Reminiscences of the late Mr. Whitney. 261 



tubes. Mr. Whitney considered it as so valuable, that he chose to 

 pay for the moulds himself, although they were expensive, and he re- 

 tained them with reference to future use for himself. 



The operations of Mr. Whitney's mind were not so remarkable for 

 rapidity as for precision. This arose, not from the want of mental 

 activity and ardor of feeling, but from habitual caution, and from his 

 having made it his rule to be satisfied with nothing short of perfec- 

 tion. Hence, he delayed to mention a projected invention or im- 

 provement, until he was entirely satisfied with his own views; he did 

 not disclose them until, in his own opinion, he had hit upon the best 

 conception and the best means of execution, and when these were 

 attained, and not before, he brought his project forward, or, more 

 frequently, put it into successful operation before he divulged his 

 plan. Hence, he rarely found it necessary to retrace his steps. In 

 early life he so effectually disciplined his mind, that he could, not 

 only confine it to the contemplation of one subject, but he could 

 suspend his train of thought and the execution of his inventions, 

 and resume them at distant intervals, without confusion or loss. He 

 was very patient of interruption, and would cheerfully leave his own 

 engagements and interrupt his mechanical arrangements, his repasts, 

 or his business, to attend to the numerous applications which were 

 constantly made to him, both by those who had, and those who had 

 not, any proper claims to his lime and services. 



No man, as stated in the memoir, knew better how to control the 

 excursions of an inventive mind. 1 have heard him speak, feelingly, 

 of the ruin often brought by ingenious men upon themselves, by al- 

 lowing their minds to wander from invention to invention ; devising 

 many things and completing nothing ; and he considered it equally 

 his own duty and interest, to adhere, inflexibly, to those undertakings 

 which he could carry into successful operation, and to deny himself 

 the luxury of a perpetual mental creation. 



With all his contemplative ingenuity, and habitual attention to me- 

 chanical details, Mr. Whitney did not allow his mind to be narrowed 

 down to a limited horizon. His views of men and things were on 

 the most enlarged scale. The interests of mankind, and especially 

 of his native country, as connected with government, hberty, order^ 

 science, arts, literature, morals and religion, were familiar to his mind^ 

 and he delighted in conversing with men of a similar character. 



