Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1857-09-17
petter than their Fathers.

The New York Daily Times, in memoir,
Just published of the late Mr.. Abbott Lawrence,
who died on the 18th ult., who had raised
himself by his own exertions, to be minister
at St. James, from an humble shop-boy, says
of him: "Well might Mr.. Lawrence at this
time have looked back upon his career with
pride. The old homestead at Groton, the
humble store the starting point, and the Court
of St. james the goal. Truly did he remark,
on recent occasion, when addressing the boys
of his native village: Boys you have every
thing to encourage you; and it is in your
power to become greater, wiser, and better
men than any who have preceded YOU
Mr.. Lawrence was not only a shop-boy and
minister, he was a great merchant and man.
ufacturer-politician and legislator; he was
well known amongst ourselves as a polished
gentleman; and his long and successful career
closed in peace and honor, proves him to have
been an eminently practical man. 10 every
Anglo-Saxon he is recommended by the fact
that he made for himself colossal fortune.
He was rich enough and generous enough to
give $50 900 to Harvard College for founding
the Lawrence Scientific School, which made
his brother Amos say, in letter to Abbott !:
/" | thank God am spared to this day, to
see accomplished, by one so near and dear to
me- this last best work ever done by one Of
our name, which will prove better title to
true nobility than any from the potentates of
the world. 1t is more honorable, and more to
be coveted than the highest public station in
our country" 1T enriches your descendants
in way that mere money can never do, and
is better investment than any one you have
ever made" Practical, philanthropic, skillful,
clever, wise, and fortunate, it is impossible to
quote higher human authority than Mr..
Abbott Lawrence, and he solemnly told the
boys of his native village, meaning to give
the best lesson he could, that it was in their
power to become greater, wiser, and better
men than any who have proceeded them. His
testimony, therefore, freely given-having no
view, apparently to theory-is strong cor
roboration Of what we suppose must now or
soon be every mans creed, that here on earth
the human race is in a state of progressive
Improvement. Man lives under the great law
Of development, which natural philosophers
have traced throughout the greater portion OF
material creation.
If the progressive moral improvement Of
the species were not consistent with the laws
of nature, it would not take place. In place
of much written to the contrary, there is
abundant reason to suppose that the physical
development of the species has gone hand in
hand with the moral development. Civiliza-
ton is the natural development of the indi-
vidual and the race. For all youth there is
great encouragement in the fact, and we quote
the statement to encourage them, that boys
may be better, wiser, and greater, than theil
, fathers, and girls more beautiful, amiable, and
graceful than their mothers. They are not te
believe in degeneration, and therefore despair
but must believe in successive improvement
r and must hope and must achieve it.