Memorial Addresses. 35 



zoology and botany was spent in the laboratory, where enough 

 gross anatomy was looked into to enable the students to find the 

 scientific names by means of Gray's Manual and Jordan's Manual 

 of the Vertebrates. 



It was, of course, a physical impossibility, with classes as large 

 as Professor Snow had, for him to spend much time with any one 

 student, and the renowned method of Agassiz had to prevail. A 

 single class filled the south and west rooms now occupied by the 

 Grreek museum, and although one of these rooms lacked the teacher's 

 presence for half of the time order and diligent work prevailed. 

 Once, the writer remembers, the boys barricaded the door between 

 the two rooms with a movable blackboard and proceeded to indulge 

 in horse-play. The teacher forced his way in and stood at the 

 entrance laughing. The boys applauded and settled back into good 

 order without a word of remonstrance or reproach from the teacher, 

 and nothing of the kind again occurred. ' 



Extensive as was the ground covered by Professor Snow's teach- 

 ing in the latter part of the '80's he broadened it still more, adding 

 animal histology, plant histology, entomology and systematic 

 botany; and this was at a time when he had but i')ne assistant, 

 whose time and interest were mainly devoted to the museum. One 

 wonders at Professor Snow's courage in this. It must be remem- 

 bered that throughout his own college course he had devoted him- 

 self to the classics and mathematics, and he had undertaken the 

 work in science here without any technical preparation. The use 

 of the microscope and the whole German scientific literature were 

 sealed books to him ; nevertheless he pushed eagerly into the then 

 newest fields of his sciences, equipped his department with micro- 

 scopes and gave instruction to large classes of students where he 

 himself was in the first stages of learning. One phase of his char- 

 acter permitted him to do this without serious danger to himself or 

 his students — his absolute frankness and honesty, which kept him 

 from misleading where he was not sure of his ground. 



Thoughts of this phase of his character call to mind his attitude 

 towards evolution, which, when he espoused it, was a very unpopu- 

 lar cause. Without a college training in biology, nevertheless his 

 clear and logical mind was able to perceive the soundness of Dar- 

 win's conclusions, even at a time when the great Agassiz was with- 

 holding his approval. And with conviction once attained Professor 

 Snow never faltered in his fidelity to it. His annual lectures on 

 evolution at the University were enthusiastic, clean-cut, and con- 

 vincing to the unprejudiced mind. 



