24 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Vor.. XXVII, 1920 
and inspiration, he had in all his work, naught but a few very ordinary 
photo-prints, the result is indeed surprising; not in artistic excellency 
alone but in accuracy and impressiveness. Our artist should also share 
the congratulations of this day. 
In the second place, we may now rejoice in the Academy's intent 
and action, manifest so long ago; in the effort of the members and 
fellows to bring the plans of the Academy to fitting consummation, as in 
the program of this hour; in this we have, I am sure, a sense of sat- 
isfaction to be renewed, we hope, again and again hereafter as the 
years go by. 
It is fitting and beautiful for colleagues and fellow-laborers in any 
field to put in pleasing form some recognition of service rendered, some 
indication of esteem, some memorial by which ‘the past may, for at least 
a little time, enrich and cheer the future. Especially is this the case 
where, as in pure research, service is so often without personal emolu- 
ment, without thought of gain or even cost, brought forward as a pure 
gift to humanity, prompted by the simple love of truth, devotion to the 
beauty, and order, and high significance of the physical world. And if, 
as now, the unselfish labor has been conspicuous, the vision brilliant, 
the attainment great, the work accomplished memorable, — do we not 
honor ourselves in thus handing over to the State of Iowa, for the men 
and women of tomorrow, and yet tomorrow, memorial, such as this? 
Eo 1 here some concept of Iowa's most devoted lover ; of the master- 
student of her prairies, her rivers, her forest, her flowers, her rocks, 
her soils, nor less her wonderful far-fetched history, locked indeed in the 
very form and structure of soil and stone, but revealed, set forth, not to 
this Academy alone, decade after decade, but to the young men and 
women of the commonwealth assembled in scores and hundreds as class 
succeeded class in the great University; and at last, to the scientific 
world, in volumes — today the grace and pride of the science of the 
State. 
Here is no place for history or biographic details, did one dare indulge 
it; but may I so far abuse my privilege, and your patience as to tell 
how fifty years ago, and for many continuous years thereafter I saw a 
man go forth; in an open wagon, sometimes borrowed, more often hired, 
sometimes his own, traversing the road-less, bridge-less prairies of north- 
ern Iowa; enduring the heat of August suns, chilled by the damps of 
night, shelterless, tortured by mosquitoes, drenched by wild thunder- 
storms that made terrible the midnight hours; breakfasting at dawn and 
toiling until his camp-fire burned beneath the evening star. Fron Lansing 
to Clarinda, from Dubuque to Mason City, to Winterset, to Ottumwa; 
athwart the State, across the State, around the State he moved; climbing 
all rocky heights of nature's carving, pondering the talus of every open 
quarry, every wall of crumbling rock or sliding shale, wading the creek- 
beds and tracing the banks of larger streams, away from home for weeks 
together; — I knew such a man; in such fashion, and not otherwise, did he 
win the rich experience and world-wisdom presently brought in such 
overflowing measure to the service of the State of Iowa! 
Not for what it has cost, but for what it means, we commit now to 
the keeping of the public, this simple memorial of our colleague. His 
