Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/240
BARUS.BASCOM.
exchanged for the study of that science. He published in 1792 a book entitled "Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, the Cherokee Country, the Extensive Territories of the Muscogees, or Creek Confederacy, and the Country of the Choctaws." He became famous as a scientist. He was unmarried, and lived quite alone. His home was filled with rare plants and flowers, and was frequently visited by strangers. In 1791 William Dunlap paid him a visit, which he describes: "Arrival at the botanist's garden, we approached an old man, who, with a rake in his hand, was breaking the clods of earth on a tulip bed. His hat was an old one, and flopped over his face; his coarse shirt was seen near his neck, as he wore no cravat or kerchief; his waistcoat and breeches were both of leather, and his shoes were tied with leather strings. We approached and accosted him. He ceased his work and entered into conversation with the ease and politeness of nature's nobleman; his countenance was expressive of benignity and happiness. This was the botanist, traveller and philosopher we had come to see." Alexander Wilson was greatly aided in his scientific work by Mr. Bartram, whose ornithological studies were very extended. His publications include: "Anecdotes of a Crow," "Description of Certhia." "Memoirs of John Bartram," "Observations on the Creek and Cherokee Indians," and a list of American birds. He died July 22, 1823.
BARUS, Carl, geologist, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1856. He was graduated at the Woodward high school, Cincinnati, in 1874, then entered the Columbia school of mines, New York, and completed a three years' course in two years. In 1876 he went to Germany and remained nearly five years in Wurzburg, studying physics, and for the last year acting as assistant to the professor in charge. He took the degree of Ph.D. in Wurzburg in 1880. In 1881 he returned to America and entered the service of the United States geological survey, at first working in the west. In 1889 was engaged at the physical laboratory, Washington, in working up problems in dynamic geology—more particularly the questions of the behavior of matter under conditions of high temperature combined with enormous pressure. From August, 1893, to January, 1895, he was physicist at the Smithsonian institution, engaged in aeronautical research. In June, 1895, he was elected Hazard professor of physics at Brown university. During 1894 and 1895 he acted as a member of the congressional committee of seven for drawing up specifications for the electrical standards of the United States. He published very many scientific papers and bulletins—the latter issued by the geological survey—the former printed in the American Journal of Science, the London Philosophical Magazine and Die Journal der Physiko Chemical.
BASCOM, Henry Bidleman, educator, was born at Hancock, N.Y., May 27, 1796. He received his license to preach in 1813, and for some years thereafter his work lay on the Ohio frontier. After serving in Tennessee and Kentucky, he was, in 1823, appointed chaplain to Congress, and in 1827 he was elected first president of Madison college, Pa., where he remained until 1829. From 1832 to 1841 he held the chair of moral science and belles lettres at Augusta college, and in 1842 became president of Transylvania university, which office he retained until his death. In 1845 he was a member of the Louisville convention which organized the Methodist church, south, and was the author of its report, and chairman of the reconciliation committee. From 1846 to 1850 he was the able editor of the Southern Methodist Quarterly Review. He was made bishop of the M.E. church, south, in May, 1850. His complete works were published after his death, which occurred at Louisville, Ky., Sept. 8, 1850.
BASCOM, John, educator, was born in Genoa, N.Y., May 1, 1827. He was graduated from Williams college in 1849, and in 1854 entered the theological seminary at Andover, where he was graduated in 1855. For the following nineteen years he occupied the chair of rhetoric at Williams
college, leaving to accept the position of president of the University of Wisconsin, which he filled from 1874 until 1887. He was in 1896 professor of political economy at Williams college. His published works arc chiefly on philosophic and religious themes. He warmly defended the intuitive philosophy, accepting, however, many modifications arising from our enlarged physical knowledge. His principal service as a worker and educator lies in this direction. His books include: "Political Economy" (1859); "Esthetics" (1862); "Philosophy of Rhetoric" (1865); "Principles of Psychology" (1869); "Science. Philosophy and Religion" (1871); "Philosophy and English Literature" (1874); "A Philosophy of Religion" (1876); "Comparative Psychology" (1878); "Ethics" (1879);