had taken him to Java and Sumatra, to parts 

 of Ceylon and of India. He had become acquainted with peoples and 

 conditions in the Orient. This had vastly increased his range of vision, 

 his insight into persons and circumstances, and left a body of expe- 

 rience on which he could draw during a lifetime in Delft. 



In his inaugural address of January 18, 1922, he expressed this in his 

 remarks to the student body in the following striking words: 

 '. . . fate has taken me to far-away countries, and did not Goethe, in 

 his "Wahlverwandtschaften", say: "Die Gesinnungen andern sich ge- 

 wiss in einem Lande, wo Elefanten und Tiger zuhause sind"? It is 

 true that I encountered neither elephants nor tigers in nature ; but the 

 emancipating influence exerted by living in a foreign environment has 

 not in the least worn off.' 



Meanwhile the family had moved into the official residence at the 

 Nieuwelaan, initially referred to as 'Beijerinck's house'. Although 

 the view from the front of the house onto the street was somewhat 



