— 124 — 



Walsh Collection which secured to the State the finest and most accur- 

 ately named collection of insects to be found in America. But this was 

 not all; his labors being of an original nature added directly to our 

 knowledge of insect life and his name will be handed down to posterity 

 as one of the pioneers of economic entomology. 



But Dr. Le Baron's standing as an entomologist will be based al- 

 , most entirely upon his Four Annual Reports, the last of which forms a 

 most valuable text book for the order Coleoptera. He was moved to 

 undertake this work by the numerous letters he received from young 

 men interested in the study of entomology, who could find few books 

 on the subject, suitable for beginners that were within their means. In 

 his Fifth Report he proposed to compile a similar work on Diptera, his 

 specialty. He had collected much material for it, but his sickness and 

 death cut short his usefulness, just as he began to give to the world the 

 results of his half century of arduous study and investigation. 



Dr. LeBaron died in Elgin, 111., Oct. 14, 1876, in the 62d year of 

 his age, leaving a wife and five children. All are highly respected and 

 esteemed, one son being editor of the Elgin Daily Navs and Post Master, 

 and another being a successful publisher living in Chicago. 



The doctor left quite a collection of insects besides augmenting the 

 Walsh Collection, and that of the State University. 



As you are all conversant with his writings I need not remark that 

 lie was a man of fine literary attainments. A finished classical scholar, he 

 showed a remarkably fine discrimination in the use of words, and as a con- 

 sequence his meaning was always perfectly clear. He was even an authority 

 to those about him upon all literary subjects, and many an evening 

 he spent entertaining and instructing the young people of his neighbor- 

 hood by his keen analysis of the best English and American authors. 



He was an active member of the Unitarian Church, being trustee 

 both east and west for many years. For nearly a quarter of a century, 

 consecutively, he held the position of school director, while he was fre- 

 quently called to fill other positions of trust by his fellow townsmen. 



In conclusion, as a neighbor I would say, that more important than 

 all was the good he did in the community by the example he set and the 

 high moral standard he held up for all to attain to, who were in any way 

 connected with him. A knowledge of his keen discrimination between 

 right and wrong, and the ease with which he blew away the sophistries 

 that men of the world use to cover their derelictions from duty, exercised 

 a restraining influence upon all who knew him. 



With a hand ever open to aid the poor and friendless, he gave what 

 he valued far above money — his time to straighten the crooked paths of 

 others; and make the doubtful way plain. 



