IbE 315 University of California. SW-tK.SOM-Lia.V-> A MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENKY PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF CONGRESS. LIBRA 11 -Y UNIVERSITY OF ( AL1FOKNIA, WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1880. VX CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. Page Proceedings in Congress relative to a public commemoration 1 PART I. Obsequies of Joseph. Henry. Announcement by Chancellor M. R. Waite, May 14, 1878 7 Proceedings of the Board of Regents, May 13. 1878 9 The Funeral, May 16, 1878 11 Prayer at the Funeral by Rev. Charles Hodge, D. D., May 16, 1878 13 Funeral Sermon by Rev. Samuel S. Mitchell, D. D., May 16, 1878 15 Proceedings of the Board of Regents, May 17, 1878, and January 17, 1879 27 PART II. Memorial Exercises at the Capitol. Announcement by Executive Committee of- the Regents, January 6, 1879 — 37 Introductory Prayer by Rev. Dr. JAMES McCosn, January 16, 1879 39 Hon. HANNIBAL HAMLIN'S Address, (read by Vice-President WHEELER) 43 Address by Hon. ROBERT E. WITHERS 49 Address by Professor ASA GRAY 53 Reading of Telegrams by Hon. HIESTER CLYMER 75 Address by Professor WILLIAM B. ROGERS 77 Address by Hon. JAMES A. GARFIELD 91 Address by Hon. SAMUEL S. Cox 99 Address by General WILLIAM T. SHERMAN 117 Concluding Prayer by Rev. Dr. BYRON SUNDERLAND 121 PART III. Memorial Proceedings of Societies. Proceedings of the "Philosophical Society of Washington," May 14, 1878 125 Proceedings of the "Albany Institute," May 14 and 28, 1878 128 Memorial Minute by Orlando Meads, LL. D 130 Proceedings of the U. S. "LightrHouse Board," May 15, 1878 135 CONTENTS. Memorial Discourse by Rev. Samuel B. Dod, delivered in the College Chapel at Princeton, N. J. May 19, 1878 139 Reminiscences by Prof. Henry C. Cameron, D. D. presented in the College Chapel at Princeton, N. J. May 19 and June 2, 1878 166 Memorial Address by Dr. James C. Welling, before the "Philosophical Society of Washington," October 26, 1878 1 177 Memorial Address by William B. Taylor, before the "Philosophical Society of Washington," October 26, 1878 205 Obituary Memoir, by Prof. Joseph Lovering, Vice-President of the "American Academy of Arts and Sciences." Report of the Council of the Am. Acad- emy, May 27, 1879 427 Biographical Memoir, by Prof. Simon Newcomb, read before the "National Academy of Sciences," April 21, 1880 441 Memorial Address by Prof. Alfred M. Mayer, before the "American Association for the Advancement of Science," August 26, 1880 475 APPENDIX. Proceedings in Congress regarding the erection of a Monument to JOSEPH HENRY ... 511 INDEX ._ 515 INTKODUCTIOR On the death of JOSEPH HENRY, who for the third of a century had administered the operations of the Smithsonian Institution, as its first Secretary and executive officer, — with honor to himself and credit and distinction to the Institution, — the Board of Regents felt that in grateful appreciation of one whose services in the advance- ment of science, no less than in the promotion of the interests of the General Government, had been so conspicuous and so valuable, some formal and public memorial was pre-eminently fitting. Accord- ingly, at a meeting of the Regents held on the day following ^he funeral, the Executive Committee of the Board (consisting of Dr. Parker, Dr. Maclean and General Sherman) were requested to make arrangements for a public commemoration in honor of the late Secretary, " of such a character and at such time as they may deter- mine." In pursuance of this instruction, the said Committee, through the Hon. Hiester Clymer, a Regent, and a Member of the House of Representatives, presented the subject to the attention of Congress. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Monday, December 9, 1878. Mr. CLYMER. (Member from Pennsylvania.) " I ask unanimous consent to submit for adoption at this time a concurrent resolution, to which I think there will be no objection." The concurrent resolution was read, as follows : " Resolved by the House of Representatives, (the Senate concurring,) That the Congress of the United States will take part in the services to be observed on Thursday evening, January 16, 1879, in honor of the memory of JOSEPH HENRY, late Secretary of the Smith- sonian Institution, under the auspices of the Regents thereof, and for that purpose the Senators and Representatives will assemble on that evening in the Hall of the House of Representatives, the Vice- President, supported by the Speaker of the House, to preside on that occasion." There being no objection, the resolution was adopted. 2 INTRODUCTION. IN THE SENATE. Tuesday, December 10, 1878. Mr. HAMLIN. (Senator from Maine.) "Mr. President, I ask the indulgence of the Senate to take from the table the resolution of the House making provision for the services in memory of the late Professor HENRY. I think it will occupy no time of the Senate, and it is desirable that it shall be passed, so that it may be known that the agreement is concluded." The PRESIDING OFFICER. (Mr. HOAR, Senator from Massa- chusetts, in the chair.) "The Chair will lay before the Senate the concurrent resolution of the House of Representatives." The resolution was read by the Clerk : [as before given.] The resolution was agreed to. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Thursday, January 16, 1879. — Evening Session. At five minutes before eight o'clock the Senate of the United States, preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Chaplain, and headed by the Yice-President of the United States, with the Sec- retary, entered the Hall and were properly announced, and the Yice-President took his seat on the right of the Speaker, and the Senators took the seats assigned them. At eight o'clock the Chief-Justice and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and the President of the United States and the members of the Cabinet entered the Hall, were properly announced, and were conducted to the seats assigned them. The SPEAKER of the House of Representatives (Hon. S. J. RANDALL) then called the assembly to order, and, after announcing the occasion of the meeting, presented his official gavel to the VICE- PRESIDENT, who thereupon presided, supported by the SPEAKER. . The YICE-PRESIDENT. (Hon. W. A. WHEELER.) "The Sen- ators and Members of the Congress of the United States, in pursu- ance of the resolutions of their respective bodies, have assembled for the purpose of taking part in the services to be observed in memory of JOSEPH HENRY, late Secretary of the Smithsonian Insti- tution, under the auspices of the Regents of that Institution." The YICE-PRESIDENT then announced that the exercises would be commenced by prayer from Rev. Dr. McCosn, the president of the College of New Jersey, at Princeton. The Memorial Services were then proceeded with ; the YICE- PRESIDENT announcing each of the speakers by name, in accordance with the order of exercises arranged and adopted by the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents. INTRODUCTION. 3 The VICE-PRESIDENT, after the concluding prayer by the Chap- lain of the Senate, (at eleven o'clock P. M.) announced that the exercises of the evening were closed ; whereupon the President of the United States with his Cabinet, the Chief-Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, and the Senate of the United States with the Vice-President, retired from the Hall. The SPEAKER then said: "The object of this evening's session, as provided for by the order of both Houses of Congress, having been fittingly realized, the duty remains to me to declare this House adjourned until to-morrow at twelve o'clock." IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wednesday, January 22, 1879. Mr. STEPHENS. (Member from Georgia.) " I submit a resolution upon which I ask immediate action." The Clerk read as follows : "Resolved by the House of Representatives, (the Senate concurring,) That the memorial exercises in honor of Professor HENRY, held in the Hall of the House of Representatives on the 16th of January, 1879, be printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, and that fifteen thousand extra copies of the same be printed in a MEMORIAL VOL- UME, together with such articles as may be furnished by the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution ; seven thousand copies of which shall be for the use of the House of Representatives, three thousand copies for the use of the Senate, and five thousand copies for the use of the Smithsonian Institution." The SPEAKER. "The Chair is not advised whether these fifteen thousand extra copies to be published in book-form would cost five hundred dollars. If they would, then under the requirement of the law the resolution must be referred to the Committee on Printing. " The Chair is advised that the book would cost over five hun- dred dollars, and therefore it had better go to the Committee on Printing, under the law. The committee has a right to report at any time." Mr. STEPHENS. "Let it take that reference." The resolution was accordingly referred to the Committee on Printing. Saturday, January 25, 1879. Mr. SINGLETON, (Member from Mississippi,) Chairman of the Committee on Printing, reported back with a favorable recom- mendation the following resolution of the House: [the resolution to print, as above given.] The resolution was adopted. 4 INTRODUCTION. IN THE SENATE. Tuesday, January,28, 1879. The VICE-PRESIDENT laid before the Senate the following con- current resolution from the House of Representatives; which was read and referred to the Committee on Printing : [the resolution to print, as before given.] Thursday, February 6, 1879. Mr. ANTHONY. (Senator from Rhode Island.) " I am instructed by the Committee on Printing, to whom was referred a concurrent resolution of the House of Representatives to print the Memorial Exercises in honor of the late Professor Henry, to report it without amendment, and to recommend its passage. I ask for its present consideration." The resolution was considered by unanimous consent and agreed to, as follows : " Resolved by the House of Representatives, (the Senate concurring J) That the memorial exercises in honor of Professor HENRY, held in the Hall of the House of Representatives on the 16th of January, 1879, be printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, and that fifteen thousand extra copies of the same be printed in a MEMORIAL VOL- UME, together with such articles as may be furnished by the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution ; seven thousand copies of which shall be for the use of the House of Representatives, three thousand copies for the use of the Senate, and five thousand copies for the use of the Smithsonian Institution." In the SENATE, April 7, 1879. — Mr. ANTHONY, by unanimous consent, introduced a joint resolution authorizing the engraving and printing of a portrait of the late JOSEPH HENRY, to accompany the Memorial Volume heretofore ordered, and appropriating five hundred dollars for that purpose. The joint resolution was reported to the Senate April 9, 1879, ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, read the third time, and passed. In the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, April 11, 1879. — Mr. CLYMER moved to take from the table the joint resolution received from the Senate ; which was accordingly read three times and passed. The joint resolution authorizing the engraving and printing of the portrait for the Memorial Volume, as passed by Congress, was approved by the PRESIDENT April 18, 1879. PAET I. OBSEQUIES OF JOSEPH HENRY. Washington, D. G, May 14, 1878. On behalf of the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, it becomes my mournful duty to announce the death of the Secretary and Director of the Institution, JOSEPH HENRY, LL. D., which occurred in this city on Monday, May 13th, at 12.10 o'clock p. m. Professor l^tnrQ was born in Albany, in the State of New York, December 17th, 1799. He became Professor of Mathe- matics in the Albany Academy in 1826 ; Professor of Nat- ural Philosophy in the College of New Jersey, at Princeton, in 1832; and was elected the first Secretary and Director of the Smithsonian Institution in 18^,6. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from Union College in 1829; and from Harvard University in 1851. (7) He was President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 18^.9 ; was chosen President of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1868; President of the Philosophical Society of Washington in 1871; and Chairman of 'the Light- House Board of 'the United States in the same year; the last three positions he continued to fill until his death. Professor Jjenrg made contributions to science in elec- tricity, electro-magnetism, meteorology, capillarity, acous- tics, and in other branches of physics ; he published valuable memoirs in the transactions of various learned societies of which he was a member ; and devoted thirty -two years of his life to making the Smithsonian Institution what its founder intended it to be, an efficient instrument for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.'f M. K. WAITE. Chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution. (8) M H I! A RY> U N I V K I ! S I T V < ) F CALIFOUNIA. PROCEEDINGS OF BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. WASHINGTON, D. C., MAY 13, 1878. A meeting of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institu- tion was held this day at the Institution, at eight o'clock P. M., under the call of the Chancellor, for the purpose of making suitable ar- rangements for the obsequies of Professor JOSEPH HENRY. Present: The Chancellor, Chief Justice WAITE, Hon. HANNIBAL HAMLIN, Hon. AARON A. SARGENT, Hon. ROBERT E. WITHERS, Hon. HTESTER CLYMER, Hon. JAMES A. GARFIELD, Hon. PETER PARKER, and General WILLIAM T. SHERMAN. The Chancellor made the following remarks : MY BRETHREN OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS: I have asked you to come together this evening not to take action upon the great loss our Institution has sustained, but to consult as to what may best be done to pay honor to all that is mortal of the great and good man who, conceiving what SMITHSON willed, has devoted his life to making the bequest of our benefactor what he wished it to be, an instrument "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men." (9) 10 PROCEEDINGS OF REGENTS. The Chancellor stated that he understood that the family of Professor HENRY had expressed the wish that the Board of Regents should make all the arrangements for the funeral. The following resolutions were adopted : Resolved, That the Chancellor be directed to notify the President of the United States and his Cabinet, the Supreme Court of the United States, the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, the two houses of Congress, the General of the Army, the Admiral of the Navy, the Diplomatic Corps, the Light-House Board, the National Academy of Sciences, the Washington Philosophical Society, and other organizations with which he was connected, of the death of Professor JOSEPH HENRY, and to invite them to attend his funeral. Resolved, That the funeral take place on Thursday, the 16th of May, at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, at half past four o'clock p. M. Resolved, That the Regents meet at the Institution on Thursday next, at four o'clock p. M., to attend the funeral in a body. Resolved, That a committee, consisting of General SHERMAN, Hon. PETER PARKER, and Professor S. F. BAIRD, Assistant Sec- retary of the Institution, be appointed to make arrangements for the funeral ceremonies. Resolved, That a meeting of the Board of Regents be held on Friday next, 17th of May, at ten o'clock A. M., for the purpose of transacting such business as may come before it. The Board then adjourned. THE OBSEQUIES. The funeral of Professor JOSEPH HENRY, late Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, took place at half-past four o'clock, Thurs- day, May 16, 1878. The services were in the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. The interment was in Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown. The arrangements for the funeral were made by General WIL- LIAM T. SHERMAN, Dr. PETER PARKER, and Professor SPENCER F. BAIRD, a special committee appointed by the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. The supervision of the arrangements at the church was intrusted to General ALEXANDER McCooK, U. S. Army. The pall-bearers were — Mr. Justice STRONG, of the Supreme Court of the United States. WILLIAM W. CORCORAN, of Washington. Admiral JOHN RODGERS, Superintendent National Observatory. General ANDREW A. HUMPHREYS, Chief Engineer U. S. Army. JOSEPH PATTERSON, of Philadelphia. GEORGE W. CHILDS, of Philadelphia. General JOSEPH K. BARNES, Surgeon-General U. S. Army. Captain CARLILE P. PATTERSON, Sup't of U. S. Coast Survey. General ORLANDO M. POE, member of U. S. Light-House Board. Professor SIMON NEWCOMB, Sup't U. S. Nautical Almanac. Professor ARNOLD GUYOT, of the College of New Jersey. Dr. JAMES C. WELLING, President of Columbian University. A few intimate friends of the family, the Board of Regents and the officers and attendants of the Smithsonian Institution met at the residence, where brief services were held at four o'clock, con- (11) 12 THE FUNERAL. sisting of selections of Scripture, by the Rev. Dr. JAMES H. CUTHBERT, of the First Baptist Church, and prayer by the Rev. Dr. BYRON SUNDERLAND, of the First Presbyterian Church. The leading officials in every branch of the Government, men eminent in science, in literature, in diplomacy, and in professional and business life, assembled at the church. Among them were the President of the United States; the Vice-President of the United States; the Secretary of State; the Secretary of the Treasury; the Secretary of War; the Secretary of the Navy; the Secretary of the Interior; the Postmaster General; the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States; the General of the Army ; the Admiral of the Navy ; the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States; the Regents of the Smith- sonian Institution ; Officers of the Army and Navy ; the Clergy of the District; the National Academy of Sciences represented by ks officers and others; the Philosophical Society of Washington; the Alumni of the College of New Jersey; the Trustees of the Corcoran Art Gallery; the Washington National Monument Society; the Examining Corps of the Patent Office; the Superintendent and Trustees of Public Schools; and the Telegraphic Operators' Asso- ciation of Washington. Only a small portion of the vast concourse of citizens and strangers could gain access to the church. o The services in the church were begun with Mendelssohn's anthem Beati Mortui, which was impressively sung by the choir of St. John's Episcopal Church. The fifteenth chapter of first Corinthians was read by Rev. Dr. SUNDERLAND; prayer was offered by the venerable CHARLES HODGE, D. D., of Princeton, N. J.; and the address was delivered by the Rev. SAMUEL S. MITCHELL, D. D., pastor of the church of which Professor HENRY became a member when he removed to Washington, thirty years ago. PEATEE BY REV. CHARLES HODGE, D. D. ALMIGHTY GOD, we adore Thee as infinite in thy being and per- fections, as the creator of heaven and earth, and as the Father of the spirits of all men. We adore Thee as the rightful and absolute sovereign of the universe, governing all thy creatures and all their actions. We confess our absolute dependence. on Thee for our existence, our faculties, for all we have, all we hope. We acknowledge our responsibility to Thee for our character and conduct — for all we think, or do, or say. We humbly confess that we have sinned against Thee, that we have broken thy holy law times and ways without number, and have forfeited all claim to thy favor. We call upon all that is within us to bless Thee, that Thou hast not left our apostate race to perish in their state of sin and misery, but didst give thy only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. We thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast given us thy testimony concerning thy Son Jesus Christ, that He is God manifest in the flesh, God in fashion as a man — the wonderful — the central object of adoration to the intelligent universe, to whom every knee of things in heaven, things on earth, and things under the earth must bow. We thank Thee that Thou hast made Him the light of the world, our infalli- ble teacher as to the things unseen and eternal; that He is the High Priest of our profession, who offered Himself unto God as a sacrifice for the sins of the world ; that He died the just for the (13) 14 PRAYER BY REV. C. HODGE. unjust, and redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us. We thank Thee for the promise that whosoever, renouncing every other dependence, trusts simply to what Christ is and what Christ has done, and who devotes himself to his service, shall share his kingdom and glory. We thank Thee for the mission of the Holy Ghost to apply to men the redemption purchased by Christ, without which all else had been in vain. And now, O God, in this solemn hour, standing as we now do around the remains of our illustrious friend, from our hearts we bless Thee that this is the faith in which he was nurtured, the faith which molded his character, controlled his life, and now illumines his tomb, banishing the gloom of uncertainty and fear, and making the grave to him the gate of heaven. We thank Thee, O God, that JOSEPH HENRY was born ; that Thou didst endow him with such rare gifts — intellectual, moral, and spiritual ; that Thou didst spare him to a good old age, and enable him to accomplish so much for the increase of human knowl- edge and for the good of his fellow men ; and above all, that Thou didst hold him up before this whole nation as such a conspicuous illustration of the truth that " moral excellence is the highest dignity of man." We would remember before Thee his widow and daughters. He gave them to Thee. They are safe within thy arms. Thou canst give the peace which passes all understanding. May their father's name illumine his children's path through life, and their father's faith sustain their souls in death. To the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be glory in the highest, world without end. Amen. FUNEEAL ADDEESS BY REV. SAMUEL S. MITCHELL, D. D. "KNOW YE NOT THAT THERE IS A PRINCE AND A GREAT MAN FALLEN THIS ,DAY IN ISRAEL?" These words, coming down through the centuries from the mouth of Israel's King, I take up as the fittest ones with which to open my mouth in the presence of all that is not already immortal of JOSEPH HENRY. Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day? And yet why do I ask the question? This day, this hour, this assemblage, this pageant,' so unusual and so illustrious even in this world of death — these are my answer before that I utter a word of the sublime interrogatory. Yes ! the nation's capital knows that a prince and a great man has fallen. So does our whole country; so does the civilized world. That quick-footed servant which years ago was yoked to the car of human progress by the hands which have now forgotten their cun- ning,— the swift messenger which he himself lured from duty in the skies unto the service of man, — this messenger, slower- winged, it seems to me, than usual, as if loath to tell the story, has already run earth's circuits with the sad news; and at this hour, wherever science is known, or learning respected, or goodness revered, there are those who clasp hands with us in the consciousness of a great loss and in the communion of a heartfelt sorrow. You will not, therefore, blame me, I am sure, my hearers, if, in a world where great men are ever scarce, and in a capital city which better perhaps than any other illustrates the truth that even (15) 16 FUNERAL ADDRESS BY a nation's production of this class of men, its noblest wealth, is ever very small, — you will not blame me if, under these circumstances, I ask you, within this inner circle of family and church relation- ships, to pause and meditate upon the thought that in the great man who has fallen a pure and noble spirit has passed from the commu- nion of the Christian Church on earth to the communion of the church triumphant in the heavens. While human learning and science are pressing forward to do honor to one who was known and loved as a leader, I come in the name of the Christian Church, and in the name of my Saviour, to place upon this casket a simple wreath of immortelles, forming, weaving the words — JOSEPH HENRY, THE CHRISTIAN. He was such in his disposition, in the spirit and temper of his mind. " Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus/' is the injunction of the apostle, in which he sets forth the essence of Christianity and points the path to individual discipleship. And Professor HENRY walked this path. He came unto the possession of this essence. Look back, I pray you, through the centuries. Scrutinize that Life which is the life of the world. Analyze that Mind which molds the ages, which is world-regnant through the sceptre of the Cross, which is the leaven working unto the regeneration of earth and man. What is it? What were its leading qualities? How is it diiferentiated? Purity, simplicity, benevolence — these were its characteristics; these formed the Christ mind ; these were the forces by which it impressed itself upon the world eighteen centuries ago, and through which it makes itself felt upon the world of to-day. Purity, simplicity, benevolence! A purity without a spot, a simplicity which is transparency itself, a benevolence wide as the sphere of human want and as limitless as the love of Heaven — this is God taking shape in human life ; this is the mind of Christ trans- forming the mind of the world ; this is the new creation, the redeemed REV. S. 8. MITCHELL. 17 life, the ideal man, unto which, through the mighty power of the Cross, the whole creation moves. Upon whatever land the sun of the Gospel rises, there these moral qualities spring up ; and what- ever and wherever the human heart which is touched by the love of Christ, that heart becomes Heaven's soil for the growth of this, which is Heaven's life. Now, Professor HENRY possessed these constituent qualities of the Christian mind, and possessed them in a degree at once beautiful and rare. You who knew him, and who knew him well, will bear cheerful witness to my words. He was simple as a child — without folds, without dissimulation, without guile. He was not smart, as some men count smartness. Neither was his Saviour. Neither have been many of the great spirits of time. His mind was the crystal depths of our Northern lakes, — not the noisy course of the shallow and frothy river. And he was pure. Pure ! — we lay him to rest to-day without a spot. The product of four-score years in this rough world, we lift up his character to-day and say, "Behold it! — the freshness, the purity, the stainlessness of childhood are yet upon it." Grand, is it not, and comforting, is it not, my hearers, that God now and then builds up a man before us of whom we can say, "Look upon him; walk round about him ; you will find no ugly scar, — you will dis- cover no running sore." Grand, is it not, and comforting, is it not, that now and then, in this world of smirched reputations and dis- eased lives, God gives us a whole man — a man whom, without a blush, we can 'lift up to the Great Maker, saying, "Take him again; he is unharmed, and he is worthy of Thee." But Professor HENRY was not only Christian in the spirit and temper of his mind, but also in the unselfish aims and purposes of his life. Christianity is not a quality simply. It is also a force, — a force which, under the law of love, works unto external results, unto a reproduction of itself in the world. Here again the Christ 18 FUNERAL ADDRESS BY is perfection. "I came not to be served, but to serve." So He announced His life-philosophy. "Went about doing good." So history stereotyped that life itself. A manger here, and a cross there; and between these two, and binding them together, a span of service — this was the incarnation of the Divine principle in human history; — this was the Christ-life giving itself for the life of the world. And here again was the life which we reverence, — the life of a disciple. Never was more unselfish service rendered by man than was given by Professor HENRY. Through long years, and under temptations which would have been too strong for the ordinary • man, he served his Institution on a half-salary, and the Government, saving it tens of thousands, on no salary at all. And the lack here, he made up in no other way. Paying for not a half of it, the Smithsonian and the Government had all his time, — all his service. He used not his high position as a watch-tower for the discovery of personal opportunities. He grew not rich on a small salary. And having given all of himself to the service of his country in the cause of science, he also, as freely and as unselfishly, gave all the results of his labor. His was the greater part, the nobler work, to discover principles. He lifted up this force of nature only to say to the inventor: "Use this while I look for another." And then he went on searching. So he lived ; so he labored. He served others ; himself he did not serve. With AGASSIZ, he could have said : " I have not time to make money." Neither had he. God does not give time to such men for such a purpose. The vision of the true life and the endless glory breaking upon such minds forbids the debasement. The eyes which are to look into the universe for the generations must not have the death-weight of the dollar upon their lids. But once more. Professor HENRY was a Christian, in that he held as his pronounced creed the truth contained in the Scriptures REV. S. S. MITCHELL. 19 of the Old and New Testaments, — in that he regarded these as a revelation from God. These moral qualities to which I have alluded were not in him so much natural amiability, nor were they the product of so much culture. They were the inspiration of a Christian faith. They were moral ends aimed at, principles chosen for life's guidance, by one who believed in God, and in Jesus Christ whom He has sent. But Sunday last, with mind as clear as ever, his conversation hindered only by his rapidly-shortening breath, he said to me : "I have not given much attention to the minutiae of theology ; possibly not so much as I ought; but as to the Christian scheme in its main outlines — that there is one God, an infinite Spirit; that man is made up of body and soul ; that there is an immortal life for man reaching out beyond the present world ; that the power and love of God are brought into relation with the weakness and sinfulness of man in the Lord Jesus Christ — of these great truths, I have no doubt. I regard the system which teaches them as rational beyond any of the opposing theories which have come under my view. Upon Jesus Christ — [and here his eyes filled with tears and his voice broke as he repeated the words] — upon Jesus Christ, as the One who, for God, affiliates himself with man — upon Him I rest my faith and my hope." This was all the strength of the dying man allowed him to utter ; but that it was not a casual or spasmodic utterance, but the drift of his life-long thought and the faith of his calmest moments, is beautifully shown in the last formal letter he ever wrote, and which is now, happily, given to the world.* So our friend and brother lived and thought; so he reasoned upon the mystery of the universe; and so he came to rest his hope of a blessed immortality upon the heaven-sent One, who came to seek and to save the lost of earth. And this faith, which was the product of his ripest thought and calmest days, was his support * See page 23. 20 FUNERAL ADDRESS BY and consolation in the supreme hour. It was a rock beneath him when the cold waves of the dark river dashed upon his feet; it was a pillow of rest beneath his head when flesh and heart failed him. Faith in Jesus Christ, as the revealer of God and Saviour of man — this anchor he had cast within the veil, and his spirit held firm and steady, while its earthly moorings were being sundered and its fleshly tabernacle dissolved. But once more. Professor HENRY was a Christian, in that he lived and died in the communion of the Christian Church. He emphasized no church-ism. It was impossible that he should. Only narrow minds, only little souls, do this. But he found his chosen spiritual home in the Presbyterian Church, and while he laid no stress upon any one of her peculiarities, yet in all loyalty, and in all comfort, he abode in her communion until the day of his death. So, again, the great man witnessed to the world that he was a follower of the Saviour. He heard the voice of the Christ calling him unto confession; and he obeyed. His heart listened to the tender accents of the Crucified One, saying, " Do this in remem- brance of Me," and in glad and grateful loyalty he reached forth for the consecrated emblems of the broken body and the shed blood. The Church was not too narrow for JOSEPH HENRY, as it has not been too narrow for many of the profoundest minds and noblest souls of the ages. And his example teaches, with emphasis, what many of us knew before — that in the Church, as in the State, it is not always the largest man who requires the most room. But I must not detain you. These — that he possessed the mind of Christ; that in the aims and purposes of his life he was like unto the Master; that his faith of immortality was the faith of the Son of God, and that he lived and died in the communion of the Christian Church — these are my reasons, and these my justification, for pressing through the illustrious throng which surrounds it, to place upon this casket this simple wreath — JOSEPH HENRY, THE REV. S. S. MITCHELL. 21 CHRISTIAN. And while I do this, I must believe that there is a world wider, grander, crystalline above this one, in the eyes of which my offering will not be counted the meanest or the smallest of those which crowd and crown this bier to-day. Methinks, even as human hands, after the funeral, select from all the floral offerings some few choice ones which they may embalm and preserve, so will angel hands, after that the world has paid its honors to-day, culling over all the .offerings which have been laid upon this princely bier, select the simple token that I now place upon it, and hang high up upon Heaven's walls, this fragrant and imperishable symbol — ''JOSEPH HENRY, THE CHRISTIAN." For, my hearers, whether there be prophecies, they shall fail ; and whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away; but Faith, Hope, Charity, — these endure; and character is the man forever and forever. Two voices sound out from this occasion, as its highest inspiration and noblest lesson. First, a pure heart, a good life — a heart touched by the love of Christ, and a life bowing in loyalty to him, — these easily unite the profoundest thought and the simplest faith. We hear much about the conflict between science and religion, chiefly, we must believe, from those who are young in science or ignorant of religion ; but, in reality, there is no necessary clashing. Obedience, character, — this is the amalgam which easily and forever unites the two. Secondly, how beautifully the truth and fact of human immor- tality supplements and crowns the human life! The career of earth, imperfect as it must always be, demands the hypothesis of a future existence, and from this hypothesis receives completeness and symmetry — "Even as the arches of the bridge Are rounded in the stream." That great mind, clear, strong, vigorous on Sunday noon, is it at an end now? Is it nothing, now? Is it dispersed through the 22 FUNERAL ADDRESS. universal all, now? Then are man's works greater than man himself! Then are the Pyramids grander than their builders! Then it were better to be a Yosemite pine than a JOSEPH HENRY ! But the truth of human immortality forbids this supposition of debasement, and speaks the truth which our hearts crave, and which our minds demand, as the necessary supplement of the interrupted human career. Yes! we shall see him again. In a land that is fairer than day! — in the full possession and active exercise of those mental powers which have been the admiration and gratitude of earth, shall we see him; — see him as along the pathway of an unending progress, and amid the ever-rising, ever-thickening glories of the universe, he makes his way upward and unto the infinite goal, "lost in wonder, love, and praise." The sublime creation of God which we have known as JOSEPH HENRY is endowed with the power of an endless life. "Eternal form shall still divide The eternal soul from all beside; And we shall know him when we meet." Till then, reverent philosopher, humble Christian, noble man, — farewell and farewell ! LETTER OF PROFESSOR HENRY, REFERRED TO IN THE FOREGOING ADDRESS. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, APRIL 12, 1878. MY DEAR MR. PATTERSON : We have been expecting to see you, from day to day, for two weeks past, thinking that you would be called to Washington to give some information as to the future of our finances and the possibility of resuming specie payment. I commenced, on two occasions, to write to you, but found so much difficulty in the use of my hand, in the way of holding a pen, that I gave up the attempt. The doctors say that I am gradually getting better. Dr. MITCHELL gave me a visit on his going South and on his return. His report was favorable, but I still suffer a good deal from oppres- sion in breathing. I have learned with pleasure that and yourself intend to go to Europe this summer. Travel is the most agreeable way of obtaining cosmopolitan knowledge, and it is probable that events of great importance will transpire in the East within a few months. You will have subjects of interest to occupy your attention. I have also learned that is to be married next month ; and we shall be happy to receive a visit from him and his bride, when they go upon their wedding tour. We live in a universe of change: nothing remains the same from one moment to another, and each moment of recorded time has its separate history. We are carried on by the ever-changing events in the line of our destiny, and at the end of the year we are always at a considerable distance from the point of its beginning. How short the space between the two cardinal points of an earthly career! — the point of birth and that of death; and yet what a universe of wonders is presented to us in our rapid flight through (23) 24 LETTER OF PROF. HENRY. this space ! How small the wisdom obtained by a single life in its passage, and how small the known, when compared with the unknown, by the accumulation of the millions of lives, through the art of printing, in hundreds of years! How many questions press themselves upon us in the contemplations whence come we, whither are we going, what is our final destiny, the object of our creation ? What mysteries of unfathomable depths environ us on every side ! But, after all our speculations, and an attempt to grapple with the problem of the universe, the simplest conception which explains and connects the phenomena is that of the existence of one Spiritual Being — infinite in wisdom, in power, and all divine per- fections, which exists always and everywhere — which has created us with intellectual faculties sufficient, in some degree, to compre- hend His operations as they are developed in Nature by what is called -"Science." This Being is unchangeable, and, therefore, His operations are always in accordance with the same Jaws, the conditions being the same. Events that happened a thousand years ago will happen again a thousand years to come, provided the condition of existence is. the same. Indeed, a universe not governed by law would be a universe without the evidence of an intellectual director. In the scientific explanation of physical phenomena, we assume the existence of a principle having properties sufficient to produce the effects which we observe; and when the principle so assumed explains, by logical deductions from it, all the phenomena, we call it a theory. Thus, we have the theory of light, the theory of elec- tricity, &c. There is no proof, however, of the truth of these theories, except the explanation of the phenomena which they are invented to account for. This proof, however, is sufficient in any case in which every fact is fully explained, and can be predicted when the conditions are known. In accordance with this scientific view, on what evidence does the existence of a creator rest? First. It is one of the truths best established by experience in my own mind, that I have a thinking, willing principle within me, capable of intellectual activity and of moral feeling. LETTER OF PROF. HENRY. 25 Second. It is equally clear to me that you have a similar spiritual principle within yourself, since when I ask you an intelligent ques- tion you give me an intellectual answer. Third. When I examine the operations of Nature, I find every- where through them evidences of intellectual arrangements, of contrivances to reach definite ends, precisely as I find in the opera- tions of man ; and hence I infer that these two classes of operations are results of similar intelligence. Again, in my own mind, I find ideas of right and wrong, of good and evil. These ideas, then, exist in the universe, and, there- fore, form a basis of our ideas of a moral universe. Furthermore, the conceptions of good which are found among our ideas associated with evil, can be attributed only to a Being of infinite perfections, like that which we denominate "God/' On the other hand, we are conscious of having such evil thoughts and tendencies that we can- not associate ourselves with a Divine Being, who is the Director and the Governor of all, or even call upon Him for mercy, without the intercession of One who may affiliate himself with us. I find, my dear Mr. PATTERSON, that I have drifted into a line of theological speculation ; and without stopping to inquire whether what I have written may be logical or orthodox, I have inflicted it upon you. Please excuse the intrusion, and believe me, as ever, Truly yours, JOSEPH HENRY. MR. JOSEPH PATTERSON, Philadelphia. U BK A KY N [ v KI-SITV OF CALm^^-V PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF REGENTS. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON, D. C., MAY 17, 1878. A meeting of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institu- tion was held this day at ten o'clock A. M. Present: The Chancellor, Chief Justice WAITE, Hon. HANNIBAL HAMLIN, Hon. AARON A. SARGENT, Hon. ROBERT E. WITHERS, Hon. HIESTER CLYMER, Hon. JAMES A. GARFIELD, Rev. Dr. JOHN MACLEAN, Hon. PETER PARKER, Dr. ASA GRAY, General WILLIAM T. SHERMAN, President NOAH PORTER. General GARFIELD was requested to act as Secretary. At the request of the Chancellor, a prayer was offered by Rev. Dr. MACLEAN for Divine guidance of the Regents in their present deliberations. The following resolutions were then adopted : 1. Resolved , That the Regents of the Smithsonian Institution hereby express their profound sorrow at the death of Professor JOSEPH HENRY, late Secretary of this Institution, and tender to the family of the deceased their sympathy for their great and irreparable loss. 2. Resolved, That in consideration of the long-continued, faithful, and unselfish services of JOSEPH HENRY, our late Secretary, there be paid to his widow the same sum to which he would have been entitled, as salary, for the remainder of this year, and that the Secretary be directed to make payment to her for the amount thereof monthly. (27) 28 PROCEEDINGS OF REGENTS. 3. Resolved, That Mrs. HENRY be informed of this action of the Board, and the desire of the Regents that she will continue the occupancy of the apartments now in her use for such period, during the remainder of this year, as may suit her convenience. 4. Resolved, That a committee be appointed who shall prepare and submit to this Board at its next annual meeting a sketch of the life, character, and public services of the late lamented Secretary, which shall be entered upon the records. 5. Resolved, That the Executive Committee of the Board be requested to make arrangements for a public commemoration in honor of the late Secretary of the Institution, of such a character and at such a time as they may determine. The Chancellor appointed as the special committee under the fourth resolution, President PORTER, Dr. GRAY, and Dr. MACLEAN. ***** On motion, it was Resolved, That the Chancellor prepare a suitable notice of the death of Professor HENRY, to be sent to foreign establishments in correspondence with the Institution. - - - The Board then adjourned sine die. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON, D. C., JANUARY 15, 1879. A meeting of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institu- tion was held this day in the Regents' room, at ten o'clock A. M. Present: The Chancellor, Chief Justice WAITE, Hon. WILLIAM A. WHEELER, Vice-President of the United States, Hon. AARON A. SARGENT, Hon. ROBERT E. WITHERS, Hon. JAMES A. GARFIELD, Hon. HIESTER CLYMER, Dr. JOHN MACLEAN, Dr. ASA GRAY, Dr. HENRY COPPEE, Hon. PETER PARKER, President NOAH PORTER, General WILLIAM T. SHERMAN, and the Secre- tary, Professor SPENCER F. BAIRD. PROCEEDINGS OF REGENTS. 29 Dr. PARKER, in behalf of the Executive Committee, presented a report in relation to the duty imposed on them by the fifth resolution of the Board of Regents, adopted at the meeting of May 17, 1878, "to make arrangements for a public commemoration in honor of the late Secretary of the Institution." The Committee had held numerous meetings, the minutes of which were read, and the arrangements had finally been made as follows: The exercises will be held in the Hall of the House of Repre- sentatives on Thursday evening, 16th of January, 1879. The Vice-President of the United States, supported by the Speaker of the House, will preside on this occasion, and the Senate and House will take part in the exercises. 1. Opening prayer by Rev. Dr. JAMES McCosn, President of Princeton College. 2. Address by Hon. HANNIBAL HAMLIN, of the United States Senate, and one of the Regents. 3. Address by Hon. ROBERT E. WITHERS, of the United States Senate, and one of the Regents. 4. Address by Professor ASA GRAY, of Harvard University, and one of the Regents. 5. Address by Professor WILLIAM B. ROGERS, of Boston. 6. Address by Hon. JAMES A. GARFIELD, of the House of Representatives, and one of the Regents. 7. Address by Hon. SAMUEL S. Cox, of the House of Repre- sentatives. 8. Address by General WILLIAM T. SHERMAN, one of the Regents. 9. Concluding prayer by Rev. Dr. SUNDERLAND, Chaplain of the Senate. By authority of the Speaker of the House, reserved seats will be provided on the floor of the House for the following bodies with which Professor HENRY was associated : 30 PROCEEDINGS OF REGENTS. 1. The Regents of the Smithsonian Institution and the orators of the evening, who will meet in the room of the Speaker of the House. 2. The National Academy of Sciences. 3. The Washington Philosophical Society. 4. The Light-House Board, who will meet in the room of the Committee of Ways and Means. 5. The Alumni Association of Princeton College. 6. The trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art. 7. The Washington Monument Association, who will meet in the room of the Committee on Appropriations. On motion of Mr. SARGENT, the action of the committee was approved. On motion of General GARFIELD, it was Resolved) That the Board of Regents assemble on Thursday evening next at half-past seven o'clock, in the Speaker's room at the Capitol, to proceed in a body to attend the exercises in the Hall of the House of Representatives in honor of the memory of Pro- fessor HENRY. On motion of General GARFIELD, it was Resolved^ That the Chancellor be empowered to act for the Board of Regents in making the final arrangements for the memorial exercises. President PORTER, from the special committee appointed at the last meeting, under the fourth resolution adopted by the Board, to "prepare a sketch of the life, character, and public services of Professor HENRY," made a report that Dr. GRAY had been selected by the committee to prepare the eulogy on behalf of the Board of Regents, and that it would form part of the exercises at the public commemoration at the Capitol. PROCEEDINGS OF REGENTS. 31 WASHINGTON, D.C., JANUARY 16, 1879. A meeting of the Board of Regents was held this day at half past seven o'clock p. M., in the room of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and at eight o'clock the Regents proceeded in a body to the Hall of the House of Representatives, to attend the public exercises in honor of Professor JOSEPH HENRY, late Secre- tary of the Smithsonian Institution. On the day after that on which the Memorial Services were held in the Capitol, the following action was taken by the Board of Regents, with reference to the preparation of a Memorial Volume, in commemoration of Professor JOSEPH HENRY. WASHINGTON, D.C., JANUARY 17, 1879. A meeting of the Board of Regents was held this day in the Regent's room at half past nine o'clock A. M. Present: The Chancellor, Chief Justice WAITE, Hon. AARON A. SARGENT, Hon. ROBERT E. WITHERS, Hon. JAMES A. GARFIELD, Hon. HIESTER CLYMER, Hon. PETER PARKER, Rev. Dr. JOHN MACLEAN, Prof. ASA GRAY, Professor HENRY COPPEE, President NOAH PORTER, General WILLIAM T. SHERMAN, and the Secretary, Professor SPENCER F. BAIRD. The subject of the publication of the eulogies on Professor HENRY, together with an account of his scientific writings, &c., was discussed, and on motion of Dr. MACLEAN, it was Resolved, That a special committee of three be appointed, of which the Secretary of the Institution shall be one, to prepare a memorial of Professor HENRY, to include in a separate volume of the Smithsonian series such biographies and notices of the late Secretary of the Institution as may be considered by them worthy of preservation and publication. 32 PROCEEDINGS OF REGENTS. The Chancellor appointed Messrs. GRAY, PARKER, and BAIRD as the committee. The Chancellor then stated that any remarks the Regents desired to make in relation to Professor HENRY were in order. Dr. PARKER addressed the Board as follows : Mr. CHANCELLOR AND FELLOW-REGENTS: We are making history, and I wish to say a few words that shall remain upon its page, in memory of JOSEPH HENRY, our beloved and lamented friend and Secretary, when we, like him, shall have passed from earth. Many have already pronounced his eulogy and set forth his rare talents and influence upon the world, and I need not, and could not, were 1 to attempt it, add to your appreciation of Professor HENRY, his life and character, as a friend, scientist, and Christian, the highest type of man. For twenty years I have been intimately acquainted with Pro- fessor HENRY, and happily associated with him in many ways ; for ten years as a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution, and as a member of the Executive Committee, during all that period our intercourse has been frequent and intimate. I have never known a more excellent man. His memory has been much on my mind since he left us, and I often find myself inquiring how he and others like him are occupied now. His connection with time is severed, but his existence con- tinues. When I recall the names of Professors FRANKLIN BACHE, CHARLES G. PAGE, Louis AGASSIZ, and JOSEPH HENRY, and others of similar intellect and virtue, I find myself asking the question, Are to them all consciousness and thought suspended by separation from the body? I am reluctant to come to such conclu- sion. But this I know, the Infinite Father's ways are right. It seems most providential that Professor HENRY had the oppor- tunity and the strength to give in person his last words, a priceless legacy, to the National Academy at its annual meeting in Wash- PROCEEDINGS OF REGENTS. 33 ington, in April, and through that association to the civilized and scientific worlds; I refer to his sentiment "that moral excellence is the highest dignity of man." The loftiest talents and highest attainments without this are deficient in that, which, in the judg- ment of wise men and of Infinite Wisdom, is of greatest worth. "Was there ever a man from whom the sentiment could come with better grace? The opinion has been expressed, and I do not regard it extrava- gant, that the letter addressed by Professor HENRY to his friend JOSEPH PATTERSON, emanating from such a mind, such a man, at the close of a protracted life of singular distinction, was worth a man's lifetime to produce. It has probably been read by millions, in various languages, and will be by future generations. Professor HENRY was not only a man of science, a discoverer of nature's laws and forces, but a sincere believer in God their Author and in his atoning Son. To quote his language : " We are conscious of having evil thoughts and tendencies that we cannot associate ourselves with a Divine Being, who is the Director and Governor of all, or even call upon him for mercy, without the intercession of One who may affiliate himself with us." Let me quote from the prayer offered at his obsequies, and to which we repeat our sincere Amen; the lips that uttered it, in less than one short month were silent in death, and the two remarkable men, Professors JOSEPH HENRY and CHARLES HODGE, closely united in life were not long divided by death : " We thank Thee, O God, that JOSEPH HENRY was born; that Thou didst endow him with such rare gifts, intellectual, moral, and spiritual; that Thou didst spare him to a good old age, and enable him to accom- plish so much for the increase of human knowledge and for the good of his fellow-men ; and above all that Thou didst hold him up before this whole nation as such a conspicuous illustration of the truth that moral excellence is the highest dignity of man." 34 PROCEEDINGS OF REGENTS. On motion of Dr. MACLEAN, it was — Resolved, That the thanks of the Board of Regents be presented to the gentlemen who took part in the memorial services held in the United States Capitol on the 16th of January, in honor of the late Professor HENRY, and that they be requested to furnish copies of their remarks on that occasion. PAET II. MEMORIAL EXERCISES AT THE CAPITOL. (35) MEMORIAL EXERCISES IN HONOR OF JOSEPH HE^BY. HELD IN THE HALL OF THE HOUSE OF [REPRESENTATIVES On Thursday Evening, January 16, 1879. ANNOUNCEMENT. PUBLIC COMMEMORATION IN HONOR OF THE LATE JOSEPH HENRY. The Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, on the 17th of May, 1878, passed a resolution requesting the executive committee to make arrangements for a public commemoration in honor of the late Secretary of the Institution, of such character and at such time and place as they might determine. The committee has now the satisfaction of announcing that in conformity with the above action the following concurrent resolu- tion was unanimously adopted by both Houses of Congress on the 9th and 10th of December, 1878: Resolved, That the Congress of the United States will take part in the services to be observed on Thursday evening, January 16, 1879, in honor of the memory of JOSEPH HENRY, late secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, under the auspices of the Regents thereof, and for that purpose the Senators and Members will assem- ble on that evening in the Hall of the House of Representatives, the Yice-President of the United States, supported by the Speaker of the House, to preside on that occasion. (37) 38 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. In accordance with the foregoing resolution, the services will be held in the Hall of the House of Representatives on Thursday, the 16th of January, 1879, at eight p. m., which the public are invited to attend. PETER PARKER, JOHN MACLEAN, WILLIAM T. SHERMAN, Executive Committee of the Board of Regents. WASHINGTON, January 6, 1879. PKOCEEDHSTGS. HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, \ OF THE UNITED STATES, / THURSDAY EVENING, January 16, 1879. . In accordance with the arrangements made by order of Congress, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States assembled in the Hall of the House, and were called to order at eight o'clock by the Hon. SAMUEL J. RANDALL, the Speaker of the House, the President with members of the Cabinet occupying front seats on the right and the Chief- Justice with associate justices of the Supreme Court corresponding seats on the left. The Speaker announced briefly the object of the meeting, and then handed the gavel to the Hon. WILLIAM A. WHEELER, the Vice- President of the United States, who thereupon presided on the occasion, sup- ported by the Speaker of the House. PEATEE BY REV. JAMES McCOSH, D. D. O GOD, we look up and by faith we behold Thee as the Infinite and the Perfect One; almighty in power, unerring in wisdom, inflexible in justice, spotless in holiness, and with thy tender mer- cies over all thy works; our Maker, our Preserver, our "Redeemer, our Sanctifier, our Judge, our exceeding great reward. We adore Thee as a Spirit ; and we would worship Thee in spirit and in truth. We adore Thee as light, and we would walk in that light. We adore Thee as love, and we would dwell and rejoice in that love. We bless and praise Thee as the creator of all things ; and we would see and acknowledge Thee in all thy works. All the powers of nature are thine; light and heat and attraction are thine ; they obey thy will, and fulfill thy pleasure, and accomplish thy end. Thou sayest unto them go, and they go; come, and they come; do this, and they do it. O Lord, how manifold are thy works; in wisdom hast Thou made them all. The earth is full of thy riches. We bless Thee, because Thou didst make man after thine image, taught him more than the beasts of the earth, and made him wiser than the fowls of heaven, and capable of so far knowing Thee, and believing Thee, and loving Thee. We cannot indeed with our finite minds com- prehend Thee in thy amplitude. Who can by searching find out God? Who can find out the Almighty unto perfection? But being in thy likeness we can know Thee in part, and sufficiently to call forth our admiration and our affection ; we feel the behold- ing of thy glory to be the highest contemplation in which we can (39) 40 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. engage; and the more we know, we adore Thee and love Thee the more. No man indeed can find out the work which God doeth from the beginning unto the end ; yet thy intelligent creatures can behold thy working, and understand the invisible things of God from the things that are made. We thank Thee, Lord, for the high gifts with which Thou didst so plentifully endow thy servant, whose services in the cause of science and humanity we meet this evening to commemorate. We praise Thee because Thou didst put wisdom into his inward parts, and give understanding to his heart, so that he applied himself to seek out and to reach knowledge and the reasons of things. We bless Thee because he was enabled to throw light on that which God doeth, on those things which are forever, and those things to which no man can add and from which no one can take away. We exalt Thee because mankind have been able to take advan- tage of the discoveries of the departed in order to make knowledge to pass to and fro all over the earth, and to add to the intelligence, the wealth, and the comfort of thy creatures. We pray Thee to raise up other great and good men who, in like spirit, will carry on the work in which he was so honorably engaged. We pray for his widow and for his family, whom he so loved ; that the prayers he offered for them when on earth may return in the richest blessings from heaven and from earth upon their heads and upon their hearts. We thank Thee, Lord, because Thou didst bestow on him not only gifts, but graces, faith, and humility, and integrity and love. We rejoice that we can this day contemplate so pleasantly his char- acter ; that we can cherish the remembrance of him as of a man of high aims and lofty purpose, devoting his life to the cause of science and to the glory of God and the good of mankind. We bless Thee for that faith in Christ which supported him in -life, and for that hope that cheered him in death, and that we can PRAYER BY REV. JAMES McCOSH, D. D. 41 believe that he is still occupied in thy service, and that now, in a clearer light, he is doing nobler work than he performed on earth. We rejoice this day because by his profession and by his con- sistent walk and conversation he gave such evidence that he was truly a follower of Christ and led by the sanctifying Spirit. May we all be enabled to follow his good example, trusting like him in Thee, and giving praise to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Amen. MM K A R Y UNI VKKSITY OK f ADDRESSES. The VICE-PRESIDENT. The first address in the order of exer- cises was to have been delivered by Hon. HANNIBAL HAMLIN, a Senator from Maine, and a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. HAMLIN having been appointed one of the committee on the part of the Senate to attend the remains of the late GUSTAVE SCHLEICHER, late a member of the House of Representatives, before leaving requested that I should read the remarks which he would have submitted in person if present; which the Chair will now proceed to do. ADDRESS OF HON. HANNIBAL HAMLIN. HISTORY teaches us that in every age and country of the civilized world homage has been paid by the living to the illustrious dead. In all time art has been invoked to preserve the form and features of the great and the good. Monuments of bronze, of marble, and of granite have been erected and dedicated to their memory. In the wisdom of this the judgment of mankind has concurred. It is a custom honored in the observance. The learned and incorruptible judge, with a mind stored with legal knowledge, who dispenses justice with an even balance, alike to the elevated and the lowly, the rich and the poor; the heroic and able commander of armies, who has contributed largely in founding or preserving the institutions of his country; and the statesman and the executive officer who respectively frame and execute the (43) 44 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. laws of the nation, so that "the greatest good to the greatest num- ber" shall be promoted and the individual rights of every citizen, however humble, shall be fully protected, are all, whether living or dead, entitled to the homage of their countrymen. But he who like Professor HENRY, through a long life of unwearying labor and research, has drawn from science her hidden treasures ; has enlarged the dominion of mind over matter, and made the forces of nature contribute to the welfare and comfort of man — whose genius origi- nated the great idea that in its perfection has put a girdle of com- munication around the earth, which acts with the speed of thought and brings distant parts of the world into instant intercourse ; who, by "the diffusion of knowledge among men," has assisted in raising the world to a higher plane and given a broader value to thought, knowledge, and action; who has made it wiser and better that he lived, is entitled to the honor and undissembled homage of mankind. The usefulness and distinguished achievements of Professor HENRY are limited by no national boundaries, but are co-extensive with civilization itself; and his name will be perpetuated and remembered wherever science is cultivated or knowledge is cher- ished. We pause then, as we are borne along by the tide and onward current of human life, to pay a just and fitting tribute to the eminent life, character, and services of Professor HENRY ; and we can but be reminded of the marked parallel which he furnishes in many respects to the distinguished philosophers of the early republics. But of his triumphs and distinction in science, specifically, it is not within my province to speak : that duty will be most successfully discharged by the learned gentlemen who are to follow me. It was my fortune to have been officially connected with others in framing and enacting the organic law which created the Smith- sonian Institution. Thus I became early acquainted with Professor HENRY, and in a long intercourse of years from then until the time HON. H. HAMLIN'S ADDRESS. 45 of his decease, it is indeed a pleasant memory that no word, or thought, or deed ever marred the harmony of that association. To Professor HENRY must be awarded the credit for what has been done by the Smithsonian Institution in science and the "diffusion of knowledge among men." It was his mind that conceived the plan best calculated to accomplish the object designed by Mr. SMITHSON, and steadily, with a zeal that never faltered, with per- sistent toil that hardly knew a limit, he pressed on in his noble work until the Institution under his inspirations stands to-day recognized and acknowledged as among the first of a like character in the world. There were times when a change was sought and earnestly urged in the scope, mode, and manner in which the Insti- tution should be conducted. But the wiser plans and wiser counsels of Professor HENRY prevailed, and it is safe to say that now no ruthless hand would substantially change them. The test of time has fully established and vindicated his wisdom. Professor HENRY was distinguished in an eminent degree for his dignity of character and rare modesty. To those who knew him well and intimately he was always unassuming, speaking never of himself or his great achievements. He appeared in his possession and dissemination of knowledge, as NEWTON said of himself, like a child upon the sea-shore, picking here and there a grain of sand, while a vast and unexplored ocean was before him. Though gifted with knowledge vast, varied, and profound, he exemplified and illustrated the maxim of the poet — "Of their own merits modest men are dumb." His dignity and modesty were unerring marks of his intellectual greatness, and adorned his wealth of science and learning. ' Eminent and distinguished as was Professor HENRY to those familiar with and who knew the administration of the Smithsonian Institution in all its parts, he was no less great for the rare ability with which he cared for and managed its finances. Here, too, as in 46 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. all else, he was modest and without pretension, but firm and un- flinching in the policy which he pursued, and which was crowned with such prominent success. He was learned in the science of finance, and his knowledge and opinions on important occasions were sought and adopted by others. But in the administration of the funds of the Institution his financial theory, in practice, was reduced to two simple rules from which volumes of useful instruc- tion may be drawn, and if wisely followed, how much of what are called the misfortunes of the world would be averted. Indeed, an approximate adherence to his rules, and the financial world would hardly have been darkened by the floods of such light as has been deluged upon it. PAY AS YOU GO. — SPEND LESS THAN YOUR INCOME. These were the two rules that he laid down for his course of action, and he followed them without a single departure. There were times of pressing necessity and great desirability of extending the fields already occupied and of seeking new ones by the Institu- tion. But Professor HENRY still held to his rules with an iron hand and a Spartan will. The end again illustrates his wisdom. A condensed statement of the Smithsonian fund at the end of Professor HENRY'S administration as its Secretary shows as follows : The amount originally received as the bequest of JAMES SMITHSON, of England, deposited in the Treasury of the United States in accordance with the act of Congress of August 10, 1846, was $515, 169 00 The residuary legacy of Smithson, received in 1865, deposited in the Treasury of the United States in accordance with the act of Congress of February 8, 1867 26, 210 63 Total bequest of Smithson 541, 379 63 47 Amount brought forward $541,379 63 Amount deposited in the Treasury of the United States as authorized by act of Congress of Feb- ruary 8, 1867, derived from savings of income and increase in value of investments 108, 620 37 Amount received as the bequest of JAMES HAM- ILTON, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, February 24, 1874 _ 1, 000 00 Total permanent Smithson fund in the Treasury of the United States bearing interest at 6 per cent., payable semi-annually in gold 651, 000 00 To that sum should be added as the present value of State stocks held by the Institution 35, 000 00 Making a total fund of ^._ 686/000 00 In addition to the above the Institution has — Cash on hand for current operations 25, 000 00 Value of building and furniture, cost 500, 000 00 Value of library 200, 000 00 Value of stock on hand of its own publications, including twenty-one quartos and fifteen octavos, wood-cuts, and plates 50, 000 00 Value of philosophical apparatus 5, 000 00 Value of works of art 2, 000 00 Total 1,468,000 00 The foregoing statement shows a fund and property of the Insti- tution of nearly one and a half millions of dollars in gold, or, to analyze a little, a fund of six hundred and fifty-one thousand dollars at an interest of six per cent, per annum for the yearly operations of the Institution. This is noticeable particularly in the fact that the fund has been increased nearly one hundred and 48 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. fifty thousand dollars over and above the sum bequeathed by Mr. SMITHSON. The other property of the Institution in value, as has been stated, is over seven hundred thousand dollars. Such is the correct statement of the fund and financial condition of the Smith- sonian Institution at the decease of Professor HENRY. For him how proud the record, and for the future usefulness of the Institu- tion how grand the prospect ! With this flattering condition of its finances, the Institution may widen its present and enter new fields to seek for additional knowledge to be diifused among men, while Professor HENRY, its world-distinguished secretary, shall be remem- bered away in the stillness of ages as one of the most learned men of his time and a benefactor of mankind. ADDRESS OF HON. ROBERT E. WITHERS. THIS thronging hall, this august assemblage, this imposing pageant are suggestive and significant to a degree that anticipates and almost consummates the duty of the hour. The death of the soldier, the patriot, or the statesman who has won glory, honor, or distinction in the public service, has usually been made the occasion of impressive memorial ceremonial; for as different as nations are in many other respects, they all agree in this, — gratitude for distinguished services, and reverence for the mighty dead. This is a feeling peculiar to no era or country; it is common to all mankind — whether civilized or savage, barbarous or refined. The rude tumuli of the savage, the magnificent mau- solea of the East, and the marble monuments of the West, alike point to where sleep the ashes of the warrior, the patriot, and the sage whose services have endeared them to their countrymen and whose deeds have rendered their nation illustrious. I see around me, congregated in this, the capitol of a great nation, its highest functionaries in the executive, legislative, and judicial departments of government, distinguished diplomatic representa- tives of almost every civilized people, the chiefest dignitaries of church and state, men most renowned in peace and in war, those most honored in the world of science, of literature, and of art, convened to do homage to the memory of one whose brow was decked neither with the laurel wreath of the conqueror nor yet with the civic crown of the statesman. He chose rather to dedi- cate his powers to the pursuits of science, to the investigation of 4 (49) 50 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. those abstruse and occult problems which baffle the efforts of scientists, hoping thus perchance to add to the stores of human knowledge and the happiness of human life. Surely, mankind are not mere followers of fame nor blind worshipers of Mammon, but are prompt to recognize true greatness wherever found. When JAMES SMITHSON'S munificent donation to the cause of knowledge was heralded to the world, scientists and literati differed widely in their views of the proper method of carrying into effect the wishes of the donor, and of utilizing the bequest. Many were the suggestions and varied the projects which were successively pro- posed, considered, and rejected. Steadily adhering to his own far- seeing convictions, Professor HENRY finally secured such legislation as was necessary to consummate with literal exactitude the wishes of the generous donor, and from that hour the Smithsonian Institu- tion has been dedicated to its great work, "the increase and diffu- sion of knowledge among men." Himself arranging all the details whereby these results could be most surely attained, the work of original investigation has under his guidance gone steadily forward, until to-day the name and fame of the Smithsonian Institution and its late secretary are known and appreciated among the nations of the earth, wherever knowledge has found a votary or science an abiding place. The system is unique, for neither in the Old World nor the New is its counter- part to be found, and I may safely say that its achievements are as widely known and as highly valued in other continents as in this. Time will not suffice to enumerate the varied and useful results which have been thus attained ; but we know, and the world knows, that to the sagacity, industry, and administrative ability of JOSEPH HENRY is alone due the credit of this great success. Unwilling to lessen the interest or mar the beauty of the biograph- ical sketch to which you will soon listen, the preparation of which has been delegated to the able hands of one who knew him long ADDRESS OF HON. R. E. WITHERS. 51 and intimately, I forbear to do more than briefly glance at some of the salient points of Professor HENRY'S character and services. To speak of him as he was is to praise him ; to describe his daily walk and conversation as he lived, moved, and had his being is his highest eulogy. He was not a genius. The characteristics of his mind are typified rather by the steady illumination of the well- trimmed lamp, than by the scintillations of those brilliant pyro- technics which for a while dazzle, startle, and amaze, but suddenly expire in the blackness of darkness forever. Simplicity, purity, and earnestness were his chief attributes; guileless and unaffected as a child he was wise with more than worldly wisdom. Genius may be admired as the mountain torrent or the lightning's flash for its force and brilliancy, but a higher homage is due to morality and virtue, which should guide the strength of the one and the splendor of the other to beneficent results. That "knowledge is power" has been accepted as an axiom, but it is a power for good or for evil; it becomes a blessing or a curse as it is well or illy used. It is a treasure above all price when consecrated to the cause of morality and virtue, but an inexhausti- ble fountain of woe when wedded to immorality and vice. If these things be true, then may we confidently point to him as an example calculated to inspire a deeper reverence for the majesty of virtue in public and in private life, and as furnishing a higher incentive to virtuous deeds of emulation in his countrymen. He acted on the principle that no success in life, whether meas- ured by wealth or fame, could compensate for the loss of that calm sunshine of conscious integrity, and that deserved praise so surely awarded a life of usefulness and beneficence. Viewing the mere acquisition of wealth with philosophic indif- ference, he was, nevertheless, as a financier a model of sagacity. The full and satisfactory detail to which you have just listened of the principles which guided, and the success which attended his 52 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. administration of the funds intrusted to his management will abundantly verify this assertion. In his own affairs, however, he exhibited an indifference to gain which was by many regarded as almost inexcusable. Consecrated to the cause of science, he freely and unselfishly gave to mankind the results of all his discoveries. When with untiring assiduity he had traced to its matrix the germ of a useful idea, and became satisfied that he had brought to light a principle destined to benefit his fellow-man, he left to others the task of applying this principle and reaping the pecuniary recompense, while he, again returning to the domain of original research, boldly invaded the very penetralia of nature's laboratory in quest of further knowledge. This trait of his character is strikingly illustrated in the history of the electric telegraph, for to him is the world indebted for the discovery of the principle from which has been developed by the labors of others such wondrous results. In these results, with their accompanying emoluments, he had no share, nor ever seemed to regard them as of the slightest moment. Though thus devoted to scientific pursuits and standing second to none in the expansive breadth of his inquiries or the acuteness of his analytical investigations, Professor HENRY belonged not to the class of ultra-scientists, whose sharpened faculties forbid the recognition of a first great cause, and whose boasted reason scorns to accept the simple story of the Cross. The uniform tenor of a long life, the unsullied purity of his character, the uniform practice of all the Christian virtues, the regular attendance upon the Christian ministry, and the testimony he left us in his dying hour, all attest that for him faith had bridged the dark gulf which separates the seen from the unseen, and led him safely through the gates into the eternal city whose builder and maker is God. BIOGRAPHICAL MEMORIAL, BY PROFESSOR ASA GRAY, IN BEHALF OP THE BOARD OF REGENTS. THE Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, on the day following the obsequies of their late Secretary, resolved to place upon record, by the hands of their committee, a memorial of their lamented associate. The time has arrived when this should be done, now that the Institution enters upon another official year, and its bereavement is brought freshly to mind. Although time may have assuaged our sorrow, as time will do, and although the recollection that a well-spent life was well appre- ciated and not prematurely closed, should temper regret, yet they have not dulled our sense of loss, nor lessened our estimate of the signal services to science, to this Institution, and to the general good which remarkable gifts and a devoted spirit enabled this man to render. If we would fit this memorial to the subject of it, we must keep in mind Professor HENRY'S complete and transparent, but dignified simplicity and modesty of character, in which a delicate sense of justice went along with extreme dislike of exaggeration, and aver- sion to all that savored of laudation. Yet it is not for ourselves, his associates — some of few, some of many years — that this record is made; nor need we speak for that larger circle of his associates, the men of science in our land, who will, in their several organizations, recount the scientific achieve- ments of their late leader and Nestor. And nothing that we can say will enhance the sentiments of respect, veneration, and trust with which he was regarded here, in Washington, by all who knew him, (53) 54 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. whether of high or humble station. Even those, here or elsewhere, who came only into occasional intercourse with him, will remember that thoughtful and benignant face; — certainly it will be remem- bered by those who, in that recourse to him which it was always easy to gain, have seen the mild seriousness of a somewhat abstracted and grave mien change into a winning smile, sure precursor of pleasant words, cheerful attention, and, if need were, wise counsel and cordial help. But we are all passing, as he has passed, and the tribute to his memory which it is our privilege to pay, is a duty to those who are to come after us. JOSEPH HENRY was of Scotch descent. His grandparents, paternal and maternal, landed at New York from the same vessel on the day before the battle of Bunker Hill. The HENRYS settled in Delaware County, the ALEXANDERS in Saratoga* County, New York. Of his father, WILLIAM HENRY, little is known. He died when his oldest son, JOSEPH, was eight or nine years old. His mother lived to a good age.* He was born at Albany very near the close of the last century, f His boyhood was mostly passed with his maternal grandmother in the country at Galway. His early education was such as a country common school would furnish to a lad of inquisitive mind but no aptness for study. The fond- ness for reading came early, but in a surreptitious way. One day, in the pursuit of a pet rabbit, he penetrated through an •opening in the foundation- wall of the village meeting-house. A glimmer of light enticed him through the broken floor into a room above, in which an open bookcase contained the village library. He took down a book — Brooks's Fool of Quality — was soon absorbed in the perusal, returned again and again to this, which he * She is remembered as a lady of winning refinement of mien and character, of small size, with delicate Grecian features, fair complexion, and when young she is said to have been very beautiful. t The date, December 17, 1797, given in the American Cyclopedias, appears to be wrong; was perhaps misprinted. There is little doubt that he was bom on the 17th of December, 1799. ADDRESS OF PROF. A. GRAY. 55 said was the first book he ever opened voluntarily, and to all the works of fiction which the library contained. Access in the regular way was soon granted to him. The lad at this time was a clerk, or office-boy, in the store of a Mr. BRODERICK. He returned to Albany at the age of fourteen or fifteen. We may count it as a part of his education that he there served a brief apprenticeship to a silversmith, in which he acquired the manual dexterity afterward so useful to him. Opportunely perhaps, the silversmith soon failed in business, and young HENRY was thrown out of employment. His powers were now developing, but not in the line they were soon to take. To romance reading was now joined a fondness for the theater. Not content with seeing all the plays he could, he found his way behind the scenes, and learned the methods of producing stage effects. He joined a juve- nile forensic and theatrical society, called the Eostrum, and soon distinguished himself in it by his ingenuity in stage arrangements. He was made president, and having nothing else to do at the time, he gave his whole attention to the Rostrum. He dramatized a tale, wrote a comedy, and took a part in its representation. Unusually comely in form and features, and of prepossessing address, our future philosopher was in a fair way to become an actor, perhaps a distinguished one. But now a slight illness confined him for a few days to his mother's house. To while away the hours he took up a small book which a Scotchman, who then occupied a room in the house, had left upon his mother's table. It was "Lectures on Experimental Philosophy, Astronomy, and Chemistry, intended chiefly for the use of young persons, by G. Gregory," an English clergyman. It is an unpre- tending volume, but a sensible one. It begins by asking three or four questions, such as these : "You throw a stone, or shoot an arrow into the air; why does it not go forward in the line or direction that you give it? Why does 56 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. it stop at a certain distance, and then return to you? - - - On the contrary, why does flame or smoke always mount upward, though no force is used to send them in that direction? And why should not the flame of a candle drop toward the floor when you reverse it, or hold it downward, instead of turning up and ascending into the air? - - - Again, you look into a clear well of water and see your own face and figure, as if painted there. Why is this? You are told that it is done by reflection of light. But what is reflection of light?" Young HENRY'S mind was aroused by these apt questions, and allured by the explanations; he now took in a sense of what knowledge was. The door to knowledge opened to him, that door which it thence became the passion of his life to open wider. Thenceforth truth charmed him more than fiction. At the next meeting of his dramatic association he resigned the office of president and took his leave in a valedictory address, in which he assured his comrades that he should now prepare to play his part on another stage, with nobler and more impressive scenes. The volume itself is preserved in Professor HENRY'S library. On a fly-leaf is the following entry: "This, book, although by no means a profound work, has, under Providence, exerted a remarkable influence upon my life. It acci- dentally fell into my hands when I was about sixteen years old, and was the first work I ever read with attention. It opened to me a new world of thought and enjoyment; invested things before almost unnoticed with the highest interest ; fixed my mind on the study of nature, and caused me to resolve at the time of reading it that I would immediately commence to devote my life to the acquisition of knowledge." The pursuit of elementary knowledge under difficulties and pri- vations now commenced. At first he attended a night-school, where he soon learned all the master could teach. At length he entered ADDRESS OF PROF. A. GRAY. 57 Albany Academy, earning the means at one time by teaching a country district school, later by serving as tutor to the sons of Gen- eral STEPHEN VAN RENSSELAER the patroon. Then he took the direction of a road-survey across the southern portion of the State, from West Point to Lake Erie, earning a little money and much credit. He returned to Albany Academy as an assistant teacher, but was very soon, in 1828, appointed professor of mathematics. He had already chosen his field, and began to make physical inves- tigations. It is worth noticing that just when HENRY'S youthful resolution to devote his life to the acquisition of knowledge was ready to bear fruit, another resolve was made, in England, by another scientific investigator, JAMES SMITHSON, in his will, executed in October, 1828, wherein he devoted his patrimony "TO FOUND AT WASH- INGTON AN ESTABLISHMENT FOR THE INCREASE AND DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE AMONG MEN." Who could have thought that the poor lad, who resolved to seek for knowledge as for hid treasure, and the rich man of noble lineage, who resolved that his treasure should increase and diffuse knowledge, would ever stand in this interesting relation; that the one would direct and shape the estab- lishment which the other willed to be founded ! The young professor's position was an honorable but most laborious one. Although Albany Academy was said by the distin- guished president of Union College in those days to be "a college in disguise," it began its work low down. Its new professor of mathematics had to teach seven hours of every day, and for half of this time to drudge with a large class of boys in the elements of arithmetic. But he somehow found time to carry on systemat- ically the electro-magnetic researches which he had already begun. In the very year of his appointment, 1828, he described in the Transactions of the Albany Institute a new application of the galvanic multiplier, and throughout that year and the two next he 58 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. carried on those investigations which, when published at the begin- ning of the ensuing year, January, 1831, in that notable first paper in the American Journal of Science and the Arts, at once brought HENRY'S name to the front line among the discoverers in electro- magnetism. STURGEON may be said to have first made an electro-magnet ; HENRY undoubtedly made the electro-magnet what it is. Just after BARLOW, in England, had declared that there could be no electric telegraph to a long distance, HENRY discovered that there could be, how and why it could be ; he declared publicly its practi- cability, and illustrated it experimentally by setting up a telegraph with such length of wire as he could conveniently command, delivering signals at a distance by the sounding of a bell. Previously to his investigations the means of -developing mag- netism in soft iron were imperfectly understood (even though the law from which they are now seen to flow had been mathematically worked out by OHM), and the electro-magnet which then existed was inapplicable to the transmission of power to a distance. HENRY first rendered it applicable to the transmission of mechanical power to a distance; was the first actually to magnetize a piece of iron at a distance, and by it to deliver telegraphic signals. He also showed what kind of battery must be employed to project the current through a great length of wire, and what kind of coil should surround the magnet used to receive this current and to do the work. * *The following appear to be the main points in the order of discovery which led to the electro-magnetic telegraph. They are here condensed from Professor HENRY'S "Statement," in the "Proceedings of the Regents," published in the Smithsonian Report for the year 1857, and from a note appended by Mr. William B. Taylor to his "Memoir of JOSEPH HENRY and his Scientific Work," read before the Philosophical Society of Washington : 1819-1820. OERSTED showed that a magnetic needle is deflected by the action of a current of galvanic electricity passing near it. It recently appears that this discovery had already been made as early as the year 1802, by ROMAGNESI, and published in 1805. 1820. ARAGO discovered that while a galvanic current is passing through a copper wire it is capable of developing magnetism in soft iron. ADDRESS OF PROF. A. GRAY. 59 For the telegraph, and for electro-magnetic machines, what was now wanted was not discovery, but invention, not the ascertainment of principles, but the devising of methods. These, the proper subjects of patent, have been supplied in various ways and, as to the telegraph, with wonderful efficiency; — in Europe, by the trans- mission of signs through the motion of a magnetic needle; in America, by the production of sounds or records by the electro- magnet. MORSE was among the first to undertake the enterprise, and, when directed to the right way through Professor GALE'S acquaintance with HENRY'S published researches, he carried the 1820. AMPERE discovered that two wires through which currents are passing in the same direction attract, and in opposite directions repel, each other; and thence he inferred that magnetism consists in the attraction of electrical currents revolving at right angles to the line joining the two poles of the magnet, and is produced in a bar of steel or iron by induction from a series of electrical currents revolving in the same direction at right angles to the axis of the bar. 1820. SCHWEIGGER in the same year produced the galvanometer. 1825. STURGEON made the electro-magnet by bending the bar, or rather a piece of iron wire, into the form of a horse-shoe, covering it with varnish to insulate it, and surrounding it with a helix of wire the turns of which were at a dis- tance. 1829-1830. HENRY, in accordance with the theory of AMPERE, produced the intensity or spool-wound magnet, insulating the wire instead of the rod or bar, and covering the whole surface of the iron with a series of coils in close contact. He extended the principle to the full by winding successive strata of insulated wire over each other, thus producing a compound helix formed of a long wire of many coils. At the same time he developed the relation of the intensity magnet to the intensity battery, and their relations to the magnet of quantity. He thus made the electro-magnet capable of transmitting power to a long distance, demonstrated the principle and perfected the magnet applicable to the purpose, was the first actually to magnetize a piece of iron at a distance, and to demonstrate and declare the applicability of the electro-magnet to telegraphy at a distance. Using the terminal short-circuit magnet of quantity, and the armature as the signaling device, he was the first to make by it acoustic signals, sounding a bell at a distance by means of the electro-magnet. 1833. WEBER discovered that the conducting-wires of an electric telegraph could be left without insulation except at the points of support. 1833. GAUSS ingeniously arranged the application of a dual sign in such manner as to produce a true alphabet for telegraphy. 1836. DANIELL, invented and brought into use a constant galvanic battery. 1837. STEINHEIL discovered that the earth may form the returning half of the circuit, so that a single conducting wire suffices for telegraphy. 1837. MORSE adopted, through the agency of Dr. LEONARD GALE, the principle of the HENRY electro-magnet, and made of the armature a recording instrument. 1838. MORSE devised his "dot and dash" alphabet, a great improvement upon the GAUSS and STEINHEIL, alphabets. 1844. MORSE suggested and brought into use the system of relay-magnets, and relay-circuits, to reinforce the current. 60 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. latter mode into practical and most successful execution. If HENRY had patented his discovery, which he was urged, but declined to do, MORSE could have patented only his alphabetical mode of signaling, and perhaps the use of relay-batteries, the latter indispensable for long lines upon that system. The scientific as well as popular effect of Professor HENRY'S first paper in Silliman's Journal was immediate and great. With the same battery that STURGEON used he developed at least a hundred times more magnetism. The instantaneous production of magnets lifting four hundred and twenty times their own weight, of those which with less than a pint of dilute acid acting on two hands7 breadth of zinc would lift seven hundred and fifty pounds, and this afterward carried up to a magnet lifting thirty-three hundred pounds, was simply astonishing. Yet it was not these extraordinary results, nor their mechanical applications which engaged Professor HENRY'S attention so much as the prospect they opened of a way by which to ascend to higher discovery of the laws of nature. In other hands, his discoveries furnished the means by which dianiag- netism, magnetic effects on polarized light, and magneto-electricity — now playing so conspicuous a part — soon came to be known. In his own hands, the immediate discovery of the induction of a cur- rent in a long wire on itself* led the way to his next fertile field of inquiry, the following up of which caused unwise tardiness in the announcement of what he had already done. For it is within our knowledge that the publication of the paper which initiated his fame had been urged for months by scientific friends, and at length was hastened by the announcement of some partly similar results reached in a different way by MOLL, of Utrecht. In a letter not long afterward written to one of us, Professor HENRY had occasion to declare : " My whole ambition is to establish for myself and to deserve the reputation of a man of science." Yet throughout his * Announced in American Journal of Science and the Arts in 1832. ADDRESS OF PROF. A. GRAY. 61 life ardor for discovery and pure love of knowledge were unattended by corresponding eagerness for publication. At the close of that very year, 1832, however, he did announce the drawing of a spark from a magnet, that first fact in magneto-electricity, and, as he supposed, a new one. But he had been anticipated. In May, 1830, Professor HENRY married HARRIET L. ALEX- ANDER, of Schenectady, New York, who, with three daughters, survives. Two earlier children died in infancy, and a son in early manhood. Pleasant in most respects as his situation at Albany was, it was not an unwelcome invitation which, in the summer of 1832, it became the duty and the privilege of the most venerable of our num- ber, then vice-president of the College of New Jersey, to give to Professor HENRY, offering him the chair of Natural Philosophy at Princeton. By this early call that college secured him for her own during the years most prolific for science. It was on a later occasion that Sir DAVID BREWSTER wrote: "The mantle of FRANKLIN has fallen upon the shoulders of HENRY." But the aureole was already visible to his fellow- workers in science; and SILLIMAN, RENWICK, and TORREY urged his acceptance of the new position, and congratulated Princeton upon the acquisition. The professorship came to him unsought. In his last address to one of the learned societies over which he presided, Professor HENRY mentions that the various offices of honor and responsibility which he then held, nine in number, had all been pressed upon him ; that he never occupied a position for which he had of his own will and action been made a candidate. It did not occur to him at that moment to make one exception. When a pupil in. Albany Academy he once offered himself as a teacher of a country district school . The school trustees thought him too young, but took him on trial at eight dollars a month. At the beginning of the second month they raised his pay to fifteen. 62 MEMORIAL OF JOSEPH HENRY. At Princeton Professor HENRY found congenial companions and duties well suited to his powers. Here he taught and investigated for fourteen fruitful and happy years; here he professed the faith that was in him, entering into the communion of the Presbyterian Church, in which he and his ancestors were nurtured; and here he developed— what might not have been expected — a genius for education. One could count oh his being a clear expositor, and his gifts for experimental illustration and for devising apparatus had been already shown. But now, as a college professor, the question how to educate came before him in a broader way. He appreciated, and he made his associates and pupils appreciate, the excellence of natural philosophy for mental discipline, for training at once both the observing and the reasoning faculties. A science which rises from the observation of the most familiar facts, and the questioning of these by experiment, to the consideration of causes, the ascertaining of laws, and to the most recondite conceptions respecting the consti- tution of matter and the interplay of forces, offers discipline to all the intellectual powers, and tasks the highest of them. Professor HENKY taught not only the elementary facts and general principles from a fresh survey of both, but also the methods of philosophical investigation, and the steps by which the widest generalizations and the seemingly intangible conceptions of the higher physics have been securely reached. He exercised his pupils in deducing particular results from admitted laws, and in then ascertaining whether what was thus deduced actually occurred in nature ; and if not, why not. Though very few of a college class might ever afterward undertake a physical or chemical investigation, all would or should be concerned in the acquisition of truth and its relations; and by knowing how truth was won and knowledge advanced in one field of inquiry, they would gain the aptitude which any real investigation may give, and the confidence that springs from a clear view and a sure grasp of any one subject. ADDRESS OF PROF. A. GRAY. He understood, as few do, the importance of analogy and hypoth- ^ 1 . esis in science. Premising that hypothesis should always be founded \