MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH BAERELL 23 



He took no advantage, and he gave none; lie was meticnously just and 

 carried exactness of method into details of every-day life. 



Barren's unbounded confidence in conclusions reached by reasoning — 

 a quality which yielded such large returns to science — also led him to 

 some odd convictions. No amount of argument and friendly ridicule 

 could convince Barrell that a man of his length and build and weight 

 could learn to swim in fresh water. Likewise a careful study of his 

 family history and insurance tables led to the unshakable belief that some 

 thirty years of active life were ahead of him. And in spite of his natu- 

 rally kindly disposition and his desire to maintain an open mind, he 

 found it extremely difficult to modify his views of individuals, political 

 tenets, and religious teachings, after a thoughtful decision had once been 

 made. 



A striking feature of BarrelFs mind was its complete detachment. He 

 used the same criteria in judging his own powers and attainments as 

 those he applied to others. He cared little for adverse criticism and not 

 much more for praise. He felt that work should be measured by abstract 

 standards or, to use his term, "an independent witness,'' and that ques- 

 tions of friendship and nationality and codes of ethics and modesty have 

 nothing to do with principles and methods. He placed high valuation 

 on his own work, was fond of quoting from himself, and somewhat im- 

 patient of those who failed to recognize the worth of his contributions. 

 But in this attitude there was no discernible trace of lack of modesty or 

 undue seeking for personal glory. He thought highly of his opinions 

 and of his publications not because they were his, but because they were 

 good. His clean-cut, detached mind had pronounced a judgment in 

 which we all concur. 



Method of Woek 



It is interesting and helpful to record the methods used by Barrell in 

 the preparation of his papers. His choice of topics arose partly from 

 personal interest and the needs of his immediate colleagues, but largely 

 from a feeling that investigation in certain fields was prerequisite to 

 progress in geological thought. When chosen, the problem was analyzed 

 and, controlled by multiple hypotheses, a series of deductions was 

 framed, each one of which rested solidly on the assumptions adopted for 

 the purpose. In the fonn of elaborate outlines, the paper thus made its 

 initial appearance. Then, and usually not till then, was a serious study 

 of the literature made. When, as sometimes happened, a perusal of 

 printed works showed that conclusions similar to his own had previously 



