Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-11
FAIRFIELD.
Elavius &. McFadden.

O'Clock, Thursday evening.
Mr.. McFadden was born in Embden,
Oct. 20, 1915, hence was IS years and
| five months Of age at the time Of his
death. 1t is easily within the range OF
the truth to say that no man who has
lived and died in the town of Fairfield
within the last century has left more
warm, devoted friends among all class
es of her citizens than the one who has
| just passed away.
At the age of two years Mr.. McFad-
den removed from Embden to Fair
| field with his parents. In very early
| life he developed into an active STU
dent and his early education in the
schools of the town was thorough and
of the practical sort. At very early
age he develoned a strong desire to
enter mercantile life, but after some
two years participation in the clothing
business he wearied of it's dull monot-
! ony and entered his fathers office, f..
| w. McFadden, So, to study law. He
| proved ali apt law student and in 1872,
was admitted to Somerset county bar
and a few years later became Junior
partner of the firm of f. w. & F. E.
/ McFadden. In addition to the practice
of law the firm did a very large and
successful insurance business and it
was continued until the death of the
senior partner, since which time the
junior member has continued the bus
| mess alone.
Although Democrat in politics near
" all his life, so highly was Mr.. Nc
| FaGden regarded by his townsmen, a
ma jority of whom We're of the opposite
political party. they kept him in office
for over so years either as town clerk,
selectman or supervisor of schools and
! at the time of his death he held the
| last two named offices. There is proba-
! bly, not a man in Fairfield who ever
| had business dealings with him who
would not gladly attest to his honesty
| and straightforwardness. Mr.. McFad-
den was not in any sense a politician,
and although he consented, much
against his wish, to become the candi-
| date of his party he always seemed to
| be greatly relieved when he felt as
| eured that he would not be obliged to
| break up the quiet routine of his pri-
vate life.
| But it was not in business sagacity,
nor in political shrewdness that Mr..
| McFadden excelled. In neither was he
| he was out of his real element. The
| best idea of the leading characteristic
of the man can be gained by single
remark which he made to the writer
not long since. when asked as to his
hours at the office. He said that he was
not stopping at the office any more than
he could help. that his daughter Maudes
| understood the routine of the office
work ha nd 1yUa We
seemed like a waste of time for him to
be there when he could so much bet-
ter be at home painting something. And
it was in his studio where he was at.his
best We cannot begin to tell of the
good pictures that he has painted that
have attracted not q little favorable
comment from competent critics, but |
the scene taken from a favorite spot on |
Martin stream, which took the first |
prize at Bangor, last year. is perhaps |
the best of his outdoor work of recent |
years. Many of his friends declare |
that it is his masterpiece. The hand |
some historic painting of Othello. re-
lating his adventures to Brebantio |
which hangs on the wall of the read |
ing room in the Lawrence library gives |
another view of his rare taste in hand |
ling delicate colors and correctly por-l
traying historic manners and custOmSE
The manner in which this picture wa&
obtained for the library reveals one OF |
teh chief characteristics of the man. |
He painted the picture to satisfy his |
own fancy and friend suggested that |
he ought to present to the library. |
He replied facetiously that he guessed |
he would wait and see whether the Ii |
brary would be good enough for 1t. As |
the library neared completion, the dec |
Grating and adjoining being under his |
own personal supervision, he came to |
feel that it would be belitting the |
beautiful structure to hang on the walls |
anything produced by a local artist and |
so thoroughly did this feeling get the |
mastery of him that he besought tho |
trustees not to ask for the picture to be |
put uDon the wall and it was not until !
after the library had been completed |
some time and a unanimous vote of |
the trustees was taken, requesting him |
to hang the picture on the wall that he |
consented to allow it to be put there
and then only with the understanding |
that at any time if he wished he could |
remove it without asking the advice of |
any one. Fortunately the picture |
gained so many handsome and richly |
deserved compliments that he began
to see that he had really painted better
than he knew and the painting will re-
main, like the building in which it is
hung, as a living monument to the
genius of one of the most gifted citi-
zen5 of the town,
Mr.. McFadGen was from the start |
an enthusiastic friend of the library
and served as valued member of the
board of trustees from the organiza-
ton. Mr.. Lawrence secured his SER
vices as his personal representative
to See that his wishes We're carried |
out IN the construction of the building
as well as in the finishing and furnish
ing Of the same
Another monument to his fine artis- |.
tic sense is to be found in the decora-
tions in Hotel Gerald. He took great
interest in the finishing and furnish
ing of the building and was of very
material assistance to Mr.. Gerald in
designing and planning the decora-
tons that go so far to make the build
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