174 MEMOETAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. 



made many thousands of experiments, especially upon points in 

 electro-magnetism, and his inductions were leading him to most 

 interesting results. But his career was interrupted, and it was sad 

 afterward to hear him say, " Ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago I 

 made various experiments upon these points, but my duties in 

 Washington have prevented me from pursuing my investigations 

 further." And even the record of those experiments perished in 

 the flames when a portion of the Smithsonian building was burned 

 a few years since. Henceforth he incited others to work and guided 

 them in their investigations. He was the representative of Amer- 

 ican science, and the contributions of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 and his Annual Reports for thirty years, show how faithfully he 

 carried out the purpose of the Institution. Into the management 

 of its funds he carried the same economy and scrupulous delicacy 

 that he exhibited in his private financial transactions. He would 

 not employ for the use of his family funds which legally belonged 

 to him, because he thought that morally they belonged to a single 

 member of it. If any fault could be found with the financial affairs 

 of the Institution over which he presided, it was that the compen- 

 sation of the men of science who labored for it was entirely inade- 

 quate. Occasionally they were not even paid for their time, much 

 less for their labor or with reference to their scientific reputation. 

 He persistently declined to have his own modest salary increased, 

 and even gave the net proceeds of any lectures he delivered to the 

 Institution. A single incident will illustrate his high character and 

 his delicate sense of honor. Shortly after he was elected Secretary 

 of the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Hare resigned his position as 

 Professor of Chemistry in the Medical Department of the Univer- 

 sity of Pennsylvania, at that time probably the most desirable scien- 

 tific chair in this country. Philadelphia was the headquarters of 

 Medical education; this Medical School was the oldest and the 

 largest in the land; the salary from fees amounted to $5,000 or 

 $6,000 ; the duties occupied less than six months annually, leaving 

 the remainder of the year free for scientific investigation. Professor 

 Henry was sent for, and was asked if he would accept the appoint- 

 ment. The writer well recalls the day. The Professor, as he was 

 returning from his interview with the Trustees of the University in 



