Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-27
Memorial Address

On the Late Joseph E, Sheffield.
 In the evening most attentive audience | in Battell chapel listened to President Por- ter's address on the late Joseph E. Sheffield l Dr. Harwood opened with prayer. President | Porter said that within year death had re- moved the most liberal of all Yales bene- | factors, man whose name will ever be at ta"hed to great institution-the Sheffield Scientific school Dr. Porter said that though it was assigned to him to make this memorial he was at the same time most will lingly discharging the duty of neighbor and friend to 8 man of marked character istics, The materials for sketch of his life were most abundant and exact, but he would limit himself to such as would best represent the man. He then gave brief sketch of his life to the time when in 1885 he came from the South to live in New Haven, hay ing selected New Haven because he had made up his mind to live in community tention to the education of his children and fit them for this and the future life, When Mir. Sheffield came here he was 42 years old. For several years he continued to spend his winters in Mobile, attending to business matters there. | His first enterprise in the North was the pur- chase, in company with Mir. Farnam, of the
 stock of the New Haven and Northampton ! company. The purchase led to a most inti-
 mate and lasting friendship between them He soon came into connection with New Ha- | ven capitalists, and first suggested and per ! sonally pushed forward what was considered 1 at that time doubtful enterprise-a railroad | to New York. He met with such great op- position in this and his next enterprise that ] he transferred his attention to the West 1 There he met with great success. Everyone
 had confidence in his ability and energy. But
 it was only just before his death that he
 found his first enterprise nearer home at last l successful.
 MT. Sheffield was man who never devia- 1 ted from his principles. They were simple
 and easily understood they are those which
 insure national and private success. As a l man of business his sense of honor was as l quick as the blush of maiden. He abhorred
 8 sharp practice. He always followed the | intent and not the letter of 8 contract He 1 was honorable from the convictions of his | conscience and the sentiments of his heart. l The use of his property is as remarkable as l the gaining 1t. His most conspicuous be- l quest is to the Scientific school, to which he 1 has given in all over million of dollars, l although one or two men have given perhaps l more to found institutions which should bear
 their names. MT. Sheffield gave with mod l est generosity and seemingly no other
 thought than the good he might accomplish l He had the utmost confidence in the wisdom l of the professors into whose keeping he put his bequests. He never dictated how it
 should be expended, When he elected
 8 member of the corporation he served
 at one meeting to acknowledge the com pi
 ment and then modestly resigned His numer
 ous other charities, to children especially,
 are abundant proof that prosperity never | hardened bis heart. His religious life was
 characterized by simplicity and purity. He 1 was man of superior intellect and his let ters evince that he might have made able ] writer had he given his attention to htera-
 ture. As might have been expected, he was
 man of decided position in politics Though 1 in 1874 ho voted a Federal ticket in the ! South and encountered in the North the ris ing movement against slavery, he never sym pathized with it and cast his last vote for Bell and Everett.
 In New Haven he was more or less isolated l from the community. Disappointment seen- | ed to follow each one of his home enter l prises, while his others were succeeding But 1 he was always lavishly charitable to the city l and her inhabitants. It is not wonderful
 that he failed to see how truly he was hon
 ored. But the many that he has befriended -children, widows, the graduates of great
 school-all unite to hallow and bless his memory.