The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-10-22

in only a local way. For the first
time we have Just found testimonials
given Mr.. Bass by three principals
of the old Randolph Academy, George
Bush, Rufus Nutting, and S. A. Wor-
cestel, in 1919 and 1921. "His uni.
formly good moral character, and
"his requirements in the different
branches of an English education, "
to quote from one of these testimoni-
ais, qualified to instruct a common
school where these branches are
taught" Nature put her own ''testi-
moniap" into his very face, that
"order" would be maintained in any
school that he should teach. Anoth-
er paper of interest was the license"
given in Marsh, 1884, "to become an
n-keeper for the term of one year
from the first day of April next " In
their own handwriting, Jonathan
Lewis, Aaron S. Martyr, Joel Bass,
Nathaniel Jillson, Darius Pride, as
justices of the peace, and Gurdon
Martin Elisha Gale, Alven Smith,
as seleotmen, and Eleazer Graves.
constable, this license was signed, and
the cost of it was three dollars The
inn of that year was the one we men,
toned last week, as having been
bought by Mr.. Bass, in 1884, of John
Bryant We could not omit to say
that we found compositions" that,
we suppose, were written while
student in the Randolph Academy
His themes, con Learning" "Con-
tentment, " 1.-The Value of an Educa-
tion," though somewhat briefly
istic vigor. We found copy in his
own handwriting, of letter written
in 1912, when, as a brigadier general,
he replied to a letter written by Ma
jor General L. b. RANSOM, that his
command, as we'll as his friends and
townsmen, might we'll be proud of.
The year before, there was certain
legislation on military affairs that
Mr.. Bass ''and the military in his
brigade did not like, and they
thought it expedient to give up the
customary drills for which they
were allowed no compensation. But
when he had delivered to Maj. Gen.
Ransom his own and the feeling of
his brigade, concerning this legisla-
tion, in true soldierly style, he rec
ognized his obligations to superiors,
and his readiness, ever, to carry into
effect all orders from them agreeable
to the true intent and meaning of our
laws, etc. At that time, Mr.. Bass
was forty years old, and had previous
ly served as a colonel in the State mil
itary affairs. We found that unpaid
postage on some letters to Mr.. Bass
about that time was twelve cents
from towns near here. The general
was, we believe, the only son of the
late Joel Bass who was Democrat,
both father and the other sons having
been Wings. In the War of the Re-
bellion he was known as loyal war
Democrat Before us is a letter
written in the '40s, by Democrat else
where in the county, who was doubt
less one of "the war horses in the
party. The man wrote that "as
Freeman approached, his anxiety in
creased for great Democratic vic
tory in old Orange county, He
wanted the general to do what he
could in Williamstown, and in some
others, and asks him, "Will you lend
hand and in true military style put
it into Whiggery up to the hilt?"
But in whatever other capacity than
as county Senator, county judge,
sheriff or deputy, or as town official,
he served his day and generation, we
think no other service could give his
family more Of as much)- true
satisfaction than that rendered for so
many years in his duties to the wild
ow and the fatherless. " When bereft
of husband and father he had the care
of what had been left them, be it large
or small, as the administrator of es-
tates. The papers left by him show
something of that great and good
work.
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