THE AGASSIZ SCHOOL 55 
so happy... . Mother and I arranged a quantity of 
flowers in Father’s library. She put a large inkstand 
that she had bought for him, in the middle of that long 
table, then on one side of it was a bunch of lilies of 
the valley, on the other a vase of roses. Behind it was 
a large dish of flowers and back of that was a large 
bunch of flowers that Mr. Parkman had brought 
Mother the evening before, with just fifty kinds of 
flowers in it. Then on one of the tables near the 
window there were three more dishes and one bunch. 
It looked very pretty. 
A little later in the same year Agassiz declined an offer of 
the chair of paleontology in the Museum of Natural His- 
tory in Paris, preferring, as he said, “‘ to build anew in Amer- 
ica rather than to fight his way in the midst of the coteries 
of Paris.” An extract from a letter written by Mrs. Agassiz 
to Mrs. Cary on this occasion is given here; it is striking 
because of her complete silence as to any preference that 
she may have had in regard to her husband’s acceptance 
or rejection of this enviable position. Her personal wishes 
were entirely merged in his professional interests and re- 
sponsibilities. 
TO MRS. THOMAS G. CARY 
Nahant, September 19, 1857 
I must tell you that yesterday Agassiz received a 
letter which if it had come two years and a half ago 
before the scheme for the book [Contributions to the 
Natural History of the United States] and the school- 
room was formed would have taken us out of this 
