CONCERNING PERSONS
As years increase we more and more value the personal and individual
element in human life. Character becomes the transcendent interest and
friends are our chief assets. As I approach the end of my story of
memories I feel that the most interesting feature of life has been the
personal. I wish I had given more space to the people I have known.
Fortune has favored me with friends worth mentioning and of
acquaintances, some of whom I must introduce.
Of Horatio Stebbins, the best friend and strongest influence of my life,
I have tried to express my regard in a little book about to be published
by the Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston. It will be procurable from
our San Francisco Unitarian Headquarters. That those who may not see it
may know something of my feeling, I reprint a part of an editorial
written when he died.
HORATIO STEBBINS
The thoughts that cluster around the memory of Horatio Stebbins so fill
the mind that nothing else can be considered until some expression is
made of them, and yet the impossibility of any adequate statement is so
evident that it seems hopeless to begin. The event of his death was not
unexpected. It has been imminent and threatening for years. His
feebleness and the intense suffering of his later days relieve the grief
that must be felt, and there springs by its side gratitude that rest and
peace have come to him. And yet to those who loved him the world seems
not quite the same since he has gone from it. There is an underlying
feeling of something missing, of loss not to be overcome, that must be
borne to the end.
In my early boyhood Horatio Stebbins was "the preacher from
Fitchburg"--original in manner and matter, and impressive even to a boy.
Ten years passed, and our paths met in San Francisco. From the day he
first stood in the historic pulpit as successor of that gifted preacher
and patriot, Starr King, till his removal to Cambridge, few
opportunities for hearing him were neglected by me. His influence was a
great blessing, association with him a delight, his example an
inspiration, and his love the richest of undeserved treasures.
Dr. Stebbins was ever the kindliest of men, and his friendliness and
consideration were not confined to his social equals. Without
condescension, he always had a kind word for the humblest people. He was
as gentlemanly and courteous to a hackdriver as he would be to a college
president. None ever heard him speak severely or impatiently to a
servant. He was considerate by nature, and patient from very largeness.
He never harbored an injury, and by his generosity and apparent
obliviousness or forgetfulness of the unpleasant past he often put to
shame those who had wronged him. He was at times stern, and was always
fearless in uttering what he felt to be the truth, whether it was to
meet with favor or with disapproval from his hearers.
As a friend he was loyalty itself, and for the slightest service he was
deeply appreciative and grateful. He was the most charitable of men, and
was not ashamed to admit that he had often been imposed upon.
Of his rank as a thinker and a preacher I am not a qualified judge, but
he surely was great of heart and strong of mind. He was a man of
profound faith, and deeply religious in a strong, manly way. He inspired
others by his trust and his unquestioned belief in the reality of
spiritual things. He never did anything for effect; his words fell from
his lips in tones of wonderful beauty to express the thought and feeling
that glowed within.
Noble man, great preacher, loving friend! thou art not dead, but
translated to that higher life of which no doubt ever entered thy
trusting mind!
HORACE DAVIS
Horace Davis was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on March 16, 1831.
His father was John Davis, who served as Governor of Massachusetts and
as United States Senator. His mother was the daughter of Rev. Aaron
Bancroft, one of the pioneers of the Unitarian ministry.
Horace Davis graduated at Harvard in the class of 1849. He began the
study of the law, but his eyes failed, and in 1852 he came to California
to seek his fortune. He first tried the mines, starting a store at
Shaw's Flat. When the venture failed he came to San Francisco and sought
any employment to be found. He began by piling lumber, but when his
cousin, Isaac Davis, found him at it he put him aboard one of his
coasting schooners as supercargo. Being faithful and capable, he was
sought by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and was for several years
a good purser. He and his brother George had loaned their savings to a
miller, and were forced to take over the property. Mr. Davis become the
accepted authority on wheat and the production of flour, and enjoyed
more than forty years of leadership in the business which he
accidentally entered.
He was always a public-spirited citizen, and in 1877 was elected to
Congress, serving for two terms. He proved too independent and
unmanageable for the political leaders of the time and was allowed to
return to private life.
In 1887 he was urged to accept the presidency of the University of
California, and for three years he discharged the duties of the office
with credit.
His interest in education was always great, and he entered with ardor
and intelligence into the discharge of his duties as a trustee of the
School of Mechanical Arts established by the will of James Lick. As
president of the board, he guided its course, and was responsible for
the large plan for co-operation and co-ordination by which, with the
Wilmerding School and the Lux School (of which he was also a leading
trustee), a really great endowed industrial school under one
administrative management has been built up in San Francisco. A large
part of his energy was devoted to this end, and it became the strongest
desire of his life to see it firmly established. He also served for many
years as a trustee for Stanford University, and for a time was president
of the board. To the day of his death (in July, 1916) he was active in
the affairs of Stanford, and was also deeply interested in the
University of California. The degree of LL.D. was conferred by the
University of the Pacific, by Harvard, and by the University of
California.
From his earliest residence in San Francisco he was a loyal and devoted
supporter of the First Unitarian Church and of its Sunday-school. For
over sixty years he had charge of the Bible-class, and his influence for
spiritual and practical Christianity has been very great. He gave
himself unsparingly for the cause of religious education, and never
failed to prepare himself for his weekly ministration. For eight years
he served on the board of trustees of the church and for seven years was
moderator of the board.
Under the will of Captain Hinckley he was made a trustee of the William
and Alice Hinckley Fund, and for thirty-seven years took an active
interest in its administration. At the time of his death he was its
president. He was deeply interested in the Pacific Unitarian School for
the Ministry, and contributed munificently to its foundation and
maintenance.
Mr. Davis preserved his youth by the breadth of his sympathies. He
seemed to have something in common with everyone he met; was young with
the young. In his talks to college classes he was always happy, with a
simplicity and directness that attracted close attention, and a sense of
humor that lighted up his address.
His domestic life was very happy. His first wife, the daughter of
Captain Macondray, for many years an invalid, died in 1872. In 1875 he
married Edith King, the only daughter of Thomas Starr King, a woman of
rare personal gifts, who devoted her life to his welfare and happiness.
She died suddenly in 1909. Mr. Davis, left alone, went steadily on. His
books were his constant companions and his friends were always welcome.
He would not own that he was lonely. He kept occupied; he had his round
of duties, attending to his affairs, and the administration of various
benevolent trusts, and he had a large capacity for simple enjoyments.
He read good books; he was hospitably inclined; he kept in touch with
his old associates; he liked to meet them at luncheon at the University
Club or at the monthly dinner of the Chit-Chat Club, which he had seldom
missed in thirty-nine years of membership. He was punctilious in the
preparation of his biennial papers, always giving something of interest
and value. His intellectual interest was wide. He was a close student of
Shakespeare, and years ago printed a modest volume on the Sonnets. He
also published a fine study of the Ministry of Jesus, and a
discriminating review of the American Constitutions.
Mr. Davis was a man of profound religious feeling. He said little of it,
but it was a large part of his life. On his desk was a volume of Dr.
Stebbins' prayers, the daily use of which had led to the reading again
and again of the book he very deeply cherished.
He was the most loyal of friends--patient, appreciative beyond deserts,
kindly, and just. The influence for good of such a man is incalculable.
One who makes no pretense of virtue, but simply lives uprightly as a
matter of course, who is genuine and sound, who does nothing for effect,
who shows simple tastes, and is not greedy for possessions, but who
looks out for himself and his belongings in a prudent, self-respecting
way, who takes what comes without complaint, who believes in the good
and shows it by his daily course, who is never violent and desperate,
but calmly tries to do his part to make his fellows happier and the
world better, who trusts in God and cheerfully bears the trials that
come, who holds on to life and its opportunities, without repining if he
be left to walk alone, and who faces death with the confidence of a
child who trusts in a Father's love and care--such a man is blessed
himself and is a blessing to his fellow-men.
A MEMORY OF EMERSON
In 1871 Ralph Waldo Emerson visited California. He was accompanied by
his daughter Ellen, and seemed thoroughly to enjoy the new scenes and
new experiences. He visited the Yosemite Valley and other points of
interest, and was persuaded to deliver a number of lectures. His first
appearance before a California audience was at the Unitarian church,
then in Geary Street near Stockton, on a Sunday evening, when he read
his remarkable essay on "Immortality," wherein he spoke of people who
talk of eternity and yet do not know what to do with a day. The church
was completely filled and the interest to hear him seemed so great that
it was determined to secure some week-day lectures if possible. In
company with Horace Davis, who enjoyed his acquaintance, I called on him
at the Occidental Hotel. He was the most approachable of men--as simple
and kindly in his manner as could be imagined, and putting one at ease
with that happy faculty which only a true gentleman possesses.
[Illustration: HORACE DAVIS--FIFTY YEARS A FRIEND]
[Illustration: HARVARD UNIVERSITY WHEN HE ENTERED]
His features are familiar from the many published pictures, but no one
who had not met his smiling eyes can realize the charm of his
personality.
His talk was delightfully genial. I asked him if his journey had been
wearisome. "Not at all," he replied; "I have enjoyed it all." The
scenery seemed to have impressed him deeply. "When one crosses your
mountains," he said, "and sees their wonderful arches, one discovers how
architecture came to be invented." When asked if he could favor us with
some lectures, he smiled and said: "Well, my daughter thought you might
want something of that kind, and put a few in my trunk, in case of an
emergency." When it came to dates, it was found that he was to leave the
next day for a short trip to the Geysers, and it was difficult to
arrange the course of three, which had been fixed upon, after his
return. It was about eleven o'clock when we called. I asked him if he
could give us one of the lectures that evening. He smiled and said, "Oh,
yes," adding, "I don't know what you can do here, but in Boston we could
not expect to get an audience on such short notice." We assured him that
we felt confident in taking the chances on that. Going at once to the
office of the _Evening Bulletin,_ we arranged for a good local notice,
and soon had a number of small boys distributing announcements in the
business streets.
The audience was a good one in point of numbers, and a pleased and
interested one. His peculiar manner of reading a few pages, and then
shuffling his papers, as though they were inextricably mixed, was
embarrassing at first, but when it was found that he was not disturbed
by it, and that it was not the result of an accident, but a
characteristic manner of delivery, the audience withheld its sympathy
and rather enjoyed the novelty and the feeling of uncertainty as to what
would come next. One little incident of the lecture occasioned an
admiring smile. A small bunch of flowers had been placed on the
reading-desk, and by some means, in one of his shuffles, they were
tipped over and fell forward to the floor. Not at all disconcerted, he
skipped nimbly out of the pulpit, picked up the flowers, put them back
in the vase, replaced it on the desk, and went on with the lecture as
though nothing had happened.
He was much interested in the twenty-dollar gold pieces in which he was
paid, never before having met with that form of money. His encouraging
friendliness of manner quite removed any feeling that a great man's time
was being wasted through one's intercourse. He gossiped pleasantly of
men and things as though talking with an equal. On one occasion he
seemed greatly to enjoy recounting how cleverly James Russell Lowell
imitated Alfred Tennyson's reading of his own poems. Over the
Sunday-school of our church Starr King had provided a small room where
he could retire and gain seclusion. It pleased Emerson. He said, "I
think I should enjoy a study beyond the orbit of the servant girl." He
was as self-effacing a man as I ever knew, and the most agreeable to
meet.
After his return from his short trip he gave two or three more lectures,
with a somewhat diminishing attendance. Dr. Stebbins remarked in
explanation, "I thought the people would tire in the sockets of their
wings if they attempted to follow _him_."
At this distance, I can remember little that he said, but no distance of
time or space can ever dim the delight I felt in meeting him, or the
impression formed of a most attractive, penetrating, and inspiring
personality.
His kindliness and geniality were unbounded. During our arrangement of
dates Mr. Davis smiled as he said of one suggested by Mr. Emerson, "That
would not be convenient for Mr. Murdock, for it is the evening of his
wedding." He did not forget it. After the lecture, a few days later, he
turned to me and asked, "Is she here?" When I brought my flattered wife,
he chatted with her familiarly, asking where she had lived before coming
to California, and placing her wholly at ease.
Every tone of his voice and every glance of his eye suggested the most
absolute serenity. He seemed the personification of calm wisdom. Nothing
disturbed him, nothing depressed him. He was as serene and unruffled as
a morning in June. He radiated kindliness from a heart at peace with all
mankind. His gentleness of manner was an illustration of the possibility
of beauty in conduct. He was wholly self-possessed--to imagine him in a
passion would be impossible. His word was searching, but its power was
that of the sunbeam and not of the blast. He was above all teapot
tempests, a strong, tender, fearless, trustful _man_.
JULIA WARD HOWE
Julia Ward Howe is something more than a noble memory. She has left her
impress on her time, and given a new significance to womanhood. To hear
the perfect music of the voice of so cultivated a woman is something of
an education, and to have learned how gracious and kindly a great nature
really is, is an experience well worth cherishing. Mrs. Howe was
wonderfully alive to a wide range of interests--many-sided and
sympathetic. She could take the place of a minister and speak
effectively from deep conviction and a wide experience, or talk simply
and charmingly to a group of school-children.
When some years later than her San Francisco visit she spoke at a King's
Chapel meeting in Boston, growing feebleness was apparent, but the same
gracious spirit was undimmed. Later pictures have been somewhat
pathetic. We do not enjoy being reminded of mortality in those of
pre-eminent spirit, but what a span of events and changes her life
records, and what a part in it all she had borne! When one ponders on
the inspiring effect of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, and of the arms
it nerved and the hearts it strengthened, and on the direct blows she
struck for the emancipation of woman, it seems that there has been
abundant answer to her prayer,
"As He died to make men holy,
Let us die to make men free."
TIMOTHY H. REARDEN
In glancing back, I can think of no more charming man than Timothy
Rearden. He had a most attractive personality, combining rare
intelligence and kindly affection with humor and a modesty that left him
almost shy. He was scholarly and brilliant, especially in literature
and languages. His essays and studies in Greek attracted
world-acknowledgment, but at home he was known chiefly as a genial,
self-effacing lawyer, not ambitious for a large practice and oblivious
of position, but happy in his friends and in delving deep into whatever
topic in the world of letters engaged his interest.
He was born in Ohio in 1839 and graduated from the Cleveland High School
and from Kenyon College. He served in the Civil War and came to
California in 1866. He was a fellow-worker with Bret Harte in the Mint,
and also on the _Overland Monthly_, contributing "Favoring Female
Conventualism" to the first number. He was a sound lawyer, but hid with
his elders until 1872, when he opened his own office. He was not a
pusher, but his associates respected and loved him, so that when in 1883
the governor was called upon to appoint a judge, and, embarrassed by the
number of candidates, he called upon the Bar Association to recommend
someone, they took a vote and two-thirds of them named Rearden. He
served on the bench for eight years.
He was a favorite member of the Chit-Chat Club for many years and wrote
many brilliant essays, a volume of which was printed in 1893. The first
two he gave were "Francis Petrarch" and "Burning Sappho." Among the most
charming was "Ballads and Lyrics," which was illustrated by the equally
charming singing of representative selections by Mrs. Ida Norton, the
only time in its history when the club was invaded by a woman. Its
outside repetition was clamored for, and as the Judge found a good
excuse in his position and its requirements, he loaned the paper and I
had the pleasure of substituting for him.
When I was a candidate for the legislature he issued a card that was a
departure from political methods. It was during the time when all the
names were submitted on the ballot and voters crossed off those they did
not want to win. He sent his friends a neat card, as follows:
CHARLES A. MURDOCK
(_Of C.A. Murdock & Co., 532 Clay Street_)
IS ONE OF THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
FOR THE ASSEMBLY FROM THE TENTH
SENATORIAL DISTRICT
If you prefer any candidate on any other ticket, scratch Murdock.
If you require any pledge other than that he will vote according to
his honest convictions, scratch Murdock.
His friend, Ambrose Bierce, spoke of him as the most scholarly man on
the Pacific Coast. He was surely among the most modest and affectionate.
He had remarkable poetic gifts. In 1892 the Thomas Post of the Grand
Army of the Republic held a memorial service, and he contributed a poem
beginning:
"Life's fevered day declines; its purple twilight falling
Draws length'ning shadows from the broken flanks;
And from the column's head a viewless chief is calling:
'Guide right; close up your ranks!'"
He was ill when it was read. A week from the day of the meeting the
happy, well-loved man breathed his last.
JOHN MUIR
John Muir, naturalist, enthusiast, writer, glorifier of the Sierras, is
held in affectionate memory the world over, but especially in
California, where he was known as a delightful personality. Real
pleasure and a good understanding of his nature and quality await those
who read of the meeting of Emerson and Muir in the Yosemite in 1871. It
is recorded in their diaries. He was a very rare and versatile man. It
was my good fortune to sit by him at a dinner on his return from Alaska,
where he had studied its glaciers, and had incidentally been honored by
having its most characteristic one named after him. He was tremendously
impressed by the wonder and majesty of what he had seen, but it in no
wise dimmed his enthusiasm for the beauty and glory of the Sierra
Nevada. In speaking of the exquisite loveliness of a mountain meadow he
exclaimed: "I could conceive it no punishment to be staked out for a
thousand years on one of those meadows." His tales of experiences in the
High Sierra, where he spent days alone and unarmed, with nothing but tea
and a few breadcrusts to sustain him, were most thrilling.
I was afterward charmed by his sketch of an adventure with a dog called
"Stickeen," on one of the great Alaskan glaciers, and, meeting him,
urged that he make a little book of it. He was pleased and told me he
had just done it. Late in life he was shocked at what he considered the
desecration of the Hetch-Hetchy Valley by the city of San Francisco,
which sought to dam it and form a great lake that should forever furnish
a supply of water and power. He came to my office to supervise the
publication of the _Sierra Club Bulletin_, and we had a spirited but
friendly discussion of the matter, I being much interested as a
supervisor of the city. As a climax he exclaimed, "Why, if San Francisco
ever gets the Hetch-Hetchy I shall _swear_, even if I am in heaven."
GEORGE HOLMES HOWISON
Among the many beneficent acts of Horatio Stebbins in his distinguished
ministry in San Francisco was his influence in the establishment of the
chair of Moral Philosophy in the University of California. It was the
gift of D.O. Mills, who provided the endowment on the advice of Dr.
Stebbins. The first occupant appointed was Professor Howison, who from
1884 to 1912 happily held a fruitful term. He was admirably fitted for
his duties, and with the added influence of the Philosophical Union
contributed much to the value of the university. A genial and kindly
man, with a keen sense of humor, he was universally and deeply respected
by the students and by his associates. He made philosophy almost
popular, and could differ utterly from others without any of the common
results of antagonism, for he generated so much more light than heat.
His mind was so stored that when he began to speak there seemed to be no
reason aside from discretion why he should ever stop.
I enjoyed to the full one little business incident with him. In my
publications I followed a somewhat severe style of typography,
especially priding myself on the possession of a complete series of
genuine old-style faces cast in Philadelphia from moulds cut a hundred
and seventy years ago. In these latter days a few bold men have tried to
improve on this classic. One Ronaldson especially departed from the
simplicity and dignity of the cut approved by Caxton, Aldus, and
Elzevir, and substituted for the beautiful terminal of, say the capital
T, two ridiculous curled points. I resented it passionately, and
frequently remarked that a printer who would use Ronaldson old-style
would not hesitate to eat his pie with a knife. One day Professor
Howison (I think his dog "Socrates" was with him) came into my office
and inquired if I had a cut of old-style type that had curved terminals
on the capital Ts. I had no idea why he asked the question; I might have
supposed that he wanted the face, but I replied somewhat warmly that I
had not, that I had never allowed it in the shop, to which he replied
with a chuckle, "Good! I was afraid I might get them."
Professor Howison furnished one of the best stories of the great
earthquake of 1906. In common with most people, he was in bed at
fourteen minutes past five on the 18th of April. While victims generally
arose and dressed more or less, the Professor calmly remained between
the sheets, concluding that if he was to die the bed would be the most
fitting and convenient place to be in. It took more than a full-grown
earthquake to disturb his philosophy.
JOSIAH ROYCE
It is doubtful if any son of California has won greater recognition than
Josiah Royce, born in Grass Valley in November, 1855. In 1875 he
graduated at the University of California. After gaining his Ph.D. at
Johns Hopkins, he returned to his _alma mater_ and for four years was
instructor in English literature and logic.
He joined the Chit-Chat Club in 1879 and continued a member until his
removal to Harvard in 1882. He was a brilliant and devoted member, with
a whimsical wit and entire indifference to fit of clothes and general
personal appearance. He was eminently good-natured and a very clever
debater. With all the honors heaped upon him, he never forgot his
youthful associates. At a reunion held in 1916 he sent this friendly
message to the club: "Have warmest memories of olden time. Send
heartiest greetings to all my fellow members. I used to be a long-winded
speaker in Chit-Chat, but my love far outlasts my speeches. You inspired
my youth. You make my older years glow."
In my youthful complacency I had the audacity to print an essay on "The
Policy of Protection," taking issue with most of my brother members,
college men and free-traders. Later, while on a visit to California, he
told me, with a twinkle in his eye, "I am using your book at Harvard as
an example of logic."
He died honored everywhere as America's greatest philosopher, one of the
world's foremost thinkers, and withal a very lovable man.
CHARLES GORDON AMES
In the early days Rev. Charles Gordon Ames preached for a time in Santa
Cruz. Later he removed to San Jose, and occasionally addressed San
Francisco audiences. He was original and witty and was in demand for
special occasions. In an address at a commencement day at Berkeley, I
heard him express his wonder at being called upon, since he had
matriculated at a wood-pile and graduated in a printing-office. Several
years after he had returned East I was walking with him in Boston. We
met one of his friends, who said, "How are you, Ames?" "Why, I'm still
at large, and have lucid intervals," replied the witty preacher. He once
told me of an early experience in candidating. He was asked to preach in
Worcester, where there was a vacancy. Next day he met a friend who told
him the results, saying: "You seem to have been fortunate in satisfying
both the radicals and the conservatives. But your language was something
of a surprise; it does not follow the usual Harvard type, and does not
seem ministerial. You used unaccustomed illustrations. You spoke of
something being as slow as molasses. Now, so far as I know, molasses is
not a scriptural word. Honey is mentioned in the Bible, but not
molasses."
JOAQUIN MILLER
The passing of Joaquin Miller removed from California her most
picturesque figure. In his three-score and twelve years he found wide
experience, and while his garb and habits were somewhat theatrical he
was a strong character and a poet of power. In some respects he was more
like Walt Whitman than any other American poet, and in vigor and grasp
was perhaps his equal. Of California authors he is the last of the
acknowledged leading three, Harte and Clemens completing the group. For
many years he lived with his wife and daughter at "The Heights," in the
foothills back of Oakland, writing infrequently, but with power and
insight. His "Columbus" will probably be conceded to be his finest poem,
and one of the most perfect in the language. He held his faculties till
the last, writing a few days before his death a tender message of faith
in the eternal.
With strong unconventionality and a somewhat abrupt manner, he was
genial and kindly in his feelings, with warm affections and great
companionability.
An amusing incident of many years ago comes back to freshen his memory.
An entertainment of a social character was given at the Oakland
Unitarian church, and when my turn came for a brief paper on wit and
humor I found that Joaquin Miller sat near me on the platform. As an
illustration of parody, bordering on burlesque, I introduced a Miller
imitation--the story of a frontiersman on an Arizona desert accompanied
by a native woman of "bare, brown beauty," and overtaken by heat so
intense that but one could live, whereupon, to preserve the superior
race, he seized a huge rock and
"Crushed with fearful blow
Her well-poised head."
It was highly audacious, and but for a youthful pride of authorship and
some curiosity as to how he would take it I should have omitted it.
Friends in the audience told me that the way in which I watched him from
the corner of my eye was the most humorous thing in the paper. At the
beginning his head was bowed, and for some time he showed no emotion of
any sort, but as I went on and it grew worse and worse, he gave way to a
burst of merriment and I saw that I was saved.
I was gratified then, and his kindliness brings a little glow of
good-will--that softens my farewell.
MARK TWAIN
Of Mark Twain my memory is confined to two brief views, both before he
had achieved his fame. One was hearing him tell a story with his
inimitable drawl, as he stood smoking in front of a Montgomery Street
cigar-store, and the other when on his return from a voyage to the
Hawaiian Islands he delivered his famous lecture at the Academy of
Music. It was a marvelous address, in which with apparently no effort he
led his audience to heights of appreciative enthusiasm in the most
felicitous description of the beautiful and wonderful things he had
seen, and then dropped them from the sublime to the ridiculous by some
absurd reference or surprisingly humorous reflection.
The sharp contrast between his incomparably beautiful word paintings and
his ludicrous humor was characteristic of two sides of the waggish
newspaper reporter who developed into a good deal of a philosopher and
the first humorist of his time.
SHELDON GAYLORD KELLOGG
Among my nearest friends I am proud to count Sheldon G. Kellogg,
associated through both the Unitarian church, the Sunday-school, and the
Chit-Chat Club. He was a lawyer with a large and serviceable conscience
as well as a well-trained mind. He grew to manhood in the Middle West,
graduated in a small Methodist college, and studied deeply in Germany.
He came to San Francisco, establishing himself in practice without
acquaintance, and by sheer ability and character compelled success. His
integrity and thoroughness were beyond any question. He went to the root
of any matter that arose. He was remarkably well read and a passionate
lover of books. He was exact and accurate in his large store of
information. Dr. Stebbins, in his delightful extravagance, once said to
Mrs. Kellogg, "Your husband is the only man I'm afraid of--he knows so
much." At the Chit-Chat no one dared to hazard a doubtful statement of
fact. If it was not so, Kellogg would know it. He was the most modest of
men and would almost hesitate to quote the last census report to set us
right, but such was our respect for him that his statements were never
questioned; he inspired complete confidence. I remember an occasion when
the Supreme Court of the state, or a department of it, had rendered an
opinion setting aside a certain sum as the share of certain trustees.
Kellogg was our attorney. He studied the facts and the decision until he
was perfectly sure the court had erred and that he could convince them
of it. We applied for a hearing in bank and he was completely sustained.
Kellogg was an eminently fair man. He took part in a political
convention on one occasion and was elected chairman. There was a bitter
fight between contending factions, but Kellogg was so just in his
rulings that both sides were satisfied and counted him friendly.
He was a lovable personality and the embodiment of honor. He was
studious and scholarly and always justified our expectation of an able,
valuable paper on whatever topic he treated. I do not recall that in all
my experience I have ever known any other man so unreservedly and
universally respected.
JOSEPH WORCESTER
It is a salutary experience to see the power of goodness, to know a man
whose loveliness of life and character exerts an influence beyond the
reach of great intellectual gift or conscious effort. Joseph Worcester
was a modest, shrinking Swedenborgian minister. His congregation was a
handful of refined mystics who took no prominent part in public affairs
and were quiet and unobtrusive citizens. He was not attractive as a
preacher, his voice trembled with emotion and bashfulness, and he read
with difficulty. He was painfully shy, and he was oppressed and suffered
in a crowd. He was unmarried and lived by himself in great simplicity.
He seemed to sustain generally good health on tea, toast, and marmalade,
which at noonday he often shared with his friend William Keith, the
artist.
He was essentially the gentle man. In public speaking his voice never
rang out with indignation. He preserved the conversational tone and
seemed devoid of passion and severity. He was patient, kind, and loving.
He had humor, and a pleasant smile generally lighted up his benignant
countenance. He was often playfully indignant. I remember that at one
time an aesthetic character named Russell addressed gatherings of
society people advising them what they should throw out of their
over-furnished rooms. In conversation with Mr. Worcester I asked him how
he felt about it. He replied, "I know what I should throw out--Mr.
Russell." It was so incongruous to think of the violence implied in Mr.
Worcester's throwing out anything that it provoked a hearty laugh. Yet
there was no weakness in his kindliness. He was simply "slow to wrath,"
not acquiescent with wrong. His strength was not that of the storm, but
of the genial shower and the smiling sun. His heart was full of love and
everybody loved him. His hold was through the affections and his
blissful unselfishness. He seemed never to think of himself at all.
He thought very effectually of others. He was helpfulness incarnate, and
since he was influential, surprising results followed. He was fond of
children and gave much time to the inmates of the Protestant Orphan
Asylum, conducting services and reading to them. They grew very fond of
him, and his influence on them was naturally great. He was much
interested in the education of the boys and in their finding normal
life. He took up especially the providing for them of a home where they
could live happily and profitably while pursuing a course of study in
the California School of Mechanical Arts. An incident of his efforts in
their behalf illustrates what an influence he had gained in the
community. A young man of wealth, not a member of his congregation and
not considered a philanthropist, but conversant with what Mr. Worcester
was doing and hoped to do, called upon him one day and said: "Mr.
Worcester, here is a key that I wish to leave with you. I have taken a
safe-deposit box; it has two keys. One I will keep to open the box and
put in bonds from time to time, and the other I give you that you may
open it and use coupons or bonds in carrying out your plans for helping
the boys." This illustrates how he was loved and what good he provoked
in others. Without knowing it or seeking it he was a great community
influence. He was gifted of the Spirit. He had beauty of character,
simplicity, unselfishness, love of God and his fellow-men. His special
beliefs interested few, his life gave life, his goodness was radiant. He
drew all men to him by his love, and he showed them the way.
FREDERICK LUCIAN HOSMER
I cannot forego the pleasure of referring with sincere affection to my
brother octogenarian, Frederick L. Hosmer. He achieved the fullness of
honor two months in advance of me, which is wholly fitting, since we are
much farther separated in every other regard. He has been a leader for
a great many years, and I am proud to be in sight of him.
His kindly friendship has long been one of the delights of my life, and
I have long entertained the greatest respect and admiration for his
ability and quality. As a writer of hymns he has won the first place in
the world's esteem, and probably his noble verse is (after the Psalms)
the most universally used expression of the religious feeling of
mankind. More worshipers unite in singing his hymns, Unitarian though he
be, than those of any other man, living or dead. It is a great
distinction, and in meriting it he holds enviable rank as one of the
world's greatest benefactors.
Yet he remains the most modest of men, with no apparent consciousness
that he is great. His humility is an added charm and his geniality is
beautiful.
He has made the most of a fancied resemblance to me, and in many
delightful ways has indulged in pleasantries based on it. In my room
hangs a framed photograph signed "Faithfully yours, Chas. A. Murdock."
It is far better-looking than I ever was--but that makes no difference.
We were once at a conference at Seattle. He said with all seriousness,
"Murdock, I want you to understand that I intend to exercise great
circumspection in my conduct, and I rely upon you to do the same."
I greatly enjoyed Dr. Hosmer's party, with its eighty candles, and I
was made happy that he could be at mine and nibble my cake. Not all good
and great men are so thoroughly lovable.
THOMAS LAMB ELIOT
When Horatio Stebbins in 1864 assumed charge of the San Francisco church
he was the sole representative of the denomination on the Pacific Coast.
For years he stood alone,--a beacon-like tower of liberalism. The first
glimmer of companionship came from Portland, Oregon. At the solicitation
of a few earnest Unitarians Dr. Stebbins went to Portland to consult
with and encourage them. A society was formed to prepare the way for a
church. A few consecrated women worked devotedly; they bought a lot in
the edge of the woods and finally built a small chapel. Then they moved
for a minister. In St. Louis, Mo., Rev. William Greenleaf Eliot had been
for many years a force in religion and education. A strong Unitarian
church and Washington University resulted. He had also founded a family
and had inspired sons to follow in his footsteps. Thomas Lamb Eliot had
been ordained and was ready for the ministry. He was asked to take the
Portland church and he accepted. He came first to San Francisco on his
way. Dr. Stebbins was trying the experiment of holding services in the
Metropolitan Theater, and I remember seeing in the stage box one Sunday
a very prepossessing couple that interested me much--they were the
Eliots on their way to Portland. William G., Jr., was an infant-in-arms.
I was much impressed with the spirit that moved the attractive couple to
venture into an unknown field. The acquaintance formed grew into a
friendship that has deepened with the years.
The ministry of the son in Portland has been much like that of the
father in St. Louis. The church has been reverent and constructive, a
steady force for righteousness, an influence for good in personal life
and community welfare. Dr. Eliot has fostered many interests, but the
church has been foremost. He has always been greatly respected and
influential. Dr. Stebbins entertained for him the highest regard. He was
wont to say: "Thomas Eliot is the wisest man for his years I ever knew."
He has always been that and more to me. He has served one parish all his
life, winning and holding the reverent regard of the whole community.
The active service of the church has passed to his son and for years he
has given most of his time and strength to Reed College, established by
his parishioners. In a few months he will complete his eighty years of
beautiful life and noble service. He has kept the faith and passed on
the fine spirit of his inheritance.