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John Collett
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agement of the home estate, he often per- formed official services as trustee, admin- istrator or guardian, and his conduct in such capacities was at all times unim- peachable. In politics, Mr. Collett was first Whig, then Republican. His party elected him to the State Senate from the counties of Parke and Vermillion for the special session of 1870, also for the regu- lar sessions of 1871 and 1873. It was par- tially through his influence while in the Senate that free gravel roads throughout the State were instituted; and the com- munity is indebted to him for the law which makes private owners of live stock responsible for damage done by it when allowed to run at large. In conjunction with James D. Williams, Senator from Knox county, he helped to bring about the passage of a law requiring banks to distribute all surplus funds among the counties of the State for investment as loans, the interest to be applied to the support of the public schools. Of the righteousness of this law there can be no question in the mind of one who stud- ies economic conditions from a broad and generous standpoint, and Mr. Collett may be counted as one of the pioneers in a movement, still in the feebleness of in- fancy, which, if it survives to attain ma- ture proportions, will strike a death blow to the concentration of capital for the gratification of selfish ambition. Another cause into which Mr. Collett threw the weight of his influence was that of com- pulsory education, inspired by his recog- nition of the fact that the weeds of vice
and misfortune grow most rankly in the soil of ignorance. He was, also, the pro- jector of a State Home for the Feeble- minded, which now exists as one of In- diana's successful benevolent institu- tions. Indeed, all these laws for which he toiled in the seventies stand to-day upon the statute books of the State, best of witnesses to his level and far-seeing judgment. From his excellent work as a legislator, we now turn to consider the far greater work accomplished by him as a practical scientist. He possessed an inborn tendency to scientific research, and began his labors in geology and arch- æology by collecting and classifying the specimens in which the soil of his fath- ()'s farm abounded. He genius was of an order that could not long remain hidden from the world of science, and he was drawn into correspondence with Worth- en, Marsh, Lesquerenx, Winchell, Cope, Newbury, and others of like prominence in America, as well as many of the emi- nent scientists of Europe. This constant gleaning of facts and ideas concerning the respective specialties of many learned men swelled the treasury of the young student's erudition, and his growth was rapid. The source of his inspiration was two-fold: He loved science for its own sake, and he loved it for the sake of its relation to economic advancement. Be- ginning with 1870, he was engaged for about ten years as deputy to Professor Cox, State Geologist for Indiana, and the results of his investigations were given to the public in a series of able reports
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which, compiled, would have made a thou- sand-page volume. These reports were illustrated by one hundred and forty- three plates of fossils, in which the sep- arate figures numbered seventeen hun- dred and thirteen. Of these figures, twelve hundred and seventeen have been copied by Prof. J. P. Leslie in his Die- tionary of Fossils of Pennsylvania, Mr. Collett being courteously accredited as author. No other reports over issued from the Indiana office have been consid- ered comparable in value to those of Mr. Collett. In ISSI, he sneceeded Mr. Cox to the post of State Geologist, and dur- ing his incumbency he sold in new mar- kets an annual average of from $125,000 to $250,000 worth of the products of his own State. He also made systematic re- ports on the State's resources, which he published in six octavo volumes, of an average size of four hundred pages. In the year 1878-9 he acted as a member of the commission to build the new State- house, a position for which he was par- ticularly qualified by his broad experi- ence of men, gained in public life, and a geologist's familiarity with building ma- torials. Largely owing to his influence, the board conducted a series of tests of the many samples of stone submitted, which resulted in the establishment of Indiana's right to her claim in her oolitic stone one unsurpassed in the qualities that go to constitute a perfect building material. This position Mr. Collett re- signed upon his appointment by Govern- or Williams as chief of the Bureau of
Statistics and Geology, a department then but recently created, meagerly furnished with funds, and practically left for him to inaugurate. The task to which he was set was a most trying one, but he rose to the emergency, collecting and systematiz- ing a vast and varied amount of valuable information; and so excellent were his methods that succeeding chiefs have been glad to follow along the lines established by him. In addition to his official reports. Mr. Collett has made valuable contribu- tions to scientific literature. He is the anthor of above a score of important papers on the geology of Indiana, be- sides about a hundred valuable articles on ornithology, botany, agriculture and kindred subjects. The first geological map of the State was prepared and pub- lished by him, and he has issued no less than twenty-seven geological maps of the various counties. To glacial geology he has made contributions which are models of accuracy and clearness-qualities which characterize all his writings. He took his material direct from nature, and gave it to others in simple, forceful form. No other man has done for Indiana what John Collett has done. He loved his na tive State and, searching her lineaments with clear and earnest gaze, he received revelations of her deep secrets. Twenty- five times he traversed her coal fields, equipped for practical experiment, locat- ing, and determining the boundaries of her vast beds of coal, and her valuable stone and clay. Resulting from his re- search and toit, an industrial and social
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revolution took place in Indiana. The de- mand for capital met with swift response. Coal mines and quarries were opened; factories and shops were built and be- came the nuclei of populons, bustling towns; a network of railways was spun, as by magic; while manufacturers and artisans, merchants and farmers, became bound together by the ties of reciprocal need and benefit. The achievements of Mr. Collett would do credit to a score of men. There is a deep pith of truth in the saying that, if you want something done quickly and well, you must appeal to the busiest man. The genius for work possessed by a few choice spirits is one of the wonders of the world. In 1868, Mr. Collett became a member of the Am- erican Association for the Advancement of Science, and during his life he was made honorary member of a large num- ber of progressive societies. His fame grew apace, and he was more and more sought and held in learned conference by scientists of note from all parts of the country. Possessing, as he doubtless did, the greatest fund of substantial knowl- edge and traditional lore ever accumulat- ed by any resident of Indiana, united with the happy gift of clear and fluent speech, he was a most entertaining man, and was often the center of a circle of interested listeners whom he delighted to instruct, or amuse with absorbing tales of the Wabash valley. Like all famons men, he was sometimes imposed upon by per- sons actuated by no deeper purpose than an idle curiosity. But such were quickly
recognized and summarily dealt with. If "manners are a contrivance of wise men to keep fools at a distance," it is a truth that will apply as well to curt as courte- ous manners; indeed, the former may be credited with the double advantage of being more honest and more effectual. Mr. Collett's personality, always an im- pressive one, was most striking in his later years, when his long hair and full beard had bleached to the whiteness of snow. A pretty incident is told of his hav- ing been made the victim of a novel but entirely successful confidence game in which the attacking parties were but pig- mies beside his imposing figure. Having ventured with his patriarchal beard into a strange city during the Christmas peri- od of license in the juvenile world, he was vociferously proclaimed Santa Claus by a band of tiny rioters. Whether or not he doubted the genuineness of their delusion, he had not the heart to risk a genuine disappointment, and, allowing himself to be hustled into a neighboring shop, he proceeded to fulfill their most sanguine expectations. Nor was the grat- ification all theirs. Apart from his amusement, perhaps this venerable bacli- elor had never before in his whole life felt so strong and tender a sense of pater- nity as while filling the eager hands of these clamoring little ruffians. Mr. Col- lett's vast and varied labors were reward- ed by a considerable degree of financial success, though his aims were too high to consist with mere personal ambition ; and to the day of his death, in March,
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1899, heart and hand were always gen- erously open to worthy seekers for sym- pathy and help. John Collett was a man of strong intellect, cultivated to a high degree in its perceptive and reasoning faculties. He desired to know the truths of science and accepted no man's theories without investigation and proof. He was therefore a student by habit and inclina- tion. His investigations and researches were enormous, but his sedulous appli- cation always found its reward in the discovery of a scientific fact unknown be- fore, or a clearer understanding of that which had been obscure. No one could engage him in conversation or remain long in his presence and fail to be im- pressed with his profound learning and his enthusiasm in the pursuit of further acquirements. His method of expression was sometimes sharp and incisive, but always clear and unmistakable. He was strong in the assertion of his views, be- cause they were based upon knowledge; they were demonstrable; they were accu- rate. His deepest convictions had their substantial foundation in truth and his moral courage was at all times equal to their forceful expression. He esteemed personal friendship and was always com- panionable with congenial associates. His sympathy was large and deep. His genius was of the practical sort which works rather than dreams, and hence during a busy life, full of energy and hope and per- severance, he was able to accomplish much for himself, for his State and for the broad realm of science.
JOHN A. FINCH.
Hon. John Allen Finch, of the old firm of Finch & Finch, Indianapolis, was born November 15, 1842, at Franklin, Indiana. His immediate ancestors came from New York State, and the biography of his fath- er, Judge Fabius M. Finch, also embraced in this volume, touches in brief upon the personality and deeds of John Finch, the sturdy pioneer grandfather of our sub- ject. The early years of John A. Finch were uneventful, yet in those years was laid the foundation for subsequent deep study and important work. He was early entered at Wabash College, and although his course there was interrupted by a short term of service as a Union soldier in the Civil War. he graduated when but twenty-one years of age. He then re- turned to the army and fought for his country, not to lay down his life upon the battle-field, it is true, but to contract there an illness from which he has suffered the equivalent of many sudden deaths, being for years held in the bondage of invalidism. His subsequent career fur- Dishes a striking illustration of what am- bition and force of will can accomplish, even though weighted down by physical infirmity. Determined to take an active part in the affairs of men, he cast about him for work that was essentially of a mental character, and, guided by his taste for literary pursuits, he secured remuner- ative occupation as a newspaper cor- respondent. In this field he did excellent work and gained a reputation, becoming
Som A. Sich.
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best known in connection with his letters to the New York Tribune. In his journal- istic capacity he made the acquaintance of Horace Greeley, which ripened into a warm friendship, and when, in 1872, the Liberal Republicans nominated Mr. Gree- ley for President, he had no more ardent admirer and supporter than John .A. Finch. Mr. Finch was chairman of the Liberal Republican Executive Committee for his State, and directed its interests with a zeal and enthusiasm none the less admirable because destined to suffer de- feat. Every one who remembers that fierce campaign knows with what bitter- ness the independent movement was re- garded, what scathing opprobrium was cast upon it by the adherents of General Grant, and can realize that only the cour- age of strong conviction could fortify a man to stand firm in the face of such a torrent. With Mr. Finch, as with many another of our ablest and truest patriots, it was a matter of conscience; and how- ever one may doubt the judgment of this radical party, yet, regarding it in the clear perspective of history, he is forced to admit that it sprang into being as the legitimate offspring of the prevailing po- litical conditions, and that its existence was to an extent vindicated by Grant him- self in the eventual reversal of his South- ern policy, and still further by the action of President Hayes in withdrawing the Federal troops. Since that memorable campaign, Mr. Finch has been an advo- cate of Democratic principles and al- though he has never again taken a con-
spicuous part in politics, he has kept himself informed, as a responsible citizen. upon all the country's great issues. In 1866, Mr. Finch was admitted to the bar, and formed with his father the partner- ship which still exists. The delicate state of his health prevented him, in the early life of the firm, from entering very active- ly into its business, and with the hope of regaining his strength, he traveled ex- tensively in this country and Europe. The time thus spent was by no means wasted. for it not only accomplished its immedi- ate object of renewing his bodily vigor, but incidentally yielded him a most valua- ble fund of information, through contact with the broadest thought and culture of the great European cities. He has since been a constant devotee to his pro- fession, his work being largely in the spe- cial line of insurance. In 1875, through appointment by Governor Hendricks, Mr. Finch represented his State in a national convention of insurance commissioners held at New York; and afterward, he became one of the Democratic Commis- sioners of Indiana, appointed to codify the insurance laws, according to an act of the Legislature of 1879, and draw up amendments to present to the next Leg- islature. Mr. Finch has an extensive and lucrative practice, not only in Indiana, but reaching into distant parts of the United States, where his reputation for learning and his ability as a lawyer in his chosen branch of the profession is as well established as at home. Annually, since 1887, Mr. Finch has issued a digest
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of Insurance decisions by the courts of all English-speaking peoples; and this has received very wide recognition, both in our own country and abroad, and is in demand as one of the most excellent legal publications of the time. Although so earnest a worker, Mr. Finch is a most companionable man. His mind is stored with knowledge gained by much reading and wide observation, enlivened by rich gleanings of incident and anecdote; and he, being unmarried, this mental wealth flows freely into the social channel, mak- ing him everywhere a welcome presence.
THEOPHILUS PARVIN.
Among the men whose lives, charac- ters and attainments shed luster upon their profession was Theophilus Parvin, A. M., M. D., LL. D., late professor of ob- stetrics and gynecology at the famous Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. Although not a resident of Indianapolis for the past fifteen years, yet the "Hoo- sier" State proudly claims him as her own. He was born at Buenos Ayres, South America, January 9, 1829. His father, the Rev. Theophilus Parvin of Cumberland county, New Jersey, went there as a missionary, afterward becom- ing teacher of Greek and English in the University of Buenos Ayres. His moth- er was Mary Rodney of Wilmington, Del- aware, daughter of Caesar Augustus Rodney, who was Attorney-General under President Jefferson and President Mad- isen, and who also represented Delaware
iu the United States Senate, and was min- ister to the United Provinces and died in Buenos Ayres. His grandson, Theo- philus, was sent to this country at a very early age, to be educated. After attend- ing school in Philadelphia, and La Fay- ette College at Easton, Pennsylvania, he entered the University of Indiana at about the age of fourteen, and was grad- uated from it in 1847. Immediately he began teaching in the high school at Law- renceville, New Jersey. During this peri- od of three years he continued his study of Hebrew at the Princeton Theological Seminary. He followed this with a two- years' course at the Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1852. At this time it was his intention to make a special study of the eye and its diseases. With this in view, he passed one year at the Will's Eye Hospital as res- ident physician. "He was the first man in Indiana," says Dr. W. B. Fletcher, "who had any special knowledge of the dis- eases of the eye." Having reached
the conclusion of his scholastic education, Dr. Parvin decided to locate in Indiana, having relatives in the State and having acquaintances among the corps of professors at the State University. In June, 1853, he mar- ried Miss Rachel, youngest daughter of the late Amos Butler of Hanover, Indi- ana. It was from Hanover College that he received his degree of LL. D. For about thirty years Dr. Parvin was a resi- dent of Indianapolis. His life was a many-sided and eminently useful one. In
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addition to his large regular practice he found time for many side issues. He acquired a fine reputation as a teacher and writer on medical topics. He was a lecturer for several years in the college of Physicians and Surgeons and in the Medical College of Indiana; also for five years in the Ohio Medical College and three years in the Louisville Medical Col- lege. In his early practice in Indianap- olis he was associated with Dr. J. M. Kitchen and later with Dr. William B. Fletcher. Dr. Fletcher in an article in the Indianapolis News of January 29, 1898, published when the news of Dr. Parvin's death was received, speaks thus pleasantly of his old-time partner: "He was already well established in business when I went into partnership with him in March, 1862. We were not only partners but the closest friends. He was a great reader, a thorough student and could com- bine the language and thought of other persons marvelously, giving to such thought after it had gone through his refining processes, new charm and beauty. He had high literary talent and was a cy- clopaedia of information. He had a poetic temperament and cared little for money. He was the purest man I ever knew, with- out vices and, to me, wholly without faults. He was a finished, eloquent wri- ter and an elegant and delightful speak- er." In 1864 Dr. Parvin visited Europe, where the charm of his personality united with his professional erudition won for him a cordial reception by the most emi- nent practitioners of the United King-
dom, including Dr. James Y. Simpson of Edinburgh and Dr. Wilde of Dublin. The same distinction met him in France where noted physicians eagerly made his ac- quaintance. With that keen perception with which all famous institutions sweep the horizon for new and brilliant lights, Dr. Parvin's versatility brought him within the vision of the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia. After having filled splendidly and completely a sphere in Indianapolis-one interest of which was his aid in establishing a medical col- lege in that city-he went in 1883 to ac- cept the chair of obstetrics and diseases of women and children in the Jefferson College. Into this congenial work Dr. Parvin threw all of his mental resources, bringing into it an enthusiasm which made him delightful as an instructor and created in his students a love and ven- eration poorly expressed in words. It was his custom to spend his annual vaca- tion in Europe, seeking new material with which to supply mental pabulum for his eager students. On these visits he met new authorities, constantly adding to his own valuable knowledge, compar- ing, weighing, sifting and accepting only the best. England, Berlin and Munich were the principal points of his re- searches, although on his last visit abroad -during the summer of 1897-he went as a delegate to the International Medical Congress held at Moscow, Russia. His recognition as a scientist was widespread. He received expressions of appreciation from many scientific societies in this coun-
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try. The Berlin Society of Obstetricians niade him an honorary member and short- ly before his death another distinguished scientific body in Berlin elected him to honorary membership, as did also the Edinburgh Obstetrical Society. In this country his honors were numerous. He was Honorary Fellow of the Washington Obstetrical Society, of the District of Col- umbia Medical Society, of the State Med- ical Society of Virginia and that of Delaware. He was an ex-president of the American Medical Association; State Medical Society of Indiana; Am- erican Medical Journalists' Associa- tion; American Academy of Medicine; American Gynecological Society and the Philadelphia Obstetrical Society. Dr. Parvin was a member of the American Philosophical Society, College of Physicians, Sons of the Revolution, and Sons of Delaware. Dr. Parvin was a writer of note. His principal work, "Sci- ence and Art of Obstetrics," went through numerous editions, the last of which was published in 1895. It is used as a text-book in most of the medical col- leges in this country as well as in the I'niversity of Edinburgh. Although six- ty-nine years of age at his death, which occurred in 1898, yet Dr. Parvin's passing away was and will be regarded as un- timely. He was still mentally vigorous, a forceful and impressive instructor and his death cast a deep gloom over the stu- dents and faculty of Jefferson College. His last illness was cardiac asthma and was of four weeks' duration. When his
death was announced, all lectures were suspended at the college and deep sorrow settled over the institution towards whose success Dr. Parvin had so greatly contributed. The students, who not only revered but loved him, met at once and passed a series of sincere and pathetic resolutions in which they endeavored- by all that eloquent diction could ex- press-to portray their appreciation of their beloved preceptor. His honored remains were conveyed to his old home in Indianapolis. His widow, Mrs. Rachel Butler Parvin, survives him with two sons and a daughter, namely: Dr. Noble B. Parvin of Philadelphia; Theophilus Wylie Parvin of Pittsburg, and Mrs. James Philip Baker of Indianapolis. At the time of his death the Medical and Surgical Monitor contained a heartfelt eulogy to the memory of Dr. Parvin. In it, the fact is easily perceptible that lie was even greater as a man than as a phy- sician. Many instances of his nobility of character, his hatred of all sham and pre- tense, and above all his gentleness of spirit and tolerance of professional dif- ferences are narrated. Dr. Joseph East- man paid him a fine tribute at a memorial session of the Marion County Medical So- ciety. He said: "Dr. Parvin was the purest man I ever knew." Truly this is an epitaph that embodies the best things that can be said of any man, and among all his extensive acquaintanceship, there is not one who will challenge this tribute of an old friend, "He was the purest mau I ever knew."
Alexander . Ayres
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ALEXANDER C. AYRES.
Hon. Alexander C. Ayres, of Indianap- olis, comes from a Welsh family with an American Revolutionary War record. His great-grandfather, John Ayres, a blacksmith, had married Susanna Jar- man, and was living in Cumberland coun- ty, New Jersey, when the fight for inde- pendence began. John Ayres was an active patriot, and as such became obnox- ious to the British authorities, who took him prisoner and had him confined in the famous prison-ship in New York harbor, where he was held until the close of the war, forcing him in the meantime to work at his trade for the benefit of the enemy. One of John Ayres' children, born at the New Jersey home in 1777, bore his fath- er's name. This second John Ayres mar- ried Margaret Powner, a Quakeress, and to them, September 3, 1808, was born a son who was christened Levi Ayres. Un- til 1832 Levi lived and worked on his father's farm, removing in that year to Franklin county, Indiana. In 1833 he went to Vicksburg, Mississippi, where he was engaged at the painter's trade. Re- turning to Indiana in 1836 he bought a farm in Franklin county. In 1840 Levi Ayres married Jane C. Craigmile, the daughter of a Scotch-Irish family, whose immediate ancestor, Alexander Craig- mile, came from the North of Ireland. Levi Ayres was an important man in the carly history of Franklin county. At first he taught school for a number of terms, but as his farm grew, he gave it
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