Famous Men Of Science - free ebook by Sarah Knowles Bolton

To Those

I dedicate this book....

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PREFACE.

Garfield said, "No page of human history is so instructive and significant as the record of those early influences which develop the character and direct the lives of eminent men." These sketches show how young men have overcome difficulties, sometimes poverty, sometimes illness; how they have made failures before finding their true vocation. They show the results of energy, perseverance, and untiring devotion; how a cheerful face and a hopeful spirit like Agassiz's, or a gentle and kindly natur

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GALILEO GALILEI.

"The same memorable day is marked by the setting of one of the most brilliant stars in the firmament of art and the rising of another in the sphere of science, which was to enlighten the world with beams of equal splendor. On the 18th of February, 1564, Michael Angelo Buonarotti closed his eyes at Rome, and Galileo Galilei first saw the light at Pisa." Thus writes young Karl von Gebler, in the best life of Galileo ever written, his dying contribution to literature. Some other authorities place G

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SIR ISAAC NEWTON.

In the same year, 1642, in which Galileo, sad and blind, went away from the earth, Sir Isaac Newton came to make his home upon it. He was born December 25, the only child of Isaac Newton and Hannah Ayscough. The father died at thirty-seven, a few months after his marriage, and the young wife, after the birth of her child, was both father and mother to the helpless infant. He was so frail that there seemed little probability that he could live to manhood, or even boyhood. Naturally, between mothe

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CARL LINNÆUS.

It was on the 24th of July that we left Stockholm, the Venice of the North, built on her nine islands, for the famous university town of Upsala, Sweden. The ride, of about two hours by rail, lay along fine fields of wheat, blue with corn-flowers, and past comfortable-looking red farmhouses and barns. The town, of thirteen thousand people, is quaint and quiet, yet most interesting to a stranger. We wander over the grand old Gothic cathedral, begun six hundred years ago. Here is the silver-gilt sa

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BARON CUVIER.

In the town of Montbéliard, France, then belonging to the Duke of Würtemberg, August 23, 1769, was born the founder of the Science of Comparative Anatomy; the greatest naturalist of his time, Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert Cuvier. His father was a brave officer in a Swiss regiment, who at fifty married a young lady of unusual ability. Their first son died, and the second, Georges, was so feeble in constitution that his life was saved only by the tenderest care of his mother. For this

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SIR WILLIAM AND CAROLINE HERSCHEL.

In Hanover, Germany, in the year 1732, Isaac Herschel and a plain, industrious girl, Anna Ilse Moritzen, began their home life together. The young man did not like the calling of his father, the cultivating of the royal gardens, and learned to play the oboe in the royal band. He became skilled in music, and, as, one after another, ten children were born into the little home, he taught them to play on the violin and oboe, and such other branches of knowledge as he possessed. After a time his heal

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ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT.

The great Agassiz, in his eloquent address, in Boston, on the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Humboldt, said: "All the fundamental facts of popular education in physical science, beyond the merest elementary instruction, we owe to him. We are reaping daily in every school throughout the broad land, where education is the heritage of the poorest child, the intellectual harvest sown by him. "There is not a text-book of geography, or a school atlas in the hands of our children to-day, which d

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SIR HUMPHREY DAVY.

Coleridge said, "Had not Davy been the first chemist, he probably would have been the first poet of his age." Said Professor Silliman's "American Journal of Science and Arts:" "His reputation is too intimately associated with the eternal laws of nature to suffer decay; and the name of Davy, like those of Archimedes, Galileo, and Newton, which grow greener by time, will descend to the latest posterity." Davy was poor and self-taught, but he triumphed over obstacles, and died universally lamented.

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JOHN JAMES AUDUBON.

The problem why certain men and women come to eminence, and why others, with apparently as much ability, remain forever in obscurity, is an interesting one to solve. Most persons desire fame; most persons desire wealth; but, for one reason or another, thousands fail to achieve what they desire. They lack either singleness of aim, or adequate perseverance, or determined will, or sound judgment, or, instead of mastering circumstances, they permit circumstances to master them. It is so easy to be t

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SAMUEL FINLEY BREESE MORSE.

Samuel F. B. Morse was born at the foot of Breed's Hill, Charlestown, Mass., April 27, 1791. He was the eighth child in a family of eleven children, all of whom, except three sons, Samuel, Richard, and Sidney, died in their infancy. The father, Jedediah Morse, was a doctor of divinity, having studied under Jonathan Edwards, and was also a journalist and writer of books. He helped to establish the "Boston Recorder," now the "Congregationalist," and with others laid the foundations of the Theologi

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SIR CHARLES LYELL.

Galileo studied and found out the truth that the earth moves around the sun, and died recanting it. Buffon, the great French naturalist, studied, and ascertained that the earth has been subject to changes which must have required millions of years. He wrote: "The waters of the sea have produced the mountains and valleys of the land—the waters of the heavens, reducing all to a level, will at last deliver the whole land over to the sea, and the sea, successively prevailing over the land, will leav

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JOSEPH HENRY, LL.D.

On Thursday evening, January 16, 1879, a large company gathered in the hall of the House of Representatives at Washington. They came to honor the memory of one of our greatest in science, since Franklin,—Joseph Henry, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Addresses were made by the Hon. Hannibal Hamlin, Professor Asa Gray, a most distinguished scientist, the Hon. James A. Garfield, General W. T. Sherman, the Hon. S. S. Cox, and others. Not alone at the Capitol were memorial services held

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LOUIS AGASSIZ.

In the midst of as beautiful scenery as one finds on earth, snow-white Alps, blue lakes, great fields of purple crocus, and picturesque homes, Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was born at Motier, on Lake Morat, Switzerland, May 28, 1807. His father, a clergyman, descended from a long line of clergymen, was a gentle but efficient man, universally esteemed. His mother, Rose Mayor, the daughter of a physician on the shore of Lake Neuchâtel, was a woman of strong character and most tender affection. She

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CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN.

On Wednesday, April 26, 1882, sitting in the North Transept of Westminster Abbey, I looked upon a sad and impressive scene. Under the dome stood an oaken coffin, quite covered with white wreaths; close by were seated the distinguished pall-bearers, Sir John Lubbock, Canon Farrar, the Duke of Argyle, Thomas H. Huxley, James Russell Lowell, and others. Representatives of many nations were present; the great scientists of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Russia. Of the thousands who were gathered

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FRANCIS TREVELYAN BUCKLAND.

Most of those whose lives are sketched in this volume lived to be old men; but Frank Buckland, the pet and pride of thousands in England, died in his prime, almost at the beginning of his fame; a man of whose life our "Popular Science Monthly" says, "None more active, varied, and useful is recorded in scientific biography." He was the oldest son of the Dean of Westminster, Dr. William Buckland, and was born December 17, 1826, at Christ Church, Oxford, of which cathedral his father was canon at t

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POOR BOYS WHO BECAME FAMOUS.

By Sarah K. Bolton . Short biographical sketches of George Peabody, Michael Faraday, Samuel Johnson, Admiral Farragut, Horace Greeley, William Lloyd Garrison, Garibaldi, President Lincoln, and other noted persons who, from humble circumstances, have risen to fame and distinction, and left behind an imperishable record. Illustrated with 24 portraits. 12mo. $1.50. "It is seldom that a book passes under our notice which we feel impelled to commend so highly to young readers, and especially to boys.

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GIRLS WHO BECAME FAMOUS.

By Sarah K. Bolton . Biographical sketches of Harriet Beecher Stowe, George Eliot, Helen Hunt Jackson, Harriet Hosmer, Rosa Bonheur, Florence Nightingale, Maria Mitchell, and other eminent women. Illustrated with portraits. 12mo. $1.50. "Mothers and daughters cannot fail to find it both an interesting and inspiring book."— Chicago Inter-Ocean. "No better book can be put into the hands of a young girl."— Buffalo News. "Such books as this will elevate the minds of young girls, help them to underst

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FAMOUS MEN OF SCIENCE.

By Sarah K. Bolton . Short biographical sketches of Galileo, Newton, Linnæus, Cuvier, Humboldt, Audubon, Agassiz, Darwin, Buckland, and others. Illustrated with 15 portraits. 12mo. $1.50. "Cannot fail to delight, interest, and instruct every boy or girl who may have the good fortune to read it."— Queries. "Possesses both interest and permanent value."— Boston Transcript. "No greater incentive to noble effort on the part of young men and women could be furnished than the biographies of eminent an

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FAMOUS AMERICAN STATESMEN.

By Sarah K. Bolton . Biographical sketches of Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Webster, Sumner, Garfield, and others. Illustrated with portraits. 12mo. $1.50. "With womanly tact and discernment, she notes keenly and describes charmingly those minor traits of character which, after all, do most distinguish one individual from another, and give human nature its subtle and wondrous variety."— The Critic. "It will be successful, and as useful as her other books have become.... Her studies

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FAMOUS ENGLISH STATESMEN.

By Sarah K. Bolton . With portraits of Gladstone, John Bright, Robert Peel, Lord Palmerston, Lord Shaftesbury, William Edward Forster, Lord Beaconsfield. 12mo. $1.50. "The author's comprehension of her task is complete. Students should not consider their knowledge of the present reign thorough without a devoted reading of Mrs. Bolton's work. It is an inspiration to the study of history,—one of those rare and delightful books which elevate respect for the race, and man in particular; a book which

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FAMOUS ENGLISH AUTHORS OF THE 19th CENTURY.

By Sarah K. Bolton . With portraits of Scott, Burns, Carlyle, Dickens, Tennyson, Robert Browning, etc. 12mo. $1.50. "She invests with fresh interest and charm those oft-told stories of the great makers of our nineteenth-century literature."— The Critic. "Admirably executed.... They have a charm that no other kind of history can rival."— Golden Rule. "Even more interesting than the preceding books, and will prove entertaining, not only to young persons, but to older readers as well."— N. Y. Star.

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FAMOUS AMERICAN AUTHORS.

By Sarah K. Bolton . Short biographical sketches of Holmes, Longfellow, Emerson, Lowell, Aldrich, Mark Twain, and other noted writers. Illustrated with portraits. 12mo. $1.50. "Bright and chatty, giving glimpses into the heart and home life of some whom the world delights to honor.... At once accurate, inviting, instructive."— Chautauquan. "Nothing dry about the book.... Should find a place in the libraries of those who can afford but few books."— Omaha Daily Times. "Will always hold rank in Eng

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FAMOUS EUROPEAN ARTISTS.

By Sarah K. Bolton . With portraits of Raphael, Titian, Landseer, Reynolds, Rubens, Turner, and others. 12mo. $1.50. "The charm of the book, as of all by Mrs. Bolton, lies in the easy, conversational naturalness with which the reader is led from page to page. Solid information and pleasant entertainment are blended enjoyably. Young people in hundreds of homes will read such a book with interest, and be the better for it."— Congregationalist. "Abounds in information and entertainment."— Philadelp

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FAMOUS TYPES OF WOMANHOOD.

By Sarah K. Bolton . With portraits of Queen Louise, Madam Recamier, Miss Dix, Jenny Lind, Susanna Wesley, Harriet Martineau, Amelia B. Edwards, and Mrs. Judson. 12mo. $1.50. "Such a book is well fitted to strengthen the courage and inspiration of every woman who is learning to comprehend something of the inherent nobleness and glory of her sex."— Hartford Daily Times. "Wise mothers will give this volume to their daughters. Conscientious teachers will read it to their scholars."— Interior....

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FAMOUS VOYAGERS AND EXPLORERS.

By Sarah K. Bolton . With portraits of Raleigh, Sir John Franklin, Magellan, Dr. Kane, Greely, Livingstone, and others. 12mo. $1.50 "Mrs. Bolton studies with patience and relates with enthusiasm the adventures of this long line of heroes. Her style is simple and unaffected, and her accuracy is unquestioned."— Christian Advocate....

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FAMOUS LEADERS AMONG MEN.

By Sarah K. Bolton . With portraits of Napoleon, Wendell Phillips, Thomas Arnold, Charles Kingsley, Gen. Sherman, and others. 12mo. $1.50 "A series of biographies which will be widely read and will do a great deal of good."— Boston Herald. "Entertaining and inspiring."— Public Opinion. "Her power of condensation borders on the marvelous."— Rochester Herald....

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FAMOUS LEADERS AMONG WOMEN.

By Sarah K. Bolton . With portraits of Catherine II. of Russia, Madam Le Brun, Catharine Booth, etc. 12mo, cloth, $1.50. "It is by all odds the most charming of Mrs. Bolton's famous books."— Northern Church Advocate. "Her selection embraces great variety, chronicling wonderful events."— Chicago Press. "Mrs. Bolton tells the story in a way that is both interesting and instructive."— Rochester Herald....

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FAMOUS GIVERS AND THEIR GIFTS.

By Sarah K. Bolton . With portraits of Andrew Carnegie, Stephen Girard, John D. Rockefeller, and others. 12mo. $1.50. Latest Volume in the Series. STORIES FROM LIFE. By Sarah K. Bolton . A book of short stories, charming and helpful. 12mo. $1.25. FROM HEART AND NATURE. Poems by Sarah K. and Charles K. Bolton . 16mo. Gilt top, $1.00. THE INEVITABLE, AND OTHER POEMS. By Sarah K. Bolton . 16mo. With portrait. Gilt top, $1.00. MRS. SARAH KNOWLES BOLTON Comes from good New England ancestr

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