LANGLEy] removal of remains of JAMES SMITHSON 25 I 



Senator Frye replied : 



Sir, the Smithsonian Institution receives with profound gratitude 

 the remains of its distinguished founder. Providence, every now 

 and then, seems to place in the world a man and inspires him with 

 a purpose to elevate his fellow men. Such a man was Mr. Smith- . 

 son, the founder of this Institution. The spirit, Sir, which prompted 

 you to such earnest endeavor, resulting as it did in taking these 

 remains from their resting place in a country foreign to him and 

 foreign to us, and bringing them here where for so many years we 

 have enjoyed the rich fruits of his splendid benefaction, your coun- 

 trymen will appreciate. His grave here will be an incentive to 

 earnest, faithful, wise, and discreet endeavor to carry out his lofty 

 purposes, and. Sir, it will be to our people a sacred spot while the 

 Republic endures. 



The brief but impressive ceremonies of the occasion concluded 

 with the following prayer, offered by the Reverend Doctor Randolph 

 H. McKim : 



Almighty God, eternal source of light and truth, by whose wise 

 providence all things in heaven and earth are governed, we give 

 Thee thanks that Thou didst put into the heart of Thy servant whose 

 dust we receive with reverence here to-day, to lay the foundation 

 of this school of science, and we pray Thee that it may more and 

 more be instrumental in the true interpretation of the laws of 

 nature, and in unveiling to the mind of man the glory of God in 

 the work of His hands, to the end that for all the generations to 

 come, this Institution may be a beacon light of truth and of progress, 

 to the glory of God and to the good of mankind. All this we beg 

 through Him by whom all things were made, Jesus Christ, our 

 Lord. Amen. 



The remains rest temporarily in a room which contains the few 

 personal relics of Smithson, until their final disposal by the Regents. 



