WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 99 



and after revision of the first rough draft the second transcript 

 usually represented the finished product, a third or fourth copy sel- 

 dom being necessary. Yet his writings were noteworthy for their 

 sustained elevation of tone and purpose no less than for their form, 

 their completeness and conciseness, made possible by an unparalleled 

 vocabulary. His dictation was extremely slow and careful. In pre- 

 paring articles for publication he often dictated continuously for sev- 

 eral hours, alternately pacing the floor and sitting at his desk, fre- 

 quently continuing the day's work at the office for a few hours in the 

 evening at his club; yet the transcription of the matter dictated 

 might require only a few minutes. He indicated paragraphing and 

 punctuation, and after his final reading of the manuscript nothing 

 remained for the editor but to indicate to the printer that it was to be 

 followed literally. In his correspondence, even the shortest letters, 

 this same care was observed. His every letter reflected formality and 

 courtesy. It was his unfailing habit in making reference, whether 

 complimentary or otherwise, to third persons to send duplicates of 

 the letter written to all parties interested. 



His courteous manner and his generous disposition were, I think, 

 the most striking of his personal characteristics. Doctor McGee was 

 absolutely devoted to the public service, and it was in this connection 

 that his generosity was most impressive. At all times willing to 

 make any sacrifice for any cause designed to subserve the public in- 

 terest, he was absolutely indifferent to personal gain, desiring only the 

 opportunity to pursue with a free hand the work in which he was 

 most interested. While he received a fairly substantial salary, he 

 used only about a third of his income for personal expenses, the re- 

 mainder being set aside for the use or benefit of others under condi- 

 tions which to most men would have carried no sense of obligation. 

 His work was not directed toward personal advancement. With a 

 supreme confidence in his own carefully formulated ideas, his greatest 

 function in life seemed to be in the education and inspiration of other 

 workers to train their efforts toward effectuating the broad and far- 

 sighted plans he outlined in blazing new trails, opening new fields 

 of research, and pointing out the enormous possibilities involved in 

 following these new lines of endeavor and in all adding materially 

 to organized knowledge. 



