introduced the learners to
political and descriptive geography. Moreover, their teaching of
physical geography was devoted to definitions to be learned by rote.
Many of the text-books in use in the schools were framed upon similar
erroneous ideas. The first sentence in Murray's Grammar was a
definition of the science, and was in fact, the conclusion deduced
from a full knowledge of the subject.

George B. Emerson, who was one of our teachers, gave a great impetus to
the art of teaching grammar. He discarded books, and beginning with an
object, as a bell or an orange, he would give a child at the age of
twelve years a very good knowledge of the science in six lessons of an
hour each. Dr. Lowell Mason was a teacher in the institutes during my
entire period of service, although he offered to retire on account of
age. He was an excellent teacher, and in the art practically, perhaps,
the best of all. Professor William Russell was the teacher of
elocution. His recitations were good, as were his criticisms on
language, but as a teacher, he had not a high rank. After the
retirement of Professor Agassiz, I employed Sanborn Tenney, a young man
of great industry and enthusiasm. He had in him the promise of a
great career in natural science, but he died prematurely in the State
of Michigan while upon a lecturing tour. From first to last I had
the benefit of a good corps of teachers with a single exception. In
drawing I inherited from Dr. Sears a young man of English parentage.
His statements were so extraordinary often, that I lost confidence in
him. One day he wandered from his subject and indulged himself in
denunciations of the English aristocracy. He closed with this remark:
"Although I belong to the haristocracy, I 'ate 'em!" At the end of
the autumn term, I dismissed him.

During my service as Secretary, I made the acquaintance of several
persons whom I should not otherwise have known. Among them were
President Hopkins of Williams College, President Hitchcock of Amherst
College, and President Felton of Harvard College. Hopkins might
properly be termed a wise man. He resembled President Walker who for
several years presided over Harvard. Felton was a genial man, of
sufficient learning for his office, and exceedingly popular with the
students and with the public. It was during his administration that
I was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, through his influence, and the inf