BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH XXX1 
of the Laboratory became a kind of cult to a large and influential 
body of naturalists. Whitman not only awakened this spirit, 
which was compounded of devotion to himself as well as to the 
ideal which he represented, but he kept it alive, and more than 
once, by refusing to compromise any fraction of the fundamental 
idea for immediate practical advantage, he saved the principle 
from extinction. That the Laboratory today is still ascientific 
democracy is due entirely to Whitman’s uncompromising devo- 
tion. 
In his first report Professor Whitman states, ‘“The new Lab- 
oratory at Woods Holl is nothing more, and, I trust, nothing 
less, than a first step towards the establishment of an ideal bio- 
logical station, organized on a basis broad enough to represent 
all important features of the several types of laboratories hitherto 
known in Europe and America.’”’ Thus he formed great plans for 
the germinal institution. He early maintained that in such an 
ideal biological station it was essential that all biological interests 
should be represented, and accordingly successively added depart- 
ments of botany, physiology and embryology to the original 
zoology, each with its side of research as well as instruction. But 
the variety of work that has been welcomed at Woods Hole can- 
not be included even within these broad divisions. Professor 
Whitman had most catholic interests in biology and it is remark- 
able in what fundamental ways he comprehended the problems 
of each division. The association of workers in different fields 
of biology has been one of the most helpful and stimulating fea- 
tures of the Station. 
The Marine Biological Laboratory was designed for instruction 
as well asresearch. The original circular opens with these words: 
“The Trustees of the Marine Biological Laboratory earnestly 
desire to enlist your cooperation in the support of a sea-side lab- 
oratory for instruction and investigation in biology.’”’ Instruc- 
tion was in fact placed first, not only in the opening sentence but 
throughout the circular. However, the Laboratory started out 
at once under Whitman as primarily a research institution, and 
in his address at the opening of the Laboratory, July 17, 1888, 
he said: 
