Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-11-24
STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Attendance on Monday
Larger Than Usual.
REPORT OF LIBRARIAN CONRAD
Robert H. Richards Proposed
for Membership.
A Paper on tho Life OF the Late Hon.
Nathaniel b. smithers, Read by His Son,
william T. Smithers, an interesting
Feature of the society's Meeting.

An interesting meeting of the His
torical Society of Delaware was held
Monday night, and the attendance was
unusually large.
The most interesting feature was a
paper on the life of tho late Hon.
Nathaniel B. Smithers, which was
read by William I. Smithers Of Dover.
The paper stated that when, 5 years
old Mr.. Smithers had already started
to study Latin, and was quoting
Virgil, while most children were re-
citing nursery rhymes. After being
educated in the schools at Dover and
other places he entered La Fayette
College. BY that time his great in
tellect had developed considerably, and
he had not been long at college before
one of the professors openly acknowl-
edged that he could not teach Mr..
Smithers Latin, as the scholar already
had much knowledge of 1t. Mr..
Smithers was graduated from La
Fayette College when Is years old, and
later that college and also Dickinson
of Laws He was first admitted to
practice law in Cumberland county,
Pa, and later removed to Dover, where
he was admitted to the Kent county
bar, and began the practice of the
law. He soon assumed the front rank
in his profession. He never owned q
shingle, nor was there ever sign in
front of his office. All his clients
came to him unsolicited. He was
always eloquent and forceful, and his
arguments before a jury were con-
vincing. 1t was often said of him
that he never knew how to charge
for his services. He never desired
large fees, OF he could have been
wealthy, but he only wanted a COM
potency. He made a translation of
Latin hymns, which is pronounced by
critics to be the finest translation ever
given to the public. When Bret Harte's
poem of the "Heathen Chinee' APP
peared, Mr.. Smithers was quite taken
with it, and he translated it into
Latin. In humorous mood he sent
the translation to friend, saying
that the original had been found in
some old ruins. The translation was
shown to other persons, and before
long an accusation was made in a
leading New York paper that Harte
had stolen the poem from the Latin.
When the accusation was made Mr..
Smithers considered thst the joke had
gone far enough and he Immediately
had published the true story of the
translation. S 4tE@
When 26 years Of age, Mr.. Smithers
was offered the Whig nomination for
Congress and declined. In 1s45 he
was elected clerk Of the House OF Rep
resentatives and reelected two years
later. He was a few years later again
offered the nomination for Congress-
man, and declined again. He stood
in favor of anti-slavery and prohibit
tion. The Legislature in 1S47 passed
what would now be known as local
advantage of it, but Kent and Sussex
counties did not The constitutionality
of the law was attacked in New Castle
county, and Mr.. Smithers defended
it, but without effect. The next Leg
islature adopted another local option
act, which had been drawn by Mr..
Smithers. IL was also attacked, and
defended by Mr.. Smithers, and he
won the case, thus vindicating the
legality of the act. II
The sketch went into the political
life of Mr.. Smithers, speaking of the
various national conventions he at
tended, and also of his career in Con-
gress, to which he was elected in 1868.
He had been appointed Secretary of
State by Gov. Cannon. Congressman
Temple, a Democrat, who had becn
elected, died before he commenced his
term, and special election was called,
at which Mr.. Smithers was chosen.
His public life ended in 1895, when
he was Secretary of State under Gov.
Marvi. Thus his public career ended
in the same office in which it COM