The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-02-09

them, said Father Deming, had gone
west to Iowa, some to Kansas, but
what numbers to the silent and unex--
plored city of the dead.
Father Deming never was stationed
as preacher, but went here and there
using his influence for the uplifting of
the community, and for years people
revered him and sent their children to
him to be married and receive his
blessing. He was an ardent preacher
of temperance, and was always looking
on the bright side. An interesting
letter was shown which had been re-
ceived by Father Deming while in the
Territorial legislature, stating that the
sewing society Of the Episcopal church
was working ruin in the place by serv-
ing wine at social gatherings and urg-
ing Father Deming to buckle on the
armor of the gospel and return to
Southport as soon as possible in order
that they might hold a great Methodist
revival.
Father Deming was an anti slavery
man. He lived it, preached it and
voted it. Webster was one Of his
greatest heroes, but when he spoke for
the fugitive slave law he was at once
placed in the camp of the enemy. He
was one of the operators of the under
ground railway, and with the Quarles
house on one side of the park and the
Demirg mansion on the other, many
an oppressed black found his way to
liberty.
In early days Deming was Demo
crat, but in 1854 be writes to his wife,
Mary, " Say | am neither a Wing or
Democrat, but one who seeks equal
rights for ALL" In his letters he tells
of those stormy times before the war.
Of the founding of new party at
Madison which, for the want of a bet
ter name, they called the Republican
party, and of the notifications of Re
publican success at which old Long
seceder was the leading speaker. His
motto was, Better thousands die
than Freedom die" He took a strong
interest in the affairs of Kansas, and
said in one of his letters to the friends
that The settlers of Kansas are
doomed to suffer, but it Freedom ever
triumphs it will be through their suf-
fering."
His ardent love for Freedom was
only equaled by his enthusiastic adVO-
cacy of the Free schools. This idea he
had brought from his New England
home, and the people of the west had
to be educated to the idea. In his
letters he declared that the glory and
prosperity of the place depended not
on the number of tie citizens but on
the quality of the inhabitants. He
said, " A city in which men are made
worthy to bear the name must be the
metropolis of the earth" In early
days the friends of education and the
free schools were the Wilders, Michael
Frank, L. L. Pierce, Jones. PrOsser,
Hanson, the SchOles, F. W. Lyman,
Judge Newell, the Danas, Judge Gil
son and the Durkees. He told of the
political contests and final victory of
the first free school, and it's opening on
June Is, 1915, when the pupils and
the friends of education gathered in
the park and marched to the old build
ing. He spoke of the old Friday
afternoons" and how he and Col.
Frank had always attended, and in
fact, how they had been the men who
did their deeds and left no name to
blot it. The speaker said that few
years ago he visited the city cemetery
and there on the tomb of Father Dem
ing he found scrubbed the following
words which be had so often said,
When die, should like to have
written on my tomb stone" Here lies
the friend of Free schools
Mr.. Wheeler also spoke of the recent
election of Mr.. Quarles to the Senate
SAYING that " Our Joe" was the second
Wisconsin United States Senator from
Kenosha, Hon. Charles Durkee having
been elected from Southport in 1865.
In closing, the speaker said he was
glad that the citizens of KenOsha had
raised such a beautiful monument to
the memory of Father Deming.
After another song by the quartette
short addresses were made by Princi-
pal Wiswall and Supt. Mcdowell
which were very interesting, and gave
the people a splendid idea of the
growth and advancement of the sys-
tenn of Free schools founded by Father
DemiDg.
The people were then given the
freed )m of the building to examine it
from cellar to attic.