Show Louis Jean Rudolf Agassiz America lias profited much by the religious intolerance of the Old World That with the liberty-seekinPuritans came the very life blood of American literature is well known that the same forces contributed their mite in shaping the destiny of one who holds an exalted rank in American scientific life is a fact with which we are less familiar That Louis Agassiz was horn amid the wilds and freedom of a mountain village of Switzerland in 1807 was not of his choosing nor that of his parents lie was a descendant of Huguenots who had lied from France for the sake of their faith and he inherited their Six lineal dee) religious nature generations of ministerial blood coursed in his veins and in the dull routine of the f rench life would no doubt have again dominated But not so in his mountain home there the woods called him the clear cold lakes whispered their secrets and while still a hoy in school he began to study the fishes and mastered their habits as none had done before him At twenty he decided to study medicine and went to Zurich The school was small and from here he went to Heidelberg Here he received his first training in zoology and palaeontology and found something more to his liking g- than medicine kindred spirits that met in these subjects Academy they Here alo a few formed a little group his room to discuss further The Little called it half in fun but still with much of truth The Munof founded newly University ich offered greater inducements in tin se lines and he and his little circle of friends went there From M D his Munich he received and later from Frlangen his Ph D During all this time he had been constantly studying the fishes and had already planned a work on the fishes of central Furope In this study he had built up a collection of fish skeletons so complete that it attracted the attention of scientists of other institutions Although his allowance as a student was only about two hundred and fifty dollars he managed to live on it and to keep an artist constantly with him to make drawings for his proposed works His remarkable knowledge of fishes won for him the chance to work up a collection that had been made in Brazil so his first publication was on the fishes of Brazil followed soon after by the first part of his work on the fishes of central Hu rone Both were finely illustrated by his artist Xext we find him in Vienna studying there the lection of fishes both living and colfos- - |