The Days of a Man 



1873 



The 

 lecture 



The old barn had been hastily converted into 

 dining hall and lecture room by turning out the 

 sheep, making over the horse stalls into a kitchen, 

 and putting in a new floor, though doors and walls 

 were left unchanged and the swallows' nests re- 

 mained under the eaves. In the middle of the big 

 room stood three long tables; at the head of one 

 sat Agassiz, always with a blackboard at his right, 

 for he seldom spoke without a piece of chalk in 

 hand, and frequently gave an entertaining lecture 

 at table, often about some fish or other creature the 

 remains of which lay on our plates. From one of 

 these talks I made my first acquaintance with the 

 bones of the Scup. 



Mrs. Agassiz, whose genial personality did much 

 to bind the company together, was present at every 

 lecture, notebook in hand. Among the teachers 

 were Dr. Burt G. Wilder, one of my former Cornell 

 professors, Edward S. Morse, Alpheus S. Packard, 

 Alfred Mayer, Frederick W. Putnam all young 

 men of growing fame; Arnold Guyot, also, and 

 Count Louis de Pourtales, early associates and 

 lifelong friends of Agassiz. 



Our second day upon the island was memorable 

 purpose a bove all others for the striking incident recorded 

 by Whittier in "The Prayer of Agassiz." Breakfast 

 over, Agassiz arose and spoke, as only he could speak, 

 of his purpose in calling us together. The swallows 

 flew in and out of the building in the soft June air. 

 Some of them grazed his shoulder as he dwelt with 

 intense earnestness on the needs of the people for 

 truer education needs that could be met by the 

 training and consecration of devoted teachers. This 

 was to him no ordinary school, he said, still less a 



C 



