RENE JUST HAUY AND HIS INFLUENCE 



An address by Herbert P. Whitlock on the occasion of the I7$th anniversary of 

 the birth of Abbe Haiiy 1743, given at the Abbe Haiiy celebration in New York, 

 February 28, iqi8 



Reviewing the history of the modern sciences it appears to us 

 remarkable that in so many instances the person of one individual 

 assembles the scattered observations and deductions of his prede- 

 cessors, unifies and crystallizes the thought of his epoch and gives 

 to his special branch of learning that impetus which, kindling at 

 the fire of his genius, lights his successors along the way to modern 

 scientific attainment. In this way we speak of Newton as the 

 father of mechanical physics; of Cuvier as the originator of com- 

 parative zoology and of Linnaeus as the founder of biological classi- 

 fication. The year 1743, to which we direct our attention on this 

 its 175th anniversary, was remarkable in that it saw the birth, in 

 France, of two such intellectual giants — Lavoisier and Haiiy. 



It is not without significance that modern mineralogy, based as 

 it is on chemistry and crystallography, should, by a mere coincidence, 

 be heralded into existence by these twins of genius. It is not without 

 significance that, caught in the whirlwind of the Revolution, they 

 should have together endured imprisonment. 



To what heights the mind of Lavoisier would have attained had 

 his life been spared, we of course have no means of estimating. 

 Suffice it, however, that the Abbe Haiiy emerged from that supreme 

 experience as one of the most profound analytical thinkers of two 

 centuries. 



Rene Just Haiiy, honorary canon of Notre Dame, member of the 

 French Academy, creator of the science of crystallography, was 

 born February 28, 1743, in the village of St Just, about 70 kilometers 

 north of Paris and directly on that now historic line which marks 

 the limit of the Teuton drive of 19 14. As a child Haiiy early showed 

 a marked taste for church music, which trait coupled with his interest 

 in religious ceremonies attracted the attention of the prior of an 

 abbey at Premontres who, perceiving his aptitude and intelligence, 

 arranged to have him instructed by some of the monks. His progress 

 was such that his instructors prevailed upon his mother to spare 

 enough from her meager livelihood to enable him to go to Paris in 

 search of ampler educational advantages. In Paris Haiiy was 

 forced to earn his living as a choir boy and became a good musician 



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