Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-03-22
SOME WORDS ABOUT MRS. LlNsLeY


Mr.. EDIToR:-
My only mid-wnter visit to Middle
bury in many years was made in January
last. During the thirty hours of my de-
lightful STAY there | called upon Mrs.
Linsley. sat for nearly an hour in her
parlOr, ate of the wedding cake, drank
of her wine, and talked with her of
things retrospective and of things pros
pective. She was cheerful, hopeful and
happy, full of plans and in remarkably
good health. This was on Sunday, the
18th of January. am now on the 18th
of March, three weeks after her death,
sitting down to write a brief obituary
notice of her. OF Il truth we do not see
a great way ahead and cannot tell, even
the most sagacious of US, what future
of only few weeks contains. And it is
best that we cannot.
Emmeline Wells was born in 1918. She
married Charles Linsley, lawyer of
eminence, and widOwer with six child
ren, in 1871. They lived very happily
together, most of the time IN Middleburv.
They entertained in the generous old
fashioned style. Macy partoOk of their
hospitality. What dinners were given
by them to the Addison county Bar. then,
rs now. a leading Bar in the State! In
1868 Mr.. Llnsley died. Nine children
were born to them in these twenty
two years. Four of these survive
Merry, Joel, William and Gilbert. For
thirty-two years Mrs. Linsley was a
widow, living all this time in the house
In which on the 22d of February she died
can imagine no trial of disposition
and character, no test of the very stuff
of which one is made, more crucial than
that of entering family as a young wife
and becoming a step-mUther to half
dozen children and "A real mother of
more than as many others. If any one
questions my judgment | have a mind
TO break of the discussion by telling her
to try it, This test Mrs. Linsley stood
for many years. She brought up the
two broOds in the same nest, she at
tached them firmly to herself; both
brOOdS lived lovingly together and low
inglY with her. If she was overland
to her own and less than kind to the
others. neither her own nor the others
ever knew it, and, what is more the
neighbors never found it out.
1t is great thing for Il womal to carry
upon her slight shoulders the burdens of
a large family for a whole generation. 1t
is a great thing to fight our all alone the
battle for herself and her little ones. 1t
Is mans business, we think, to hire aud
lease, to buy and sell and get gam. to
manage the estate, small or great, and
to invest the savings, scanty or abund-
ant. And what bOtch many men
make of it. 1t is Il great thing, | repeat,
to do all this prudentlv and successfully,
but it is greater thing to do it grace
fully as well as prudently. to do it with
out becoming hard, grinding and cyni-
cal, without having ones mature sub
Il IN hRF
hand" But Mrs. Linsley accomplished
it. She was womanly through 1t all, re-
fined, dignltied and ladylike to the end.
For sixty years Mrs. Linsley was a
consistent and devoted member of the
Episcopal church. This means much.
How much no one can tell, for st. Steph-
ems had a small membership and great
sacrifices of time and thought and mus
Gle and money had to be made. And
they were made and by none more uIi-
grudingly and heartily than by Mrs.
Linsey. Her hands tolled in the Christ
mas decorations of the church. Things
cooked for own table found their way
often to the table of the rectory. En-
tertainments at her house were held to
tke out the scanty salary of the Rector.
The poor of the church claimed her at
tention and had their claim allowed. For
six years she sang in the church choir.
| hold in my hand IA copy of a minute
made by Harmon Sheldon in 1910, of the
choir of st. Stephens. Among the
names is that of Emmeline Wells.
Mrs. Iinsley is missed and will be
missed not by her children only, by the
poor of the church or bv the church as
whole. Middlebury misses and will
miss her. In these days of over-crowd-
ing, when it seems so easy to fill ones
place, it is something to say of one that
he or she is sadly missed. While again
| express to the immediate family my
sorrow, feel that in some real sense all
that knew Mrs. Linsley are to be CON
doled with, myself included.
BRAINERD KEL LOGG.