Agassiz was with me about two years as lecturer in Natural History.
His skill in drawing upon the blackboard while he went on with his oral
explanation was a constant marvel. He was not a miser in matter of
knowledge more than in money. Of his vast stores of knowledge he gave
freely to all. Any member of a class could get from him all that he
knew upon any topic in his department. When he was ignorant he never
hesitated to say: "I don't know." He was very chary of conjectures in
science. Indeed, I cannot recall an instance of that sort. He chose
to investigate and to wait. In all his ways he was artless. He was a
well built man with a massive head and an intelligent face. His
presence inspired confidence.
Associated with him by nativity and ties of friendship, was Professor
Guyot. Professor Guyot taught physical geography, and previous to 1855
he had wrought a change in public opinion in regard to the method of
introducing the science to children. All the then recent text-books
omitted physical geography, or reserved it for a brief chapter at the
close of the work. Guyot changed the course of study. His motto was
this: "We must first consider this earth as one grand individual."
On this foundation he built his system. Morse, the father of the
inventor of the system of telegraphic communication, was the author of
a geography published in the eighteenth century, and he commenced with
physical geography.
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