Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1876-05-03
j, :. Adams,

wears Oh HIS NE " iltl SUI ~ - - 'i~N
hat the mass Of the people appreciated.
The last wear or two Of Mr.. Adams sec
rctaryship. there We're some men on the
Board Of Education who have with Won
i, rful success illustrate Il what it is to be
treat in small things and small in great
hines
Mr. Adams. when the Board of EIuca-
ton WAS established in ls56, went heartily
20 work speaking to the people and hold
mo institutes and associated with him in
his work Wa, Mr.. Conant, the present
>upcrintt ndent Of Education The friend
ship then established between them was
not diminished in 1867, and the course Of
the Board in Tie latter year, doubtless, was
one of the reasons that led to Mr.. Conant'>
rcsigning his position as one of the Board
\ further result of the contest was Mr..
Adams resignation IL secretary. Many
friends of education regretted lha. thc,t
gentlemen did not stick, but perhaps it
WAS rs we'll after all, for in seven years
Of unchecked stupidity the Board ran itself
into ihe ground where it WAS cfcc,uallv
buried.
We copy from the Burlington Free Pres,
he following sketch of Mr.. Adams life:
| Mr.. Adams was BON in $50. the son oi
! he late Hon. Charles Adams. of Burling-
ION He entered college at the carly age
| # # wears and graduated i'll 1888, in tie
class with Alexander Mann. Calvin Pea>e
| Andrew Robertson and John Gregory
Smith. After graduating he taught school
ii Burlington and ut Winooski. and
studied law in his fathers office. In ISL
| he WIS admitted to ihc Chi,tendcn county
| bar About the wear lS4J he went to Clli-
fuInia: but remained there only Il wear OF
two. Returning to Burlington, he rr>um-
ct the practice of law. and in 1874 WIS ap-
| pointed Clerk of the Chittendrn Count '
| Court, W hich office he held continuously
till ne left Vermont, in 1867.
| In 1886, the first State Board oc E,luc:t-
ton for Vermont was organized, and Mr..
Alam, was made its secretary II is in
connection with this Office and his ar,!uou~
md successful labors i'll behalf of the com
mon schools of Vermont, that Mr.. Adams
was best known; and the record and re-
suit, of hi, work will long remain Il moss
worthy monument to his memory. He
found our public school system 1T a low
uoint, lacking organization, supervision
and efficiency. He left ii, not certainly I'LL
| it should be. but 1t II y,>t advance upon
i,> former condition. WIKI the AID ;,nG
counsel Of the State Board, which compli~-
IA sch men ~ President Peas, T. F.
ErdlirlI, j. d. Bradley. and other eminent
citizens Of Vermont. the -cho j system OF
oijr state WAS rcorg,nzrd. The >choo
laws were rrmodricl. The ba-i, of di-trl-
button Of the public money was changed
Town superintendent We're made rr>p'n-
~iblc 20 the State Teachers institute,
were c>tabli-hcI; the existing sysem al
school registers II Il means of procuring
statistical information inHuglr,ttd; Uni
formi;v and improvement in text books
largely secured; graded schools put in ol-
Grafton: the occupation of the teachers anG
their Efficiency as a class greatly elevated
treat i'm. rovcmcnt in school buildings Sc
cured: order brought out of chaos. an,
new lie pat into the whole >ch' Of system
| In this wol X Mr.. Al ,ms held tn. ltborin4
ulr. and gave his time and strength to il
With IN industry AMI devotion for which
! lie small stlurN attached to the office WAS
most inadequate comprns sutton. He USED
fen. in the latter Years of his secretary
-hip. to relatc his experiences IN inaUIu-
rating some OF the first teachers Institutes
| for which in some of the back towns he
! hand to ng the bells. build tn" fires. and
sweep out the school room, with his OWL
: htnI>. often opening an institute with but
! half Il dozen persons in attendance, but
never closing one without It full house.
and a great aroll~ing of intcrcs. in tn,
schools. Durin" the eleven years that he
| filled the secreiary>hip, he held institutes
and education meetings in almost all tn,
cons siderable towns of the State. and when
he resigned he probably had the wid, i
| personal acquaintance in the State possess
! eel by any Ncrmontcr.
/ On his return from California. Mr.
| Adams associated hm-"lf with the Free
Soil party. and was active in ctfrctny he
coalition with the Democrats in the l-cgi>-
! aturr in l>-,:i, which rave Vermont The
only Democratic Governor Of this State in
/ 4 generation past. H. joined the Republic
can parry when it WAS organized. AMI WAS
henccforward an ardent Republican, He
was a fiery and effective political orator H.
! well rs a tlucnt and often eloquent >pr:,kel
on educational and other pHbllr topics
His name was prominent among tn, sc
mcnionrd for Representative in Congress
during the exciting canvass Of l>G.; in thi>
I District.
In the fall of 1861. partly from failing
health, partly from a difference with the
Board Of Education in regard to the adop-
ton of a new list OF Textbooks, Mr.. Adams
resigned his offices us secretary of til,
/ Beard Of Education and County Ct Jerk. and
remove Il to Jacksonville. Florida. whcr,
he resided thcnccforth. Soon after hi, re-
moval tfllthcr he was appointed Commits
>!oner of immigration for the sac OF
! Florida. the duties of the office benz to
disseminate information in regard to the
State and to direct Immigrants thitllrr
lie was subsequently appointed Col cttor
Of Customs for the port of s.. Johns. and
held thai Office some three wears. He e.
t,blishcd \ weekly newspaper in Jarkson-
Vile, under the title of 1he N.u .>ouH
which he edited and published ill hi
death He was appointed postmaster ut
Jacksonville, two or three years ago. and
held the office at hi, death. In Julv of last
year symptoms of active pulmonary dis
ease began to show Themselves in one OF
hi- lungs which was weakened by u severe
attack of pneumonia in 1870. In last Oc-
ln5 II he WIS Frustrated wilhtyphoid fever
From this he recovered and ,uring Janu
AIRY and part of February last was able tc
@ to his Office. But consumption had
IN 'rkcl him for lis within. During the
Two months past he failed steadiv and on
/ Sunday last. at Z. ", he passed away, Il;
the age Of "G years.
Mr.. Adams WAS twice ma!licl. lii
daughter (hv his first mHrriarc). a lovely
and promising girl. died at Brlttleboro. at
school, Il year Agu Iast' December. A son,
aI~" lv hi, first ma zoe, his wife, and
his sister, Mss Helen VI Adams. who .,av,
t. HIM and his II devotion which word.
cannot describe. survive him. and will
have tie fearful sympathy of numerous
friend, IN our community in their bcrcavc.
ment. He was buried 1T Jacksonville. on
Monday, the 9th inst.
Mr. Adams was Il man OF many TOOl
qualities. and we care to remember no
others. He WAS unsrlli>h, public-spirit Il
enthusiastic, untirinw a> Il worker, of lc-
tive mind and strong feelings, blunt bu,