INFLUENCE UPON SCIENTIFIC WORK. xill 



patience and good nature that was truly remarkable. However, 

 the ripeness of his critical judgment and the facility of his 

 literary taste made most of this work easy for him, and not 

 infrequently he earned the gratitude of some young author by 

 having caught the spirit of his clumsily and illy-expressed ideas 

 and transcribed them for him into terse and lucid language. 

 His work of this nature was ever done with the conscientious 

 desire to benefit the writer to the greatest degree. By the 

 majority of the scientific staff:" of his Bureau he was particularly 

 admired not only for the things which he had done in science, 

 and not only for his intellect and for the wide grasp of his mind, 

 but also for his fairness of judgment in all scientific matters 

 and for his love and appreciation of scientific truth. In all the 

 little disputes in his laboratory, he evidently endeavored never 

 to let himself be led away by his personal feelings, but to give 

 his decision in an impartial manner. His attitude finally 

 inspired, among many of his colleagues, a confidence that he 

 would judge their diflferences calmly and impartially, and there 

 existed an intellectual bond between him and many of his labor- 

 atory workers. In the latter years of his life, his personal judg- 

 ment of men and things was extensively sought after and his 

 advice cheerfully and unselfishly given. I never knew him so 

 busy with his own work that he would not willingly be inter- 

 rupted by a colleague who wished to discuss with him some 

 scientific problem or who sought his aid or advice. At such 

 times it ever seemed to be his earnest desire to give the most 

 efficient assistance to those who so came to him. 



If we attempt to analyze his success, if we ask ourselves what 

 were the qualities of his mind and character (for the two can 

 not be separated in an investigator) by which he stood above 

 many of his colleagues, we shall find as conspicuous traits, his 

 comprehensive knowledge of scientific problems in general, his 

 diligence and accuracy in the details of daily life, and his wholly 

 upright and open character in all scientific matters. These 

 traits were certainly powerful factors in contributing to his 

 successful career. 



However, my effort to-day is not only to pay a deserved 



