St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-09-18
RECENT DEATHS.
Carter.

Carter.
Rarely has the note of JOY so quickly
given way to grief as in the death OF
Isabel Paddock a fortnight after her
marriage to Edgar N. Carter on August
31st. The place she held in the affections
of the people and in the social life of the
village made that occasion one of unusual
public interest and congratulations; all
the more accentuating the constrast Of
events, and the loss which her removal
brings to the community.
The cause of her illness which had de-
veloped into blood poisoning is involved
in obscurity. She left home in the flush
of vigor and hope ten days later she
returned bravely struggling against the
inevitable; and after five days more her
life went out with the first call of the
church bells on Sunday morning,
fifteenth of September.
Isabel Monteith Paddock, born in
the home where she died, March 10,
1871, was the only surviving child OF
Harvlin and Mrs. Mary Halves Paddock.
Strength of mind and sound const1tu-
ton came to her by good inheritance,
and with these she had buoyancy of
spirit that made life perpetual JOY to
her and to all about her. She came
early and naturally into the Christian
life and was one of the group of young
people who in 1885 were organized in
to the original Endeavor Society of the
South Church. She became useful as a
member of the church and Sunday school
teacher, and after time took the initia-
tive toward banding hegirls of her own
age together for mutual profit and
church loyalty. A later development of
this was the Search Light Club which
has owed no little of its prosperity to
her ready activities and inspiriting en-
thusiasm.
After her academic course and year
or two in music at Smith College and
New York, she gave instruction in instru-
mental music at the Academy, and on
Miss Hewitt's retirement she took the
department of mathematics for a year.
She was already becoming an expert in
botany and ornithology, and in 1897
the important task of classifying and
mounting the herbariums of the Museum
was entrusted to her. For this she was
well qualified both by natural tastes and
by familiar acquaintance with the New
England flora. She was acting curator
for two years or more, and at later
period became one of the assistants at
the Athenaum.
Her nature studies, here and in various
wild places of the state, brought her in
to relations with men and women Of
similar tastes elsewhere; she attended
meetings of national and state bodies
was an active member of the Vermont
/ Bird Club, the Audubon Society and
Botanical Club, to all of which she con-
tributed papers; the Scotch Thistle was
naturally enough one of her topics at the
Scotia Club and her researches, in gen.
ealogy and colonial lore were appre-
ciated by other Daughters of the Revolu-
ton.
In his recent volumnous book on birds,
Mr.. Frank M. Chapman acknowledges
Indebtedness to Miss Paddock of st.
Johnsbury for valuable original work in
scoring the music of wild bird notes, and
frequent citations from her note book
appear on the pages of that interesting
work. A new plant that she discovered
has been classified as "Paddockii." 1t
was easyto see that she would share
heartily with her husband in promoting
the institution of which he is the official
head; had she lived her taste and skill
would presently have added new touches
of beauty to that picturesque nook be-
low the Emerson Falls.
"She was child of nature" This
may be truly said of Isabel Paddock
Carter. She loved nature: it was as
though nature in turn loved her and
kept her in the way of the simple,
natural life She retained the openness
and simplicity of nature. She carried in
to maturity the abandon of childhood
days. There was no place in her for
Alterations or selfconceits. She did
things with apparent ease and uncon-
seriousness. Constant demand was
made on her for musical or other parts,
in public entertainments, religious,
literary, social; to which she responded
with unvarying goodwill, as if simply
glad to help things on. She did more
than she knew to make life in Gods
world interesting and cheerful. The
deep grief that comes with this loss is
tempered with gratitude for the memory
of a life so bright and versatile, so full OF
mirth and friendliness, and Of serious
thought withal