honor and credit. It is a work which despite certain shortcomings, inevitable on the part of any writer at that date, has been declared a successful attempt to portray the universe. Perhaps more than all else it displays the grand and comprehensive intelligence of a great man even at the age of eighty years and beyond. Goethe was eighty-three when he died. At past sixty he finished his 'Theory of Colors' and he laid out for himself a completely new field of literary activities after he had reached sixty-five. He finished 'Faust' at eighty, and careful criticism has long ago declared that the second part of 'Faust' is the most important part of the poet's life work. Richard Wagner died at seventy. Wagner did not reach the zenith of his powers until he was fifty. The entire 'Nibelungen Ring' was produced after he was sixty years old: 'Parsifal' was written at sixty-four. Haydn died at seventy-seven; his oratorio, 'The Creation' was written at sixty-seven years, and 'The Seasons' some years later. Handel died at seventy-four. He composed 'Saul' at fifty-three; his greatest work, 'The Messiah' at fifty-six; 'Belshazzar' at fifty-nine, and other works until he had passed seventy years. Gerome the artist died at eighty. He did not reach his greatest power until after he was forty, and much of his splendid work was done after sixty years. Verestchagin was sixty-three when he was cut off in what might be called the vigor and prime of his work by the blowing up of Admiral Makaroff's flagship a year ago. W. W. Story, the sculptor, died at seventy-six; he was a lawyer and writer of law books in early life, and did not take up sculpture until forty. In this he was eminently successful, as well as in the literary field which he continued almost to the end of his years. Lord Kelvin (Sir William Thomson) is now eighty-one. He was at the head of the department of natural philosophy at the Glasgow University until seveny-two years of age, and his work in the departments of physics and mathematics has continued to the present. After he had passed forty years he originated the mirror galvanometer, and the siphon recorder which solved one of the greatest problems in submarine telegraphy. His works upon navigation, matter, physics and geology, executed after he had passed sixty years, are among his strongest and best. Faraday died at the age of seventy-six. His discoveries of the effect of magnetism upon the polarization of light, and diamagnetism were between the years of fifty and sixty, and many important discoveries in chemistry and electro-magnetism continued until late in life. Dr. O. W. Holmes entertained and delighted the world with his writings until he was eighty, and died at the age of eighty-three. John Fiske did all of his historical work after he reached forty, and the most important of his productions, both historical and philosophical, were after he passed fifty. Commodore Vanderbilt made eighty
