340 Asa Gray: His Life and Work. 



opposers, until, largely through his influence, there caine 

 to be a wide-spread recognition of the doctrine of Evolu- 

 tion among the leading representatives of biological science. 

 Indeed, we may say that at the present time this recogni- 

 tion is practically universal. 



Asa Gray was born on the 18th of November, 1810, in 

 Oneida County, New York, a few miles south from Utica. 

 He was the eldest of eight children, and from his earliest 

 years a wide-awake, active child, energetic and studious, 

 winning the prize of a spelling-book before he was three 

 years of age. When six and seven years old he was the 

 champion speller in the district school. Following him 

 along in his boyhood we learn that, when eleven years of 

 age, having exhausted the district-school at home, he was 

 sent to a grammar-school in Clinton, where he staid two 

 years, and then entered Fairfield Academy, where he 

 remained until his father desired him to leave the Academy 

 and enter the Fairfield Medical School. This was in the 

 winter of 182(5-27. He finished his medical course and 

 received his degree of Doctor of Medicine in the spring of 

 1831. 



While in this Medical School in the winter of 1827-28 

 his attention was aroused in botany by reading an article 

 in the ''Edinborough Encyclopaedia." He soon obtained 

 Eaton's Botany, which he studied with increasing interest 

 through the Winter, and longed for Spring that he miglit 

 test his knowledge in consulting tlie flora around him. 

 AVhen Spring came we can imagine something of the deliglit 

 with which he hailed his first treasure, the little Claijtonhi 

 Virfjin'ica, which he found no difficulty in assigning to its 

 pro])er place. A new world was now opened around him, 

 and from this time on he saw not as otliers see. Things 

 were revealed to him that were blindly passed by the world 

 at large. So he became eyes to the blind and a medium of 

 knowledge to many loving followers. 



Although he received his degree of Doctor of ^fedicine, 

 and no doubt would have been a shining light in the world 

 of medical science had he chosen the career of physician, 

 his heart was not there ; it was set on the trees and flowers, 

 the growing things around him, and his far-reaching mind 

 grasi)ed the hidden secrets of Nature which he unveiled to 

 countless niimbers of disci [)les. 



In 1834 he became connected with Dr. John Torrey, 



