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The useful man.

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SERMON

PREACHED AT THE FUNERAL OBSEQUIES

HON. CHARLES PAINE,

E. S. GANNETT, D. D

fssior of t(u Jirst Unitarian &onetg, Boston,

TOGETHER WITH

OBITUARY NOTICES

f U 0 M OTHER SOURCES.

NORTHFIELD:

PRINTED BY WOODWORTH AND GOULD, 1853.

SERMON

DELIVERED AT THE FUNERAL OF

HON, CHARLES PAINE,

AT NORTHFIEL.D, TT., SEPT. 1, 1853,

BY EZRA S. GANNETT,

MIXI8TEB OF THE FEDERAL STREET SOCIETY IX BOSTOX, MASS.

NORTHFIELD:

FEINTED BY WOODWORTH & GOULD.

1853.

IKf WACO, TEXAS, JULY 6th, 1853,

HON. CHARLES PAINE,

SERMON.

Phillppians II : 4 — Look not every man on Ms own things, but every man also on the things of others.

God has put us here to be useful. That is the mean- ing of the text, and that is the truth which this occa- sion seems to me suited to impress on our minds by the example of a life which, alike in its early and its mature manhood, was largely productive of good to others. God has put us here to be useful, — each one in his own sphere and in his own way; that is, accord- ing to the abilities with which he is endowed and the circumstances in which he is placed.

We may state the purpose of human life in different terms, as we contemplate it under one or another class of relations, but the superficial contradiction will cover a real harmony. Man should live for God. It should be his aim and law, to glorify his Maker, — to obey the supreme Will, and to fit himself for an enjoyment, of the Divine favour hereafter. Again, he should covet personal excellence, and labour assid- uously to unfold the spiritual elements of his nature in preparation for a higher state of being. In either case walking by faith, and looking "at the things which are unseen and eternal." And yet it is plain

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that we should live for others, not holy remembering that in point of fact " no one" either " liveth" or " dieth to himself/' but making it our high endeavor and constant principle " to do good." There is no contrariety, we say, in these statements ; no more than when we describe the purpose of an invention differently as we examine it from this or that point of view ; pronouncing it to be the design of a ship, for example, to cleave the waters, or to transport the commerce of the world, or to weave together the interests of nations. In the beautiful harmonies which the Creator has established, more perfect than any which man can produce, the threefold purpose of our existence, considered in respect successively to God, to ourselves, and to our fellowmen, is but the expres- sion of a spiritual unity ; while the double relation which our life sustains to this world and to the world beyond the grave causes faithfulness in our present circumstances to be the best preparation we can make for future happiness. When therefore we commend usefulness as the proper exercise of a man's faculties and the fulfillment of his Maker's design in placing him here, by a necessary implication we pronounce it to 'be his duty to consecrate his powers to the glory of God, and also to give all diligence to make his own " calling and election sure," seeking an inheritance of endless glory for himself by a laborious devotion to the well-being of others.

Usefulness is diverse. in its form. It has many

anifestations, but one spirit ; many methods, but one

To benefit others,— this is its object; to make

them wiser, better, happier, more free, more noble,

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more receptive of the good which may be educed from their condition ; or to change that condition, so that it shall include more blessings, offer more oppor- tunities, and yield more substantial benefit. It sup- poses therefore an interest in others, — an acknowl- edgment of their claim on the regards of the individ- ual and his cheerful response to that claim. It does not involve an act of self-oblivion nor require an abnega- tion of personal interests. Two mistakes have always found advocates in opposite extremes of specula- tion, while the truth lay midway between them. On the one hand, it has been maintained that a renuncia- tion, or at least a practical neglect, of our own good is our duty ; disinterestedness, according to this school of moralists, being inconsistent with a pursuit of one's own benefit, either immediate or prospective. Now, since the illustrative example as well as the authori- tative teaching on this subject must be drawn from the New Testament, the instruction we there get is suffi- cient for an exposure of this error. The language of the New Testament, instead of favoring such a notion, is directly at variance with it. The command to which Christ assigned the second place in the code of human duty contains an express denial of the idea, that in consulting the good of others we may not think of ourselves. What says the golden rule ? " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself!' In Watts's happy versification, —

" Let thy kindness to thyself Measure and rule thy love to him."

What say the apostles of the Lord ? Our text furnishes the reply. " Look not every man on his

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own things, but every man also on the things of others ;" that is, let not his attention be given exclu- sively to his own advantage, but let him at the same tune study the advantage of others. What is the character of the example left by him who was " with- out sin ?" The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews supplies the answer, in his declaration that " the Author and Finisher of our faith" K for the joy that was set before him endured the cross." The theory of a disinterestedness that shuts out the influence of any personal motive finds no support in the Christian Scriptures, abounding as they do in passages which hold out the incentive of reward and describe the penalty of disobedience. Nor are we required to construe such passages in an exclusively spiritual sense, or with a limitation of their meaning; to a future

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state of existence. He whose days are devoted to usefulness need not be unmindful of his own present interests. That is an unchristian as well as an irra- tional doctrine, which requires us to neglect our worldly affairs, or to despise the good opinion of our fellowmen, lest we should bring our generosity under suspicion. Circumstances may arise which shall render it our duty to sacrifice everything, even life, for others ; but in the ordinary course of events benevo- lence neither dooms a man to poverty nor precludes him from seeking honorable positions in society. Sad indeed, if the possession of either wealth or office must be regarded as incompatible with disinterested- ness! More sad for the community than for the individual, for then places of public trust and the resources of an ample fortune, means of so much good as well as harm, would be in the hands of the selfish,

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of those least disposed and least likely to make a good use of them.

But, on the other hand, we disbelieve and loathe that worse than Heathen theory, which traces every generous deed to a secret self-love, and denies the possibility of disinterested service ; a theory which degrades man's reason into a machine for the calcula- tion of loss and gain, and makes his life nothing but the result of that calculation. No ; man is capable of espousing aims and arranging plans irrespectively of his own advantage. He can make it his habitual

d?

and predominant purpose to benefit others.

His habitual and predominant purpose, I say. There is an impulsive generosity which lacks that element of steadfastness without which no one can be really useful. Spasmodic acts of beneficence often gain more praise than a uniform discharge of social obligations, but they deserve less. Usefulness is, from its very nature, a habit.

And, farther, the temper of which we speak must be joined with an integrity that shall scorn unworthy uses of time or circumstance. We may not allow the title of a benefactor of his fellowmen to one who gives them an example of equivocal conduct ; for his example taints the public morals, and no offices of kindness or gifts in money can compensate for such an injury. High-principled honor should be the com- panion of generous endeavor. "Without fear and without reproach," may be borrowed from the mottos of chivalry to describe the character of him who

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« looks on the things of others," not with an envious eye, but with an eager desire to promote their com- fort and improvement.

In union with the qualities we have noticed must we discover the presence of a faith which lifts the soul to higher contemplations than those of earth or time ; faith in God as the Author and Judge of all, the Source of blessing and the Witness of every secret purpose. What other support, indeed, can be found for an integrity which no adverse change of circum- stances and no specious temptation shall be able to move from its allegiance to the right ? Or what other reasonable ground of confidence in efforts for the good of men ? Religious faith must underlay all such efforts, to give them consistency and prevent their yielding to the shock of disaster or the attrition of discouragement. Show me a man who is upright, generous, aoble, free from disguise, acting always upon high convictions and for good ends, I need not hesitate to pronounce him one on whom the realities of the spiritual universe in which he is embosomed have impressed themselves, and in whose mind the great idea of God is fixed as the pivot of his existence.

Through the combination of these elements, of disinterestedness, integrity and religious faith, the spirit of usefulness obtains that compact and energetic force which enables it to accomplish what it under- takes. Its resolution and its perseverance often sur- prise those who do not understand of what divine ingredients it is composed. In its manifestations it is various ; because the wants of men are various and

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the ways in which they may be benefitted are num- berless. He who attempts to restrict its action to any one or more methods betrays an entire ignorance of its nature. As well might he issue a decree that the streams of our earth shall run on the same angle of descent and in channels of the same breadth. There are many ways of doing good, because the capacities, as well as the necessities, of man are many. The highest benefit which can be conferred on any one, in its immediate result, is his redemption from the bondage of sin through the application of spiritual truth ; and hence the missionary who carries the gospel where it is unknown, or the Christian friend who by his effectual remonstrance " saves a soul from death," establishes a claim to the warmest admiration and the heartiest thanks. But he who opens a school for the uninstructed mind, or who founds a hospital for the sick body, is also a benefactor on a large scale. And no title of grateful honor should be withheld from those — philanthropists I will style them, for I know not who better deserve the name — whose lives are jeoparded in attendance upon the victims of a plague like that which has desolated the great com- mercial city of the Southwest. Usefulness, I repeat, has 110 single form of expression. She who travels from Maine to Louisiana, and by her marvellous pow- ers of persuasion makes private wealth and public law tributary to her purpose of providing asylums for the insane, is a benefactor of her race ; but so is she also, who by her personal efforts and her judicious advice has changed the character of emigration from Great Britain to Australia. Whoever renders human life more desirable is a benefactor of his kind. It has

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been said, that he who causes two blades of grass to grow where but one grew before is worthy to bear this name ; in other words, whoever increases, per- manently, the means of sustenance, comfort, or con- venience for his fellowmen ; whoever lightens their toil, lessens their anxiety, relieves their fear, or encourages their virtuous enterprise ; much more, he who quickens their sympathies, enlarges their sphere of affection and hope, opens to them new sources of knowledge, or brings the natural and social advantages which the Author of our being intended for the use of man within the reach of those to whom they have been denied. The purpose being a right one, that is, unselfish and untainted by the infusion of narrow feeling, any undertaking which promises an increase in the amount of human happiness, which makes it easier to accomplish the work of life, which multiplies the pleasant relations of men with one another, facil- itating their intercourse, subverting their prejudices, and begetting, with honorable competition, reciprocal confidence, which makes nature and society subser- vient to the welfare of the individual, — any such undertaking is a legitimate form of usefulness, and justifies us in holding up the example of him with whom it originates or by whom it is cherished for imitation.

The direction which beneficence takes in our own day, shows that in one respect at least modern civ- ilization confesses the influence of Christianity. In ancient times there was no such thing as philanthropy. Man as an individual was not an object of interest. Patriotism did not recognize the value of the people.

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Some there were, willing to sacrifice themselves for the glory of the national name or for the benefit of a class ; but a thoughtful concern for the people at large, inducing efforts for the improvement of their condition, was unknown. One of the peculiarities of the Gospel was its recognition of the worth of the in- dividual. Overlooking all conventional distinctions, it treated the humblest man with just as much com- passion as the highest, and the highest with just as much severity as the lowest, attaching importance on- ly to moral differences. Where Christianity succeeds in communicating its own judgment and temper, the great object with those who " look on the things of others" will be, to place every one in the largest pos- sible enjoyment of the blessings of a bountiful Provi- dence and the privileges of a special revelation. But the history of the Christian ages from the beginning shows how imperfect has been the control which our divine religion has obtained over minds which ac- knowledged its authority. In our time, and in our land, is first seen a due appreciation of the individual. The people are thought of. Their condition becomes a subject of attention-. And the enterprises on which we lavish praise are those which benefit not a few, but the many. He who cheapens a production of nature or art for the multitude does a greater service to the world, than he who introduces a new luxury for the rich or a new pleasure for the powerful ; and he who facilitates the acquisition of knowledge or innocent enjoyment, much more, of religious truth, by the people is the real philanthropist. Thank God, this is becoming the decision of the nineteenth cent- ury,— strange that Christendom has been so slow in

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reaching this point ; and with the better conception of what they should make their aim, those who have desired to do good have fostered movements suited to lessen the evils or to augment the advantages of every class in the community. " Looking on the things of others" through a wide ransce of observation, and anxious to relieve some general want of society, they have directed their individual lives into that current of usefulness, ever deepening and widening as just thoughts take possession of men's minds, by which the world is borne on to its ultimate destiny ; even the humble effort, that confines itself to the most private offices, being thus made to confer a benefit that reaches through the circles beyond circles of con- sanguinity, neighborhood, commonwealth, country, and humanity.

Mark now the useful man. He is one, who, with- out conceiving it to be his duty to disregard his own interests, is constantly engaged in advancing the in- terests of others ; whose generosity is large, but judi- cious ; whose happiness lies in devising and executing schemes for the benefit of his fellowmen ; whose heart is well taught hi the school of Christ; who loves the people, but is no demagogue ; who delights in serving his neighbors or his countrymen, as lie may have opportunity, and who makes the opportunity where it does not offer itself; who is most esteemed where he is best known ; and whose influence grows with his years, till he is felt to be a part of the stabil- ity of the social state. Or, should prejudice misrep- resent him, and a too greedy ear accept the tale which would tarnish his name, he holds on his course in the

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consciousness of a noble purpose prosecuted by up- right means, and time; the great vindicator, clears oft' the aspersion.

Such a man is a blessing to the community to which he belongs, and to the age in which he lives. Why are such men ever cut off in the midst of their useful- ness ? The question is often on our lips. Let it receive an answer. The world is poorer and weaker for the removal of every such man. Why does God permit us to be so impoverished? Such men are needed. Why are they taken away ?

I would avoid the presumption of attempting to explain the whole providence of the Most High ; but a sufficient reply to these questions is at our com- mand. In his infinite kindness God " has appointed unto man once to die," that he may rise to a higher state of being. It would be a strange illustration of his justice, to deprive those who have made the best use of the present life of this privilege of death. But if they die, it must be either at the height of their usefulness or in that decline of vigor which ends in the decrepitude of age. Would we doom them to this latter necessity, as a reward of the interest they have taken us ; requiting their generous toils by our selfish demands ? But farther let it be considered, that they are creatures of infirmity like ourselves, ex- posed to disease, and in their ignorance liable to incur fatal danger. Do we ask of God, that, in addition to their moral graces, he will give them immunity from peril, or a foresight superior to that of prophets and apostles ? We should not dare, I think, to do this,

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in our fondest or most anxious moments. Admit- ting then, that they must be subject to the same law of mortality and the same hazard of life with their fellowmen, we can perceive how their de- parture at the very time when they are in the exercise of the most beneficial influence may give to their example a force which it could not have during their lives, causing it to make an impression deep in proportion to the loss that is felt. A good man is never more valued than when he is missed, and his character never so fruitful in wholesome suggestions and holy impulses as when it disappears from actual observation. Let it also be borne in mind, that the removal of those on whom we have leaned compels us to put our trust in God. It is good for man to be reminded of his dependence on an unseen Power, that cares for him. The presence of earthly bene- factors may render a community insensible to their need of a Heavenly Protector. The disappearance, moreover, of those whose connection with the progress of society, we were almost tempted to think, gave them a security against death, brings the fact of our own mortality out of the Crowd of other thoughts in which it is lost from view, and fastens our contempla- tion on a theme full of salutary counsel. The effect should also be considered of the change, through which they have passed, on those whose usefulness here is closed by the summons to another world. That world may need them too ; at least, it will offer them opportunities of continued service for the good of oth- ers. Larger spheres of influence will be opened to them ; and nobler purposes, inspired by the scenes around them, may be executed with a fuller measure

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of satisfaction. Oh ! never complain, nor wonder, that they who were doing the most good here have been called to bear their part in the philanthropy of heav- en. The principle is too obviously just to be disput- ed, and too common among men to be denied, that he who has been faithful in a lower situation shall be raised to a hig-her. A useful life contains within itself

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the promise of a not distant immortality.

While, therefore, wre rejoice in the lives of those who write their names on the grateful hearts of their fellowmen, we acknowledge the justice of that Provi- dence which interrupts their labours and deprives us of their services.

Still we cannot but feel the keenness of our own disappointment. There would be no room for sub- mission, if there were no pain at our loss. The more poignant our distress, the more decisive may be the proof of our faith in God. When they whom we love and whom the community has learned to value die, we mourn, though we may not repine. We wander through the places "which have known them, but shall know them no more," with a sense of bereave- ment which every association of the scene with their generous activity renders more oppressive.

With such feelings do we look on the scenes winch here surround us. As I have sat down amidst the as- sociations which this place recals, it has seemed to me that the cry of sorrow was the only sound which be- fitted the hour. I have been moved to throw aside what I had prepared, and speak of nothing but the

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oreatness of our loss. But we may not, in the in-

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diligence of our grief, refuse the instruction or the comfort which God offers us. The termination of a useful life should engrave the truths it illustrates up- on hearts which suffering makes tender. This village abounds with memorials of our friend. They invite us to speak of his character.

The early life of Charles Paine was passed under circumstances suited to prepare him for the part he afterwards filled. Born almost on the commencement of a century remarkable for its control of mechanical agencies and the development of popular institutions, he entered on the period of his vigour at a time most favorable for the exercise of his peculiar abilities. His father, the late Judge Paine, was one of the most honorable citizens of the State, and merited the re- spect which was awarded him. The influences of his home doubtless laid the foundation of that character which in subsequent life raised the son to a not less conspicuous position. Amidst the green hills of his birth-place he breathed the air of a manly freedom and a virtuous energy. Nature spoke to him in her clear and sweet tones, and he listened with the delight of uncorrupted youth. Surrounded by a yeomanry that have ever maintained a frank independence in union with honest industry, — intelligent, brave, and hospitable, free from the vices of suburban communi- ties, and strong in theirlocal attachments,— he acquir- ed the traits which ripened into a wise and noble man- hood, The love of his native State, the inborn pas- sion of every son of Vermont, lost none of its fervour as his judgment grew more mature. He loved her

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mountains and her streams, her history and her peo- ple. At the age of seventeen he became a member of Harvard College. It was there that my acquain- tance with him began, and there that the bonds of friendship, which four years of a common experience and thirty }7ears of various fortunes served but to strengthen, were knit between him 'and his fellow-stu- dents ; among whom was not one who regarded him with any other feelings than those of respect and es- teem. Thirty-five years after they first met in the halls of Cambridge, nearly one half of the surviving members of his class were assembled, by his invita- tion, around the board which was here spread with an ample hospitality. I recall that scene with special in- terest, for it shows me the host and friend happy in the sympathies of an occasion which he made delight- ful to others. I see his erect form, his open face, his princely demeanour. I hear his words of cordial greetr ing, and feel no painful obligation, since I am sure that his enjoyment of the re-union for which we are indebted to him is not less than ours. Thanks to him, whose hand we shall never grasp again, for the inef- faceable recollections of that day !

During his collegiate course Mr. Paine maintained an unblemished character. He sought hot literary eminence, and acquired no distinction either by brill- iancy of parts or depth of scholarship. But he avoid- ed, as with an intuitive sense of propriety, the follies as well as the vices into which they who are not guar- ded by studious habits so often fall, and graduated without a reproach 011 his name. Returning to his home, he assumed at once the discharge of those

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duties to which filial love and respect prompted him, and if youthful ambition ever stirred his heart, it did not disturb the diligent prosecution of a busi- ness which soon exhibited the results of his energetic management. I well remember his narration of the

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circumstances under which he took on himself the re- sponsibilities of a more independent life. They show- ed the quality of the men, — the father's sense of jus- tice, the son's consciousness of ability. He became a manufacturer, I apprehend, from the accident of po- sition rather than from deliberate preference. How he conducted his affairs, — how honorable he was in his dealings, how attentive to the cares that devolved on him, how quick to perceive and ready to allow the claims of others, how free from pride and pretension, how ardent in his desire to befriend every one who came within the reach of his encouragement or his help, you who hear me need not that I should tell. As his character became more extensively known, the public confidence was drawn to him. He aspired to no civil honor, and yet the highest office in the State was thrust upon him at an unusually early age. It was the reward of consistent political action and well established private worth. Sincerely attached to one of the parties, in whose mutual jealousy and recipro- cal influence is found the safety of our institutions, he advocated the principles and supported the measures which he believed to be most conducive to the public interest; but never substituted passion for firmness, falsehood for argument, or intrigue for honorable con- duct. Upon his administration of the office that came to him unsought he wished the people to pass their

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judgment, which was affirmed in his re-election ; after which he retired from public life.

Such at least would be the record of the 'political historian. And yet it was then that Gov. Paine's re- lation to the country became most important and his in- fluence most extensive. From the hour at which he left the chief magistracy of the State almost to the close of his life he devoted himself, with a zeal and a per- sistency that I may say have never been surpassed, to one of those great public enterprises of which future generations will reap the benefit in results of which we can form but an imperfect conception. For eight years his name and his history were identified with the progress of that enterprise ; and I believe I am sustained by the judgment of those best qualified to speak on this subject, in saying that its completion is due to his indefatigable energy. Sanguine but not rash, firm, without obstinacy, fertile in wise expedi- ents, creative of resources through the confidence he inspired, laborious, sparing neither mind nor body, ready to accumulate on himself cares, however weigh- ty, which he understood, but refusing responsibilities for which he did not think he had the proper qualifi- cation, he did what few men could have done and what few men would have dared to undertake. He encountered unexpected difficulties, but they did not discourage him. He met with long delays, but they did not weary his hope. He endured the trial of im- patient and censorious tongues, but they did not ruf- fle his temper nor shake his conviction. He persever- ed, and he succeeded. The work to which he had pledged his name and his heart was completed. Its

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practicability was proved by the fact, and its utility he was willing to leave for time to establish. New embarrassments arose, before which many of its early friends yielded to despondency, but not he. Still res- olute in mind, unwearied in toil, he struggled against disaster, and out of the midst of perplexity achieved success. I do not claim for him a judgment inca- pable of error, but I do impute to him a heart void of wrong purpose and a life on which no stain of dishon- or ever rested. I do not know that his anticipations in regard to the value of the enterprise which he es- poused, and with which, as he himself said, he would allow no domestic cares to divide his thoughts, will ever be realized; but I do affirm that this work will bear witness to the force of his character and the disinter- estedness of his perseverance so long as it shall en- dure. It was not for personal ends that he labored. He saw that a great benefit might be secured for the State which he loved, and the country of Avhich that State was a component part. He believed that inter- course between communities and nations is a means of ameliorating character, as well as of increasing ma- terial prosperity. The magnitude of his hopes proved the generosity of his heart not. less than the grasp of his mind. The iron pathway which he carried across the breadth of this fair Commonwealth was in his view one of the avenues, which a progressive civiliza- tion and a diffusive humanity would use for the ac- complishment of the beneficent design of Providence in bestowing upon men common wants and a mutual dependence. Such was his grand and prophetic idea. And now that it stands in substantial realization be- fore the eye and judgment of the world, while he is

no longer here, let it be his monument. He needs no other, and no other could so well declare the traits which distinguished him.

Gov, Paine's last undertaking was conceived in the same spirit that had been shown in the history to which we have alluded. The trains of thought with which he had become familiar had prepared him to appreciate the importance of an enterprise of still lar- ger promise than that in which he had been engag- ed ; and he no sooner found himself released, with- out any evasion of responsibleness, from the charge which had borne so heavily upon him, than he turn- ed his attention to the means of communication be- tween the great central valley and the Pacific shore of o>ir Republic. With the same confidence and en- ergy that he had displayed on the scene of his past la- bors, he adopted the preliminary measures for bring- ing his persuasions to a practical issue, and while oth- ers talked or wrote in their pleasant homes, he accep- ted the fatigues and perils of travel through an al- most unknown region. On this journey the constitu- tion which had begun to feel the pressure of exces- sive care and labor, gave wray under exposure to se- vere trial. He sickened and died far from his home. Yet, it is grateful to know, not without faithful watch- ing and the best medical attendance. He died at the meridian hour of life ; but not without a long cata- logue of useful services registered on the memories of his fellowmen. He died at the moment when he may have felt the strongest wish to live ; but he believed in that God who cloeth all things well, and in that Gospel which contains the revelation of immortality.

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He died when we may have most desired to keep him with us, that we might reward him for the past by new expressions of confidence in his integrity and reliance on his wisdom ; but we have learned nothing, if we have not yet been taught the lesson of submis- sion to that Will which uses bereavement often as the channel of its richest blessings.

The character of our friend needs no other deline- ation than it receives as we sketch his career. Ener- gy, integrity and disinterestedness were its prominent features. Before this audience, composed of his per- sonal friends and of those with whom he lived in the familiarity of neighborhood, it would be scarcely de- cent for me to adduce illustrations of the qualities of mind and heart of which they were daily witnessing the exhibition. This village, in every stroke of its industry and every mark of its prosperit}7", bears evi- dence of his fostering care. This community, by their unrestrained grief at the intelligence of his death and by the terms in which they have express- ed their sense of bereavement, have declared in what estimation he was held. This assembly, collected from distant places to pay the sad tribute of funereal hon- or to his name, betokens the impression he made on those with whom he practised no concealment and in whose justice he confided.

Gov. Paine was not a man of professions. His words were not many, and they were never uttered to secure admiration or to forestall an impartial judg- ment. It is not strange therefore that he said little on the subject of religion. But such actions as speak

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more loudly than words attest both the reality and the character of his faith. This edifice is a memori- al of the value he set on the institution of public wor- ship and an unsectarian administration of religious truth. On this point he was strenuous and consistent. The most emphatic disapproval of dogmatic exclu- siveness which he could have left, as well as the most decisive testimony to his faith in the great Christian truths, is given in the paper by which he makes a fi- nal disposition of his property.

This remarkable document contains also unim- peachable proof of that disinterested concern for the good of others and that desire to see all classes of the people enjoying the means of knoAvledge, virtue and happiness, which, I think, gave to his character its largest claim on our fond remembrance. As a testa-

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mentary provision, I should not be surprised to learn that it is without a parallel. Brief but distinct in its language, it is as peculiar for the modesty as for the liberality which it evinces. Leaving all details to the friends in whom he reposes the utmost confidence, and avoiding any suggestion that might have the ef- fect of connecting his name with the uses to which his bequest may be put, he only requires of those wliom he appoints as Trustees, that, after assisting such persons at they may think have any claim aris- ing from consanguinity, friendship, or obligation in- curred by him, they " use and appropriate whatever property he may die possessed of for the best good and welfare of his fellowmen, — to assist in the im- provement of mankind ; recommending that they do it without sectarianism or bigotry, according to the

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intention of that God whose will is found in the law of the Christian religion, in which," he adds, " I be- lieve and trust." What could be more characteristic, or more admirable ?

The manuscript from which I have quoted bears a date somewhat distant from the present time. But, if evidence were needed that he retained the same feelings to the close of his life, it is furnished, to say nothing of other facts, by an incident which I am permitted to relate. A short time before his depart- ure for Texas, Mr. Paine was reminded by a friend that he had never made an explicit declaration of his religious belief, and was requested to say what doctrinal tenets he had adopted. After a moment's hesitation, he took from his pocket a slip of paper bearing the stains of age and use, which lie gave to his friend and said, " There is my creed." It contain- ed the well known lines of Leigh Hunt ; which, fa- miliar as they may be, no one probably will complain of my repeating in this connection.

Aboii Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase !)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw within the moonlight in his room,

Making it rich and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of gold.

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold :

And to the presence in the room he said,

41 What writest thou V" The vision raised its head,

And, with a look made all of sweet accord,

Answered " The names of those who love the Lord."

" And is mine one V" said Abou. " Nay, not so,"

Ilc-plu-d the angel. Abou spoke more low,

But chcerly still ; and said, " I pray thee. then,

AY rite me as one that loves his fellowmen."

The angel wrote, and vanished. .The next night

It came again, with a great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

29

Grievous is the loss which falls on a community, in the death of one who aims to make his life an illus- tration of the sentiment conveyed in these lines. Such men there are ; though alas ! but few ; men who believe that they shall best please God by showing their love of their fellowmen. It might not be safe for all to take this as an abstract of Christian doctrine; but, under the interpretation of sound and humble thought, we have the authority of an Apostto for main- taining that it cannot greatly mislead any one, for St. John affirms that, " if we love one another, God dwelleth in us ;" and, under the most perverse miscon- struction, it will be better than many a nicely adjusted formulary of belief.

Deep and wide-spread must be the sorrow, when one who has " looked not on his own things, but also on the things of others" is taken from the sphere of his visible usefulness. Great will be the lamentation, as on this day ; but let it not borrow the tone of com- plaint or despair. We are tempted to think that God is unmindful of our necessities, when those on whom we have depended are borne out of our sight. It is an unjust and sinful thought. The eye of faith dis- cerns the Divine goodness in the summer's heat which drinks up the rivulets and in the winter's cold which binds them with icy fetters, as well as in the vernal or autumnal rains which cause them to rush down the mountain's side or flow joyfully through the plain. God never forgets us. Let the sorrowful wait on him in patient suffering, and he Avill hold up their hearts and guide their steps.

30

Heavy is the loss which society is called to bear, when the useful are taken away ; but in part will there be a compensation, if others are moved to copy their example. Nothing is more needed in this coun- try than disinterested devotion to the people's good. Active and forcible lives are the product of such in- stitutions and such opportunities as ours ; but what are activity and force if controlled by selfishness. Patriotism and philanthropy have become equivocal names. We want men of high principle and gener- ous purpose, who in the fear of God will labor to pro- mote the true welfare of their fellow-beings. Hon- ored and treasured in the grateful love of every heart be a life spent for the good of other. Its presence is a benediction, and its influence abides when its pres- ence is withdrawn.

A gloom hangs over the village in the warm sum- mer's day. The sky is clear, and the air is healthful ; yet every aspect of nature is sad, and the scene around us impresses us like a funereal monument. And such it is. Our hearts cast their own shadows upon the landscape. We have come to lay the remains of him whom we loved in the grave. He died far away from us and from the spots that were dear to him ; but we could not leave his dust in that distant land. The hope, tenderly expressed in the first anguish of be- reavement, is realized:

" That noble form, so proud, so calmly bold," I Shall " make its last, sad resting-place amid

The scenes he long had loved and cherished, Within the vine-clad State, o'er which he was A Ruler."

31

Here will we lay his mortal frame, in the grave which he would have chosen, in front of the temple which he built to the glory of God, and in the midst of the proofs of what he had done for man. The associa- tions of this hour shall henceforth invest the spot. Business and travel shall own its sanctity, and time shall guard it with watchful reverence.

:><

EXTRACT.

FROM AN ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE

STATE AGRICULTURAL FAIR,

BURLINGTON, October llth, 1853. SAMUEL W. THAYER, M. D. DEAR Sin :—

Your letter, containing a request to furnish for publication, that portion of my address, before the State Agricultural Society, in which allusion •was made to the late Hon. Charles Paine, has been received. Circum- stances beyond my control have prevented my complying with it until now. Agreeable to your wishes, a few paragraphs have been added, the connection of which with those of the address is distinctly marked.

Truly, Yours, &c.

JOHN WHEELER,

EXTRACT.

MR. PRESIDENT :

It cannot but have occurred to you, and to most of the vast multitude before me, as we were borne here, almost on the wings of the wind, that he, by whom this has been accomplished, would not be with us. Some days since, a few of us, in a neighboring village, laid his remains in the grave, and having said " dust to dust, ashes to ashes," we left his body to pay back the common debt, which we all owe to nature. She

3

34

has nourished our bodies. We give them back to her laboratory.

This day would have gladdened his heart. He looked forward to it with delight. He would have added every way to its interest, and its complete- ness.

Although, it is said, all men are but various contri-

O ' 9

butions to realize the idea of Man ; as all Christians are but fragmentary parts of the glorious idea of a perfect one in Christ ; still this man was possessed of a form, which kings might envy, and which sculptors might copy ; an agility, which athletes might emu- late, an eye before whose fiery glance warriors might quail, but in whose sunny and gleesome light, an in- fant might smile. To these there was added an ener- gy of purpose, and a power of will, such as would give strength to the weakest ; a compass of mental vision, and a simplicity and integrity of aim, which would give wisdom to a statesman, a frank, open, generous manner, that however he might fail to be a perfect man, he combined more to represent Vermont, than perhaps the best of us.

To-day he could have exhibited perhaps the best of Vermont animals— of the stable, of the pasture, and of humbler places, and also the best products of our mountain streams. He could have told you Mr. Pres- ident of irrigation, for which you have offered a prize; of the way, and the success of it; of fields burdened by crops ; of barns overflowing with bounteous pro- ducts. And when in imagination, we had wandered

35

over the hills of Williamstown and the vallies of Northfield, and seen not merely the fields and their products, but learned the predetermined purpose of the cultivator and his typical success, he could have taken us to a mountain top, and pointed out to us, as his work, a cord threading its way through vallies, over rivers, up mountain streams, through gorges, and anon shooting out upon the lake.

He could have said the state is now bound togeth- er. Mountains, which separate people \md convert common friends to bitter enemies, have vanished. Henceforth we are one people. Now Vermont may plant one foot on the Atlantic shore, and gather of the commerce of the great East ; and the other at the falls of St. Anthony or St. Mary, and gather from the rising empires of the greater West. But for him, how few of us would have been here to-day. But for him, how few products, Mr. President, would you have to exhibit to-day !

This rapid means of intercommunication ! None of us have yet fully realized its effect in increasing our productive wealth, in extending our practical knowledge, in awakening and keeping alive our affec- tions by the exercise of a constant fellowship, and thus keeping bright the golden chain of fraternal, and of patriotic intercourse. Blessings on the memory of him, by whom this has been made not merely pos- sible, but real to us all ! We can do better by imita- tating his untiring activity in the public service ; we can all grvw better, by cherishing his conspicuous virtues.

•»

ADDITIONAL REMARKS.

Circumstances of the same imperative character, as those above alluded to, prevent my adding any thing more, than such crude thoughts, as arise in my own mind. There is no time for the sifting examination of facts and principles, which ought to form both the warp and the woof of a valuable biographical sketch. Nor perhaps has the time yet arrived, when true and ample justice can be done to such a man as Gov. Paine. The feelings, excited and abraded by active strife in the practical detail of labors, which touch up- on the personal and individual interests of a numer- ous community, do not permit a candid and discrimi- nating judgment to be formed, by the many who may have suffered, or the many who have differed in opin- ion, or the many who have looked on for the purpose of criticism, and with something of the feeling, which that commonly engenders. Posterity may be more just than we are, either in giving, or withholding praise, and, in regard to such matters, I shall not at- tempt to antedate its decisions.

Gov. Paine was slightly known to me, in early life, as an active, genial, vigorous youth, writh greater in- clination for enterprising adventure than for study. He afterward bore that character in his College course, and through subsequent life. He w^as a boon and genial companion, but he possessed uncommon power of self- control. When others seized the cup of pleasure, and sunk under the power of the draught, he but touch- ed his lips, and resolutely and successfully refused to yield to its temptations. Considering the position of

37

his family, the habits of college, and of generous so- ciety, at the period of his youth and early manhood, no one can be other than surprised at the self-control, the integrity of purpose, and the freedom from vicious indulgence which characterized him. No company kept him from an engagement, no present gratifica- tion was allowed to trespass for a moment, on a pub- lic, or a private duty.

On his return from College, as I have heard say, he showed no inclination for professional study, but ask- ed to enter upon the employments of practical life, both to lessen the labors of his father, and to advance his interests. This he was allowed to do, without much thought that he would do otherwise than soon grow weary of it, and call for a different mode of em- ployment. "I wras greatly surprised" his father said, "at the readiness with which he took hold of labor, the energy with which he followed it, and the capacity and completeness with which he finished it. I found he could do as much and as well, as I could in my best days." Those of us, who live in Vermont, know that such a parent could scarcely give higher praise.

In connection with his father, and then with some others, he was among the first, who introduced the successful manufacture of woolen cloths on a large scale, in this state. His whole attention and mind was given to this for several years. He studied machine- ry, and introduced various valuable improvements in the working of it, under his own eye. Although sel- dom inclined to original invention, and perhaps could not, in that respect be called an inventive genius, he

38

saw, often at a glance, the necessity and the method of simplifying what was before him. In this way, val- uable suggestions were constantly dropping from his lips. Herein he manifested that straightforward sim- plicity of purpose and aim, which was a personal char- acteristic of the man, and which is the principle ele- ment of greatness alike in public, and in private life. This employment led him, at an early day, to examine the relation of the government of the nation, to the progress of manufacture, and to the increase of pay for labor. He became an earnest advocate for the pro- tective policy, and, as his father had adopted the same views, their opinions aided much in producing that unity of opinion, on that subject, which has so long characterized this State.

He was two years Governor of the State. During that period, there were no questions of great moment agitated, or called into notice. His administration was marked by no extraordinary events, but there was a vigorous and constant Avatchfumess, which gave confi- dence to all, that nothing would be left undone. A new system of keeping the accounts of the treasury, and a more stringent method of accounting for the public money was introduced in certain quarters, which gave accuracy and power to the public administration. He also gave much and diligent attention to the sub- ject of a system of education for the state. No at- tempt had been, at that time, made to organize a Board of supervision of common schools. He examined the subject carefully, and wished to bind the existing parts of the system into a harmonious whole. He wished, if possible, to infuse the culture of the highest institu-

39

tions, into the lower and more dependent. He would have made the College, the Academy and the Com- mon schools part and parcel of one system, and con- nected them together by mutual relation, and thus given harmony and unity to the present disjointed scheme. He would have had the higher, the more accurate, and the more comprehensive knowledge of the college represented in the academy ; that of the academy in the central school of the larger towns, and that of the central in the small primary schools, in the surrounding districts. In this way, he believed that the whole of the best culture of the state would be made most available for the benefit of each and every part of it. He Avas sad at finding that the ri- valry of existing institutions, on the one hand, and apathy, and indifference, and ignorance on the other rendered it impossible to accomplish any thing. Af- ter attending one or two conventions for the purpose of devising, and if possible of perfecting a system for legislative action he thought nothing, but the attempt to diffuse information, could then be done. He judg- ed correctly as subsequent events have shown. Much more, however, was accomplished by statistical inqui- ry, and by examination of the best system of public education, than the public have been aware of. The interest he took in the subject of education was deep, strong and effective. He was many years one of the most efficient members of the Corporation of the University of Vermont. He was always present, and re- mained to complete the business of the session. While connected with it, he was certainly one of the wisest, one of the most disinterested, and one of the most sagacious of its guardians. He generously subscribed

40

the sum of ten thousand dollars to complete a large subscription for the university, if it should be necessa- ry; and T knew it to have been his intention, in cer- tain contingencies, to have connected his name per- manently with that institution, as the founder of one or more of its professorships. " Vermont has nour- ished me in her bosom, he used to say, and I owe to her character and her institutions much, very much of what I am, and what I can be, and it is but due to such relations, that I should help to sustain her high- est institution of learning."

It so happened, that soon after the organization of the Board of Directors of the Vermont Central Rail- road when Gov. Paine was President, I was quite un- expectedly often placed in his society, and was early made acquainted with his purposes, and occasionally with his plans. The public relations he had sustained to the state, and the deep interest he took in its pros- perity, and the strong wish he had to remove the ob- stacles, which its inland character presented to the in- crease of its exchangeable wealth, seemed to him to form a call of duty, which he was not at liberty to re- fuse. He accepted of the position, which was urged upon him. The disinterestedness with which this was done, the patriotic feeling for Vermont in which it was grounded, the belief that the population of the state would be increased, and rendered more perma- nent ; that the institutions of learning would be more widely useful, and that the influence and example of the state would be more appreciated and felt, and thus that the best interests of the community would be sub- served, these, as the moving ideas and active thoughts

1

41

of the man, certainly should command the regard, and the unfeigned respect of every worthy citizen. He soon met with unexpected rebuffs and difficulties, and I personally know that he only overcame them by such, and such-like considerations.

Many, very many, of his original wishes and plans were thwarted by means and in ways, which he could not personally control. And, in some things, doubt- less the ardor of his feelings, and the quick and firm determination of his will placed matters in an immove- able position, which time and patience might have otherwise accommodated. His opinion of the loca- tion of the central portion of the road, was unequiv- ocally sustained by the best corps of engineers, which New England could then furnish. The decision is now a matter of historic record, on which they have staked their character, as professional men.

His wish, his expectations, and his plans for the central point of communication, and of labor for the road were arranged in his mind for another place, than that where they were located, under circumstances personally disagreeable to himself. It was his origi- nal purpose to have given to the capital of the State, and its immediate vicinity, all the advantages which it was possible for the head and central working of the road to give. Whatever causes may have pre- vented this, and changed the arrangements, they were of a character not so much to impugn Gov. Paine's disinterestedness, as to show his forecast respecting the necessary demands, which the business of the road would make for space and accommodation. I have

42

already alluded to the conflicting opinions, which have existed, and which still exist, as to many of the de- tails of that great work, in many of which his longest and most valuable friends differed from him, but which it does not at all comport with my purpose to inquire into. These should not, however, draw us away from looking to him as the moving power in the great work, nor from a due appreciation of his surprising forecast, of his inflexible determination and of his unceasing ac- tivity, in accomplishing it.

Circumstances do not change the real, substantial character of men, but they often present the charac- ter in a single aspect, and give to that a prominence which mars the harmony, which truly belongs to it. It is only known to the public perhaps, by what they happened to see, at a given time, or during a single business, and it is judged of accordingly. The under- laying principles, or the interior affections, and moral feelings are quite hidden from the view. Few would have thought Gov. Paine, remarkable, as he certainly was, for parental reverence ; — that it wras perhaps the strongest affection of his heart, and the one, which ex- ercised more controling influence in the formation of most of his habits, than any other. One, who had been acquainted with his father, could see, in a moment how this and that trait had been called forth and strengthened, and filled with might, by filial reverence sustained by frequent remembrance and meditation upon the Roman virtues of that just Judge. Indeed Vermont herself is far more indebted, than the present generation are aware of, for the integrity, the energy, the open honesty, and the general truthfulness of the

43

business habits of her people, to the long continued and eminent example of that man, and such as he, primus inter pares in these particulars, than perhaps to any other external cause.

The Gov. was passionately attached to the memory, and he strove to imitate the habits, and to exhibit the character of his father. His domestic affections, bcino-

' O

shut out from ordinary family relations, clustered about his parents, and he delighted to dwell upon the truth loving integrity of the one, and the rich, genial, numerous, and spicy character of the other. Although formed for the stern vigor of battling enterpiize. he loved domestic quiet ; he rejoiced in the amenities, the tender charities, and in the genial sympathies of the household hearth ; and never did the blood flush his face quicker, or his words become stronger, than when respect, and rightful regard, and faithful pro- tection was not awarded to the wife, and mistress of a house.

He attached little importance to forms, and modes, and professions of any kind. " What will you do ?" " what will you be ?" were his questions ; not what will you promise or profess. This connection of being and doing in his mind made him averse to religious professions, and at the same time tolerant of a pro- found and thoughtful religious life, even of the sterner kind. But then it must be a true life, sustaining it- self, not by its forms, but by its deep and thoughtful meditation, or it did not gain his respect. Although a different opinion has existed, in some places, still it was true, that he respected and loved no religious

44

teaching, but that which was direct, searching to the heart, and demanding unequivocally a life of faith in the Redeemer.

He was cut down in the midst of his projected schemes of usefulness. They were always extending and enlarging. Still his ideal life was remarkably com- bined with the plans and purposes of physical activity. No imaginary prospect was too comprehensive for his mental grasp, no physical obstacles could restrain his ardent determination to accomplish what to him appear- ed practicable. He threw himself into the work wath a disinterested earnestness, and an absolute integrity, that gave promise of success, where many would fail; of final success even amid present failures, and dis- couragement. Such men are needed for the progress of a state. Such are needed to open to the public mind a true view of its interests, and to prepare the way for carrying them on to a successful issue, and when they are removed from us, lights and leaders are taken away.

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•

REMARKS

BT

HON. HEMAN CARPENTER,

At a meeting of the citizens of Northfield, upon receiving intelligence of the death of Ex. Gov. Paine.

FELLOW CITIZENS :

We have assembled on this solemn and mournful occasion, to express our emotions and mingle our sor- rows, on account of the sad intelligence received of the death of our fellow citizen, Ex. Gov. Paine, who died at Waco, Texas, on the sixth ultimo. Since the first intelligence was received of the illness of our deceased friend, fearful anxiety has been depicted up- on every countenance. But yesterday, the news of his convalescence reached us, and hopes were enter- tained of his recovery, and again mingling in soci- ety ; to-day all is gloom and disappointment.

Death ! the grim messenger, has come near unto us and removed him towards whom we have enter- tained the highest respect, and to whom we are in- debted, under Providence, for the growth and prosper- ity of all around us. Under his fostering care and guidance, our town has grown up to an eminence which few in the state excel.

The loss of such a man is an irreparable one to us, to the state, and, I may say, to the whole country.

Pardon me, my friends, if I briefly refer you to some of the prominent acts in the life of Gov. Paine, which bespeak for him more praise than can any lan- guage to which I can give utterance.

After graduating at Harvard University, he came to Northfield to take charge of his father's factory. He became a manufacturer from necessity, and con- tinued the business until the burning of his factory in March, 1848, a period of almost twenty -five years. This business gave an impetus to the growth and pros- perity of our town, for which we cannot be too thank- ful.

By his influence and energy, the charter of the Vermont Central Railroad was obtained, and to him are we indebted for the accomplishment of this stu- pendous work. There is his monument ! and when we are dead and forgotten, then fresh in the memory of the future will be his name, and as long as the iron horse shall traverse our State, will his name be re- membered and cherished by the honest and hardy sons of the Green Mountain State. He gave an impetus to the construction of other rail roads.

The Vermont and Canada Rail road, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Rail road, and the Ogdensburgh Rail road, are largely indebted to Gov. Paine for their construction. By the building of these roads a thoroughfare has been opened between the great commercial city of New England and the far west, and the metropolis of the Canadas. There is one inci-

~

49

commercial city of New England and the far west, and the metropolis of the Canadas. There is one inci- dent in the history of the latter road, which may not be generally known to this community, yet as it illus- trates one of the prominent traits in Gov. Paine's character, I cannot forbear to mention it here.

By a condition in the charter of that road, unless a certain amount of stock was subscribed by a given day it became forfeited. The friends of that enter- prise, with all their efforts, up to the last point of time, had failed of securing the requisite amount of stock, fy one hundred thousand dollars. Gov. Paine put his name to the stock subscription, and subscribed the requisite amount to save the charter, and which ulti- mately secured the construction of the road. A greater portion of this stock was subsequently prov- ided for by the company; but for his subscription, the charter would have became forfeited and the building of the road would have been lost. It was a bold stroke, and a hazardous experiment, but he knew no lear.

In all his relations in life, he never shrunk from responsibility, nor shunned the closest scrutiny. He was a man fruitful in expedients. When denied a charter for the construction of a bridge at Kouses Point, by the Legislature of Vermont, he and his friend Campbell devised the plan for the construction of a boat at that point, which answers all the pur- poses of a bridge.

Gov. Paine's last Railroad project, was the explora-

50

tion of a Southern route for the great Pacific Rail- road. A mighty project ! but he had mind, and judg- ment adequate to the undertaking. It was while ex- ploring the country in Texas for this route that he contracted the disease common to the climate ; and his feeble constitution, weakened and reduced by great efforts here among us, was not sufficient to with- stand it.

He was an ardent friend of education. He con- tributed liberally towards endowing the University of Vermont, and we are indebted to his liberal contribu- tions for the erection of the Northfield Academy buil- ding and the success of our flourishing; school.

O O

He gave full evidence, while living, of his regard for religion and the preaching of the Gospel. In 1836 he built this church and has given the use of it since for the sustaining of preaching in this village. The beautiful yard in front is an ornament to our vil- lage, and excites the admiration of strangers. It was decorated with the choicest flowers by his own hands, and is to become his final resting place. He was no sectarian, yet many a poor servant of our Lord and Master has been made glad with the good things of this life, from his benevolent hands.

Fellow citizens, there are two prominent features in the character of our deceased friend, the mention of wh ich well befits this occasion. I allude to his punctu- ality and his scrupulous regard for truth and justice. his business relations every thing was reduced to a perfect system. Punctual to meet all his engagements,

51

at all times, and under all circumstances, whatever he promised was sure to be performed. Cautious and confiding, he never censured rashly nor betrayed his trust. Strongly attached to his friends ; towards those who opposed him, he was fearless, bold and uncom- promising. One secret of his great success, and of the unbounded confidence he had attained, lies, in his high sense of honor, and his scrupulous regard for justice and truth. He was an impregnable rock, to his assail- ants, and a strong tower to his friends.

To us, fellow citizens, his loss is irreparable. No man among us can fill his place. No one can do for the community in which he Kved, so much for its prosperity and happiness. He lived to do good, and to benefit mankind.

The State of Vermont may well be proud of such a man. He has left upon her soil unmistakeable evi- dence of his greatness and usefulness. The numbers here assembled on so sliQrt a notice, the deep grief de- picted upon every countenance, bespeak no ordinary occurrence. Our common friend and benefactor is re- moved from among us.

To me, this dispensation of Providence is over- whelming. Language fails to, express the deep emo- tions that thrill through every nerve. He was my friend when I needed a friend. For seventeen years I enjoyed his intimate and uninterrupted acquaintance and confidence, I see him now, as I last saw him, when a few friends took him by the hand, and bade him good bye. with tears in their eyes, as he left the

station here in the cars for his journey south. The words of one of those friends, as the train left, have made an impression upon my mind that time will nev- er efface. " That car carries more men from Northfield than it will ever bring back," was the fearful belief of us all when he left, and sadly true it has proved in- deed. It carried the living man, it can only bring back his earthly remains. It carried him in whom human nature can stand up before all the world and say, "He was a man /"

REMAKES

BY

HON. E. P. WALTON, JR.,

At a meeting of the citizens of Northfield, upon receiving intelligence of the death of Ex. Gov. Paine.

Yesterday, shortly after receiving the intelligence which has fallen with crushing weight upon you all, I learned that the friends and neighbors of the late Gov. Paine would meet to-day to express, in an hum- ble manner, the respect for his memory and the sor- row for his loss, which they are debarred, by his death in a far distant state, from expressing in the accustom- ed mode ; and it was kindly added, that as a personal friend for many years of your friend, it would be pro- per for me to join with you. I cannot doubt that the claims of friendship, no less than the injunction of holy writ, enjoin me on this occasion, to " weep with those that weep ;" nor that the confidence which has often been reposed in me by Gov. Paine, in matters of the highest importance to himself, to the great en- terprize in which he has been long and ardently en- gaged, and to the public, requires of me a tribute to his memory.

I need not speak to you of your loss or your sor- row— for you feel that there is no loss like your loss, and no sorrow like your sorrow.

54

I need not speak to you of the personal character of Gov. Paine — of his integrity, and his strict regard for what he conceived to be just and honorable and fit, in all his relations, public and private ; nor of his reputation as a man of business — prompt, energetic, enterprizing in the highest degree, and never appalled by any accidents however untoward, or any difficul- ties however formidable ; nor of his relations to you as a townsman — as pre-eminently, the source of your prosperity, the leader in every object for your advance- ment, and the most ready and bountiful contributor to all your social, educational and religious institu- tions. He was born in your immediate neighborhood; he has spent his life among you; and though it has added a keener pang to your grief that death has stricken him. down, far away from kindred and friends and neighbors — with no accustomed hand to smooth his dying bed — no accustomed voice to soothe his dy- ing hours — no familiar friend to receive his last re- quests, and no familiar faces to meet the final beam- ing of the eye, and be to him " the last of earth," — it is yet a consolation to remember, that here- is a multi- tude of friends who will ever do justice to his charac- ter, cherish his reputation, and remember with grat- itude the services and sacrifices of an active, useful and eventful life.

I need not speak to you of his character as a pub- lic man — as Chief Magistrate for the brief term which the late custom of our republican State has required, or as a participant, out of official stations, in public affairs ; for that character is known to the people, and

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his reputation has long been established as one among our most prominent and promising public men ; a reputation seldom achieved, as he achieved it, at an early age, and without aspiring to the graces of orato- ry on the one hand, or on the other resorting to the artifices of the demagogue. I will only say on this point, what my familiar acquaintance with his politic- al character and course requires me to say, that as a politician he was remarkably patriotic, pure, high- minded and honorable — that his policy ever embrac- ed, as cardinal points, the reputation of the State, the prosperity of all its institutions, and the welfare of the people — and that he delighted to honor sound principles, truei wisdom, and personal integrity, wrhere- ever he found them — whether in his party or out of it — whether among the okl or the young — and unhes- itatingly availed himself of all the advantages which a free and liberal intercourse with men of such char- acteristics could give him. The youngest man I think in the Gubernatorial office in the State, I am sure there was never any man who more highly esteemed the claims of age and wisdom, and experience, or was more ready to distinguish and encourage whoever among the young gave hopeful promise of an honor- able and successful public career.

What, then, shall I say to you, who have known him ; to you who have been the witnesses of his life ; to you who have esteemed him beyond all other men ; to you who feel that you have lost more than a father or a friend— lost both— lost all ? I can only say, it is fit now for you to weep. Grief is the necessary burden of this day and of many days to you ; but when the

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fountain of your tears shall fail — when you shall become weary and worn because of your great grief, then it will be fit for you to rejoice, that one has lived so briefly, yet so well, and so honorably, so unremit- tingly, and so successfully labored in important servi- ces for his neighborhood, his State and his country — that you feel his death an irreparable loss and a pub- lic calamity. Weep now. It is good to weep.

My connection, hi an official capacity, with Gov. Paine, and my relations to him personally, from the commencement of the great public work on which he had staked his highest hopes, and to which I now feel he sacrificed his life, I am aware will seem to justify you in expecting that something will be said to-day on that topic. The occasion is eminently a proper one to do justice to his services and character in that respect, and you well know that I would gladly con- tribute my mite towards this ; but I too well under- stand that no just verdict of public opinion can now be taken. Eminently successful as that work has al- ready been, in the point which I hesitate not to say was altogether the chief one in the estimation of Gov. , Paine — I mean in facilitating intercourse, and thus developing the resources and adding to the wealth and power, and influence of the people throughout the vast territory which feels the influence of all the railroads that have grown out of the establishment of the Vermont Central, and which were embraced in the calculations of its founders — I say, although in this respect the work has been eminently successful, and is worth the immense sum it has cost, it is never- theless true, that in another and less important parti-

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cular, the work is regarded as being eminently disas- trous, and the responsibility naturally is, and must be for a time, cast upon him who was the acknowledged chief of the undertaking. How far that responsibi- lity justly attaches to him, is a question which re- mains to be decided ; and however favorable my opin- ion may be to his future fame, and however confident my expectations, I know that an expression of the opinions and expectations of any friend of Gov. Paine, in advance of a full and true history of his adminis- tration, would avail nothing in the settlement of that question. I can say but little, therefore, upon this subject, and that must be limited to a simple testimo- nial to his character and purposes, which, from inti- mate connection and free intercourse with him from the beginning, I feel to be entirely just and fully due to him on this occasion.

His ambition in that great undertaking was of a character which the world justly esteems to be noble ; he aimed to win for himself an honorable public name by rendering a great public service. However much of direct personal advantage' he naturally and and property may have expected from it, I am sure that his chief purpose was to win an honorable name. In the brightest days he looked joyfully to this re- ward; and in the darkest, when every other hope seemed to fail, this remained to solace him. It was on one of these darkest days, and at a time when courage, hope and health were all failing, that he said to me in his familiar mode of conversation ; " Well, Walton, what- ever may become of the corporation, they cannot rob us of the road ! It is done — it will be run. — and the

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people will at any rate reap the blessings which we designed. Oh ! if it were not for that, I really be- lieve I should die,"

This honorable ambition absorbed him, and he look- ed to the result as certain, because he never had a doubt that the developed resources of the state, and the opening of the avenues of communication through the whole of the Northern section of the Union, would render the enterprize in every sense successful. So no sacrifice seemed to him too large, no cost too great, no haste too urgent, if so be it appeared essential ei- ther to a speedy completion of the undertaking, or to secure for it important advantages, present or ultimate within his reach, I say ultimate advantages, for Gov. Paine was a man of large views, and his eye was oftener cast far ahead upon some great eminence, through toils and perils to be achieved, than upon the quiet landscape at his feet He was more apt to dis- cern great things, and design great works, than to mark out the thousand little details, which all, however humble each in itself may be, are essential to the per- fection and beauty of the whole structure. Of the ul- timate success of this enterprise he had no doubt ; and when present difficulties and pressing demands seemed appalling to those who had not estimated future re- sults, he flattered himself that the end would in the judgment of all, be for him a perfect justification. As- sociates, some of them, equally sanguine with himself, and influenced perhaps, by his high hopes, were not the best advisers for him under these circumstances ; and doubtless from this source, as from other sources .for winch Gov, Paine was far less responsible, if r'espon-

sible at all, grew errors of judgment. Himself placing the highest estimate upon the enterprise as a public work, deserving the support of the public ; himself confident of his success — so confident that he more than once staked his fortune upon it, by his personal obligations and by using for it all his available means, ha perhaps too strongly trusted that there were enough of other men, with equally enlarged views and larger means, who would be as confident and as liberal as himself. Himself a man of integrity he too much con- fided in the integrity of others. There was too, the rivalry of competing lines, and the difficulty of com- flicting interests, both local and at large — all tending to exasperate the feelings and bias the judgment of those concerned ; and to all this must be subjoined the great fact that the finances of the Company were administered in Boston by various heads, while the work of construction only was submitted to the im- mediate inspection of the President, It is not won- derful then,df Gov. Paine committed errors ; he would have been more than mortal if he had not. It is not wonderful if he is for the present held responsible for far more than are justly chargeable to him. Time will bring a just verdict. But this testimony I freely bear on this solemn occasion, and I feel that you, at least, the townsmen of Gov. Paine, will not doubt my sincerity : in all his course I know of no stain upon his honor ; and in all his course I know of no act which I have reason to suppose was intentionally wrong ; in all his course, I know of no instance in which I have reason to doubt that he was persuaded that his action was entirely consistent with the great interests com- mitted to his trust, and with his own personal reputa-

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tion ; and as the result of his unwearied efforts in this enterprise, I trust the day will come, for which he longed, but which in the Providence of God he can never see — when his name will be honorably record- ed in the history of his state and country, as a public man above reproach, and a great public benefactor. dAOJUU tf il'AHTXS:) TrtOMH:-

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VERMONT CENTRAL RAILROAD CO.}

IN DIRECTOR'S MEETING AUG. 25th, 1853. i

" RESOLVED, That this Board has with deep sorrow received intel- ligence of the death of the Hon. Charles Paine, late President of this Company, and in consideration of his indefatigable and important services in originating and sustaining the corporation, and of his honorable char- acter as its chief officer, we deem the event, a suitable one for the official action of the Board.

" RESOLVED, That in token of our individual respect and regard, and the high estimation in which we hold the character and memory of the deceased, we will in a body attend his funeral obsequies.

" RESOLVED, That the President be empowered and requested to furnish free passes to the relatives, and friends of the deceased, for the pur pose of attending his funeral at Northfield on the 1st instant A true Copy from the Record,

E. P. WALTON, Jr., Clerk,

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The " Committee of Arrangment" acknowledge the receipt of letters from the following gentlemen, tendering their sympathies to the relatives and friends of lion. Charles Paine, and regretting imperative that duties must occasion their non attendance at his funeral obsequies.

His EXCELLENCY ERASTUS FAIRBANKS,

R. BRUCE, ESQ., Secretary, to the Gov. General of Canada.

PLINY H. WHITE, ESQ.,

HUGH H. HENRY, ESQ.,

JAMES M. FERRIES, ESQ.,

JOHN L. BUCK, ESQ.,

JAMES BARRETT, ESQ.,

Ex-Gov. H. HUBBARD.

SAMUEL W. THAYER, JR.," JOHN GREGORY, MOSES ROBINSON, 1 ~

HEMAN CARPENTER, PERLEY BELKNAP, ELIJAH SMITH,

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COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS.

V

SAMUEL W. THAYER, JR., JOHN GREGORY, MOSES ROBINSON, HEMAN CARPENTER, PERLEY BELKNAP, ELIJAH SMITH,

NORTHFIELD, Dec. 16, 1353.

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