The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-01
TRIBUTE TO MIR. GILBERT
LATE 1IEMBER OF EAST HAVEN'S BOARD or EDUCATION EULOGIzED.

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 An interesting and important meeting of the East Haven board of education was held at the town hall on Tuesday evening of last week. The vacan- cy oocasioned by the death of Ebenezer Gilbert was filled by the election of Frank M. sperry of Foxon.
 The political complexion of the board remains the same, Miss Street, Gran miss and Chidsey are the republicans, and Futile, Bradley and sperry are the democrats. At this meeting President Futile offered the following obituary resolutions. They were adopted and subsequently, attested by all the mem- bers:
 Whereas, Ebenezer Gilbert, who for many years had been an able and ett1- cient member of this board has been called from the scenes of his usefulness on earth, and
 Whereas, It seems sacred duty to lay aside for moment living duties to do honor to departed worth,
 Therefore, Resolved, That in the death of our departed associate this board has lost an active and useful member; the cause of education an earnest and tireless friend; the commit nifty a public-spirited and high minded citizen, and his family tender and de- voted husband and father.
 Resolved, That we tender to the fam fly of the deceased our heartfelt sym pathy in their great aff1iction and while pointing to the record Of his well spent life as that life's best eulogy, commend them to the grace Of Him, who, while His ways are mysterious and past finding out, yet doeth all things we'll.
 Resolved, That the secretary record these resolutions at length upon the minutes of the board and transmit a copy of the same to the family of the deceased.
 GROVE J. FUTILE, President.
 CHAS. w. BRADLEY, Secretary.
 LOTTIE E. STREET,
 CHARLES w. GRANNISS,
 FRANK M. SHERRY
 H. WALTER CHIDSEY.
 Secretary Bradley In secondlng the resolution made the following address:
 Mr. President: It has been we'll de- cIared that "Tn the midst of life we are in death" On Wednesday, the 18th day of May, 1897, almost precisely at the hour of o'clock in the afternoon, just at the close of the public schools for the day, when the sun was in the western horizon and in a cloudless sky, and at time when the spring flowers were blooming and the evening Zephyrs were whispering words of hope and en- couragement, and all nature was redolent with Gods blessing. MT. Gilbert, the senior member of this board in age, and our esteemed associate, suddenly died at his home on Hemingway avenue. In moment, in almost the twinkling of an eye, with his harness on and the purity of his life unimpaired, death claimed him and he went from earthly honors and labors to the realms of immortality
 A near neighbor for more than seven years and knowing nearly every phase of his life during this time, his disposi- ton and character, it may not be in- appropriate for me to give-imperfect it may be, but truthful, if possible-a brief biographical history of his life and to allude to some of the peculiar qualities by which he was distin- guished.
 Ebenezer Gilbert was born in the town of Rocky Hill, Hartford county, in this state, in the month of April, l., lonI IsIynI year over the time fixed as the dura- tion as a rule of a mans existence on earth At one period of his life he was a school teacher, and for a long time was engaged in the insurance business. For many years he was an insurance adjuster and resided in New Haven. He had been a resident of East Haven about fourteen years, and member Of the board of school visitors in this town ten years. He also with Messrs. Thompson and Forbes suDnrintended the erection of the new and magnificent school edifice belonging to the Union school district Within a few years he had been town treasurer. For long time, and at the date of his death he was a member of the Baps!s; church in Cromwell; was a member of the Ecclesiastical society of the Congrega- tional church in East Haven, but not one of its church members. Iii politics he took the principles as .nunciated by Thomas Jefferson as his guide.
 The Greek word ariston or aristos, from which the English word aristocrat is derived signifies best and while MT. Gilbert did not belong altogether to any exclusive class, yet he was one of the best of men in almost every particr- lar. With this statement it can also be said that he was not a leader, but gen. orally appeared in the role of an ob- jector, and critic.
 There was one trait of character that he possessed that was like the pure gold without alloy-that can be defined with one word, namely purity During the years that he had been a neighbor to me I have worked With him in the fields, and under various circumstances and conditions and never knew him to utter a word that would not be proper to use in any assembly of persons.
 While no doubt he liked preferment and notice from his fellow townsmen, yet his excessive modesty always han dicapped him in this particular. A few years ago he was made candidate for the office of town clerk and lacked only two votes of an election. A majority