154 The Smithsonian Institution 



closing address to the National Academy of Sciences, a few 

 days before his death : 



" Whatever might have been thought as to the success of 

 the Academy, when first proposed by the late Professor Louis 

 Agassiz, the present meeting conclusively proves that it has 

 become a power of great efficiency in the promotion of sci- 

 ence in this country. To sustain this effect however much 

 caution is required to maintain the purity of its character and 

 the propriety of its decisions. 



" For this purpose great care must be exercised in the 

 selection of its members. It must not be forgotten for a 

 moment that the basis of selection is actual scientific labor in 

 the way of original research, (that is in making positive addi- 

 tions to the sum of human knowledge,) connected with unim- 

 peachable moral character. 



"It is not social position, popularity, extended authorship, 

 or success as an instructor in science, which entitles to mem- 

 bership, but actual new discoveries ; nor are these sufficient 

 if the reputation of the candidate is in the slightest degree 

 tainted with injustice or want of truth. Indeed, I think that 

 immorality and great mental power actually exercised in the 

 discovery of scientific truths are incompatible with each other, 

 and that more error is introduced from defect in moral sense 

 than from want of intellectual capacity." 



A few days before his death, unable to pursue his custom- 

 ary routine of work, his mind became more than usually con- 

 cerned upon the mystery of existence and the meaning of 

 human life; and at this time, without the knowledge of his 

 family, he wrote to his friend Mr. Patterson a letter, in which 

 he recorded the results of his lifelong thoughts upon this 

 subject : 



"After all our speculations," he wrote, "an attempt to 

 grapple with the problem of the universe, the simplest con- 

 ception which explains and connects the phenomena is that 



