The Three Secretaries 153 



scientific work, and the inspiration and the direct control which 

 he exercised were constant and far-reaching. The cordial 

 hospitality of his home in Washington was never forgotten 

 by any to whom it was given, and all who came to it received 

 a hearty welcome. He lived, from 1855 until his death, in 

 the east wing of the Smithsonian building. His wife, whom as 

 Miss Harriet L. Alexander he married in 1830, and his three 

 daughters, aided him to make it one of the centers in the 

 intellectual life of Washington, and there were few distin- 

 guished visitors to the city who did not enter his doors. 



Many remember his presence at the meetings of the Amer- 

 ican Association for the Advancement of Science, and the 

 impression made by his brief addresses, often simply a few 

 words of greeting, not even reported in the proceedings. In 

 his later years, in 1871, the Philosophical Society of Washing- 

 ton was organized, and he was its president as long as he 

 lived. The meetings, occurring every two weeks through the 

 winter, were events in Washington, and were attended not 

 only by students of science, but by many of the greatest 

 of our public men, while visiting men of science who made 

 communications were not few. Here, for the first time, was 

 announced the discovery of the telephone. The discussions 

 were often remarkable for their brilliancy and weight, and the 

 society in those days, unaffected by the withdrawal of special- 

 ists to form organizations devoted to particular branches, was 

 a very remarkable one. The spirit of Henry dominated the 

 whole, and his stately presence as he presided and his im- 

 pressive remarks when, as not infrequently happened, he par- 

 ticipated in the discussions, made every meeting memorable. 

 His address on the organization of a scientific society, at the 

 time of its foundation, presents the highest ideal of what a 

 local scientific society should be. And the height of his 

 ideals for science and for men of science is shown by his 

 n 



