142 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. 



and a half." Another writer, speaking of his examination of the 

 telephone at Philadelphia, says : " It was a most lovely sight, at 

 the Grand Exhibition at Philadelphia, when Professor Henry, the 

 father of the system" of electro-magnetic communication, "and Sir 

 William Thompson, the greatest living electrician in Europe, 

 met and experim'ented with that mysterious telephone. Their 

 pleasure reminded me more than anything else of the exuberant 

 joy of childhood, when some beautiful revelation of nature has been 

 for the first time brought to its brain, and when the innocent child 

 expresses happiness in every feature of its face and every movement 

 of its person." 



He was characterized by great reverence in the pursuit of truth. 

 Singularly modest as to his own powers and attainments, he never 

 Buifered the advancement of his own opinions to warp his judgment 

 or govern his investigations; he held the progress of truth dearer 

 than the success of a theory. And nothing moved his gentle nature 

 to greater indignation than the pretensions of the charlatan or 

 bigot in science. 



In all his researches he was actuated principally by the desire to 

 make the results of his study of benefit to his fellow-men. His 

 own noble words sum up the ruling principles of his life as a 

 scientific man. He says, when put on trial for his character as a 

 man of science and a man of honor, " My life has been principally 

 devoted to science and my investigations in different branches of 

 physics have given me some reputation in the line of original dis- 

 covery. I have sought however no patent for inventions and 

 solicited no remuneration for my labors, but have freely given their 

 results to the world ; expecting only in return to enjoy the con- 

 sciousness of having added by my investigations to the sum of 

 human knowledge. The only reward I ever expected was the 

 consciousness of advancing science, the pleasure of discovering new 

 truths, and the scientific reputation to which these labors would 

 entitle me." And verily I say unto you, he hath his reward. 



As an investigator. Professor Henry was characterized by great 

 patience and thoroughness in his work of observation, and by broad, 

 well-considered, and far-reaching generalizations. He distrusted 

 the so-called "brilliant generalizations" with which those favor us 



