River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1925-02-05
A Friends Tribute
To Doctor Ashley
Mt. Dora, Florida
January "a, 1925.

January "A, 1925.
"A wire has just come saying that
Or. Ashley has gone.
Several years ago the Doctor and
myself made an agreement, that
when one of us was taken the sur
yivor would conduct the funeral SER
vices. l would go a long distance to
fulfill that pledge But she best
can do is to say through the medium
Of your paper what / should have
been glad to say face to face with
River Falls people more at length.
think | have some qualifications
to speak of Dr.. Ashley. / have known
him for thirty years. | knew him
inside and out. / have worked with
rim, and have quarrelled with him;
seen Linn in his business and in his
home; been with him under fire and
in the relaxations of the camp. was
his pastor for years and his comrada
for more.
DR.. Ashley was not a saint. He
will never be canonized. Under the
stress of friendship l give him no
undue praise. He had his glaring
faults, and none knew them better
thans the man himself or regretted
them more His faults were on the
outside, apparent to ALL His virtues
were within, hidden to many. He
could be gruff, and he was often
what the women call ''horrid;' but
within was kind heart, loyal soul,
true man, brave personality al
ways moved by fidelity to what he
thought to be fair and right. In all
the years | knew him, in the trying
question of the hour, never knew
him to finch, even though adherence
tc his convictions cost him popular
ity and practice.
The Doctor was modest man He
had intellectual gifts beyond the
usual measure; but he was not in
flated by them. He was reared in no
Iampered lap of luxury. On the con-
trary he was early thrown into the
rough of life, and his own achieve
ments were victory. Yet they bred
no Qualification Of himself as a self
made man.
I~attempt no appraisal of him as
physician. Those better qualified
than | cando that. although / recall
that in one department of medical
| practice he had we'll deserved
celebrity, and for over twenty
years ne never lost "case." There
is many a child and woman now liv-
ing in River Falls who owes her life
to the services of this man, rendered
to the point of exhaustion in the
crisis of life's advent.
DR.. Ashley was true friend;
loyal to men and causes. He sought
to be fair-minced and he was clean.
He was no blind partisan either of
men or parties, but with him it was
no reason that he should abandon
either because they Glanced to be I'M
popular. SANDER and passion slrew
mud at him as they do at all who
stand for anything. but in al the
years / knew nm recall no illtemp-
cred malicious Judgment of any
man. He was often cruelty hurt, but
he did not return evil for evil.
Neither have | ever beard from him
a single vulgar word, jest or allusion
or anything out of place in the refined
circles of the drawing room.
As a citizen River Falls has lost Il
strong character and useful man,
although a sense of this loss has
been erased by his enforced retire
ment of recent years. He was on the
right side of every controversy, and
| lie stayed placed, In the temperance
battles Of the day he was at the front
III every crisis, although many
Others, supposed to be right, had a
singular gift Of silence at roll call.
He belonged to that trio of men who
were once arrested by the saloon
| forces. The other two were Messrs.
| APP Roberts and Whitelaw. The OPP
probium and sacrifice of those days
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