Cooke, who had been a classmate of John Locke at Oxford. The student's interest in natural sciences resulted in the writing of an original essay on "The Life-History of the Fly." This essay, which attracted considerable attention to his work, won him a baccalaureate degree.
Sylvester then taught school for one year in Pennsylvania, and entered the medical school of the University of Michigan, where he graduated with honors in 1862.
He at once started practice at Ann Arbor, Michigan; but within two years he became convinced that his vocation lay not in medicine but rather in philosophy and psychology. Sylvester at once entered into partnership with John W. Cook, whom he had met while attending medical school; and began to study these new fields under their instruction.
His studies were interrupted by the Civil War; but when peace was restored he resumed them with more than usual ardor. During eighteen months of service on hospital staffs he had opportunity to study anatomy and physiology, pathology and therapeutics; while his contact with men whose lives were being saved or lost by his ministrations made him more than ordinarily sensitive to life's problems.
At the close of the war Sylvester began to study medicine again; but on examination he was given a certificate declaring that "he was not fitted for practice." At this juncture Dr.
Cook died, and Sylvester became sole proprietor of the Ann Arbor Medical Society library, which was then valued at $1,000. He thus found himself possessed of a handsome fortune which he wisely invested largely in real estate.
In 1878 Sylvester married Miss Ellen Sargent Clark, a niece of Horace Greeley; and after their marriage they went abroad where they remained two years studying languages and art history under private tutors.
They visited Paris for three months during which time their hostess introduced them to society life and extended to them all courtesies due to distinguished strangers from royalty to tradesmen. In 1880 they returned home where Mr. Sylvester became professor of philosophy in Northwestern University until 1883 when he resigned because conditions required him to devote himself entirely to private practice as a physician and surgeon.
The latter part of