The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-06-20

prayer. n uudIJ6tto SOhpUoCu VI Ahis' w SSAh
| erbee, Mrs. Farley, Mrs. Webb and Mrs. Mer-
| ril, sang with much expression, "The Lord is
nv Shepherd" and 80 Lord Abide with me-"
| The remains will be taken to Greenfield and
funeral service will be held there to-day.
The following eloquent ami appreciative
tribute to the memory of Mr. Davis, which
appeared in the Springfield Republican, Mon
day, is presumably from the pen of his friend
and comrade Of many years, Mr.. Samuel
Bowles. 1t is an admirably just sketch of one
of the most brilliant sons of that mother of
great men, the old commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts, noticeable for its discriminating
praise, and for its observation of those traits of
character and mind which all who ever knew
Mr. Davis so cordially recognized.
In the death of George r. Davis, the Con-
necticut valley counties of Massachusetts will
feel a sad and personal interest. Living at
Greenfield through all the active years of his
manhood, from about 1880 to 1870, leader in
society, in public affairs and in his profession
of the law, he was one of their most distin-
guished citizens, more widely known than any
Contemporary, and the object of much personal
admiration and even fondness. son of
Judge Davis, who was resident of Boston,
and for 40 years judge of the United States dis
trct court for Massachusetts, he graduated at
Harvard college in 1929, studied law at Green
field and at Cambridge, and Commenced
to practice his profession at Green-
field in 1882. The next year he established
the Franklin Mercury newspaper and con-
Quoted it with much ability for three years,
when he sold it; but for many years afterward
he was one of the proprietors of the leading
Greenfield paper, and often a contributor to
its columns. He was one year member of
the House of Representatives at Boston from
Greenfield, two years in the State Senate from
franklin county, land the successor of Mr..
Ashman in Congress from the old Connecti-
cut river district. But he had no marked taste
for or distinction in public life His chief
worldly success was in his profession, in which
he won and held for m any years the first
place in his county.
But Mr.. Davs's great distinction was in his
literary culture and his social gifts. Here he
was indeed a geniusiso superior and so brilliant
that, not only were all other men dwarfed in
comparison, but everything else that he did or
was seemed small and inaedquate. His kDowl-
edge was eclectic yet universal; he knew some
thing of everything, aud of many things much
His mind was all-devouring, all-embracing, and
seemed never to let 90 of anything that it had
ever possessed. 1t had not original, digestive
and reproducing power, but all that it contained
was at ready service, in recollection, illustra-
ton, smile or contrast. He was especially re-
markable for his out-of-the-way knowledge, his
familiarity with the strange thingsin science, in
literature and in mems lives He had sort OF
passion for idiosyncracies, and his mind was a
museum of all the odd things that ever existed,
that ever were said, or written, or dreamed of.
His use of this material in talk was constant
surprise and charm even to those who had
known him longest and best or were most
frequent in association. As conversationalist,
indeed, brilliant, suggestive, deft to daintlness,
sufficiently sympathetic to establish personal
relations but not too much SO to interrupt the
How of his wit, which was ever the dominant
quality of his talk, we believe it may fairly be
said that he had no peer in all America. He
loved the exercise of these qualities OF his
mind as much as his friends did. 1t was his
indulgence and his life and yet he had con-
scientous fidelity to all his duties, and turned
quickly and sharply from society to the most
prosaic details Of his profession. For genera
ton he made life in Greenfield famous by his
presence. his social and literary leadership,
and the circle of bright people that he drew
He was the inspiration, too, of the bar OF the
three counties. No court gathering was
success without him, and all classes of the
people of these home counties took delight in
him and grew fond of him. He had wide
acquaintance abroad, also, and made the
New York and Washington famous by his
presence and his talk. Thackeray laid down
his knife aud fork, and paid tribute in exclama-
tions of wonder at the briliancy of his con- |
verSatiop.
During his student life at Cambridge Mr..
Davis was the contemporary and Intimate
friend of Margaret Fuller, and she has left on
record some singularly apt observations upon
his character and qualities, AT ID. she says,
he was man in the range of his thoughts,
Analysing motives and explaini ng principles.
when he ought to have been playing cricket or
hunting in the woods In later days, she con-
times, 'he became the feeder of my intellect;
he delighted to ransack the history of nation,
OF an art, or science, and bring to me all the
particulars. Telling them fixed them in his
own memory, which was the most tenacious
and ready have ever known. My attachment
to him was founded on his truth to himself; he !
was not without pathetic feeling of his wants,
but he was never tempted to supply them by
initiating the properties of any other character
He accepted the law of his being, and never
violated it, which is next best to the nobleness
of the most remarkable women of the past gen.
Grafton was, as may be imagined. great ele- |
ment in Mr.. Davis's intellectual growth. So |
also was and has ever been his intimacy with |
Rev. James Freeman Clarke. They were |
close friends in college and have been such |
ever since.
Mr.. Davis never put into print any OF the |
singular eforescence of his mind. Ii he wrote |
it was with sobriety, simplicity and with his
torical fidelity. Indeed historical themes were |
always great favorite with him, and much |
exercised his interest and his industry in the |
later years of his life. An occasional lecture, |
an agricultural address, dealing with singular |
familiarity with the scientific facts and philos-
ophy of our Industrial growth. and few his |
t0rlcal papers since he went to Portland, were |
his sole literary work. Those who never saw |
him and listened to his conversation can have |
no adequate idea of the marvellous brilliancy OF |
his mind and its rare stores of knowledge |
Those who had such opportunity will preserve |
a vivid Memorylof one of the most remarkable |
characters that ever lived; and those who had /
the good fortune 70 come still nearer to him, |
and feel the added charm of his sngularly |
frank, Confding nature. its teuder charity, its |
generous philosophy, its great capacity for en- |
ioyment of little things, will be somewhat at |
loss to decide for what their admiration is the |
most profound, and their sadness that he is /
dead the deepest.
Mr.. Davis was twice married-early to Miss |
Russell of Plymouth two Of whose children |
survive, James G. Davis, an honored lawyer OF /
Bostrn, and Wendell 7. Davis, an invalid, who /
resides at New Beforehand again, only few |
years since, to Mrs. Little of Portland, Me, |
where he has since resided, and who survives |
him, though herself an invalid. Mr. Davis has l
been in gradually decaying health for the last |
three or four years, though his mind continued |
as fresh and vivacious ever, and dies with |
out long serious illness at the age of CT.
His body will be brought to Greenfield for |
burial ON Wednesday noon, and his old home, |
fond of him while living, sad that he should |
have gone away at ALL will give him tender |
welcome back at the last.