Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-10-08

or rHr STRANGER, NEW ronK.
As you 60 up the main street Of the
beautiful town Of Brattleboro, Vermont, |
You will see over the door Of a small
shop sign" G. c. Frost, Boot and
Shoe Maker" In passing the shop, at al
most any time Of day, you may see plain
looking man. wearing a pointed standing
collar and black stock such as we're much
in fashion a quarter Of century ago and
otherwise plainly drosscd--as a mechanic
should be- He will be doing one of three
things attending to custC mers, mending
shoes. OF sitting in Boston rocking chair,
reading or writing Perhaps there may be
a fourth thing-ho may be talking to some
village friend or stranger who has dropped
in for little chat There is nothing at
oil striking in his appearance but he was
the man To- Bratlc5oro whom | particu-
larly desired TO sec did not venture 70
present myself nor djl | adopt the round
about method of endcayoring to make an
acquaintance by means Of a little trade. |
simply asked another gentleman to present
me to Mr.. @ G. Frost When we met,
said -" wish TO know the man who has
more friends among the educated people Of
Europe than be has in his native village
lie smiled, dropped his eyes, and replied
" Well | reckon have more friendsin Eu-
rope than / have in Vermont"
said Cad that there are people
in Bratlehoro who know 10 reason why
should desire 10 become acquainted with
you, but am sure there are hundreds Of
scientific men in various parts Of Europe
who would begrati6cd to have this opporiu.
nifty"
trust my readers will now wish to know
something about this Mr. Frost in whom
was interested He is a man who knows
more about plants probably than any one
else in New England perhaps in the
United States. He reads scientific books
equally well in four different languages
He has, besides a very great deal Of scion-
tifc knowledge beyond botany--in one de-
partment Of which he is an authority for
scientific men on two continents perhaps
the highest authority since the death Of
Rev. DR.. Curtis, Of North Carolina His
knowledge is wide and accurate. lie has
habits of the clearest observation and de-
scripton. He has been houored by being
elected a member Of different scientific
societies in America and Europe lie did
not tell me all these things. knew them
but desired to hear from his own lips
the history Of his intelligent progress 1t
was substantially this
His father was shoemaker and was
the first who opened a store for selling shoes
in Brattleboro. At ten years Of age young
Frost noticed that the older scholars brought
their sums to him TO "do," and that in
mathematics he was up to boys who we're
five years older than himself He did not
know what that eant, buthis friends utter
wards told him that they had discovered in
him, from his first years, a considerable
mathematical genius. Whenho was fifteen
years of age his father became possessor Of
Hutton's Mathematics" which he had
taken for debt from some West Point stu.
dent. Young Frost looked at it with evil
dent delight, and his father told him it
should be his property if he could read it
at twenty-one. At nineteen he had mas
tered tho whole course He went into as.
Economical mathematics, took up chemistry.
learned very much Of natural sciences in
every department, and all the while attended
to his business as a shoemaker. From
some neglect of his physical habits he SUI
periuduced mucous dyspepsia, No medical
skill in his neghborhood seemed able to
relieve him. lie went to New York to
consult Dr.. Willard Parker While wait
ing in the ante-room, he admired iniently
very handsome hoquet Of flowers on the
mantle, and was examining them when the
doctor called him in. DR.. Parker candidly
told him that he could do nothing for him !;
but" said the skilllul and honest physi.
clan, you can do much for yourself Are
you fond Of flowers ~
Very much SO indeed said Mr.. Frost.
Then make it point to walk one hour
in the morning and one in the evening loo',.
ing for flowers
He did So His health constantly and
rapidly improved At first he could hardly
keep on his feet during the hour, but he
soon learned to walk many miles at a
stretch. His scientific mind naturally be.
gan to study flowers in their scientific as
poets. He began to he a hotanst. lie or.
dered Fries book from London, and paid
twelve dollars for it. He did not know
until he saw it that it was written in Latin
Of which tongue he was ignorant, ii,
went into the village, bought Latin gram
mar, devoted himself to the language, ant
in six months could read his new book al
well as if written 10 English. In the sam,
manner be acquired the German and tn,
French, Tie has contributed to our scien
ti6c periodicals He still writes. III
showed me an unpublished manuscript OF
the Boleti of Vermont
On my first visit, which occupied abou
an hour, we were interrupted six difFeren
times. lie went to the counter to cut tn,
pegs out of the shoes Of factory girl t
sell a pair Of slippers to gentleman for hi
wife to ply his trade with one or two oouu
try women, etc. lie never asked TO be ex
cused but went to his business, and cam
back and resumed just where he left off II
made no pretences. He did not play tn
part Of a learned cobbler; he simply plung
ed into the things he aud both wanted t
talk about
] asked him how be could be eontente,
TO spend all his days in that little shoe
shop.
why" said be, ait is the business o
my life. Whatever have acquired O
science came in the search for health an,
mental entertainment. Science is not m
profession shoe making is"
He was altogether so modest man tina
| am afraid the publication Of this article
If he should ever see it, may make hin
regret that he allowed me to becom
acquainted with him. My plea to him vii
be that there is a moral to his history whc
| wish to impress upon young men. Ii
stated one fact to me worth knowing
"Whon | was fourteen years Of age sal
he, " resolved TO devote che hour to clos
study every day have done so unit
nov and what have learned has bee
learned 10 that daily hour, and my husines
has gone on all the same"
VIII the young men who read this arti
Gle, aud the older men, lay this to heart
You have no time to cultivate your mind
that Is your excuse for not being well il
formed. Now, there is scarcely any man
IN any business, who cannot give sixty min
utes each day to some scientific and literar
pursuit. Let it be tried. Let our appren
tices and clerks and porters, let our mer
chants and bankers try this evnar;roo,,, :,