﻿THE 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  JOURNAL 
  OF 
  SCIENCE 
  

  

  [FOURTH 
  SERIES.] 
  

  

  WILLIAM 
  GILSON 
  FARLOW. 
  

  

  Dec. 
  17, 
  1844— 
  June 
  3, 
  1919. 
  - 
  

   (Eeprinted 
  from 
  the 
  Harvard 
  Graduates 
  Magazine 
  of 
  December, 
  1919.) 
  

  

  To 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  seen 
  Dr. 
  Farlow 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  

   months 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  year, 
  when 
  his 
  vigor 
  of 
  mind 
  and 
  

   body 
  seemed 
  quite 
  unimpaired, 
  his 
  brief 
  illness 
  and 
  un- 
  

   looked-for 
  death, 
  which 
  resulted 
  from 
  a 
  rapidly 
  increas- 
  

   ing 
  weakness 
  of 
  the 
  heart, 
  brought 
  surprise 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   sorrow. 
  It 
  is 
  seldom 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  a 
  scientific 
  man 
  to 
  

   retain, 
  as 
  he 
  did, 
  almost 
  undiminished 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  

   end, 
  not 
  only 
  his 
  physical 
  and 
  mental 
  powers, 
  but 
  his 
  

   interests 
  and 
  enthusiasm. 
  One 
  can 
  but 
  feel 
  thankfulness 
  

   that, 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  years 
  of 
  his 
  life, 
  he 
  was 
  hampered 
  by 
  

   few 
  of 
  the 
  disabilities 
  which 
  so 
  often 
  afflict 
  old 
  age, 
  and 
  

   was 
  granted 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  continuing, 
  almost 
  without 
  

   interruption 
  and 
  with 
  little 
  hindrance, 
  the 
  activities 
  to 
  

   which 
  his 
  long 
  and 
  fruitful 
  life 
  had 
  been 
  devoted. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Farlow 
  was 
  born 
  December 
  17, 
  1844, 
  in 
  Boston, 
  

   where 
  he 
  lived 
  with 
  his 
  parents 
  until 
  his 
  fourteenth 
  year, 
  

   when 
  the 
  family, 
  which 
  included 
  five 
  other 
  children, 
  

   moved 
  to 
  the 
  suburb 
  of 
  Newton. 
  During 
  the 
  whole 
  

   period 
  of 
  his 
  early 
  education, 
  however, 
  he 
  attended 
  

   schools 
  in 
  Boston, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  Quincy 
  Grammar 
  and 
  Eng- 
  

   lish 
  High 
  was 
  awarded 
  Franklin 
  Medals 
  for 
  good 
  scholar- 
  

   ship. 
  

  

  His 
  father, 
  John 
  Smith 
  Farlow, 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  Boston 
  in 
  

   1817 
  and 
  was 
  educated 
  there; 
  a 
  public-spirited 
  citizen, 
  

   member 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Legislature, 
  President 
  of 
  the 
  Massa- 
  

   chusetts 
  Reform 
  Club; 
  a 
  successful 
  business 
  man 
  later 
  

   interested 
  in 
  railroads, 
  but 
  also 
  a 
  lover 
  of 
  the 
  humani- 
  

   ties; 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  President 
  of 
  the 
  Newton 
  Public 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci.— 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  XLIX, 
  No. 
  290.— 
  February, 
  1920. 
  

  

  7 
  

  

  