10 



JL 



100 YEARS EXPLORING LIFE, 1888-1988 



The Anderson School of Natural History on Penikese Island. The large building 

 (center left) housed laboratories on the first floor and dormitories on the 

 second. It burned to the ground in a spectacular fire in 1891. MBL Archives. 



have been overlooked in the schemes ... of education here." Agassiz and 

 Anderson agreed to hold summer sessions on Anderson's Penikese property 

 and winter sessions in Cambridge, in effect making the school the educa- 

 tional branch of the MCZ. After Agassiz had accepted and the final official 

 papers had been signed in a fancy ceremony in New York, Anderson 

 declared the event as "the happiest moment of my life." 



The Anderson School opened in 1873 as planned, even though the 

 construction of the main teaching building and the dorms continued up 

 until the very last minute. Embarrassingly, too many people wanted to 

 attend, perhaps in part because the price was so reasonable, udth no tuition 

 and only a percentage of the value of bedroom furniture to pay for room, 

 plus board at cost. At first Agassiz had expected few applications and had 

 simply accepted everyone who applied. But then some of the later applicants 

 looked much more promising than the earlier ones. So Agassiz wrote a 

 remarkable letter asking the earlier ones to surrender their places in favor 

 of those later and better-prepared students. Evidently, in the face of such an 

 unorthodox appeal, some did. The final select group of some forty students 

 included a number of women who were "very schoolma'my in appearance," 

 and the "gentlemen were not one whit behind," tlie press reported. The 

 press attended the school's opening in force, for Agassiz recognized a good 

 show and invited them in. Students, relatives, and members of the press all 

 gathered in New Bedford* to take a special steamer to Penikese for a day. 

 Agassiz was giving a scientific party. 



At tlie laboratory of the new school, he presented a dedicatory address, 

 which was uddely acclaimed as "inspiring " and "beautiful " and as a "silent 

 prayer," immortalized in John Greenleaf Whittier's often-cited ode 'The 

 Prayer of Agassiz," which reflects the ideals of the time: 



'Unless otherwise indicated, all places mentioned are situated in Massachusetts. 



