The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-11-27

Among all banal phrases the one ]
hate the most is reference to any person
as seventy years young" A man who
and ten is making record of longevity
which should not be discounted by jug
Cling adjeetiFes.
The Vermont National is an old bank
the oldest in yermont-and it is
probale that its president, the Hon.
James NJ. Tyler, is the oldest bank presi-
dent in the state, perhaps in all New
England. His father lived to be eighty
seven years of age, but Judge Tyler has
already passed that record. On April p
lie will be 50. The closest contender
which Judge Tyler is known to have in
the rank of seniority among bank presi-
dents is his former colleague, Judge
Rowell president of the National Bank
OF Randolph, two months younger than
Judge Tyler.
Although he has handed over the ae-
tive management of this banks business
to Mr. Staples the cashier, Judge Tyler
is still in almost daily touch with the
bank. In addition TO presiding as chair
man of the board of directors at its
monthly meetings, he is on hand every
mittee on Investments. Retaining keen
ness of all his faculties, except for
some difficulty in hearing, his experience
and Judgment are much respected and
they still constitute an asset to patrons
of this bank.
At his home on Oak Street-No. 10
/ sought the interview with Judge Tyler
which without his knowledge was adver-
tised in the last issue of this magazine
! called just after the breakfast hour
but even then found him pressed with
business for the day about which he
must be up and doing, and besides, he
aeowed, there was not much that he
could say to a reporter.
In his reception room my eye fell on
chair which l coveted because it was
very old and had fine lines; but when
the Judge stepped in from the breakfast
table and stood especially erect, with
clear eye and color in his cheek, !
thought: If old furniture is considered
sometimes priceless, how much greater
store ought we TO set upon man who
has weathered eighty odd years, who re
tains his grace of character and who
honestly counts himself as useful.
II have a number of engagements t.
attend to this morning" he said, land
/ don't know what | could say abou.
myself for your magazine"
For that matter | did not know either
But a professional interviewer is never
tim will have nothing to say. | NIGH
have asked him how he had managed to
cover successfully such a mileage Of
years; but knew, and so do you.
Judge Tyler turned to a volume of
Who's Who I'm all summed up in
here" said he. and | scanned the para
graph. Something hke-this:
TYLER. James NJ, judge b. at
Wilmington, VT. Apr. 81, 1896;
s. Ephraim and Mary (BisselD T.;
ed Brattleboro (Vt) Acad. LIB,
Albany Law Sch, 1850; IN. Ellen f.
1861 died Jan. %, 1STD; I'd, Jane
r. Miles of Brattleboro, Sept. 1,
1875 Mem. VT Gen. Assembly.
1851 1868; states atty. Windham
Co., 1878; mem. 10Th and 47th
Congresses (1S79-S3), I'd VT Dist;
Republican. Address Brattleboro,
IF that isn't all you need" Judge
Tyler continued, you win find more
extended article in Miss Cabot's An
nais." And there we. were again. Every
time / have inquired of anyone here
abouts for some historical reminiscent
they have referred me to the Annals. -
Miss Cabot has acquired a monopoly in
restraint of further trade in local his
tory. Her two splendid volumes pub
lished by f. l.. Hildreth & Company
constitute a more exhaustive record, We
believe, than any other one town in
/ asked permission to convert some Of
her facts TO the lighter purposes of this
magazine that she has generously given
me complete liberty in this regard. The
book isn't mine" she says. Il did it for
the people of Brattleb0ro."
By way of incidental reciprocity and
advertisement let ii be said here that in
every home where our local history is
cherished at all there ought to be copies
of her work. 1t ought, indeed, to be
sufficiently well received to pay for the
expense of printing, which is-1lot true as
yet The two volumes may be pur-
chased at the Office of the Hildreth
printing plant They would make an
excellent Christmas gift.
Continuing the interview with Judge
Tyler. / said: Il notice yOu were sit
ting in Congress before / was born, and
l am 49,"
That recalled to him that in a recent
issue of The Fermonter. he had written
a chapter of Congressional Reminis-
cences." In those two eventful con
crosses he found himself the contempt.
rary of such older Nermonters as Ed
munds, the master-rnind of the Senate
and Senator Morrill, whose Tariff Bill
aud Land Grant College bill alone would
give him a lasting place in history. He
felt the thrill too, of Senator Conkling's
pLdtokiCdt poNeN. III tbe HOUSE ne Sd
with such well-remembered men as Gar
field and Mckinley, Reed, Frye, Aldrich
and the everlasting Uncle Joe Cannon
Among the Democrats at that time were
many men who had been members of tht
Confederate Congress or officers in The
Confederate Army or both He hearC
Garfield deliver his inaugural.
Judge Tyler was asked what criticism;
he could make of our present age. Thi:
Is favorable tack with iuterviewers. L
will always get rise out of the average
man. but to put the question to the ag,
of eighty-seven is less provocative.
"Brattleboro used to be quite centel
of men of culture" the Judge midi,
said. such men is Thomas Wentworth
Higginson and others of fame in TIL
world of art and letter have made Brat
tleboro their home. We have none 0
Del, r.-&