BAYLISS MEMORIAL NUMBER 
 
THE WESTERN COURIER 
 
 BAYLISS MEMORIAL NUMBER 
 
 VOLUME IX, NO. XIII 
 
 MACOMB, ILL, NOV. 9, 1910 
 
 Entered as second-class Matter Mar. 3, 1908, at the Post Office at Macomb, Illinois under the act of 
 
 Congress of March 3, 1879 
 
‘AND TO HIM OUR LAST HAIL AND FAREWELL." 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 FORWARD secuie to do, and by teaching. 
 
 In 18 70 he was elected principal 
 The Courier came into existence of the LaG . range> miiana, schools. 
 
 as a weekly issue thru the sugges- and later became county superinten- 
 tion and direct assistance of Mr. dent of schools in that county. 
 
 Bayliss and its character to-day 
 is mainly due to his interest 
 in it. The great number of ex- 
 pressions of appreciation of him as 
 a man and an educator lead the 
 Courier to devote this number to a 
 memorial of him, our loved Princi- 
 pal who was summoned when in 
 the midst of his noblest work. 
 
 o 
 
 A BIOGRAPHY 
 
 Alfred Bayliss was born in Bled- 
 ington, England,, County of Glou- 
 cester, March 22, 1847, and was 
 christened in the Episcopal Church 
 of the parish. When but a child of 
 about six years his parents came to 
 America and settled in Hillsdale, 
 Michigan. Soon after their coming 
 to Michigan his mother died. She 
 seems to have been a source of en- 
 couragement to young Alfred to 
 seek an education, and thru her in- 
 fluence he had already gained an 
 esteem for books. 
 
 His mother died when he was 
 nine years of age, and his father, a 
 few years later. From the age of 
 12 Alfred made his own way. He 
 worked his way into Hillsdale Col- 
 lege or the academy and had done 
 some college work when, in 1863, at 
 the age of sixteen, he enlisted in 
 the 11th Michigan cavalry and 
 served thru the war. 
 
 Upon his return from the army 
 he re-entered Hillsdale college and 
 graduated in 1870, earning his way 
 by working at whatever he could 
 
 While here, he married Miss Clara 
 Kern, whom he had learned tc h now 
 in college. Mrs. Bayliss taught one 
 year with her husband. 
 
 In 18 74 Mr. Bayliss was elected 
 to superintend the schools of the cen- 
 tral district of Sterling, Illinois. 
 After a term of years, he withdiew 
 from school work and engaged in 
 journalism, having purchased an in- 
 terest in “The Sterling Standard;” 
 but after editing this paper for two 
 years, during which time it became 
 the leading paper of the city, the 
 school board induced him to return 
 to the superintendency of their 
 schools, which he held until 1895, 
 when he resigned to make his first 
 canvass for the office of Superin- 
 tendent of Public Instruction. Al- 
 though popular favc T ’ was with Mr. 
 Bayliss, he was defeated in the con- 
 vention. 
 
 After a short period, during 
 which he was in a measure identi- 
 fied with the “Child Study Month 
 lv,” he accepted the principalship of 
 the Streator Township high school. 
 
 In 1898 he was nominated and 
 elected by the Republican party to 
 the office of Superintendent of Pub- 
 lic Instruction, which he held two 
 terms. He was elected principal of 
 the Western Illinois State Normal 
 School in 1905, and assumed the 
 administration of that institution in 
 1906, which he held until h:'s death. 
 August 2 6, 1911. 
 
 His wife and two daughters, Ker- 
 nie and Zoe, survive him, and one 
 brother, William Bayliss, of Titus- 
 ville, Pa. 
 
4 
 
 The Western Courier 
 
 RESOLUTIONS OF 
 APPRECIATION 
 
 Adopted by the Board [of 
 Trustees of the West- 
 ern State Normal. 
 
 Whereas, The hand of death has 
 suddenly and unexpectedly termina- 
 ted the life work of Alfred Bayliss, 
 Principal of the Western Illinois 
 State Normal at Macomb, and, 
 
 Whereas, In its educational and 
 civic life the state of Illinois has 
 profited in so large a measure from 
 his labors and his ideals, and 
 
 Whereas, In his young manhood he 
 had offered his life and all his hopes 
 on his country’s altar, and 
 
 Whereas, In all the walks of life 
 he had met every responsibility with 
 courage, had performed every duty 
 with pain, taking fidelity and ful- 
 filled every obligation with unques- 
 tioned integrity, therefore, be it 
 
 Resolved, That in his death the 
 wife and daughters lose a devoted 
 husband and father; the schorl with 
 which he was connected an able and 
 faithful administrator, and the state 
 of Illinois a noble and patriotic citi- 
 zen. Be it further 
 
 Resolved, That in their association 
 of five years with Mr. Bayliss, the 
 members of the Board of Trustee 5 
 of the Western Illinois State Normai 
 School gained confidence in his prac- 
 tical ability, have increased their ap- 
 preciation of his wise counsel, have 
 admired him for his ideals, and have 
 learned to love him for the true no- 
 bility of his manhood. Be it further 
 Resolved, That the members of 
 this board tender to the bereaved 
 family their heartfelt sympathy and 
 
 condolence in this sad hour. 
 
 (Signed) J. F. MAINS, 
 
 FRED R. JELLIFF, 
 Committee. 
 
 o 
 
 From the Student Body. 
 
 The students of this school have 
 been fortunate in having come in 
 contact with our late principal, Al- 
 fred Bayliss. Now that we are com- 
 pelled to look on his life from a far- 
 ther view, we see even more clearly 
 his noble character. Sincerity and 
 love were the two virtues with 
 which his students found him most 
 worthily endowed. He was sincere 
 to the principles that formed his 
 philosophy of life. The students 
 who had occasion to speak to him 
 personally always found him kind 
 and helpful. Those who knew him 
 feel that their lives, dedicated to 
 high ideals and noble acts, will be 
 the best way to show their true ap- 
 preciation of the life of the “Soldier 
 Schoolmaster.” 
 
 o 
 
 From Quincy Students. 
 
 Permit us, the teachers of the 
 Quincy Public Schools, on this, the 
 occasion of the memorial exercises 
 to give an expression of our hearty 
 and sincere appreciation of Principal 
 Alfred Bayliss, a man whom we 
 learned to know as one of God’s noble 
 men and whose memory we shall 
 ver cherish and revere. 
 
 We wish to say that we count it a 
 great blessing to have had Mr. Ba3 r - 
 liss for our teacher. We admired 
 him as a teacher, respected him as a 
 man, and loved him as a friend. We 
 found him at all times sympathetic 
 and considerate, always showing a 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 hearty appreciation of the efforts of 
 his students, and e\er having their 
 best interests and welfare at heart. 
 
 The death of Mr. Bayliss came as 
 a severe shock to us. We shall miss 
 him more than we can tell. We feel 
 that we have lost a sincere friend, 
 that the State Normal has lost a 
 wise and just principal, that the Mil- 
 itary Tract has lost a wise and cour- 
 ageous leader, and that Illinois and 
 the nation have lest a most promi- 
 nent educator. 
 
 THE QUINCY TEACHERS. 
 o 
 
 From Teachers of White- 
 side County. 
 
 The teachers of Whiteside county, 
 in institute assembled, have heard 
 with sorrow and surprise the an- 
 nouncement of the death of Alfred 
 Bayliss, for twenty years identified 
 with the educational interests of our 
 county, and desire to express our 
 high appreciation of his character. 
 
 Resolved, We shall ever cherish 
 the memory of one whose genial 
 presence so often inspired our as- 
 semblies, of one who brought his 
 best abilities to the discharge of 
 every responsible office, who aimed 
 at the loftiest ideals of his profes- 
 sion, and who always showed a 
 warm sympathy with the cause of 
 sound and symmetrical scholarship. 
 
 o 
 
 From Sterling Alumni 
 
 At a meeting of the old Sterling, 
 Illinois, Second Ward Alumni, and 
 the associate teachers, and former 
 pupils of the late Alfred Bayliss, 
 held Friday evening, September 1st, 
 the following memorial was drawn 
 up and the committee authorized to 
 
 5 
 
 send a copy to the bereaved family 
 and to the papers. 
 
 We meet tonight with the spirit 
 of love and sympathy o'erflowing our 
 hearts to pay tribute to our beloved 
 teacher and friend, Alfred Bayliss. 
 
 No one can appreciate mere fully 
 than members of the old Second 
 Ward Alumni, the need of a just and 
 unvarnished tribute to one who never 
 sought praise, but who, turning his 
 energy to a noble purpose, accom- 
 plished that purpose regardless of 
 public opinion. 
 
 Twenty years of his early man- 
 hood were spent laboring among us 
 with unceasing energy and devotion 
 — a devotion free from ostentation 
 and with a keen insight into the ex- 
 isting needs of educational advance- 
 ment in general and local needs in 
 particular. 
 
 We remember him not only as a 
 Superintendent, but as a teacher in 
 the class room, who seemed peculiar- 
 ly adapted to impart an inspiration 
 to the hundreds who passed under 
 his instruction. 
 
 His co-operation with the County 
 Superintendent made the high school 
 a benefit to the country schools, and 
 served a special purpose of keeping 
 the pupils in school till graduation. 
 
 He accomplished the first step in 
 placing the old S. W. High School on 
 the accredited list of normal schools, 
 coRes'es and universities thereby not 
 only raising the standard of scholar- 
 ship in our city, but also increasing 
 the usefulness and developing the 
 possibilities of Sterling boys and 
 girls. 
 
 The splendid Township High 
 School of which we are so proud 
 was a “pet” idea of his, which he 
 carefully fostered and developed un- 
 til others became interested. 
 
6 
 
 The Western Courier 
 
 Not only did he give his early man- 
 hood to onr local schools, but also 
 showed his interest in the uplift of 
 the city. To his efforts as a member 
 and secretary of the first library 
 board is largely due the credit of a 
 series of excellent courses of lectures 
 and music. He also foresaw the need 
 and advantage of a city hall. 
 
 That same concentration of pur- 
 pose which distinguished him as a 
 student, teacher, and editor, made of 
 him the citizen of progress and ad- 
 vancement, the embodiment of high 
 standards. As a citizen, his loyalty 
 to Sterling is clearly shown when he 
 expressed to friends the satisfaction 
 it might be in spending one’s latter 
 days in Sterling and finally to be 
 laid to rest on the brow of the cliff 
 overlooking the beautiful Rock river. 
 
 Perhaps no one could understand 
 the intrinsic value of his friendship 
 better than those pupils of his who 
 afterward became his associate 
 teachers. His justice, his faithful- 
 ness to duty, his helpfulness and 
 his friendship were always examples 
 to be emulated by his co-workers. 
 
 That he attained the high position 
 of State Superintendent of Public 
 Instruction after leaving us had been 
 anticipated, and that he strove con- 
 scientiously in this, as in all other 
 positions, to keep politics out of edu- 
 cational affairs, reveals in an unu- 
 sual degree the integrity and broad- 
 mindedness of the man. 
 
 To his family we extend our sin- 
 cere sympathy, hoping that as they 
 are comforted in their happy recol- 
 lections of him, we may all receive 
 new inspiration for the battle of life 
 as we recall his success. 
 
 ANNA MAY BOWMAN, 
 SADIE F. MURPHY, 
 KATE M. STODDARD, 
 
 Committee. 
 
 From Friends. 
 
 State of Illinois, Department of 
 Justice, Springfield, October 13, 
 1911. — Hon. S. B. Harsh, Chairman 
 Committee, Macomb, Illinois — My 
 Dear Mr. Hursh: I am this day in 
 receipt of your favor of 12th instant, 
 advising me that the Western Normal 
 School will hold memorial exercises 
 for Principal Alfred Bayliss on Octo- 
 ber 27th, at two o’clock p. m., and 
 inviting me to be present and deliver 
 an address. 
 
 I profoundly regret that official en- 
 gagements which I cannot break will 
 prevent me from attending these ex- 
 ercises and paying my humble but 
 sincere tribute to the memory of a 
 man whom I admired and loved. 
 
 It was my good fortune to know 
 Alfred Bayliss for nearly twenty 
 years, and during the last ten yea v s 
 of his life I knew him intimately. I 
 knew him as an official. I knew him 
 as a neighbor. I knew him as a 
 friend. To every trust he was faith* 
 ful, in every fi * ? that he trod he 
 was efficient, helpful and masterful, 
 and in all the relations of life he was 
 sincere. I never knew and never ex- 
 pect to know a better citizen, a safer 
 counsellor, a truer gentleman, or a 
 more loyal friend. 
 
 W. H. STEAD. 
 o 
 
 I had the pleasure and privilege 
 of knowing Mr. Alfred Bayliss inti- 
 mately for years, and to me he was 
 a most companionable and lovable 
 man — no conceits, no vain ambi- 
 tions, no complaints, satisfied with 
 the world and the chance he had 
 had, yet always with an idea he was 
 working out. I valued Mr. Bayliss 
 as a friend for his open-mindedness, 
 his freedom from bias, his good judg- 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 
 ment, and his poise of character. 
 
 No one had greater faith than did 
 he in public education, with which 
 his life was identified, and he was in 
 full sympathy with its present ten- 
 dencies. Mr. Bayliss did a man's 
 work well in his life; and he went to 
 his reward without regrets, and I 
 have no doubt that when he awoke 
 he was satisfied. 
 
 W. L. STEELE. 
 
 A review of the life of Alfred 
 Bayliss will bring into true relief 
 a career of signal honor and useful- 
 ness; a life in which man’s obliga- 
 tions to his work and the world were 
 nobly met. 
 
 The tribute I pay to the memory 
 and virtues of this accomplished 
 teacher, honored citizen and wor- 
 thy ex-soldier flows from an ac- 
 quaintance of more than 30 years. 
 For nearly four years it was my 
 privilege to assist him in the dis- 
 charge of the duties pertaining to 
 the Department of Public Instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 In the efficient and faithful ser- 
 vices rendered by th 1 
 as teacher in the rural schools, as 
 county and city superintendent of 
 schools, as principal of a township 
 high school, as superintendent of 
 public instruction and as principal 
 of the Western Illinois Normal 
 School, he accomplished a work in 
 the educational development of Illi- 
 nois beyond the power of words fully 
 to measure. In every position 
 which he filled, he was absolutely 
 true to his convictions, and unselfish- 
 ly committed to what he believed 
 were the public interests. 
 
 In considering the life and labors 
 of Mr. Bayliss there is something 00 - 
 yond and above the intellectual ef- 
 
 fects of his work that command my 
 love and admiration. Wniie he 
 was a man of stiong convictions and 
 strong in the utterance of them, he 
 possessed a rare generosity of na- 
 ture, an instinctive regard for fam- 
 ily and friends, an inherited sense 
 of right, a cheerful disposition, an 
 ever saving sense of kindly humor, 
 a 1 an unfailing c'larm of manner. 
 These are qualities which together 
 make up an attractive personality 
 such as mark a man as part of the 
 best there is in the world. 
 
 J. H. FREEMAN. 
 
 Aurora, 111. 
 
 — — o 
 
 “He was strongly attached to his 
 friends, true to his convictions, and 
 unflinching in whatever he thought 
 was right. I came to know him in 
 an intimate way when he was a 
 member of the Board of Trustees of 
 the University of Illinois, with 
 ’which I was associated. At a time 
 when the university was expanding 
 rapidly, and when it had to meet a 
 myriad of troublesome questions, he 
 could always be relied upon, not only 
 for his absolute honesty and inde- 
 pendence, but quite as much for his 
 clarity of judgment and forcefulness 
 of statement.” — Hon. Andrew S. 
 Draper, Commissioner of Education, 
 N. Y. 
 
 0 
 
 I leave it to others to tell of the 
 fine scholarship of Alfred Bayliss, of 
 his success as a teacher and admin- 
 istrator, of his life that has been a 
 beacon light to many. But to 
 me comes only the thought 
 that I have lost a friend. A compan- 
 ion with whom I have spent happy 
 hours and with whom I had antici- 
 pated the enjovment of many more, 
 has gone. I cherish the memory of 
 
8 
 
 The Western Courier 
 
 our friendship, and this will remain 
 to me ever a precious possession. 
 
 C. M. BARDWELL. 
 
 Aurora. 
 
 o 
 
 Mr. Bayliss was perhaps most 
 widely known for the conscientious 
 and distinguished service he gave to 
 state and national educational af- 
 fairs, but many of us will hold him 
 in memory for the closer personal 
 and professional relations that de- 
 veloped during his administration in 
 the State Normal School. 
 
 Mr. Bayliss has enjoyed the con- 
 fidence and respect of his fellow 
 school men because of his bread 
 knowledge of affairs, his safe coun- 
 sel, and above and beyond all his 
 seemingly immeasurable charity for 
 human weakness. 
 
 The loyalty of his students was a 
 real tribute. I have heard them say 
 repeatedly: “I must succeed because 
 Mr. Bayliss expects it from me.” 
 This same influence extended far be- 
 yond his student body, for he was 
 an inspiration to us all. We all feel 
 that we have lost not only a co- 
 worker and counsellor, but a real 
 friend. R. G. JONES. 
 
 o 
 
 Principal Alfred Bayliss was a 
 broad-minded, big-hearted, ropgres- 
 sive and sympathetic man, ready at 
 all times to encourage and to help 
 those seeking the higher and the 
 better things in life. He was always 
 willing and ready to further the edu- 
 cational interests and welfare of in- 
 dividuals and institutions with 
 which he came in contact. Those of 
 us whose pleasure and good fortune 
 it was to know him respected and 
 admired him as a sincere friend. His 
 sad and untimely death was a severe 
 shock to us. We can hardly realize 
 
 the fact that he is no longer with us. 
 In his death, the Western Illinois 
 State Normal School has sustained 
 an irreparable loss, the city of Ma- 
 comb has had to give up a noble citi- 
 zen, the Military Tract has lost a 
 sane and enthusiastic educatcnal 
 leader and counsellor, and from the 
 State of Illinois has been taken away 
 a worthy educator whose excellent 
 and efficient services could not be 
 spared. 
 
 EDWARD. G. BAUMAN, 
 
 Supt. Quincy Schools. 
 o 
 
 My relations with Alfred Bayliss, 
 extending over a period of twenty or 
 more years, were largely of a social 
 nature. He was a true-hearted gen- 
 tleman, a warm friend, and was sad- 
 ly missed when he left our circle. The 
 feeling was, and has remained, that 
 his place could never be filled. 
 
 As a business man his word was 
 beyond question, and as long as life 
 lasts we shall remember him with 
 affection. 
 
 J. H. LAWRENCE. 
 
 Sterling, 111. 
 
 o 
 
 I have known Mr. Bayliss during 
 the entire time that I have been en- 
 gaged in school work in Illinois. I 
 have always admired and respected 
 him in the highest degree and feel 
 that the cause of education in the 
 State and Nation has suffered the 
 greatest loss in his untimely death. 
 
 The worth of his leadership in all 
 positions of trust which he has 
 filled is well known, but his influ- 
 ence upon the school work and the 
 school workers of the State result- 
 ing from his noble, unselfish life, 
 his sound judgment, his wise coun- 
 sel, his sympathetic advice, can never 
 be fully appreciated. Yet we should 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 9 
 
 all be thankful for having had Alfred 
 Bayliss so long with us as a friend 
 and co-worker. 
 
 GERARD T. SMITH. 
 
 o 
 
 Educational circles in this state 
 have sustained a serious loss in the 
 death of the Hon. Alfred Bayliss, 
 president of the Western Illinois 
 State Normal School at Macomb, and 
 prior to that Superintendent of Pub- 
 lic Instruction in Illinois. 
 
 His career as a teacher has been 
 one of marked success. He had a 
 notable career before he was elected 
 state superintendent. In this latter 
 capacity he showed himself progres- 
 sive. He took the pains to inform 
 himself o^ what was being done in 
 other states and countries and tried 
 to bring the system in this state up 
 to the level of the very best. In par- 
 ticular did he take the deep- 
 est interest in the work of 
 the country schools, and this 
 he maintained during the time of his 
 presidency of the Normal. The con- 
 fidence of the people in his ability 
 and efficiency was shown by his re- 
 election to the office of state superin- 
 tendent. Then during his second 
 term came the call to the presidency 
 of the Normal, which for the last five 
 years he has ably administered. The 
 school during that time has had a 
 growth of a substantial and perma- 
 nent character, and has added a num- 
 ber of new features that have kent it 
 abreast of the times. Mr. Bayliss 
 was ever keen to promote efficiency 
 in all departments. Of recent weeks 
 he has devoted much time and study 
 to plans ofr the new Woman’s Hall 
 for which the Legislature made ap- 
 propriation, and but recently visited 
 several institutions in this state to 
 gain ideas. He was conscientious and 
 
 thorough in his work and inspired 
 others. He had the confidence of his 
 board and the affection of the pupils 
 and the teachers, to whom his death 
 will come as a great shock. 
 
 Inproof of his love for the country 
 schools, it can be said that he insti- 
 tuted a model country school, the 
 board acquiescing heartily, and this 
 school proved a valuable adjunct of 
 the institution. 
 
 Mr. Bayliss has often appeared at 
 institutes and on other occasions in 
 this city and county and was admired 
 for his substantial qualities. He has 
 been closely identified for the last 
 quarter of a century with all that is 
 best in educational progress in Illi- 
 nois, and his death, when apparently 
 he had yet years of large usefulness 
 before him, is a large public loss. — - 
 Galesburg Register. 
 
 o 
 
 Then, too, Mr. Bayliss had faith. 
 Not faith in the superstitions of a 
 dead past, but faith in the vital fruit 
 of a living present. He stood boldly 
 and splendidly in the advance guard 
 of intellectual and moral pioneers. 
 He was not afraid of truth. He was 
 openly hospitable to the largest af- 
 firmations. His optimism was con- 
 vincing because it was a personal 
 asset in his conquest of life. Then, 
 too, he was self-poised with a confi- 
 dence born of his own sincerity. 
 
 The championship of modern 
 ideals subtly reacted on the high 
 school as an institution and in turn 
 on the life of the community. His 
 belief in democracy of opportunity 
 and aristocracy of worth was part of 
 his sane, rational, well balanced 
 mind and will live on in the hearts 
 and minds of his associates as an in- 
 tegral element of his character. 
 
 Of such are the enduring monu- 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 io 
 
 Hients or ms work; of sucn che con- 
 tributions he made to the trend of 
 affairs here in St"eator. As a man 
 .in the practical and social life of the 
 town he was always likeable for his 
 warm human sympathies, for b 
 bread tolerances, for his ready wit, 
 for his universal kindliness and cor- 
 dial fellowship. — Independent-Times, 
 Streator. 
 
 — - — o 
 
 He was a man of individual stability 
 and worth. A son of poor parents, 
 his hands took hold of toil as soon 
 as he was old enough to work, a sol- 
 dier for his country while in his 
 teens, w r as the sort of foundation on 
 which to erect not only an educa- 
 tion, but executive ability with it. 
 Added to all this was a character of 
 sturdy, straight-forward, manly in- 
 dependence and honesty; virtues 
 that all admire and of which we are 
 sorry to say the world has not 
 enough. Nor was there in this in- 
 tegrity and rectitude of character 
 the least iota of pedantry or narrow 
 bigotry. On the contrary, he had 
 broad views in this field. He always 
 gave credit for men being more 
 honest than do the generality of a 
 community, and had a wide charity 
 for those who fell or came short of 
 true civic or individual virtue. Set- 
 ting a mark of exact honesty for 
 himself to follow, he always gave to 
 others the benefit of the doubt. 
 
 MACOMB JOURNAL. 
 o 
 
 In the death of Mr. Bayliss this 
 state has lost a champion of prog- 
 ress but in this district, and espe- 
 cially in this county, do we feel the 
 greater loss. It was here that he 
 gave his time and talent to the work 
 in detail, advMng and working with 
 teachers of all grades. He was ever 
 
 willing to help by words of encour- 
 agement and advice without thought 
 of self. He has passed away, but his 
 influence for good will continue in 
 the schools of this county through 
 all the years to come. 
 
 B. E. DECKER. 
 o 
 
 The news of the sudden and un- 
 expected death of our old friend, 
 Hon. A. Bayliss caused unbounded 
 sorrow in all parts of Whiteside 
 county. His mission was a broad 
 one, his spirit was fearless, and his 
 reward cannot be more nor less than 
 “Well done, good and faithfur ser- 
 vant.” B. F. HENDRICKS. 
 
 Morrison, 111. 
 
 o 
 
 I knew Mr. Alfred Bayliss first as 
 Superintendent of Public Instruction. 
 Here he was sympathetic, helpful, 
 and was always ready to recognize 
 and encourage the efforts the young 
 county superintendent was making. 
 He was therefore an inspiration for 
 a more consecrated and concentrated 
 effort on my part. 
 
 As president of the Western Illi- 
 nois Normal School, I have come 
 close to him, and learned to appreci- 
 ate his great-heartedness mere. The 
 spirit of sympathetic interest with 
 w'hich he followed his graduates to 
 their fields of work was fatherly and 
 tender. This revealed to me his big- 
 ness and tenderness to a degree I 
 had not before known. 
 
 S. J. FERGUSON. 
 
 Rock Island. 
 
 o 
 
 I always found Mr. Bayliss an in- 
 soiraticn and very helpful to me in 
 all my relations with him as county 
 superintendent of schools. He did 
 much for the elevation and improve- 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 ment of the country school. His 
 death is a distinct loss to the cause 
 of education. M. M. COOK, 
 
 Supt. of Schools, Fulton County. 
 
 o — ■ — - 
 
 It is with feeling's of the deepest 
 sorrow that I learned of the death of 
 Mr. Bayliss. My acquaintance with 
 him began at the time of his election 
 as Superintendent of Public Instruc- 
 tion. My relations with him in this 
 capacity were most pleasant. He was 
 an excellent adviser and counsellor, 
 and one could at all times feel that 
 in him he had a friend. His con- 
 duct of the office of State Superin- 
 tendent is too well known to need 
 further comment here, but his work 
 and influence there will be felt fo r 
 years to come in the schools of Illi- 
 nois. 
 
 His work in Macomb will be an 
 enduring monument to his ability 
 and management. Through his ef- 
 forts this school soon took rank with 
 the very best of our normal schools. 
 In the establishment of the model 
 country school and the one-year 
 Country school course, I feel he did 
 a great thing for the cause of edu- 
 cation. 
 
 In his death the schools of Illinois 
 have suffered an irreparable loss. 
 Personally I feel I have lost a good, 
 true friend in the fullest sense of the 
 word. 
 
 The world can ill afford to lose 
 men like Alfred Bayliss. 
 
 C. L. GREGORY, 
 County Supt. Mercer Co. 
 
 ■ o 
 
 All who have come into anything 
 like intimate contact with Mr. Bay- 
 liss must feel in his death a keen 
 personal loss. But it is the children 
 of the state, and especially those of 
 
 1 1 
 
 the rural schools, who will suffer 
 most, for he saw their needs and 
 planned for their welfare with pecu- 
 liar insight, sympathy, and wisdom. 
 
 Those of us who are older will not 
 socn forget his rugged manhood, his 
 unusually discerning judgment in 
 practical affairs, and the constant 
 evidence of reserve power. 
 
 F. U. WHITE, 
 
 Supt. Schools Galva. 
 o 
 
 Mr. Bayliss was a man notable no 
 less for his sanity and balance than 
 for his rugged strength. In his 
 thought he magnified the teacher and 
 in his own life he justified the 
 thought. The Country Schools of 
 Illinois have had no better friend — 
 no one of greater discernment and 
 sympathy and no one whose strength 
 was given to them in greater meas- 
 ure. Teachers will mourn Mr. Bay- 
 liss as a wise and helpful friend; and 
 all, whether teachers or not, will 
 look upon his going as a serious loss 
 to public education. 
 
 W. F. BOYES, 
 Supt. Knox County Schools. 
 
 President Bayliss was a good man, 
 a straight, strong, honest man. Illi- 
 nois can ill spare him. The country 
 respected him. He had been on some 
 of our great national committees. We 
 had learned to know the man. You 
 can not at once replace &m.. 
 
 JOHN R. KIRK. 
 
 Fres. State Normal School, 
 
 Kirksville, Mo. 
 - — - — o — — * 
 
 Bayliss is a true man, loyalty, in- 
 tegrity, good fellowship, geniality, 
 modesty, and purity — what more 
 could I aspire to be. 
 
 j. f. McCullough. 
 
 Chicago, 111. 
 
12 
 
 The Western Courier 
 
 The death of Hon. Alfred Bayliss 
 is a distinct personal loss to me. The 
 loss to the state can never be meas- 
 ured. Genuineness was his strongest 
 trait. Insincerity, to him, was im- 
 possible. To know him was to love 
 him and confide in him. His advice 
 was sought and value 1 because it 
 was motived by the love of truth and 
 not by the pleasure of the moment. 
 Intellectually he was clear and deep. 
 He seized the kernel of the subject 
 and was neither deceived nor amaz- 
 ed by the husk. He was a man of 
 convictions and dared to hit at shams 
 and fallacies. 
 
 Illinois will ever remember and 
 revere his name for the great things 
 he did for its educational advance- 
 ment and emancipation. Not only 
 that, but he will be lovingly cherish- 
 ed in the memories of our successors 
 in the educational work for the 
 greater things that his prophetic in- 
 stinct caught and held up for the 
 inspiration of our great common- 
 wealth. 
 
 To me he was a friend and coun- 
 sellor. To few men do I owe as much 
 in a personal way for inspiration, for 
 better conditions socially and edu- 
 cationally, and also for a fuller per- 
 sonal living, as I do to Alfred Bay- 
 liss. 
 
 G. W. CONN, JR. 
 
 Woodstock, 111. 
 
 o 
 
 My acquaintance with Alfred Bay- 
 liss extended over a quarter of a 
 century, the growing period of edu- 
 cational ideals and institutions in 
 Illinois. 
 
 To enjoy his friendship was a 
 great pleasure and to enjoy his con- 
 fidence, a delight. It was my good 
 fortune to enjoy both. To those who 
 were thus favored, Mr.Bayliss proved 
 
 nimseii to be a loyal friend, a wise 
 counsellor, and a trustworthy exemp- 
 lar. He was a good jud^e Oi men 
 and measures and possessed in a high 
 degree the ability to discriminate De- 
 tween the true and the false, between 
 sham and pretence on the one hand 
 and the genuine and sincere on the 
 other. For the former, he had abso- 
 lutely no use. For the latter he had 
 the greatest admiration. 
 
 Though frequently called upon to 
 mingle with and to address large as- 
 semblages of people, he preferred the 
 sn ail company. Seated at a table 
 surrounded by a few trusted friends, 
 he would single out a topic, usually 
 pertaining to some measure for the 
 advancement or betterment of edu- 
 cation and ask, “Is the thing feasible, 
 is it practical? What objections are 
 liable to be met and what obstacles 
 to be overcome in carrying it out?” 
 This, not for the sake of controversy, 
 but to bring within his field of vis- 
 ion any possible factor that may 
 have escaped his thought. Having 
 once decided upon a course of action 
 he moved forward toward its execu- 
 tion unflinchingly and unswervingly. 
 He rarely made mistakes, hence he 
 had few to correct. I have clearly 
 in mind the last of these little con- 
 ferences it was my pleasure to at- 
 tend. He set forth at this time a 
 proposition for enlarging the scope 
 and usefulness of the Military Tract 
 Normal School in a way not yet to 
 my knowledge undertaken by any of 
 the Normal Schools. I am informed 
 he had plans well perfected for its 
 consummation when called to his re- 
 ward by the beckoning of the unseen 
 Hand. 
 
 A. C. BUTLER, 
 
 Supt. Schools, Abingdon. 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 13 
 
 “Hrs ability to seize upon the cen- 
 tral idea of a large and complex situ- 
 ation and to state it in simple lan- 
 guage, enabled him to accomplish 
 great things quietly. His work as 
 Superintendent of Public Instruction 
 will constitute for him a permanent 
 monument. We are still discovering 
 big things done hy him during the 
 eight years he was superintendent, 
 which at the time' of accomplishment, 
 attracted little or no attention.” — 
 Hon. F. G. Blair, Supt. Public In- 
 struction. 
 
 o 
 
 “There were few whom I held in 
 such high respect and esteem, and 
 added to that was an increasing 
 fondness.” — Pres. L. C. Lord, Char- 
 leston Normal. 
 
 0 
 
 “The cause of education has lost 
 one of its most faithful students and 
 most conscientious advocates.” — 
 Pres. D. B. Parkinson, Carbondale 
 Normal. 
 
 0 
 
 “We honor him for his fine ser- 
 vice in posts of high responsibility, 
 and most of all for his genuine man- 
 hood.” — Pres. David Felmley, Old 
 Normal. 
 
 0 — — - 
 
 “The problems of Macomb Normal 
 are' well on the way toward solution 
 when Alfred Bayliss takes hold of 
 them. You watch Macomb and see 
 it come out all right.” — Pres. John 
 Cook, DeKalb Normal, in 1907. 
 
 o 
 
 • “Not only we, but education in 
 Illinois, will feel the loss of Alfred 
 Payliss.” — Mrs. E M a Flagg Yming, 
 Sunt. Chicago Schools. 
 
 “I have few friends, and of that 
 few I felt that he was t^e most 
 surely mine.” — Supt. Orville T. 
 Bright, Chicago. 
 
 “I cannot do more than write to 
 you of my extreme sorrow at Mr. 
 Layliss’ death. — non. L. Y. She. 
 man, Springfield. 
 
 o 
 
 “He was a man who filled to the 
 full every place he was called upon 
 to occupjn None can measure the 
 good he has done, and the deeds, for 
 the betterment of mankind, that live 
 after him, can never be numbered.” 
 — Wm. Hawley Smith, Peoria. 
 
 0 
 
 “Illinois has lost one of the most 
 tireless workers for better things in 
 our schools. He laid foundations up- 
 on which others will build.” — Geo. A. 
 Brown, Editor School and Home 
 Journal. 
 
 0 
 
 “He was a strong man, a good 
 friend, and we all loved him.” — Da- 
 vid Arnold, New York City. 
 
 — o 
 
 “After all it is a great thing to 
 live like a man and die like a man. 
 This he did; what more can be said?” 
 — O. B. Ryon, Streator. 
 
 0 
 
 “I have known him for nearly thir- 
 ty years and have valued his friend- 
 ship as highly as that of any man I 
 have ever known. He was '’rnstaW 
 He was genuine. He was loyal. He 
 was a man. And so his death is a 
 permanent loss to the state and to 
 his host of friends.” — Wm. S. Mack, 
 Aurora. 
 
 o 
 
 “I never knew a finer type of sren- 
 tleman. T re^er knew a f rner, si^er- 
 er man.” — Hon. W. H. Stead, Spring- 
 field. 
 
 o 
 
 “Alfred was my friend and fellow 
 schoolman for many, years, and a 
 comrade whom I revered.” — C. C. 
 Duffy, Dept. Commander, G. A. R. 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 M 
 
 “And to him our last hail and 
 farewell.” — Class of ’84, Sterling. 
 
 o 
 
 TRIBUTES FROM THE 
 MEMBERS OF THE 
 FACULTY 
 
 An Appreciation 
 
 The agent of bereavement is at 
 times as mysterious as it is certain. 
 It was so with the unfortunate de- 
 parture of our good friend, Mr. Al- 
 fred Bayliss. In finishing a life of 
 unusual perfection, he has left us 
 the fairest legacy he had — the exam- 
 ple of his life, which, if patterned, 
 will win honorable acquirements and 
 true friendships. What a precious 
 inheritance it is, when we become 
 possessed of it in its fullest realiza- 
 tion. 
 
 Here was a man so gentle by na- 
 ture that little children sought the 
 pleasure of his words. It was his 
 delight to engage them in conversa- 
 tion and stimulate them with the 
 deeds of noble men. If he had any 
 preference, his whole heart yearned 
 for the educational advancement of 
 the youth, and the common welfare 
 of the common schools. Such was 
 his solicitation for them, that it was 
 his constant thought, in his days of 
 labor, and in his hours of rest. 
 
 In his relations with his associ- 
 ates he exhibited rare patience and 
 was most kind. He never allowed 
 anyone to exceed him in generosity, 
 and always praised the virtues of the 
 unappreciated. His gentle spirit 
 filled the soul of a friend with cheer- 
 fulness, and he always dealt kindly 
 and justly with those in opposition. 
 With the subtlest tactfulness he 
 wove the threads of personal diver- 
 
 gence into a fabric of happy com- 
 panionship with the delicacy of a 
 genius. So perfect were his adjust- 
 ments with the members of his fac- 
 ulty that none felt the slightest re- 
 straint. In whatever public rela- 
 tion the school functioned, it found 
 in him a man who presided with 
 unusual grace and dignity. 
 
 What has been accomplished in 
 the five years of his labors, cannot 
 now be expressed. The scholars of 
 future years will live to declare it. 
 Even now his ideals have been in- 
 corporated in the curricula of the 
 Normal Schools. 
 
 In the days of our sorrow we seek 
 for an outward expression of the 
 true worth of a great man, but find 
 it not. We cannot, neither is human 
 experience old enough to become ac- 
 customed to such a loss, yet if we 
 accept it as an event in the eternal 
 plan, we will agree that his life was 
 supremely beautiful in its fullness 
 and completeness. The spirit of the 
 man and his works remain with us, 
 and we accept their beneficent in- 
 fluence with sincere appreciation. 
 
 THE FACULTY. 
 
 o 
 
 No man gave himself more freely 
 or devotedly to his work than did Al- 
 fred Bayliss. With him in a rare and 
 fine sense a public office was a public 
 trust. Hating shams and impatient 
 with fine talk, he was generous in ap- 
 proval of solid accomplishment even 
 in little things. His integrity of 
 mind and warm heart won for him 
 the love and respect of all his stu- 
 dents; what finer tribute can be paid 
 to one who gave his life without stint 
 t) the advancement of the teacher’s 
 work? To all who really knew him 
 Alfred Bayliss was a great soul. 
 
 J. E. McGILVREY. 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 5 
 
 When I met Mr. Bayliss five years 
 ago last April, the first thing he did 
 was to take out his watch to see if 
 I was on time for my appointment. 
 Since I have become acquainted with 
 him, I know how characteristic a 
 thing that was for him to do. Order 
 was one of the first principles of his 
 life. Doing everything at its proper 
 time, doing the right thing at the 
 right time, these qualities not only 
 help us to understand his greatness, 
 but are further evidences of his great 
 sense of fairness. 
 
 SUSAN B. DAVIS. 
 o 
 
 The inspiration from the noble life 
 of our great friend Mr. Bayliss is so 
 far reaching, that everyone connected 
 
 with this school seems desirous of 
 
 carrying out his plans and wishes. 
 
 MARTHA J. HANNA. 
 o 
 
 In all of my dealings with Mr. 
 
 Bayliss I have found him a man of 
 performance rather than a man of 
 promises, a man of deeds rather than 
 a man of words. He never wasted 
 time promising what he would do, 
 but quietly went ahead and did more 
 than you had dared to hope for. 
 
 H. BASSETT. 
 o 
 
 It was Mr. Bayliss’ sanity and judi- 
 cial fairness which impressed me 
 most. He never jumped at conclu- 
 sions, nor especially sought the popu- 
 lar applause. He was like a judge 
 of a high court of justice. Before 
 permitting himself to form a conclu- 
 sion he asked for the evidence, heard 
 arguments on both sides of the ques- 
 tion, turned it over in his mind and 
 examined it from all sides, and de- 
 cided the matter on its merits. Con- 
 sequently he seldom made mistakes, 
 and was always a safe man to follow. 
 
 O. M. DICKERSON. 
 
 “He was my friend, faithful and 
 just to me.” This great, noble, 
 magnanimous man was a friend to 
 us all, faculty, students, and child- 
 ren of the training school. We have 
 lost a friend, a strong friend. The 
 cause of education has suffered a 
 distinct loss. The rural schools of 
 Illinois have lost their best friend, 
 the man who thought of them long 
 before others did and worked and 
 planned for them, the man who gave 
 his best thought to their improve- 
 it and uplift, who dreamed of 
 their progress and had faith in their 
 possibilities. Our loss and their 
 loss can not be measured, but we 
 shall be better and the country 
 schools of this and other states will 
 be better now and in the years to 
 come because he lived and was our 
 friend and their friend. 
 
 CAROLINE GROTE. 
 o 
 
 Mr. Bayliss was a true teacher. 
 He had a deep interest in the school 
 system of Illinois and worked inces- 
 santly to better school conditions. 
 As a Normal School Principal he al- 
 ways did what he thought was best 
 for the school. In his dealings with 
 students and teachers he was always 
 fair and honest. He stood for a few 
 strong principles, which we believe 
 have made a decided impression on 
 us all. The memory of his life will 
 ever be an inspiration to me. 
 
 J. P. DRAKE. 
 o 
 
 I like to remember Mr. Bayliss’ 
 special interest in the younger stu- 
 dents and his genuine sympathy with 
 their difficulties. These seemed char- 
 acteristic traits of his broad and 
 generous nature. 
 
 MABEL L. CORBIN. 
 o 
 
 When the young Flag Guard runs 
 
i6 
 
 The Western Courier 
 
 up me nag as he taught them to do, 
 standing with bared heads in its hon- 
 ox, we are reminded afresh that one 
 of the largest factors in the life of 
 Mr. Bayliss was his sincere love of 
 Ms country, me served ner interests 
 devotedly in war and in peace and 
 taught the children to reverence her 
 hag and her institutions. His in- 
 fluence will long abide with us 
 tiiiough these teachings. 
 
 CORA M. HAMILTON. 
 o 
 
 “An honest man’s the noblest 
 voik of God.’’ 
 
 MARGARET DUNBAR, 
 
 Librarian. 
 
 o 
 
 A friend cf Mr. Bayliss’ said to me, 
 “You are going to work with one of 
 the me n in the state.’’ I have 
 
 found those words to be true. 
 
 J. T. JOHNSON. 
 — o 
 
 Of all men I have known and 
 worked with, Mr. Bayliss best under- 
 stood and appreciated what I tried 
 to do. His open mind, his sympathy 
 and cordial kindness made him more 
 than the ordinary friend and his loss 
 is greater than I can express. 
 
 ANNE MAUD SHAMEL. 
 o 
 
 President Bayliss was to me a man 
 with a great and kind soul — remark- 
 able for his rich experience, sound 
 judgment, integrity of character, 
 clear intellect, and unsurpassed tact. 
 
 R. M. GINNINGS. 
 
 o 
 
 His spirit will ever live in my 
 memory, not merely as the spirit of 
 an educator, but as that of a friend. 
 
 RALPH T. BISHOP. 
 o 
 
 To have known and honored Mr. 
 
 ayliss as a man, friend, teacher, 
 
 itru.uc.A, and issuer; to have come 
 within the range of his personality, 
 closely enough to feel its grand bene- 
 ficent power; to have felt the value 
 of his smiles of approbatidh, and en- 
 joyed the inevitable jest accompany- 
 ing it when something pleased him 
 well; this I count among the most 
 precious privileges that have ever 
 come into my experience. 
 
 BLENDA OLSON. 
 
 First of all in Mr. Bayliss’ rela- 
 tions to his teachers, to his school, to 
 the world in general, it seems to me, 
 was his friendliness. No one ever 
 came to him for sympathy or help 
 and found it lacking. He had always 
 a cheery word for the discouraged 
 and depressed. 
 
 His fellowship with his teachers is 
 perhaps expressed in the following 
 verse : 
 
 “You belong to my club? 
 
 Yes, you’re one of my club, 
 
 And this is our program and 
 plan: 
 
 To each do his part 
 To look into the heart 
 And get at the good that’s in 
 man.’’ 
 
 GLADYS FISHLEIGH. 
 o 
 
 He was a man of great resources 
 in handling difficult questions of edu- 
 cational policy, and proceeded so ra- 
 tionally and candidly that he seldom 
 failed to secure the thing he sought; 
 and when he seemed to fail, he laid 
 a foundation on which public opinion 
 is building. He was great enough to 
 labor and t 0 ^mit. Was not 
 
 afraid to do what his judgment ap- 
 proved. 
 
 S. B. HURSH. 
 o 
 
 The Alumni who have had the pri- 
 vilege of graduating or working un- 
 
17 
 
 The Western Courier 
 
 cur tne direct. on of Mr. Bayliss, have 
 had set before them a high ideal of 
 justice, of devotion to duty, and of 
 professional integrity — a priceless 
 heritage. 
 
 CLARA KIRKPATRICK. 
 o 
 
 In appreciation of the children’s 
 friend. He believed that to help the 
 children was to help all humanity 
 with truth and sincerity. He was so 
 large in heart that he could see 
 some good in everyone and he gave 
 of his human sympathy and kindness 
 to help them all. 
 
 N. B. LAMKIN. 
 o 
 
 To have lived in touch with Mr. 
 Beyliss’ high ideals is to have had 
 one's own ideals raised to a higher 
 standard. 
 
 FANNY R. JACKSON. 
 
 o 
 
 There is no one of us who has 
 known his kindness, his helpfulness 
 and his friendship who is not the 
 better and stronger for it. 
 
 HELEN M. ATKINSON. 
 
 o 
 
 Always a friend to one in need of 
 a friend. 
 
 C. E. WHITE 
 
 o • 
 
 Mr. Bayliss’ thorough appreciation 
 of every honest effort was always an 
 incentive to those with whom he 
 came in contact. 
 
 LELIA E. GRIFFIN. 
 
 o 
 
 T3Vro r y one who knew Mr. Po ”" 
 considered it a privilege to work un- 
 der his direction. His daily example 
 of untiring industry, careful atten- 
 tion to detail, skillful and expert 
 preparation, and conscientious dis- 
 charge of duty, were living lessons 
 to all. 
 
 MRS. JOSTE A. TA3LER 
 
 As we co^e to reflect upon the 
 magnitude of our gieat loss, and our 
 rc laticns to Mr. Bayliss, I am re- 
 minded cf these lines from Emerson: 
 
 “All things through thee take 
 nobler form 
 
 And look beyond the earth, 
 
 The mill-round of our fate appears 
 
 A sun-path in your worth.” 
 
 JESSIE BUCKNER. 
 o 
 
 I count his friendship one of the 
 chiefest pleasures of my life, a com- 
 fort in tin. e of doubt and trourjie, a 
 joy in time of prosperity and suc- 
 cess, and an inspiration at all times. 
 
 EVA COLBY. 
 
 o 
 
 I am glad cf the opportunity to ex- 
 press my appreciation of the fact that 
 to his students who were really in 
 earnest in preparing for their profes- 
 sion, Mr. Bayliss was like a father. 
 
 LAVINIA STINSON. 
 
 o 
 
 In the passing of Mr. Bayliss, the 
 little children have lest a good and 
 true friend. His v'sits to them were 
 always received with the greatest de- 
 light. As they grow older they will 
 come to a fuller realization of his 
 goodness. 
 
 LUCY L. SMITH. 
 o 
 
 He walked abroad and met all 
 kinds 
 
 Of querulous and uneasy minds, 
 
 Anri, sympathizing, he shared the 
 pain 
 
 Of doubts that racked us, heart 
 and brain. 
 
 Think of him still the same, I 
 sav— 
 
 He is not dead — be is just away. 
 
 MARTHA McLEAN. 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 18 
 
 MEMORIAL EXERCISES 
 
 ADDRESS BY MR. W. L. STEELE 
 
 It is altogether fitting and proper 
 that we gather here this afternoon to 
 pay our respects to the memory of 
 Alfred Bayliss, and to express our 
 appreciation of his work, for the 
 world is richer and better for his 
 life. My world is. 
 
 I shall not attempt here any criti- 
 cal analysis of hs life and work, for 
 that, to be honest, would involve his 
 imperfections and limitations.. These, 
 I am glad to say, do not rise in my 
 memory when I think of Mr. Bayliss. 
 They properly belong to the historian, 
 and I shall leave them with him. I 
 shall speak of him simply as a friend, 
 as one who loved him, as one who at 
 times feels lonely now that he has 
 gone. 
 
 Living as I do in a railroad center, 
 I had the opportunity of meeting him 
 often when he was state superintend- 
 ent. In performing his official duties 
 he frequently had occasion to pass 
 through Galesburg, and in the course 
 of eight years he had many times to 
 wait there an hour ormorefora train. 
 Sometimes he could remain all night 
 to advantage. It soon became under- 
 stood between us that it would be his 
 duty to let me know when he would 
 reach Galesburg, and it would be 
 mine to ar ange to be in my office 
 at such times. Tired of traveling 
 and at times weary of, if not disgust- 
 ed with, the petty affairs of official 
 life, we would retreat to the private 
 office. The couch was always his. 
 He once remarked that it was the 
 easiest one in the state. Such con- 
 ditions were conducive to commun- 
 ion. It was thus I came to know 
 and love Alfred Bayliss. 
 
 He told me bits of his history that 
 he evidently felt had been significant 
 in his life — of his losing his own 
 mother when a child of nine, of his 
 new home, of his leaving it at the 
 age of twelve, of his struggles to sup- 
 port himself and to get an education, 
 of his entering Hillsdale college, of 
 his repeated efforts to enlist when 
 the war broke out, and of his finally 
 succeeding when he was sixteen, of 
 resuming and completing his educa- 
 tion at Hillsdale after the war was 
 over, of the first school he taught 
 and how he became a county superin- 
 tendent, or commissioner, in Indiana, 
 of his work in Sterling, his experi- 
 ence in Streator, and how he lost the 
 nomination for state superintendent 
 after he had secured a majority of 
 the delegates. To recall these occa- 
 sions now is one of my most treasur- 
 ed memories, for I feel that at such 
 times I had a rare and sacred privi- 
 lege of coming into vital touch with 
 a s^ul that was essentially pure and 
 heroic. They warm my heart and 
 make me a little more tender in my 
 treatment of the homeless child, even 
 though he may be wayward; and my 
 reverence for the grey-haired man 
 with the brown button is increased 
 immeasurably. Mr. Bayliss was a 
 patriot in all that that term means. 
 
 I shall not attempt to narrate the 
 incidents when, as a boy, he was mis- 
 understood; the times when he 
 longed for sympathy from those he 
 had a right to expect it of, but re- 
 ceived indifference instead and some- 
 times positive injustice. . It is not 
 necessary. It is sufficient know 
 that he had such experiences and 
 that these, which according to one 
 of my theories of life are the cause 
 of so many children becoming wreck- 
 ed or handicapped before they reach 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 9 
 
 maturity, in his case proved not to 
 be stumbling blocks but stepping- 
 stones. In his mature life, when he 
 was defeated by treachery for the 
 state superintendency in the Peoria 
 convention, he did not drop out of 
 sight and become forgotten, but four 
 years later he was nominated and 
 elected by the same political party. 
 This was simply a repetition of his 
 experience as a boy; of how those 
 disappointments in life which are 
 usually sufficient to completely dis- 
 courage the ordinary mortal, turned 
 out in the end with Mr. Bayliss to 
 his positive advantage. Let no one 
 impose on us by presuming to ac- 
 count for the remarkable series of 
 events in his life that were unexpect- 
 edly changed from pparent defeats 
 into glorious victories by saying, “It 
 was Bayliss luck,” for by so doing we 
 would fail not only to know our 
 friend, but we would miss one of the 
 most important lessons it is designed 
 for us to learn. It was marvelous to 
 me to hear Mr. Bayliss tell these ex- 
 periences without a trace of emotion. 
 So completely would he put himself 
 in the place of the other person and 
 view the matter Tom his standpoint, 
 that not one word of bitterness would 
 fall from his lips. Malice and re- 
 venge were not a part of his nature. 
 Sweet charity was his. The “luck” 
 of having his defeats so often turned 
 into victory was the result of these 
 characteristics combined with rare 
 gr>od judgment. His .life is a demon- 
 stration that the world will finally 
 rally to the support of a sensible and 
 just and charitable man. 
 
 Another element of his character 
 that had much to do in determining 
 thefinalresultof these crucial experi- 
 ences, was his habit not merely to 
 labor but to wait. The power to 
 
 wait is one of the rarest of gifts, or 
 acquirements, and it is an essential, 
 condition of success. . This power 
 Mr. Bayliss possessed to a remark- 
 able degree. It was never the result 
 of indifference but always of confi- 
 dence in the rightness or righteous- 
 ness of the cause, and of absolute 
 faith that his fellow man would do 
 the right thing, in the final analysis, 
 if he weer given the time — a faith as 
 complimentary to him as to his fel- 
 low man. 
 
 My mind loves to dwell on Alfred 
 Bayliss in the making, more than on 
 him as the honored state superin- 
 tendent of a great commonwealth or 
 the strong principal of a strong nor- 
 mal school; for today our school- 
 rooms are full of boys whose oppor- 
 tunities are greater than were those 
 of Mr. Bayliss, and yet few of them 
 will ever even approximate his char- 
 acter or achievement. In view of his 
 life, the theory, which prevails gener- 
 ally today, that it is the environment 
 that make the man, mut be false, or 
 our schools must be woefully defec- 
 tive. There is no doubt something 
 of truth, but more of error, in each 
 of the statements. I look upon the 
 life of Mr. Bayliss in its formative 
 period as largely a battle between 
 himself and his environment in which 
 bis personality won a signal victory. 
 That it is ordained that personality 
 may win in every such a battle, I 
 hold is a healthful doctrine to make 
 attractive and fascinating to youth, 
 the life, character and achievements 
 of Alfred Bayliss might be made a 
 source of inspiration to any home- 
 less and discouraged boy. 
 
 Few persons enjoyed life more 
 than did Mr. Bavliss, though it was 
 always in a quiet way. In the first 
 place he was blessed with almost 
 perfect physical health. He perhaps 
 
20 
 
 The Western Courier 
 
 never had an ache or a pain until 
 after he became State Superintend- 
 ent. He had none in all his army ex- 
 pe ience. 
 
 Again, he enjoyed a friend. He 
 k: ew how to appreciate one, and he 
 always had, whererer he was, a few 
 — one or two as he would say — in 
 whose company he could feel at 
 home. This was especially true 
 when he was a boy and when he was 
 in the army. Those early friends 
 were friends indeed to Ir'm. He had 
 a delightful way of showing his 
 friendship. It was seldom in words, 
 but often in deeds dene in a quiet, 
 thoughtful way that left no doubt of 
 their sincerity. His temperament 
 w r as ideal. He was never on the 
 mountain top, and I never saw him 
 in the valley. I have heard him 
 time and again say, “I have no rea- 
 son to complain. The world has 
 given me a fair chance. I am sat- 
 isfied.” 
 
 To the companion of his life and 
 his daughters, whose interests en- 
 tered so largely into all his plans, my 
 sentiment is one today of congratu- 
 lation on the rich heritage that is 
 theirs. 
 
 After Daniel Webster’s death an 
 old farmer, who had fished with the 
 illustrious statesman many a day, 
 visited his grave and, standing at 
 its foot with bowed head, said, 
 “Daniel, the world seems lonesome 
 without you.” Today as I stand 
 here, I feel like saying, “Bayliss, the 
 world seems lonesome without you.” 
 — Read at the Memorial Exercises 
 of Alfred Bayliss held in Normal 
 School Auditorium at Macomb, at 2 
 p. m., Oct. 27, 1911. 
 
 ADDRESS BY MR. S. B. HURSH 
 
 My acquaintance with Alfred Bay- 
 iiss began more than a quarter of a 
 century ago, and gradually grew 
 more intimate up to the time of his 
 death. I think I knew him more 
 fully than I know any other educa- 
 tional man. During the last fifteen 
 years we have been much together, 
 and our acquaintance grew into real 
 friendship. 
 
 I find it difficult to speak of him in 
 a public way; for, although weeks 
 have passed and the ordinary routine 
 of life has been crowded thick with 
 duties, still the loss of him is ever 
 present, and doubtless will be for a 
 long time. 
 
 As the years passed by I noted with 
 satisfaction his steady growth in pro- 
 fessional strength with his growing 
 opportunities and responsibilities. He 
 always improved the position in 
 which he worked from the humblest 
 to the highest; and he seemed never 
 to misjudge his own strength. 
 
 I am glad to speak of him in his 
 relation to his work and faculty here 
 in the Normal school; for I know that 
 what I wish most to say will accord 
 with the feeling of every one of us. 
 Where a group of mature men and 
 women are brought together in suki 
 a work, the parts of which are so ; n- 
 timately interlaced as in a normal 
 school, and especially men and wo- 
 men who have had positive expe.'- 
 ence in the problems of school work, 
 there must be positive difference of 
 orinion. Mr. Bayliss invariably ga TT e 
 all members the fullest liberty of rw 
 pressicn of views; and when we 
 jarred he easily brought about har- 
 mony, and we went our several ways 
 in good will. In the five years past 
 I do not recall a single instance wheie 
 
The Western Courier 
 
 21 
 
 mere has existed animosity between 
 members. We have been a kind of 
 happy family. I do not hesitate to 
 say that such condition was due in 
 large part to his splendid example of 
 frankness, tolerance, forbearance and 
 kndness. 
 
 I think he entered upon the work 
 here with a slight feeiing of dread. 
 The reorganization of the school o i 
 a basis of larger usefulness meant to 
 k:m some radical changes, a time of 
 uncertainty and period of years of 
 steady growth before anyone under- 
 taking the work could feel sure of 
 the results. He said to me once, 
 when speaking in a general way f 
 what this school ought to grow to, 
 “If I could be sure that I could have 
 ten years of its administration 1 
 should not fear for the results.” As 
 we see it today, and as the educators 
 of the state see it, we are convinced 
 V>at he moved with more speed t!nn 
 he had hoped, and I want to say that, 
 in my judgment, he, in his own indi- 
 vidual capacity, did a splendid, a 
 manly, a progressive work here. i». 
 seems an irony of fate that he mas* 
 pass when the assurance of success 
 in the large sense in which he saw it 
 '• T ss plainly to be realized. 
 
 I may be pardoned for speaking of 
 certain qualities of mind and hea t 
 so strikinsrly prominent in him, al- 
 though it be sometihng of arepetition. 
 T here are certain cardinal elements 
 of character that when well grown 
 in human life hint of the ideal, and in 
 the estimation of life they must be 
 
 r or <37 P Pi*ed. 
 
 Mr. Bayliss possessed a keen and 
 comprehensive sense of justice. It 
 seemed easy to him. There seemed 
 to be no bias or preiudice in his na- 
 ture. He invariably held aloof from 
 conclusion until he had wrought into 
 
 the problem all its factors. He al- 
 ways impressed me as desiring, first 
 of all, to be right, and his intellectu- 
 al grasp of the things essential gave 
 him sureness and stability of judg- 
 ment beyond most men. 
 
 Then he was so fair; he would go 
 farther to defend the man whom he 
 had reason to believe had wronged 
 him than any man I have ever 
 known. If injustice or unfairness 
 held any place in his nature, it was 
 towards himself. He was not given 
 to expressions of sympathy or emo- 
 tion of any kind, but he seemed nev- 
 er to forget the one who needed a 
 chance. 
 
 Some thought Mr. Bayliss was 
 hard to know; was cold; and I can 
 see why that might be so to some. 
 His fellowship was not manifested 
 in the transient relations of social 
 life, the outward personality. He 
 must be measured in the realm of 
 the intellect, and the field work. He 
 seemed to find less of interest in 
 the pasing, recreative chat, but he 
 would stay to the end of any serious 
 discussion and his opinions and 
 judgments were always of real con- 
 sequence. No one ever thought him 
 cold who had occasion to receive his 
 help, and no one eevr sought his 
 help who did not receive warm and 
 generous treatment. 
 
 We rarely consider the importance 
 of humor in real life; that trans- 
 muting power of the soul by which 
 it turns the thousand festering an- 
 noyances into helps, or sweetens the 
 imaginationwhen life 'seem dull, the 
 outlook gloomy; when faith is weak, 
 and possibly all the creative ener- 
 gies are at low ebu. This recrea- 
 tive rower of mind and heart Mr. 
 Bayliss had in large measure. The 
 most trying situation never failed to 
 reach the humorous side of his life, 
 
The Westerm Courier 
 
 lice tne loud, boisterous laugh, nor 
 the story of “broad” humor, but the 
 quaint, spontaneous mirth, that lasts 
 through a second thought. There 
 was a peculiar significance in his 
 humor, in that it dealt so frequently 
 with what might have provoked ill 
 will, but that his quaint allusion to 
 it made it seem pitiable rather than 
 praiseworthy. 
 
 I always thought that if there 
 were any good that to him was 
 dearer than ethers it was the spirit 
 of patiiotism. He had no great 
 sympathy with the pyrotechnics and 
 me 'e display that is commonly sup- 
 posed to indicate patriotic feeling. 
 To him patriotism was deep and 
 real; the bronze button was a sa- 
 cred emblem, the love of the flag 
 was a passion, and man’s duty to 
 his ccurtry as a citizen cr a soldier 
 ______ 
 
 ALFRED 
 ! MEMORIAL 
 
 23 
 
 he seemed to hold highest in the ob- 
 ligations of manhood^ He could ex- 
 cuse almost any frivolous prank in 
 student life except that which sa- 
 vored of dishonor to the flag. The 
 only time I ever saw him show signs 
 of anger was when some thoughtless 
 students in some* prank with class 
 colors cut the flag rope. It was 
 more to hurt him than a provoca- 
 tion. 
 
 There is no feature of his life that 
 stands out mere clearly to me than 
 his scrupulous conduct of all public 
 and private business. Strict hones- 
 ty to him was as needful in the mi- 
 nor detail work and business as in 
 the affairs of greatest consequence. 
 
 In all things Mr. Bayliss held up 
 to himself the most rigid code of 
 honor and in both public and private 
 life he obeyed it both in letter and 
 in spiiit. S. B. HURSH. 
 
 BAYLISS 
 
 EXERCISES 
 
 MACOMB NORMAL SCHOOL, OCT. 27, 1911. 
 
 Funeral March — Chopin 
 
 Miss Dunsworth 
 
 Invocation 
 
 - Rev. W. T. Rodgers 
 
 Quartet 
 
 ’06 
 
 Address ... 
 
 Dr. L. C. Lord 
 
 Address 
 
 Mr. W. L. Steele 
 
 Solo - 
 
 Mr. J. Ruffner 
 
 Address 
 
 Mr. S. J. Ferguson 
 
 Address - 
 
 Mr. S. B. Hursh 
 
 Quartet 
 
 ’06 
 
 “God Be With You Till! We Meet Again.” 
 
. # 
 
 V 
 

 
 
 
 WtTVERSITY OP BJUNCmh 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 
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L. 
 
 THE 
 
 WESTERN 
 
 COURIER 
 
 PRESS