136 SCIENCE SKETCHES. 
you hint that a check-rein would not be amiss on 
the enthusiastic professor who is responsible for 
all this. 
“Do you not see that the way to bring about a 
well-proportioned development of all the resour- 
ces of the University is not to check the Natural 
History department, but to stimulate the others? 
Not that the Zodlogical school grows too fast, but 
that the others do not grow fast enough? 
“This sounds invidious and somewhat boastful, 
but it is you and not I who have instituted the com- 
parison. It strikes me that you have not hit upon 
the best remedy for this want of balance. If sym- 
metry is to be obtained by cutting down the most 
vigorous growth, it seems to me that it would be 
better to have a little irregularity here and there. 
In stimulating by every means in my power the 
growth of the Museum and the means of education 
connected with it, 1 am far from having a selfish 
wish to see my own department tower above the 
others. I wish that every one of my colleagues 
would make it hard for me to keep up with him; 
and there are some among them, I am happy to 
say, who are ready to run a race with me.” 
In one of his addresses Agassiz said: — 
“The physical suffering of humanity, the wants 
of the poor, the craving of the hungry and naked, 
appeal to the sympathy of every one who has a 
human heart. But there are necessities which 
only the destitute student knows; there isa hunger 
and thirst which only the highest charity can 
understand and relieve, and on this solemn occa- 
sion let me say that every dollar given for higher 
