676 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters . 
regents to allow me to use the balance of my salary, i. e., what 
was really saved by my absence, in the purchase of plaster casts 
for a classical museum in the new library building. The an¬ 
swer was that I must not trouble myself with anything of the 
kind till I was really well. In so far as this was prompted by 
a consideration for me, I appreciated it, and of course there was 
no answer to give. But the time has come when no such answer 
suffices. All the manufactories in the world are glad to deco¬ 
rate Johnson’s building [Engineering Hall] ; but Socrates and 
Demosthenes can’t send their photographs, nor can Phidias send 
his architectural designs. Consequently such things either have 
to be bought, or we are in danger of being snowed completely 
under by a spirit of commercialism. Carnegie and Rockefeller 
will perish, but there are some others that will remain. I re¬ 
cently wrote - tliat I should be greatly disappointed if I 
were not permitted to make the expenditures. If I could 
spend, say, $1,000 for photographs and $2,500, or such a mat¬ 
ter, for statuary, my illness will not have been without advan¬ 
tage.” 
Meanwhile a change had taken place. Winter came sud¬ 
denly ; Mrs. Adams was stricken down with asthma; her illness 
was long and his sympathy intense, so that he was never quite 
so well again. Still he maintained the struggle for health. 
Seven months later, when, under the impression that his health 
was far better than it was, I had urged his being here to meet 
the board of regents in September, he replied: “Ever since 
January 5 we have been fighting the battle to get into condition 
to resume work at the beginning of the year. In the case of my 
wife the battle cannot be said to have been successful—at least 
the improvement has been so capricious and slow that up to the 
arrival of your letter it seemed uncertain what the true course 
should be. I have been confronted with the dilemma of either 
going back without her or delaying the voyage in the hope of 
further improvement. I have too much dread of an avenging 
iSTemesis- to undertake the former course.” They decided to 
come home together, and that last letter from Germany con¬ 
cluded thus: “Of one thing I wish to assure you. Every 
movement, except my shortest possible journey to Glasgow, has 
been dictated by considerations of health. * * * It has, 
beyond all question, been the most anxious and disappointing 
year of my life. In spite of all these facts I shall attempt to 
be present at the meeting of the board.” 
