Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-09-19
sc. G.. FROST, MOOT .r.vD SHOE
STORE"
By CHARLES F. DEEMS, d. D.,
paator ~ tho Church Of tho gtranpere New VI

AS you go up the main street of the beau |
tiful town of Brattleboro, VT, you will see
over the door of a small shop sign contain
tanning the words of the caption of this ar
ticlc. In passing tho shop, at almost any
time of day, you may see plain-looking
man, wearing pointed standing collar and
black stock, such as were much in fashion
quarter of century ago, and otherwise
plainly dressed-as q mechanic should be.
He will be doing one of three things-at-
tending to customers, mending shoes, or
sitting in Boston rocking chair, reading
or writing. Perhaps there may be fourth
| thng-he may be talking TO some village
| friend or stranger who has dropped in for
little chat. There is nothing at all strik-
ing in his appearance but he was the man
| in Brattleboro whom particularly desired
| to see. 1 die not venture 10 present myself,
nor did l adopt the roundabout method of
| endeavoring to make an acquaintance by
means of little trade. l simply asked
another gentleman to present me to Mr. c.
c. Frost. When we met, 1 said: "I wish
to know the man who has more friends
among the educated people Of Europe than
he has in his native village"
He smiled, dropped his eyes, and lepied:
"Well, 1 reckon 1 have moro friends in
Europe than 1 have in Vermont"
1 said 81 find that there are people in
Brattleboro who know no reason why l
should desire to become acquainted with
you, but am sure there are hundred sci
enttic men in various parts of Europe who
would be gratified to have this opportuni
ty."
trust my readers will now wish 10 know
something about this Mr.. Frost in whom 1
was interested. lie is a man who knows
more about plants probably than any one
else in New England perhaps in the Unit
ed States. He reads scientific books equal
ly well in four different languages. He
has, besides, very great deal of scientific
knowledge beyond botany-in one depart
ment of which he is an authority for scien-
tiic men on two continents, perhaps the
highest authority since the death of Rev.
DR.. Curtis, of North Carolina. His knowl-
edge is wide and accurate. He has hab-
its of the closest observation and descrip-
tion. He has been honored by being elect
cd a member of different scientific socie-
ties in America and Europe. He did not
tell me all these things. knew them but
l desired to hear from his own lips the his
tory of his intelle ctual progress. 1t was
substantially this:
His father was shoemaker, and was the
ii rst 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 3d." andi that in
mathematics he was up to boys who were
five years older than himself He did not
know what that meant, but his friends af-
terward told him that they had discovered
J in him, from his first years, a considerable
mathematical genius. When he 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 evi-
dent delight, and his father told him il
should be his property if he could read il
at twenty-one. At nineteen he had mas
tered the whole course. He went into as
Economical mathematics, took up chemis
: try, learned very much of natural sciences
, in every department, and all the while at
. tended to his business as q shoe maker
+ From some neglect of his physical habits
f he superinduced mucous dyspepsia. NJ
medical skill in his neighborhood seemed
able to relieve him. He went to New Yorl
, to consult Dr. Willard Parker. While wait
ing in the ante-room, he admired intenty
4 avery handsome bouquet of flowers on thS
mantle, and was examining them when thu
doctor called him in. DR.. Parker candidly
told him that he could do nothing for him
; "but," said the skilful and honest physi
clan, "you can do much for yourself. Ar
you fond of flowers ?"
every much so indeed" said Mr.. Frost
"Then make it point to walk one hou
in the morning and one in the evening look
i ing for flowers"
i He did so. His health constantly ant
, rapidly improved. At first he could hard
ly keep on his feet during the hour, but hi
soon learned to walk many miles at
4 stretch. His scientific mind naturally be
D gan to study flowers in their scientific as
g poets. He began TO be a botanist. He or
! dered Fries book from London, and pai
: twelve dollars for it. He did not know un
til he saw it that it was written in Latin, O
which tongue he was ignorant. He wen
+ into the village, bought Latin grammar
$ devoted himself to the language, and in 81,
: months could read his new book as well a
i il written in English. In the same man
$ ner he acquired the German and the French
r He has contributed to our scientific period
d icals. He still writes. He showed me al
S unpublished manuscript on the Boleti c
i Vermont.
a, On my first visit, which occupied abou
o an hour, we were interrupted six difieren
times. Ho went to the counter TO cut til
pegs out of the shoes of factory girl /
e sell pair of slippers to gentleman 70
b his wife to ply his trade with one or tw
s country women, etc. He never asked to
o excused, but went TO his business, an
It came back and resumed just where he le
h of. He made no pretences. He did nc
It play the part of a learned cobbler; he sim
o ply plunged into the things he and I bot
). wanted TO talk about.
n asked him how he could be contente
o to spend all his days in that little shoe-shoI
IS with these capabilities and requirements.
n "Why," said he, "it is the business
my life. Whatever have acquired of sci
ence came in the search for health and meu
tai entertainment. Science is not my pre-
o fession-shoe- making is"
Is He was altogether so modest man thu
l am afraid the publication of this article
'r if he should ever see 1t, may make him r,
10 gret that he allowed me to become acauain