The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-01-03
PAYS TRIBUTE TO FOUNDER.
Rutland Herald Writes About Samuel
Williams.

Elsewhere in this issue, The Heral,
gives considerable space to an abridgec
biography OF DR.. Samuel Williams
founder OF. The Herald, who died Ion
years ago to-day.
Students OF history are always inter
ested in matter of origin, SO the char
acter of man who could leave such al
impress on the life of the state and com
munity as to perpetuate the newspaper
which he founded for over 1913 years
must always be important
| The Heralds historian, Mason A
Green, gives fairly comprehensive view
Of Dr. Williams in the extended bog.
raphy which appeared in the centennial
number OF The Herald, published Dec.
Sth, 1894.
A scholar, professor. philosopher, his
torian and preacher, the character and
training of Dr. Williams were not the
sort that modern publishers might select
to shape the destinies OF a newspaper,
but, despite many business shortcomings,
the founder of The Herald seems to have
left an indelible impress on the property
and on the community in which it was
located
Coming to Rutland as preacher,
whose theology was sometimes as much
questioned as his business methods, we
have the word of his historian that his
sermons were deadly dull. Looking over
the earlier issues of The Herald and
Judging them by modern standards. %
per cent of readers would vote them in
tolerably stupid, ponderous and stilted.
Yet, beyond doubt, The Herald of 1904
and thenceforward filed a well recog.
nized want in the life of the state and
soon filled such niche in the life Of
Nermonters as to he indispensable.
Looking over the meager pages and
trivial advertising business of the earlier
issues of The Herald one is led to won
der how it managed TO pay the printer,
and, as IA matter OF fact, it seems fairly
clear that the means of Judge Samuel
Williams. later financial hacker of the
new venture, were somewhat involved
therein, while the contract for the state
printing was probably the means of fur
nishing some OF the breath of life to the
publication.
II seems apparent, therefore, that not
the many personal pecu-
liarities and financial eccentricities of
The Herald's first editor, the elements OF |
true character and national vision were |
fundamental in his success in establish |
ing a newspaper which has lived under |
varying conditions and ownerships for |
nearly a century and quarter
Under these vicissitudes and changing |
some measure at least of the /
-esolute spirit of the little man in small
,lothes, who preached on Sunday in the
East Parish church and on week days
published federalist sentiments and safe
md sound conservatism to an audience
rome too patient of those doctrines and
n the main democratic in principle, must
rave come down through the years.
At any rate, The Herald of to-day |
POINTS with pride to a policy and set of
principles which can be traced without
90 serious disoca tion to the days when
Washington was president, Rutland was
frontier village and editorial amenities,
instead OF being clothed in the respect
BILE language of DIR. Williams. were
ftener couched in the violent terms of
Iatthew Lyon, who tried unsuccessfully |,
o establish a rival newspaper.
Incidentally. the people of Rutland and
f Vermont owe something to the cour-
geous spirit. the learned intellect and ,
he enlightened vision of Samuel Will i,
ans. Ii. D., founder of the Rutland Il
Herald.