BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 79 



still a young man, of full habit, with a yellow beard. He spoke 

 little English, and our conversation followed slowly. He begged 

 to be excused for a moment, and then returned with a gentle- 

 man whom he introduced as Dr. W. J. Smith, working in 

 his laboratory. He reminded me very much of Dr. Brinton. 

 He is an Englishman, a physician, who has left practice and 

 is occupied with investigation at present on the changes 

 occurring in seeds during germination. I found him very 

 broad and intelligent. 



"He conducted me over the rooms, and from him I found 

 that Baumann was a wise and able master, to be absolutely 

 relied upon as to his knowledge and power of aiding his stu- 

 dents. I saw the basement-room where Dr. Smith is study- 

 ing. On his table were three dishes of glass, such as we use 

 for crystallizing. The bottom was covered with moistened 

 filter paper, and on it many seeds were germinating. He 

 covered these with a glass plate, and a dark cover over 

 the whole to exclude light. The seedlings, as they grew 

 upon their own resources, lived perhaps three weeks. The 

 roots were of the most dazzling whiteness, and gave the ap- 

 pearance of the finest tufted spun-glass. Dr. Smith said they 

 were studying a glucoside and later would attempt the syn- 

 thesis of a ferment. He offered to ask if I might become a 

 private student of Baumann, and to the astonishment of us 

 both, he said 'Yes.' He even showed us the room in which 

 I might work. It was a private room of his assistant. 



"Dr. Smith invited me to his apartment, and the same even- 

 ing Mrs. Smith called. I was unfortunately absent, having 

 gone to a performance of The Huguenots. It was not of a very 

 high order, but presented an interesting picture of provincial 

 life. The theatre and its occupants reminded me of a great 

 family party. The Grand Duke and some ladies of the party 

 were present, and sat in one of the upper stage-boxes. Upon 

 the Duke's entrance, a crier proclaimed in a loud voice that 

 His Royal Highness had arrived. Immediately every one rose; 

 then the orchestra began the overture of the opera. If a fire 

 had started, every one would surely have been burned, as there 

 seemed no means of ready exit. After the performance, a 



