DONATION TO LAWRENCE ACADEMY.--CORRESPONDENCE WITH R. G.
PARKER.--SLEIGH-RIDES.--LETTERS.--AVERSION TO NOTORIETY.--CHILDREN'S
HOSPITAL.
Mr. Lawrence had always taken a deep interest in the academy at
Groton, of which he, with all his brothers and sisters, had been
members. The residence of his former master, James Brazer, Esq., with
whom he lived when an apprentice, bordered on the academy grounds. It
was a large, square, old-fashioned house, and easily convertible to
some useful purpose, whenever the growing prosperity of the
institution should require it. He accordingly purchased the estate;
and, in July, 1846, presented it to the Board of Trustees by a deed,
with the following preamble:
"To all persons to whom these presents shall come, I, Amos
Lawrence, of the City of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, and
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Esquire, send greeting:
"Born and educated in Groton, in the County of Middlesex, in said
Commonwealth, and deeply interested in the welfare of that town,
and especially of the Lawrence Academy, established in it by my
honored father, Samuel Lawrence, and his worthy associates, and
grateful for the benefits which his and their descendants have
derived from that institution, I am desirous to promote its
future prosperity; trusting that those charged with the care and
superintendence of it will ever strive zealously and faithfully
to maintain it as a nursery of piety and sound learning."
This had been preceded by a donation of two thousand dollars, with
smaller gifts, at various dates, of valuable books, a telescope, etc.,
besides the foundation of several free scholarships. The present
prosperity of the academy is, however, mainly due to his brother,
William Lawrence, who has been by far its greatest benefactor; having,
in 1844, made a donation of ten thousand dollars, followed by another,
in 1846, of five thousand, and, finally, by will, bequeathed to it the
sum of twenty thousand. The following memoranda are copied from Mr.
Lawrence's donation-book:
"_August 20, 1847._--I have felt a deep interest in Groton
Academy for a long time; and while brother L. was living, and its
president, he had it in charge to do what should be best to
secure its greatest usefulness, and, while perfecting these
plans, he was suddenly taken from this world. Since then, I have
kept on doing for it; which makes my outlay for the school about
twenty thousand dollars. I had prepared ten thousand dollars
more, which brother William has assumed, and has taken the school
upon himself, to give it such facilities as will make it a very
desirable place for young men to enter to get a good preparation
for business or college life."
In an address[10] delivered at the jubilee celebration of the
Lawrence Academy, held in Groton, July 12, 1854, the Rev. James Means,
a former preceptor of the Institution, thus speaks of the benefactions
of the two brothers:
"It was my good fortune, after becoming the preceptor, in 1845,
to have frequent intercourse with them in this particular
regard,--the interests of the school. I shall never forget the
impression made upon my mind by the depth of their feeling, and
the strength of their attachment. They were both of them men of
business; had been trained to business habits, and would not
foolishly throw away the funds which God had intrusted to them as
stewards. But it seemed to me then, as the event has proved, that
they were willing to go as far as they could see their way clear
before them to establish this school on a foundation that never
should be shaken.
"There was a singular difference in the character of these two
brothers, and there is a similar difference in the results of
their benefactions. I have reason personally to know that they
conferred frequently and earnestly respecting the parts which
they should severally perform in upbuilding this school. There
was an emulation; but there was no selfishness, there was no
difference of opinion. Both loved the academy, both wished to
bless it and make it a blessing; each desired to accommodate the
feelings of the other, each was unwilling to interfere with the
other, each was ready to do what the other declined. Out of more
than forty-five thousand dollars provided for the academy by Mr.
William Lawrence, forty thousand still remain in the hands of the
trustees for purposes of instruction. Of the library Mr. Amos
Lawrence says, in one of his letters: 'I trust it will be second
to no other in the country except that of Cambridge, and that the
place will become a favorite resort of students of all ages
before another fifty years have passed away. When he presented a
cabinet of medals, he writes, 'I present them to the Institution
in the name of my grandsons, F. W. and A. L., in the hope and
expectation of implanting among their early objects of regard
this school, so dear to us brothers of the old race, and which
was more dear to our honored father, who labored with his hands,
and gave from his scanty means, in the beginning, much more in
proportion than we are required to do, if we place it at the head
of this class of institutions, by furnishing all it can want.'"
[10] See account of Jubilee of Lawrence Academy.
At the same celebration, the Hon. John P. Bigelow, president of the
day, in his opening address, said:
"Charles Sprague, so loved and so honored as a man and a poet,
was an intimate friend of the lamented William and Amos Lawrence.
I invited him hither to-day. He cannot come, but sends a
minstrel's tribute to their memory, from a harp, which, till now,
has been silent for many years.
'These, these no marble columns need:
Their monument is in the deed;
A moral pyramid, to stand
As long as wisdom lights the land.
The granite pillar shall decay,
The chisel's beauty pass away;
But this shall last, in strength sublime,
Unshaken through the storms of time.'"
On July 15, Mr. Lawrence made a considerable donation of books to the
Johnson School for girls, accompanied by a note to R. G. Parker, Esq.,
the Principal, from which the following extract is taken:
"The sleigh-ride comes to me as though daguerreotyped, and I can
hardly realize that I am here to enjoy still further the comfort
that I then enjoyed. If the pupils of your school at that time
were gratified, I was more than satisfied, and feel myself a
debtor to your school of this day; and, in asking you to accept,
for the use of the five hundred dear girls who attend upon your
instruction, such of the books accompanying as you think proper
for them, I only pay a debt which I feel to be justly due. The
Johnson School is in my own district; and many a time, as I have
passed it in my rides, have I enjoyed the appropriate animation
and glee they have manifested in their gambols and sports during
their intermission, and have felt as though I would gladly be
among them to encourage them. Say to them, although personally
unknown, I have looked on, and felt as though I wanted to put my
hand upon their heads, and give them a word of counsel,
encouragement, and my blessing. This is what I am left here for;
and, when the Master calls, if I am only well enough prepared to
pass examination, and receive the 'Well done' promised to such as
are faithful, then I may feel that all things here are less than
nothing in comparison to the riches of the future."
The allusion to the sleigh-ride was called forth by a note received
from Mr. Parker a day or two before, in which that gentleman writes:
"As you have not the credit of a very good memory, so far as your
own good actions are concerned, it will be proper that I should
remind you that the occasion to which I refer was the time that
the pupils of the Franklin School were about enjoying a
sleigh-ride, from which pleasure a large number were excluded. On
that occasion, as you were riding by, you were induced to
inquire the reason of the exclusion of so many sad little faces;
and, on learning that their inability to contribute to the
expense of the excursion would cause them to be left behind, you
very generously directed that all should be furnished with seats,
and a draft made upon you for the additional expense."
To a fondness for children, there seemed to be united in Mr. Lawrence
a constant desire to exert an influence upon the youthful mind; and
rarely was the opportunity passed over, when, by a word of advice or
encouragement, or the gift of an appropriate book, he thought he could
effect his object. His person was well known to the boys and girls who
passed him in the streets; and, in the winter season, his large, open
sleigh might often be seen filled with his youthful friends, whom he
had allowed to crowd in to the utmost capacity of his vehicle.
The acquaintances thus made would often, by his invitation, call to
see him at his residence, and there would receive a kind notice,
joined with such words of encouragement and advice as could not
sometimes fail to have a lasting and beneficial influence.
"_August 2._--'Give an account of thy stewardship, for thou
mayest be no longer steward.'--Luke 16:2.
"How ought this to be sounded in our ears! and how ought we to be
influenced by the words! Surely there can be no double meaning
here. The words are emphatic, clear, and of vast concern to every
man. Let us profit by them while it is day, lest the night
overtake us, when we can no longer do the work of the day."
On the 22d of August, Mr. Lawrence sent a cane to Governor Briggs, at
Pittsfield, with the following inscription graven upon it:
FROM THE "OLD OAK" OF MOUNT AUBURN:
+A Memento of Loved Ones gone before+.
AMOS LAWRENCE TO GEORGE N. BRIGGS.
1846.
The cane was accompanied by the following note:
"MY DEAR FRIEND: Your letter of Monday last came, as all your
letters do, just right as a comforter through a feeble week; for
I have been confined to the house, and unable to speak above a
whisper, most of the time, and am still not allowed to talk or
work much. The corresponding week of the last year, when our
precious R. was your guest, comes over my mind and heart, at all
hours of the night and the day, in a manner I need not attempt to
describe to _you_; and it is only distressing when I see the
suffering of his dear mother. But we feel that he is now the
guest of the Supreme Governor, whose care and kindness takes from
him all that can interrupt his perfect happiness through all
time; and this surely ought to satisfy us. The good opinion of
good men you know how to value, and can therefore judge how much
I prize yours. Acting upon the public mind for good as you do,
the memorial from the old oak will not be without its use in your
instruction and advice to the young, whose special improvement
and safety you have so much at heart. The cane is a part of the
same branch as that sent to President H., and came to me since
noon to-day. Accept it with assurances of continued and increased
affection and respect.
Most sincerely yours,
"A. L."
"_August 28._--Called at ---- shop, Washington-street, and there
saw a nice-looking boy seventeen or eighteen years old, named T.
S., to whom I gave a word of good counsel and encouragement.
Shall look after him a little, as I like his manners."
"_August 29._--A woman writes a figuring letter, calling herself
S. M.; says she is sixty years old; has lost her sons, and wants
help; came from New Hampshire. Also, N. T. wants aid to study, or
something else. Also, a Mr. F., with a great share of hair on his
face, gold ring, and chains, wants to travel for his health; has
a wife and child. Those three cases within twenty-four hours are
very forbidding."
In a letter of advice to a young gentleman who was a stranger to him,
but who through a mutual friend had asked his opinion on a matter of
business, he writes, on Sept. 19th:
"Your letter of the 17th is a flattering token of confidence and
respect, that I wish were better merited. Such as I am, I am at
your service; _but there is nothing of me_. I have been stricken
down within a few days, and am hardly able to stand up. A kind
Father keeps me vigilant by striking without notice, and when
least expected; and on some one of these occasions I am to close
the account of my stewardship, and no matter when, if the
accounts are right. I cannot advise you except in one particular:
Do with your might what your hands find to do; spend no man's
money but your own, and look carefully after little items that
tempt you."
The notoriety attendant upon acts of beneficence which Mr. Lawrence
instinctively shrunk from, and which so often deters the sensitive
from the good acts which, without this penalty, they would gladly
perform, was, as has before been stated, a subject of serious
annoyance. This is illustrated by the following note, written to Mr.
Parker, the Principal of the Johnson School for girls:
"October 2, 1846.
"I hope to send a few volumes to help forward the young guides of
the mind and heart of the sons of New England, wherever they may
be; for it is the mothers who act upon their sons more than all
others. I hope to be felt as long as I am able, to work, and am
quite as vain as I ought to be of my name and fame, but am really
afraid I shall wear out my welcome if my little paragraphs are
printed so frequently in the newspapers. I gave some books last
Monday, and saw them acknowledged yesterday in the newspaper, and
since have received the letter from the children. Now, my dear
sir, I merely want to say, that I hope you will not put me in the
newspaper at present; and, when my work is done here, if you have
anything to say about me that will not hurt my children and
grandchildren, _say on_."
A few days afterwards, Mr. Lawrence received a letter from the parties
to whom the books above alluded to had been sent, inquiring if he
could suggest the name of some benevolent individual, to whom
application might be made for aid in furthering the objects of the
Association. He writes:
"In reply to yours of to-day, I know of no one, but must request
that my name be not thrust forward, as though I was to be a
byword for my vanity. I want to do good, but am sorry to be
published, as in the recent case."
During the autumn of this year, Mr. Lawrence purchased the large
building in Mason-street, which had, for many years, been used as the
Medical School of Harvard College, with the intention of founding a
charitable hospital for children. He had heard of the manner in which
such institutions were conducted in France, and believed that a great
benefit would be conferred on the poorer classes by caring for their
sick children when their own poverty or occupations prevented their
giving them that attention which could be secured in an institution of
this kind. The great object was to secure the confidence of that
class, and to overcome their repugnance to giving up their children to
the care of others. The plan had not been tried in this country;
though in France, where there exists a much larger and more needy
population, the system was completely successful. Although but an
experiment, Mr. Lawrence considered the results which might be
obtained of sufficient magnitude to warrant the large outlays
required. He viewed it not only as a mode of relieving sickness and
suffering, but as a means of exercising a humanizing effect upon those
who should come directly under its influence, as well as upon that
class of persons generally for whose benefit it was designed. His
heart was ever open to the cry of suffering; and he was equally ready
to relieve it, whether it came from native or foreigner, bond or free.
The building which had been purchased for the object, from its
internal arrangement, and from its too confined position, was found
less suitable than another, in the southerly part of the city, where
an open view and ample grounds were more appropriate for the purpose;
while there was no cause for that prejudice which, it was found,
existed toward the project in the situation first thought of. With
characteristic liberality, Mr. Lawrence offered the Medical College,
now not required, to the Boston Society of Natural History at the
cost, with a subscription from himself of five thousand dollars. The
offer was accepted. An effort was made by the Society to raise by
subscription the necessary funds; and the result was their possession
of the beautiful building since occupied by their various collections
in the different departments of natural history. The large house on
Washington-street was soon put in complete repair, suitably furnished,
provided with physicians and nurses, and opened as the Children's
Infirmary, with accommodations for thirty patients. The following
spring was marked by a great degree of mortality and suffering among
the emigrant passengers, and consequently the beds were soon occupied
by whole families of children, who arrived in the greatest state of
destitution and misery. Many cases of ship-fever were admitted; so
that several of the attendants were attacked by it, and the service
became one of considerable danger. Many now living in comfort
attribute the preservation of their life to the timely succor then
furnished; and, had no other benefits followed, the good bestowed
during the few weeks of spring would have compensated for the labor
and cost. This institution continued in operation for about eighteen
months, during which time some hundreds of patients were provided for.
The prejudices of parents, which had been foreseen, were found to
exist, but disappeared with the benefits received; and the whole
experiment proved conclusively that such an institution may be
sustained in this community with vast benefit to a large class of the
suffering; and it is hoped that it may one day lead to an
establishment of the kind on a larger scale, and with a more extensive
organization and means of usefulness. In this experiment, it was
found, from the limited number of beds, that the cost of each patient
was much greater than if four times the number had been provided for,
and so large that Mr. Lawrence decided that the same amount of money
could be made to afford relief to much larger numbers of the same
class of sufferers applied in some other way. He was a constant
visitor at the Infirmary, and took a deep interest in many of the
patients, whose varied history had been recited to him; and in after
years, as he passed through the streets, many an eye would brighten
as it caught a glimpse of the kind friend who had whispered words of
consolation and hope in the lonely hours of sickness.