XVIII JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS. 



The committee retired ;ind oii its return reported tbrougli the chair- 

 man, Dr. Wellinjj, the following preamble and resolutions, which were 

 unanimously adopted: 



Whereas the Board of llegents of the Smithsonian Institution has 

 been called to meet in extraordinary session by the atflicting intelli- 

 gence that iMoRRisoN Remick Waite, late Chief-Justice of the 

 5ui)reme Court of the United States, and late Chancellor of the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, has been removed by the hand of death from the 

 scene of his high activities and distinguished usefulness; therefore be it 

 Resolved, That sitting as we do at this time and jdace, in the very 

 center of that dark shadow whicii has fallen upon the whole land in the 

 lamented death of the late Chief-Justice Waite, and appalled as we 

 are by the suddenness as well as by the magnitude of the great afflic- 

 tion which in coming to the nation at large has come to us individually, 

 with an added pathos of sorrow because of the nearer view we have 

 had, for so many years, of the talents, virtues, and graces which found 

 their fauiiliar home in the person of our honored friend, we could with 

 much good reason crave for ourselves, in this hour of bereavement, the 

 humble ].ermission of mourning apart, that we might silently gauge 

 the depth and the dimensions of a calamity which brings to us its 

 message of personal grief and which has also torn away from our high- 

 est seat of justice its venerated and beloved chief; from the legal i)ro- 

 fession of the country its foremost ofdcial representative and therefore 

 its crowning exponent; from the walks of social life in this national 

 capital a commanding i)resence no less remarkable for his genial and 

 open hearted sincerity than for his aft'able and gracious benignity ; and 

 from the (Christian communion a true and faithful disciple who wit- 

 nessed a good confession as much by the simplicity and humility with 

 which he walked before God as by the unswerving consistency with 

 which he wore the ornament of a pure heart and of a meek and quiet 

 si)irit before the scrutiny of his fellow-men. 



Kesolved, That while an obvious sense of propriety must dictate that 

 we should leave to others in that great forum which was the chosen 

 arena of his life's career the sad privilege of depicting, with minute 

 and detailed analysis, the remarkable combination of strong and lovely 

 traits which met in the person of the late Chief-Justice and gave to the 

 symmetrical character of our beloved friend its blended sw^eetuess and 

 light, we can not omit, even in this hour of our special sorrow, to bear 

 our cheerful testimony to the pleasing amenity with which he presided 

 over the deliberations of this council chamber as the Chancellor of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, and sharing, as we all do, in a i)rofound ad- 

 miration lor lue intelligence he brought to our discussions, while ever 

 moderating them by the guidance of his clear thought and mild wisdom, 

 we can but render our reverent homage to the engaging personal qual- 

 ities which endeared him to us as a man, while at the same time grate- 

 fully confessing our obligations to him for the provident care and deep 

 interest which he always brought to the discharge of his official duties 

 111 this place, where, through all the years of his honorable and useful 

 service at the head of this Board, the Secretary of the Institution in 

 common with ourselves has leaned on him as the wise and true coun- 

 sellor who could be trusted as well for the rectitude of his moral intui- 

 tions as for the clear perceptions of his calm and judicious intellect. 



Resolved, That we will attend the funeral of our departed Chancellor 

 111 ;i body, and that the Secretary oi' the Institution, together with a. 

 «le])utation irom the memlx'rs of the Board, berecjuested to accompany 



