Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-01-24

gave to Colby College the girls dornl-
tory known as FOss hall.
At the entrance below, upon tha
bronze tablet is this inscriptions: This
building is the gift Of Eliza Adeiine
Eos Dexter, daughter Of Phinchas
Foss Of Wayne Hill, Maine
Tho story OF lbs. Dexter's life is
almost as quickly tlld as that. Some
50 miles to the southwest Of US lies
the little village OF Wayne. Like many
othcr Of our tiny New England towns
this little hamlet has somehow given
forth to the world far more seemingly
than it has eve. tai-cn in from tile
world. There 81 years ago this fan
was born into one Of the poor common
homes Eliza Adeline Foss Her father
Was ore OF the simple farmers OF the
village. Phineas Foss, in whose memory
his devoted daughter erected this build
ing. Shc insisted that it should b"lr
anu ncmCrizc lie" fathers name. There
her very young GirlhOo1 was spent but
rery carly she had, as so many New
England children have been obliged %
do, to leave her own hearth stone
ana go ont ami make her own living.
She went to SaC0. entered the mills
there ana there tOilcd in that time
" hen mill hours wore long and laitl
Then they ran from C1ndlc light in tie
morning to candle light at night OK
ccft i'll midsummer. and it was from
hours stolen after work that> ,he :sor
what littl" OF the rudimcnts Of learn
ing that she could get.
After Some years Of WOv,, she wont
to Toston ana there met Mr.. Dexter
whom efn married, ana as the paper
tells; Us the mos of thcir unovcntfrl
life h1s lctn spent in Worcester ana it
was there that | learned to know hcr.
I lived there II years before coming
here. They began life together in th5
simplest way. F'or 5000 yoH~s
| am told, their home was
single room and thc'e the
lived AID fought together 10
got u start in life. and that start in
their Iifs was Indicative Of the whole
'if' they have livciI. tt"v have delvcl
ana saved, cautiously ana diligently
ami invested those earnings.
Mr.. ana hrs. Dcztcr arc not as The
world looks at it today. rich. Mrs.
Dcxte:'s little fortune, I think. is pretty
much represented in this building She
has erected for you. Her husbands
fortune is somewhat largo but not
enormous and for It h. and slie have
had to struggle ANA they appreciate
as Only people grown up iii that way.
what money means, but You can cas-
lily see that such Z life, absorbing as it
is. would make livcrs Of that life too
commonly misunderstood.
| heard Of Mr. and Mrs. Dexter as
hard and arasping people. | never saw
it 50 in my life ana it was my privilege
to sec the fruitaGe of those long ana
toilsOmc years OF growth. 1 knc~
Nh. Dexter better than
knew Mrs. Dexter. With Mr..
Dexter I did bcccme somewhat init
:nately acquainted. To his Office l
used TO go ana to me he was not q saw
ing. Ilar1-fistcd business man, but The
kindly Old man who never forgot to
ask me about my children and ne al
ways as treasurer of the school in
which l was teaching, inquired if my
rooms were comfortable and about my
accommodations generally, living rs
we did right in the heart of the school
district.
Mrs Dexter was a good deal like
him. M ana Mrs. Dexter were given
only a glimpse, hardly more than a
glimpse of child life in their home, and
then for some reason the beautiful
vision was taken from them, but there
remained in their hearts that blessing
which comes from contact with child
life. They were great friends Of DR..
Snyder and his home and his children
were a great source of pleasure to them,
they always regarding the children as
their own grandchildren.
1t was such glimpses that it was ny
privilege to get of Mr.. and Mrs. Dex-
ter in my life in Worcester. AS 7 have
put it before, the fruitage time of thair
lives zIr. Dexter was daily OF his hard
earned means to the school in which
was teaching Just as Mrs. Dexter