Full text of "Memorial of Samuel Whitney Hale, Keene, N.H. Born April 2, 1822; died October 16, 1891"

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Samuel Whitney Hale 



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MEMORIAL 



OF 



Saaiuel Whitney Hale 





KEENE. N. H. 




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KiL 2, 1822 October 16, 1891 




By W. DtLoSS Lovt, JR. 




Privatelv Prixteo 




HARTFORD. CONN 
Pr<$» or Cb< C»$<, Xockwoob & Sralnacd Companf 

Mis 



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INSCRIBED 

\ N I ■ I • 

THE PRECIOUS MEMORY OF THOSE LITTLE ONES 

DEPARTED WHOM HE CARRIES 

IN HIS ARMS 



•• The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there 
shall no torment touch them. 

•• In the sight of the umvise they seemed to die : and their de- 
parture is taken for misery, and their going from us to he utter 
destruction ; but they are in peace. 

" For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their 
hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they 
shall be greatly rncarded, for God proved them and found them 
worthy for Himself." 



yT^ WREATH of evcrg^rcen ! It was hung over a 
11 familiar portrait at Christma-s tide. Every one 
J who looks upon it may read in the emblem a 

beautiful sttjry of undying affection in her who placed 
it there. Vet now as the days go by the wreath is 
withering, its green is fading into the sear and sombre 
hue of time and the dried sprigs are falling. So in hope 
of twining one which will not so soon perish, and that 
those who come after us, when they look upon his face, 
may know him as he was known in his family circle, we 
make this record of his life. 

Samuel Whitney Hale was born April 2, 1822, in the 
home of his father, Samuel Hale, which was situated on a 
beautiful hillside overlooking the thriving town of Fitch- 
burg, Mass. His mother was Saloma Whitney, bom in 
Westminster, Mass.. January 10, 1792, where her father, 
Samuel Whitney, Jr.. resided. Thus on both the pa- 
ternal and maternal sides he was of a worthy ancestr>'. 
the Hales and the Whitneys having been conspicuous 
from earliest times in New England history. The line 
of his father's descent is: Samuel Hale, Moses Hale of 
Fitchburg, Moses Hale of Newbury. Rev. Moses Hale of 
Byfield, John Hale of Ncwbur)-. Thomas Hale of New- 
bury and Watton, Hertfordshire, England. The line of 



8 

his mother's descent is : Saloma Whitney, Samuel Whit- 
ney, Jr., of Westminster, Samuel Whitney of Westmin- 
ster, William Whitney of Weston, Nathaniel Whitney 
of Watertown, John Whitney, Jr., of Watertown, John 
Whitney of Watertown and Isleworth, England. These 
ancestors were joined in marriage to well-known ISIassa- 
chusetts families as the following names testify : Smith, 
Huse, Moody, Symonds; and Wilder, Fletcher, Pierce, 
Hagar, Reynolds. 

So the babe born in the hillside home had a title by 
the laws of heredity to the New England character, the 
virtues of which have been a great element of success in 
so many lives. His grandfather, Moses Hale, had been 
reared under the strictest religious influences, which had 
emanated from the instruction of an honored New Eng- 
land minister of the olden time. Moses Hale carried 
those influences with him when he removed from New- 
bury about 1 786 and established himself on a Fitchburg 
farm, where his son Samuel was born October 20, 1792. 
This son followed his father's vocation ; and the home- 
stead farm where Samuel Hale and Saloma Whitney 
spent their days,— passing thence to their reward in 1880, 
he on the ist of February, and she on the 25 th of 
June — was throughout his life a dearly-loved spot to 
their son. He ever recognized the fact that he owed 
much to the religious atmosphere of his father's house, 
though it seemed ^mewhat oppressive to his spirits in 
boyhood. Often in his maturer years, when weighed 
down with business cares and harassed by responsibili- 



tics, he turned aside for a while to breathe the invigor- 
atinpf air of that hill and delight in its extensive view. 
Thither his children often went to enjoy the partiality of 
their grandj>arents and the maiden aunt. Mary Elizabeth 
Hale, whose devoted life was a blessing to all who came 
under her influence and came to a close all too soon, June 
30, 1879. ^^^^ have walked with him around the familiar 
premises and marked the reverence he had for the old 
home and the lessons of his childhood. Words of coun- 
sel which his parents had given were rejxjated. In a 
vein of commingled tenderness and merriment, scenes 
were revived in which his boyish love for fun had 
offended the discipline of the Puritiin household. He 
remembered with exceptional clearness the details of his 
early days on the fami, — how he had held the plough 
in the field for the first time, had driven the herd to 
pasture by such a path, had been diverted from his play 
in the d<x>ryard to watch his mother feeding the chick- 
ens, had occupied such a .^eat in the old schoolhouse in 
the valley, and had received the great tniths of morality 
and religion in line upon line about the fireside. Remi- 
niscences of this past were pleasant to hear from his lips, 
not only because of his own inimitable recital of them, 
but also because they seemed to afford him so much 
pleasure in the recollection. So the streams of influence 
from his childhood went singing through his life. 

In those years of his youth Samuel Whitney Hale 
obtained such in.struction as the schools of the town 
afforded. These advantages were not great, and as he 



lO 



grew he realized more the necessity of exerting himself 
in acquiring an education. He had not been gifted with 
that power of application which makes a student ; but he 
had an intuitive faculty of gathering facts and appre- 
hending situations which is often a means of developing 
men in the affairs of life more than the schools. He had 
been taught to work and had learned what work can 
accomplish, though he had no particular fondness for the 
routine of farm labor. Withal he had a restless disposi- 
tion which could not be satisfied with the quiet environ- 
ment of the agriculturist, but must be in the midst of the 
world's business. It was altogether natural to him to 
trade. As he grew to maturity therefore an ambition 
awakened within him to find a larger sphere of activity 
where he might hope to see his aims realized. 

Shortly after he became of age he left his father's 
house to take up his residence in Dublin, N. H., where he 
engaged in business with his elder brother, John Moses 
Hale. There his labors were prospered. He extended 
his interests and entered into manufacturing. It could 
not be expected that this rural town on the shoulder of 
Mount Monadnock would long continue to be his home. 
It was so until 1859 when he removed to Keene, N. H., 
the center of manufacturing and business interests in 
Cheshire County. The affection Mr. Hale had for Dub- 
lin and his interest in its people were the growth of those 
years. He made acquaintances in the village store and 
in the church, and these he ever remembered. Indeed, 
this was one prominent characteristic in his kindly 



II 



nature; he loved to meet his old friends and never 
missed an opportunity of inquiring after them. The 
warm attachment many had for him throughout his life 
grew in part out of this genuine interest he had in them. 
Their faces were known to him at once though he had 
not seen them perhaps for years, and he could speak 
their names without hesitation. Throughout his political 
life this faculty won him popularity, and all the more 
because it was evidently a natural trait in the man. In 
traveling with him we have often noted his greeting of 
one whom he had known years before. It seemed 
to bring a flock of recollections to his mind and he could 
give a biography of his old friend enlivened with many 
incidents — a story told in such friendliness that the 
absent one would have been pleased to hear it. 

While residing in Dublin Mr. Hale founded his home. 
He was married by Rev. Levi W. Leonard, D.D., June 
13, 1850, to Emelia Marinda Hay, who was born in Dub- 
lin November 9, 1832, a daughter of Joseph Fitch and 
Nancy Saunders Hay. This family were early settlers in 
the town, to which Joseph's father, Thomas Hay, Jr., had 
come from Merrimack, N. H., where Thomas Hay, the 
son of William Hay, M.D., of Reading, Mass., had been 
an original settler. The son-in-law was welcomed into 
this family circle, and in an adjoining house his two chil- 
dren were born, William Samuel, May 17, 1854, and Mary 
Louise, August 26, 1855. Here it is pleasant to record 
the esteem he ever had for Mr. and Mrs. Hay, who spent 
their declining years amid the comforts of his home at 



12 

Keene, — the father a gentleman of the old school and 
the mother devoted to the kind offices of the household. 
Respect for the aged was characteristic of him, but in his 
relations to her whom he lovingly knew as " grand- 
mother," surviving her husband as she did many years, 
there was filial love which his family can never forget. 
On formal occasions it was she who was escorted on his 
arm to the table. By many attentions and a tender 
solicitude for her comfort she was made to feel that she 
was welcome in the home where she dwelt. She, too, 
reciprocated this kindness, and as a mother was faithful 
to him, mourning his death in her age. 

The religious nature of Mr. Hale was developed in 
early life. His parents had been connected with a Con- 
gregational church, but he came under the more ardent 
religious teachings of the Methodists and united with a 
Methodist church. It was easy for those who knew him 
well to account for this affiliation. He had a strong 
emotional temperament and was oftentimes borne along 
by the rising tide of his feelings. He was enthusiastic in 
whatever engaged his mind, and religion was no excep- 
tion. So it happened that he came under revivalistic 
influences, experiencing great good himself in such 
seasons and believing thoroughly in that means of awak- 
ening fervor in a church. The Unitarian teachings 
under which many of his friends sat in Dublin, and 
which he never spoke harshly of, did not effect a change 
in his opinions. Even after his removal to Keene, when 
he and his companion united with the First Congrega- 



13 

tional Church then under the pastoral care of Rev. Z. S. 
Barstow, D.D., the characteristic of religious earnestness 
dominated his thought. It was doubtless one reason why 
he joined with others in 1867 to form the Second Congre- 
gational Church. 

Mr. Hale's business connections were extensive and 
various. It does not fall within our purpose to give a 
particular account of them, but any sketch of his life 
would be incomplete without some notice of his excep- 
tional capacities, the very scope of which involved him in 
overvvhelming responsibilities. The ability to watch over 
the exacting details of an enterprise, so essential to its 
permanent success, is seldom found in the man who con- 
ceives it and can push it with enthusiasm. Of Mr. Hale 
it can be said as of few. he had marvelous energy and 
indomitable perseverance. He accomplished through his 
zeal what others would have given up as impossible. 
Such a disposition is ever liable to make extravagant 
estimates and cannot be governed by a calm conserva- 
tism. It takes many things on the assurances of others 
and must leave to them the working of the machinery. 
Its mission is to furnish the motive force, to carry a 
venture forward with enterprise. In all the business 
relations of Mr. Hale this seems to have been the part 
which fell to him, and his success was largely due to this 
extraordinary capacity. Any one of the numerous com- 
panies in which he was interested was sufficient to claim 
all the attention of an energetic man. He believed in 
them and served them as well as he could. His labors 



were greatly augmented by his desire to protect others 
who had adventured with him. Yet he thought he had 
time and streng-th for more and expanded his interests. 
The wheels of fortune, however, turn continuously for 
but few in this world, and there is a limit in our human 
capacity to tend them. It was through no abating of his 
efforts that their product decreased. He bore disappoint- 
ment with a brave heart — its deepest bitterness himself, 
blaming not others, shielding not his own, courageous 
and hopeful in his expectations until that tireless energy, 
which was a wonder to all who knew him, fell asleep. 

The political career of Mr. Hale affords to one who 
was intimately acquainted with it a pleasing view of his 
manhood. In his youth he sympathized with the Free- 
soil party, and for its candidate he cast his first vote. At 
its organization he joined the Republican party. No one 
surely ever entertained a suspicion that he was half- 
hearted in his political faith. It was characteristic of him 
to be both loyal and enthusiastic. Having become a sup- 
porter of the candidacy of Hon. James G. Blaine he never 
wavered, and many are the admiring remarks he has been 
heard to make of that great political leader even after his 
chances of succe.ss had waned. He valued party triumphs, 
perhaps more than some would, but in this he was con- 
sistent with his belief that a Republican administration 
was best qualified to serve the people. As he became 
more and more familiar with politics, he was drawn into 
them. In 1866 he was elected to the State Legislature, 
and was reelected the year following. For two years he 



was chosen a member of the Governor's Council. Then, 
in the autumn of 1882, came an exciting canvass which 
resulted in his being the Republican nominee for Gov- 
ernor of the State. It was a season of general disaster to 
his party throughout the coimtry, but he was elected, and 
on the 7th of June, 1883, was inaugurated at Concord. 
This success, however much of honor he may have seen 
in it, was but the background upon which his friends 
were enabled to see certain noble traits in his character. 
His conduct during the ordeal of political conflict was ad- 
mirable. It was said of him at the time in a newspaper : 
" Any one who has been thrown into personal contact 
with ;Mr. Hale cannot fail to have become impressed with 
that gentleman's eminently proper and dignified bearing. 
If he has even once yielded to the temptation to indulge 
in vehement expression or angry retort, we have yet 
to learn of it." In his family, where many would 
have felt less restraint, he was never heard to speak un- 
kindly of his political opponents. Indeed, though he was 
not at other times insensible of unjust or unfriendly 
treatment, he readily found excuse for the utterances of 
an exciting campaign. He read them all, particularly 
those judgments which were adverse, — read them with 
amusement, and welcomed the suggestion that they be 
preserved in a scrap-book for his entertainment. And, 
though we note this trait in connection with his political 
career, it was always and everywhere true of him that he 
never harbored enmity. He taught his family by example 
to forgive. Though he did not hesitate to disagree with 



i6 

others, he was able to appreciate their situation. He recog- 
nized the good qualities in others, and praised many be- 
hind their backs who had no reason to expect such words. 
A friend truly wrote of him : " I have always noticed that 
he never said harsh or unkind things of anyone." In this 
he has left behind him a memory that is blessed. 

Governor Hale discharged the duties of his high office 
with credit to himself and honor to the State. His execu- 
tive ability was unquestioned. The legislation which 
came before him was conscientiously and thoroughly con- 
sidered, and his action received the commendation of his 
fellow-citizens. He was a patriot in every sense of the 
word. The interests of the people which had been com- 
mitted to his care were foremost in his mind. Great 
pressure was brought to bear upon him to exercise his 
power of veto. He could have done so with reasons which 
would have seemed sufficient to many, and his action 
would have been of life-long benefit to himself in circum- 
stances which conspired against him, but he did not hesitate 
for one moment to choose that course which he thought 
was for the welfare of the State. He made such appoint- 
ments as the dignity of the office at his disposal de- 
manded, even at the risk of experiencing the resentment 
of some who had been his personal friends. The conse- 
quences were never so great that he regretted in after 
times his decision. His pastor spake of him as follows : 
" Amid the whirlpools, pitfalls, and quicksands of political 
life, so universally fatal to the strongest, he moved with 
conscience and integrity unimpaired. His attitude and 



17 

conduct in public life made a deep and salutary impres- 
sion upon his immediate associates, especially upon the 
members of his Council and Staff : while Governor with 
one accord they bear hearty witness to his thoroughly 
Christian and manly conduct and action when principle 
was at stake." 

This opinion of him was given in the public press : 
" Governor Hale's administration was clean and successful 
in every way, and was characterized by several new and 
important measures which were adopted by the Legisla- 
ture and received the Governor's support and sanction. 
He filled the office of Chief Executive of the State with 
marked ability, firmness, and dignity, proving one of the 
best and ablest governors which New Hampshire has had 
for years. No flaws or shortcomings were ever found in 
his gubernatorial career, even by his political opponents 
and enemies." 

Those who had even a slight acquaintance with Mr. 
Hale will agree that one of his conspicuous traits was his 
kindness of heart. This was manifest throughout his life 
in his relations to employees, among his relatives and 
friends, in his church fellowship, and in his home. None 
ever appealed to him for help and were denied when the 
relief was within his power. The enduring attachment 
many had for him, especially among the poor and such as 
had been sick or unfortunate, was in numerous instances 
due to some unheralded kindness which they had received 
at his hand. It was not possible for him to be miserly 
and close with what he had to bestow. So easy was it to 



i8 

obtain a favor from him that he was constantly appealed 
to in person and by letter. He released many from their 
obligations to him when others would have pressed the 
claims. With what pleasure did he send his carriage on 
the Sabbath to carry this or that infirm person to the 
house of God ! The grapes in his hothouse, which 
ripened while yet the winter's snow lingered, were not 
too costly for the invalid, and were sometimes sent to those 
whom he had never even seen. Strange it was, and still 
it was true, he would listen more attentively to the recital 
of another's trouble than to the discussion of matters 
which most men would have thought of greater moment. 
His sympathies were easily aroused, and he usually found 
some practical way of expressing them. 

Thus by the exhibition of his desire to see others 
happy, he wrought his life into the hearts of many about 
him. This was preeminently true in his home. Among 
his servants he was popular. They did his bidding with 
something of pleasure. Though he was absent from his 
home much of the time on business, he delighted to 
think that those whom he had left there were enjoying 
its pleasures. Their friends were his also. They came, 
and were welcomed. They went away, and felt that it 
would be pleasant to come again. His hospitality was 
without grudging. On many occasions he entertained 
lecturers, and when there was a religious gathering his 
house was sure to be filled with guests. He always had 
a room in his mansion for any who might turn aside 
from the thronged pathway to rest awhile. One who had 



i 






19 

a remembrance of his hospitality has written of it thus : 
" I once saw him in his own lovely home, surrounded by 
his accomplished family. I was quite sick at the time, 
but the kind attentions of all kept heart in me, and I 
have never forgotten their courtesies to the stranger." 
The intimation of these words is just, for wife, son, and 
daughter were in cordial sympathy with such services ; 
but they would accord to the head of the household the 
honor of being the personal inspiration of these loving 
deeds. 

Throughout the forty years of Mr. Hale's married life 
he displayed a constancy of affection toward her whom 
he had chosen, which can only be recalled by his chil- 
dren with tenderest emotion. As the bower over which 
the honeysuckle clambers is filled with fragance, so was 
his home with love. No whispered word ever brought 
a reproach against the purity of his life. He was, too, a 
generous father, indulging his children in all that could 
contribute to their happiness. The words of admonition 
or counsel he uttered were few, but wisely chosen, and 
the respect his children had for his wishes made them 
sufficient. From their infancy his grandchildren were 
drawn toward him, seeming to know by instinct his ten- 
der feelings. When he was away from them their names 
were often on his lips, and in their presence he entered 
into all their childish joys. So he showed his love for all 
children wherever he met them. On one occasion he 
brought a beautiful child home with him, and she tarried 
in his family for years — a joy and sunbeam in the 



20 

household. We have seen him at a railroad station, 
while waiting for a train, take a crying- babe from the 
mother, wholly unknown to him, and carry it in his arms, 
which was surely an unusual service for the Governor of 
a commonwealth. This same tenderness was often seen 
in the homes of his children. There are those who will 
never forget the sound of his anxious footsteps to and 
fro through many hours of the night of watching. The 
flight of that child's spirit was his loss, too ; his tearful 
eyes and voice melted with sorrow told how great a loss. 
As time goes on all remembrance of him may fade from 
the mind of even the eldest of his grandchildren, except 
as these lines may, perhaps, freshen it ; but there were 
days when they watched at the window for his coming, 
with expectations of a greeting from "grandpa" — the 
best of their friends. 

In the memorial discourse preached shortly after his 
death by Rev. G. H. DeBevoise, his pastor, the following 
eloquent tribute was paid to Mr. Hale's home life : " He 
lavished the love and tenderness of his pure and loving 
heart without stint or measure upon wife and children. 
All that true devotion to their happiness and good could 
do was ever done for them. From the distractions of 
business, from the whirl of politics, he retired to his 
home as to a sanctuary, and he strove to keep himself 
sweet and pure through home influences and through 
prayer. Not only when the waters went over him did 
he pray, but also when through calm, unruffled seas he 
was making progress toward the city that hath founda- 



21 

tions, whose builder and maker is God. In his children's 
children he had great delight and joy. They are not old 
enough to know or recollect much about him. But they 
will be told of his love for them, and of a life not per- 
fect, but one which amid the strife of tongues, the war of 
words, the harassing cares of business, the burdens, 
temptations, and trials of high political station, steadily 
held to tnith, integrity, to love of men, and to God." 

The personal appearance of Mr. Hale was such that 
he was a marked man wherever he went. In stature he 
was above the average height, his form was erect, and he 
walked with a firm step. The charm of his countenance 
was in his pleasant smile, which could be detected in his 
twinkling eye before it appeared on his face. His coal- 
black hair conveyed to strangers the impression that he 
was younger than his years. Persons who met him 
noted his genial manner, which was warmed by the gen- 
tleness of his speech. Few men are more companionable 
than he was. On all subjects he was well-informed, and 
his conversation was sure to be enlivened by some story 
which came to his mind from some mysterious depth, 
for, though often with him, we have rarely heard him 
repeat himself. If he lacked in being able to read the 
characters of other men, it was singularly true that other 
men could easily detect his kindly disposition in his face. 
One day, when he was riding in a train, a man entered 
the car, and after passing through it, eyeing every pas- 
senger nan-owly, he came to Mr. Hale, and asked for fifty 
cents to pay his fare. It was paid at once, and the 



22 

stranger bluntly told his benefactor that he knew by his 
face that he would not be refused. 

No one will deny that Mr. Hale had great courage 
and pluck. The business reverses which came upon him 
in his last years would have conquered most men. His 
desire to recover himself urged him on to exertions 
which, if unwisely judged and of unfortunate issue, had 
at least in his mind the merit of an honorable intention. 
The physical man cannot endure all that such a brave 
spirit puts upon it, and in his case death brought him 
a release. A gentleman distinguished in the public life 
of the State expressed his opinion in these words : "I 
think Governor Hale was one of the noblest and 
ablest men I have known. The really great things which 
he accomplished by his pluck and bravery and intelli- 
gence and business capacity, and the sturdy manhood 
with which he encountered the misfortunes of life and 
battled with them to the last, when weak and small men 
would have laid down in despair, entitle him to be 
honored and remembered as one of our most superior 
men." 

In his devotion to the interests of the Second Congre- 
gational Church of Keene, with which Mr. Hale was 
connected for nearly twenty-five years, he set a com- 
mendable example. He gave generously to build its 
house of worship and for many years thereafter he was a 
pillar of strength in its fellowship. The preacher of the 
Gospel had his full and hearty encouragement in his 
work. He felt that he was not fitted to teach, yet he 



23 

nevertheless tried to do his part in the teaching of the 
Sabbath-school. His contributions to the various neces- 
sities of the church, whether he was called upon to make 
up a deficit, repair the meeting-house, or bury the dead, 
were all cheerfully given, perhaps the most so of any 
benefactions he made, though he was much interested in 
missions, for he had a large conception of the necessity of 
established religious influences and believed in the fel- 
lowship of Christians in the church of Christ. He would 
fain have had his last days contribute to the honor and 
usefulness of the church he loved ; if it was otherwise the 
greater grief was his. Under no circumstances in his 
intercourse with men, — who are always influenced by 
confessions of faith however far short our human nature 
may come of abiding by them — did he hesitate to avow 
his allegiance to Christ. He was never ashamed of the 
blessed Redeemer. 

An honored member of his gTibernatorial staff bears 
this testimony concerning him : " Governor Hale was 
one to whom by long acquaintance I had become very 
much attached, and had learned to love. In all of my 
business relations of more than thirty-five years I never 
had to do with one more noble and upright. Socially he 
was always gentlemanly and courteous, ever extending 
the hand of welcome, expressive of a warm and generous 
heart. In fact, he was this to every one, however humble 
their position in life. 

" He was always loyal to his religious obligation, 
ready at all times to do his duty though the cross be 



24 

heavy; and I well remember many years ago when he was 
State Councilor of his frequent attendance at the men's 
morning prayer-meeting, held in a hall near the council 
chamber. His remarks were listened to with the closest 
attention, his prayer was earnest, and his influence always 
on the side of religion and Christian benevolence, as 
many poor persons can testify. His heart and purse were 
always open to them for sympathy and help, and he was 
ever ready to aid in sending the gospel to those who 
have it not, 

" In later years, when going through the political 
strife of a gubernatorial campaign, my attachment grew 
stronger, and after his election, receiving an appointment 
on his staff, I had an opportunity to see more of the real 
man than ever before, as my relations with him were 
more close and intimate. I have been with him on many 
pleasant occasions, when thousands turned their eyes to 
witness his approach ; also when dark clouds hung low, 
when various influences and threats were used for a pur- 
pose, but, like the man that he was, he claimed a right to 
think and act for himself — ever governed by the princi- 
ple of justice and right, and with fidelity did he do his 
duty to his God, himself, and the State. As its chief 
executive, no one, not even his political opponents, could 
say aught of his administration. 

" From the generous impulse of his heart he spoke no 
unkind word of anyone, but always threw the mantle 
of charity over all, whether friend or otherwise. I be- 
lieve him to have been a noble Christian man, and I shall 
ever cherish his memory and think of him as such." 



25 

That Mr. Hale made a similar impression of liis 
Christian character upon his business associates the fol- 
lowing words from one of them bear witness : 

" Of course all who knew him well recognized the 
splendid attributes of his good nature. Generous, ami- 
able, gentle, keenly alive to his moral, religious, and 
social obligations, he faithfully discharged his whole duty 
to the State, community, his family, friends, and his God. 

" From him I have had repeated evidences of his abid- 
ing faith in the Redeemer of mankind, his absolute 
loyalty to our common religion and his hope in im- 
mortality. He certainly could have had no fear of Death. 

" Let us think of him as we knew him in the prime 
of his manly vigor, when ' his eye was not dimmed nor 
his native force abated.' Let us be consoled with the 
belief that his generous soul rests in peace ; and that he 
has gone to ' his chamber in the silent halls of death,' 
sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust, and ' like 
one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him he lay 
down to pleasant dreams.' 

" He was a manly man. Nature had endowed him with 
a generous hand. His mental and physical powers were 
liberally bestowed upon him, and in all respects he was a 
gentleman. ' His life was gentle, and the elements so 
mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all 
the world : This was a man.' " 

Samuel Whitney Hale died at the home of his beloved 
elder brother, John M. Hale, 361 Monroe Street, Brooklyn, 
N. Y., October 16, 1891. He had been far from well for 



26 

some time, but with characteristic fortitude he concealed 
so far as possible his condition from his family, though 
its hopelessness was made known to him by his physician 
about a week before his death. Nature was merciful 
in permitting him to pursue his labors until within ten 
days of that time. What his thoughts were in bidding 
farewell to that business world where he had been long 
so active these lines will testify : 

" A week before his death he spent some time in my 
office, and he seemed cheerful and usually well, but said 
he felt weak, but thought he was gaining steadily. He 
was anxious to carry forward some business he had just 
entered into. He spoke of some acquaintances that had 
died suddenly. He said any of us might die in the same 
manner, but that would be all right if we were ready. He 
spoke with confidence of the future life, and had no fears. 
He said if he could have his choice it would be not to 
have a lingering sickness that would be a tax on those 
left. He seemed to think more of this - — to leave those 
whom he had so long loved and cared for, as they for him, 
behind ; but he knew he should meet them again." 

So he passed away. Everything which brotherly 
kindness could suggest and the skilled attentions of a 
sister beloved could devise, ministered to the relief of his 
fleeting hours. Comforted by the Christian faith and 
hope of her who had been the devoted companion of his 
life, and cheered by the words of his son upon whom he 
had leaned, he fell asleep in the gray dawn of the morn- 
ing, — the shadows fled away and the day broke ! His 



27 

remains were sorrowfully carried to his home, so pleasant 
and happy in other days by his presence, where on the 
19th of October the funeral obsequies were held. Dust 
was committed to dust, as is the final lot of all that is mor- 
tal ; the spirit had gone to God who gave it. 

men eccm betimes in tbe e^es of a vain worlD to <Me great; 
but in tbe Xamb'15 book of lite, from wblcb no recorO of our 
past faDes awag tbougb bg men forgotten, tbere is no sucb 
rating. Cbrougb tbe gift of Divine mercg tbe most tbe best 
of us can bope for is to Die forgiven. 



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