156 



Louis Agassiz. 



to a young man who could allow himself few 

 luxuries." 



Undoubtedly the effort of this address was too 

 great a strain upon Agassiz in his enfeebled condi- 

 tion, and shortly after he showed further evidence 

 of a failure in strength. The great intellect that 

 had fought so many battles gave warning that 

 it must have rest, if indeed it was not too late. 

 Agassiz, though, as we have seen, a man of great 

 physical strength, always overworked himself ; his 

 mind invariably laid out work far too great for him 

 to accomplish, and it was this indomitable industry 

 that cut him down in what should have been his 

 prime. Up to this time he had always evaded the 

 doctors by inventing some expedition which would 

 pass as a rest, but now the demand upon him could 

 not be slighted and he took the longest vacation of 

 his life, spending a winter in what was enforced seclu- 

 sion. In the spring of 1870 he went to Deerfield on 

 the Connecticut River, where to the surprise of his 

 friends he soon recovered, returning to the museum 

 in November, 1870, apparently with a complete 

 renewal of health. 



