January 5, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



tive, even to the dull. From hundreds of 

 his pupils comes the testimony that to him 

 they owe the first quickening of their in- 

 tellectual life, the earliest revelation of 

 their own moral obligations and responsi- 

 bilities. There can be no higher praise than 

 this. 



Complete as was Dr. Orton's success in 

 everything concerning the internal man- 

 agement of the college, his services as its 

 representative in all its relations to the 

 outside world were of far greater impor- 

 tance. The young institution was but 

 coldly received at first, and this was espe- 

 cially true among those who ought to have 

 been its friends. There were numerousharsh 

 and unjust criticisms of its course of study, 

 its faculty, its board of trustees, and it 

 was even attempted by a few men of influ- 

 ence to make it a football of partisan 

 politics, so that its organization might be 

 completely changed with everj' change in 

 State administration. Against these and 

 many other adverse conditions its board 

 of trustees, president and faculty had to 

 contend. The confidence of the people had 

 to be won and was won, largely by the 

 strenuous but tactful efforts of the presi- 

 dent. An eloquent exponen tof the prog- 

 ress of scientific thought, in more depart- 

 ments than one. Dr. Orton was everywhere 

 welcome upon the lecture platform. In 

 cities, towns and villages, in grange and 

 farmers' institute, in teachers' conven- 

 tion and literary society, whenever men 

 and women met to foster intellectual 

 growth, he was heard with delight and 

 approbation. His speech was choice, yet 

 simple, clear and dignified, often rising to 

 an eloquence, never of sound or mere words, 

 but of noble thought. Fortunate, indeed, 

 was the new college in having so splendid 

 an exponent, and it is not strange that grad- 

 ually but surely there came to its support 

 a large and influential constituency from 

 among the best people of the State. 



Nor was there any lessening of his influ- 

 ence in its behalf when, after several at- 

 tempts and against the wishes of the friends 

 of the college, he induced the board of 

 trustees to relieve him of administrative 

 duties and allow him to devote his entire 

 time to his professorship. After that time 

 much of his most important scientific work 

 was done, and as State geologist he became, 

 even moi"e than before, familiar with every 

 nook and corner of the State. His broad 

 democracy of spirit and his generously 

 helpful disposition combined to put him in 

 close touch with the great industrial inter- 

 ests of Ohio, including man as well as mat- 

 ter. He knew the miner as well as the 

 mine, and it would be difiScult to measure 

 the value to the university of his almost 

 unique relations with the productive forces 

 of the Commonwealth. The beautiful and 

 noble building which bears his name, and 

 which, from this time on, will stand as a 

 monument to his memory, bears witness, 

 in the very stones of which it is composed, 

 of the readiness with which these forces re- 

 sponded to his touch. 



But still more enduring will be the tradi- 

 tions of his life and work in and about this 

 institution, his charming personality, his 

 felicitous speech, his lofty moral and intel- 

 lectual ideals. 



His title to high, perhaps highest, place 

 among the great benefactors of the univer- 

 sity, those who by wisdom and tact first 

 made its existence possible and aftetward 

 its destruction forever impossible, rests 

 upon a foundation as solid as that of the 

 rocks he so much loved. 



" Say not of me that I am dead," were the 

 last words of a great English poet ; " Say 

 not of him tha the is dead " are our words 

 to-day ; speaking for the few who have 

 been privileged to enjoy the most intimate 

 personal friendship, as well as for the 

 many, scattered over this broad land ; for 

 all our lives have been better and will be 



