236 CALVIN PORTRAIT 
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though unusual ceremony. Sad reminiscence, from fountains however 
full, may from this hour and presence be repressed, the significance of 
our whole proceeding so easily, so readily a matter of felicitation. 
As your committeeman, then, I beg to bring congratulations. This for 
several reasons. In the first place I venture to declare, as my settled 
judgment, that in the portrait before us, simply as a picture, we are 
indeed singularly fortunate. To be sure, in such a matter, each must 
form opinion for himself, but I expect for the days to come increasing 
compliment as the portrait becomes more and more familiar, not to 
members of the Academy only, but to observers generally. 
I think it will be conceded now that our distinguished artist has given 
his subject careful and conscientious study; he has brought to our service 
long and patient labor, and a skilful brush. There were serious difficulties. 
Not only had the artist not known the subject of his effort, he had never 
even seen hinil When we think of this, and reflect that for very form 
and inspiration, he had in all his work, naught but a few very ordinary 
photo-prints, the result is indeed surprising; not in artistic excellency 
alone but in accuracy and impressiveness. Our artist should also share 
the congratulations of this day. 
In the second place, we may now rejoice in the Academy’s intent 
and action, manifest so long ago; in the effort of the members and 
fellows to bring the plans of the Academy to fitting consummation, as in 
the program of this hour; in this we have, I am sure, a sense of sat¬ 
isfaction to be renewed, we hope, again and again hereafter as the 
years go by. 
It is fitting and beautiful for colleagues and fellow-laborers in any 
field to put in pleasing form some recognition of service rendered, some 
indication of esteem, some memorial by which the past may, for at least 
a little time, enrich and cheer the future. Especially is this the case 
where, as in pure research, service is so often without personal emolu¬ 
ment, without thought of gain or even cost, brought forward as a pure 
gift to humanity, promoted by thei simple love of truth, devotion to the 
beauty, the order, and high significance of the physical world. And if, 
as now, the unselfish labor has been conspicuous, the vision brilliant, 
the attainment great, the work accomplished memorable,— do we not 
honor ourselves in thus handing over to the State of Iowa, for the men 
and women of tomorrow, and yet tomorrow, memorial such as this? 
Lo! here some concept of Iowa’s most devoted lover; of the master- 
student of her prairies, her rivers, her forest, her flowers, her rocks, 
her soils, nor less her wonderful far-fetched history locked indeed in the 
very form and structure of soil and stone, but revealed, set forth, not to 
this Academy alone, decade after decade, but to the young men and 
women of the Commonwealth assembled in scores and hundreds as class 
succeeded class in the great University; and at last, to the scientific 
world, in volumes — today the grace and pride of the science of the 
State. 
