THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[January 



water,' and on this expedition made 

 further observations on the currents 

 of the Straits of Gibraltas. Finally 

 the ' Challenger ' was fitted out by 

 the British Government, and made 

 a voyage of exploration around the 

 world, the final reports of which 

 are still unpublished. The last 

 monograph published from Dr. Car- 

 penter's pen was his ' Report on the 

 Specimens of the Genus Orbitolites,' 

 forming volumn vii of the ' Challen- 

 ger ' reports. It was our pleasure to 

 visit him at his home one day, soon 

 after his work on this genus was com- 

 pleted, and to see some of the original 

 preparations from which the drawings 

 for the report were made. We also 

 received a number of typical speci- 

 mens from the 'Challenger' collec- 

 tions, and brought awav in addition 

 to these a complete scries niounted by 

 Dr. Carpenter, illustrating all the 

 points in his monograph, which is now 

 in the National Museum at Washing- 

 ton. 



In this connection maybe mentioned 

 his earlier work on the foraminifera, 

 published by the Ray Society. The 

 system of classification therein elab- 

 orated has been followed in its es- 

 sential features by most subsequent 

 observers. 



As an author of books Dr. Car- 

 penter is well known, and few writers 

 indeed have ventured to write learn- 

 edly upon so many subjects with the 

 same confidence and success. His 

 books remain as enduring monuments 

 to his vast store of knowledge and 

 intellectual activity. His ' Revela- 

 tions of the Microscope,' although a 

 popular work, clearly shows the great 

 scope of his abilities, and the great 

 fund of information constantly at hand . 

 His ' Principles of Human Physi- 

 ology ' and ' Principles of Mental Phys- 

 iology' are standard works at the 

 present day. 



About three years ago Dr. Car- 

 penter visited this country, and de- 

 livered the Lowell Institute Lectures 

 on Human Anatomy. 



Considering that Dr. Carpenter has 



been interested in the microscope dur- 

 ing the greater part of his active life, 

 and, probably more than any other 

 person, has been identified and as- 

 sociated with its gradual improve- 

 ment from the time of the construc- 

 tion of the first English achromatic 

 microscope objective by Mr. Tulley, 

 of London, the 'telescopic triplet,' 

 we have thought our readers would 

 one and all be pleased to possess an 

 accurate portrait such as we present 

 this month.* The original negative 

 was made about three years ago by 

 Mr. A. Bogardus, of New York city. 



In reviewing the long and useful 

 career of Dr. Carpenter, with his un- 

 ceasing, imselfish de\otion to truth, 

 ^^•hich he valued far more than fame 

 and honors, and comparing it with 

 what we see around us day by day, 

 we are impressed with the thought 

 that but few lives are truly great. 

 Even the inspiration of wisdom, an 

 intimate knowledge ofthe profoundest 

 truths and noblest conceptions of 

 science, cannot take away from most 

 men the lingering traces of past ages 

 of barbarism. There still remain 

 petty jealousies, blind prejudices, 

 un\\'orthy considerations of self, and 

 these mean thoughts and feelings too 

 often lead us to conceal truth from 

 our own vision, and antagonize pro- 

 gress. 



We have often felt there is some- 

 thing wrong in human nature, some- 

 thing incompatible with broad culture 

 or the elevating tendencies of scien- 

 tific thought. We sometimes ask 

 ourselves, as we see such unbecom- 

 ing manifestations of petty feelings, 

 whether there is not, after all. some- 

 thing lacking in our system of study 

 and thought. It is as though the study 

 of science were a business for indi- 

 vidual profit and aggrandizement 

 rather than a profession for gain- 

 ing knowledge and seeking for truth. 

 Yet humanity is frail ; its faults are 



* The plate has been received from the engraver, 

 but not being satisfactory, we have preferred to wait 

 another month to have a new plate made. The por- 

 trait will be sent with the February issue. 



