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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  Still 
  more 
  remarkable 
  in 
  Agassiz 
  was 
  his 
  readiness 
  to 
  aid 
  in 
  the 
  diffusion 
  of 
  

   knowledge. 
  Devoted 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  to 
  scientific 
  researches 
  — 
  to 
  the 
  advancement 
  of 
  

   learning 
  by 
  investigations 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  profound 
  sort, 
  extending 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  

   lowest 
  organisms 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  remotest 
  ajons 
  of 
  

   geological 
  history 
  — 
  he 
  was 
  always 
  ready 
  to 
  come 
  before 
  the 
  public 
  and 
  bring 
  

   the 
  newest 
  and 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  his 
  acquisitions. 
  There 
  are 
  such 
  men 
  as 
  intellectual 
  

   misers, 
  but 
  he 
  was 
  not 
  of 
  that 
  race. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  those 
  who 
  are 
  deaf 
  and 
  

   dumb, 
  but 
  he 
  used 
  all 
  his 
  faculties. 
  He 
  did 
  not 
  wait 
  for 
  costly 
  diagrams 
  or 
  

   extraordinary 
  specimens. 
  A 
  blackboard 
  and 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  chalk 
  were 
  all 
  tlie 
  ap- 
  

   paratus 
  which 
  he 
  required 
  for 
  a 
  lecture 
  on 
  Natural 
  History. 
  At 
  the 
  oldest 
  

   University 
  in 
  Cambridge, 
  or 
  at 
  the 
  newest 
  in 
  Ithaca, 
  through 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   Monthly 
  or 
  the 
  extra 
  Tribune, 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Academy, 
  or 
  on 
  Penikese 
  Island, 
  

   in 
  the 
  State 
  house 
  at 
  Boston, 
  or 
  in 
  Pacific 
  Hall 
  at 
  San 
  Francisco, 
  he 
  was 
  

   ready 
  to 
  teach 
  all 
  who 
  wished 
  to 
  be 
  taught. 
  The 
  wisest 
  would 
  enjoy 
  the 
  clear- 
  

   ness, 
  the 
  liveliness, 
  and 
  the 
  method 
  with 
  which 
  he 
  told 
  his 
  tale 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  unin- 
  

   formed 
  would 
  think 
  they 
  were 
  growing 
  wise, 
  because 
  they 
  could 
  follow 
  so 
  

   agreeably 
  and 
  intelligently 
  the 
  utterance 
  of 
  a 
  master. 
  He 
  believed 
  in 
  the 
  

   Public 
  Schools 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  newspapers 
  say 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  acts 
  of 
  his 
  public 
  

   life 
  was 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  lecture 
  at 
  a 
  teachers' 
  meeting. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  popular 
  teacher, 
  Agassiz 
  was 
  undoubtedly 
  aided 
  by 
  his 
  devout 
  rever- 
  

   ence, 
  which 
  saw 
  in 
  Nature 
  something 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  force 
  or 
  law, 
  or 
  rather, 
  

   •vfhich 
  believed 
  all 
  law 
  and 
  force 
  to 
  emanate 
  from 
  a 
  Law-giver 
  and 
  a 
  Ruler. 
  He 
  

   did 
  not 
  obtrude 
  these 
  opinions. 
  He 
  was 
  not 
  more 
  fortunate 
  than 
  other 
  men 
  of 
  

   science 
  in 
  escaping 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  bigotry 
  and 
  superstition 
  ; 
  but 
  now 
  and 
  then, 
  

   like 
  a 
  church-bell 
  tolling 
  on 
  a 
  Sabbath 
  morning, 
  deep 
  utterances 
  would 
  come 
  

   forth 
  expressive 
  of 
  his 
  faith. 
  For 
  example, 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  his 
  essay 
  on 
  " 
  Class- 
  

   ification," 
  occurs 
  this 
  passage 
  : 
  " 
  All 
  the 
  facts 
  proclaim 
  aloud 
  the 
  one 
  God, 
  

   whom 
  roan 
  may 
  know, 
  adore, 
  and 
  love 
  ; 
  and 
  Natural 
  History 
  must 
  in 
  good 
  time 
  

   become 
  the 
  analysis 
  of 
  the 
  thoughts 
  of 
  the 
  Creator 
  of 
  the 
  universe, 
  as 
  mani- 
  

   fested 
  in. 
  the 
  animal 
  and 
  vegetable 
  kingdoms." 
  {Contribution 
  to 
  Natural 
  His- 
  

   tory 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  Slates.) 
  

  

  Thus 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  supreme 
  kindliness, 
  charming 
  enthusiasm, 
  genuine 
  grat- 
  

   itude, 
  unmistakable 
  sincerity, 
  uniform 
  co-operation, 
  incessant 
  desire 
  to 
  diffuse 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  advance 
  knowledge, 
  and 
  devout 
  reverence, 
  were 
  among 
  his 
  most 
  

   conspicuous 
  qualities 
  as 
  a 
  teacher. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  dwell 
  upon 
  his 
  love 
  of 
  truth, 
  for 
  

   that 
  is 
  fundamental 
  with 
  all 
  real 
  men 
  of 
  science 
  ; 
  nor 
  on 
  his 
  abstinence 
  from 
  money- 
  

   making, 
  for 
  all 
  legitimate 
  university 
  life 
  precludes 
  the 
  professor 
  from 
  wild 
  spec- 
  

   ulations 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  hand, 
  or 
  from 
  regular 
  business 
  responsibilities 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  ; 
  

   nor 
  do 
  I 
  dwell 
  upon 
  his 
  love 
  of 
  studies 
  remote 
  from 
  their 
  practical 
  bearings, 
  for 
  

   the 
  student 
  of 
  Nature 
  never 
  knows 
  wliAt 
  profound 
  benefits 
  to 
  mankind 
  may 
  

   proceed 
  from 
  the 
  most 
  abstract 
  research. 
  In 
  these 
  respects 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  that 
  

   Agassiz 
  differed 
  much 
  from 
  other 
  naturalists, 
  but 
  in 
  native 
  gifts, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  ac- 
  

   quisitions 
  of 
  varied 
  culture, 
  there 
  are 
  but 
  few 
  to 
  be 
  compared 
  with 
  him. 
  

  

  Hence 
  he 
  has 
  exerted 
  a 
  powerful 
  influence 
  upon 
  American 
  education. 
  It 
  is 
  

   true 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  fortunate 
  in 
  colleagues 
  and 
  in 
  circumstances. 
  Guyot 
  came 
  

  

  