1873—1877 27 



at the Institute," he added, insisting on the Senate's political 

 attributes. Grevy's intervention in favour of his two candi- 

 dates was decisive. M. Tamisier obtained 446 votes, M. 

 Thurel 445, General Picard 113, M. Besson, a monarchist, 

 153, Pasteur 62 only. 



He had received on that very morning a letter from his 

 daughter, wishing him a failure — a bright, girlish letter, frankly 

 expressing the opinion that her father could be most useful to 

 his country by confining himself to laboratory work, and that 

 politics would necessarily hinder such work. 



It was easy to be absolutely frank with Pasteur, who 

 willingly accepted every truthful statement. No man was 

 ever more beloved, more admired and less flattered in his own 

 home than he was. 



" What a wise judge you are, my dearest girl ! " answered 

 Pasteur the same evening; "you are perfectly right. But I 

 am not sorry to have seen all this, and that your brother should 

 have seen it; all knowledge is useful." 



That little incursion into the domain of politics was ren- 

 dered insignificant in Pasteur's life by the fact that his long- 

 desired object was almost reached. Three months later, at the 

 distribution of prizes of the Concours General, the Minister of 

 Public Instruction pronounced a speech, of which Pasteur pre- 

 served the text, underlining with his own hand the following 

 passages : " Soon, I hope, we shall see the Schools of Medicine 

 and of Pharmacy reconstructed ; the College de France pro- 

 vided with new laboratories ; the Faculty of Medicine trans- 

 ferred and enlarged, and the ancient Sorbonne itself restored 

 and extended." 



And while the Minister spoke of " those higher studies of 

 Philosophy, of History, of disinterested Science which are the 

 glory of a nation and an honour to the human mind . . . which 

 must retain the first rank to shed their serene light over inferior 

 studies, and to remind men of the true goal and the true 

 grandeur of human intelligence. ..." Pasteur could say to 

 himself that the great cause which he had pleaded since he 

 was made Dean of Faculty at Lille in 1854, which he had sup- 

 ported in 1868 and again on the morrow of the war, was at last 

 about to be won in 1876. 



He had a patriotic treat during the summer holidays of that 

 same year. A great international congress of sericiculture was 

 gathered at Milan; there were delegates from Russia, Austria, 



