WIUJAM K£ITH BROOKS — CON KLIN 



believed so thoroughly in the law of natural selection, as he 

 once said, that he thought it was best for a student to find out 

 for himself, as soon as possible, whether he was fitted for inde- 

 pendent investigation or not, and by this rigid discipline the 

 unfit were weeded out from the fit. This was certainly no 

 school for weaklings, but it afforded magnificent training for 

 those who had ability and determination. For those who en- 

 dured this ordeal he maintained the warmest regard, and his 

 interest and pride in the work of his students was as marked as 

 it was stimulating. 



Throughout the greater part of his life he did most of his 

 research work at night; even the preparation and study of 

 microscopical objects were frequently done by lamplight. He 

 was quite proud of a little device of his by means of which he 

 could imbed objects in paraffin by the heat of his student lamp, 

 which served to illuminate his microscope. It was his custom, 

 after his day's work at the university, to spend the evening 

 with his family, frequently in reading aloud or in playing 

 cards, and then, after all others had retired, he began his work. 

 With his feet wrapped up in blankets to keep them warm he 

 would write, or use his microscope, far into the night. In his 

 work at the shore he would work all day, or all night, as the 

 need might require or his inclination prompt. In his last 

 years night work was no longer possible for him, and he turned 

 to music for recreation, having discovered almost by acci- 

 dent that he had a great fondness for music, and that this 

 liking could be gratified by means of an automatic piano. The 

 last time I saw him we sat up until after midnight playing com- 

 positions by great musicians. 



In spite of the fact that he was, during the course of his 

 life, interested in many things, he was rarely interested in 

 more than one thing at a time ; and this sometimes led to an 

 apparent lack of sympathy with the work of some of his stu- 

 dents which was more apparent than real. Occasionally, when 

 he was appealed to for some explanation of some published 

 statement of his, he would say, "I have forgotten all about that 

 now." Often when asked a question, he would say, "I don't 

 know," when he knew better than anyone, although, at the 

 time, the subject was out of his mind. To one of his students 



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