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ADELBERT B. STONE

CAMBRIDGE
^i-intcii at tl)c 0itcr^ibe ^tt^^
1866

©ne ijunarea cojifes prfntcti.

For Lycidas is dead, dead ere his prime,
Young Lycidas, and hath not left his peer :
Who would not sing for Lycidas ? —
He must not float upon his watery bier
Unwept, and welter to the parching wind
Without the meed of some melodious tear.

CONTENTS.

PAGE
Iktroductort Notice  1
Obituary Notice  3
Commemorative Letters  9
Extracts from Letters of Sympathy . . . 41
Poetical Tributes  61
Funeral Services  69
Appendices .... . . 75

INTRODUCTORY NOTICE.

The following memorials are embraced in this
volume, that some permanent record may re
main of a life of promise prematurely ended.
They consist chiefly of letters, — either the spon
taneous expressions of sympathy with the surviv
ing friends, or the more deliberate assertions of
respect and afiection for the departed. The first
series are arranged in the order of time, that the
hand of the pastor, the early teacher, the school
mate, the classmate, the professor, and the social
friend, may exhibit, in successive pictures, his
growing life. But they are all the willing offer
ings of those who had known and loved him well,
and had made him the centre of many hopes.

OBITUARY NOTICE,

OBITUARY NOTICE.

Adelbebt Babnes Stone, the son of Amasa, Jr.,
and Julia Ann Gleason Stone, was born July 28th,
1844, at Springfield, Mass. His father removing
to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1850, he was educated suc
cessively at the schools conducted by R. F. Hum-
miston, Esq., E. S. Stevenson, Esq., and Rev.
Thomas Gr. Valpy, all well-known teachers in that
city. His religious training, apart from home,
was under the guidance of Rev. W. H. Goodrich,
D. D,, minister of Christ to the First Presbyterian
Church and his father's pastor, and of Messrs. R.
F. Smith and Dr. Bois, teachers in the Sunday-
school connected with that earnest and growing
society. In November, 1862, he became a mem
ber of Rev. Henry M. Colton's Family School for
Boys, at Middletown, Connecticut, an institution
founded in 1857, limited and select as to pupils,
and especially designed, by its broad and thorough
teachings, to lay a foundation for the highest form
of American scholarship. Here he was fitted for
Yale College, to which he was admitted at the
July examination of 1863, in the Scientific De
partment of the School of Philosophy and Arts,

b OBITUARY NOTICE.
He continued a member of the college till his
untimely decease, gradually taking and holding
with ease a leading position in his class. On Mon
day morning, June 26th, 1865, he joined a geo
logical excursion, planned and conducted under
the guidance of Professors Dana and Brush of the
Shefl&eld School, in which eleven others of the
same school and seven members of the senior
class of the academic department participated.
The whole party * arrived in safety by the early
train at Middletown, which with the neighboring
towns furnishes perhaps the most attractive field
for mineralogical research in America.
After spending the forenoon at Portland, well
known for its brown freestone quarries, they
proceeded by a private conveyance ten miles
down the river to Haddam ; young Stone, though
not well for several days previous, being through
out the excursion the life of the party. During
the rest of Monday and the forenoon of Tuesday,
they prosecuted their inquiries with great suc
cess. While waiting dinner at the house of Mr.
David Brainerd, the gentleman who very gener
ously and amply entertained them, the entire body
of students went, with the consent of the Profess
ors, to bathe in the Connecticut. Mr. Stone pro
posed to his companions to swim the river, but
with his customary prudence stayed till he was
cool, and so was himself the last of the twelve to
enter. There seemed nothing venturesome in
* See Appendix A,

OBITUARY NOTICE. 7
this, unless that they were all heated and wearied
by their morning's work. Mr. Stone had often
swum the same stream years before while at Mid
dletown, and was at the time seemingly in good
health and spirits. Here, suddenly and myste
riously, without attracting the notice of any com
panion on either bank, he sunk in the very midst
of the ill-fated stream. Those who remained sup
posed he had crossed, and those who went over
imagined he had returned ; and it was not till
they met again on the Haddam side that they
discovered that he was missing. From the posi
tion in which he was afterwards found, it is more
than probable that he had been seized with vio
lent spasms in the stomach.
All that human wisdom and energy could do
was now attempted in order to regain the body.
Under the general supervision of Rev. Mr. Colton,
and with the local and most efficient management
of Rev. 0. E. Parker of Middle Haddam, a consid
erable section of the river above and below the
spot was repeatedly traversed, its bed thoroughly
dragged with suitable implements, cannon fired,
and sentinels posted for several miles down the
stream ; but ,all in vain. No tongue or pen can
tell, and no one will ever know, the awful sus
pense of those fifty hours. The frequent and
anxious telegraphic inquiries from distant friends,
and the sad responses, nerved the tireless band
of laborers* to their melancholy task. At last,
* See Appendix B.

8 OBITUARY NOTICE.
after two days' search, the body was discovered
floating on the surface of the stream some dis
tance above the sad spot, and by the only person
who saw him sink, — a woman living in a solitary
house upon the Haddam bank. This was the
afternoon of Thursday, June 29th, and the rela
tives of the deceased, Messrs. Joseph Stone of
Springfield, and A. B. Stone and Mr. Witte of
Cleveland, having arrived, a steamboat was char
tered and the remains conveyed to Middletown.
On the morrow the precious burden was on its
way to Cleveland, and on Saturday was received
by the parents with tears of bitter joy to their
desolate home. The Sabbath which followed was
very beautiful; and in the presence of many
friends, all that was mortal of Adelbert B. Stone
was committed with tears and prayers and sol
emn songs to the silent grave.
Thus briefly lived, and sadly died in the bloom
of earliest manhood, one whom it was a joy even
to know, and whose intimate friendship was a rich
treasure of love.

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.
(ADDEESSED TO THE EDITOR,)

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.

I.
FKOM REV. WILLIAM H. GOODRICH, D.D., PASTOR OF THE
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, CLEVELAND.
I AM glad to learn that you have consented
to prepare a brief memorial of Adelbert Stone.
No one else could so properly gather up and ar
range the few materials which may serve to keep
in recollection that fresh, pure, and manly life,
whose early end has caused such sore lamenta
tion. It fell to your lot to receive him under
your care at the most critical and interesting
point of his mental training, and to witness the
beginning of that development which promised
so much for future years.
As his pastor, I have known and observed him
since he was about thirteen years old. He was
one who attracted notice, as unlike most boys
of his age. He seemed from the first to have
balance. He was modest and unassuming, but
he did not follow others. He chose his own com
panions, and chose them well. He shunned all
contact with coarseness and vulgarity, and grew
up pure in word and thought.

12 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.
He was singularly true. I doubt whether the
thought of framing a falsehood ever entered his
mind. At home and abroad, his word was taken
for fact, and no one was ever deceived in him.
His filial confidence has been peculiarly beautiful,
and forms one of the sweetest recollections of
him in the household. He never felt the com
mandment of his father to be irksome, or forsook
the law of his mother ; and was accustomed, even
to the last, to speak beforehand to his parents of
his daily plans, and have it known always where
he spent his hours early or late. The guileless-
ness of his boyhood was unchanged as he ripened
into manhood.
Though retiring and independent in disposition,
he showed no trace of personal pride or reserve.
He was not forward in intercourse, but was frank
and generous, and made friends of all. He could
say "no," when principle required, and yet in
such a manner as gave no offence.
Of himself and his own character he rarely
spoke to any one, but it is evident that he was
habitually thoughtful, and had earnest purposes
on the subject of religion.
Shortly before he left home to prepare for the
Scientific School at Yale College, I had a brief
interview with him, at which more was said than
ever before or since on the question of personal
religion ; and I left him then with the feeling that
he was near the kingdom of God, or rather that
he might already be His child, though uncon
scious of it.

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS. 13
It has been a great satisfaction to me to know,
that, while with you at Middletown, he had given
even so modest and trembling a confession of
Christian hope and purpose. He was one of the
last persons to indulge in any false confidence
or utter any insincere wish on that subject ; and
he was one whom I should expect to possess gen
uine piety long before he felt a clear assurance
of it himself For him to say that he sometimes
thought he was a Christian, and certainly desired
above all things to be one, is better evidence of
true piety than are the positive professions of
many. His known habits of private devotion,
with every other trait and development of his
life, go to confirm the hope, that, suddenly as
he was taken from us, and sore as is the loss to
his family and to the community, it was gain for
him to die.

14 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.

IL
FROM EEV. THOMAS G. VALPY, ST. PAUL'S SCHOOL,
CONCORD, N, H.
I BEGIN the fulfilment of what is at once a
pleasure and a duty ; a labor of love, which the
first news of Adelbert's sad death suggested :
and I mourn him as an only son, one whose life
was budding with rich promises of comfort to his
parents and of usefulness to the world. As I
read the account of his unfortunate death, my
heart was touched with deep sorrow ; and when
I called him up before me, as I knew him in
years gone by, there arose many regrets that he
could not have been spared. He would have
become a still greater comfort and blessing to
us all, as a noble-souled and high-minded man, —
a character of which his youth gave abundant
hope. You may question why one who knew Adel
bert only for the brief space of a single school-
year, and that full six years ago, should thus
notice his death, and feel sufiicient interest to
write you. But he was one of a small band in
trusted for that year to my care and instruction,
and I felt for them a deep interest which sepa
ration and distance have not diminished; and I

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS, 15
shall not cease to follow them through life. Sel
dom, I believe, is it the good fortune of an in
structor to have such boys and girls put under
his charge. Often when I think of them and of
our pleasant hours together, I find myself men
tally exclaiming, in the words of the Grecian
Nestor, —
" Never yet saw I such, nor may hereafter."
Miss Guilford, whose heart was in the same
good work, would, I am sure, join me in expres
sions of high regard for Adelbert.
I cannot think of our friend as a young man
of twenty-two. He is the boy of fourteen, still
childlike, vivacious, honest, truthful. His name
is to me closely associated with that of his la
mented schoolmate, Charles Perkins, whose life
as a soldier, if as high-minded and truthful as
it was as a boy, was no common sacrifice to his
country. If the name of Perkins always sug
gests to me something pleasant, frank, straight
forward, and whole-souled, equally so does that
of Adelbert. They possessed many qualities in
common, and yet those qualities were mani
fested differently. Perkins was in look and man
ner more demonstrative, the exterior speaking
of the interior. Adelbert was less open, but to
an observing mind as forcible and impressive.
They were always much together, in going to
and from school, and in their sports. They wished
to study together; they sat side by side in the
class, were closely joined in life and not long
separated in death.

16 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.
But to speak of Adelbert personally : he pos
sessed those qualities of mind and character
which made him lastingly attractive, and which
generally win for a pupil a strong place in the
confidence and good esteem of an instructor.
He was truthful; never did he give me reason
even to suspect him of an untruth. His frank
manner, his candid and out-spoken speech, and
indeed his whole bearing, carried with them the
stamp of integrity. He always came in such a
modest and sincere way to ask a favor, make a
request, or acknowledge anything he had done
amiss, that the privilege was readily given, or
the offence overlooked. He had, it is true, a
good share of fondness for harmless mischief and
sport, — and without it he could hardly have
been a boy, — but yet in, matters of importance
he was found on the side of right and good or
der. He was one whose position I always felt
sure of; and as my memory reviews these inter
vening years, it fails to call up a single unpleas
ant circumstance. Nothing rises to mar in the
least the survey, but all is filled with pleasant
recollections. Persevering in his studies, and ris
ing above the discouragements which assail the
young scholar, he cheerfully set himself at work
to do the best he could with any task which might
be assigned him. If I desired him to come before
school or to remain behind, or meet me at any
special time, he readily complied, seeming to real
ize what the school-boy is so slow to believe, that
the teacher is his true friend.

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS. 17
I do not, then, speak mere words to you when
I say, that, if the life of the boy is to be taken
as any index of the future, Adelbert gave me
good ground to hope and believe that he would
become a high-minded, useful, and honest man.
His death was mournful, mysterious, and almost
insupportable. Yet he is not lost. He is merely
" gone before," and is drinking at the fountains
of all knowledge.

18 COMMEMOBATIVE LETTERS.

m.
FROM MR. DANIEL PARISH, JR., NEW YORK.
You ask me to give you my impressions as to
the character of my dear old friend Stone, who
on a beautiful day last summer sank so suddenly
beneath the waters of the Connecticut. But I am
too sad and too unskilled in the use of words to
describe him. Never have I felt more fully the
force of the old line, — " Death loves a shining
mark." He had a happy home, loving parents,
and ardent friends, and a most brilliant future was
before him. But God has seen fit to take him
away, and has transferred him, we trust, to a bet
ter school. I would not recall him from those
scenes ; and to waken the memories of past years
seems only to create a more realizing sense of my
loss : for my regard for him was sincere, tender,
and unabated. Time and distance have not les
sened it, but only lend distinctness to the picture
which I briefly sketch, and which ever comes be
fore me.
Our lamented friend was of medium height,
his eye quick and smiling, his limbs agile, and his
frame robust. As you well remember, he was also
a proficient in all manly sports, his elasticity,

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS. 19
quickness, and energy making him a leading per
former in the gymnasium. But his fondness for
exercise and social life never interfered with his
studies. In disposition he was cheerful and even
buoyant, and his merry spirits sprang from a
healthy body and that goodness of heart for which
he was so marked ; and yet he was never rough or
boisterous. In his tastes and habits he was quiet
and simple, and much averse to show and osten
tation. In the midst of the most exuberant flow
of pleasantry he never wounded the feelings of
any one; and it was rare that he could be induced
to use it at all. His modesty also prevented
him ; for, while perfectly aware that he possessed
companionable qualities, he seemed to avoid mak
ing any parade of himself But the crowning
virtues of his character were his unbounded affec
tion for his parents and his manly independence
in doing what he believed to be right.
His patriotism, also, was eminent. He often re
gretted the fact that filial piety forbade his enter
ing the army. Alas that he should have met with
such a fate when his country needs all the true
and noble within her borders ! He would have
been one to aid in extending her institutions, in
purifying those corrupting influences by which she
is surrounded, and to accompany her on her path
way to still greater distinction. His moral char
acter was singularly complete. I was a long
time his room-mate, and I can truly say that he
was thoroughly good, and sincerely loved and

20 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.
reverenced his God. It is pleasant to think of
him as being transported from the dark and
fated stream of earth, where he met his death,
to the green and joyous banks of the " River of
Life."

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS. 21

IV.
FROM MR. JOHN M. CHAPIN, YALE COLLEGE.
I FEEL it to be a pleasant duty to respond to
your invitation; and yet I offer my humble tribute
with sadness, for the fate of our dear Stone was
heart-rending. How plainly it shows that Death
is ever busy, and selects his victims from the
high and from the humble with impartial hand.
Truly, no erudition, no cheerfulness of disposition,
no vigor of health, are vouchers of a lengthened
life below. We fall at the proper time and in the
appointed place. Far from home and surrounded
by strangers, our friend was called to yield up his
precious life. No mother's hand softly stroked
his aching brow. No comforting word came from
the lips of those most dear. No one was by to
utter the last adieu. I can see him now as he was
when he left us, and as he had always been, —
full of life, buoyant in spirits, pleasing in his de
portment, and gentlemanly in his carriage. He
left us, we thought, for a short time. Oh, how
little did we know that upon his face we should
cast our eyes no more ! Our hearts were wrung
with anguish when the telegraphic wires conveyed
the terrible message that our genial friend and
companion had sunk beneath the waters of the

22 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS,
dark Connecticut. It was hard for us to believe
it. There was something awful in the continued
stillness of his room. The tearful eyes of his
comrades, however, forced upon us the depth of
the truth which we would have fain disbelieved.
The days were sad, and the grief upon our hearts
and thoughts full of sorrow weighed us down to
earth. I knew him first as a schoolmate, being asso
ciated with him for a year. During the past year
I saw him often, though not brought so closely
in contact with him as in those earlier days.
My recollections of him from the first are very
pleasant. His was a kindly spirit, drawing near
to him a large circle of friends, who were admir
ers of that independence of purpose and decision
of character which he ever manifested. Although
brimming over with an exuberance of spirits, he
never betrayed an ungentlemanly deportment by
wounding the feelings of others. The fineness
and pleasantness of his humor can hardly be de
scribed. I shall never forget a special instance.
One evening, when furnishing much amusement
for his companions, he was suddenly interrupted
by the entrance of the teacher. With great suav
ity he innocently seconded the words of the prin
cipal, said he thought that the boys were making
too much noise and disturbing him, and hoped
they would be quiet. The display of such pleas
antry was too amusing to bear; and teacher and
pupils alike joined in a hearty laugh.

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS, 23
Fully alive to a sense of duty and the impor
tance of close application to study, he would suffer
no one to interrupt him. Perhaps he in this way
wounded some by what they supposed his cold
ness of manner and his indifference. Another
pleasing and beautiful trait was his unbounded
love and affection for his parents. The confi
dence which his father placed in him when Del
laid open his plans, was based on that strong
underlying principle which ever actuated the
son's conduct. Then, too, his patriotism was deep
and fervent. He could not brook an insult of
fered to his Government. I remember well his
enthusiasm in telling a few of us of a political
meeting he attended while at home in vacation.
It was about the time of the election of Mr. Lin
coln, and the demonstration which a rank Cop
perhead made near Del roused his manly feelings
to the highest pitch. Though his opponent was
much stronger and surrounded by friends. Stone
was not in the least intimidated, but immediately
entered into a sharp and cutting debate with him,
which well-nigh ended seriously. "Now," cried
Del, " if you had n't so many friends here, I would
decide it at once, as I desire to see every one of
your stripe squelched." He was permitted to be
hold the dawn of peace, the inauguration of order,
and the enforcement of the laws. Our country
can ill afford to lose such characters, which are
needed to sustain and hand down her institutions,
and to unfold and assert the Constitution. We

24 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.
mourn our friend, whom God saw fit to remove
by this bitter death, as one whose prospects for
the future were bright, and whose influence, we
can but feel, would have been wielded for the in
terests of Justice and Humanity. May we, who
are spared, tread the path of duty so faithfully
and unflinchingly, that, when called from earth,
our loss may be as deeply felt and our removal
as truly mourned by all around us.

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS, 25

FROM JOSEPH E. SHEFFIELD, ESQ., NEW HAVEN.
I AM very glad to learn, from your note of the
ninth, that you contemplate publishing a brief
memoir of our lamented young friend Stone, for
strictly private circulation. I have no doubt but
such a memorial will be very acceptable to his
bereaved parents and sisters, as well as to a large
circle of family connections and friends.
As a classmate of my son, and a frequent visitor
at our house in a social and friendly way, we had
every opportunity of observing and appreciating
his sterling qualities. Only the Saturday evening
before his sudden death, after he had spent an
hour or two with us, it was remarked by one of
us, after his departure, how rapidly and beauti
fully he was developing a mind and character
which gave mtch promise of happiness and use
fulness to both his parents and his country.
That a young man of such high hopes, while
stepping upon the threshold of manhood, should
be thus suddenly snatched from his parents and
the world, is among the many inscrutable doings
of an all-wise Providence, which calls upon us to
be always ready to bow in humble submission to
his divine will.

26 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.
I hope, my dear sir, you will carry out your
intention and publish the memorial, and I trust
you will be permitted by his parents to send us a
copy of it when completed. We shall preserve it
in our family as a token of our love and regard
for one who seemed almost as one of its members.

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS. 27

VI.
FROM REV, CHESTER S. LYMAN, PROFESSOR IN THE SHEF
FIELD SCIENTIFIC SCHOOL, YALE COLLEGE.
It affords me a melancholy pleasure to comply
with your request for some notice of Mr. Stone
while a member of the Sheffield Scientific School
of Yale College.
It is rare that a death in college is felt more
deeply by both teachers and students than was
that of our lamented friend, — not only because
death by drowning is always impressive from its
startling suddenness, but also, and chiefly, because
he was recognized by all as a young man of more
than ordinary excellence and promise.
The sketch by one of his classmates justly
exhibits him as a favorite among his fellows.
Equally calculated was his whole career, while
with us, to win for him the respect and confi
dence of his instructors.
An instructor, it is true, cannot be expected,
ordinarily, to be as well acquainted with a pupil
as his familiar associates, especially with respect to
his social qualities and those finer characteristics
of mind and heart which fully reveal themselves
only in the intimacy of daily companionship. The
private and interior life can only be analyzed by

28 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS,
some bosom friend. There are other points, how
ever, in respect to which the position of a teacher
is not unfavorable to his forming a correct esti
mate of a pupil. The scope and strength of his
intellect, his attainments and promise as a scholar,
and his leading traits of character, are points with
which the teacher becomes acquainted, almost of
necessity. And yet, even on these I fear, that, in seeking
brevity, I may write with neither the discrimina
tion nor the fulness which might seem desirable,
or which I myself could wish. The little I have to
say, however, will be said with an earnest desire
to do worthy honor to a respected pupil, and at
the same time to commend this lofty example to
young men exposed to the temptations of stu
dent-life. Let them study his manly and consist
ent character, his earnestness of purpose and con
scientious diligence as a student, his frank and
gentlemanly bearing, and his entire freedom, ap
parently, from those follies and faults of conduct
which so often mark the period of youth ; and let
them make these virtues their own.
No one, I am sure, could look on his open face,
or into his clear, honest eye, or on his photograph
even, so faithfully reflecting as it does the linea
ments of his fine countenance, and not feel that
he was a pure-minded and ingenuous youth, who
possessed more than ordinary strength and de
cision of character. His frank and open bearing
distinctly impressed me at my first interview with

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS. 29
him, in the examination-room, when he came to
enter college. I recall, also, a clear conviction,
gained at the time, that he had good general ca
pacity and aptitude as a scholar. And yet, while
the examination was on the whole satisfactory, I
cannot say that it afforded to my mind at the
time any marked indications of superior ability,
or any special promise of that great excellence
in scholarship which he subsequently attained. A
glance, indeed, at the recitation records of his
freshman year confirms the impression given by
memory, that, during the earlier portion of that
year, though a fair scholar, he was not particu
larly distinguished among his classmates. This
was true at least of the exercises that came under
my charge ; and the same, I believe, was the case
in other departments.
This, however, was clearly owing, as was after
wards manifest, not to want of diligence or capa
city on his part, but mainly to his not having had
sufficient time for preparation, particularly in the
mathematics, with the consequent undue pressure
upon him of the earlier studies of the freshman
year. The studies of that year, in fact, presume
a thoroughness of drill in the ante-collegiate math
ematics which most preparatory schools, at least
until recently, have either failed to understand
or neglected to impart. Yet in this case it is but
just to state that another year's study had been
expected and planned.
It was not long, however, before young Stone,

30 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.
by regularity and system, by close application, and
conscientiously doing his best at every exercise,
began to gain upon his classmates ; and at length,
especially during his second year, he became in
most branches, if not in all, the leading scholar.
He was seldom absent from an exercise, and never
but through imperative necessity. He rarely made
a poor recitation; never, I am confident, a sham
one ; and never, in my presence at least, a failure.
He was, in short, one of those sure students whom
a teacher never hesitates to call up on a difficult
part of a lesson, for fear he will be obliged either
to help him out or subject him to the mortification
of failing. While fond of athletic sports and of
social relaxation, he never suffered his love for them
to interfere with the one great object which he
kept steadily in view, a thorough education. On
the contrary, he seemed chiefly to value them as
subservient to that end, by promoting the physical
and mental vigor so essential to success in study.
As necessary results of his habitual diligence and
thoroughness, his powers rapidly acquired disci
pline, his grasp of difficult subjects became more
and more easy, and his improvement in scholar
ship proportionally rapid, uniform, and sure.
His mind was well balanced, and his success was
about equal in the several branches of study which
he pursued. It is difficult to say, therefore, whether
his tastes were more for the mathematics, natu
ral sciences, or literature. He showed excellent
proficiency in them all. He was not a " genius,"

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS. 31
in the common acceptation of the term, and did
not affect to be. He did not pretend to learn by
intuition, or by inspiration, or to get his lessons
without study. What he accomplished he accom
plished, confessedly, by work, by the earnest use
of the powers with which his Maker had endowed
him. And these powers, it seems to me, were
characterized by strength rather than quickness,
though not at all deficient in the latter quality.
He was sound rather than brilliant ; and conse
quently his acquisitions and his whole mental
furniture were substantial rather than showy.
Yet, in thus characterizing them, I would by no
means convey the idea that he was a mere plodder,
or that he was at all heavy in his mental composi
tion, or deficient in vivacity and force. Quite the
reverse. He had mental activity in ample measure,
though without special quickness of intellect. His
powers were ready and vigorous, and were steadily
and symmetrically developing into a well-rounded
completeness and harmony of action.
These qualities of mind, coupled with sterling
integrity and love of truth, high moral principle,
and a genial, open nature, gave ample promise of
his becoming in after-years one of that small but
powerful class of men, who are judicious, self-poised,
and influential, and, by their gentlemanly instincts,
weight of character, and noble deeds, secure the
confidence and affection of their feUow-men, and
become at once the piUars and the ornaments of
society. It was to such an honorable career of

32 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS,
infiuence and usefulness that he had, apparently,
every reason to look forward; and it was such a
career that was naturally anticipated for him by
those who knew him best. How sadly and sud
denly these anticipations were extinguished we
know too well ; and we can only accept the event,
humbly and submissively, as among those myste
rious providences which, though inscrutable to us
now, we may understand, perhaps, hereafter, in the
light of the full unveiling of the ways of God to
man. It would give me pleasure to dwell oh some
other traits which our friend possessed, were it not
that they will be more appropriately drawn by
those who knew them better than myself In re
spect to his religious training and character, we
naturally turn for information to his pastor and
family friends. While with us, there was nothing
in his deportment that was in any way inconsist
ent with the character of a Christian. On the
contrary, he always appeared to be actuated by
high moral, if not Christian, principle.
The loss of such a son, an only son, in the
full bloom of youth, and in the freshness of his
early promise, is a bereavement which only his
fond parents, or parents who have been similarly
afflicted, can fully realize. For myself, I greatly
miss him as a pupil. I am reminded daUy of his
loss by his vacant seat in the recitation-room. I
mourn his untimely death as that of one who had
awakened in me a personal interest and won my

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS, 33
hearty esteem. I cannot close, therefore, without
expressing my warm personal sympathy with his
sorrowing parents in their bereavement, and offer
ing these meager and imperfect reminiscences as a
slight token of my regard for the memory of their
departed son. And in thus speaking for myself, I
express also, I believe, though imperfectly, the
feelings of all my colleagues who were brought
into personal relations with the deceased.

34 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.

VII.
FROM MR. GEORGE D. COIT, OF THE SHEFFIELD SCIENTIFIC
SCHOOL, YALE COLLEGE.
You invite me to send you some reminiscences
of my late friend and classmate, Adelbert B. Stone.
I respond with great pleasure, both for myself and
his many college friends, as but a slight token of
our warm love and esteem for the departed, and
our appreciation of his rare excellence of char- ,
acter. And yet I scarcely know what to say or
where to begin. With those who knew him, he
needs no praise. Our private thoughts are his
sufficient and highest eulogy.
Our acquaintance with him was comparatively
short ; for at the time of his sudden death he had
not completed his second collegiate year, and we
had met at the commencement of our course as
entire strangers. And yet he had to an unusual
degree endeared himself to us all. Indeed, few
friends, even of longer standing, could have been
taken from any of us, whose removal would have
caused a heavier grief or a keener sensation of in
dividual loss.
I well remember his appearance at the first re
citations of our class. His frank, manly face and
pleasant, bright expression bore truthful witness

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS. 35
of his character, while his genial manners made
him a most popular man among his classmates.
And the better we became acquainted with him,
the more we prized his friendship. He had no
enemies. 1 know of no one who felt unkindly
towards him; and this was the more remarkable,
as he had keen wit and a quick perception of the
ludicrous. Often, indeed, he made those around
him feel the shafts of his humor ; but his manner,
and his character when known, prevented offence,
while his mirthfulness made him a welcome guest
at every social gathering. His was that spontane
ous, natural wit that carries all before it, and
obliges every one to acknowledge its power. In
the frequent excursions of our class during the
past summer, he was the life of the party, always
pleasant, bright, and full of fun.
As a scholar he was acknowledged to stand at
the head of his class, while, by courteous and
gentlemanly deportment, and strict attention to
his studies, he won the high esteem of both his
instructors and his fellow-students. There was
a system in the preparation of his recitations
which admirably exhibited his character. Acting
upon the principle that his studies were the main
duty to be performed, he was enabled, by prompt
and strict adherence to an arranged plan, to attain
a high standing and still have at his disposal
more leisure than many whose rank was much
lower. As a friend he was firm and steadfast, ready to

36 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS.
stand by one in trouble and rejoice with one in
prosperity. Although much disliking controversy,
his views on all matters of interest were firm and
decided, and he was prepared and willing, if need
be, to defend them, but always in a calm, gentle
manly manner. He took an earnest interest in the
political affairs of our country, and in the course of
the late war. It had been his ardent desire at the
commencement of the war to enter the army, but
he was prevented by the wishes of his friends;
aud he now watched its progress with the greatest
eagerness. We all remember how regularly, after
morning recitation, he was accustomed to go for
his New York paper, and how often it was that
our first news of important movements came
through him ; and no one rejoiced more heartily
over the last crowning victories.
The recollections of our dear friend on his last
excursion with us to Haddam, from which we re
turned with such heavy hearts and sad tidings, are
all of the pleasantest nature ; nothing occurred to
leave the slightest shadow upon the character
which he left behind him. Although he had been
somewhat unwell the day before, and was not feel
ing entirely recovered when we started, yet he
went with us as usual, made no complaint, and was
always among the first to jump from the wagon,
on ascending the hills, to relieve the horses, or for
any walk to the mineral localities distant from the
road. On Monday evening he was very desirous of

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS, 37
enjoying a swim in the Connecticut River, which
flows but a short distance from the village, and had
formed a party for the purpose, but was prevented
by a severe rain-storm. The evening we spent
pleasantly in singing and talking, and the next
morning started again on our search for minerals.
The day was very warm, and when we returned
at noon, heated and tired, the majority of the
party set out in high spirits to enjoy a pleasant
swim before dinner. Stone and myself were the
first to reach the river. And here again one
distinguishing trait of his character, his prudence
and forethought, showed itself Instead of has
tening at once into the water, he advised us
all to wait until we became thoroughly cooled;
and he himself was one of the last to leave the
shore. It seems very strange, that, in such a party, of a
dozen, one could have been taken away, forever,
so quietly and noiselessly that the rest of us, a
little distance away, knew nothing of the terrible
event till all was over. And it was not till our
party was assembled, a few moments later, that we
knew who was gone. But when the dreadful truth
flashed upon us, that Stone was the one of us who
now lay alone, we knew not where, in the broad
river before us, it seemed that we could not, would
not believe it, that there must be some terrible
mistake ; and the thought seemed to come, invol
untarily, to each of us, " Oh, if it might only have
been any other than he ! "

38 COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS,
It was a sad, sad party that returned to New
Haven that night, and many hearts there were
burdened by the news they brought. Such tidings
rapidly become known ; and a gloom seemed at
once to settle over the whole college, for in every
class and department he was generally known,
and had warm friends. Probably no one could
have been taken from the college who would be
more generally and deeply missed and mourned.
Those of us who remained by the river until his
body was found, will never forget the appearance
that New Haven presented to us, that Friday
morning, on our return. The sorrowful looks of
our friends, as we met them on the street and
elsewhere, accorded perfectly with our own feel
ings, and seemed to cast a pall of mourning over
even the face of Nature. We had not heretofore
fully realized our loss. Stone was always so full
of life and activity, so bright and happy, that
we could not, for a time, accustom our minds to
think of him otherwise than as the cheerful friend
whom it would be always our pleasure to meet ;
we could not single him out as the shining mark
which the dart of the Destroyer had already
pierced ; we could not believe him dead and
gone. But now the famUiar scenes of the past
two years, — scenes from which he was forever
withdrawn, — the vacant recitation-seat which he
was wont to occupy so regularly, the absence of
his well-known face from the gatherings of friends,
and the sadness and gloom which attended every

COMMEMORATIVE LETTERS. 39
meeting, — all these only too constantly and too
distinctly impressed our loss upon us ; and the
feeling which had before been somewhat of uncer
tainty and of a painful foreboding of evil, now
became deep and settled grief
Upon our small class the blow fell heavily, and
during the week we were obliged to give up our
studies. At recitations no one felt prepared, and
our instructors had no wish to hear us. We
could not place our minds upon our studies; there
was one subject that engrossed our whole thoughts,
and we could not put it away if we would.
And even now, as we think of our friend, — and
how often he seems to stand before us with all
the clearness and distinctness of life itself! — as we
seem to hear so plainly the tones of his voice, to
recognize each look and gesture, the determined
confidence of his walk, the merry twinkle of the
eye, the outbursts of humor that have so often
drawn peals of laughter from us, as he seems again
to be among us and one of us, we cannot, we ivill
not think of him as cold and dead. We will re
member him as a dear friend, with whom much of
the happiest portion of our lives has been spent,
and of whom our recollections are only pleasant;
and we will hope, that, when we too are called
away from earth, we may all meet him in that
brighter and better world, where there shall be no
more parting nor sorrow, and where the tear shall
be wiped from every eye.

EXTRACTS FKOM
LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
(TO THE PARENTS.)

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.

Your dear son was my first friend in a time
when friends were most needed, and he was also
the truest. Living side by side with him for
two years, and spending many, very many happy
hours in his company, I learned his worth, and
learned also to love him as I thought only a
brother could be loved. In sickness he was ever
ready to do everything in his power to comfort
and cheer. When discouraged and out of spirits,
I always found it a great relief to talk with Del ;
for he would be sure to brighten what was dark
before. Thus every day as it passed left me his
debtor for some kind word or attention.
We were especially wont to spend nearly every
Sunday evening together in his room, sitting in
the dark, and talking of our homes and the dear
ones there, till I came to think of his home circle,
not as mere strangers, but as those who loved my
friend. The position of every book on the table
and of every picture on the wall became indelibly
fixed upon my mind, so much were we together.

44 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
It makes me inexpressibly happy to remember,
that, through all this time, no unkind word was
spoken nor hard thought conceived in either
breast. You can hardly realize how I miss him.
How strange it is not to hear his merry laugh, the
tinkling of his guitar, or his cheerful " Come in,"
in answer to my frequent knocks. All his little
sayings and pleasant ways come back with terrible
force. There is a void in my heart which nothing
can fill. It has destroyed all interest in my stud
ies, and I feel as if there were no use for work.
No one to congratulate me on my success, no one
to bid me hope in time of trouble ! It is indeed
hard to bear.
Nor am I, sir, the only one who suffers from his
loss. He had many friends, and they are mourning
for him as for a brother, and many faces bear the
marks of grief No one could have been taken
from among us who would leave so many friends,
and that in every department. No one was so
universally liked. To see him once was to like
him, and to know him well was to love him deeply
and forever. And it was not strange, since he
had for all a kind word or a pleasant nod. The
professors felt for him an esteem which it is rare
for them to bestow upon a pupil ; and yet none
envied him, knowing how well he deserved it.
He was so systematic in all his duties and so con
scientious in all his actions, that we could not help
respecting him and wishing that we were the same.
He often said to me, " They have perfect confi-

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY. 45
dence in me at home, and I shall do nothing
unworthy of it ; " and I am glad to say that he
adhered strictly to his principles. I never knew
him to be guilty of a single action that he would
hesitate to mention before the sacred face of his
mother. He was a Christian gentleman and a
noble, true-hearted man. W. H. INGHAM.
New Haven, July 5, 1865.

IL

Del seemed to me more like a brother than
a cousin, so much had I been with him in our
mutual visits; and since the commencement of his
college life, he had made our house his second
home. But he was not dear to me merely from
the ties of blood, but from the intrinsic worth of
those qualities which endeared him also to all who
knew him. I refer to his perfect deportment as a
gentleman, his upright moral character, and the
respect and honor which he paid to higher and
holier things. There are but few men who, in Adel
bert's position, occupying the station that he did
and petted and admired by so many, would not
have given way at some point. But, thanks to
God, his high standard of Christian and moral
character has carried him safely through, and, as
we hope, brought him to a heavenly home, where
the temptations and trials of this life are over.
His death has created a gap in the circle of friends

46 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
which nothing can fill. Yet sweet is the memory
of his life, short as that life was on earth. It may
seem to us that some one of less value to his
friends and to the world might have been taken,
and he spared ; but we know that He who " doeth
all things well" had some good purpose in this
affliction. H. P. STONE.
Springfield, July 17, 1865.

in.
Your noble son, who has been taken from us so
suddenly, was my most intimate friend. As I for
ward the enclosed Resolutions, I feel unwilling to
let pass this opportunity of adding my individual
testimony to his high standing in college as a
scholar and as a man, and to the deep love we
all bore him. All my recollections of him are
agreeable. But it is especially pleasing to remem
ber, that, the last night he spent on earth, after
we had retired, he very severely reproved another
companion in the same room, for making use of
some improper language. On the last Fast Day,
also, when some one at the table proposed a sail
ing party, he took strong ground against it, saying,
that, if such days were appointed, they should be
observed. Last Sabbath, in the morning service,
Dr. Cleeveland, whose church he attended and
who has just returned from Europe, referred, in
a most touching manner, to this sad event. Ap-

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY. 47
propriate mention was also made of him in the
College Chapel.
His loss is a heavy blow to our small class.
For a week we did nothing. The class some
times met, but no one was prepared, and the
professors themselves did not feel like hearing a
recitation, and dismissed us. A general gloom
seemed to settle on the whole college ; for he was
probably more generally known and more popular
through all classes and departments than any
other man. And all deeply and truly mourn him.
G, D. COIT,
Tale College, July 8, 1865.

IV.
We group below a few of the many other brief
expressions of condolence sent from the east.
They sprung unbidden from the hearts of friends
and strangers. And how large must have been
the unspoken and unwritten sorrow caused by this
event, when the face of a whole community seems
thus
" contracted in one brow of woe ! "
A young friend, W. Bodenham, of New York
city, writes : — "I have just seen in a city paper
the sad announcement of the death of your be
loved son. I have no words to express to you
the deep regret I feel at this sorrowful intelli
gence. I can well imagine your feelings, and I
do most deeply and sincerely condole with you.
That one so young, so full of promise, so noble.

48 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
and endowed with such high mental qualities,
should have been thus suddenly torn from loved
ones and from the bright earth forever ! To me
how sad ! I knew Adelbert well, and to know him
was to love him."
" Three times," writes Joseph E. Sheffield, Esq.,
"have Mrs. S, and myself been called upon to
bow to the decree of an all-wise Providence in
the loss of our children ; and we can more fully
realize the crushing affliction that has fallen upon
you. Your son was a great favorite, not only with
his classmates, but with the professors, with every
body, and especially at our house. Indeed, we
could hardly be more afflicted if it had been our
own son Charles."
Noah Porter, L,L. D,, a professor in the Academic
Department, and the former pastor of the family
when at Springfield, also adds his testimony : "It
is a great blessing to have had so noble and ex
cellent a son, and to hear such accounts of him
from all quarters, as so faithful and earnest and
conscientious, the pride of the school and the
delight of instructors and fellow-students. The
loss is bitter indeed ; and yet, —
' ' T is better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all,'
The sweet memories that gather round his name
excite one rather to bless the Giver of all this
good, even when he takes away,"

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY. 49
The Rev. Chauncey Goodrich, of New Haven,
also writes, July 3d, "The tidings of Adelbert's
sudden death came to us as a great shock. Our
acquaintance with him had been less intimate than
we desired ; but we had learned to esteem him
very highly. In this we were like others, for your
son was prized wherever he was known. Unob
trusive, but thoroughly manly, he had made many
sincere friends in New Haven. His associates in
the Scientific School were exceedingly attached to
him. His instructors esteemed him highly, and
speak of his excellence in scholarship.
" I recall now with much pleasure my last inter
view with him. It was just after my return from
Cleveland, when we met on the pavement in Chapel
Street, and I told him of our visit at your house.
His face lighted up with pleasure at hearing so
directly from home and the friends there ; and I
saw that he was fond of home, as every good son
will be. We parted after a few more words, ex
pecting further opportunities of intercourse, now,
alas! denied. The final event was to me, in its
peculiar circumstances, a very marked instance of
the overruling providence of God. No human
agency but Adelbert himself was concerned ; it
was one of those trying events which seem to
say, 'Be still, and know that I am God,' — an act
of that divine sovereignty which we all acknowl
edge, but which no one can explain,"

50 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SY^MPATHY.

FROM THE EDITOR.
We have now done all that is possible for the
precious body of your dear son. It is in the
hands of his friends, and in an hour or two will be
on its way home. The simple possession of these
remains will be a great treasure ; and you know
you have his features ever abiding with you, in
lines that nothing can efface or dim. I cannot
comfort you much. Words will not measure such
sorrow. And yet I must say something, as Mr.
Witte thinks it may not be in vain. I turn, then,
this clear, calm summer morning, to speak of that
immortal part which, thanks be to our God ! can
never perish. As I write, that beautiful, fatal
river seems to glow in rosy light; but to me it
has lost more than half its charms. And I thought
just now, as I opened my blinds, " That river will
cease to roll, but Adelbert will never cease to be."
Character is our chief gain in this life, and it is all
that we can take with us after death. And here
Adelbert has left us a precious legacy. You will
allow me to dwell upon it, for these are to me the
glories of this sad theme. And I can speak with
more confidence, because I knew Del thoroughly.
It has always been my custom to study the mental
and moral traits of my pupils. In fact, to gain
this inner knowledge of youth, and so the more
thorougly educate them into a truly Christian
scholarship, was my deepest motive in becoming a

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY, 51
teacher. Usually, too, at least before they leave
us, I have had a plain and personal conversation
with each one as to the higher interests of the
soul. To us, then, your son seemed endowed with
many precious qualities. It is true Adelbert was
stUl a boy, and these qualities existed in him only
as germs; but they were there. I have found that
virtue, especially in youth, is to be measured by
tendencies ; and so these germs may be reckoned
as already living traits, which would surely ripen
into character.
And the first trait I would notice was his sincer
ity. His whole mind centred on truth. He spoke
the truth and acted the truth, simply because
he thought and felt truly. This grand, central
virtue of integrity, this mental wholeness, so to
speak, was the very foundation of his nature. He
was not usually a great talker ; but he well iUus
trated the common and strong saying, — " He said
what he meant, and he meant what he said." One
knew that his sentiments were the genuine and
honest language of his soul. This gave his char
acter a wonderful transparency, and realized, in
more than ordinary measure, the language of the
poet, —
" He that has light within his own clear breast
May sit i' th' centre, and enjoy clear day."
Another marked characteristic was his earnest
ness. A man may be honest, and yet weak in
his purposes. But Adelbert, for a boy of eighteen,
seemed to me very mature. And this ripeness was

52 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
cine of will and judgment His experience had
been, of course, limited, yet his views of life were
clear, at least in outline, and very fixed. He had
already selected his profession when he entered
my family, and the goal, though distant, was weU
defined and bright To be a civU engineer in the
broadest sense, and to prepare for it as the best
teachers should guide him, was the commanding
object which ever filled his eyes. After I had
mapped out the best course to this end, he never
flinched from any duty, or varied a hair's-breadth
from his chosen path, but pursued it until his death.
Closely allied to this was his independence. Out
of nearly one hundred pupils, resident with us from
first to last, we can recall but three that in this
respect equalled him. He thought, judged, and
acted for himself, and dared to stand alone ; and
that was not from oddity or obstinacy, but from
quiet and firm conviction. As little did his in
dividuality spring- from an awkward or selfish
isolation ; it shone out in the midst of warm so
cial habits. His selfreliance was also entirely
free from that offensive pertness and display so
common with bright-minded boys, his modesty
forbidding the thought that his own opinions
were of great value to any one. This' made
his clinging to them the more remarkable ; but
this tenacity of purpose sprang from his very
nature, that honest, strong, and sturdy self-hood
referred to above. And yet his individuality was
combined with a docile and inquiring temper.

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY. 53
He was always a pupil, and, for years to come,
seemed likely to be simply a seeker after knowl
edge. His independence appeared only in the
assertion of those great principles which his
keen moral sense had already discerned and ap
proved. Adelbert's politeness also deserves mention.
While plain and simple in his dress and manners
beyond most of his companions, he was ever cour
teous. This politeness was due largely to good
breeding, but still more to principle; for it seemed
manifested not so much to win favor, as to give a
natural and unconscious expression to his benevo
lence. Hence I noticed that it never varied to
suit those petty interests which a leading pupil
always has at school, but was even and perennial
in its fiow. He was courteous chiefly and simply
because he was just and humane. He hated, like
his room-mate, all castes in social life, and believed
in the right of all men to respect and kindness
from their fellows. He was a radical republican
in the school-room, the parlor, and the playground,
and was kind to all. 1 do not recall a single in
stance where he was overbearing to a younger
pupil or a servant. Truly, his gentleness made
him great.
I need not say that your son was noble. An
unselfish and considerate nature was God's gift to
him. He was always just, as well as kind, — a com
bination rarely met with in such large and even
proportions. Everything he had, he shared freely.

64 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
and yet was perfectly able and willing to defend
his rights. Meum and teum were strictly defined in
his conceptions, and his sense of property was
strong and keen. I often pictured him in the pos
session of wealth, as one fitted and destined, we
fondly thought, to sway any amount of moneyed
influence with ease and justice.
But the trait that most impressed itself upon us
was his obedience to law. There is no place like
a school to reveal domestic strength or weakness.
And Adelbert showed in all his deeds and words
that he had been trained, as we say in New Eng
land, to mind. He entered the school, resolved to
do his duty, and that with cheerful promptness.
Out of all my pupils, he was one of the three who
made me no trouble. He often said, when the
pupils' plans were broken up by some necessary
exercise, — "WeU, feUows, that ends the matter;
that 's the rule." One occasion alone I now recall
as a very slight exception ; and he then said, —
"Mr. Colton, I shall never give you ground of
complaint again." And he never did.
It was this stern yet cheerful obedience to
right rule that made our dear young friend a true
patriot He often said that he must go to the war,
and that nothing but his mother's permission was
wanting. The Western energy and fire glowed in
him, though a thousand miles away ; and I have no
doubt he would have willingly laid down his life
for his brethren and the government I often
seriously thought of shutting up the school-room

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY. 55
and entering the confiict ; and while discussing the
matter one day, Del exclaimed, " Take us along ;
I '11 be one." After the retreat from Richmond, his
spirit was roused and chafed and ready for the
fight When the " One Hundred Days " men were
pouring in from the vast and fertile plains of
his own State, he could scarcely restrain his im
patience ; and we all felt it was more than boy
ish enthusiasm, or a merely martial impulse. It
was an intelligent love of country. Young as he
was, he saw and felt the issue at stake ; Repub
licanism, Liberty, Equal Rights, Humanity, these
were the potent watchwords to his soul. He was
a philanthropist. There was no formal definition
of the position of parties in his arguments, but
he would state, in his plain idiomatic way, the
commanding principles which were arrayed in
conflict, with a force and clearness far beyond his
years. Adelbert was filial. My dear Mrs. Stone, you
need not my testimony that you had a good son.
He was dear and true to you and his father at
all. times and in all places, and always seemed to
speak and act and think for the precious ones of
home. He often spoke to us of your wishes, and
noble and tender was his reference. You were
his chief joy on earth, and your approval the
most commanding of all human motives. His
last interview with us is vivid and precious for
this very quality which marked the happy hour.
Snatched from his teachers and companions and

56 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
the scientific aims which brought him to this neigh
borhood, it was nearly all spent in rapid and eager
aUusions to home, and in sketching his numerous
plans to meet the parental wishes in the future.
And this affection was more than the mere filial in
stinct It was a genuine love, pure, native, strong,
and becoming stronger and clearer with his own
growth. We were especially struck with the mix
ture of boyish and manly feeling in his words and
looks during this visit There was a serious joy
in all he said and did, as though life was upon him,
and he had begun to realize a little his own in
dividuality. But all his plans and pictures included
his domestic friends. Yes, you may be sure that
you had his holiest, his best and latest love. As he
rapidly sketched his life at college and his plans
for the future both at Yale and in Europe, he
added, with a sweet and animated smile, — "And
then I shall aid father and do something worth the
while." It is not ofteil that so much dutifulness
is combined with energy and a just ambition to
excel in One's own life-work, independently of
parental success. Here would have been at least
one exception to the almost universal American
rule, that the wealth of the father lessens and
comes to nought in the hands of the son. The
family honors and fortunes he was preparing to
amplify, as well as to adorn.
But I must not forget to speak of Adelbert's
scholarship. Soon after he had joined our little
circle and I had measured his mind, so to speak,

EXTRACTS FKOM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY. 57
I planned a curriculum of studies covering two fuU
years. This embraced modern languages, courses
of reading, history, and literature, and a thorough
drill in composition, and in the Constitution of
the United States, including the usages of Par
liamentary debates. His eagerness to enter his
chosen profession led him to cut off one year from
this course, and did not give me the opportunity I
longed for of introducing a polished yet strong
and robust mind into the dignities and glories of
Old Yale. But he was ever a fine scholar. He
led in mathematics, and was good in everything.
He was fkr from being brilliant, but he went to
the heart of things, and was thorough and earnest
It was delightful to see the energy and enthu
siasm with which he wrought out his daily tasks,
and the straightforward way in which he gained
and stated his knowledge. His habits of study
and proficiency while with us made it easy to
believe the successive reports of his instructors
at New Haven, that he was "doing very well,"
and the final testimony of his classmates, that he
was their leading man. Adelbert was a growing
scholar. We could almost see his mind grow.
And his brief career illustrates to younger stu
dents the advantage and power of a single aim
and of thorough and persistent energy. His good
sense and scholarly tastes were seen also in the
selection of books to read and to add to his pri
vate library, which he founded under my guid
ance. The list embraced sound books, worthy of

58 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
perusal, calculated to strengthen the mind, adorn
the soul, and bless the heart. What a contrast
to the weak and often pernicious literature which
excite and starve most of our youth !
Finally, was Del a Christian ? How all other
questions and qualities are lost in this ! And here,
without knowing the heart of the youth, I have
most cheering testimony. I would not dare in
dulge in that common and irresistible benevolence
which often rashly and tenderly believes that all
whom we love and lose are good and safe. But I
think there is solid ground for my convictions in
this case. His natural piety, if I so may call it,
was very great. The best human virtues — in
tegrity, benevolence, justice, truth, humanity,
patriotism, filial devotion, and industry — we have
seen were his by nature, and nourished in his
daily purposes as principles. All these are a basis
and a preparation for that divine grace which
comes from Heaven by Jesus Christ, and, under the
silent and pervading movements of the Spirit of
God, they would surely have produced it, as the
tree its fruit. Your son was one whom we should
somehow expect and quietly prophesy would be
come a Christian. But, thanks be to God ! we are
here not left to doubt, for he once said in a relig
ious interview, "I do not consider myself fit to join
the Church. I am not old enough to decide. But
I sometimes think I am a Christian, and I am sure
I want to be one." In devotions, public and house
hold, he was solemn and reverential, though per-

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY. 59
fectly natural. There was no assumed seriousness.
For the recitation of hymns on Sunday evenings,
he was apt to select a spiritual one, and learned
it with willingness. I remember a striking hymn
which he rendered with great spirit and pathos, —
" I was a wandering sheep." Some of those thirty
hymns, I trust, filled his soul with their celestial
import during those eventful and concentred
moments which passed so swiftly in the watery
flood. He was also understood to be in the habit
of private devotion, and once told me that he had
never omitted the daily repeating, at least sUently,
of the Lord's Prayer, Would that he could have
given his pubhc and recorded seal to his beUef
Such, in brief, my friends, are only a few, very
few, of my many pleasant thoughts and memories
of your dearest Adelbert We did not know till
now how much there was in that young soul, in
that wise, honest, and noble face, to love and re
spect We wUl think of him as safe in the bosom
of the great Father, as a germinant mind, saved
and purified by God, and destined to blossom and
bring forth fi-uit abundantly in a better clime.
And may we so live as to join him among the in
numerable good.
Remember me to the poor sisters, though they
may perhaps have forgotten me. I trust they
wiU be brave and good in this sad world, and
be now more true than ever to you and their
afflicted father.

60 EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF SYMPATHY.
P. S. Have you read Milton's "Lycidas " lately ?
During these last two days of bitter suspense
those verses have been passing in solemn cadence
through my mind. Indeed, the whole elegy seems
almost as if written in express commemoration of
this event. You will allow me to transcribe the
closing lines as a true picture of what is, we trust,
Adelbert's blessed state.
" Weep no more, woful Parents, weep no more,
For Lycidas your sorrow is not dead,
Sunk though he be beneath the watery floor.
So sinks the day-star in the ocean bed,
And yet anon repairs his drooping head,
And tricks his beams, and with new-spangled ore
Flames in the forehead of the morning sky ;
So Lycidas sunk low, but mounted high,
Through the dear might of Him that walked the waves,
Where, other groves and other streams along,
With nectar pure his oozy locks he laves,
And hears the inexpressive nuptial song,
In the blest kingdoms meek of joy and love.
There entertain him all the saints above,
In solemn troops and sweet societies,
That sing, and singing in their glory move,
And wipe the tears forever from his eyes."
HENRY M. COLTON.
Middletown, Conn,, June 30, 1865.

POETICAL TRIBUTES.

POETICAL TRIBUTES.

TO THE BEREAVED ONES.
Breathe not idle words of sorrow
O'er the sad hearts breaking now ;
May that Hand that brings the morrow
Strengthen those that lowly bow.
Mothers who have lost your idol,
Fathers who have lost your pride,
See, in silence, how the tidal
Floods of sorrow o'er them ride ;
And, in hushed and holy quiet,
Pray that Heaven may help them bear
Of the burden such a portion
Aa will keep them from despair.
Where were holy ones created ?
Angels once were mortals here.
He is with his kindred mated,
With celestial ones a peer.
AU his lovely traits unfolded,
In an atmosphere of bliss,
Leave him there, divinely moulded,
Till you meet him with a kiss.

64 POETICAL TRIBUTES.
" God is love," and on our loved ones,
In those regions clear and mild,
He bestows the " many mansions,"
As a father on his child.
June 30, 1865.

A. McR.

IL

The stars beam forth and disappear ;
The flowerets wither, just in bloom ;
So briefly hast thou lingered here,
To sink into thy early tomb.
Thy smile, which could all hearts illume,
Shall never more on earth be seen ;
The vacant seat, the silent room
Remain to echo, He has been.
Nor yet shall thoughts of gloom arise
To mingle with thy memory,
For thou, loved one, hast gained the skies,
Untouched by sin or misery.
The flower-gemmed sods, 'neath mantling snows,
More lightly on thy bosom rest
Than would life's load of cares and woes,
Or even earthly happiness.
Thy sin-washed soul has passed away,
As melts the star on morning's brow
Into the glorious light of day ;
And we will not recall thee now.

T. D. c.

Oeveland, June 28, 1865,

POETICAL TRIBUTES, 65
IIL
"DROWNED! DROWNED!"
Weep ! Weep ! Weep !
For the good and the brave is gone.
Weep ! Weep ! Weep I
For he was my only son.
And my eyes are blind with the tears I shed
Over the fate of the noble dead.
Break! Break! Break!
Thou bleeding, fluttering heart ;
Break ! Break ! Break !
But I cannot draw the dart,
And the sudden grief of an awful woe
Freezes the life-blood in its flow.
Pray ! Pray ! Pray !
Husband, pastor, and friend ;
Pray ! Pray ! Pray !
That my life may come to its end,
Or down from the realm of eternity
My beautiful boy may come back to me !
Fly! Fly! Fly!
O friends, to the eastern wave.
Fly! Fly! Fly!
Bring word from the watery grave.
The electric rush of the lightning's speed
Is far too slow for a mother's need.
On! On! On!
Swifter than wings of wind.
On ! On ! On !
Ye all are laggers behind.
9

66 POETICAL TRIBUTES.
He must not lie in that cold, black flood,
Down in the watery solitude.
Work! Work! Work!
Strangers and lovers and men ;
Work! Work! Work!
Oh, search the waters again
For the form I bore aud nourished and pressed.
Oh, give him back to his mother's breast !
"Found! Found! Found!"
Over the fields and woods,
"Found! Found! Found!"
Over the solitudes,
That stretch in their silence from lake to river,
Leaps the glad word of comfort forever.
Home ! Home ! Home !
Is the form we love so well ;
Home ! Home ! Home !
Though lifeless and cold and still.
Kind is the Power that has yielded his dust
To parents and sisters, their holiest trust.
Sleep, child ! Sleep !
In the earth and not in the sea.
Sleep, child! Sleep!
And when we come to thee
The skies will shed their dewy tears,
And the stars will smile when the grave appears.
Live, spirit ! live !
Onward still be thy flight,
Live, spirit ! Live !
On to the fountain of light.
Purified, glorified, strong, and sublime,
Shake from thy pinions the weakness of time.

POETICAL TRIBUTES. 67
0 God ! our Father God !
Sire and Divinity !
O God, our Saviour God !
Christ of humanity !
A ray of thy Sun our Adelbert was given :
Just is the word that recalled hira to heaven.
Ocean-side, July 3, 1865.

FUNERAL SERVICES,

FUNERAL SERVICES.

The FUNERAL SERVICES wcre held at the family
residence in Cleveland, on the afternoon of Sunday
the 2d of July. They were opened by the chant
ing of the hymn given immediately below, fol
lowed by the reading of select passages of Script
ure, a brief address and a prayer by the pastor,
and closing with the singing of a hymn. At the
grave, the burial took place in silence, and was
ended by the benediction. On the Sunday fol
lowing, a sermon of consolation was preached in
the First Presbyterian Church, from Hebrews
xu. 9.

THE MOURNER'S PRAYER.
Mt God, my Father, while I stray
Far from my home on life's rough way,
Oh, teach me from my heart to say,
"Thy will be done!"
Though dark my path and sad my lot,
Let me be still and murmur not,
But breathe the prayer divinely taught,
« Thy will be done ! "

72 FUNERAL SERVICES.
If thou shouldst call me to resign
What most I prize, it ne'er was mine ;
I only yield thee what was thine.
" Thy will be done ! "
Renew my will from day to day ;
Blend it with thine, and take away
' All that now makes it hard to say,
"Thy will be done!"

WORDS OF GOD.

Who knoweth not that the hand of the Lord hath wrought
this? Affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth
trouble spring out of the ground. In his hand is the soul of
every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. Behold he
breaketh down, and it cannot be built again : he shutteth up,
and there can be no opening.
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of
trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down : he
fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. Thou earnest them
away as with a flood ; they are as a sleep ; in the morning they
are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth
and groweth up ; in the evening it is cut down and withereth.
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death ? shall he
deliver his soul from the hand of the grave ? There is no man
hath power over the spirit to retain the .spirit ; neither hath he
power in the day of death : for there is no discharge in that war.
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months ia
with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.

FUNERAL SERVICES. 73
Let not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, believe
also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions : if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for
you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye
may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know,
I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the resurrection,
and the life ; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall
never die.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great
a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin
which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the
race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith ; who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the
right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that en
dured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be
wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted
unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the ex
hortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son,
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou
art rebuked of him ; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chas
tening, God dealeth with you as with sons ; for what son is he
whom the father chasteneth not ? Furthermore we have had
fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them
reverence : shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the
Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days
chastened us after their own pleasure ; but he for our profit, that
we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for
the present seeraeth to be joyous, but grievous : nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby.
10

74 FUNERAL SERVICES.
RESIGNATION.
O Love divine ! that stooped to share
Our sharpest pangs, our bitterest tear,
On thee we cast each earth-born care,
We smile at pain while thou art near.
Though long the weary way we tread.
And sorrow crown each lingering year,
No path we shun, no darkness dread.
Our hearts still whispering, thou art near.
When drooping pleasure turns to grief,
And trembling faith is changed to fear,
The murmuring wind, the quivering leaf
Shall softly tell us, thou art near !
On thee we fling our burdening woe,
O Love divine, forever dear.
Content to snflfer, while we know,
Living or dying, thou art near !

BENEDICTION.
ecije grace of our Hotti Sesus ©Stfst, tje lobe of (Soil, ourJatSer, anS
tj)e Cnmrnunfon of tje Jgolj Sptrft, tj)e ffiomforter, ahfae toitl) jou all,
ebemiore. Stmen.

SERMON OF CONSOLATION.
"JFuttSerraote toe tabe Salr fatSers of ottr flesi) toMcJ correcteti ii», anu
toe gabc tSem teberence : stall toe not mucj ratSer be In sutifecifon unto
tje jfat^ev of sptrfta, anH Ifbe ? " — Hebkews xii. 9.

APPENDICES.

APPENDICES.

We append a few items, chiefly statistical, as facts of
permanent interest to the friends of the deceased. They
will at least serve to complete the record of persons and
events connected with this tragedy. A.
The following is a complete list of the geological party
as it left New Haven, Monday morning, June 26, 1865.
Mr. Higgins joined them at Middletown.
James D. Dana, LL. D., Professor in Geology and Mineralogy.
George J. Brush, M. A., Professor in Mineralogy and Metallurgy.

OF THE SHEFFIELD SCHOOL.
Curtis Chapman,
Frederick W. Clark,
George D. Coit,
Adrian J. Ebell,
Alfred W. Higgins,
Wilford Linsly,
John J. Matthias,
George B. Pumpelly
John W. Randall,
C. S. Rodman,
Adelbert B. Stone,
Wadworth Wadsworth.

OF THE SENIOE CLASS.
Simeon 0. Allen,
Jaraes W. Clark,
Henry P. Collin,
George S. Dickerman,
Marshall R. Gaines,
Charles H. Leonard,
Manning F. Stires,
Edward M. Wright.

78 APPENDICES. B.
In behalf of the family and friends we would record
our great obligation to the various persons, over seventy-
five in number, who were engaged either directly or
indirectly in recovering the body. Where all entered
with such earnest and persistent toil into this mournfiil
work, comparisons are out of place. And yet, while
each acted well his part, the parts varied in importance.
If distinct reference be made at all to the several co-
laborers, the Rev. O, F. Parker, of Haddam, deserves
especial mention. The success of our own plans and the
efficient management of the entire enterprise were due
almost wholly to his wisdom and energy. We take
pleasure, also, in recording this gentleman's testimony to
the fidelity of such of Mr. Stone's classmates as remained
to aid in the search. He writes under date of July 18th :
" These five classmates did all that the tenderest affection
for their friend could prompt, and each deserves great
praise. Their names are : —
John W. Randall, George D. Coit,
Jaraes A. Macdonald, Adrian J. Ebell,
Alfred W. Higgins.
" Mr. Ebell deserves special mention. His activity
never flagged, and he was utterly forgetful of personal
comfort, and even of his own safety. Indeed, during the
almost fifty hours that his lost comrade lay in the stream,
he seemed ever in motion, working and watching con
stantly, and scarcely ate or slept."
The various friends which Mr. Stone had won at New
Haven freely offered their services, and did all that lay in
their power to aid us in regaining the body. The offi
cers of the Sheffield School were constant in their proffers

APPENDICES. 79
of sympathy and aid. Frequent and anxious communi
cation was kept up between the places during the search,
while ample preparations were made for an honorable
public funeral. But the condition of the body and the
anxiety of distant and domestic friends compelled the im
mediate transit of the remains by way of Springfield. In
all these kind movements, Joseph E. Sheffield, Esq., and
his family, bore a prominent part, and did all that love
and friendship could devise. His son, Charles J. Shef
field (who was himself also once a member of Mr. Col
ton's school and familiar with the localities), and his
son-in-law, Mr. Boardman, of Cleveland, came up to aid
in the mournful work.
While at school in Middletown, Adelbert's unswerving
devotion to study had prevented his forming many inti
mate friendships. But he was well remembered for his
-frank and noble manners, and the intelligence and high
moral tone of his mind. He unconsciously obeyed the
poets' precept, " Look thou character," and they recollected
the look. His death took strong hold on the community.
Their grief and sympathy were doubtless emphasized by
the similar case of young Chapin, his schoolmate, and
highly esteemed in town, who the year before had been
recovered, against all hope, from the last stage of drowning.
Several citizens offered assistance, and Wadsworth Russell,
Esq., put both himself and a carriage at the disposal of
Mr. Stone's relatives.
We would not forget the attention of Captain Bisby,
who, at much personal inconvenience, kindly put his pro
peller H. W. Hill at their disposal.
Cyprian Brainerd, who lives on the opposite bank, ren
dered great aid by his suggestions and his personal and
disinterested labors.
The services of Mr. David Brainerd, the host of the
original party and of the various subsequent guests, were

80

APPENDICES.

as varied and constant as they were cheerful and efficient.
We would not forget the ample courtesies so freely and
gracefully dispensed by the ladies of his family. Our
mind dwells with especial gratitude on those beautiful
floral decorations which their pious hearts and skilful
hands had devised to deck the recovered form. The
removal of it by boat, contrary to the original design, pre
vented the fulfilment of their plans. The wreaths have
doubtless long since withered, but the purpose and deed
of love will be green and fragrant forever.

C.
The following are the names of the persons employed
by Rev. Mr. Parker in the search for Mr. Stone's remains.
They are nearly all citizens of Haddam, and though ade
quately remunerated for their services, would have been
glad to make their labors a spontaneous offering of love : ^

Edgar Smith,
Caleb Smith,
Joseph Smith,
Charles Spencer,
Israel Shailer,
Niles Cunningham,
Edward Kelsey,
Noadiah Kelsey,
Captain Samuel Kelsey,
Cyprian Brainerd,
Nathaniel Cook,
Samuel Brainerd,
Selden Dickinson,
Samuel Arnold, Jun.,
Samuel Russell,
Eldon Clark,
Mr. Paulsgrass,
Clarence Dickinson,

Albert Dickinson,
Joel Ward,
Mr. Jackson,
Mr. Woodhead,
Mr. Pilling,
S. Hazleton,
Nehemiah Dickinson,
Samuel Mitchell,
Wilson Brainerd,
George Arnold,
Charles Russell,
Robert Arnold,
Norman Spencer,
Henry Welch,
Henry Spencer,
Robert Dickinson,
William Spencer,
Mrs. Harlow,

-iri'ENDICES. 81
D.
Some of Mr. Stone's relatives, who were at a distance
from the scene, may perhaps silently indulge the feeling
that something more might have been done to prevent the
disaster. The Editor begs leave to state, on behalf of the
eastern friends, that after the most diligent and separate
inquiries, made of many persons present at the time, and
the most careful survey of the scene and circumstances,
he is convinced that no one was in fault. The advanced
age of the students and the custom of colleges rendered
any special presence or guidance on the part of the pro
fessors unnecessary and inappropriate. As to the catas
trophe itself, the simple fact that the party on either shore
presumed that Mr. Stone was on the opposite side, will
account for their inactivity. Philosophy and religion unite
in an easier solution. It was manifestly the finger of that
God who seeth in secret, who hath dominion from the
river to ends of the earth. Let us rather worship him
that made the sea, and stretched his hand over it and
gave it its decree ; who also graciously rebuked the sea,
and made it to give up its dead. He is fearful in praises,
doing wonders in the sight of men.
E,
RESOLUTIONS OF THE BERZELIUS SOCIETY.
At the meeting of the Berzelius Society, held Friday
evening, June 30, 1865, the following resolutions were
unanimously adopted : —
Whereas, in the death of Adelbert Barnes Stone
an all-wise Providence has seen fit to deprive this Society
of one of its strongest supporters and most brilliant orna
ments, and to take from each of its members a respected
and beloved friend ; and,
11

82 APPENDICES.
Whereas, We consider it a just but melancholy pleasure
thus to give formal expression to our appreciation of the
worth of our lamented brother, and of our deep grief at
his sudden removal, and thus to pay the last sad tributes
of respect and love to one who was our intimate asso
ciate during college life, and fully merited the esteem and
warm affection which each of us felt towards him ; there
fore, Besolved, That we, the members of the Berzelius So
ciety of the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale College,
(although, through our intimate social relations, feeling
this blow as very few outside of the family circle can feel
it,) desire, nevertheless, to bow submissively to the will
of God, and solemnly lay to heart the warning brought so
near us.
Besolved, That we recognize in the character of our
late friend and brother all those qualities of heart and
head which most endear man to man; and deeply de
ploring our loss, realize the sad fact that it is irreparable,
that his place can never be filled, and that in each of our
hearts there is an aching void.
Besolved, That we are thankful that we were per
mitted to meet this brother and enjoy his acquaintance for
so long a time ; and that by his natural abilities, his high
standing as a scholar, his frank and manly courtesy, his
brilliant wit and merry humor, his equable and genial
temper, and his large, warm heart, he had endeared him
self to us in such a friendship as is seldom made but in an
intimacy of many years.
Besolved, That we will ever cherish the many pleasant
recollections of our dear companion, and as years roll on
and we recall the friendships of our youth, his memory
shall always remain green and fragrant in our hearts.
Besolved, That as sharers in the grief of his affiicted

APPENDICES. 83
relatives, we tender to them our deepest and heartiest
sympathies, earnestly praying that in the sustaining grace
of Him who "chasteneth those whom he loveth" they
may find strength to bow with submission to His decrees,
and comfort in the darkest hour of their sorrow,
Besolved, That as an outward expression of our heart
felt grief, we will wear the customary badge of mourning
for thirty days, and that our hall be draped for the same
length of time ; and
Besolved, That these resolutions be inscribed on the
records of this Society, and that a copy of them, signed by
every member, be sent to the family of the deceased.
WILFORD LINSLY, GEORGE D. COIT,
FREDERICK F. THOMAS, GEO. B. PUMPELLY,
JOHN J. MATTHLA.S, PETER COLLIER,
J. W. RANDALL, CHARLES HOLT,
R. M. GROVE, CHARLES MALLORY,
P. H. GROVE, CHAS. J. SHEFFIELD,
J. A. MACDONALD.

F.
We add the following brief extracts from Mr. Stone's
compositions, not as showing any marked excellence in
thought or expression, but as a pleasant and silent testi
mony to the character which the previous letters have given
him. We see in them the good sense, the clear and fresh
thought, and that cheerful and genuine recognition of a
Divine Providence whicli ever distinguished him.
" What a variety of changes and what a source of en
joyment God has given us in the seasons ! Who can but
feel the wisdom and goodness of the Almighty in this ar
rangement. Imagine a whole year of Winter, or Spring,
or Summer. Would life be to us then what life is to us
now, with nothing to look forward to save one dull, mo
notonous stretch of tirae ? But now every month has its

84 APPENDICES.
purpose. See, it is Spring. June finishes what May has
begun. Now the birds venture out and the woods are filled
with their song, the flowers come forth in their beauty and
fragrance, and Nature seems to do her utmost to delight
the mind and to please every sense. — Thus we see that
God has ordained the different seasons as an example or
pattern of the life which man should lead. Human life,
like the circling year, is made up of storms and calms, of
bright and gloomy days. If we carry out the Divine in
tentions, we may, like the aged year, at last go to sleep,
after our work is over in this world, only to rise again in
another, and to reap the fruits of earthly toil,"
In a plea for " Out-door Sports," he says : — " When
God created man he made a place for both work and play.
In our own country we lack physical force. It is our one
weak spot as a, people. We should beware. Look at
those nations who have never practised manly sports, but
given themselves up to eating and drinking and pleasure,
and you will find that they have become lazy, effeminate,
and good for nothing. We are progressing rapidly and
daily in wealth and power, and bid fair to become the
greatest nation of the world. But we may fail from lack
of manly play. Compare the well-read, I'eading, writing,
thinking American, with a pencil behind his ear and a bill
of exchange in his pocket, with the naked New Zealander,
whose whole property consists of a club and a spear.
What a contrast in mind and body. But the white
has lost his aboriginal strength. Now give the white
a part of the New Zealander's strength and the New Zea
lander a part of the white man's mind, and we should have
two such perfect men as God intended. It is our duty to
maintain in a healthy state the powers of body and mind
which God has given us. In giving us mind he, gave us a
body to sustain it, and if we neglect it we neglect our
duty towards him who gave us both."

^ALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

3 9002 04045 0075

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