Memorial Address—Dr. George M. Steele. 681 
dent life in four countries, I had twenty-eight teachers, but I 
have not the least hesitation in saying that George M. Steele 
was the greatest teacher of them all. He was not remarkable 
as a scholar, nor as a pedagogical tactician, nor as an enthusias¬ 
tic specialist, lifting one study into fascinating dignity, but, 
precisely like Thomas Arnold, he could create for a student a 
new world. This he did by a peculiar combination in method. 
On the one side by the most natural, penetrating, and stimulat¬ 
ing sympathy he entered the student’s person and vitalized all 
kinds of noble motives—in fact, made the man all over in 
heart. On the other side, he had an efficient way of relating 
scholarship to life. His class room was a place of large hori¬ 
zons. It was like climbing a mountain in a clear day and look¬ 
ing down upon your little door-yard. Coming out of a, class one 
day a boy said, ‘He makes a fellow see forty miles.’ ” 
The second testimony is from that queenly and cultured 
woman, .Margaret J. Evans of Carleton College, who graduated 
under him and taught with him for four years at Lawrence. 
She says: “By his great personality he transformed dullards 
into scholars, weaklings into robust students, frivolous girls 
into earnest women, selfish boys into ministers and mission¬ 
aries—even incipient criminals into noble citizens.” Another 
of his pupils affirms, “his class room was one of the way stations 
on the pathway of truth and integrity.” Unquestionably we 
may say that as a teacher he lives immortal in “souls made bet¬ 
ter by his presence.” 
As a,n author, considering the distracting character of his 
peculiar work, he rendered no inconsiderable service. The 
ripe fruit of his thought found its way into' our foremost maga¬ 
zines: the Atlantic Monthly, the Forth American Review, the 
Methodist Review, and many other leading periodicals. For 
forty years but few weeks went by when the public was not 
treated to something from his busy pen. He discussed with 
apparent ease the most varied subjects—literary, biographical, 
theological, political, social, historical, and educational. Sev¬ 
eral papers written by him are printed in the Transactions of 
this society. His books are as follows: Outlines of Bible 
Study for Colleges, a volume of college sermons, Elementary 
Psychology, Ethics, and a work on political economy. All of 
his publications manifest independence of thought, logical 
power, and vigorous expression. He was not an accumulator 
