. EDUARD SUESS 817 



he gave freely of his time and his wise counsel both to municipal 

 and national affairs. For ten years he was a member of the Munici- 

 pal Council of Vienna, and for more than thirty of the Austrian 

 ParHament as the strong exponent of progressive principles and 

 the determined foe of special privilege. His part in the Kultur- 

 kampf as an anti-clerical made for him many powerful enemies, 

 and this oppositon was reflected in the bitter attacks upon his 

 scientific conclusions in the period before he had achieved world 

 renown. An attribute of greatness was his simple and modest 

 demeanor. Empty honors he scorned, and, unlike so many of his 

 Teutonic colleagues, he declined the high-sounding state titles 

 and remained plain "Professor Suess" to the day of his death. 

 He seemed to take pleasure, however, in the position of President 

 of the Royal Imperial Academy of Sciences, to which with proper 

 pride his scientific colleagues again and again re-elected him; and 

 he did not decline the many memberships in foreign scientific 

 societies which indicated the high approbation of the scientific 

 world. In recognition of his suggestion and carrying to completion 

 of a plan to bring the pure waters of the Alps to Vienna, his fellow 

 citizens conferred upon him their highest honor by making him 

 an Honorary Burgess of the city. 



The practical nature of some of his other studies is indicated 

 by his monographs on "The Future of Gold" and "The Future of 

 Silver," widely known and read throughout the world. 



