SKETCH OF HEINRICH HERTZ. 401 



our progress within recent years, the numerous discoveries and 

 inventions for shortening time and space, increasing production, 

 combating disease, etc., seem almost to indicate that we are 

 scarcely more than upon the very threshold of civilization. To 

 quote a short sentence from Tylor, " The unconscious evolution 

 of society is giving place to its conscious development, and the 

 reformer's path of the future must be laid out on deliberate cal- 

 culation from the track of the past." * If this be our under- 

 standing of scientific history, then we accept the conception of 

 history with which we started that is, we agree that "history 

 is the self-conscious development of society." 



SKETCH OF HEINRICH HERTZ. 



BY HELENE BONFOKT. 



"TTTHEREVER the investigating minds of scientists are at 

 V V work promoting the insight of man into the mysteries of 

 Nature, wherever friends of natural philosophy are keenly alive 

 to the importance of this comparatively new field of study, a 

 field in which lie some of the most essential interests of modern 

 civilization, there will be sincere and deep regret over the death 

 of a young professor whose splendid career came to an untimely 

 end on the first day of this year. Prof. Heinrich Hertz, of the 

 University of Bonn, in Germany, died on January 1, 1894, not 

 yet thirty-seven years of age. For the last two years he had not 

 been in good health, and, though under the treatment of his capa- 

 ble physicians he several times rallied and seemed to be restored 

 to his former strength, the last winter brought a serious relapse. 

 A chronic and painful disease of the nose spread to the neighbor- 

 ing Highmore's cavity and gradually led to blood-poisoning. He 

 was conscious and in possession of his full mental power to the 

 last ; he must have been aware that recovery was hopeless, but 

 not a word escaped his lips that would have shown to his dear 

 ones whether hope or fear filled his heart. His wife and his 

 mother were at his bedside for many weeks, giving him their ten- 

 derest care, and, in spite of his continuous sufferings, there were 

 many hours of genial discourse. At such times they read to him, 

 and he gave himself up to general topics and to matters of per- 

 sonal interest to them, displaying even yet his wonted brightness 

 and cheerfulness. 



HEINRICH HERTZ, born in Hamburg on February 22, 1857, 

 was the eldest son of exceptionally good and clever parents. His 



* Contemporary Review (article on Primitive Society), vol. xxii, p. 72. 

 VOL. XLV. 31 



