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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXV. No. 638 



ing eighteen long years the writer sat at his 

 work under Kees: in all that time there never 

 came down to him an unkind word; never 

 once did a serious difference of opinion arise. 

 In eighteen years one becomes accustomed to 

 any man ; the few like Eees one comes to love. 

 These words will fail signally in their pur- 

 pose, if they do not convey to his sorrowing 

 family such poor consolation as may come 

 from those who feel and suffer with them. 



Eees was but fifty-five on his last birthday ; 

 in his short life he had served Washington 

 University as a professor five years, and Co- 

 lumbia University twenty-one. He had been 

 president of the New York Academy of Sci- 

 ences two years, and secretary of the Amer- 

 ican Metrological Society fourteen years. For 

 six years he was secretary of the Columbia 

 University Coimcil. He was a fellow of the 

 Koyal Astronomical Society of London, a 

 member of the Astronomische Gesellsehaft of 

 Leipzig, and in 1901 was created a chevalier 

 of the Legion d'Honneur in recognition of his 

 services as one of the judges at the Paris 

 exposition in that year. His principal ob- 

 servational research was a study of the 

 'Variation of Terrestrial Latitudes and the 

 Aberration of Light,' made at Columbia Uni- 

 versity, in cooperation with the Royal Ob- 

 servatory, Naples. This was the first applica- 

 tion of the method of simultaneous observa- 

 tions at two stations situated on the same 

 parallel of latitude, but separated widely in 

 longitude. The work was continued from 

 1893 to 1900 : the method has since come into 

 general use; and the International Geodetic 

 Association, which includes all civilized gov- 

 ernments, has now established four permanent 

 stations to carry it on. 



It was also during Eees's administration 

 that the astronomical department of Columbia 

 University tmdertook the publication of Euth- 

 erfurd's valuable series of star photographs. 

 Through his efforts this enterprise was made 

 possible; he took a keen interest in it, and 

 spared no pains to further the work during a 

 long series of years. 



In educational matters Eees was at all times 

 most active. His public lectures were fre- 



quent. Characterized especially by lucidity, 

 they always attracted large audiences; people 

 came to hear him again and again. But his 

 most lasting contribution to educational de- 

 velopment was his establishment of the Co- 

 lumbia summer school of geodesy. It is prob- 

 able that he was the first to recognize 

 practical field work in this subject as an in- 

 dispensable adjunct in the training of civil 

 engineers. Here he was at his best : his point 

 of view always that of the genuine man of 

 science, seeking ever the truth for its own 

 sake; never exalting mere technique at the 

 expense of theoretic perfection ; never limiting 

 his exposition of a subject to the side having 

 most value from the financial point of view. 

 Students frequently came back to him in later 

 years; they always spoke of his summer school 

 as the most agreeable memory of their college 

 years. Whenever this occurred, Eees was a 

 happy man for days. 



At times Eees was persuaded to go beyond 

 his quiet field of activity in the university. 

 His most lasting public service to the nation 

 was rendered as secretary of the Metrological 

 Society, in furthering the introduction of 

 standard or railroad time. The late Dr. E. 

 A. P. Barnard, president of Columbia College, 

 made the following reference to Professor 

 Eees in his testament, dated 1886: 



I give to my friend, Professor JohnKrom Eees, 

 the watch known as my Cosmic Time Watch, as a 

 mark of my regard and of my appreciation of his 

 zealous efforts for the promotion of metrological 

 reform and for the introduction of the now estab- 

 lished system of public standard time. 



Eees's attitude towards the scientific work 

 of others was one of extraordinary modesty. 

 To him the past masters of astronomy were 

 not men; they were demi-gods, to be men- 

 tioned in respectful accents and with lowered 

 tones. Even living visible masters of the 

 craft commanded from him a degree of re- 

 spect such as he could not have offered even 

 to crowned royalties. His own work might 

 be as good as theirs, but he could never see 

 it so. 



Another marked characteristic was his ex- 

 treme delight when visited by any one to 



