The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-04-07

Church AZ the meeting OF the Evan
gelieal Alliance in New York in 1852.
The third son in this notable fam
ily. In whose dear memory we are
gathered here today, was destined to
q life Of widely diversified activities.
When he left his fathers roof in
Torrepelliee. near Turin, he had com
pleted a course Of study corresponding
20 our high school course, and his
unusual gift for the mastery Of for
eign languages had already manifest
ed itself. Fortified by his fathers
blessing and buoyed up by youthful
hope he crossed the Alps alone in the
early spring Of 1869 and, making his
way TO a French port, he embarked
for Boston, where he arrived June 3.
His coming 10 Dorset was due TO
the fact that his brother was sent
here TO set up a machine for channel
ing marble, the first to be operated in
our quarries. Theophile came to help
his brother. Surely our marble indus
try, though IL has brought us much
gain, has never brought us any en-
richment more priced than that which
began with the arrival Of this Italian
youth. This work with his brother
was in East Dorset, in the quarry Of
Hawley, Fields and Kent, and when il
was finished the two brothers, through
the aid and advice Of Charles Field,
came over to our village for the win
ter The brother gave French lessons
here and Theophile became a member
Of my fathers family. His knowledge
of English was Of course slight at TINT
time, but he could say more with his
gestures and his facial expression
than many people can who have an
elaborate vocabulary. He studied
English with my brother and practic-
ed it with every one and made most
rapid advance. To me, his junior by
nearly four years, he seemed a prod
ICY of learning, and the fact that he
had climbed the Alps and crossed the
ocean made him something Of hero
in my eyes.
When the summer came, the sum
mer Of 1870, on the first Of May, he
Joined our church on confession Of his
faith, thus identifying himself with
our life in a manner that is far too
rare among those who come to us
from the Old World. DR.. Pratt who
received him into the church can hard
ly have dreamed how much this step
was to mean TO US in years that were
then far distant in the future.
Young Comba found plenty Of hard
work to do in the following year,
farming and quarrying, but he was
not daunted. What progress he had
made IN English and in what esteem
he was held in this neighborhood may
be gathered IN part from the fact that
in the fall Of 1872 he was engaged to
teach French in Burr and Burton Sem
mary. Whether he felt at this time
that he had found his life's calling
do not know, but il is certain that
the profession Of teaching has claimed
much Of his time in the subsequent
years, even TO the end Of his life.
From the Seminary in Manchester
he went TO Sigler's School for Teach
ers in Newburg, N. Y, where he
taught French for a number Of years.
It was in this period that his connec-
ton with us was still more closely
cemented by his marriage TO a Dorset
girl, Miss Martha Gray, in December
1874. When Mr.. Comba removed
from Newburg to Hudson it was to
give scope for the expression of his
interest in music, for which nature had
richly endowed him, both as a vocalist
and an instrumentalist. Here he con-
Quoted a large choir, organized and
led an orchestra, and in this period al
so began his work as teacher Of mod
ern languages in the summer school
at Amherst College, which continued
for twelve years.
From Hudson he went TO the Brook
Ign Polytechnic Institute as a teacher,
where he remained until he went into
in New York, at first as the
foreign representative Of a manufac-
turing company and later as men,
Der Of a publishing house.
After forty years Of most varied
work he retired, and came TO Dorset
for a few months, then after a third
and prolonged visit TO Italy he came
back to make Dorset his permanent
home.
OF his life among US during the
past ten years what need is there q A
speak. You an have seen him often
On the street on In HIS garden, in the
library and al church and In your own
homes. You know his kindly and
contagious smile. his sparkling dru-