The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-12-17

| l. Is but a few days since, that the papers in
| formed of the arrival in France of Mr. Park
man Shaw and his family, to spend the winter.
The telegraph now shocks us by the intelli-
gence that the life of Mr.. Shaw the head of
this happy circle, las terminated by his sudden
death. Where he sought pleasure, he has
found only the grave; the mystery of death is
only exceeded by the greater mystery of life.
Death has been very busy among us lately,
and with an impartial step he has trod his
silent, gloomy way, removing the brilliant and
the gay, the young and the old, the peer aud
the pea ant. by a stern and inflexible decree.
This idea inspired the Heather poet to say:
With equal pace imp artial Fate
knocks at the palace as the cottage gate,
nor should our sum of lite extend
Our growing hopes beyond their destined end
Mr.. Shaw was born in Boston, the son OF the
distinguished and phlanthropic merchant,
Robert G. Shaw, who after prosperous mer-
camille life of fiftysix years in Boston, died at
the age of 70, in 1853 His mother was a
daughter of Saumel Parkman, from whom he
derived bis NAME also wealthy merchant in
Boston, who died leaving large estate in
1924 Mr. Parkman built on the west side of
Bowdoin Square granite block of two houses
for his two daughters, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs.
Blake, where the subject of oar notice was
born. These were among the earliest of mod
ern stone houses in Boston, built fifty years
ago, and this square was the aristocratic quar-
ter of Boston. 1 remember when there lived
upon it Theodore Lyman, Dr. Bulinch, Mr.
Parkman, Mr.. Coolidge on the site of the pres
ent Coolidge house, DR.. Danforth, Mr.. Shaw
and Edward Blake in the stone houses and
Kirk Boot, who built the main part of what is
now the Revere House He was merchant
from England, and his family set themselves
up as the pink of aristocracy. They were all
gentlemen of property; most of which, with
those who inherited it, has gone TO the shades,
and their names are only remembered by aged
persons Several of these were fine looking
men, especially Mr.. Parkman, who was tall,
well developed AMI finely formed, and with his
powdered head made an imposing figure. But
as Carlyle says, "They are all gone, sunk down
down, with the tumult they made, and the
rolling and trampling OF new generations
passes over them aud they do not hear it any
more forever
Mr.. Parkman Shaw resembled his mother in
person and face; his father was thin and wore
VIC dpPCdldHCC vi du luNdilu. WI. SudW STdu-
uated at Harvard College in 1882, and COM
menced to read law and was admitted to the
bar. But he never practiced the law, for it was
his misfortune, we think we may call it so to
have had too large pecuniary expectations; he
had no occasion to work for living, and we all
know that the mind will not work without
some well defined object or stimulus. So Bos-
ton being too tempting place for an idle man
to prosper in, he was induced by his father to
come into Maine, where there were relatives
and family property. The change was an ad-
vantageous one. Mr.. Shaw opened lawyers
office, conducted business well, became Presi-
dent of Bank in Waterville, got an excellent
wife, built up character, and having inner
tied from his father large fortune, he came to |
Portland for a wider sphere of activity and
larger society. He purchased the conspicuous
Boyd house on the corner of High and Pleas
ant streets, which he modernized at great eX
pense, and became prominent and useful
citizen. By one of those sudden turns that in
wade the mind, although having everything
around him which taste or fortune could sup
ply, he sighed for change, stimulated think
by the sudden death of several of his children
and the fear of losing more, and a desire to be
in the neighborhood of the college for the edu-
cation of his sons. He therefore moved to
Cambridge, where he continued to reside until
his recent departure for Europe, and at whose
College his two sons graduated at the last COM
mencement. And now all his fond hopes, his
lofty aspirations are laid low in the grave, and
we can only stand over it and soliloquize with
Hamlet, who says: " There is a special provi-
dence in the fall of sparrow; if it be now, tbs
not to come; if it be not to come, it will be
now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the
readiness is ALL w.