The advantages which America offers over the old world, in the way of education, is in no way better shown than by the great interest manifested in the old world, when some poor man succeeds in doing some good scientific work. Recently a book has been issued about a poor Scotchman who managed to get together a very fair herbarium of Scotch plants, and all accurately named. The book is very pleasant reading, and it is also pleasant to know that in the old world such merit is so well recognized. Our point is, that such merit is not rare in this country, and the name which heads this is an illustrious example. He had nothing whatever, in early life, to attract him to botany. He simply loved his native wild flowers, got books and studied them, and was indeed a first-class botanist before those who were known as such, knew he was among them. No better testimonial to the success of his early endeavors could be offered, than the fact that he became one of the most valuable Curators which such a world-renowned institution as the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, ever had.

We give place to the following paragraph, from the Philadelphia Public Ledger and the North American, in relation to his death, at 62 years: "Vice President Thomas Meehan, having taken the chair, at the last meeting of the Academy of Natural Sciences, announced the death on the 7th instant of the Curator-in-charge, Charles F. Parker. He alluded in feeling terms to the worth of the deceased as a man and his efficiency as an officer. Mr. Parker was elected a member of the Academy in 1865. Although during the greater part of his life he had been compelled to devote himself to mechanical employment, he had acquired a taste for natural history, which he lost no opportunity of satisfying by much more than a superficial study of plants and shells. As a botanist, especially, even before his connection with the Academy, he was well-known to Gray, Torrey, Bebb, and other distinguished authorities, and but few specialists considered it advisable to conclude their investigations of particular groups of plants without applying to Mr. Parker for the use of his illustrative material. The study of the plants of New Jersey always remained his own special province, and both in the completeness of his herbarium and the accuracy of his knowledge of its contents he had few if any equals.

His active sympathy with the objects of the Academy caused him, even before his election to membership, to be an energetic worker in several of the departments of the museum, and, when formally associated with the society, devoted all the time he could spare from his work as proprietor and superintendent of the bindery department of "Godey's Lady's Book" to the arrangement of the herbarium, in co-operation with Messrs. Durand, Meehan, Burk and Redfield. His connection with the establishment alluded to had secured for him in the business world an enviable reputation for accuracy, reliability and unswerving integrity, and when, in 1873, he was elected one of the four curators of the Academy, it was evident that the Society would consult its best interests by making him responsible custodian of the collections. As it was becoming every day more evident that dependence could no longer be placed solely upon volunteer labor for the care and increase of the museum, Mr. Parker was appointed Curator-in-charge by the Council, and was shortly afterwards able, by an arrangement of his business affairs, to give his whole time to the Academy. How thoroughly and with what singleness of purpose he devoted himself to his official duties will not soon be forgotten by his associates.

He was almost morbidly anxious to perform his work in such manner as to render faultfinding or adverse criticism impossible. The means at the disposal of the Academy were not sufficient to enable him to employ an assistant, and the actual manual work of the arrangement, as well as the general scientific determination of much of the material added to the museum during his administration was performed by himself. Those only who are acquainted with museum management are aware of the vast amount of labor involved in the orderly arrangement of natural objects. His associates had become so well aware of his neatness and dexterity of manipulation, and his systematic apportionment of time, combined with a certain instinct of orderly arrangement, that they had ceased to wonder at the results attained, but visitors from establishments of a like kind frequently expressed their amazement that so much could be accomplished by one individual. To workers in science, whether the members and students of the Academy or visitors desirous of consulting special collections, he always gave active sympathy and assistance.

Although he may be succeeded by one having a; more general knowledge of natural history in its several departments, or a more profound knowledge of a specialty, the Academy will probably not be able to secure the services of any one person able to perform the same work as economically and efficiently."