,illustration3 7front cover7            
,illustration3 7frontispiece7           
,charles ,edward ,putney  ,an           
,appreciation  ,published by the        
,charles ,e4 ,putney ,memorial          
,association     ,what delightful hosts 
are they--     ,life and ,love6         
,lingeringly ,i turn away1     ,this    
late hour1 yet glad enough   ,they have 
not withheld from me     ,their high    
hospitality4   ,so1 with face lit with  
delight     ,and all gratitude1 ,i stay 
,yet to press their hands and say1      
,thanks1--,so fine a time6 ,good night4 
--,james ,whitcomb ,riley     ,,foreword
   ,this memorial to a great ,vermont   
educator is the happy thought of one of 
his pupils1 ,miss ,caroline ,s4         
,woodruff4 ,the idea immediately found  
favor wherever it was known that such a 
tribute was contemplated4 ,an           
organization was perfected known as ,the
 ,charles ,e4 ,putney ,memorial1 to     
arrange for the publication of this     
book4 ,hon4 ,charles ,w4 ,gates of      

,franklin1 ,vermont1 was selected as    
chairman1 and the preliminary expenses  
of the enterprise were taken care of by 
a finance committee consisting of ,hon4 
,f4 ,w4 ,plaisted of ,augusta1 ,me41    
,mrs4 ,fletcher ,d4 ,proctor of         
,proctor1 and ,j4 ,f4 ,cloutman of      
,farmington1 ,n4 ,h4 ,the committee in  
charge of securing the material for the 
book and its publication were ,miss     
,caroline ,s4 ,woodruff of ,st4         
,johnsbury1 ,rolfe ,cobleigh of ,boston1
 and ,arthur ,f4 ,stone of ,st4         
,johnsbury4 ,the publication committee  
realize that there are many former      
pupils of ,mr4 ,putney who would have   
been glad to have contributed to this   
memorial1 but believe that the tributes 
in the following pages are              
representative of the sentiments of all 
who sat under his inspiring teaching1   
and are stronger and better men and     
women because of his marked influence   
upon their lives4     ,,to ,,charles ,e4
 ,,putney  ,on ,his ,seventy-fifth      

,birthday  ,february #bf1 #aiae         
,still1 still a summer day comes to my  
call1--   ,a room wide-windowed1 bright 
with girls and boys1   ,a wrinkled      
,homer craning from the wall1   ,a      
bee-like murmuring of ai's and oi's2    
,and you1 a king1 dark-bearded1 on your 
throne1--   ,a king of gentle bearing   
and soft speech1   ,no scepter ringing  
and no trumpet blown1   ,but nature's   
own authority to teach4   ,a            
stranger-lad ,i steal into my place     
,and five and thirty years are quickly  
gone4   ,the same sweet balsam breathes 
upon my face1   ,the old ,hellenic brook
 is purling on4   ,see with how bright a
 chain you hold us true3   ,we that     
would think of youth must think of you4 
,wendell ,phillips ,stafford4           
,,biographical   ,charles ,edward       
,putney1 the son of ,david and ,mary    
,putney1 was born at ,bow1 ,new         
,hampshire1 ,february #bf1 #ahdj4 ,he   
was one of fourteen children1 of whom   
ten lived to grow to manhood and        

womanhood4 ,david ,putney was a farmer1 
and ,mr4 ,putney's early years were     
spent on the farm4 ,he attended district
 school and went later to ,colby        
,academy1 teaching district schools from
 time to time1 and preparing himself to 
enter ,dartmouth ,college1 which he was 
about to do when the ,civil ,war broke  
out4  ,he enlisted in the ,thirteenth   
,new ,hampshire ,volunteers1 and later  
became a sergeant4 ,he was in the war   
over three years and took part in the   
battles of ,fredericksburg1 siege of    
,suffolk1 ,port ,walthal1 ,swift ,creek1
 ,kingsland ,creek1 ,drewrys ,bluff1    
,cold ,harbor1 ,petersburg1 ,fort       
,mc,conhie1 ,fort ,harrison1 and        
,richmond4 ,he was one of the first four
 men to enter ,richmond after the       
surrender4  ,at the conclusion of the   
war he entered ,dartmouth ,college1 and 
was graduated with high rank in #ahgj4  
,directly after his graduation he was   
married to ,abbie ,m4 ,clement of       
,norwich1 ,vermont1 who died in #aija4  

,he taught in ,norwich until #ahgc1 when
 he became assistant principal in ,st4  
,johnsbury ,academy under ,mr4 ,homer   
,t4 ,fuller1 whom he succeeded in the   
principalship4 ,in #ahif he resigned on 
account of ill health4 ,he went to      
,massachusetts and became superintendent
 of schools in the ,templeton district1 
where he remained until the spring of   
#aija1 when he took up his work in the  
,burlington ,high ,school4 ,he died in  
,burlington at the home of his daughter1
 ,february #c1 #aibj1 after an illness  
of two weeks4     ,,dr4 ,,smart ,,at    
,,college ,,st4 ,,church ,,at ,,the     
,,funeral ,,of ,,mr4 ,,putney   ,it     
takes a man to adorn any calling2       
callings require or bring special       
fitness1 but manhood crowns the fitness1
 gives it added scope1 completeness1    
power and beauty--rejoicing the heart4  
,good doctors1 good lawyers1 good men of
 affairs1 good teachers1 are better if  
they are beyond reckoning4 ,wisdom is an
 intellectual thing1 a property of the  

mind1 but when it is perfect the heart  
pours through it as the rivers flowed   
through paradise4 ,a poem in the        
,scriptures says that ,wisdom created   
the world1 not as a task1 but as a      
pastime4 ,speaking of ,god1 ,wisdom     
says1 ,i was daily his delight1 sporting
 before him1 sporting in his habitable  
earth4 ,when one sees a man investing   
his work with personal charm1 one knows 
the difference between a photograph and 
a painting--a photograph with its hard1 
incisive fidelities1 and a painting with
 its living colors1 its appeal to       
feeling1 its lovely beauty1 something   
luxuriously human in it4 ,a teacher has 
a special reason for floating his       
service1 if it may be1 upon a stream of 
personal worth and personal charm1      
because he deals with children and youth
 who respond to what he is1 as well as  
to what he teaches4 ,daniel says1 ,the  
teachers shall shine as the stars4 ,our 
friend here had much of the oak1 much of
 the granite in his make-up2 something  

also of the morning scattered upon the  
hills1 something of the son of          
consolation4 ,he mellowed with the      
years4 ,he planted climbing roses beside
 his strength1 and in the heart of it a 
tender and delicate consideration2 some 
of you loved him more and more to the   
end4  ,in his early youth he had the    
happy fortune to serve his country      
during the ,civil ,war4 ,the ardors of  
that crisis glowed in his heart to the  
end2 the scorching heat gone1 the       
flashing lightning gone1 but never the  
remaining glory of those years when he  
ennobled his young manhood by risking   
his life for his country4 ,he might have
 said what ,galahad said of the ,holy   
,grail1                          444    
,never yet   ,hath 444   ,this ,holy    
thing fail'd from my side nor come      
,covered1 but moving with me night and  
day4  ,he was a faithful member of      
,stannard ,post1 and long its commander4
 ,he kept the ,friday night of the ,post
 meeting for the ,post4 ,every ,sunday  

afternoon he passed my house1 going to  
visit a comrade whom illness kept at    
home4 ,and he was a religious man--a    
,christian man4 ,faith was mixed with   
his life4 ,god strengthened him with    
strength in his soul4 ,he was a deacon  
of this church1 and while his strength  
permitted1 a teacher in the ,sunday     
school4 ,he lived by his faith1 and he  
thought about it4 ,it was one of the    
great interests of his mind4 ,there is  
plenty in every man's experience to     
limit him1 to confine him1 to make him  
small and petty4 ,this man had at least 
two enthusiasms which lifted and        
broadened his spirit1 his patriotism and
 his religion4 ,the last word he spoke  
was the name of his native town in ,new 
,hampshire1 ,bow4 ,a great light came   
into his eyes with the name1 as if he   
saw the place in a vision4 ,he loved his
 old home and visited it when he could4 
,he went back at last in imagination and
 desire to the roothold of his life1 and
 that was well and fair1 for he         

represented the fineness of that ,new   
,england inheritance4 ,one perhaps      
should not boast1 but at least one may  
say that it is a goodly inheritance of  
solidity1 fidelity1 seriousness1 fitness
 to live in a community and take part in
 its affairs4  ,it is said of ,elisha   
that he took up the mantle of ,elijah4  
,the mantle was a symbol of the spirit2 
it had become almost a personal thing4  
,elijah had wrapped his face in it when 
he stood in the cave's mouth and heard  
the small1 still voice of the ,lord4 ,he
 cast it upon ,elisha when he called him
 from his plow to be a prophet4 ,he     
smote the waters with it1 when he went  
to the place where he was to go up in   
the whirlwind1 and they were divided    
hither and thither so that they went    
over on dry ground4 ,when he went up in 
the storm1 his mantle fell on ,elisha4  
,that mantle lay close to the secrets of
 the prophet's heart2 he wrapped his    
face in it when ,god spoke to him4 ,it  
was the symbol of his influence2 he     

called ,elisha with it4 ,it was the     
symbol of his power2 he divided the     
waters with it4 ,a mantle lies upon the 
shoulders4 ,it may fit another as well  
as its owner4 ,if it could be said that 
the mantle of this man has fallen upon  
the teachers of ,burlington1 he would   
need1 he could desire1 no other         
memorial4     ,,letter ,,to ,,mr4       
,,putney',s ,,granddaughter1 ,,mary     
,,lane                                  
,south ,weymouth1 ,mass41               
,february #f1 #aibj4  ,dear ,mary3  ,may
 ,i tell you a little story8 ,it has    
largely to do with one whom you loved   
and who loved you very much4 ,you called
 him ,grandpa4  ,the story begins       
sixty-four years ago this coming spring1
 when two brothers1 a big brother of    
sixteen years and a little brother of   
eight years1 started out together one   
morning for school4 ,they were going to 
attend a private school1 for a few      
weeks1 in a strange district about two  
miles from their home4 ,the little      

brother would have been afraid to go    
that long distance alone2 but he had all
 confidence in his big brother1 whom he 
loved very dearly4  ,they had not been  
in that school very long when the       
teacher discovered that the big brother 
was the best scholar he had4 ,very soon 
the teacher asked him to help him in his
 work4 ,do you think the big brother    
refused8  ,one day the teacher was ill  
and could not attend school4 ,he sent   
word by one of his pupils that he wanted
 his best scholar to take charge of the 
school for the day4 ,well1 that was a   
trying experience for a boy of sixteen2 
but that boy commanded the respect of   
all the pupils of that school2 so he    
undertook the task and with wonderful   
success4 ,he had no difficulty with any 
of the pupils although some of them were
 older than himself4 ,perhaps the little
 brother wasn't proud to have such a big
 brother6 ,it was about this time that  
the little fellow began to notice how   
earnestly his older brother was trying  

to do right in every way2 it made a     
great impression upon him4  ,the few    
weeks of private school ended and the   
big brother soon opened the summer term 
of school in his home district4 ,in     
spite of his youth he was appointed     
teacher and all the people of the       
district seemed very glad4 ,among his   
pupils were little brother1 two other   
brothers1 and a sister4  ,the teacher   
was so successful in his work that the  
parents in the district wanted him to   
teach another and another term4 ,he did 
so2 but all the time he was studying to 
prepare himself for larger work4 ,he    
took advantage of every opportunity to  
attend school for a term or two at a    
time in some academy1 until he became   
fitted for college4 ,meanwhile he was   
deeply interested in his younger        
brothers and sister and doing all he    
could to help them along in their       
studies4  ,about the time he was sixteen
 years old he heard a voice that seemed 
to say to him1 ,go1 work in my vineyard6

 ,that voice meant everything to him2 he
 was eager1 therefore1 to obey it4 ,to  
work in the vineyard meant doing good1  
helping others1 being unselfish1 giving 
strength and cheer when needed4 ,we all 
know how well he did his work in the    
,master's vineyard and through how many 
years he sowed the good seed4  ,a few   
weeks ago1 the little brother1 to whom  
,i have referred1 was looking forward to
 the coming of big brother's eightieth  
birthday and wishing that he could give 
expression to something worthy of the   
brother and his wonderful life-work4    
,while he knew that he was not equal to 
an ideal accomplishment of such a       
pleasant task1 he made one of his       
attempts and wrote the few lines        
enclosed1 finishing them a very few days
 before the sad news of ,grandpa's fatal
 illness reached him4 ,he has made no   
change in them1 realizing that you will 
understand that he was fondly hoping    
that his eightieth birthday would find  
big brother in his usual health and     

strength4 ,so1 with a heart heavy with  
grief1 yet full of loving and grateful  
memories of my dear big brother1 ,i am  
telling you this little story and       
sending you the accompanying tribute to 
one of the best men that ever lived4    
,and now1 with much love to yourself and
 all the members of your home1 the      
little brother of sixty-four years ago  
wishes to sign himself                  
,your affectionate                      
,,uncle ,,freeman4     ,and the ,sheaves
 ,are ,still ,coming ,in     ,go1 work  
in my vineyard6 ,the ,master spoke   ,to
 the list'ning heart of ,youth2   ,the  
world is my vineyard2 go forth and sow  
,the ,life-giving seed of ,truth6   ,and
 forth to the sowing1 with ardent zeal  
,and a love for mankind akin   ,to the  
,master's own1 he joyfully went1--      
,and the sheaves are still coming in4   
,he quickened ambition's sluggish soil1 
,and freely scattered the seeds2   ,the 
blades spring up1 and life takes on   ,a
 passion for worthy deeds4   ,new       

visions catch the opening eye1   ,fresh 
purposes begin2   ,the sower sowed with 
a lavish trust1--             ,and the  
sheaves are still coming in4    ,he     
turned deep furrows in shadowed soil1   
,where the weeds of dark despair   ,were
 the only growth2 the seeds of ,hope    
,he patiently planted there4   ,a       
harvesting of wheat appears   ,where    
lately tares had been2   ,the sower in  
love had graciously sown1--             
,and the sheaves are still coming in4   
,the years speed on2 in manhood's glow  
,he is sowing with vigilant care2       
,there are fields that call for the     
,seed of ,life1--   ,he is finding them 
everywhere4   ,he is steadfastly doing  
the ,master's work1   ,unheeding the    
clamor and din   ,of a restless world2  
he quietly sows1--             ,and the 
sheaves are still coming in4    ,at     
threescore years3 does he stay his hand 
,in token of lessening powers8   ,he    
takes no note of vanishing time   ,save 
to honor its golden hours4   ,he only   

kens 'tis the ,master's wish   ,that his
 strength be given to win   ,the        
harvests of ,truth2 he scatters the     
seed1--             ,and the sheaves are
 still coming in4    ,threescore and    
ten3 he has surely laid   ,the burden of
 sowing down8   ,he is far afield and   
with glow of soul   ,is wearing the     
years' bright crown4   ,in his zeal for 
service he does not ask   ,when the days
 of rest begin2   ,enough to know there 
is seed to sow2             ,and the    
sheaves are still coming in4    ,and    
what of the sower at fourscore years8   
,has the vineyard a place for him still8
   ,in joy of service and glow of zeal  
,he is sowing with marvelous skill4     
,he has sown in faith through many      
years1   ,and rich have the harvests    
been2   ,his forward look is a look of  
trust1             ,for the sheaves are 
still coming in4    ,ah6 ,brother1 thy  
summons to riches' quest   ,was the call
 of the ,voice ,divine2   ,thou hast    
shaped thy will to the ,master's word1  

,and ,infinite wealth is thine4   ',twas
 thy constant aim1 from the fields of   
,time1   ,eternal treasures to win2     
,that aim was blessed2 to thy lasting   
joy             ,the sheaves are still  
coming in4    ,and when thou art called 
from the toil of earth   ,to the larger 
service ,above1   ,and shalt hear the   
,master's questioning voice1   ,in      
accents of ,infinite ,love1   ,what is  
the measure of golden grain   ,thou     
didst wrest from the fields of sin8     
,the ,angel of ,record will testify1    
,the sheaves are still coming in4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,call him not old1 although the flight  
of years     ,has measured off the      
allotted term of life6   ,call him not  
old1 since neither doubts nor fears     
,have quenched his hope throughout the  
long1 long strife6    ,they are not old 
though days of youth have fled1     ,who
 quaff the brimming cup of peace and    
joy6   ,they are not old who from life's
 hidden springs     ,find draughts which

 still refresh but never cloy4          
,,letters ,,received ,,on ,,mr4         
,,putney',s ,,seventy-,,fifth ,,birthday
   ,i am glad you are to have a birthday
 tomorrow4 ,i feel sure that it will be 
a happy birthday4 ,your children and    
grandchildren will see to it that the   
day is properly celebrated4  ,it is a   
great pleasure to look back on the days 
spent in ,st4 ,johnsbury when your      
influence meant so much to us4 ,you can 
never know how strongly your personality
 and your life influenced the boys and  
girls in the ,academy1 especially those 
of us who were away from home4 ,many of 
the things which you said to us1 the    
time or occasion of saying them and the 
place too are very vividly recalled     
after thirty years4 ,you in ,st4        
,johnsbury1 four or five professors at  
,dartmouth and perhaps a half dozen     
other men1 make up a small group of men 
who have given me most in the way of    
stimulation and encouragement4 ,to      
express adequately my gratitude is      

impossible1 but out of a full heart ,i  
do thank you and am glad of this        
opportunity to extend my best wishes to 
you for continued health and happiness4 
,yours very sincerely1                  
,,david ,n4 ,,blakely1 '#he4     ,you   
have been living in my life all these   
long years since the old ,st4 ,johnsbury
 ,academy days4  ,that wonderful        
kindness with which you looked upon all 
our shortcomings has been the great     
example of kindness ,i have looked to   
all these days4  ,that wonderful        
equality of judgment with which you     
decided all our cases1 has always       
remained unquestioned in my heart4  ,and
 that which most of all has influenced  
my life has been that wonderful         
quietness with which you have possessed 
your soul4  ,i am more grateful to you  
every day ,i live and more thankful for 
the years spent under your influence4   
,we are all to be congratulated because 
of this birthday4 ,may you have many1   
many more and may you know better every 

year how much we all love you4          
,yours most sincerely1                  
,,mary ,,drew1 '#hg4     ,believing that
 the only real satisfaction to a teacher
 after all is the knowledge that        
somewhere down the years there sounds an
 echo of his effort1 ,i am venturing to 
add my word of appreciation to you on   
your birthday4  ,there in your office   
and classroom ,i received1 as have      
hundreds of others1 the inspiration--the
 vision1 if you will1 of what life      
means--and there are no memories more   
hallowed than those of the associations 
at ,st4 ,johnsbury ,academy4 ,year after
 year for thirty years ,i've watched the
 groups of young men and women leave the
 institution but never without a keener 
appreciation of what the years had meant
 to us4  ,not for the first time do ,i  
say that whatever little success ,i may 
have had with young people is due in    
large measure to the help received at   
your hand1 and with all my heart ,i     
thank you for your firm and gentle      

guidance1 your paternal influence over  
us all1 and most of all for your        
exemplary ,christian character that     
never failed4  ,the best wish ,i can    
offer you today on your seventy-fifth   
birthday is that you may realize more   
and more what a mighty power for good   
you have been and are in the lives of an
 army of men and women today who once   
fell under your influence4              
,very sincerely1                        
,,caroline ,s4 ,,woodruff1 '#hd4     ,i 
wonder how many of us you can remember  
and whether any of our failings are     
still in your mind8  ,you only had me   
for a short time1 but such as it was it 
completed my school work4  ,in fact it  
was my only schooling away from home4 ,i
 am therefore able to recall vividly    
many impressions made on my mind during 
the time ,i was under your charge4 ,i   
formed the impression that you were     
absolutely fair and honest with your    
scholars and that you expected no higher
 standard of conduct from them than you 

were practising every day4 ,i can see   
you as you were then and wonder why1    
with such an example1 we did not do     
better4  ,i do not say this because it  
is your seventy-fifth birthday but      
because it is true and ,i wish you to   
know that ,i realized it4  ,seventy-five
 years of upright living comes to but   
very few and is a crown of glory more   
valuable than great wealth or political 
advancement and ,i most sincerely       
congratulate you on having achieved this
 end4 ,may your remaining days be filled
 with content and happiness and may the 
expressions of appreciation and love    
that you are sure to receive at this    
time1 bring to you a partial reward for 
all you have done in the past for your  
fellows4                                
,sincerely and lovingly yours1          
,g4 ,h4 ,,prouty4     ,patey and ,i were
 speaking and writing some time ago     
about the seventy-fifth birthday4 ,as   
the boys would say1 ,that is some       
birthday1 and it is fitting that more   

than ordinary notice should be taken of 
it4 ,i expressed a belief that          
expressions of loyalty and grateful     
remembrance were more to you than       
material things would be4 ,i hope the   
expression will be as spontaneous at    
this time as it has been from year to   
year all through your service4 ,i have  
never known in any other case such a    
continued and universal loyalty as the  
students of ,st4 ,johnsbury ,academy    
have given to you4 ,by reflex action it 
has been inspiring to me and cultivated 
in me the same desire to serve my pupils
 which you have shown4                  
,with best wishes1                      
,,franklin ,a4 ,,dakin4     ,words are  
after all poor substitutes for the      
genuine feelings of the heart but ,i    
know you will be able to brush aside the
 words and get at the sentiment back of 
them4  ,in three more days from this    
date you will be rounding out           
seventy-five years of a very useful     
life4  ,i am sure you will let an old   

pupil and one who has received so much  
inspiration and good cheer from your    
life tell you so at this time4  ,your   
boys and girls are in many lands but    
they are still your boys and girls4     
,never have ,i seen a man retain the    
affection and esteem of those who have  
come under his influence to a greater   
extent than you have4  ,may the good    
,lord continue to bless you and yours is
 the sincere wish of your former pupil  
and friend1                             
,,hedley ,,philip ,,patey1 '#hf4     ,as
 ,i look back on my years in ,st4       
,johnsbury ,academy ,i know that ,i     
appreciated to some extent what you were
 doing for the young people in your     
charge1 and especially the many         
kindnesses that you showed to me in     
assisting me to prepare for college4 ,it
 was not until the close of my second   
year at the ,academy that ,i made any   
definite plans to go farther1 but ,i    
appreciate very much more today than ,i 
did then the character of the work you  

were doing4 ,it was my good fortune to  
be brought into touch with able teachers
 and educators during my entire         
education1 but ,i can truthfully say    
that not one of them took time out of a 
busy life to arouse and assist a growing
 ambition for a broader education as you
 did1 and ,i shall always look back to  
the three years spent under you at ,st4 
,johnsbury ,academy as the time when my 
ambitions clarified themselves and ,i   
began to look out toward a broader      
field4                                  
,very sincerely1                        
,,matt ,b4 ,,jones1 '#hf4     ,as one of
 the many students who in ,st4          
,johnsbury ,academy had the pleasure and
 advantage of your instruction1 ,i am   
glad to acknowledge the obligation ,i   
personally feel to you for the kindly   
and patient direction given me at such  
an important period in a young man's    
life4 ,it seems to me that the knowledge
 that one has wisely directed the       
education and lives of so many young men

 and women as you have1 must constitute 
one of the crowning and most satisfying 
joys possible1 and ,i am sure that all  
the youth who have felt the influence of
 your teaching sincerely wish that you  
may live long to enjoy the happiness    
which you deserve for service so        
conscientiously and cheerfully          
performed4                              
,very sincerely yours1                  
,,edwin ,a4 ,,bayley1 '#ha4     ,i am   
sending this letter hoping it may be    
opened by you on ,february #bf1 which ,i
 am told is your birthday4 ,i want you  
to be sure of the love of an old pupil  
who never forgets you1 and never will   
cease to be grateful for your gifts to  
him during the three years that we were 
together in ,st4 ,johnsbury4 ,the ,lord 
richly bless you with all good things4  
,yours loyally and affectionately1      
,,ozora ,s4 ,,davis1 '#he4     ,i wish  
to take this opportunity to write to you
 to extend congratulations on your      
seventy-fifth birthday1 and further to  

express my appreciation for the service 
you rendered me back in ,st4 ,johnsbury 
,academy4 ,you will recall that when ,i 
entered the ,academy ,i told you ,i     
wanted to become a teacher and to that  
end ,i have always striven4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,i must  
not weary you with too much of my own   
history1 only enough to let you know    
that after eighteen years of service ,i 
can still look back with appreciation to
 the man who above all others in the    
,academy made a lasting impression on my
 life4 ,may the years that are before   
you be full of sunshine and happiness4  
,yours sincerely1                       
,,arthur ,f4 ,o',,malley1 '#ic4         
,some one tells me that you are to have 
a birthday tomorrow and ,i desire to    
join with the host of your former       
students in sending you good wishes on  
that day4 ,there are many of us who     
still feel in our lives what a factor   
,st4 ,johnsbury was1 and of all those in
 the old school you were the one who    

meant the most to each one of us4 ,when 
,i think of my experiences at the       
,academy--and ,st4 ,johnsbury meant more
 to me than college or anything else--,i
 always think of you and the great help 
that you were to us boys in the time    
when we needed help4 ,the pleasures of  
my classes in ,greek and all the other  
things in which you were of such        
valuable assistance1 will always be     
remembered4 ,i only wish ,i might do for
 some boy as much as you did for me4 ,i 
send you my sincerest greetings and best
 wishes for a happy birthday4           
,yours for '#he1                        
,,jay ,b4 ,,benton1 '#he4     ,it hardly
 seems possible that you are reaching   
your seventy-fifth birthday1 but such1  
,i am informed1 is the case4 ,i have    
really known you quite a while2 because 
you will remember that you were the     
,normal ,school examiner1 and ,i was in 
one of the classes graduating from the  
,randolph ,normal ,school in #ahhb4  ,i 
presume that as you think over the      

factors which have led to such a hale   
and hearty old age1 you will agree with 
,mark ,twain who attributed his seventy 
years to1 among other things1 never     
having smoked but one cigar at a time1  
never having smoked during sleep1 and   
not always at his meals4  ,i hope that  
on this auspicious day you will take out
 the gold-headed cane presented you by  
the class of '#hf and1 at least1 wave it
 in the air a few times2 for1 as ,i     
think ,i told you on the day of its     
presentation1 we hoped you might never  
need it for walking purposes4  ,i can   
never forget your many acts of kindness 
rendered me personally during my course 
at ,st4 ,johnsbury4 ,were ,i to attempt 
to recount them as they occur to me ,i  
am sure ,i should make this letter1     
which is intended to be simply one of   
warm congratulations1 far too long4     
,among the many things upon which ,i    
think you are to be congratulated1 ,i   
would mention first the spirit which    
inspires you to still love your work at 

seventy-five1 and again the nervous and 
physical energy which permits you to    
stay1 as ,roosevelt might say1 in the   
ring4 ,no less are you to be            
congratulated on the consciousness1     
which ,i know must be yours1 of the love
 and devotion of hundreds1 yes1         
thousands by this time1 of your pupils  
throughout the world4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,i am    
sure ,i have imperfectly expressed the  
love1 gratitude1 and admiration which ,i
 always cherish toward you1 but you can 
be sure there is much of it here1 as    
there is in the hearts of all who have  
come in contact with you4  ,with cordial
 best wishes ,i am1 sincerely1          
,,george ,e4 ,,may1 '#hf4     ,tribute  
written by ,mr4 ,roland ,e4 ,stevens for
 the ,hartford ,gazette1 a paper printed
 by ,mr4 ,stevens' small boy4           
,editor of the ,hartford ,gazette3      
,every day in every year1 ,i suppose1   
has a special meaning and interest for  
some one or more of the great human     

family4 ,the day of the present week    
that has a particular interest and      
meaning for me 7and without doubt for   
many others whom ,i know7 is ,friday the
 twenty-six4 ,why8 ,because nearly      
thirty years ago when ,i was an awkward1
 spindling boy1 thirsty and hungry for  
an education1 without means and not in  
very good health1 ,i wrote a letter to  
the principal of ,st4 ,johnsbury        
,academy1 telling him of my ambition to 
enter the ,academy as a student and     
asking him if he thought ,i could find  
work by means of which ,i could earn    
enough to pay my way at the ,academy4   
,when ,i was writing the letter ,i was  
half discouraged and rather feared and  
expected that ,i wouldn't receive an    
answer1 because ,i knew the letter was  
not very well written or expressed1 and 
,i was almost sure that so great a man  
as ,i supposed the principal of ,st4    
,johnsbury ,academy to be1 wouldn't pay 
much attention to such a letter4  ,in a 
short time1 however1 ,i received a very 

encouraging reply expressing a friendly 
interest in me and advising me to come  
to ,st4 ,johnsbury in season to take an 
entrance examination and stating that a 
willing boy could most always find work4
  ,the letter was not dictated nor was  
it typewritten4 ,it was written in long 
hand and by the principal himself4 ,the 
spelling1 grammar1 and punctuation were1
 ,i felt sure1 absolutely perfect2 but  
the handwriting1 to my great joy1 was no
 handsomer than mine4 ,this and the     
kindly tone of the letter helped me to a
 quick and firm determination to pack   
all of my worldly possessions1 including
 some cookies1 loaves of bread1 etc41   
into a rough wooden box and start for   
,st4 ,johnsbury in season for the       
opening of the fall term4  ,within an   
hour after my arrival ,i found myself in
 the home of the principal sitting quite
 near him1 hearing him say in a quiet1  
sincere voice1 that he was glad ,i came2
 that he had found work for me2 that he 
wanted me to know that he was interested

 in all boys who came to the ,academy   
with a desire to work and to learn4 ,i  
went from him to the family where ,i was
 to live and work1 inspired with        
confidence in him and respect for him4  
,master editor1 these things happened   
nearly twenty years before your birth1  
and in all these years the only change  
in my feelings toward this principal of 
,st4 ,johnsbury ,academy that ,i am     
conscious of1 is an increased and       
unbounded faith in him as a ,christian  
gentleman1 love and respect for him as a
 true friend1 gratitude and admiration  
for him as a teacher and wise counsellor
 who has ministered generously to the   
physical and spiritual needs of many    
besides myself4  ,you know1 of course1  
that ,i refer to ,prof4 ,c4 ,e4 ,putney 
who was principal of ,st4 ,johnsbury    
,academy in the days when it ranked with
 ,andover and ,exeter and for a number  
of years has been teaching ,latin and   
,greek in the ,burlington1 ,vermont1    
,high ,school4 ,february #bf1 will be   

his seventy-fifth birthday4 ,this is why
 that day has a particular meaning and  
interest for me and many others4        
,,roland ,e4 ,,stevens4    ,hartford1   
,vermont1   ,february #bb1 #aiae4       
,on ,mr4 ,putney's seventy-fifth        
birthday the teachers of ,edmunds ,high 
,school presented him with a beautiful  
loving cup4 ,this note accompanied the  
cup3   ,to our honored ,friend and      
,co-worker1   ,mr4 ,charles ,e4 ,putney4
  ,the teachers of the ,high ,school1   
with the superintendent and his wife1   
wish to send you hearty congratulations 
on your birthday and the many years of  
usefulness that lie in its wake4 ,they  
wish to emphasize their appreciation of 
what it means to the whole school to    
have in their midst a loyal old soldier1
 a kindly and genial friend1 and a real 
gentleman of the old school4  ,they hope
 this loving cup will be to you a       
substantial evidence of their           
appreciation in the past1 as also of    
their good wishes for the future4       

,,tributes ,,upon ,,other ,,birthdays   
,at ,seventy     ,with a step elastic1  
,vigorous of mind1   ,strenuous of      
purpose1   ,casting doubts behind1--    
,vigilant for duty1   ,strong to banish 
fears1--   ,what a wealth of tribute    
,to your seventy years4    ,backward    
glance disclosing   ,many a service     
field1   ,to whose faithful tilling     
,bounteous harvests yield1--            
,priceless treasures1 wrested   ,from   
the soil of truth1   ,treasures from    
rich sowing   ,in the lives of youth2   
,treasures from the valley1   ,where the
 shadows lay   ,till your voice of      
comfort   ,whispered them away2         
,treasures from the hillside1   ,whose  
ascent seemed drear   ,till your note of
 courage   ,fell upon the ear4          
,treasures from the garden1   ,where the
 ,graces bloom1   ,lavishly exuding     
,breaths of rich perfume2   ,treasures  
from the vineyard1   ,to whose soil were
 given   ,streams of gracious influence 
,born of ,hope and ,heaven2             

,treasures from the hilltop1   ,where   
the ,eternal ,love   ,fell in showers of
 blessing   ,from the fount above2      
,treasures gleaned from sorrow1   ,when 
to longing eyes   ,came a glimpse of    
mansions   ,reared in ,paradise4    ,ten
 and threescore cycles   ,are complete  
today2   ,loving benedictions   ,speed  
you on your way4   ,age has no          
forebodings1--   ,clouds and shadows fly
   ,from the glow and radiance   ,of    
your western sky4    ,peaceful1 glad and
 trustful   ,is your forward glance1--  
,faith begetting vision   ,as the years 
advance4   ,is the sight entrancing8    
,do you long to go8   ,list6 the ,father
 speaketh1   ,lovingly and low3    ,safe
 are all the treasures   ,for which you 
have wrought2   ,safe the precious      
jewels   ,prayer and love have bought2  
,all your aspirations--   ,incense of   
the soul--   ,with the seal eternal1    
,safe in ,my control4    ,heaven awaits 
your coming   ,with a warmth that       
cheers2   ,but the earth-friends need   

you   ,for a few more years2   ,tarry   
yet a season1   ,that ,my will may be1  
,through the twilight hour1   ,perfected
 in thee4                  ,,mrs4 ,a4   
,l4 ,,hardy4     ,of late we have heard 
much on the subject of preparedness4 ,we
 have been told that the prepared man is
 the man who achieves the thing he goes 
after4 ,he is happy4 ,he is satisfied   
with himself4  ,on the twenty-sixth of  
,february1 seventy-six years ago1 there 
was born into the world a man who now   
holds a very high place in the thoughts 
of hundreds of men and women4 ,that man 
was ,charles ,edward ,putney1 our       
beloved and respected teacher4  ,the    
lives of great men1 it has been said1   
are the greatest teachers4 ,let us then 
take the life of ,mr4 ,putney and see   
what a lesson it teaches us in          
preparedness4  ,at the early age of     
seventeen1 ,mr4 ,putney was teaching    
school4 ,if he had not studied and      
prepared himself could he have filled   
such a position at the early age8 ,the  

answer is plainly ,no4 ,mr4 ,putney had 
moreover the moral and the physical     
courage as well as mental ability4 ,in  
#ahfa he answered ,lincoln's call for   
volunteers and fought bravely for the   
,union4 ,he had prepared to do the right
 and when duty called he responded4     
,after the great war was over he entered
 ,dartmouth ,college4 ,he was graduated 
from the institution as honor man4 ,and 
since then wherever he has gone he has  
been the honor man4 ,men1 now old       
themselves1 speak with fondest regard of
 their teacher and state that he showed 
them the right way to success4 ,he      
prepared not only himself but others4   
,isn't that a glorious thing8 ,what     
greater hero is there than the fashioner
 of the thoughts and character of the   
young8  ,let us then1 as ,i have said   
before1 set up ,mr4 ,putney's life as a 
life to live by4 ,prepare ourselves as  
he did and then when we have reached the
 autumn of our lives1 we can look back  
with pride on a life well spent1 on a   

character that was prepared for all that
 was right4 ,if we can do that1 surely  
we shall be happy1 we shall be satisfied
 with ourselves4--,burlington ,high     
,school ,register4     ,there are many  
people who are seventy-one years old1   
but there are very few who can claim the
 distinction of being seventy-one years 
young which belongs to our respected    
,greek teacher4 ,we rejoice with ,mr4   
,putney in his undimmed triumph over    
time and congratulate him on his many   
years of constant usefulness4 ,as the   
philosophic ,greeks once honored one of 
their race with the words not who but   
what so we honor and esteem ,mr4 ,putney
 for his faithful service to ,old       
,edmunds and for the great good he has  
done for her sons4 ,we love him for his 
splendid personality1 his patience1 his 
fortitude and the kindly interest that  
he always shows in our welfare4 ,after  
we leave this school1 when we turn and  
recall the many bright days we have     
spent in the ,burlington ,high ,school1 

the memory of ,mr4 ,putney will ever    
awake affection and make our heart glow 
with its warmth4--,burlington ,high     
,school ,register4                      
,february #bd1 #aiab4  ,here are my     
congratulations and best wishes for you4
 ,another year of service is added to   
your enviable list4 ,it must be a great 
satisfaction to look back upon a life so
 well spent and to realize how many     
lives have been benefited because you   
have been here all these years4  ,you   
cannot but know the honor and respect   
with which the teachers look up to you1 
and how we are trying to reach something
 like the high standard which you have  
attained2 but ,i wonder if you realize  
the love which your pupils have for you4
 ,some of them come into my room every  
day at the close of school for an hour's
 uninterrupted study and ,i am going to 
tell you some of the things which they  
have said to me about you4 ,mr4 ,putney 
is such a lovable man4 ,i thought ,i    
should be afraid of him1 but he makes us

 feel he is interested in us and ,i     
don't feel one bit afraid even though he
 does know so much4 ,he is full of fun  
too4 ,there is no one in the class who  
sees anything funny quicker than he4 ,i 
am so glad he is in the school while ,i 
am here4 ,i shall always feel it to have
 been a great privilege to have had him 
for a teacher4  ,and ,i want to say that
 ,i1 too1 feel it to be a great         
privilege to be in the school with you  
and to have felt your quiet presence and
 to have known your ready sympathy and  
interest4 ,may the coming year be a     
happy one4                              
,very sincerely yours1                  
,,harriet ,,towne4     ,,one ,,of ,,the 
,,boys ,,of ,,seventy-,,six     ,he's   
just a ,,boy1 a ,,lively ,,boy1     ,who
 notes no years1 ,i ween2       ,he     
might be six and seventy1 or         ,he
 might be sweet sixteen4           ,he's
 done a marv'lous work1 and still       
,is putting in his licks                
,to prove the staying powers of         

,a ,boy of ,seventy-,six4    ,his hair  
is white8 ,of course it's white6        
,he's white1 all through and through6   
,his soul is white1 has always been2    
,his heart is white and true4           
,but in ,life's ,battle has he shown    
,whiteness of feather8 ,nix66           
,his whiteness adds new glory to        
,the ,boys of ,seventy-,six4    ,what   
great things has he done8 ,ah6 if       
,the querist only knew it1              
,greatness concerns not what we do1     
,but1 rather1 how we do it4             
,and every deed well done is great2     
,and that is just his fix6              
,say6 isn't that some record for        
,a ,boy of ,seventy-,six8    ,but       
doesn't he take time to play8     ,why1 
bless your anxious soul6       ,he's    
always played1--too hard to note        
,how fast the seasons roll6             
,he's playing yet2 but work and play    
,in him so closely mix                  
,you don't know which to call him1 ,man 
,or ,boy of ,seventy-,six4    ,his      

favorite game8 ,no need to ask2         
,that in which ,,good is rife2          
,the game that tests all human worth1-- 
,the glorious ,game of ,life4           
,he never stacks the cards1 and yet     
,he takes his share of tricks2          
,competitors have nothing on            
,this ,boy of ,seventy-,six4    ,but    
when does he intend to stop8     ,he's  
surely done his share2       ,give him  
some nook and let him play         ,a   
game of solitaire4           ,methinks  
,i see you try it on6                   
,there'd be some vigorous kicks2        
,you'd feel them1 too1 though coming    
from                 ,a ,boy of         
,seventy-,six4    ,a quitter1 he8 ,not  
on your life6     ,he's built on        
different lines2       ,he'll never be a
 quitter while         ,the ,sun of     
,priv'lege shines6           ,as long as
 he can serve the needs             ,of 
,harrys1 ,toms and ,dicks               
,who look his way1 he'll be on call1    
,this ,boy of ,seventy-,six4            

,,freeman ,,putney4     ,a ,,birthday   
,,reminder ,,of ,,gallant ,,service     
,,performed ,,in ,,the ,,war   ,charles 
,e4 ,putney was happily surprised at the
 opening of the ,sunday school of the   
,college ,street ,church when the ,rev4 
,i4 ,c4 ,smart1 pastor of the church1 in
 a most delightful manner1 presented him
 with the insignia of the ,first        
,brigade1 ,first ,division 7,general    
,stannard's71 ,eighteenth ,army ,corps1 
the gift of his friends in the church4  
,the badge was pinned to the left breast
 of ,mr4 ,putney's coat by his little   
granddaughter1 ,mary ,p4 ,lane1 and     
,gen4 ,theodore ,s4 ,peck explained to  
the children the use of the ,corps badge
 of the army4 ,although overcome with   
surprise1 ,mr4 ,putney responded most   
feelingly4 ,the presentation was        
witnessed by a large number of members  
of the school and of the ,grand ,army of
 the ,republic4  ,the medal bears the   
following inscription3  ,prof4 ,c4 ,e4  
,putney1 from friends in the ,college   

,street ,church1 ,burlington1 ,vermont1 
,february #bf1 #aiaf1 in remembrance of 
his gallant service in the war for the  
,union1 as ,sergeant1 ,co4 ,c1          
,thirteenth ,new ,hampshire1 ,first     
,brigade1 ,first ,division1 ,eighteenth 
,army ,corps4  ,on the two gold bars    
from which the medal is suspended by a  
red1 white and blue ribbon1 are         
inscribed the eleven battles in which   
his regiment participated3 ,first       
,fredericksburg1 siege of ,suffolk1     
,port ,walthal1 ,swift ,creek1          
,kingsland ,creek1 ,drewrys ,bluff1     
,cold ,harbor1 ,petersburg1 ,fort       
,mc,conhie1 ,fort ,harrison and         
,richmond4  ,the badge was originally   
intended as a birthday gift to ,mr4     
,putney1 but its arrival was delayed so 
the presentation was made on the        
anniversary of the death of ,abraham    
,lincoln4 ,the badge was accompanied by 
a letter from ,mr4 ,putney's friends    
stating that the gift was intended as a 
slight token of their esteem and        

affection and a birthday reminder of the
 gallant service performed by him as a  
soldier in the army of the ,union1      
#ahfa-ahfe4--,national ,tribune4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,sleep on1 ,o brave-hearted1 ,o wise man
 that kindled to flame--   ,to live in  
mankind is far more than to live in a   
name1   ,to live in mankind1 far1 far   
more than to live in a name6            
--,,nicholas ,,vachel ,,lindsay4        
,,tributes ,,from ,,friends ,,at ,,st4  
,,johnsbury ,,academy   ,i take special 
pleasure in sending to ,mr4 ,putney's   
memorial an appreciative testimony to   
the long tried friendship which we had  
for each other4 ,i was with him as      
fellow teacher under ,mr4 ,fuller's     
principalship and after that worked with
 and under him as principal until his   
resignation4 ,was with him a longer time
 than any other teacher1 always with the
 kindest and most uniform relations both
 in educational and social respects1 and
 more than all else in the higher       

spiritual relationships4 ,in a letter   
from him a very short time before he    
passed away he hoped he might still be  
in the work of teaching when he reached 
his eightieth birthday4 ,i thought he   
was to be much rejoiced with that he    
came so near it and was called up higher
 while in the joy of his chosen life    
work4  ,it is very pleasant to remember 
also the close friendships between wives
 and daughters of our two families4     
,,solomon ,h4 ,,brackett4     ,none of  
,mr4 ,putney's pupils were more devoted 
and loyal to him1 none had more sincere 
love and affection for him1 than the    
teachers who were privileged to work    
with him4 ,mr4 ,putney's great aim was  
to make true men and noble women and all
 those who were fortunate to be called  
his pupils will bear his mark with them 
in their accomplishments1 in their      
graces1 and in their power4  ,many of   
his pupils will be inclined to virtue1  
holiness and peace1 because the teacher 
was the embodiment of these qualities4  

,in all things he had charity4          
,tolerance was of his nature4 ,he       
respected in others the qualities he    
himself possessed1 sincerity of         
conviction and frankness of expression4 
,his power over his pupils was marked   
and abiding because of his own example1 
his profound scholarship1 his humility1 
his absolute justice1 yet accompanied   
with sympathy and respect4 ,his impulses
 were great1 earnest1 simple1           
unostentatious4 ,his is the old story of
 devotion to duty1 a religious sentiment
 and faith1 serious determination1      
cheerfulness and untiring effort4  ,for 
he was a faithful man and feared ,god   
above many4                             
,a4 ,l4 ,,hardy4     ,when you speak of 
,mr4 ,putney you will find my loyalty as
 strong as ever4 ,we kept up our        
correspondence to the last4 ,i am glad  
to express again my debt to him1 and ,i 
certainly should not wish to be omitted 
from any group of ,mr4 ,putney's        
friends4  ,when ,i went to ,st4         

,johnsbury ,academy at ,mr4 ,putney's   
invitation ,i was inexperienced and     
needed a good deal of friendly advice4  
,he had a rare gift in that way4 ,his   
own devotion1 unselfishness and         
conscientiousness were contagious4 ,he  
was a good teacher and still better     
trainer4 ,but the moral effect of living
 and working with him was the best thing
 about the ,academy4 ,i believe all the 
excellent staff of teachers felt just as
 ,i did4 ,so much so that our intimate  
association gave us more than the pupils
 could get4 ,some of us enjoyed too the 
fine1 generous neighborliness of both   
,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,putney4  ,in            
administrative councils his judgment    
never lost sight of the central         
object--the cultivation of each pupil to
 the most effective ,christian manhood  
and womanhood4 ,what higher mark than   
that can be set by any of the theorists 
and innovators of the present day       
education8 ,the typical ,new ,england   
,academy--and ,st4 ,johnsbury was the   

ideal among them--can bear comparison   
with the latest and best of schools in  
the highest object of education4        
,probably it needed its own environment 
which could not be duplicated elsewhere4
 ,all honor to it and to him who was its
 exponent during my own years so happily
 given to its service4                  
,sincerely yours1                       
,,franklin ,a4 ,,dakin4     ,the first  
impression which ,mr4 ,putney made upon 
me when he joined our circle of teachers
 in the ,academy was that of a man of   
strength1 high moral purpose and rare   
teaching ability1 an impression which   
grew to a certainty as the years went on
 and he became our principal4 ,his      
courtesy1 unfailing kindness and good   
fellowship made it a pleasure to work   
with and under him1 and ,i shall always 
remember him as a true and valued friend
 and a great teacher4 ,what more can we 
desire for our friends than this1 as was
 said of that other beloved teacher1    
,edward ,bowen of ,england1 that in     

remembering them there should be nothing
 to regret1 that all who came under     
their influence should feel themselves  
for ever thereafter the better for that 
influence4                              
,l4 ,,jennie ,,colby4     ,it is        
difficult to put in words my estimate of
 ,mr4 ,putney4 ,he was a loyal friend to
 everyone he knew1 always looking for   
ways of encouragement and help4 ,many a 
scholar can testify to the truth of     
this4 ,we know his thoroughness as a    
teacher1 we remember his reverence for  
the ,bible1 his prayers1 his loyalty to 
church and its organizations1 his       
devotion to his ,heavenly ,father4  ,i  
think his influence for good will extend
 to the ends of the earth4 ,it has been 
a great blessing to know him4 ,i have   
been so glad he could keep up his work  
to the last4                            
,,mary ,,cummings ,,clark4     ,if ,i   
were to put into one word what seems to 
me the keynote of ,mr4 ,putney's life as
 ,i knew him1 it would be service4      

,there was never a moment that ,i was   
not conscious that even when he was in  
physical suffering1 which1 alas6 was    
often1 he was ready to help in every way
 possible4 ,this patience and kindness  
were unfailing1 and his sense of humor1 
which must have helped him as well as   
us1 often pricked our difficulties1 and 
showed us how unimportant they really   
were4 ,i was with him only two years1   
but his character1 and the lessons      
learned from him have been a very real  
influence in my life ever since4        
,,elizabeth ,,washburn ,,worthen4       
,the distance of time 7now forty years7 
since those ,academy days does not dim  
the fond recollection and appreciation  
of my teachers at ,st4 ,johnsbury       
,academy4 ,and of them all1 before or   
since1 there is no one who holds a      
higher place in my esteem than ,mr4     
,putney4 ,though engaged in teaching    
mathematics and astronomy during the    
greater part of this time1 ,i have not  
forgotten1 nor ever shall1 the          

essentials he taught--some things even  
in ,latin and ,greek1 but far more in   
earnestness and sincerity and purpose4  
,and ,i prize also the closer touch with
 his sensitive1 kindly1 sterling        
personality afforded by the few months  
when ,i was privileged to teach as a    
substitute at the ,academy4  ,would that
 we had more such men now in the ranks  
of the profession4                      
,f4 ,b4 ,,brackett1 '#hb4     ,with high
 reverence for what men had known as    
wisdom and beauty in the past1 with sane
 and clear-eyed understanding of the    
shifting needs of the present1 with     
confident faith in the ultimate good1   
whatever the future1 he taught many     
lessons which we did not know until long
 afterwards that we had learned4        
,,margaret ,,bell ,,merrill1 '#id4      
,it is a great pleasure for me to add my
 word of appreciation with respect to   
the splendid influence that ,mr4 ,putney
 exerted at ,st4 ,johnsbury ,academy4   
,he was always fair1 always friendly1   

and his sense of humor was a delight4 ,a
 thorough scholar himself1 he was not   
satisfied with superficial work4 ,he was
 able to sympathize with the pupil's    
view of life and yet he knew how to     
enlarge that view4 ,the branches of     
,latin and ,greek which he taught did   
not afford him full scope for expressing
 the originality that was a remarkable  
part of his character2 but ,i remember a
 course of reading in ,english          
literature which our class took under   
him as an extra1 and there he was able  
to disclose the poetic part of his      
nature1 and we were able to know him as 
a thinker and a seer4 ,i look back with 
gratitude to the days at ,st4 ,jack4    
,,george ,r4 ,,montgomery1 '#hh4     ,i 
first saw ,mr4 ,putney in ,august1      
#ahha1 when ,i came alone and somewhat  
homesick to seek admission to the       
,academy4 ,he was standing on the steps 
of ,south ,hall ready to greet new      
students with his quiet friendly manner 
and sincere expression of interest4 ,he 

made us feel at once that we had in him 
a friend1 one who understood us and     
expected the best from us4 ,i like to   
recall this picture of him for it gave  
me an impression of the man that ,i have
 never had occasion to change4  ,mr4    
,putney was a great teacher4 ,thorough  
in detail and wise in daily drill that  
he knew was necessary for our success1  
he showed a love for the literature that
 he taught and an enthusiasm that was   
contagious4 ,fortunate the boy or girl  
who learned ,virgil under his wise      
guidance4 ,always sympathetic and       
encouraging1 he could detect the bluffer
 and discourage one who tried to get    
through his lessons without adequate    
preparation4 ,he corrected our mistakes1
 but encouraged our attempts to succeed1
 even though we often failed4 ,he       
appealed to our ambition1 to our sense  
of obligation1 and to our pride2 and    
thus he led rather than drove us to our 
work4 ,and work we did2 we did not dare 
to disappoint him1 we did not wish to   

disappoint him4 ,later in college we had
 occasion more than once to be thankful 
for the wise and sound training we had  
had under his leadership4  ,it is1      
however1 the personality of the man that
 lives with us1 whether we remember him 
best in the classroom or in the chapel  
exercises1 in the dormitory or in some  
other phase of his active life4 ,he was 
quiet1 even-tempered1 but forceful4 ,his
 voice was not often raised1 but it     
carried conviction4 ,his directions were
 accepted without protest or question2  
or if1 as ,i remember well1 on one      
occasion we did protest1 he had a firm1 
convincing manner that made us accept   
his word as final4 ,and yet there was no
 rancor left1 we felt that ,mr4 ,putney 
was right4 ,as a rule he was serious1   
but he had a merry twinkle in his eye   
that told of a sense of humor and an    
ability to join with his students in    
their good times4 ,in a very real sense 
he entered into the lives of all of us  
and made upon us that impression that   

makes us rise and say with one voice1   
,he was a ,christian gentleman4         
,,gilbert ,s4 ,,blakely1 '#hd4     ,the 
personality of ,mr4 ,putney has stayed  
with me during all these years with     
singular distinctness4 ,many other      
teachers1 whose influence has been      
undoubted and deeply felt1 shape        
themselves in memory somewhat vaguely4  
,but ,mr4 ,putney stands out clearly and
 vividly1 as if the days under him at   
,st4 ,johnsbury ,academy were but       
yesterday4 ,here was a man quiet and    
unassuming1 and yet ,i am conscious1 and
 always have been conscious1 of a       
certain power that flowed from him into 
the lives of his pupils4  ,such a force 
does not lend itself readily to         
analysis4 ,like most fundamental things1
 it is subtle1 undefinable4 ,but some   
elements in the character of ,mr4       
,putney in the retrospect are clear as  
air4 ,in the first place1 he was a born 
teacher4 ,his scholarship was backed by 
thoroughness of application in the      

classroom4 ,a part of his painstaking   
self passed into the mental processes1  
and so into the equipment1 of those who 
sat under him4 ,his instruction went    
deep4 ,it was thorough plowing of the   
mind4 ,slip-shod methods were repugnant 
to his nature4 ,then1 too1 how patient  
he was6 ,for every student he seemed to 
carry in his mind an ideal of           
development that made every effort on   
his part toward that end a real joy1 and
 so he first grounded him in basic      
things and then built on that           
foundation4  ,with poise and            
self-control1 though not physically     
robust1 he managed a large school in    
such a way that it ran as smoothly as a 
well-oiled machine4 ,we took it all for 
granted then4 ,but we see now1          
especially those of us who are teachers 
ourselves1 the meaning and the reason of
 it all1 and we trace the fact to its   
source in an able and inspiring         
personality4  ,mr4 ,putney had a quiet  
glow of humor1 and many an incident     

comes to mind to show how large and     
wholesome a part this characteristic    
played in his career4 ,but most of all  
,i would pay tribute to the ,christian  
gentleman4 ,his idealism was not too    
lofty for human nature's daily food4    
,rather it expressed itself in practical
 devotion to the best interests of his  
pupils1 to good things1 and to noble    
causes4 ,he was a leader because he     
allowed himself humbly to be led by     
something above him4 ,he moulded        
character because he was himself being  
moulded by spiritual forces4 ,not       
ambitious in the worldly sense1 he came 
into his own long before his gentle life
 passed from among us4 ,i fancy that1   
could he do so1 he would tell us that   
his real ambition has been realized4 ,in
 ,mr4 ,putney we are gratefully aware of
 that gracious thing1 the distribution  
of a rare personality through the lives 
of others1 the multiplication of self in
 terms of helpfulness to the world4     
,,henry ,d4 ,,wild1 '#hd4     ,those    

were days of exceptional privilege in   
the eighties and nineties for the shy   
but eager boys and girls of rural       
,vermont who found their way to ,st4    
,johnsbury ,academy1 there1 under ,mr4  
,putney and the able and friendly       
faculty of his choice1 to catch enlarged
 vision and the preparation to fulfill  
it4  ,the quiet1 unobtrusive life of    
such as ,mr4 ,putney lends itself to    
fewer striking1 outstanding memories    
than more brilliant careers1 yet how    
positive the impression and far-reaching
 the influence1 and how sweet the       
incidents one does recall6  ,my first   
acquaintance revealed his friendly      
interest and thoughtfulness4            
,discovering that ,i1 a timid new-comer1
 was the only girl enrolled for ,greek  
with twenty young men1 he sent a kindly 
word of encouragement and the hope that 
,i would not let the fact discourage me 
in my purpose4 ,that pledge of sympathy 
on the part of one of my first male     
instructors had large weight in deciding

 me to brave the ordeal4 ,it was1 too1 a
 pledge fully and most wisely carried   
out1 so discriminatingly administered by
 daily1 tactful consideration as to set 
me wholly at ease and to establish the  
most natural1 unconscious comradeship   
with the class4 ,the only visible       
evidence of his thought came in         
occasional approving comments upon the  
little rivalry in scholarship in the    
class and the requests that ,i conduct  
the class sometimes when he was         
necessarily absent4 ,thus he made of the
 experience1 by his fine tact and       
wisdom1 a happy and fruitful one4  ,i   
was early inspired with a confidence    
that the ideals he held for us were but 
those of his own life4 ,the urgent      
suggestions to drill and review our     
lessons thoroughly were the more        
forceful when ,i learned that it had    
been a habit of all his own student life
 to review each ,saturday the entire    
daily work of the week4 ,a trying       
epidemic of colds and coughs was        

prevailing one winter1 disturbing school
 exercises greatly4 ,at the close of    
chapel one morning ,mr4 ,putney told us 
in his quiet1 earnest manner the dangers
 of allowing a cough to become          
aggravated and the possibility of       
entirely controlling it4 ,skeptical of  
this1 ,i well remember with what gleeful
 malice ,i scoffed at it in the hearing 
of a teacher who made the lesson one of 
life-long practice by telling me of the 
heroic1 thorough treatment to which ,mr4
 ,putney had in early life subjected    
himself1 so that he had spoken out of   
personal experience again4 ,when his    
life had been despaired of because of   
supposedly fatal illness he had effected
 a complete recovery by checking the    
deep-seated cough4  ,when in later years
 ,i found that his benign presence and  
quiet influence was bearing daily fruit 
in the same1 or even greater respect and
 reverence with a younger generation of 
students1 ,i realized afresh under what 
a rare teacher ,i had had the privilege 

of coming1 and how profoundly true it is
 that such a personality teaches        
constantly1 often when least suspected1 
the finest and most profound lessons4   
,the vision which he communicated is one
 of the most precious treasures4        
,,bertha ,m4 ,,terrill1 '#ia4     ,i    
appreciate exceedingly this opportunity 
to add my words of tribute to the memory
 and worth of ,mr4 ,putney4  ,to him ,i 
am indebted beyond measure for the      
incentive1 encouragement1 aid and       
inspiration which he gave me while a    
student at the ,academy4  ,his was a    
life long in years1 ripe in scholarship1
 and rich in unselfish and generous     
service4 ,in him were combined the      
qualities of the best type of teacher4  
,his clearness of vision1 and straight  
thinking made him a leader whose        
influence was broad and lasting2 while  
by the gentleness of his manners and by 
the broadness of his sympathies he won  
and held the affection of all who knew  
him4  ,his loyal devotion to the cause  

of education was such that he desired   
nothing more earnestly than to serve and
 aid those who sought his instruction1  
and he ever held before the student the 
highest ideals of a fine1 clean1 strong 
and ,christian manhood4  ,his influence 
continues1 and will widen in the years  
yet to come4                            
,,george ,e4 ,,miner1 '#hc4     ,all the
 way along1 from the days when1 in the  
absence of my own father1 he initiated  
me1 a little girl of five1 into the joys
 of a dip in the ,atlantic to the almost
 equally happy days in number ten when  
,i learned through him to know the      
wonder and beauty of ,virgil and        
,cicero1 ,mr4 ,putney seemed to me one  
of the best and finest men in the world4
  ,how considerate he always was6       
,during the years of my father's        
pastorate1 ,mr4 ,putney was among those 
who gave unsparingly at all times just  
the help and cheer that the minister    
needed4  ,i think of him as one whose   
life was a beautiful mingling of        

gentleness and strength4                
,,cornelia ,,taylor ,,fairbanks1 '#ig4  
,march #bf1 #aiac4   ,it would be a     
genuine and great pleasure to us to be  
with you at the doings of the ,alumni   
,association and to meet again all the  
famous characters expected there1       
especially the guest of honor4 ,we are  
glad of this opportunity to renew our   
profession of allegiance to him4 ,he was
 our principal during the final year we 
passed at the beloved ,academy1 the year
 when1 because of ,mr4 ,fuller's absence
 abroad1 he was the acting principal as 
he afterwards came to be the titular    
principal as well4 ,we have always      
cherished the sincerest regard and      
affection for ,mr4 ,putney1--not only   
because he was our competent and        
faithful teacher and our respected      
principal1 but because he was in the    
truest sense our friend4 ,we owe him a  
great debt of gratitude which1 like     
honest though insolvent creditors1 we   
can acknowledge though we cannot hope to

 pay4 ,ours was the first graduating    
class that knew him as principal1 and we
 always cherished the fond conceit1     
that1 as he was peculiarly dear to us1  
so we were a little more to him than any
 other class could be4 ,i hope he will  
not say or do anything upon this        
occasion to banish that happy thought   
from our minds4 ,he will probably try to
 appear as fond of you as he is of us4  
,he always did have a way of letting you
 down easy when he didn't want to hurt  
your feelings4 ,you cannot have         
forgotten how1 when you answered his    
questions in classroom1 he always said1 
,yes1 yes1 as though your answer was all
 that could be desired1 even when he    
followed it by some quiet correction1   
which when you had taken your seat and  
thought it over1 gradually let you see  
that you had missed the mark by about a 
mile4 ,we wish that we could do anything
 as well as ,mr4 ,putney could teach6   
,happy is the school that has him for a 
teacher6 ,happy are the boys and        

girls--of whatever age--who have him for
 a friend6                              
,sincerely and fraternally yours1       
,,florence ,,and ,,wendell ,,stafford1  
'#hj4   ,being both a paternal and      
maternal grandson of the ,academy1 ,i   
subscribe to the above with duty as well
 as pleasure4                           
,,edward ,,stafford1 '#jg4     ,i hardly
 know what to say4 ,there is such a     
mingling of emotions--sorrow for the    
loss1 joy that he has been with us so   
long1 gratitude that it has been my     
privilege to keep in so close touch with
 him during most of the years since ,i1 
a school girl1 first came under the     
influence that has never lost its hold  
for a minute4  ,no one individual has   
ever had more to do with the shaping of 
my life than he and whatever little good
 ,i have been able to do for boys and   
girls is largely attributable to the    
influence that has helped me for so     
long4  ,my experience can be multiplied 
a thousand times and then the story has 

not been told4 ,we all shall hold his   
memory in love1 and in reverence4       
,generations to come will still feel    
indirectly the help that we have had    
from him4  ,i've always seen ,mr4       
,putney as ,i read those words of       
,tennyson in his dedication to the      
,idylls4    ,indeed he seems to me      
,scarce other than my king's ideal      
knight1   ,who reverenced his conscience
 as his king1   ,whose glory was        
redressing human wrong1   ,who spake no 
slander1 no nor listened to it1   ,we   
have lost him1 he is gone--   ,we know  
him now--and we see him as he moved1    
,how modest1 kindly1 all accomplished1  
wise1   ,with what sublime repression of
 himself--   ,and in what limits1 and   
how tenderly--   ,now swaying to this   
faction or to that--   ,but through all 
this tract of years   ,wearing the white
 flower of a blameless life1   ,before a
 thousand peering littlenesses4   ,where
 is he   ,who dares foreshadow for an   
only son   ,a lovelier life1 a more     

unstained than his8                     
,very sincerely1                        
,,caroline ,s4 ,,woodruff1 '#hd4        
,among the many valuable and valued     
possessions which were mine when ,i left
 ,st4 ,johnsbury ,academy was a         
clear-cut impression of ,mr4 ,putney as 
a man1 as a friend1 and as a teacher4   
,he stood for standards1 high standards 
of behavior and of scholarship4 ,after  
all these years this image is still     
clear and vivid4 ,simple1 sincere1 and  
single-minded in his life work1 his     
standards of living have always been a  
challenge to the best in his associates1
 a challenge which has1 consciously or  
unconsciously1 helped us all to higher  
levels of service4 ,this is our tribute 
to his memory4                          
,,elizabeth ,,hall1 '#hf4     ,i look   
back on the old ,academy days under ,mr4
 ,putney with ever increasing           
appreciation of him and of his influence
 over my life4 ,i am glad to add my     
tribute to his memory and ,i do so most 

heartily4  ,charles ,e4 ,putney was a   
kindly1 courtly1 ,christian gentleman4  
,he was a wonderful teacher1 leading his
 students through the classics by ways  
that made ,latin and ,greek no longer   
dead languages but very much alive2 and 
so were the thrilling narratives of the 
old worthies who almost seemed to speak 
again in ,mr4 ,putney's classrooms4     
,meantime1 character building was going 
on and his insistence of high standards 
of honor and strict discipline made most
 of the boys more manly and most of the 
girls more womanly1 and they are        
grateful to him1 as ,i am1 for it all4  
,devotion to duty was characteristic of 
him in school and church1 in home and   
public life4 ,he was a good soldier and 
to him citizenship meant service4 ,he   
was a true friend and that meant the    
helping hand4  ,i honor and revere his  
memory4 ,my humble tribute is one of    
gratitude for his noble life1 which1    
touching mine1 revealed more clearly for
 my stumbling feet the shining pathway  

that he trod to worthy self-investment1 
to truth and ,god4                      
,,rolfe ,,cobleigh1 '#hf4     ,from that
 first day when ,i went into the        
,academy office to consult with ,mr4    
,putney as a new student1 ,i have been  
and shall continue to be under the      
deepest obligation to one of the noblest
 spirits and finest teachers whose      
influence ever has been exerted upon    
young men and women4 ,his scholarship   
was accurate and he made ,greek         
interesting4 ,his moral standards were  
lofty and he made honor and truth       
beautiful4 ,his soul was sincere and    
devoted and he made ,christ attractive  
to the mind and will of a boy4 ,he knew 
how to give encouragement at the        
critical moment and how to exercise     
discipline justly so that no sting      
remained4 ,he influenced me more deeply 
than any other teacher of my youth1 and 
my love and gratitude grew as the years 
passed4 ,mr4 ,putney did not disappoint 
me as my ideal of a ,christian teacher  

and lover of young men4 ,it was a great 
life4                                   
,,ozora ,s4 ,,davis1 '#he4     ,a       
teacher projects himself through the    
lives of his pupils and an institution  
of learning speaks through the voice of 
its scholars4 ,st4 ,johnsbury ,academy  
has been a formative force in the       
educational life of ,new ,england and   
beyond1 and her leadership has been     
buttressed upon sound learning4         
,charles ,e4 ,putney was a great        
principal and an inspiring teacher4 ,in 
the classics his well-ordered mind found
 a congenial field for interpretation   
and elucidation4 ,frail of physique1    
with all the scholar's nerves and       
sensitiveness1 he yet day after day     
ploughed through the hesitating minds of
 his pupils with patience and           
thoroughness4 ,particularly as a teacher
 of ,greek did he excel4 ,he led his    
pupils through the necessary technique  
of parasangs to the mastery of the      
sublime secrets of this imperial mother 

of tongues4 ,he possessed the capacity  
of taking infinite pains and played no  
favorites among his scholars4 ,i imagine
 the responsibility of administration   
irked his gentle spirit and the rawness 
of self-centered youth must have tried  
his conscientious soul4  ,i never       
thought of him in those days as a       
veteran of the ,civil ,war1 in fact1 did
 not then know of his martial service1  
but ,i can see now how that experience  
must have fed his hatred of disobedience
 and disloyalty and increased his zeal  
for the proper development of the minds 
of his boys and girls in order that they
 too might become dependable citizens of
 the ,republic4  ,his was a kindly      
nature1 though to the pupil who first   
fronted him he seemed stern1 yet this   
was but the shell1 in which daily duty  
encased him4 ,it was always a pleasure  
to watch his sense of humor expand      
itself in friendly smile and expend     
itself in his low chuckle as some       
particularly atrocious translation fell 

from lips unused to expressing ancient  
thought4  ,it is hard to measure his    
personal influence by a sentence but it 
seems to me as principal and teacher1 by
 precept and practice1 he showed how    
desirable a thing it is to perform the  
daily task conscientiously and          
patiently4                              
,,frederick ,g4 ,,fleetwood1 '#hf4      
,to me ,mr4 ,putney was a great teacher4
 ,i knew him as a friend1 my friend and 
the life-time friend of my father4 ,i   
knew him as an active member of the     
,south ,church1 and a devoted leader of 
religious life and activity in the      
,academy4 ,but it was as a teacher that 
he had a formative power on my life4    
,as ,i look back on those classes in    
,beginning ,greek1 and in ,cicero1 ,i   
recognize his painstaking thoroughness4 
,the fundamentals were clear to him1 and
 it was his work to make them clear1    
definite1 and lasting in the minds of   
his pupils4 ,if he made a mistake it was
 in his conscientious care that no dull 

or backward or thoughtless pupil should 
fail to have these fundamentals of the  
subject drilled into his mind4 ,how many
 hundreds of pupils owe their sense of  
accurate and clear thought to his       
persistent efforts day in and day out1  
,i have no idea4 ,he was primarily a    
great teacher because he never relaxed  
his effort to make every pupil know the 
essentials of the subject he taught4    
,but he was more than a drillmaster1    
fundamental as that is4 ,he was not     
without a sense of humor4 ,i remember   
once he came to the door of a room in   
,south ,hall where1 one ,saturday       
afternoon1 some boys were not very quiet
 in their recreation4 ,some one answered
 his knock by asking1 ,who's there8     
,when the answer came1 ,it's me1 ,mr4   
,putney1 the boy said1 ,no1 ,mr4 ,putney
 would have said1 ',it is ,i'2 and ,i   
can almost hear his quiet chuckle as he 
went away4  ,a great teacher depends for
 his success on his moral character4 ,no
 one could ever question the sincerity  

and force of ,mr4 ,putney's character4  
,with clear vision of the work he wanted
 to accomplish1 with a devotion to his  
high purpose which never wavered1 with a
 simplicity and straightforwardness     
which showed in every action1 he        
impressed on the students his high      
ideals4 ,at the same time he won their  
complete confidence and made them feel  
his sympathy4  ,such a man leaves a     
widespread heritage in his pupils4 ,he  
leaves also a heritage of fine tradition
 for the ,academy he served4            
,,arthur ,,fairbanks1 '#hb4     ,a      
college professor1 at an alumni         
gathering1 in conversation with one of  
his former students who had been obliged
 to work his way through college1 said  
to him1 ,i always had a feeling that you
 took life too seriously1--that you had 
too little diversion4  ,the thought     
expressed in that remark suggests one of
 the dominant impressions of ,mr4       
,putney that comes to me after these    
many years4 ,teaching was to him a      

serious matter1 and the student's part1 
in his judgment1 both in preparation and
 in classroom1 demanded likewise        
faithful and not superficial            
performance4  ,the basis of this        
characteristic in his life-work was his 
,christian faith4 ,it naturally made his
 objective the development of ,christian
 character1 over and above the          
impartation and reception of            
information4  ,i have always felt a deep
 sense of personal gratitude for a      
service rendered during a special period
 of study at the ,academy4 ,members of  
my class who took the classical course  
will recall that ,greek was not included
 among my studies4 ,nearly four years   
after graduation from the ,academy1     
having decided to enter college as a    
classical student1 ,i returned to ,st4  
,johnsbury for ten weeks of intensive   
study of ,greek alone4 ,mr4 ,putney not 
only made my membership in the class in 
,middle ,greek possible1 and practically
 free from embarrassment at being a late

 comer1 but gave me many regular hours  
of private instruction in ,homeric      
,greek1 enabling me during the last     
weeks of the time to join the senior    
class in the study of the latter form of
 the language4  ,this ,i believe to be  
illustrative of his devotion and        
self-denying service to any who are     
ready to respond to the forth-putting of
 time1 strength and knowledge on his    
part4  ,his home was open1 if needed1 to
 receive students or others who were    
sick and in need of attention impossible
 to be given in the ,academy dormitory  
or other rooming building4 ,some cases  
of illness were of many weeks duration1 
but this mattered not4 ,the tender      
ministrations of ,mrs4 ,putney were not 
lessened until all necessity was passed4
  ,mr4 ,putney's influence was not due  
to his public utterances1 for he did not
 seek platform prominence4 ,but his     
constant adherence to high ideals of    
faithfulness1 conscientiousness1 and    
efficiency outside and in the classroom1

 and his personal helpfulness to many an
 individual student are among the       
legacies which many of us have been     
privileged to share from his long and   
abundantly fruitful life4               
,,george ,l4 ,,leonard1 '#hc4     ,a    
,,human ,,humanist   ,are you willing to
 write an appreciation of what his      
influence in those early days meant to  
you8  ,so the letter read1 telling me of
 the ,charles ,e4 ,putney memorial4 ,and
 shall ,i be frank enough to add that   
for a moment the question rather floored
 me8 ,for while youth is very           
susceptible to influences1 of many      
sorts1 youth is not much more conscious 
of them than the beanstalk of the pole4 
,yet almost immediately it came back to 
me that a few days before that letter   
arrived1 a group of men were chatting in
 a ,washington club--among other things1
 about the value and results of formal  
education4 ,and1 agreeing that few      
people ever pick up at school or college
 anything which in later life they can  

put their finger on1 that for many      
people the so-called higher education is
 a pure waste of time1 ,i added1 ,the   
only man who ever taught me anything was
 a ,greek teacher ,i had at a           
preparatory school in ,vermont4  ,that  
,greek teacher was ,mr4 ,putney4        
,perhaps ,greek is no longer taught at  
the ,academy4 ,i don't know4 ,it is not 
the fashion nowadays4 ,but ,i am        
somewhat concerned that it has ceased to
 be the fashion4 ,and the foundation of 
the feeling ,i have about it was laid1  
in great part1 at ,st4 ,johnsbury4 ,on  
that1 at any rate1 ,i can put my finger4
 ,it may not have been ,mr4 ,putney who 
first sowed in the mind of one of his   
pupils the consciousness that history is
 a very long drawn out affair2 that it  
did not begin in ,a4 ,d4 #aggf1 or in   
,a4 ,d4 #adib1 or even in ,a4 ,d4 #a4   
,for before that pupil trod the banks of
 the ,passumpsic he happened to have    
visited the shores of the ,a,egean4 ,to 
him1 consequently1 the ,anabasis and    

,homer were more real than otherwise    
they might have seemed--though ,mr4     
,putney had the gift of making those old
 stories real4  ,but of one thing ,i am 
quite sure4 ,mr4 ,putney gave me my     
first sense of language as a living and 
growing organism1 come from far         
beginnings2 and he first made me see in 
the ,english language1 in particular1 a 
stream of many confluents4 ,this is the 
chief reason why it seems to me a       
disaster that the classics are passing  
out of fashion4 ,for with them all true 
understanding of our rich and noble     
tongue seems fated to pass out of       
fashion4 ,to be too much bound to the   
past is of course an unhappy thing4     
,each generation must live by and       
largely for itself4 ,yet does it not    
profit a man to be aware that knowledge 
is an ancient and gradual accumulation1 
to gain an outlook upon the cycles of   
history and upon the human experiments  
that have succeeded or failed1 to be    
able to trace the sources of this or    

that element in science1 in law1 in art8
 ,and how shall he really know the      
language he speaks without some         
acquaintance with the languages which   
have chiefly enriched it--not only      
,french and ,german1 but ,latin and     
,greek as well8  ,this ,mr4 ,putney had 
the art of making his pupils feel4 ,i   
remember how he used to pick words to   
pieces and squeeze out for us the inner 
essence of their meaning4 ,one example  
in particular has always stuck in my    
memory3 pernicious4 ,and ,i can still   
hear ,mr4 ,putney's voice translating it
 for us3 ,most completely full of that  
which produces death4 ,that word has had
 an interest for me ever since--akin to 
the respect which ,henry ,james later   
instilled into me for the adjective     
poignant1 which he declared should be   
used only once or twice in a lifetime4  
,what is more1 ,i have never lost the   
habit ,mr4 ,putney enticed us to form1  
of picking words to pieces for          
ourselves4 ,there is no better way of   

extracting shades of meaning4 ,but that 
way is closed to those who have no      
,greek4  ,mr4 ,putney was1 in short1 my 
first humanist--though that word didn't 
come to me till another day1 when ,i    
began to read about the ,renaissance4   
,but he was more than a humanist4 ,he   
was humane4 ,he was human4 ,that        
underlay the fact that1 with the        
affectionate disrespect of youth1 he was
 known among ourselves as ,put4         
,disrespect1 however1 was never what we 
felt toward the principal of the        
,academy4 ,indeed1 the first time ,i    
ever saw him1 when ,i was a new boy of  
sixteen1 he impressed me as being a     
rather awesome person4 ,as long as ,i   
knew him his dignity and his firmness   
never failed to impress me4 ,yet about  
that dignity there was nothing aloof4   
,that firmness was not hardness2 it had 
no cutting edge4 ,he meant what he said4
 ,that was all4 ,no idle or disobedient 
boy flattered himself that ,put was to  
be trifled with4 ,every boy felt1       

however1 that ,put was just4 ,firm as he
 was1 he had too a great gentleness4    
,and ,i think he had the kindest and    
most patient eyes ,i ever looked into4  
,they were very shrewd4 ,they could look
 through a boy as if he were made of    
glass4 ,but they were also very wise1   
and they knew how to overlook a great   
deal of folly and thoughtlessness4      
,moreover there was in the bottom of    
them a twinkle--of a most individual    
kind4 ,it was no broad ,irish twinkle1  
nor yet an ironic ,latin twinkle4 ,you  
saw it sometimes when you had made a    
particularly egregious translation2 but 
it didn't dishearten you4  ,i have never
 forgotten that quiet1 that             
comprehending1 that rare twinkle4 ,after
 all1 what happier light could a man    
cast on the cloudy ways of youth--or    
shed upon his own character8            
,h4 ,g4 ,,dwight1 '#id4     ,coming     
,east from ,dubuque to ,chicago1 it is  
inspiring to an ,eastern man to see how 
the life of this busy metropolis of the 

,west is guided and influenced by the   
,eastern-trained man and woman4 ,on the 
same street with the great ,university  
of ,chicago is ,chicago ,theological    
,seminary4 ,i had a delightful interview
 with the man who presides over this    
institution1 training the virile young  
men of the ,west for the work of the    
,christian ministry and also for work in
 the mission field4 ,this man is ,dr4   
,ozora ,s4 ,davis1 a graduate of ,st4   
,johnsbury ,academy and of ,dartmouth   
,college4 ,dr4 ,davis attended ,st4     
,johnsbury ,academy during the          
principalship of that gifted and        
consecrated ,christian gentleman1       
,charles ,e4 ,putney1 ,ph4 ,d4 ,a       
powerful influence for righteousness    
exerted by the quiet but inspiring      
personality of this educational leader  
is now felt throughout the world4 ,truly
 the fourth verse of the nineteenth     
,psalm is applicable to this former     
principal of a ,new ,england academy3   
,their line is gone out through all the 

earth and their words to the end of the 
world4                                  
,h4 ,,philip ,,patey1 '#hf4             
,journal of ,education4     ,it is      
fitting that ,mr4 ,putney's work and    
influence as an officer in the church in
 whose service he was so constant and   
faithful should receive some mention4   
,while serving as principal of ,st4     
,johnsbury ,academy during some of its  
most prosperous years and largest       
enrollment1 he found time to serve      
actively on the board of deacons of the 
,south ,church1 to teach a large class  
of students in the ,sunday school1 and  
to be unfailing in attendance upon the  
mid-week meeting4 ,he was a pillar in   
the church he loved4 ,and while in the  
,academy he maintained the religious    
traditions on which it was founded1 he  
recognized that it was in the church    
that these traditions found their source
 and inspiration4  ,on his removal to   
,burlington he took up similar relations
 with the ,college ,street ,church1 and 

continued them to the end of his career1
 loyal to its interests and liberal in  
its support4 ,if fine distinctions are  
to be made between vocation and         
avocation it would be difficult to      
determine to which institution the terms
 should be applied as his life is       
reviewed4                               
,c4 ,h4 ,,merrill1                      
,vermont ,missionary4     ,it was not my
 privilege to sit at the feet of ,mr4   
,putney as a student4 ,in about the year
 #ahgj1 ,i attended prize-speaking at   
the high school of ,norwich1 ,vermont1  
and was told that the young principal   
was a ,mr4 ,putney4 ,something about the
 man appealed to my boyish senses and ,i
 wished that ,i might know him1 but lack
 of confidence prevented my making      
myself known4 ,an acquaintance was      
formed three or four years later at ,st4
 ,johnsbury4 ,for a time1 ,i was        
associated with ,mr4 ,putney in certain 
lay-religious work and came to know him 
well1 if not intimately1--a friendship  

which ever after continued4 ,after the  
death of ,mrs4 ,hazen1 ,i received a    
beautiful letter from ,mr4 ,putney1     
written laboriously by a shaking hand1  
but it expressed so much in a few words1
 characteristic of his genuineness1 it  
is a letter that will ever be preserved 
among my most cherished possessions4    
,what was the subtle something that so  
appealed to me that long-ago evening at 
,norwich8 ,it seems to me it was the    
unspoken sympathy of the man which      
touched the lives of all who came in    
contact with him even as the fragrance  
of a flower permeates the atmosphere4   
,surely he lived a life that is well    
worth the telling4                      
,,perley ,f4 ,,hazen4     ,i want to    
join in the chorus of love and tender   
remembrance which you are hearing from  
all sides in regard to your father4  ,he
 was my first teacher1 at ,norwich1 when
 for the first time ,i went to school1  
and his kindness and consideration      
helped me over the strangeness and      

discomfort of the new experience4 ,he   
taught me ,latin and ,i began ,greek    
with him4  ,he was a most delightful    
principal of the school1 and thought of 
the pleasantest things for us boys and  
girls to do1 in and out of the          
classrooms2 for instance1 long walks    
together in which he accompanied us4    
,all my life ,i have thought of him with
 warmth and pleasure1 and on the few    
occasions when ,i have seen him the old 
gratitude and confidence have been      
renewed4 ,he was so good and so         
delightful all at once4                 
,sincerely yours1                       
,,katherine ,,morris ,,cone4            
,,charles ,e4 ,,putney     ,one lately  
dying--though alas ,i deem   ,myself    
unfit to praise his high1 clear faith-- 
,followed his ,master till the darkling 
stream   ,was bravely crossed1 sure that
 in life or death   ,nothing could      
separate from the love of ,christ4   ,so
 faithfully he kept with ,god his long1 
last tryst4                             

,j4 ,a4 ,,bellows1 ,,dartmouth1 '#gj4   
,from his brother ,freeman4   ,the      
hearts of all your father's brothers    
were terribly wrung by his death4 ,for  
it has not often been given to a        
household to have a leading member who  
commanded such reverently affectionate  
esteem as did our brother ,charles4 ,his
 life1 his spirit1 his purposes1 his    
exemplary attitude toward worthy living1
 his generously helpful thought--always 
expressed in action--how could they well
 be other than a constant challenge to  
his brothers and sisters8 ,we all have  
rare cause for deep gratitude that he   
was ours for so many years2 we cannot   
express our gratitude for our memories  
of him4     ,from a friend4   ,there is 
just one mind and one expression        
regarding your dear father--,one of the 
grand old men has gone to his reward4   
,the presence of ,mr4 ,putney has been a
 benediction to our high school4 ,how   
thankful you must be that he had no     
lingering illness but just laid down his

 books and entered into the fuller life4
 ,we thank ,god for such a presence in  
our midst4     ,from an associate       
teacher4   ,in the years in school ,mr4 
,putney was always ready with good      
counsel to the younger men4 ,he never   
seemed to lose his courage nor even to  
grow old4 ,the last time ,i saw him1 his
 smile was as bright and his voice as   
cheery as ,i remember it always to have 
been4     ,from another associate       
teacher4   ,i count myself very         
fortunate to have known your father1 and
 to have been his friend for a short    
time4 ,he was one of the finest         
,christian gentlemen ,i ever knew4 ,his 
influence in the city1 the church and   
the school is certainly past all        
measuring4     ,from a friend4   ,a man 
whom literally thousands love and revere
 in memory1 and whose work and influence
 are still going on4     ,from a former 
pupil4   ,i need not tell you that his  
going is1 as was the death of your      
blessed mother1 like the loss of one of 

my own parents4 ,the kindness of those  
two good people to me when ,i needed    
help of just the kind they so finely and
 unselfishly gave has always been a most
 helpful influence in my life4 ,to grow 
old looking upon his advancing years and
 the future with grace and an abiding   
faith1 as ,mr4 ,putney did1 is in itself
 an inspiration to us all4     ,from a  
more recent pupil4   ,i do not need to  
tell you how we all loved him--everyone 
did who ever knew him4 ,he was          
everybody's favorite teacher1 and       
instead of hating to go to his classes  
we loved to do so4 ,somehow ,i always   
felt better after having talked with    
him1 and ,i only wish everyone in the   
world could have known him4 ,he was a   
real gentleman and a scholar4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,he is not dead1 this friend2 not dead1 
,but on some road by mortals tread1     
,got some few trifling steps ahead2     
,and nearer to the end2     ,so that you
 too once past the bend1     ,shall meet

 again1 as face to face this friend     
,you fancy dead4                        
--,,robert ,,louis ,,stevenson4         
,,appreciative ,,words ,,from ,,teachers
 ,,and ,,pupils ,,of ,,burlington ,,high
 ,,school1 #aibj   ,to live to old age2 
to keep one's physical health and mental
 vigor to the very end2 to work at one's
 chosen task with undiminished          
enthusiasm2 to know one's self greatly  
useful and greatly beloved2 to go1 at   
last1 swiftly1 and to be mourned by many
 friends2--what could one ask1 of all   
the gifts of life1 better than that8    
,the impression left by ,mr4 ,putney is 
that of a singularly serene and happy   
old age4 ,and surely1 if ever a man had 
reason to look upon his life with       
serenity and quiet satisfaction1 ,mr4   
,putney had reason to do so4  ,it is a  
touching and also an inspiring thought1 
how the successive generations of young 
boys and girls passed through his life1 
each one receiving something of the rich
 gift which ,mr4 ,putney had to share   

with all1 but then too1 each returning  
something of the fresh outlook and      
untarnished faith of youth to keep his  
old age green4  ,mr4 ,putney lived long 
but never grew old4 ,perhaps because of 
his very association with the young1 he 
tasted the fountain of perpetual youth4 
,how valuable and how prized was the    
gift which he imparted1 is best known to
 those who best knew the man himself4   
,no pupil of his seems to think of him  
primarily as a teacher1 but as a wise   
and kindly friend1 whom to know was1    
somehow1 to become one's self wiser and 
of a more human spirit4  ,and yet he was
 a superb teacher4  ,it is simply that  
this phase of him is lost in the        
totality of the man4  ,one thinks       
instinctively of a phrase of            
,cicero's--,cicero whose orations ,mr4  
,putney taught for so many years--,vir  
amplissimus4 ,it means something much   
more1 something quite other than simply 
,great man4 ,it means one adequate for  
the occasion1 whatever that occasion    

might be4  ,that is the final verdict to
 be pronounced1 as it is the highest    
praise to be bestowed4 ,from whatever   
angle ,mr4 ,putney was regarded1 and to 
whatever test he was brought1 he        
measured up2 he sufficed4               
,,john ,e4 ,,colburn4     ,when ,mr4    
,putney died1 we could not at first     
realize our loss4  ,he had been so much 
a part of the school life that it seemed
 hardly possible that1 while that life  
went on1 he could be away4  ,we all     
loved and admired him1 but we seldom    
stopped to measure him4 ,we accepted    
him1 like any other accustomed gift1    
without realizing quite fully how much  
he meant to us4  ,as we remember him    
now1 what impresses us most strongly is 
the thought how little in him we could  
have wished to change--how              
extraordinarily well he measured up as a
 man4  ,there was a fine serenity about 
him1 and a kind of soundness and        
sweetness of character like the autumnal
 ripeness of a perfect apple4 ,it was   

tonic and wholesome to be under his     
influence4  ,there have been great      
teachers who could not teach4           
,nevertheless they were great teachers  
because a virtue went out from them     
which touched the lives of their pupils 
and was better than all instruction4    
,there have been great instructors who  
could not be respected1 because along   
with intellectual brilliancy and        
clearness went a narrow1 or a low1 or a 
selfish outlook on life4  ,mr4 ,putney  
measured up in both respects--he was a  
large-minded man1 he was a great        
teacher4  ,the very nature of his       
profession precluded any wide or ringing
 fame4 ,his work was done quietly1      
unobtrusively1 one might almost say1    
obscurely4 ,a teacher's work is always  
so4  ,his memory rests with us who knew 
him1 but with us it is very secure4  ,it
 is the memory of a man whom we could   
respect without coldness1 and love      
without making allowances4--,burlington 
,high ,school ,register4     ,in these  

days when the so-called practical side  
of life has seemed to crowd out the     
humanities1 so that in many schools     
,latin and ,greek are not included in   
the curriculum1 ,mr4 ,putney has held   
high the torch of classical learning4   
,to him much credit should be given for 
keeping alive a real interest in ,greek1
 and for giving thorough and inspiring  
work in ,latin4  ,moreover1 in all      
school relations ,mr4 ,putney has been  
not only ready but glad to co-operate4  
,whether for a social gathering of the  
teachers requiring a tax1 for tickets to
 the many ball games1 or for            
,thanksgiving baskets to be filled1 ,mr4
 ,putney's purse was always open4 ,not  
many1 indeed1 know how often he overpaid
 his subscription so as to be sure to do
 his part4  ,but1 of course1 it is the  
personality of ,mr4 ,putney1 so elusive 
and yet so real1 that has impressed us  
all4 ,in the hurry and rush of modern   
days1 he never failed to be truly kind1 
to be warmly sympathetic1 and at all    

times to be wholly unselfish4 ,so with  
the poet we say1    ,and thus he bore   
without abuse   ,the grand old name of  
gentleman4                              
,,effie ,,moore4     ,the thing which   
impressed me the most about ,mr4 ,putney
 was the way he saluted the flag in     
,assembly every morning4  ,one could    
tell by his manner in saluting that he  
loved the flag and would fight for it   
again1 anywhere1 any time4              
,i4 ,a4     ,mr4 ,putney was a man who  
always found the best in every one2 who 
proved himself such a sympathetic       
teacher that he inspired all to try to  
please him4  ,his name will always bring
 to mind most tender remembrances4      
,l4 ,b4     ,mr4 ,putney has always been
 to his students the highest ideal of   
man and of teacher4 ,he has been a true 
friend4 ,his generosity to faults and   
the encouragement he has given us all to
 live better lives will bear fruit4 ,he 
had a whole-hearted smile which none of 
us will ever forget4 ,he is1 and always 

will be1 the outstanding figure in my   
school life4                            
,e4 ,c4     ,with the passing away of   
this most venerable character           
,burlington ,high ,school has lost a    
shining star1--a star that shone in the 
hearts of all his students and of all of
 those who knew him4 ,he was a friend of
 all creeds and was always ready to lend
 a willing hand to them4 ,religious to  
the utmost and a real ,american in the  
full sense of the word1--such is the    
character of the soul which will no     
longer cheer us in our daily tasks1 but 
which will remain in our memories       
forever4                                
,a4 ,f4     ,of all ,mr4 ,putney's most 
striking attributes1 his smile always   
impressed me greatly4 ,every time he    
smiled we looked up and just naturally  
smiled1 too4 ,and when he laughed it was
 contagious--a ripple of happiness      
sounded through the class4 ,his smile   
always drove away the blues and         
encouraged us2 not only in our ,latin   

lessons1 but in every way it made life  
brighter4                               
,e4 ,l4     ,mr4 ,putney's love and     
friendship for the pupils and the       
respect which they had for him stand out
 most strongly in my mind4 ,never did he
 hesitate when asked to help some of his
 pupils out of hours4 ,never did a cross
 word pass his lips1 and a nod was all  
that was needed to stop any disturbance 
in the hall or room4  ,he will be missed
 as the most loved1 most able1 and most 
respected teacher and companion that    
ever entered ,old ,edmunds4             
,c4 ,k4     ,mr4 ,putney1 the most      
perfect man ,i have ever known4 ,only a 
few words are necessary to say that     
though ,i knew him only for a short     
while1 he stood as a symbol of my utmost
 ideal in man4  ,justice1 kindness1 love
 and brotherhood were living in his     
heart4 ,his most beautiful              
characteristic and the most precious was
 his consideration for others4          
,g4 ,e4 ,r4     ,what especially        

appealed to me in ,mr4 ,putney was his  
love for his pupils4 ,he always tried to
 help them in every possible way4 ,he   
even stayed at school an hour or so     
after the school had closed to help     
those who might wish to come for help1  
as he always said in his pleasing tone4 
,i shall never forget his words1 ,well1 
you will have it to-morrow8 when some   
person was not prepared with his lesson4
  ,no greater loss could be sustained by
 the school than this giving up of ,mr4 
,putney4                                
,d4 ,r4     ,mr4 ,putney was a man      
dearly loved by all who knew him4 ,his  
gentle ways1 his remarkable             
whole-heartedness and his polished      
manners are characteristics of a man who
 was a great but modest hero in the     
great ,civil ,war4  ,he had no favorites
 among the pupils but he was the        
favorite of the pupils4 ,thus we mourn  
the loss of ,mr4 ,putney next to the    
loss of a near relative4                
,c4 ,t4     ,when ,i first saw ,mr4     

,putney ,i was impressed by his dignity 
and his kind face4 ,after knowing him   
better1 what appealed to me most        
forcibly was the absolute confidence and
 trust he had in his pupils4 ,this trust
 in us made us want to do our work well1
 and made us feel that we must do our   
work well so that we would deserve his  
trust4    ,build thee more stately      
mansions1 ,o my soul4  ,when we heard of
 ,mr4 ,putney's passing all was silence2
 that was the only tribute one could    
give4 ,mere words1 mere music1--nothing 
reaches the summit of a life given over 
to service4 ,his creed was1 ,what do we 
live for if it is not to make life a    
little less difficult for others4       
,surely that is the highest goal of any 
human soul4 ,he lived so that to come   
into his presence was to be warmed and  
cheered as by the sun4 ,by a life heroic
 he conquered death4  ,whenever ,i      
looked at ,mr4 ,putney and the flag in  
assembly1 ,i could not help connect him 
in some way with ,abraham ,lincoln and  

the great struggle for freedom4 ,he used
 to carry himself in such a soldierly   
manner4 ,whenever he spoke to us it was 
a rare treat4                           
,h4 ,m4 ,b4     ,,address ,,of ,,dr4    
,,smart ,,at ,,the ,,burlington ,,high  
,,school   ,you have not asked me to    
speak to you this morning about ,mr4    
,putney because ,i can tell you anything
 about him which you do not already     
know4 ,in fact it does not matter very  
much who speaks to you about him4 ,you  
only wish to have an occasion to recall 
a familiar and delightful and impressive
 teacher4 ,you wish someone to do what  
,mark ,antony did for the ,romans and   
tell you what you yourselves do know and
 enable you to repeat the experience of 
,samson's mother in the scriptures who  
said about the angel's visit1 ,the man  
came to me who came to me the other day4
  ,you have set me a difficult and an   
easy task4 ,difficult because you knew  
the man and open your ears for words    
good enough to speak about him1 and easy

 because you knew the man and can       
yourselves supply what ,i may miss1 and 
smooth my awkwardness by the harmony of 
your own recollections4  ,you might be  
interested to hear something about      
,thomas ,arnold of ,rugby1 ,tom ,brown's
 teacher1 or about ,bronson ,alcott who 
had such strange ways in discipline1    
requiring an offending pupil to punish  
him1 holding out his own hand for the   
ferrule2 or about ,tagore in ,india who 
requires his boys to go out early in the
 morning to sit for half an hour under  
some bush or tree for quiet meditation4 
,talk about these men might perhaps     
appeal to your general interest in      
teachers and teaching1 but what you     
crave this morning is different4 ,you   
wish to repeat the experience of        
,achilles who slept beside the          
many-voiced sea1 the ,polu phloisboio   
,thalasses1 and dreamed that his slain  
friend ,patroclus came back to him3     
,like him in all things--stature1       
beautiful eyes   ,and voice and garments

 which he wore in life   ,a marvellous  
semblance of the living man4   ,or the  
experience of ,peter when his ,master   
appeared to him and freshened the old   
love and admiration and moved him to    
carry on the ,master's service in his   
own life4  ,you have set me a very      
difficult task but when ,i give you an  
inch you will take an ell4 ,where ,i    
stumble you will walk with sure step4   
,if ,i am too much like ,hamlet with old
 ,polonius saying this cloud is like an 
elephant or a camel1 you will see a     
cloud like that which went before the   
,israelites in the desert--a high       
spiritual presence to guide them4  ,a   
few days ago he was here4 ,the memory is
 full of life4 ,his stalwart figure     
clothed with gentlemanly care and taste1
 his bearing and movement so fine1 so   
dignified1 so courteous and so pleasant4
 ,his voice so special to him1 with all 
harshness fined out of it1 tuned as     
their voices are who have in their      
spirits the accent and habit of good    

will4 ,and that fine face1 the          
out-of-doors sign of good thinking and  
good feeling1 practiced long and become 
a second nature4 ,that shapely1         
well-proportioned1 roomy head with its  
glory of white hair4 ,he had1 it seemed 
to me1 in his physical presence the     
charm of old age without its weakness4  
,he was not a sentimental1 flowery man4 
,he was naturally perhaps like the rock 
in the desert which ,moses struck and   
drew water from it4 ,the rock did not   
look as if it hid a fountain of living  
water1 but he took duty to wife4 ,he    
loved to do his duty4 ,he could not be  
comfortable in any other course and     
doing his duty became his joy1 his life4
 ,wherever you found him1 in school1 in 
church1 in the state1 in the ,grand     
,army1 he was at his post1 on guard1    
awake1 alert1 devoted4 ,he did not go   
with the crowd into the ,civil ,war4 ,he
 thought alone and deeply4 ,he weighed  
the matter by himself4 ,he compared his 
obligation to his father on the old farm

 with the call of the ,union and        
concluded that he ought to go4 ,after a 
long life of fidelity to obligation he  
could not breathe easily in any other   
atmosphere4 ,he went simply and straight
 to his post with his whole gift and    
might4 ,duty--    ,stern lawgiver6 ,yet 
thou dost wear   ,the ,godhead's most   
benignant grace2   ,nor know we anything
 so fair   ,as is the smile upon the    
face1   ,flowers laugh before thee on   
their beds1   ,and fragrance in thy     
footing treads4   ,thou dost preserve   
the stars from wrong1   ,and the most   
ancient heavens through thee are fresh  
and strong4   ,mr4 ,putney was an       
instructive teacher4 ,some of you know  
it4 ,many old pupils gratefully         
acknowledge his service4 ,both in the   
classroom and in private personal       
contact he had an enthusiasm for        
teaching4 ,he managed to secure         
knowledge of what he taught4 ,he was    
interested in his pupils and he was     
interested in his subject and interested

 in bringing the two together4 ,teaching
 ,i should think would be difficult     
without all of those interests4 ,no     
doubt ,mr4 ,putney had a gift for       
teaching1 but in teaching as in other   
kinds of work one does much to make     
one's own gift4 ,barring conspicuousness
 for a calling1 this creative energy is 
the man himself4 ,i like to remind young
 people of this fact because they are   
wondering what they will do in life2    
what they are fitted to do4 ,with some  
reservations it may be said that one    
becomes fitted to do whatever one       
determines to do with one's whole mind  
and soul and strength4 ,think how hit or
 miss our choices often are4 ,accidental
 circumstances or chance openings when  
we are looking around for a job1        
something which happens to be in the air
 when we come on the stage have more to 
do with our first choices than any      
supposed genius for this or that4  ,when
 men and women who have begun their     
career in this quite casual manner      

succeed1 then people say they have a    
remarkable gift for their work4 ,the    
gift in a very real and large sense is  
the creation of their own energy4 ,i    
believe that it was so with ,mr4        
,putney4 ,he was diligent and faithful  
in his calling and his calling opened   
its treasures to him4  ,you remember    
what the ,scripture says3 ,no man having
 tasted old wine straightway desireth   
the new for he saith the old is better4 
,mr4 ,putney illustrated the saying4    
,there was a graciousness1 a            
consideration1 a pleasantness and good  
will in his ripe age which made it      
beautiful and drew warm personal feeling
 to him4 ,a custom of the heart grew up 
about his name4 ,some of you loved him4 
,that feeble old soldier whom he visited
 every ,sunday afternoon is lonely      
without him4 ,he had that which should  
accompany old age1 as honor1 love1      
obedience1 troops of friends4 ,not a few
 boys and girls have reason to remember 
with tenderness his delicate and patient

 sympathy4  ,i received a circular the  
other day signed by my old teacher of   
mathematics4 ,i have not seen him for   
nearly forty years but reading his      
words1 seeing his name ,i lifted him    
again before my mind as if ,i sat again 
before him in the ,albany ,academy4 ,i  
recall his bodily presence1 his voice1  
his manner4 ,i am grateful for his      
clear1 and to me inescapably conclusive 
teaching1 and something ,i cannot       
analyze came back to me--perhaps ,i     
should better say1 came over me for my  
debt to him has been growing all these  
years4 ,something of him has taken root 
in my life and grown and borne fruit4   
,in youth we take such influences for   
granted4 ,we are careless about them4   
,we absorb them without thanks4 ,but the
 years bring thought and thought reveals
 service and we are grateful4      ,all 
my best is dressing old words new       
,spending again what is already spent   
,for as the sun is daily new and old    
,so is my love still telling what is    

told4   ,in coming years some of you    
will be thinking and saying about ,mr4  
,putney with growing appreciation what  
some who are now in the thick of life   
are already saying in the words of      
,scripture ,demetrius hath good report  
of all men and of the truth itself3 yea1
 and we also bear record4     ,,making  
,,life ,a ,,benediction   ,whatever our 
path in life or the aim of our ambition1
 the real measure of our service and    
success is the influence we exert upon  
the present generation and those who    
come after us4 ,we may do this through  
our everyday life1 through our          
individual service1 through our         
benefactions4 ,when our lives are summed
 up1 we are asked not what we gained1   
but what we gave1 not how much wealth we
 accumulated1 but how much good we did  
through our service and the means at our
 disposal4  ,to grow old beautifully in 
service for humanity has been named the 
height of human achievement4 ,it falls  
to few men to do this in the measure    

reached by ,professor ,putney1 who has  
just passed out from this community     
mourned by all4 ,his long life joined   
generations far separated4 ,those who   
paid tribute to his life and individual 
service included the rapidly thinning   
blue line of the veterans of the war for
 the preservation of the ,union1 for    
human freedom1 of nearly three-quarters 
of a century ago as well as hundreds of 
school children who had learned to love 
him through the close association of    
teacher and pupil4 ,it is given to only 
one man in ten thousand thus to link    
close to his own personality the genuine
 affections of organizations            
representing extreme youth and advanced 
age4  ,to have done all this is proof   
that ,professor ,putney in every sense  
of the expression grew old beautifully4 
,the human interest element serves to   
bring out this side of his life still   
more impressively4 ,it was his ambition 
that he might teach on his eightieth    
birthday4 ,a few more days would have   

witnessed the consummation of this      
allowable wish4 ,his conscientiousness  
was supreme however4 ,he remarked to his
 granddaughter that if he did not       
recover in two weeks it would not be    
right for him to retain his position as 
a teacher in the ,burlington ,high      
,school1 great as was his desire to     
celebrate his fourscore anniversary in  
harness4  ,he continued to the end one  
of the youngest of aged men4 ,he kept in
 touch with youth and was thus able to  
reflect the spirit and intense interest 
of youth4 ,he was constantly aiding boys
 in his home who needed help in their   
studies4 ,he gave of himself            
ungrudgingly in this way and refused    
recompense4 ,it was with him a labor of 
love4 ,if he had frailties1 and who of  
us has not1 he governed them instead of 
letting them have dominion over him1    
thereby showing himself better than he  
that taketh a city4 ,for his pupils and 
his associates as well as for those who 
associated with him in his ,christian   

work in the ,college ,street ,church he 
was always the gentleman of the old     
school and the embodiment of unobtrusive
 beneficence combined4  ,all boys and   
girls who may be inclined to bewail the 
impossibility of being of service under 
present conditions or limitations will  
establish their privilege of serving as 
he served1 if they bear thoroughly in   
mind that ,professor ,putney did what he
 did1 not through the aid of wealth or  
position or the favor of powerful       
friends1 but solely through his own     
individual service to others4  ,of such 
it is written that he shall doubtless   
come again with rejoicing bringing his  
sheaves with him4 ,in the years to      
follow the sheaves of influence of      
,professor ,putney's life will come many
 times to the youth whose privilege it  
has been to be associated with him1 and 
they will rejoice that his influence    
entered their careers4 ,who shall       
measure the influences for good that he 
has set in motion in the young lives and

 in the life of our community8 ,happy   
the man to whom it is thus given to grow
 old beautifully6 ,thrice happy that man
 who in thus growing old beautifully is 
able to bring down to the latest        
generations the best traditions of the  
past and through them to make his life a
 benediction to many generations to     
come4--,burlington ,free ,press4        
,,the ,,epilogue       ,he ,toiled long1
 well1 and with ,good ,cheer            
,in the ,service of ,others             
,giving his ,whole1 ,asking little      
,enduring patiently1 ,complaining       
,not at all                 ,with small 
,means                  ,effecting ,much
                 99       99       99   
,he had no ,strength that was not       
,useful        ,no ,weakness that was   
not ,lovable           ,no ,aim that was
 not ,worthy           ,no ,motive that 
was not ,pure                 99        
99       99                   ,ever he  
,bent              ,his ,eye upon the   
,task                     ,undone       

,ever he ,bent             ,his ,soul   
upon the ,stars                 ,his    
,heart upon                     ,the    
,sun                 99       99        
99                   ,bravely he ,met   
,his ,test                 ,richly he   
,earned                     ,his ,rest  
--,,herbert ,,putnam4