﻿224: 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  composed 
  of 
  the 
  unverified 
  statements 
  of 
  others. 
  It 
  was 
  mental 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  

   acutest 
  thinker 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  comprehended 
  by 
  the 
  youngest 
  student. 
  In 
  his 
  lectures 
  

   his 
  diction 
  was 
  a 
  model 
  of 
  English 
  ; 
  no 
  straining 
  for 
  effect, 
  no 
  struggling 
  for 
  

   words, 
  but 
  the 
  right 
  word 
  always 
  in 
  the 
  right 
  place. 
  '• 
  I 
  never 
  think 
  of 
  -the 
  

   words 
  I 
  am 
  to 
  use," 
  said 
  he. 
  " 
  I 
  arrange 
  the 
  matter, 
  order, 
  and 
  method 
  of 
  

   statement 
  and 
  illustration 
  clearly 
  in 
  my 
  mind 
  before 
  I 
  begin, 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  

   words 
  come 
  of 
  themselves." 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  fortunate, 
  also, 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  that 
  charm 
  of 
  manner 
  — 
  modesty, 
  sim- 
  

   plicity, 
  manliness, 
  and 
  kindness 
  for 
  others 
  — 
  which 
  attracted 
  and 
  captivated 
  

   his 
  audience. 
  In 
  fact, 
  it 
  was 
  fortunate 
  for 
  popular 
  science 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  — 
  Agassiz 
  ; 
  

   for 
  men 
  with 
  such 
  a 
  rare 
  combination 
  of 
  good 
  qualities, 
  and 
  such 
  a 
  position, 
  

   come 
  but 
  seldom 
  in 
  a 
  century. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  scientific 
  investigation 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  gave 
  much 
  actual 
  

   examination 
  and 
  earnest 
  thought, 
  and 
  by 
  which 
  he 
  will 
  be 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  great 
  

   expounder, 
  was 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  glacial 
  action 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  when 
  the 
  greater 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  and 
  southern 
  continents 
  was 
  under 
  an 
  ice-sheet 
  of 
  immense 
  

   thickness. 
  He 
  first 
  grasped 
  the 
  full 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  problem, 
  and 
  enunciated 
  it 
  ; 
  

   and 
  his 
  demonstrations 
  have 
  made 
  clear 
  many 
  existing 
  conditions 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  

   of 
  the 
  earth, 
  which 
  had 
  baffled 
  the 
  skill 
  of 
  others. 
  Perplexities 
  melted 
  before 
  

   it, 
  and 
  from 
  chaos 
  are 
  emerging 
  order 
  and 
  consecutiveness. 
  In 
  his 
  visit 
  to 
  this 
  

   Coast, 
  he 
  was 
  particularly 
  gratified 
  and 
  excited 
  with 
  the 
  evidences 
  of 
  glacial 
  

   action 
  which 
  mark 
  our 
  Sierras, 
  and 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  shown 
  to 
  mark 
  our 
  coast-line. 
  

   These, 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  living 
  glaciers 
  of 
  British 
  Columbia 
  and 
  Alaska, 
  

   and 
  the 
  evidences 
  of 
  glacial 
  action 
  through 
  the 
  thousand 
  miles 
  of 
  ocean 
  Yosem- 
  

   ites 
  stretching 
  from 
  latitude 
  forty-seven 
  to 
  sixty, 
  were 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  inducements 
  

   that 
  led 
  him 
  to 
  acquiesce 
  in 
  the 
  projected 
  trip 
  of 
  this 
  season. 
  He 
  had 
  studied 
  

   the 
  glacial 
  action 
  through 
  similar 
  geological 
  formations 
  from 
  Cape 
  Horn 
  north- 
  

   ward, 
  and, 
  from 
  his 
  comprehensive 
  knowledge 
  and 
  grasp 
  of 
  the 
  subject, 
  was 
  

   peculiarly 
  fitted 
  for 
  the 
  discussion. 
  Even 
  among 
  those 
  who 
  may 
  be 
  capable 
  of 
  

   seizing 
  the 
  minutiae 
  of 
  evidence 
  and 
  realizing 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  powers 
  

   which 
  performed 
  that 
  work, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  many 
  years 
  before 
  any 
  one 
  can 
  command 
  

   the 
  means 
  and 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  their 
  examination 
  and 
  elucidation. 
  It 
  requires 
  a 
  rare 
  

   combination 
  of 
  qualifications 
  for 
  its 
  solution, 
  particularly 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  mechan- 
  

   ical 
  faculty 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  can 
  but 
  hope 
  that 
  from 
  among 
  our 
  young 
  students 
  of 
  Cal- 
  

   ifornia 
  will 
  come 
  those 
  who 
  can 
  demonstrate 
  it 
  successfully. 
  

  

  I 
  close 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  words 
  of 
  a 
  power 
  which 
  he 
  possessed, 
  so 
  unusual 
  among 
  

   scientific 
  men, 
  yet 
  so 
  absolutely 
  necessary 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  science 
  as 
  

   understood 
  by 
  the 
  specialists, 
  and 
  of 
  knowledge 
  as 
  taught 
  by 
  the 
  colleges, 
  

   that 
  we 
  can 
  but 
  pray 
  without 
  ceasing 
  his 
  mantle 
  may 
  fall 
  and 
  cover 
  many 
  

   shoulders. 
  Others 
  possess 
  it 
  — 
  perhaps 
  only 
  differing 
  in 
  degree 
  — 
  or 
  the 
  mag- 
  

   nificent 
  endowments 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  our 
  higher 
  seats 
  of 
  learning 
  

   would 
  have 
  been 
  devoted 
  to 
  other 
  purposes. 
  Yet 
  he 
  first 
  made 
  the 
  claims 
  of 
  

   science 
  a 
  demand 
  upon 
  the 
  affluent 
  who 
  had 
  grown 
  wealthy 
  through 
  the 
  prac- 
  

   tical 
  applications 
  of 
  scientific 
  investigations 
  and 
  discoveries. 
  He 
  would 
  admit 
  

   of 
  no 
  compromise 
  measures 
  — 
  science 
  had 
  taken 
  a 
  back 
  seat 
  too 
  long 
  ; 
  her 
  

  

  