Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-08-04

Somewhat less than forty years ago, there
moved among the students of Yale College a
young man, poorly dressed, but princely in
bearing and IN mind. lie was bred in the
country, among humble surroundings, but he
was gentleman from the crown Of his head
70 the sole Of his feet, and in every fiber Of
his body and mind. Slender, tall, handsome,
with an intellectual brow, fine voice and a
Christian spirit, he had every possession of
nature and culture necessary TO win admira-
ton, respect and affection This man was
poor; SO, before his educational course was
completed, he was obliged to leave college,
aud 10 resort to teaching for livelihood (;
but, wherever he moved he won the strong
est personal friends. Men named their boys
after him Women regarded him as a model
man, aud the name Of Stillman A. Clemens
stood in high honor in all the little commu-
mites in which it was known.
lie was particularly fond Of mechanics
and mathematics-a born inventor, with
more than the ordinary culture of the Ameri-
can inventor lie had an exquisite liter
ary faculty, rare wit, fine appreciation Of
hunor, and good conversational powers In.
decd, he seemed to be furnished with all de
sirable powers and accomplishments except
those which were necessary to enable him to
"gct on in the world" lie was born poor,
aud the other day, after a life Of dreams
and disappointment, he died poor. The
brown head and beard had grown gray, the
spare figure was bowed, and the end OF his
life was accompanied by circumstances Of
torture which need not be detailed here.
The life which, for thirty years had been an
unbroken struggle with adyersity, went ont,
and the weary worker was at rest.
The inventors dreams were always large.
They all had millions in them" First, in
an arrangement Of centrifugal force for the
development Of motive power; then in a
machine or process for detaching the MANILA
hberi then in cotton-prcss Of unique con-
siruction, for COMPRISING cotton so com
pletely at the gin, that it would need no fur
ther treatment for shipping; then in flax
dressing machine; and last, in rollway
which was to dispace forever the present
railway system, and solve the problem Of
cheap transportation. In the cotton press
ing machine he made an incidental inyen-
ton, 10 which he attached no special i'm
portance out of which others have since
made the fortune which. during all his life.
was denied to him lie strewed his way
all along with ideas Of immense value to all
around him. 1t is not year since he read
his paper before an association Of engineers
at Chicago, exposing in detail his rollway
invention; and it is said that on the morn
ing of his death, he was called upon by a
capitalist, with reference to subjecting this
invention to practical test. II was mag
uificent project, and we hope it may be tried,
though he in whose fertile brain it origina-
ted, is beyond the satisfaction of success and
the shame Of failure.
Well, did our friend succeed, or did he
fail ? There were mean men around him
who became rich. There were sordid men
in the large community in which his latter
years were spent, whose money flowed in
upon them by millions. There were brokers
and spectators, and merchants and hotel
p.o; rietors, and manufacturers, who won
more wealth than they knew how to use
while he was toiling for the beggarly pit
tance that gave him bread, or founder
ing in the new disappointInents with which
each year was freighted. They succeeded, y
as the world would say, but let us see what
this man did. He used every faculty he
possessed for forwarding the worlds great
interests. lie put all his vitality, all his in.
genuity, all his knowledge, into the country's
service. The outcome is not yet, but the
outcome is Just as sure as the sprouting Of O
sound seed in good soil. The wealth he did
not win will 60 into the Golfers of others
lie never sacrificed his manhood. lie kept
himself spotless. lie did not repine OF
whine. The man who saw him in his last
years found him still the courteous gentle
man, bearing his trials with patience, trust
ing in the infinite goodness, accepting his
goodness with more equanimity, and still
hopeful and persistent He won and kept
his personal friends. He went to his grave
with clean hands, and his soul ready for the
welcome exchange of worlds. lie left be-
hind him the memory of a character which
money cannot build and cannot buy. 1t
was an honor TO be affectionately associated
with him. 1t is high honor to be called
upon to record the lessons OF his life, and a
high duty to command it.
Did he succeed Yes, he did and the
community in which rest his precious re-
mains could do itself no higher honor than
to erect over them stone bearing the in
scription Here lies Stillman A. Clemens,
who died poor in this worlds goods, and poor
in spirit, but rich in faith, rich in mind and
heart, rich in character and in all the graces
of Christian gentleman, and rich in the af-
fection of all who knew him and were wor-
thy of his acquaintance"
That he wanted wealth TO bestow upon
those whom he loved, we do not doubt That
he wanted 1t to prove that his dreams were
not baseless, is true, we presume. That he
dreamed of it among his other dreams would
be very natural. The dream has come true,
That dream he carried in a hopeful spirit,
lnl,l ~, II dsalh MS p1,isni AZ, 4 eye grew dun
The heaven Of wealth long garneTed up for him"