42 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOSTON MEETING 



keen satisfaction in the realization that little of the work that he had 

 undertaken remained unfinished. 



In sheer balanced mental power, Gilbert was probably unsurpassed by 

 any geologist of his time. Fundamental among the qualities of his 

 mind were self-knowledge and self-control. These qualities he possessed 

 in a degree equaled by few. That mind which he knew and controlled 

 so well was a quiet, efficient, poAverful instrument, which functioned per- 

 fectly. Thus he was the very antithesis of the brilliant, temperamental, 

 erratic genius. He recognized both his powers and his limitations, and 

 did not undertake that which he was not equipped to do. When he had 

 entered on the study of a problem, he brought to bear on it a rare 

 capacity for discriminating observation. Few significant facts escaped 

 him, but he was rarely diverted from the path of progress toward a cor- 

 rect solution by the mass of facts that are not significant. Having 

 gathered his facts, he weighed them and marshaled them in proper 

 order, and so presented them that the solution at once became obvious. 

 Thus, in his writings Gilbert never seems to be, and in truth never is, 

 supporting a theory. He puts all theories of which he can conceive to 

 the test of fact, indifferent as to which, or as to whether any, survive. 

 It is the truth, and the truth only, that he seeks. 



Finally, in addition to that self-knowledge and self-control which 

 directed his activities into appropriate fields, that patience and capacity 

 in observation which, given sufficient opportunity, assured the mastering 

 of available facts, and that logical power which analyzed and interpreted 

 them with infallible precision, Gilbert also developed the art of presenta- 

 tion to such a point that his papers are models of scientific exposition. 

 Clearness in presentation with him, as with others who master the art, 

 is primarily a result of clear thinking; but in his case at least the clear 

 thinking was applied as directly to the problem of presentation as to the 

 scientific problem itself. Interestingly enough, Henshaw ^^ states that 

 "early in his career he was not a ready writer and found some difficulty 

 in satisfying himself as to the literary quality of his reports. As a 

 result, however, of care and diligent labor, he soon acquired a singularly 

 simple and lucid style, which later distinguished all his communications 

 to his fellows and the public.'' 



In personal characteristics Gilbert was direct, frank, simple, and un- 

 conventional, but calm and dignified, very even and serene in temper, 

 very kindly and considerate, but in nowise demonstrative. He was the 



^2 Personal communication. 



