The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-11-25
An Address by Prof. o. II. Gates of
Cambridge al the Funeral of Miss
Harriet Il. Gilbert, Dorset,
Nov. Z. 1915

I
Harriet L. Gilbert, Dorset,
Nov. 7. 1915
There are but two themes suitable
for this occasion, as we are gathered
/ here as so often in these past years,
our friend in the midst of us-Life,
hers, ours; hers completed ours for a
little while yet, in the making.
Hers was beautiful life. For
many years, as we have come in sum-
mer TO this valley, we have joyfully
greeted the clear, serene sky over our
heads, the dignifed, quiet hills, the
smiling fields and flowers: but we new
er felt that our greetings were com
plete until we had come to this home
and greeted our friend. In her greet
ing, serene, dignifed, smiling, she
seemed to give back to us the message
of sky and mountain and field and
flower
They are not perfect without her,
and such as she, to interpret them
Her life seemed to be enriched and
beautified by such background.
Hers was beautiful life, beautiful
in spite of bodily frailty, in spite of
its far removal from what she had a
right to expect in her girlhood She
was patient: but she carried her pa
thence so gracefully that we did not
realize that it was patience: neither
did she. She possessed great con-
tentment with her lot, her surround
ings.
She was unfailingly cheerful; low
er Of the beautiful in every thing and
everywhere.
She always saw the bright side of
things; not that she could not see the
ugly, but she chose to dwell upon the
beauty instead. And she carried this
admiration for the beautiful into her
appreciation of people, and it became
a moral quality in her. She saw the
good side of people. Not that she
could not see the ugly and sinful; but
she chose to notice the good and speak
of it.
There is so much good in the worst
Of us"--she loved to find it out. And
the much that is bad in the best of
us--she did not talk about it, except
when to speak of it might make the
good better and more. 1t was beau
tiful life.
The other part of our theme is her
life, our lives. Hers is complete, and
yet in real sense not complete.
Up TO now she has been one among
us, with her neighbors making up this
community. All these years we have
been learning to know her, have been
making her acquaintance. She met
us half way and we were profited.
But she did not force herself upon us,
ours was the loss if we did not know
her
Now for a little she holds a place
by herself, apart from her neighbors
A unique place, the center of our in
terest, our tenderest thought. This is
the time for interpreting her life, for
And in this interpreted
ton our two themes become one. Our
lives affected by hers: her life COM
pleted by ours.
And each one Of us must be his own
interpreter. 1t is not for spoken word
to make the translation, for me TO tell
you what that life means TO you.
There is the life spread out before
you. Take it, translate it, complete
il in your own. When we think of
such a life and character and contrast
it with our own, we may well be
staggered by the greatness Of the
contrast.
But what is character cannot
tell you, do not know, what il is.
know what it does, what are its re-
suits; but what it is no one knows.
And how il is formed know: ii is
very simple, the process. The charac-
ter Of life is the result Of the habits
Of the years, and habit is the result Of
the acts and the choices Of the days;
Of single choice, beginning to-day and
here. A very simple choice made in
the presence Of great temptation. or
a great good--this choice is easy and