230 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 
payment of competent curators; as experience demonstrates that 
none others than those who are paid for their services can be relied 
on to permanently do the work, without which, sooner or later, all 
there is destructible in a collection will certainly go to ruin. In the 
early period of an institution founded by voluntary effort and 
designed to be so sustained, the members, zealous and active, may 
for a time, and while the collection is not great, manage to arrange 
the specimens received, and keep them from destruction by care, 
but as the museum increases, this becomes onerous to them, and 
finally impossible. Its impending destruction discourages the mem¬ 
bers, and the society itself, unable to bear the necessary expense of 
preserving what they look upon as an important element of exis¬ 
tence, is finally dissolved.” Mr. Bouve’s change was a double one, 
since it not only included the admission that paid and responsible 
labor was essential in the library and museum, but was also accom¬ 
panied by a decided endorsement of the new plans for classification 
and arrangement. Had he, as President, sustained by the popular¬ 
ity and influence he rightfully possessed, consistently opposed either 
or both of these changes, it is highly probable that they could not 
have been carried out. The sacrifice of time and additional labor 
that followed the initiation of the new policy and the re-organization 
must have been anything but agreeable to a man situated as he was, 
but I never heard from his lips even a hint to that effect, after he 
became convinced that the museum would become more efficient 
when it had been re-arranged. 
When it is remembered that he did this in 1870 wholly upon 
his own judgment in opposition to a number of his old associates 
and unsupported in the Council by some of his oldest scientific 
friends, it seems to me that he exhibited a very rare courage and 
accurate estimate of the facts that had been presented to him. 
In fact I never knew Mr. Bouv6 at any time to hold back or show 
any reluctance to enter upon new duties or to assume new responsi¬ 
bilities except in one respect. lie had in common with others taken 
an active part in asking for the smaller subscriptions which supple¬ 
mented the Walker bequests and had become so wearied with the 
work, that I could never induce him, or some others of his asso¬ 
ciates, either to continue this work or to use their influence to help 
others to follow in their footsteps. 
No one who has had any experience in such affairs will wonder at 
this result, although those who have not had such tasks thrust upon 
