Edward Drinker Cope. — Frazer. 125 
the scientific and literary men of Philadelphia, and es- 
pecially of those passing through the city, had become fixtures 
widely known to the classes above referred to. The late Dr. 
John L. Leconte, Prof. J. P. Lesley, Mr. Winsor, Prof. Fair- 
man Rogers and others, were constant visitors as Philadel- 
phians while Profs. A. D. Bache, Louis Agassiz, Joseph Hen- 
ry, Benjamin Peirce, Benjamin A. Gould, Alexander and many 
others never failed to attend when in this city'. After the death 
of Prof. John F. Frazer, Oct. 12, 1872, the Sunday evening 
gatherings were continued by his son, and among those who 
were most regular in attendance were Edward D, Cope, F. V. 
Hayden, and Admiral E. Y. AlcCauley, (all now deceased). Up 
to his last illness, with rare intervals, professor Cope was the 
most constant of all, and usually discussed the subjects which 
were at the time engrossing his attention in his liberal, learned, 
and broad-minded manner. Very frequently on these occa- 
sions his eloquence and force were extraordinary, and the clear 
statement of his position on each question, with the arguments 
in support of it, were inspiring to his listeners. It was notice- 
able that the reasons which he urged in support of a proposi- 
tion were always of a high and impersonal character, without 
regard to his own or any other individual interests. No man 
could have been more just to the rights of others, no matter 
what his private relations with them were. In this respect he 
showeda true scientific (judicial) mind of the highest order, 
and a power of eliminating selfish considerations from his rea- 
soning which is as rare as it is worth}' of imitation. Occasional- 
ly the turn of the conversation would draw from him one of his 
characteristic summaries or generalizations of subjects within 
his own special lines of research, and at such times his rapid 
and accurate memory of the complex facts in the history of 
each subject, and his unerringly correct use of the constantly 
multiplying names of classes, orders, genera, species, and va- 
rieties, (a faculty which won the admiration of his great pre- 
decessor, Joseph Leidy) were amazing. 
Not less remarkable was his faculty of appreciating the full 
value, often unknown to the speakers themselves, of whatever 
was said to him, and his instantaneous incorporation into his 
system of philosophy of such hints when valuable. 
But a defect, which he recognized, was a tendency to be in- 
