^ m m m 1 ^JSS3«K< ^ .SKdC^'cc: cc^ <: x:. c ' jcxX-><:^:^^_io.. ^^ ^ _^'<:^ccr <:< <'^^i: CC c cvC cc^- c- c-:cc - cc cc c c^ox^cc^ c<^«:: cc: G' MEMORIAL NOTICE OF HON. ICHABOD WASHBURN, iFounUn: of tlje practical ilSccf)antcal department. WORCESTER: PRINTED BY CHARLES HAMILTON, PALLADIUM OFFICE. 1869. \ A \ \ ^ CONTENTS, PAGE. Trustees and Instructors 7 Foundation, 9 Charter, 13 Library and Apparatus Fund, 15 Mechanical Department, 17 Worcester Building Fund, ....... 24 Fund for Instruction, ... .... 27 Fund for Apparatus, Books, &c 28 Memorial Notice of John Boynton. Esq., .... 29 Address of Hon. D. Waldo Lincoln, Chairman of Building Committee, on delivery of the Keys, ... 31 Acceptance of Building by Hon. Stephen Salisbury, President of the Trustees, 35 Address of the President 39 by Prof. Chester S. Lyman, of Sheffield Scientific School. Yale College, 42 '•• Prof. John S. Woodman, of Chandler Scientific Department of Dartmouth College, ... 56 '• Charles O. Thompson, Professor of Chemistry, and Principal of the Institute, .... 66 ^' Hon. James B. Blake, Mayor of Woi-cester, . 89 '" Governor Alexander H. Bullock, . . 93 '• Rev. Dr. S. Sweetser, of Worcester, . . 100 •* Prof. Wm. 1P. Atkinson, of Massachusetts In- stitute of Technology, 104 "' Thomas A. Thacher, Professor of Latin Lan- guage, &c., Yale College, 110 '• Hon. Emory Washburn. Professor in Harvard University. 114 Abstract of Address by Ho?^. George F. Hoar, . . 120 Address by Judge Chapin, of Worcester, . . . . 121 Memorial Notice of Hon. Ichabod Washburn. . . . 125 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. John Boynton, Esq., Frontispiece Hon. Ichabod Washburn, 17 Boynton Hall, 26 The Work Shop 38 TRUSTEP]S. Hon. STEPHEN SALISBUKY, President. Hon. D. WALDO LINCOLN. Secretary. DAVID WHITCOMB, Esq., Treasurer. Rev. SETII SWEETSER, D. D., Hon. GEORGE F. HOAR, Hon. EMORY WASHBURN. Hon. ICHABOD WASHBURN, * Rev. ALONZO HILL. D. D., ALPHEUS HARDING, Jr., Esq., Rev. H. K. PERVEAR, CHARLES H. MORGAN. Esq., Hon. JAMES B. BLAKE. INSTRUCTORS. CHARLES O. THOMPSON, Chemistry. GEORGE E. GLADWIN, Free-Hand and Mechanical Drawing. GEORGE I. ALDEN, Civil and 3Iechanical Engineering. MISS HARRIET GOODRICH, Elementary Mathematics. superintendent of machine shop, MILTON P. HIGGINS. ♦After decease of Hon. Ichabod Washburn, P. L. Moen, Esq., was elected Trustee. FOUNDATION. Letter of Gift and Instructions from John Boynton, Esq., Founder of the Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science. " Being desirous to devote a portion of the property, which, in the good Providence of God has fallen to my lot, for the promotion of the welfare and happiness of ray fellow men, I have determined to set apart, and do here set apart, and give the sura of One Hundred Thousand Dollars, for the endowment and perpetual support of a free school, or institute, to be established in the County of Worcester, for the benefit of the youth of that County. "The aim of this school shall ever be the instruction of youth in those branches of education not usually taught in the public schools, which are essential, and best adapted to train the young for practical life; and especially, that such as are intending to be mechanics, or manufacturers, or farmers, ina,y attain an understanding of the princi- ples of science applicable to their pursuits, which will qualify them in the best manner for an intelligent and successful prosecution of their business; and that such as intend to devote themselves to any of the branches of mercantile business, shall in like manner be instructed in those parts of learning most serviceable to them ; and that such as design to become teachers of comraon schools, or schools of the like character as our comraon schools, may be in the best manner fitted for their calling ; and the various schemes of study and courses of instruc- tion sliall always be in accordance with this fundamental design, so as thereby to meet a want which our public schools have hitherto but in- adequately supplied. " And that my design may be the more fully understood, it is hereby enjoined upon those who shall be entrusted with executing this my pur- pose, that the following studies, or such parts of them as can be profit- ably pursued, shall always be embraced in the course of instruction — namely : Mathematics, with its simpler application to surveying, lev- eling, &c. ; Physics and Mechanics ; Mechanical Engineering ; Civil Engineering; including drawing, designing and modeling; Architecture, 2 10 as applied to construction of buildings, including value and strength of materials; Chemistry, elementary and practical, as applied to the vari- ous arts, and to agriculture; Metallurgy, the composition and working of metals ; Geology, with its application to mining and agriculture ; Astronomy, with its application to surveying and navigation ; Political Economy, including commercial laws and civil polity; Botany and Zoology, as applied to plants and animals used for food, and in the arts ; Book-Keeping, Geography, the French Language and the Science of Teaching ; together with such other kindred branches as experience may, from time to time, show to be necessary to the better securing of the general purpose. '•And these studies shall be arranged, and instruction given in them, according to the wisdom and discretion of those to whose care this insti- tution is entrusted; it being understood tiiat the course shall include studies with text books and recitations, and lectures with experiments, and all such practical applications of the use of tools and instruments, and the working of machinery, as may be available, so that the benefits of this school shall not be confined to the theories of science, but as far as possible shall extend to that practical application of its principles which will give the greatest advantage in the afiiiirs of life. '•This institute shall be located in the city of Worcester, provided the citizejis of Worcester furnish the funds necessary to purchase a lot and erect a suitable building or buildings for its accommodation, so that the same shall be ready foi- use on or before the first day of May. in the year 1867.* •'The oversight of this institution shall be in a board of twelve trus- tees, constituted as follows : The Mayor of the city of Worcester, for the time being, shall always be one; one shall be appointed by the Board of Education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; three shall be pastors of churches in the city of Worcester, of three difi'erent religious denominations, namely: The Orthodox Congregationalist, the Baptist and the Unitarian; the remaining seven shall be laymen of good intellio'ence and respectability, who shall be elected for their ability to direct the afi:airs of such a school. And when any vacancj- occurs by death or resignation, the place shall be filled by election, in which the choice shall be determined bj^ the major vote of the members of the board of trustees, regard being always had to the above regula- tions. •'In the appointment of the first board of trustees, the individuals to constitute the board will be selected by myself, with such advice and concurrence of those who co-opeiate in this design as propriet}* dictates, and it is expected that their names, in whole or in pait, will be con- tained in the act of incoi-poi'ation. '•This board shall receive and hold, and securel}'- invest the sum above named, and any and all other funds, of whatsoever kind, may be entrusted to them for the benefit of this school, and they and their suc- *Tlie time for comi)letiiij( tlio ImiUJiiig was extended. 11 cessors in trust are solemnly enjoined to fidelity in the care and use of all such funds, and not to sutter the same to be lost, or diminished, and to use the income of the above named fund, and that only, to meet the current expenses of the instruction of the school, exclusive of repairs, or improvement upon the real estate. If at any time there should re- main a surplus of the income of the fund for instruction, after defrayin^>-rT_^_.^ y MECHANICAL DEPARTMENT. Letter of Gift and Instructions from Hon. Ichabod Washburn, TO Establish the Machine Shop and Working Mechanical Department of the Institute. To the Trustees of the Free School of Industrial Science : Gentlemen — I have lonsr been satisfied that a course of instruction mioj-ht be adopted in the education of apprentices to mechanical em- ployments, whereby moral and intellectual training might be united with the processes by which the arts of mechanism, as well as skill in the use and adaptation of tools and machinery are taught, so as to ele- vate our mechanics as a class in the scale of intelligence and influence, and add to their personal independence and happiness, while it renders them better and more useful citizens, and so more like our Divine Mas- ter, whose youth combined the conversations of the learned with the duties of a mechanic's son, and whose ideas and teachings now underlie the civilization of the world. It has seemed to me that the establishment of an Industrial Institute, such as it is proposed to found in Worcester, ofiers a favorable oppor- tunity for attempting to accomplish this purpose, by a measure which will be sure to be in harmony with the design and operations of such an institution. Impressed with this thought, I have concluded to propose to you a scheme, which, if it meets your approbation, may become a department of such institute, under the general charge and manage- ment of its ti-ustees and officers, with such proper limitations and sub- ject to such rules and conditions as may be proposed on ray part, and assented to on theirs, to be varied and modified hereafter as occasion may require, by the mutual consent and agreement of the trustees and myself. The scheme is substantially this, viz : — There shall be a machine shop of sufficient capacity to employ twenty or more apprentices, with a suitable number of practical teachers and workmen in the shop to in- struct such apprentices, and pi-ovided with all necessary steam power, engines, tools, apparatus, and niachinery of the most approved models 3 18 and styles in use, to cany on the business of such machine shop in all its parts as a practical workin- 116 demand in the county for such instruction as this school is designed to impart, the school must itself be enlarged and its facilities increased. And as every thing thus far had been the results of jjrivate liberality, on the part of gentle- men in the county, the school must look to a like liberality on that of the mechanics and manufacturers who were to be the most directly benefited, to meet their wants and to make it what it should be. And here he wished to impress upon the minds of the people of the county, that they were personally and directly interested in the success of this en- terprise. Every parent, no matter how poor or humble he may be, if he has a son to educate and start in life, has a direct interest in maintaining an Institution which is open to all, free of charge, and does what it can to aid every one who comes to share its benefits, without regard to birth or condition in life. So it is with every young man who is seeking an opportunity to fit himself to earn a competence in any of the departments of honest industry. And the same is true of the manufacturers and master mechanics in the county themselves, who employ the labor and skill of the workman. This school is for their benefit also. And in saying this he was but repeating the views of the gen- tlemen who had done so much in founding it. Take the case, for illustration, of a young man who after having shared the benefits of the common school, goes into a shop as an apprentice to learn the trade of a mechanic. He has not been taught the laws of mechanism, the nature and properties of metals, or the processes by which an end is to be reached, which helps to make so large a part of the trade he is to learn. People are misled by high-sounding terms, and it might seem to be idle to talk about teaching such a young man to understand science. There is something in the very word science which seems to put it out of the reach or comprehension of common minds. And so the a})pren- tice goes on, month after month, in doing a thing over and over again, till, by repetition, he is able to do it well. And he would be surprised to be told that the formida- 117 ble something which folks call science, is, in his case, simply knowing hoiv to do the tiling. It is finding out by repeated experiments what the law or rule is, by which an end sought, may be reached or accomplished. Now, could he have been taught this as a part of his pre- paratory education at school ; could he have been taught the mechanical powers, the properties of matter, the effect of chemical or mechanical combinations ; before he entered the shop or the dye house, he would have been spared this waste of time in trials or experiments, and have been ready, at once, to be profitable to his employer as well as useful to himself. And the employer, too, would be relieved from that waste which every mechanic and manufacturer suffers from incompetent and unskillful workmen and apprentices, by the breakage of tools, damage to materials, and the bad character of work done. So palpable is this that it would not be difiicult to show its truth by something like an accu- rate computation. If he was right in his recollection of the products of mechanical labor in Worcester County, in 1865, it might be estimated at $25,000,000. This shows not only how deep a stake the men of the county have in whatever favors their productive industry, but it shows, at the same time, their ability to lend aid to whatever could do this. There are, he had reason to believe, at least twenty thous- and persons employed in the mechanical and manufacturing operations in the county. The average active life of these cannot be set down at more than twenty years. So that, at least, a thousand new operatives come into the business every year. Now, if half a year could be practically saved and thus added to the capacity and skill of these young- men, by a previous preparation, it would be adding five hundred years work, in the aggregate of a skilled mechanic, to the power of production ; or, to state it in another form, the work of five hundred men to the profitable industry of the county, and increase, to that extent, the convertible resources of her industrial classes. Nor is that all. The difference between educated and uneducated labor is not to 118 be measured by mere dollars and cents. The advantage of the education which our operatives already receive from our common schools, is illustrated in the difference which is witnessed, every day, between the workman in the English shops and our own. There the apprentice learns some one department of a trade, and is content to confine himself to that alone. He goes through the same operations till he becomes as much a machine as the loom or spinning frame which he tends. A traveler had told him that when he vis- ited a manufactory of. shawls in Paisley, he found a man weaving the borders, and upon asking him how or by whom these borders were attached to the body of the shawl, he was answered that "he never inquired, he supposed it was done in some of the upper rooms, and that was all he could tell about it." In what shop in this country would such a thing be true of a Yankee operative? When one of the Lowell companies began to print their goods, they sent for a competent head of their works to England. He brought with him workmen skilled in the various processes, but being in want of others he employed a number of Yankee hands, putting some of them to work upon one of the processes and some upon another. In less than a year, he was astonished by a request from one of these to be trans- ferred from one part of the work to another. He was still more puzzled when, to his inquiry, this operative admitted that he had nothing to complain of in the work he had been doing ; and he pressed him for a reason why he wanted to change. "Do you suppose," said the operative, "that I am going to stay in that room all my days ? You hired me to work in your print works, and I expect to understand what printing is before I get through." And, said the superin- tendent, in giving an account of his first experience with raw Yankees, "these men had not been there three years before they knew how to do every part of the work." In another similar establishment, with which he was acquainted, the head of the dyeing department, counting upon his su- perior skill and experience, and believing that these could 119 not be supplied without great difficulty, became so exor- bitant in his deraaiids, that his employers refused to com- ply with them, and he left the work. The head man in the repair shop, who had never served any apprenticeship to the business of a dyer, but had had his natural good sense and mother wit cultivated by education and habits of obser- vation, was put into the place w^hich had been thus vacated, and in a very few weeks his employers found they had actually gained by the exchange. Pie did not, however, want any better illustration of what might be accomplished by native good sense, cultivated by education and disci- plined by observation, when aided by experience and sus- tained by good judgment and strong resolution, than might be seen in the history of one of the founders ot this insti- tution. He had learned the trade of a mechanic, as an ap- prentice, in a neighboring town. While thus emplo^^ed, there was nothing to mark him beyond the same unpreten- tious qualities which have distinguished him ever since — dili- gence, fidelity to duty, an unblemished life and a steady resolve to improve himself and deserve the confidence of others. After completing his apprenticeship, he came to Worcester, and, after several years, engaged in a manufac- ture which he had built up by his own enterprise, and in w^hich he has attained an excellence that is not surpassed by any manufacturer in the world. Yet though he had in this way risen to the possession of wealth, and an enviable po- sition of respect and social influence in this community, it was only after repeated efi'orts and failures in his endeavors to attain to the requisite skill, that he was able to deduce the true laws of science in the manufacture in which he was engaged, from the experiments which he had made and the inferences derived from his own reasoning and observation. To do this, however, involved the loss of time and money, and the depression of repeated disappointments which would have disheartened a less resolute nature, until, at last, he triumphed in a complete success. Now no one need be told that if, instead of this, he could have had some 120 competent teacher to sit down and detail to him, before he had begun, the several processes by which he now trans- forms the metal, in its primitive state, to the perfect article which finds its way to every market, he would have been spared this waste of time and money, and the tax upon his nervous energy which it had cost him to be his own teacher. And it was one of the strong motives, on the part of that gentleman, in contributing so liberally towards the es- tablishment of this institution, to save the young men, who should come after him, from the disappointments, the per- plexity and discouragement which he had to encounter and overcome before attaining that skill and science in his busi- ness which were now brint^ino^ their rcAvard. It was his own experience that first suggested to him what that want was which he has now done so much to supply. He could not, therefore, forbear, in closing, congratulat- ing those who had listened to him with so much indulgence, that Worcester County was, at last, in possession of a school which was to remedy and supply so many of the defects and disadvantages under which her industry had hitherto labored, and that its privileges are offered freely to every young man who will reach forth a hand to receive them. Hon. George F. Hoar, M. C, roember of the board of trustees, was introduced, and spoke of the assurance the public has in the usefuhiess of the Institute, in the fact that it is the result of their own contribu- tions. The Institute is the result of individual benefactions, contrary to the system of the old world, where government and ecclesiastical bodies assume the establishment and control of educational institutions. He paid a high compliment to tlie general generosity of the public, and es- pecially mentioned the gift of Mr. James White of $1700. besides val- uable counsel, and the services or Mr, Abram Firth in inaugurating the enterprise. He also commended the remarks of the previous speakers in regard to the relations of classical and scientific education, claiming equal rank and value for both, and commending the pursuit of either in accordance with the ultimate purpose or pursuit in life. The general intelligence of the mechanics of Worcester of the present day, was com- mended, as promising the success of the Institute, and he appealed to the public for liberal contribution of funds to add to the endowment, that the Institute may fill its full place among the educational institutions 121 of the land. The necessity of such education as this Institute can give, was especially urged, from the fact that the general elevation of the public intellect is the only means of counteracting tlie stream of ignor- ance which is continually pouring upon our shores from the Old World, and rapidly mingling with the native element, as its equal in political power. It is from considerations such as these that we are induced to work for the establishment and perpetuation of educational institutions like that which we inaugurate to-day. The President then invited Hon. Henry Chapin, Judge of Probate and Insolvency, who replied as follows : Mr. President : — If it is in order and no other one wishes to speak, I propose to move an adjournment, and to ask the previous question upon my motion. I listened to the ex- ercises of the morning and took solid comfort in doing so. I learned thoroughly what is meant by a School of Industrial Science. I was not quite clear yesterday, when some one asked me its meaning, but after the able and lucid exposi- tions of Professors Lyman and Woodman, and the enthusi- astic, soul-stirring address of Mr. Thompson, your Princi- pal, every one present must be perfectly at home upon the subject. I said that I took solid comfort this morning. I should have done the same thing this afternoon had not the President significantly touched me upon the shoulder before we came back from the collation, and I have known him so well in my experience of the last few years, that I feared the significance of the gesture which he practiced upon me. I do not propose to speak upon the subject of the school, except to express my admiration of the generous manner in which it has been founded. The President has asked me to speak officially upon this subject, and as Judge of the Pro- bate Court for the County of Worcester, I wish to say dis- tinctly and unequivocally, that I approve of men of means diposing of their property for benevolent purposes during their lives. It does not particularly raise my respect to see a man holding on to every dollar to the last, and when he is obliged to part with it, seeming to attempt to make the best bargain he can for himself by some professedly benevolent 16 122 disposition of it. But when a live man invests his means in some charitable object, or some public institution, he seems to infuse into it something of that vital energy and activity by which it seems to become a live institution, gift- ed with the possession of a living soul. When I look at some of these Institutions which are the result of provisions which have been wrenched, as it were, from the possessor by the grasp of death, I am reminded of the remark of an old friend of mine, who applied to a stingy individual the theory that every new-born child became the possessor of the soul of some one who departed this life at the moment of the birth of the child. Said he, "When that man was born nobody died." So it is with certain classes of institutions. They seem to me to have no souls in them, because nobody died. The glory of this school of Industrial Science, which we dedicate to-day, is that it was founded by the voluntary contributions of living men, and as I look upon this splendid edifice, so faithfully and appropriately constructed, it seems to me to be radiant with the souls of those whose means have contributed to its establishment and erection. Would that Deacon Washburn could have left his sick room and joined in the exercises and festivities of this occasion. Would that John Boynton could have lived to see this day and rejoice in the result of his friendly gift, donated in his life-time. His act would have been more surprising to me than it was, had he not a number of years ago inquired of me if I knew of any institution which he could endow with a few thousand dollars ? Knowing him to be a man of rath- er an economical turn of mind, I had very little expectation that he would ever part with any of his money for literary or scientific purposes during his life. Yet, when his friend, David Whitcomb, spoke of the unknown donor of the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, I was not unprepared to suspect that Mr. Boynton was the man. Still, much as I was surprised at the act of John Boynton, the action of your 123 president, Ichabod Washburn, and James White created in me no surprise whatever. In common phrase, I have had occasion to measure these men ; and when your president touches me so signilicantly upon the shoulder, and gives me such unlimited authority to speak, I shall take the liberty to say in reference to him and Dea. Washburn, that when I see a man put his name for the sum of one thousand dollars to a subscription paper, and have the coolness when you call upon him, to draw his check in your favor for tw^o thousand dollars ; and when I see a man who has purchased an estate for charitable purposes, for the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars, and upon the receipt of the papers, which he had a perfectly legal and honorable right to receive for the original contract price, voluntarily give his check for one thousand dollars more than his legal or moral obligation demanded, I am authorized to say, and I will say, that such acts elevate my idea of human nature, and make me feel that it is an honor to belong to a community where such men are known and honored. Allow me to add one word more. This prosperous and enterprising city abounds in mechanics and manufacturers of abundant means and rich in resources. The same re- mark may not apply so appropriately to those of us who are limited to the incomes of professional life. I see before me a goodly number of rich and prosperous men, and, as Judge of the Probate Court of the County of Worcester, fully authorized by your President, my advice to you is, to settle a liberal portion of your estates during your own lives, and do not leave them for your heirs to quarrel about. Therefore, when you look upon this splendid edifice, stand- ing upon this beautiful hill, overlooking this fair city like a beacon light of science and civilization ; when you hear the names of its noble benefactors, already spoken in tones of gratitude and affection, destined to grow more and more honored with the progress of the generations ; when you shall begin to realize in your own souls the truth of the 124 immortal declaration, that " it is more blessed to give than to receive," — then indulge, for once, the luxury of empty- ing your coffers and "go and do likewise." Judge Chapin alluded to the agreeable and bountiful collation, which had been so highly enjoyed, and moved that the thanks of the company be tendered to the ladies and gentlemen of Worcester, for their elegant hospitality. This was unanimously voted, and the assembly was dis- solved. MEMORIAL NOTICE OF HON. ICHABOD WASHBURN. At a meeting of the Trustees of the Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science, held January 2, 1869, to take notice of the death .of Hon. Ichabod Washburn, a Trustee of the Institute, Mr. Salisbury, the President, thus addressed the Trustees : Gentlemen : — It is the dictate of duty and of proper sentiment that we should devote an early hour of this day to an interchang-e of thoughts on the death of our respected associate, Hon. Ichabod Wash- burn, who, after a long course of distressing disease, with painful and increasing physical disability, died at his home in this city, on the 30th ultimo, at the age of seventy years, four months and nineteen days. The important institution which is intrusted to our care, and from which so much of good is demanded and hoped for, had no more devoted friend, no more wise counsellor and no more eflQcient pro- moter than he. When the founder of the Institute, John Boynton, Esq., had provided for the intellectual training of our youth in those studies which would fit them for the productive arts, on which civiliza- tion and human progress will depend, Mr. Washburn came forward to give application and visible utility to the important department of me- chanical science by erecting a handsome and commodious machine shop on the grounds of the corporation, and furnishing it with a steam engine and machinery, and by providing a fund for the compensation of the superintendent of the machine shop and of the hired workmen, and for some aid in the support of some of the pupils as apprentices ; and all this was done by an expenditure greatly exceeding his first offer to this board. It was a noble generosity in our friend to provide for the youth of this and future time a more certain and easier way to win a share of the great success which he obtained by persevering, patient and difficult efforts. He was happy to remember, and no right-minded man could hear him tell without increasing admiration, that when he was an ap- prentice boy to a blacksmith in Leicester he paid for his seat in the church by making irons for a kitchen fire. He was afterwards a stu- dent in Leicester Academy, and for many years he has been a very use- ful trustee of that ancient and respected academy. In 1834 he estab- lished the manufacture of card wire in Worcester, and soon, by the su- 126 periority of his product, supplanted the supply of the imported article. His machinery and processes were originated and improved by his own studies and experiments, and other varieties of wire-drawing were ad- ded and the works were enlarged by additional buildings of greater productive capacity, from time to time, until the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Company now carry on an establishment which takes a high rank for skill and amount of production among the best manufac- tories of our country. Mr. Washburn was a man of great industry in the labor of his mind — the wasting toil, which sometimes consumes the life, while it shows no cause without why the man dies. But he had great constitutional strength, which was apparent in what he could accomplish in his active days, and in long resistance to the severe disease by which his life was terminated. He will be remembered as a public benefactor for his honored example of industrj^ and thrift, for the large employment he provided for the labor of others, and for the wealth he added, directly and indirectly, to the aggregate of the community. He is and will be honored for the liberal use of his wealth, for the aid he gave to institutions of learning far and near, and for his constant con- tributions for the support of churches and institutions for the promo- tion of the religious views which his judgment approved and his heart warmly cherished, and for other important public enterprises ; and his departure will be lamented with more tender emotions by tlie numerous children of want and sorrow who were rarely disappointed in reasona- ble expectations of pecuniary aid from his private and cheerful bounty. Let us not forget that his great endowment in this Institute was at- tended by a circumstance which does high honor to his generosity. He had intended to perpetuate his personal connection with the mechanic arts, by being the sole originator of such a school, and consulted with friends on the subject, and he was surprised when Mr. Boyntou had occupied the ground. But he expressed no disappointment, and promptly made a donation for the building for instruction. Soon after, with the practical wisdom that distinguished him, he created the depart- ment which is the peculiar attraction and strength of this institute. This great benefaction was not a solitary expression of his good will to the pursuits to which he devoted his life. The aggregate of his gifts to the Worcester County Mechanics Association was nearly $30,000, chieHy appropriated towards the building of the beautiful hall, which is designed, primarily, to promote the education and gratify the retined taste of those engaged in the mechanic arts, and he made other liberal gifts for kindred objects. Let us consider, also, for our own admoni- tion, his anxious interest and his faithful attention to his duties as a member of our board. Let us recall his personal presence, in his gentle and friendly courtesy, which was happilj" combined with his de- cided opinions and his strong will ; and his modest carriage, which did not conceal that personal independence which he had honorably ac- quired. As a man and a Christian he gratefully enjoj'^ed the suc- cess he was permitted to achieve. Though he had no ambition for 127 political distinction, he served as a member of the school committee, and was a representative and a senator in the State Legislature. I will not abuse the privilege of introducing the thoughts of the hour. This honorable chair gives me no right to supersede your deliberations by ray own discourse, and if it were permitted, I could not pro- nounce his eulogy. Without any connection of partnership, for half of our lives Mr. Washburn and I were connected by the closest business relations and an extraordinary degree of mutual confidence, and in all that period our friendship was not interrupted nor jarred by the slight- est offence or misunderstanding. He gratified me by alluding to this, in taking leave of me at his bedside about a year ago, when he and his friends thought the hour of his death had come — and I will again say farewell to my friend with the solemn cheerfulness w^hich the poet Bryant so well expresses : " Why weep ye then for him, who having won The bounds of man's appointed years, at last. Life's blessings all enjoyed, life's labors done. Serenely to his final rest has passed ; While the soft memory of his virtues yet Lingers like twilight hues, when the bright sun has set." Yes, I am persuaded that, in the mercy of God, he has gone to the rest that is congenial to his energetic spirit, the rest of other and better occupation, not of inactive repose. As the deeds of men are written on the sands of earth and the inscription is soon obliterated by the current of events, I offer the following resolutions to prolong, as they may, on our records and in our hearts, the wholesome influence of a useful and honored life : Resolved, That as an act of duty we will inscribe on our record, that on the 30th day of December, 1868, our respected associate, Hon. Ichabod Washburn, died at his home, in the city of Worcester, after a long course of painful and ex- hausting disease, with intervals of relief, at the age of 70 3'ears, 4 months and 19 days. By this event this institute has lost its second founder, who placed on the basis of intellectual education provided by Mr. Boynton, a superstructure for the practical application of mechanical science, in training the accurate eye and the skillful hand. Resolved, That we will hold in honorable remembrance tiie services which Mr. Washburn rendered to the city of his residence, and to our country, in improving the machinery and processes of mechanic art, in providing larger occupation and more honorable position and compensation for manual labor, and in the increase which he has made in the aggregate wealth of the community and in the inde- pendence and happiness of many homes. Resolved, That we will cherish the memory of our respected associate, for his faithful and consistent life, for his industry and thrift, and for the liberal use of the wealth which he acquired, in his munificent aid of Christian influences and enterprises, in the promotion of education at home and abroad, in his open hand to those who were struggling for advancement in life, and to those who were op- pressed by sickness and poverty, and in the furtherance of all movements for the improvement of men. Resolved, That while we lament this loss as a calamity to this institute, and a sad privation to ourselves, we will contemplate, for our own imitation, the zealous service and the prudent counsels of our associate in the trust that is committed to us, and the courtesy and independence with which he aided us in our duties. 128 Resolved, That we will express our respect and friendship by attending the funeral of Mr. Washburn after the adjournment of this meeting. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions shall be presented to Mrs. Washburn and the family of our associate, with the assurance of our sympathy in the loss of such a friend, for which the recollections* of friendship and Christian hopes are the best alleviation. HON. EMORY WASHBURN'S ADDRESS. Mr. Washburn desired to second the resolutions offered by the Presi- dent, though the full and appreciative notice of the life and character of their deceased associate and friend rendered any remarks, on his part, unnecessary. And yet, as it had been his privilege to have known Mr. Washburn intimately and familiarly from his youth, something, per- haps, was due in addition to what had been so w^ell said, to the memory of one, who had, through a long and honorable life, fulfilled the early promises which had won the confidence and esteem of all who had known him as a diligent, hard-working apprentice. He has illustrated in his life the maxim that the child is the parent of the man. The same law of culture and refinement, the same desire for improvement and to excel in whatever he undertook, which distinguished his after life, were early exhibited in the traits of his youth. Mr. W. had first known him at his entering upon his apprenticeship, in Leicester, in the shop of a mechanic. He had come there a stranger, with no connexions or asso- ciations to prompt or encourage him to any higher efforts than to learn the details of a laborious trade. Nor did he find in his employer any thing to inspire any higher aims or purposes. But from the first, he manifested an innate taste and desire for a higher education and a cul- ture above that to be found in the training of the shop. And with these was also developed that calm, undemonstrative firmness of purpose which enabled him to surmount the difliculties and embarrassments which, in most young men, would have deterred them from making the effort. We accordingly find him obtaining the means of attending the academy in that town, by earnings gained by him in little sums by over- work in the shop, and by making use of the hours usually devoted by apprentices to rest or amusement. It was the same trait of character which he afterwards exemplified in his patient and persevering strug- gles to perfect a new branch of business in which he engaged, and which was crowned with such signal success. It marked his course through life, and sustained him in his early efforts in this city, to which he had come after completing his term of apprenticeship, without capi- tal or patronage, or any I'esources beyond his own hands, a hopeful spirit and a firm resolve to merit success. Though he made no pretensions to superiority among those with 129 whom his lot was cast, he had many of the unmistakable traits of char- acter which mark a o^reat man. His reach of foresiiJ:ht, the accuracy of his judofment, the quiet self-reliance which led him ri*^ht on to the ac- complishment of whatever he undertook, were stimulated and sustained by the hig-h motives and generous aims which guided him in all his en- terprises, and never suffered him to be disheartened by difficulties that stood in his way. Show him what was right, and nothing could swerve him from the course of dut3^ In such a case, he knew no line of policy but that of rectitude. Although he began with little or no means, and had to struggle with many difficulties and disappointments before he could command resources in his business, a delicacy of senti- ment, which did honor to his nice sensibility, would not allow him to make use of funds which were lawfully his own, but upon which others might, in certain contingencies, have an equitable claim. And instead, as is so often the case, of feeling a desire to hoard and accumulate wealth, in the success of prosperous enterprise, because of his having once felt the want of it, his heart seemed to expand, and his hand to open to the calls of charity and benevolence in proportion to his grow- hig means of indulging the prevailing spirit of his nature. There was also something in the character of his benefactions and the objects of his bouiit}' . which indicated the respect which he always felt for whatever tended to elevate and improve society and individuals. Education was an object of special interest on his part. He contributed to theological seminaries, he helped to found or aid existing colleges and insiitutions of learning. You have paid but a fitting tribute to his mu- nificence in helping to found and build up the institute of which you have, in part, the charge. It will, we trust, be a monument of his fore- sight and liberality as long as science and the arts shall continue to shed their blessings on the human race. Nor will it be found that his benefi- cence ceased with the termination of his useful and active life. Many who, like him, are to make their way into life by diligence, good conduct and the aids of education, will have occasion to remember with deep grati- tude and respect the renewal of that princely bounty which he bestowed upon this institution in his lifetime. Nor this alone — other institutions of charity and benevolence, founded by his munificence, will leave a record which posterity will read, of how much better the world has been made for his having lived. He would not forbear to refer to one prhiciple which their friend had so beautifully illustrated in his whole life, and that was the religion which he professed. It was seen in his daily walk, in his intercourse with men, in the sustaining power by which he passed through the fur- nace of affliction, in the sweetness and winning manner which drew to him the confidence of children, and the love and veneration of those to whose physical wants and spiritual comforts he so faithfully ministered, in his devotion to duty, and the entire consecration of himself and all he possessed to the honor and service of the Master whom he so dili- gently and faithfully served. Nor would the picture of his life be complete if this pervading trait in 17 130 his character were to be omitted. It crave to his worldly success a new claim to admiration, to mark the modest humility with which he bore prosperity, and the devout gratitude which he paid to that Pro\idence w^hich had made him an instrument of so much good to others. REMARKS BY REV. DR. HILL. Rev. Dr. Hill followed in a few brief remarks. Judge Washburn, he said, has described the deceased in his boyhood, as he had known him, a pupil of Leicester Academy, and a poor young man just entering on the career of life in our city. I have seen him at probably a later period than any one here present. I called at his house on Saturday, just before nightfall — a few hours only before the last access of the disease which separated him from conscious intercourse with the living, and terminated in his death. I had not seen him, except for a single mo- ment on the same day, since his first attack, twelve months ago. I thought him changed. His cheeks were sallow and sunken ; there was an unnatural gleam in his eyes ; an unwonted tremor and tenderness in his voice. He had had a peculiarly happy day. He had been driven out to the neighboring town of Millbury, and visited the scientiiic school, and spoke with especial animation of the pleasure which he had enjoyed, and melted as he spoke. I am most grateful for that interview and recall it with satisfaction because, in the few moments of its occurrence, the distinctive traits of Mr. Washburn's character were illustrated more broadly than they might have been in many hours. His pecularities were strong in death. No one who knew him could have failed to notice in him a prompt, genial disposition to acknowledge the surprising changes which had come over him in the course of his mortal experience. He had been greatly prospered, a rare success had attended him in his business, and his means of usefulness had grown to an almost fabulous extent. But, like the English bishop, who had the shoemaker's bench on which he used to work borne to his palace and kept there as a precious me- morial of his early struggles, Mr. Washburn was fond of reminding himself and telling others from what humble beginnings he had risen — how he had come to this cit3% then an inconsiderable country town, carrying all his eftects in a little bundle under his arm; and how. when he was a pupil at Leicester, he went to the anvil and forged hooks and bolts in order to pay his pew rent; and how he laid his first off"ering on the altar of charity — more memorable for the disinterestedness of the motive than the largeness of the gift. So on this last night of our inter- view. He spoke to me of his interest in the shop connected with the scientific school — how he longed to have it brought to a completion and 131 consecrated to its work. "O, let me but live to see that! How would I like to beat out the first piece of iron in that building"! " Another characteristic remark followed. He had long borne on his heart the condition of his fellow mechanics. Prospered, he embraced, in his sympathies those who were still in the heat and dust of me- chanic labor. He sought to afford facilities for lif^htening mechanic labor and improvement in mechanic skill. He projected, many years ago, building a shop in which apprentices might be taught the practice while they learned the rules of the trade. It had been a long-cherished scheme for whose success he had expended thought and made large pecuniary arrangements. And when he learned that Mr. Boynton had given a munificent sum for the founding of a Technical institution, though he was disappointed that his favoilte plan for benefiting the mechanic had been anticipated, he cheerfully 3ielded and became sub- oi'dinate where he had intended to lead and associate his name with this magnificent enterprise. But though thwarted in this respect, no parti- cle of jealousy rankled in his bosom. He gave to the institution as generously as if he had been leader and not follower in the project. He said to me his heart was pi-ofoundly in this work — ''I mean to spare no pains nor expense to make the shop as complete in every part as it is possible to do." Then, again, his giving, at first prompted a by delicate conscience, at length ripened into a passion. Inconsiderable, at first, like hers who threw only two mites into the treasury, with the increase of his property it grew until it became boundless. He listened patiently to every claim upon his bounty. Steward of the heavenly Benefactor, he limited his gifts to no class of objects, but freely dispensed them to whatever might promote the interests of knowledge, religion and humanity. Though an uneducated man, he could appreciate the value of liberal studies, and was the benefactor of more than one of the feeble colleges of the land. Though in possession of a princely income, he had nothing to spend on personal luxuries — everything to encourage and help those who needed. He founded and sustained a chapel for the benefit of the poor in the city, and was equally ready to feed a 'starving family at home, to clothe a naked company of freedmen in Georgia, or to hang a bell on a vacant church-tower in Maine. But the hour approaches when we must bring these pleasant remi- niscences to a close and follow in the funeral procession which accom- panies our revered friend to the place of his repose. He heeded well the suggestions of a believing and adoring heart, and served his day and generation. He has finished his course. He has left rare memo- rials behind, more enduring than brass or marble. He has gone to his reward. And '• blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors and their works do follow them." 132 Hon. George F. Hoar said he cordially agreed with the sentiments which had been expressed, and spoke of the character and eminence of Mr. Washburn as a peculiar product of the institutions of our coun- try, but has furnished no report of his remarks. The resolutions were then unanimously adopted, and the trustees ad- journed to attend the funeral. W O II C E S T E n (; O U N 'I' Y Ixtt institute 0f inilMStrkI ^cieEiCi ADDRESSES OK INAUGURATION AND DEDICATION, WORCESTER. NOVEMBER 11. 18G8. iMEMORlAL NOTICE OF JOHN BOYNTON, Esq., JJotmtier of Hje Engtttute. MEMORIAL NOTICE OF HON. ICHABOD WASHBURN, Jountier of i\]z practical fflfctanical Sfpartment \ ^y O II C E S 1' E R : PRINTED BY CHARLES HAMILTON, PALLADIUM OFFICE. 1869. ^^:i^ .. -.<^cjCM - S<^c<3C^^K^ ^iZ'^ ^0<^ ■^^^rll-^' ^:. ^cc^r "". ; ^ c«- ■ cu^<- ^1C