342 The American Geologist. December, 1894 
mired for the simplicity of its arrangement. At Bridgton he 
made the acquaintance of Seba Smith, author of the "Jack 
Downing letters." He was turned from the effort to procure 
a collegiate education because the ordinarj' college course in 
those days comprised little that was practical, and embraced 
mainly those studies in which he had no interest. He chose 
medicine ; and was for a short time at Dartmouth college, 
but took his degree at Yale, to which place he was attracted 
by reading "Silliman's Travels in Europe." Resigning a po- 
sition in the navy because of the unwholesome sanitary con- 
ditions which he noticed on shipboard, he returned to New 
Haven, where he had established a reputation for industry, 
energy and ability. 
Scarcely four years had elapsed since he left the valley of 
the Androscoggin. He had taught botany at Keene, N. H., 
had been appointed, through the friendly influence of Prof. 
Bigelow of Boston, procurator of plants for the botanical gar- 
den of Cambridge, under the patronage of the Massachusetts 
Agricultural Society, had delivered public lectures at Port- 
land, Maine, botanical lectures at Dartmouth college and at 
several academies, had issued a popular scientific work and 
had become a doctor of medicine. All this was accomplished 
without one dollar of patronage or support, except that crea- 
ted by his own exertions. His father, although not destitute 
of means nor of intelligence, could not fathom his designs nor 
appreciate the tendency of his labors sufficiently to induce 
any pecuniary outlay. He reasoned: "If the boy can summon 
courage enough to appear before learned men and by his un- 
aided efforts has acquired knowledge enough to impart to 
them instruction, he needs no assistance from me ; his own 
will seems destined to achieve that which money cannot pur- 
chase." 
He then made an unsuccessful attempt to establish himself 
as a physician, but resorted to teaching, in a female academy 
at Windsor, Vt. as assistant to Col. Dunham, who subse- 
quently removed to Lexington, Ky. It was through this con- 
nection that Dr. Locke was induced to cooperate in the estab- 
lishment of a new school, at Lexington, in which he bore the 
principal part, Col. Dunham having been unexpectedly de- 
tained. In 1822 Dr. Locke left Lexington, for Cincinnati, 
