The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1859-01-26

/ 3D.. FOR The hcgi@tcr.
Memoir of Hon. William Slndc

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Yes, and the memory of the ilustriou
dead is rich legacy to the living. r. !
lcherish that memory is duty which we
lowo, both to the living aud the dead. This !
sluty is douhly binding whom one is taken /
from us ilustrious both by talents and /
piety; and who, by long life OF active
public duties has illustrated the virtues
which adorn the Christian Statesman.
When one departs from earth whose io,m
and roico have been long familiar; and
whose prayers for our prosperity and sal /
walton have been daily offered amid the I
cares burdens Of official ifc-thcrc is pc.
culiar fitness in holding his memory sacred.
To remember the honored so as to he
stimulated to well-doing, and the pious so
as to follow their gody example, is to
cherish their memory to good purpose.
Such examples are Of inestimable value to
the living, and we should be thankful to
Providence and Grace that they are so
numerous. These reflections have been
suggested by the life and death of him
whose name is at the head of this article.
WILLIAM SLADE was born in Cornwall
VT, May 9th 1886. He finished his Col
legiate studies with honor, at Middlebury
College in 1907 and had the reputation
of being the best linguist in his class.
While in College. and during his junior
year, he was converted TO God, and united
with the Congregational Church in his
native town.
In 1910 he commenced the practice of
Law in Middlebury. The causes were
then in operation which led to the war of
1872 and as the political excitement was
strong and party spirit high, he was in
duced to establish Press and publish
political paper He was for a time, both
Editor and Proprietor; but the business
proved a pecuniary misfortune, and was
abandoned in 1915.
In 1915 he was elected Secretary of
State, for the State of Vermont and
Judge of the County Court for his native
County the year following. The latter
Office he held until 1922, and the former
until 1923. In the last named year Mr.
Slade went to the City of Washington,
where he was employed as a Clerk in the
Department of State which position he
retained until 1929. At that time new
Administration was inaugurated, and he
was dismissed.
Returning to Middlebury he resumed
the profession of the Law and prosecuted
it two years, when he was elected to Con-
gress. in which position he remained tacelre
years. In October, 1S43 he was elected
Reporter of the Decisions of the Supreme
Court of Vermont and in le44-5 he
was Governor of the State.
Since the last date Mr.. Slade has not
been in political life, but zealously en-
ployed as Secretary of the " National
Board of Popular Educat,on." This
has been laborious and responsible work;
for of that Board he was the life and
soul, upon him devolved the task of rails.
ing the funds and conducting the whole
enterprise. The object of the enterprise
was, to secure places in the West for com
petent and pious ladies to teach and
then secure proper persons in the East, te
fill those places. Such persons were col
lected in companies, from time to time
and instructed in such branches as were
needful to qualify them for their peculiar
work and duties. This done, Mr.. Slad,
accompanied them in person to their re
spective fields, and saw them settled il
their several localities.
Such is brief outline of the busy anC
useful life of the Hon. William Slade
Though more than seventy.two years old
and suffering under complicated and chron
ic ills, he was still anxious 10 uork. Thi
he hn,do,, 70 l.
thing mare for the COOL Of Me,ac,. Ac
cordingly, sometime last autumn he wen
to Boston and Providence. to arrange fo
further operations in the enterprise o
Popular Education. But his work wa
about to terminate and under great phys
ical prostration he returned to his HON,
in Middlebury.
During some weeks it was hoped tina
he might be restored to tolerable health
but those hopes were doomed 10 perish
By regular degrees he continued to fail
until Sabbath evening, January Is, 1859
when 1.-THE weary wheels of life stoot
still"
As a Statesman Mr.. Slade was bott
competent and faithful. The interests O
his constituents, and of the nation, were
neither overlooked nor neglected. La
borious, patient and unfinching, he could
be trusted by his constituency with al
confidence. His Speeches in Congress are
demonstrative proofs of his intellectual. ca
pacity-comprchensive views. and bold
ness in maintaining the Right.
If the reader will peruse those on the
Abolition of Slavery and the Slave.tradt
in the District of Columbia, and remem.
Der that they were delivered at a time
when he stood almost alone, and when
many in the House were ready to "gnash
upon him with their teeth, he will give
the Speaker credit for fidelity to Princi.
pie, and moral courage rarely equaled
1t will also be admitted by all the can.
did, that his views were both correct and
in advancs Of his time The principles
which he then defendedlalmost alone, are
surely and steadily becoming the princi-
Piles of all honest men. 1t must have
been gratifying to him to live until such
changes have occurred, and to note " the
signs of the times" which portend the
triumph of the Right at 40 distant day
Those speeches exhibit the soundest logic
the bravest heart-and the most magnan.
| imons soul