HERTZ, THE DISCOVERER OF ELECTRIC WAVES 335 



by the Royal Society will long be remembered by those who heard it 

 for its simplehearted enthusiasm and good-feeling. His letters are full 

 of the same sentiment. ..." 



Noteworthy, indeed, was the extreme modesty of this scientific lion 

 of the hour, and equally striking his consideration for the feelings of 

 others. It is recorded that when the Royal Society presented him with 

 the Rumford medal, "he silently disappeared from Bonn for a few days 

 — none knew why — and he returned as silently." In refusing the 

 request made by the editor of The Electrician (of London) in 1890 for 

 his photograph. Hertz replied, " I feel as if presenting my portrait now 

 in so prominent a place follows too quickly the little work I have done. 

 I should like to wait a little, and see if the general approbation which 

 my work meets with is of a lasting kind. Too much honor certainly 

 does me harm in the eyes of reasonable men, as I have sometimes occa- 

 sion to observe. If your kind intention is the same in two years, even 

 one year, I shall readily consent and help you in every respect." Four 

 years later the portrait was published, following upon Hertz's death. 



Upon the untimely ending of his brief but brilliant career, occurring 

 in the very prime of life, before he was yet thirty-seven, there was a 

 feeling of shock and sadness in every scientific quarter. Many were 

 the sincere tributes paid to his memory, honoring him for his rare 

 personal qualities as well as his distinguished scientific attainments. 

 Some expressions from Lodge have already been quoted. Said he in 

 his obituary in The Electrician, "Not a student of physical science on 

 the planet but will realize and lament the sad loss conveyed by the 

 message, 'Hertz is dead.'" The editor of that journal wrote, "In the 

 modesty and self-forgetfulness which blend so admirably in the spirit 

 of true scientific research Hertz was singularly rich." In an editorial 

 note in an American journal. The Physical Review, we find the following : 

 " In addition to the recognition of those who were able to appreciate his 

 work, Hertz received the acclamations of the entire world of thought. 

 Fortunately he possessed a nature of such complete simple-mindedness 

 that his sudden rise into a position akin to notoriety had no effect upon 

 him. The unassuming bearing which had always characterized him 

 remained with him to the end." 



In a memorial address delivered by Professor Herman Ebert before 

 the Physical Society of Erlangen on March 7, 1894, the following senti- 

 ments are expressed: " In him there passed away not only a man of great 

 learning, but also a noble man, who had the singular good fortune to 

 find many admirers, but none to hate or envy him; those who came into 

 personal contact with him were struck by his modesty and charmed by 

 his amiability. He was a true friend to his friends, a respected teacher 



