Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 22.djvu/184

172 order, that the worker must lose himself and his lower aims in his work, and in so doing find his highest reward; for the profit of his labor shall be, in the language of one of old, to the glory of the Creator and to the relief of man's estate."



LTHOUGH the connection between the relative weight of man's brain and his intellectual development is very well known, and several illustrations of this connection have been published, I feel assured that the following notes of a remarkable case may not only well be added to the list of those already recorded, but that it is desirable that this should be done. It is the case of an officer who died at Netley last year, and I am indebted to a published memoir for some particulars of his life.

A Scotchman by birth and parentage, he received his early education in Edinburgh, and afterward went to Wimbledon School previous to entering Addiscombe, where his career was exceptionally brilliant. At the final examination there, he scored an unusual total of marks, gained the sword of honor and Pollock medal, and several prizes for specific subjects. On leaving Addiscombe in 1858 he proceeded to India, where he was employed altogether in civil duties. At the time of his death he was superintendent of the telegraph department. With no military distinctions, he was, nevertheless, one of the foremost men in his corps. Highly gifted intellectually, duty no less than inclination prompted him to cultivate his mind as a preparation for advancement, for he held strongly that no one is fit for highly responsible positions who fails to keep himself as far as possible on a level with current events, and with the thoughts, investigations, and discoveries of the day. His wide reading and tenacious memory made him a man of mark in any society. His opinions were his own, formed independently, expressed, if necessary, forcibly, and followed always courageously. He was an exceptional man, and his large-hearted and wide-reaching sympathy won him admiration and love among high and low. His remarkable qualities were as conspicuous in his earlier as in his later years. He was a standard of conduct to his schoolfellows, and, when at Addiscombe, the governor did him the extraordinary honor of making a private report to the Board of Directors of the East India Company, which was quoted by the chairman on the examination day. The reputation with which he started increased daily, and was sustained to the last. But the strain was too great. Exposure to a pernicious climate—and his physical strength led him to expose himself only too 