ANECDOTES OF HIS LIFE 



the book. Of course, it is easily understood why he 

 should do this. His knowledge on all subjects alluded 

 to in the text-book was extensive, and if he were to ask 

 questions from his knowledge of the subject, he would, 

 of necessity, oftentimes be unjust to the student, and 

 injustice was utterly foreign to Professor Dana's 

 nature. 



" While small of stature he was of commanding pres- 

 ence, yet most modest and unassuming withal. His 

 manner won him the respect and esteem of every one who 

 came under his teaching. My work with him was mainly 

 in connection with a small elective class, but I was in the 

 habit of attending the recitations of the senior class in 

 geology for the sake of the remarks which were made 

 during the course of the recitation. There never was the 

 slightest disorder in the room, although one day, I re- 

 member, an incident occurred which at first looked, or 

 rather sounded, like disorder. During the progress of 

 the recitation a match-head was accidentally exploded by 

 some one. I remember yet the hurt look which came on 

 the venerable teacher's sensitive face and the quiet remark 

 which he made a few moments later. At the end of the 

 recitation fully a dozen students, from the part of the 

 room where the disturbance had occurred, stopped at 

 the Professor's desk and assured him that the noise was 

 accidental. The quite evident feeling of relief with which 

 he received this assurance was very pleasant to see. 



" His presentation of scientific facts was almost purely 

 impersonal. Out of the wealth of experience which he 

 had enjoyed as a young man when naturalist in the famous 

 Wilkes Expedition famous more because of his work 

 in connection with it than for any other reason he might 

 have drawn almost daily for illustrations. He almost 

 never said, ' I have seen/ or, ' I have visited this or that 

 locality.' 



" His disposition was most kindly. This, indeed, could 

 be seen in the whole bearing of the man. I remember an 

 Armenian student who had been studying for some time 

 in this country, and who, in 1881-82, was taking geology 

 and kindred studies in Yale, preparatory to going back to 

 Turkey as a teacher and missionary. We called him 

 Devonian, because his name sounded something like that 

 of the age of fishes. One day as we were starting on a 



169 



