Evening to James Lawrence's. Meeting of forty gentlemen
about a building for Agassiz collection. Mr. Gray has given $50,000 for
increasing and supporting the collection already made. Ex-Governor Clifford in
the chair. Those who made remarks were Dr. Walker, Governor Banks, ex-Governor
Washburn, E. R. Hoar, Mr. George Ticknor, Dr. Gould, Dr. Jacob Bigelow, and
myself. But Agassiz made the speech of the evening, very modest and
characteristic; all for the science, nothing for himself. Dr. Bigelow
introduced a vote and called the collection the “Agassiz Museum,” etc., but
Agassiz interrupted him and declined decidedly. “Personalities,” said he, “must
be banished from science.”
SOURCE: William Lawrence, Life of Amos A. Lawrence:
With Extracts from His Diary and Correspondence, p. 159-60
