82 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 
Natural History is to-day a most im- 
pressive fact, the history of its origin, 
of its development, of the growth of its 
later vital educational influence, is indis- 
solubly part of the life of Professor Albert 
S. Bickmore. Inseparable factors in the 
institution’s astonishing success were 
his enduring hopefulness, the prescience 
that foresaw the boundless opportuni- 
ties for the Museum’s growth in this city 
of equally boundless prospects, the in- 
cessant watchfulness that nursed its 
first years into the self-sufficiency, at 
least of adolescence, his industry, his 
power of audacious importunity, the 
manipulative skill of the politician and 
the skillful ardor of the eulogist, and 
perhaps lastly the magnificence of his 
vision of possible ultimate attainments. 
Certainly there were other elements, 
other minds and personalities, other 
influences even, but— when there is 
fame enough for all —let no invidious 
suspicion be permitted to lessen by the 
smallest scruple the full measure of 
Professor Bickmore’s merit. 
Finally, Professor Bickmore from the 
beginning I think, fully appreciated the 
scientific role the Museum would assume. 
It was by his strenuous exertions that 
the great Hall collection of fossils was 
purchased which gave the Museum a 
unique distinction in invertebrate palee- 
ontology. Very shortly after the occu- 
pation of the new building, he secured the 
location in it of a section for the United 
States Geological Survey, represented by 
Arnold Hague, Charles D. Walcott, 
Joseph P. Iddings and the mining geol- 
ogist, T. B. Brooks. The Zirkel collec- 
tion of rocks from the 40th parallel 
survey was then deposited in the Mu- 
seum, probably the first extensive petro- 
grapbic assemblage of slides and_ field 
specimens made in this country. These 
were subsequently at the Museum, 
studied by Mr. E. Wadsworth, and gave 
rise to a very pretty altercation, as many 
lithologists may recall. Professor Bick- 
more, I know, entertained, with Clar- 
ence King, the idea of building electrical 
furnaces in the basement of the new 
building, which might have anticipated 
some of the startling successes in modern 
electrolytic chemical processes. He con- 
ferred with Asa Gray on the project of re- 
moving to the Museum the Torrey Her- 
barium; I was present when he suggested 
to Professor Chamberlain that the Geo- 
logical Society of America make its 
headquarters at the American Museum, 
and again and again he spoke to me exult- 
ingly of a project to transform the first 
floor of the new building into an immense 
aquarium. Many of these plans were 
indeed premature and overstated, but 
they evinced the fertility of Professor 
Bickmore’s mind, and _ illustrated his 
resourceful propaganda in all directions 
in the interests of the Museum. 
