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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



these was in administration, and the 

 national government owes much to his 

 skill and wisdom. Another is in his 

 numerous popular works and text- 

 books. He was a master of clear think- 

 ing and good English — witness, for 

 example, the series of papers on " The 

 Stars," published in this journal in 

 1900. He was also the author of 

 standard works on political economy 

 and of a great number of articles, 

 addresses and papers dealing with the 

 problems of science over a very wide 

 range. 



It is needless to tell here of the hon- 

 ors conferred upon Newcomb. He was 

 elected president of the American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science 

 at an early age. Honorary degrees and 

 honorary membership in academies 

 were heaped upon him. To be one of 

 the eight foreign associates of the 

 Paris Academy of Sciences is perhaps 

 the highest recognition that can be 

 given in the scientific world. It had 

 not been awarded to an American since 

 Franklin. 



THE DARWIN COMMEMORATION 

 AT CAMBRIDGE 



The centenary of the birth of Charles 

 Darwin coinciding with the fiftieth 



j anniversary of the publication of " The 

 1 Origin of Species," has been adequately 

 celebrated in the United States, as re- 

 counted in the April issue of this 

 journal, which was itself a Darwin 

 memorial number. It is, however, fit- 

 ting that the principal commemoration 

 should be held in Great Britain and at 

 the University of Cambridge. Darwin, 

 it is true, held no academic position 

 and was not greatly influenced by his 

 work as an undergraduate at Cam- 

 bridge. He said later that his " time 

 was wasted _as far as his academic 

 studies were concerned " ; but he could 

 also say : " the three years I spent at 

 Cambridge were the most joyful of my 

 happy life." The part often played by 

 a college in the future life of a student 

 through the friends and associations 

 there formed is well illustrated in the 

 case of Darwin. He became interested 

 in collecting beetles through his cousin, 

 W. Darwin Fox, also a student of 

 Christ's College, and through Henslow, 

 the eminent botanist, and it was 

 through the latter that he was led to 

 undertake the voyage on the Beagle. 

 This was Darwin's true university 

 course, and it is difficult to imagine 

 just what he would have done in the 

 world had it not been for the circum- 



The Second Court of Christ's College, in which were the rooms of Chailes Darwin. 



