652 FRANCIS AMASA WALKER. 



typical of tbe mau. It should be read by every legislator, State or. 

 Federal, in the country. He brought out most clearly and graphically 

 how vast sums of money have been spent by the Federal Government 

 in training men for the Army and the IS'avy, through the maintenance 

 of the Military and Naval academies, but that not even the interest of 

 $10,000 had ever been expended by the Government in training men 

 for its great census service — a service which has cost tens of millions 

 of dollars, and yet is entered upon every ten years with an untrained, 

 unscientific, and unequipped corps of clerks and officers. This he 

 deprecated most severely, and pointed out the advantages that would 

 accrue if the Government would establish a permanent census office, 

 and devote itself to the assiduous collection, analysis, and publication 

 of statistical information; that the expenditure of such vast sums in 

 the publication of statistical matter was not warranted unless great 

 pains was taken to secure accurate data to begin with. 



This was the last public utterance of General Walker, and those who 

 heard him were impressed, not only with the dignity, the character, 

 and the force of his address, but, alas ! with the fact that he was over- 

 worked, and that soon we might expect — we did not anticipate how 

 soon — his work to overcome him. 



It may be that we shall conclude that the most monumental work 

 undertaken by President Walker was the administration of the affairs 

 of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I have spoken of his 

 equipment for that position. His experience at Williston and at Yale 

 confirmed him in his estimate of a sound, practical education. Never 

 ignoring the classics, always broad enough to appreciate and foster all 

 that belongs to a college of the liberal arts, he, nevertheless, under- 

 stood more thoroughly than most educators fifteen years ago the real 

 necessity of the most complete scientific education. He therefore 

 entered upon his duties in the institute with more than the ardor of an 

 educator, for he had but little to do with teaching as such. His 

 breadth of mind enabled him to understand the needs of the institute, 

 and his great administrative abilities made him familiar at all times 

 with all the features of the various curricula. His innovations were of 

 the very greatest help to the young man seeking to equip himself for 

 his life contests. He never believed in giving diplomas to men who 

 had simply stayed the required time in the institution over which he 

 presided; but when a young man was not competent to take the full 

 course, or through ill health or other adverse conditions was obliged 

 to drop out of some of the de])artments, he gave him every opportunity 

 to secure a special certificate in some one branch. By this means he 

 has sent out into the world men often without a diploma to be sure, 

 but thoroughly competent to take charge of work intrusted to them. 

 We all know many of these young men — we know their success; we 

 know their loyalty to President Walker. He was their friend always, 

 and at all times ready to aid with his advice and assist materially with 

 his recommendations. While carrying the student roll of the institute 



