﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  239 
  

  

  the 
  present, 
  is 
  Agassiz, 
  who, 
  coming 
  forward 
  at 
  a 
  period 
  when 
  science 
  was 
  so 
  

   complex 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  universality 
  impossible, 
  devoted 
  himself 
  to 
  the 
  investiga- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  forms 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  our 
  globe, 
  and 
  to 
  finding 
  the 
  thread 
  

   of 
  order 
  and 
  law 
  running 
  through 
  all 
  organized 
  beings. 
  His 
  mind 
  was 
  at 
  once 
  

   incisive 
  and 
  comprehensive, 
  analytic 
  and 
  synthetic 
  ; 
  while 
  a 
  fine 
  glow 
  of 
  poetic 
  

   insight 
  and 
  feeling 
  suffused 
  his 
  whole 
  intellectual 
  and 
  moral 
  frame. 
  It 
  was 
  this 
  

   poetic 
  nature, 
  expressed 
  in 
  elevated, 
  restrained 
  enthusiasm 
  of 
  purpose 
  and 
  idea, 
  

   that 
  enabled 
  him 
  to 
  give 
  such 
  an 
  impulse 
  to 
  scientific 
  studies 
  in 
  America. 
  He 
  

   had 
  the 
  rare 
  ability 
  of 
  pursuing 
  original 
  research 
  and 
  of 
  transforming 
  it 
  into 
  

   popular 
  knowledge 
  — 
  a 
  hazardous 
  undertaking 
  for 
  some, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  the 
  popular- 
  

   ization 
  of 
  science 
  is 
  accomplished 
  through 
  dense 
  and 
  refracting 
  media, 
  which 
  

   impair 
  intellectual 
  rectitude 
  and 
  degrade 
  the 
  scientific 
  standards 
  of 
  truth 
  to 
  prac- 
  

   tical 
  and 
  economical 
  relations. 
  To 
  extend 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  science 
  is 
  one 
  thing, 
  

   to 
  diffuse 
  science 
  is 
  another 
  thing 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  are 
  rarely 
  united. 
  

  

  Agassiz 
  claims 
  my 
  admiration 
  for 
  the 
  firmness 
  and 
  simplicity 
  with 
  which 
  he 
  

   maintained 
  the 
  right 
  of 
  science 
  to 
  pursue 
  its 
  own 
  investigations 
  in 
  its 
  own 
  do- 
  

   main, 
  without 
  controversy, 
  and 
  without 
  reference 
  to 
  any 
  prejudices 
  or 
  opinions 
  

   that 
  might 
  be 
  held 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  department 
  of 
  knowledge 
  or 
  experience. 
  With 
  

   the 
  old 
  conflict 
  between 
  science 
  and 
  religion 
  he 
  had 
  nothing 
  to 
  do. 
  He 
  had 
  

   frankness 
  and 
  truth 
  enough 
  to 
  confess 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  as 
  much 
  dogmatism 
  in 
  sci- 
  

   ence 
  as 
  in 
  religion 
  ; 
  but 
  he 
  knew 
  that 
  essentially 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  conflict 
  between 
  

   them, 
  and 
  never 
  can 
  be. 
  Their 
  boundaries 
  are 
  undefined, 
  as 
  the 
  boundaries 
  

   between 
  the 
  known 
  and 
  the 
  unknown, 
  the 
  apprehended 
  and 
  the 
  comprehended, 
  

   always 
  will 
  be. 
  It 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  infirmities 
  of 
  the 
  human 
  mind 
  to 
  become 
  pro- 
  

   vincial 
  in 
  its 
  conceptions 
  of 
  truth, 
  and 
  to 
  judge 
  the 
  universe 
  of 
  things 
  by 
  the 
  

   standards 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  village 
  experience. 
  Agassiz 
  did 
  much 
  to 
  enlarge 
  and 
  en- 
  

   lighten 
  the 
  mind, 
  by 
  teaching 
  that 
  the 
  outward 
  world 
  is 
  an 
  expression 
  of 
  the 
  

   thought 
  of 
  God. 
  and 
  that 
  man's 
  science 
  is 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  God's 
  law. 
  

  

  He 
  was 
  indeed 
  a 
  light 
  and 
  a 
  life 
  ! 
  That 
  life 
  has 
  finished 
  its 
  earthly 
  course, 
  

   and 
  that 
  light 
  is 
  extinguished 
  from 
  our 
  earthly 
  horizon. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  considered 
  a 
  

   happy 
  event 
  to 
  us 
  here, 
  that 
  he 
  visited 
  once 
  these 
  western 
  shores. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  privilege 
  

   to 
  have 
  seen 
  him 
  ; 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  profound 
  satisfaction 
  to 
  feel 
  that 
  the 
  distinguished 
  ex- 
  

   pressions 
  of 
  human 
  nature 
  are 
  of 
  kindred 
  blood 
  with 
  ourselves. 
  As 
  I 
  looked 
  on 
  

   him 
  and 
  called 
  to 
  mind 
  the 
  recollections 
  of 
  former 
  days, 
  admonished 
  of 
  the 
  malady 
  

   that 
  was 
  destroying 
  him, 
  I 
  grieved 
  for 
  living 
  men 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  grieve 
  for 
  

   him 
  — 
  there 
  was 
  so 
  little 
  of 
  him 
  that 
  could 
  die. 
  

  

  Eemarks 
  of 
  Rev. 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  A. 
  Scott. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  President, 
  Ladies 
  and 
  Gentlemen 
  : 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  till 
  I 
  entered 
  the 
  

   hall 
  this 
  evening, 
  that 
  I 
  was 
  expected 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  honor 
  of 
  saying 
  a 
  word 
  to 
  you 
  

   on 
  this 
  interesting 
  occasion, 
  but 
  being 
  urged 
  to 
  appear 
  on 
  the 
  platform 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  

   absolutely 
  refuse, 
  because 
  as 
  a 
  citizen 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  my 
  heart 
  to 
  honor, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  in 
  

   me 
  lay, 
  this 
  memorial 
  meeting, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  this 
  Society 
  to 
  aid 
  in 
  tender- 
  

   ing 
  our 
  respects 
  to 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  our 
  illustrious 
  dead. 
  Another 
  reason 
  for 
  

  

  