Sketch of Charles Baker Adams. — Seely. g 
the incident of the father's gathering the four small hoys to- 
gether at sunrise one summer morning for a stroll with him. 
He led them a mile away across country to a creek, at the time 
swollen to a torrent from recent rains. But it seemed to invite 
the professor who prepared himself for a plunge telling the 
youngest, a mite of a hoy to do- the same. Then leading him to 
the brink, he poising him for a moment in his hands tossed 
him far out into the current. The little fellow did not cringe 
or cry, was not afraid, for his father was there. He floated 
with his head well above the water and when swept down 
stream turned his eyes expectantly towards his father. The 
father looking for a little at the wholly trusting boy, dashed 
headlong into the stream, swam with vigorous strokes until he 
reached the little waif, when turning his broad back to him, 
told him to climb up and hold fast. Then such a ride as the 
boy had! To and fro the strong swimmer went with his small 
load to the joy of all the party and until the lesson ended. 
In demeanor he was quiet and self contained, with a grave 
cast of countenance. In physical endurance he was tough to a 
degree, never suffering from lack of sleep, not knowing what 
it was to be tired. Obstacles in his way he pushed aside, was 
reckless in the matter of expenditures when such were needed 
in accomplishing his work. He neither cared for nor feared 
danger even when, as his friends knew, the peril was great. 
An associate of professor Adams speaks of him as a typical 
scientist, one who possessed a greed of collecting, a remark- 
able power of classification, an ability to so marshall his indi- 
viduals and groups that they gave expression to his thoughts. 
He was diligent, methodical, a tremendous worker. For a 
little he was brought in company with Agassiz, and one who 
knew them both thinks, that in brilliancy of intellect he meas- 
ured up equally with this world renowned naturalist. 
In the classroom he had the fullest confidence of his stu- 
dents. Chemistry and natural history were not then the hand 
to hand sciences between teachers and scholars as today, but 
the instruction he gave in these departments commanded the 
careful attention of his listeners. While fast becoming a ma- 
ter in his own realm his work and study were not bounded by 
special science alone. He was alert to all that was going tor- 
ward in the world of thought, keeping abreast with the recent 
