The Portland daily press., 1878-11-23

Although Mr.. Smith has been Withdrawn
| from society and business for several years by
heavy infrmities. his death will awaken in
| some minds lively sentiments and grateful rec
ollectious. The invalid, of long years of feeble
ness, confined in the narrow limits of his sick
chamber, observing the world only from his
| window, or in yet closer quarters of clouded
sight, and motionless paralysis, soon passes out
| OF all participation in the active life and
thoughts OF men. His name becomes phrase
| on the lips of living men who are compelled
to 60 forward, leaving him bshind. A few
| friends keep alive the fires of love and graft
tude and duty, and trim the lamps with holy
| oil, while patience and fortitude keep their
nightly vigils. The world goes on, and In its
flood Of cares finds happy forgetfulness.
But when relief comes and the doors are thrown
open, and the morning light dawns, then the
former days lie like fresh landscape, hill and
rock and tree and stream and meadow, without
cloud or burning heat
Twenty-Five years ago nobody could do any
business in Portland or even get through the
town in any of its business avenues with
out meeting or hearing of Mr.. st. John
Smith. Yet was there never q man
that made less noise, or tried less
to get in sight. His reputation in
this respect was peculiar. 1t was not the req
utation of local great man, but the simple
natural reach Of his influence like the shine Of
q candle. His duties or his tastes rarely called
him away from home, and he never appeared
to have the smallest desire for public office.
Some might say that he attended too exclusive
ly to his own business. But he had the opinion
In which many sensible men will concur, that
often the best service man can render to
society is to attend well to his own affairs.
Especially is this true when mans affairs
permeate the affairs of others, by subtle infu-
ence OF commercial sympathy. If he attended
we'll to his own interests and to his own affairs,
he acted from an enlightened conviction that
vigilance was the price of all true and honor
able success and that every dollar costs a dol
lar. Mr.. Smith liked property because his
mind, his thought and his activity moved on
that plane. He had the property sense and
instinct and whatever he looked on arranged
itself in relations of value as under q poets
eye the landscape is TRANSPORTED. He was
close! Of course he was In . man of his iadg-
ments and insights anything else would have
been in business what "blarney" is in speech.
As wise and discreet man learns to keep his
mouth shut, so a man of true business sense
learns that reputation for generosity in the
handling of affairs is commonly based on
shiftless views Of value, and a weak inadequate
idea Of the tendency to leakage 10 all transac-
tioDs. Mr.. Smith was no sentimenslist in
business, nor In anything else,as to that mat
ter: none Of that nonsense. He was strong,
clear, firm. Values were the m after In hand.
and anything else hewould talk of at moro
convenient season.
And he did talk of other things He was q
most flial son as long as fial duties laid upon
him!au earthly claim, and quiet, noiseless and
unknown charity flowed from his hand, COM
forting and encouraging many who knew not
whence it came No Judgment of him could
be more feeble and utterly wanting In discern
ment than to say that he was cold, Indifferent
or unsympathizing. he Uas undemonstrstive,
even to fault and through that he often did
himself grea, wrong, and Fundamentally with
held great good from others; bat he had true
feelings aud his calm, unaovsd, paternal-
looking facs.was fair index of his ret!cent
sensiblities.
VI naturally grave manners and with tastes
and moral feelings that excluded Whatever
was low, he enjoyed whatever was characters.
tic 10 men and delighted in the rehearsal of the
adventures and experiences of indiyiduals-
though not given to talking Of himself and
never the hero of his own story, he rected the
Incidents Of other days with keen satisfaction,
and renewed in his own feelings whatever was
truly human in their teachings. Native good
sense was the ground work of him, and he de-
tacted it In Others or the want of it as the ear
detects discord in music, and he often illustra-
ted his appreciation of man with dry wit and
funny satire. H. occasionally showed traits
that nobody suspected, such as liking for a
dog or horse. than which nothing seemed
more remote from his tastes or habits. A
bandy-legged car, with queer intelligence and
ssrs alert would sit at his feet upon the rug be-
fore the open winter fire and look and wink.
happy in the conscious dog-approval that he
enjoyed in his masters mind. Another dog Of
rscisr style, and more assumption, but less
dog-sense, failed to win place in that serene
regard that could not be caught by any airs of
dignity or pretension. Coming home from
clam bake at Prout's Neck or the Two Lights,
when the sport was enlvened by aslttle speed
nobody saw him smile and nobody heard him
say word before or after as his mare that he
logged around town with, ''dusted" everybody
and had all the road to herself
Although Mr.. Smith was handicapped in all
the race OF life, by some want Of firm health
he had great ability to- work, and what was
more he knew how to rest. Few men involved
in business and carrying heavy responsibilities
could lie by as easily as he could, aud discharge
the mind Of all vexatious care, while nature
worn and overdone refreshed herself with rest.
He so economised his strength that he used
less thar most healthy men throw away and
yet outworked them. And over and above all
this he had moral force that saved him from
being valetudinarian. He never complained,
he never whined or recited his ills and nobody
ever asked him. But few conld do more than
he could do, and il his ability to appropriate
the talents Of others and direct them ha ID been
equal to his power of using and economising
his own he would not only have been the able
and conspicuous business man that he was, but
he would have been an administrator of affairs
of consummate skill. Mr.. Smith did too much
himself and did not appropriate and direct the
the alb lilies CT others He was too deeply i'm
pressed with the general truth of narrow
maxim: If you want anything done, 60. if Rot.
send.
1t is said that all our knowledge advances by
comparison. This is true in our knowledge
and appreciation of individual men. Twenty
years ago the two men in Portland who were
most frequently compared were St. John Smith
and that distinguished citizen and strong man Of
business now living, j. B. Brown. In early days
they were associated together in general
merchandise business after the manner of the
times. The minute subdivisions which char
acterise the business of the present day were
not known forty years ago. The Firm of
Smith & Brown was always spoken of as unit,
a single, substantial, social and commercial
fact. The business of the firm was, a.
near as anything to sell whatever anybody
wanted to buy, and to bay whatever anybody
wanted to sell. Country teams. the land
schooners of the time, discharged their freights
at the sidewalk and stacked the way with the
confusion of mixed barter, and barks from the
WactI nIi Ial a. ~.