The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-10-22

! Which VIII be given to the Manches-
ter District Nursing fund or TO some
other object of general local interest.
"THE HERMIT OF NEW YORK"
The title of this article has been a
signature Of correspondence in The
Troy Times every week for as years,
with only a short lapse caused. by
sickness. 1t was a telegram which
had a poignant appeal that announced
this morning to The Troy Times the
death of this veteran contributor.
Rev. Washington rockingham be-
gan his life Of activity in the CONNER
cial circles of New York One of his
first positions was in the store Of Hon.
Edwin d. Morgan, afterward Govern
or of the state. His early struggles
and compulsory frugality are indicated
in the obituary article which appears
on another page. He accumulated a
competency in New York--a compet-
ency not only of money but of exper-
ience Then he found the opportunity
to realize his youthful ambition and to
turn to the profit Of humanity the
stores of his observations by entering
the ministry, which since has been his
profession. But, as our readers we'll
know, "The Hermit" could never shake
off the spell Of interest in the wonder
full metropolis to which he he'd given
so much Of his effort, and he expressed
not only his knowledge Of the past but
his sympathy with the present in add
ing to his pastoral work the duties Of
correspondence, much to the pleasure
of greater number who received the
words of his pen than those who list
ened to his voice in the pulpit.
The Troy Times needs not to de-
scribe nor to emphasize what is
familiar to our readers as to ourselves
that this writer of amazingly long
service had descriptive powers which
were quite uncommon. To him be-
longed not only keen sagacity in
but retentive memory
and graceful and attractive style.
with the fruits Of his extra
ordinary knowledge Of men and places
in the metropolis was the quality,
quite appropriate in one styling him
self hermit, to draw the moral from
the tale and to add to his narrations
the maxim or precept which, because
to human nature, is confirm |
ed by the experiences of every man of |
affairs.
To speak Of "The Hermit Of New
York" merely as merchant or a |
correspondent or even as a |
preacher Of the gospel and then to
stop would be to disregard one Of his |
most uniquely characteristic and use
full yocations, which was that Of the !
philanthropist. The name philanthro-
pist sounds common enough in these |
lays of great wealth and alomst equal |
Y great benefactions, but there are few |
indeed, even among large givers, Of |
hose who give with the heart as well |
as with the hand, and with such a /
keanlty concentrations capra nf d,4tt, a.
lid Washington rockingham. This /
lind gentleman used all the proceeds /
# his able and diligent literary labor
N works Of charity, in which he did
not let his left hand know what his
hight hand did. But even so typically
Christian charity as his own, in its
and secrecy, could not
,e hid entirely from the world. Those
Tho know the village in which he
made his home in his later days could
write chapters about what he has done
Imong his own neighbors. Just an
Instance is his contribution to Fonda
i public bath constructed, maintain
d and endowed by himself.
The Hermit" was also a writer Of
looks and had contributed several vol
INES to the world Of literature. His
Of French history was un-
sual, and the study Of the literature