420 



HENRY, JOSEPH. 



a telegraph into practical operation. In 1832 

 lie was chosen Professor of Natural Philosophy 

 in the College of New Jersey at Princeton, and 

 there continued his experiments. In the fol- 

 lowing year he discussed the project of the 

 electro-magnetic telegraph, and demonstrated 

 the practicability of producing mechanical ef- 

 fects at a distance by the electro-magnet. In 

 1837 he made a visit to Europe, where his ex- 

 periments and researches had made him well 

 known among scientists. When the Smith- 

 sonian Institution was established in Washing- 

 ton in 1846, Professor Henry became its Secre- 

 tary and principal director, a position which 

 he 'filled with, great advantage to the public 

 until the time of his death. In 1849 he was 

 elected President of the American Association 

 for the Advancement of Science, and in 1868 

 he became the President of the National Acad- 

 emy of Sciences. In 1871 he was made the 

 head of the Lighthouse Board of the United 

 States, in which position he rendered valuable 

 services in perfecting the organization of the 

 National Lighthouse System. The degree of 

 Doctor of Laws was conferred upon him by 

 Union College in 1829 and by Harvard Univer- 

 sity in 1851. Besides " Contributions to Elec- 

 tricity and Magnetism" (4to, Philadelphia, 

 1839), he published numerous valuable papers 

 in the " American Philosophical Transactions," 

 the " American Journal of Science and Arts," 

 the "Journal of the Franklin Institute," the 

 " Proceedings of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science," the "Transac- 

 tions of the National Academy of Sciences," 

 and the annual reports of the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution. Joseph Henry stood in the front 

 rank of the great scientists of his age. His 

 name will be associated with those of Franklin, 

 Ampere, Arago, Thomas Young, Sir Hum- 

 phry Davy, Faraday, Sir William Thomson, 

 and their eminent colaborers in the same field. 

 His most important contribution to practical 

 science was the electro-magnet, which is the 

 foundation of all electro-magnetic telegraphy. 

 Next in practical value have been his investi- 

 gations into the philosophy and phenomena 

 of sound for use in perfecting fog signals at 

 sea, and the best methods for illuminating light- 

 houses of the American coast. Out of these 

 have grown systems and appliances of the high- 

 est use in promoting the safety of ocean and 

 river commerce everywhere. He was the origi- 

 nator of the system of observation of the 

 weather which has expanded into the present 

 " Signal Service," and for many years, until 

 its practical uses were fully demonstrated, the 

 Smithsonian Institution, under his direction, 

 carried on the work with a corps of volunteer 

 observers stationed throughout the United 

 States. 



Dr. Henry was a most unselfish devotee of 

 science. What he discovered he gave freely 

 and immediately to the world for the use of 

 the world. He sought scientific and physical 

 truth for its own sake, hoping and believing 



HOLLINS, GEOEGE N. 



his researches would be of use to his fellow 

 men. The thought of profiting by his discov- 

 eries had no place in his contemplation, and 

 so, with ample opportunities for making per- 

 sonal fortune, he had for himself and family 

 only the savings from the salaried earnings 

 of a laborious and frugal life. Some of his 

 personal friends, chief among whom was Mr. 

 George W. Childs, of Philadelphia, raised a 

 fund of $40,000 for his benefit, but he could 

 not be induced to accept it until it was turned 

 into an endowment fund for the advancement 

 of scientific research after he and his family 

 had passed away. 



HODGE, CHAELES, D. D., LL. D., an Amer- 

 ican theologian, died in Princeton, N. J., June 

 19, 1878. He was born in Philadelphia, De- 

 cember 28, 1797, and was the son of Hugh 

 Hodge, a physician. He was graduated from 

 the College of New Jersey at Princeton, in 

 1815, and from the Theological Seminary there 

 in 1819. He was made Assistant Professor in 

 the Theological Seminary in 1820, Professor of 

 Oriental and Biblical Literature in 1822, and 

 Professor of Didactic and Exegetical Theology 

 in 1840. The last named professorship, which 

 was enlarged in 1852 by the addition of polem- 

 ic theology, he continued to hold till the time 

 of his death. In 1846 he was Moderator of 

 the General Assembly of the Presbyterian 

 Church (Old School), and in 1858 one of a 

 committee to revise the " Book of Discipline." 

 In 1825 he founded the "Biblical Repertory 

 and Princeton Review," of which he continued 

 to be the editor till 1872, when it was changed 

 into the " Presbyterian Quarterly and Prince- 

 ton Review." Selections from his contribu- 

 tions to this periodical have been reprinted in 

 the "Princeton Theological Essays" (2 vols., 

 1846-'47) and in his " Essays and Reviews " 

 (1857). Dr. Hodge also published " Commen- 

 tary on the Epistle to the Romans," which first 

 appeared in 1835, was abridged in 1836, and 

 rewritten and enlarged in 1866 ; " Constitu- 

 tional History of the Presbyterian Church in 

 the United States" (2 vols., 1840-'41) ; "The 

 Way of Life" (1842); commentaries on Ephe- 

 sians (1856), 1 Corinthians (1857), and 2 Co- 

 rinthians (1860); "Systematic Theology" (3 

 vols., 1871-'72); and "What is Darwinism?" 

 (1874). A volume containing an account of 

 the celebration at Princeton, April 24, 1872, 

 of the semi-centennial anniversary of Dr. 

 Hodge's professorship, has also been pub- 

 lished. 



HOLLINS, GEORGE N., an American naval 

 officer, died in Baltimore, January 18, 1878, 

 from the effects of a paralytic stroke. He was 

 born in that city, September 20, 1799. He en- 

 tered the navy as a midshipman in 1814, and 

 was serving on the sloop of war Erie when she 

 made an unsuccessful attempt to run the Brit- 

 ish blockade of Chesapeake Bay. He was then 

 assigned to duty in Fort Washington, and af- 

 terward to the frigate President, Commodore 

 Decatur. He was on board this vessel when 



