PROFESSOR N. H. WIXCHELL'S SCIENTIFIC ACTIV- 

 ITY IN THE ACADEMY 



By Secretary Harlow Gale 



On Prof. Winchell's coming to Minneapolis in September, 



1872, at the age of 33 years, called by President Folwell to be 

 State Geologist and Professor of Geology at the University 

 of Minnesota, his first characteristic act was going right out 

 into the geological field and working until driven home by a 

 snow storm on November 11th, the beginning of an unbroken 

 winter. His next equally characteristic act, on feeling his 

 scientific loneliness here, in spite of his zeal in teaching all 

 the sciences then at the University, was suggesting to Dr. A. E. 

 Johnson and a few other physicians with similar scientific hobbies 

 and interests that they form a scientific society. 



With further characteristic modesty the youngest charter 

 member of the Academy, though the only professional scientist 

 among this intellectual group of amateurs, kept himself continu- 

 ously in the background. For 41 years he was the moving spirit, 

 hardest worker, and intellectual center of the little monthly ex- 

 changes of scientific ideas at our meetings which now number 353. 

 No material or official motive or reward ever alloyed Prof. Win- 

 chell's pure love of science for its own sake. He had the real 

 creative artist's joy in his work, satisfied with the sympathetic 

 appreciation of a few friends, quite irrespective of any material 

 gain, advertising or public notice. 



It was also very characteristic of the youngest charter mem- 

 ber and the true student of nature that, while the opening presi- 

 dential address of Dr. Johnson started right out with the large 

 problem, "Did Life Originate by Law?" the modesty of the 

 patient investigator made the first committee's report, in April, 



1873, an oral statement "of his observations of the drift, present- 

 ing the various theories of the subject, together with his own 

 views." Two months later "the drift was again discussed at con- 

 siderable length by Messrs. Winchell, Clough, Ames. Gale and 

 Johnson." 



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