312 ANDREW JACKSON HOWE. 



quently arrived at the solution of a question which 

 might have required more time if approached in a 

 systematic manner. While he was generally success- 

 ful in taking a leap he never advised others to depart 

 from established methods of study. 



The libraries of Cuvier were arranged with a view 

 to facilitate business. He had a desk in each, and 

 manuscript in course of preparation in every depart- 

 ment. By systematizing his time and labor he was 

 enabled to accomplish an astonishing amount of work. 

 When he read a book he indexed the topics, marked 

 passages, and made note of observations and reflec- 

 tions, so that afterward it required little time and 

 trouble to utilize what might be needed; and his 

 memory was so excellent that he generally was spared 

 the labor of referring to notes previously taken. 



As a legislator Cuvier exhibited such an under- 

 standing of law that he astounded the most experi- 

 enced statesmen. As president of the Council he was 

 obliged always to wait till a bill had been discussed 

 by each member; then he summed up what had been 

 said with a rapidity that surprised every listener; and 

 his eloquence was so inspiring, and his generalizations 

 so striking, that the measures he advocated rarely met 

 with successful opposition. His determined resistance 

 to the schemes of the Jesuits was a marked feature in 

 his legislative services. He denied entertaining hos- 

 tile feelings toward that body, but he believed their 

 principles were inimical to the w r elfare of the country. 



As a geologist, Cuvier ranked as high as the best 

 educated men of his time. In his discourse upon the 

 surface of the globe, he shows that he was familiar 

 with leading geological facts. He stated that plants 

 were the earliest organic forms to appear on the earth, 



