MEMOIR OF NATHANIEL SOUTHGATE SHALER 597 



practical, took him to many parts of this continent, inclnding Cuba and 

 Alaska, so that it would perhaps have been difficult to find any one who 

 had seen underslandingly more of the country and its people. 



These travels and investigations, covering thirty-five crowded years, 

 had been carried on simultaneously with his university duties, which were 

 constantly growing in extent and importance. 



JSTo instructor at Harvai'd has held the position which Shaler did in the 

 ■eyes and in the hearts of the students. His elementary course of lectures 

 on the principles of geology ("Natural History," afterwards "Geology 4") 

 reached the high-water mark of attendance, with between five and six hun- 

 dred hearers, and many working geologists of the country can say with 

 the writer that their first interest in natural history, especially in geol- 

 ogy, was inspired by this elementary course. He also taught elementary 

 paleontology and advanced geology, always aiming to present underlying 

 principles, but with less attention to detail. It is estimated that about 

 seven thousand students came under his direct instruction in this long 

 term of years, probabl)' a greater number than had before been taught this 

 subject by any one man. Until his administrative duties prevented, he 

 was much in the field, both summer and winter, with advanced students. 



His teaching, however, was only a part of his activity in the university ; 

 for, besides the summer schools, he originated and directed many other 

 ways of assisting the students, especially those who were strangers or 

 were poor. He was ready with advice and sympathy, often of a material 

 kind, for any Avho came to him in trouble. 



The great university task and achievement of the last fifteen years of 

 his life was the successful reorganization and development of the Law- 

 rence Scientific School, which had been overshadowed by the development 

 of Harvard College. Mr Shaler became dean in 1891, and vigorously took 

 up the work of enlarging the instruction and resources and of attracting 

 students ; not only were the existing departments remodeled, but new ones 

 were added from time to time, such as, for instance, that of mining and 

 metallurgy, which at the time of his death had become a flourishing and 

 well equipped department. The result was seen in an increase in at- 

 tendance from 118 in 1891 to 504 in 1906. His friend, Gordon Mackaye, 

 left his great fortune for the endowment of applied science in the univer- 

 sity, and at the time of his death Mr Shaler was actively planning the 

 development to follow from the application of this fund. 



Mr Shaler's personality was striking and original. He was tall and 

 well proportioned, neither slender nor stout, with erect, active carriage ; 

 he had prominent features, with large blue-gray eyes and thick hair, 

 brushed back from his high forehead. In lecturing or speaking he rarely 



