In addition to securing several excellent photographs of the eclipse, he proved that the bright line of the sun's disc adjacent to the moon is due to a chemical action in the process of developing the plate and not to diffraction as had hitherto been proposed by Sir George B. Airy.

Also he was a member of the private expedition that was organized by Henry Draper to observe the total solar eclipse of 29 July 1878 at Rawlins, Wyoming.

In 1870, he was chosen president of the newly founded Stevens Institute of Technology, and under his direction the faculty was selected and the course of instruction formed.

Those stars are the rewards, the crowns, the goals, The final dwellings of heroic souls; Of those who life-long toil of hand and mind Was freely given to uplift mankind, To gather knowledge and develop arts, To build up nations and make happy hearts; Increasing comfort, lightening human toil, From conquered nature winning richest spoil; Guarding the weak from encroaching strong, Rewarding virtue and preventing wrong.

Nor need we travel far to other climes, Or instance heroes of the classic times, To find examples fitted to inspire Loving respect and emulous desire.

The name of Stevens calls at once to mind Three lives of willing labor, which, combined Or singly, illustrate the upward road Which straight ascends to that star-decked abode.

The rapid steamer joining strand to strand, The yet more rapid train across the land, The iron rail on which the swift trains run, The shell adapted to the long-range gun, The iron-clad steamer ramming down the foe With monster cannon loaded from below, Those links which bind the world with bands of peace, Those arms which in the end will make wars cease; All these and many others, which have lent So largely to the world's development, Grew from Stevens lives, so richly fraught With liberal outlay and ingenious thought.

Who, as a closing act of such career As we have painted, sowed the seed which here We see developed into fields of grain, Loading with harvests many a distant plain.

Our Founder planted that which year by year Has sent its fruitage far and near, Till now there is no region where the sun Uprising does not shine at least on one Of Stevens' graduates doing useful work In turning to good ends the powers which lurk In force and matter, carrying far and near The fair fame of the Stevens engineer, And adding always to that special art Which our good Founder had so much at heart.

On his example let us fix our eyes, And, following in his footsteps, ever rise; Scale each obstruction which our pathway bars, And win at last a home among the stars.