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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



it had finally been resolved to establish 

 the American ^Museum, the first thing 

 was to get a charter from the state, and 

 I went in company with the late Wil- 

 liam E. Dodge to Albany to con^;ult 

 with members of the Legislature about 

 granting it. To our surprise we found 

 that the matter of granting us a charter 

 depended u])on the decision of William 

 M. Tweed, who was then practically in 

 supreme control of the Legislature. We 

 hardly anticipated that he would put 

 no obstacles in our way, but wonderful 

 to tell, he received us really with enthu- 

 siasm, and said that lie entirely ap- 

 proved of the project as an educational 

 measure and that he would do whatever 

 we wanted. Consequently, we o])tained 

 without any delay, or expense, or trou- 

 ble the much desired charter. 



A few men of large wealth wcix' in- 

 terested in the project, being amateur 

 lovers of natural history in one or an- 

 other de])artmcnt. but there Avas no 

 such splendid scientific supervision as 

 the Museum now enjoys in its president 

 and its various curators. Some of the 

 gentlemen interested in the ^Museum in 

 that early day had little collections of 



their own which they were very glad to 

 contribute, and also money to spend for 

 such benign purposes; and I suppose 

 that they wanted me to become one of 

 the founders so that they might have a 

 legal advisor to fall back upon, in case 

 of need, who should be one of their own 

 mimber, and I very gladly joined, al- 

 though having nothing to contj'il)ute in 

 the way of collection or of money. 



Professor A. S. Bickmore fortunately 

 was the great promoter of the organiza- 

 tion of the Museum. He had been a 

 ])upil of Agassiz, and was besides a 

 young man of energy and persistence. 

 It was he who instigated the various 

 gentlemen of large wealth, of whom I 

 have spoken, to unite for the Museum's 

 formation and first organization. He 

 labored incessantly in season and out of 

 season, and in any history of the Amer- 

 ican Museum he is to be remembered 

 as its most effective early promoter. 



Xo one thought at that time that a 

 great democratic city like Xew York 

 would ever contribute two hundred 

 thousand dolbu's a year for what then 

 seemed siu-h a luxury as a !^Liseuni of 

 Xatural Historv or a Museum of Art, 



vivid personal enjoyment because of his opportunity to use his eloquence and argument to 

 give all that was in his power to the tAvo causes nearest his heart : the new desire of his 

 Aagorous patriotism for the entrance of America into the war on the side of the Allies, and 

 his ever-abiding desire as a diplomat for a closer union of France and England with his 

 home country. Also during his last days, it is good to remember, there were reached out to 

 him from all sides the homage and love of friends and of the public, since as the chief 

 citizen of New York City he had been chosen despite his eighty -five years to represent the 

 government in greeting the English and French Commissions. 



The patriotism and loyalty of Mr. Choate, Avhich made him give himself on this occasion, 

 even though he knew it to be at the risk of his life, recall his many patriotic utterances 

 of the past, so eloquent of the situation today. Some of them stand as prophecy and com- 

 mand: "Our frigates may rot in the harbor — our ironclads may rust at the dock, but if ever 

 again the flag is in peril, in\4ncible armies will swarm upon the land, and steel-clad squad- 

 rons leap forth upon the sea to maintain it. If we only teach our children patriotism as the 

 first dutj' and loyalty as the first virtue, America will be safe in the future as she has been 

 in the past. . . . We can always be sure of fleets and armies enough. But shall we always 

 have a Grant to lead the one, and a Farragut to inspire the other"? Yes, on this one con- 

 dition, that every American child learns from his cradle that his first and last duty is to his 

 country, that to live for her is honor, and to die for her is glory." 



In the death of the Honorable Joseph Hodges Choate the American Museum has suffered 

 a loss of almost irreparable proportions. None too frequently so far in the history of 

 human evolution have there been combined in one man so many rare qualities of mind and 

 character,- — high mentality, great industry, sincerity, high purpose and unselfishness — witli 

 energy, simplicity, and a gay humor even to the end of five and four score years. The insti- 

 tution he founded sincerely mourns his death. — The Editor. 



