302 DEATH OF PROF. MACOUN 



related where it was nothing but sheer determination that carried 

 him safely through perilous and exhaustive situations. After 

 his recovery from the paralytic stroke in 1912, which left his right 

 hand in such condition that he could not write with it, he deter- 

 mined to write with his left, and, from that time on, did so in a 

 very legible handwriting. He could never be idle and had noth- 

 ing to regret in his old age over wasted days and nights, for he 

 worked both night and day until a few years before his death, 

 when he spent his evenings in reading. He was a very wide 

 reader and kept himself well posted on the events of the world 

 to the very last, and, having been a great reader for so many 

 years, he was a veritable encyclopedia. He had a wonderfully 

 retentive memory and could give the year and the day of the 

 month where he had been when anything out of the ordinary 

 occurred in his personal experience, apparently back to his child- 

 hood. He could give the scientific name on sight of thousands 

 of flowering plants, mosses, lichens, liverworts and fungi. His 

 quickness in this respect was remarkable, but quickness was one 

 of his strong characteristics, both in his actions and in his speech. 

 His repartee was so keen that he was seldom, if ever, cornered in 

 an argument, and he delighted in discussing any matter of general 

 or personal interest. He had an extremely logical mind and had 

 great power of accurate deduction when given a few important 

 facts. He was very emphatic in his statements, and his enthus- 

 iasm was so great that the combination of these two characteristics 

 made his personality a striking one. With these two traits, how- 

 ever, went a very humorous disposition and many an audience 

 and individual went into bursts of laughter over his way of put- 

 ting things. His honesty was proverbial and he was very frank 

 and outspoken in regard to wrongdoing. He was kind and 

 generous not only to his family and near friends, but to those 

 from whom he did not expect to receive anything in return. He 

 believed that there was an Overruling Power, but that men had . 

 much to do in shaping their own destiny. 



Perhaps the strongest trait in Prof. Macoun's character, was 

 a sympathetic understanding of his fellow-men, one that made 

 him hosts of friends and a much-sought adviser in questions of 



