The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-03-26
AyEIMoNT SCIENTIST.

The Brattleboro Ph@nix gives the fol-
lowing notice of Charles G. Frost, who
died March 16. Mr.. Frost was an au-
thority who was often consulted by
persons in this vicinity interested in Boz
tanical subjects, and was always found
accurate and willing, and his death
canses no little sorrow to those who
have enjoyed the pleasure of thus con-
sulting him:
! Mr.. Charles G. Frost died at his resi-
dence on High street at an early hour
on Tuesday afternoon. In his death
the town loses, not only one of its old
est and, locally, best known citizens,
but man, who, through his attain
mcnts in various departments of sci
encc, was probably better known
among the learned scientific men In this
country and abroad than any other per-
son ever q resident of BrattleborO.
Upon the side of Mr.. Frost's life which
appeared to those who only know him
as they met him day by day on our
streets, or in his place Of business, the
story of his life was short. TIo was
born in this village Nov. II, 1905; carly
in his teens he learned the trade of q
shoemaker, and for several years, Or,
until his health failed him for time,
he worked at the bonch, only leaving it
to teach the village district school for a
winter or two; and in 1881 he estab-
lishcd himself in tho shoe business in
tho location which he has since occu-
pied, spending there, in the quiet pur-
suit of his business, tho last 80 years of
his life. On that side of Mr.. Frost's
life, however, which pertained to his
diligent and systematic pursuit of sci
entific study, and which did not appear
to the outside world, much might be
written. The story of Mr.. Frost's
study and attainments in this direction
was well told, six years ago last sum-
mer, by Rev. DIR. Deems of New York,
pastor of the Church Of the Strangers,
and q man of no mean scientific attain
ments, in an article which he wrote and
published in Baldwin's Monthly, and
which was copied into the Phoenix at
the time. In that article DIR. Deems
opens with a reference to the plain and
unpretentious surroundings In which
he found Mr.. Frost in his store, and
then continues:
"When we met | said: Il wish to
know more of the man who has moro
friends among the educated people of
Europe, than he has In his native vii
lage.' lie smiled, dropped his eyes,
and replied: well, | reckon l have
more friends in Europe than have in
Vermont | said: Il find that there
are people in Brattleboro who know
no reason why should desire to be-
come acquainted with You, but am
sure there are a hundred scientific men
in various parts of Europe who would
be gratiiied with this opportunity
trust my readers will now wish to
know about this Mr.. Frost, in whom |
was Interested. lie is man who
knows more about plants, probably,
than anyone else in New England, III
perhaps than anyone in the United
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 department of which he is All au-
thority for scientific men OH two CONT
ncnts perhaps tho highest authority
since the death of Rev. DR.. Curtis in
North Carolina. His knowledge is
wide and accurate. He has habits of
the closest observation and description.
lie has been honorcd by being elected
Il member of different societies in Amer
lea and Europe. lie did not tell mo
these things-I knew them; but | de-
sired to hear from his own lips the his
tory of This intellectual progress. 1t was
substantially this:
Ills father-Jamcs Frost-was shoe
maker, and was the first who opened n
store for selling shoes in BrattlebOro.
At 10 years of age young Frost noticed
that the older scholars brought their
sums for him 10 do, and that In mathc-
mates he was mp to boys who were
five to nine years older than himself.
lie did not know what that meant, but
his friends afterwards told him that
they had discovered in him, from his
first years, considerable mathematical
genius. When he was fifteen years OF
age, his father became possessor of
'IIutton's Mathematics" which he had
taken for debt from some West Point
student. Young Frost looked at II
with evident delight, and his father
told him that it should be his property
if he could read it at twenty-one. At
10 he had mastered tho whole course.
He went into astronomical mathemat-
| les, took up chemistry, learned very
much of natural sciences in every de-
partment, and all the while attended TO
his business as a shoemaker. From
some neglect of his physical habits, he
| superinduced mucous dyspepsia. No
medical skill in his neighborhood SEEM
ed able to relieve him. lie went to
| New York to consult DIR. Willard Par
| Iyar Whila waiting in tho MI rno,,,
he admired intently very handsome
bouquet of flowers on the mantel, and
was examining them when the doctor
called him in. DR.. Parker candidly
told him he could do nothing for him /:
But said the skillful and honest ply
stefan, you can do very much for YOUR
self. Are you fond of flowers" very
much so, indeed said Mr.. Frost.
Then make it point to walk one hour
in the morning, and one in the evening,
looking for flowers
lie did so. His health constantly
and rapidly improved. At first he
could hardly keep on his feet during the
hour, but he soon learned to walk
many miles on the stretch. His scien-
tiiic mind naturally began to study flow.
crs in their scientific aspects. He be-
gan to be botanist. He ordered
Fries book from London, and paid
Sl2 for it. lie did not know un-
til he saw it that it was writ
ten in Latin, of which he was ignorant
lie bought Latin grammar, devoted
himself to the language, and in six
months could read his new book as
well as if it was written in English. In
the same manner he acquired German
and French. He has contributed Ia
orr scientific periodicals. He still