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No man in Arlington, Massachusetts, was more highly esteemed, none had a wider circle of friends, nor could warmer affection be displayed by men for a man, than was awarded Edwin Smith Farmer by his friends. Arlington had always been his home. His civic record was one of service and unselfish- ness, and his private life in keeping with the high moral standards of Chris- tian life.
Thomas Dwight, M.D.
A MODERN writer has recently deplored the effect on the world of the fear of death. There is no fear of death in the strong who are about to die, but only in the weak who linger. Cer- tainly, there was none in the late Dr. Thomas Dwight, of Bos- ton, Massachusetts. For nearly two years from the time when he heard and accepted the verdict, and up to the last few months of his life, he lived his usual way, did his work, deliv- ered his lectures, and wrote his book. The courage which upheld him in the face of monotonous daily suffering without chance of ultimate recovery, and the cheerfulness which was its constant sidelight, were naturally the admira- tion alike of relatives and physicians. It was the highest type of courage, for it accompanied individual hopeless struggle, inability for effective resistance, and lacked the sustaining inspiration of action and the dramatic help of bat- tle or great disaster. Yet death comes to the brave in gentle fashion, in the garb of a helper, and it came to him, not as a thief in the night, but as an ex- pected guest. For many years a German woodcut which Dr. Dwight loved much, hung over his desk, a virile, powerful print, showing a little room just below the belfry in an old church toweer. Through the tall open window is seen a smiling valley, mountains in the distance, and a quiet village nestling in the sunlight. Sitting in a rude arm chair, his limp hands dropped in his lap, is the body of the old bell ringer, who through the long years of a life of faith- ful service had rung for masses and vespers, angelus and burials. To him, toiling to the last, death has come as a kindly friend, bringing well-earned rest as a gift, and, standing before him in a monk's cowl, with bowed head, has taken the rope from his lifeless fingers, and is tolling the bell, finishing the task. So death came to Dr. Dwight, who, we may well believe, recognized in his own experience the realization of the allegory in the picture that he knew so well. Dr. Dwight was one of those fortunate men who possess a marked indi- viduality all their own. His face and figure, his almost patriarchal beard, through which he ran his fingers meditatively, his decisive manner of speech, and his hearty but quiet laugh, served to mark him clearly in one's memory. The life of Dr. Dwight terminated at his summer residence in Nahant, Massa- chusetts, September 8, 1911, and exemplified in the highest degree the sterling virtues which it is necessary to possess in order to fully live up to the demand of this great profession, and so highly were these virtues regarded by the com- munity in which he dwelt, that his passing away at the age of sixty-eight years was felt as a real personal loss.
The birth of Dr. Thomas Dwight occurred in the city of Boston, October 13, 1843, the son of Thomas and Mary Collins (Warren) Dwight, both
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Thomas Dwight, H.D.
of whom were worthy representatives of old Massachusetts families. Dr. Dwight was the eldest of a family of three children, the others being James, who died July, 1917, and Mary Veronica, of Boston. J. Collins Warren, M.D., of Boston, and a near relative of Thomas Dwight, said: "Thomas Dwight nev- er seemed to be a robust child, but although frail physically, he was always eager and ready to do his share in boys' play. Athletic sports had not yet become a part of a child's life in those days, and there was no great physical demand upon one's strength. Dr. Dwight held his place amongst his play- mates more by virtue of an intellectual force, which at that time manifested itself in a marked manner. As an instance of how he was able to overcome any defect may be mentioned the peculiar childish lisp of speech, for which he was placed in the hands of his teacher when he first went to Mrs. Tower's School for Boys on Park street in Boston. By persistent effort and attention to the drill of his teacher, a marked change in his accent was developed, char- acterized by a sonorous roll which was so distinguishing a feature of his speech in after life."
At an early age Dr. Dwight accompanied his parents to Europe, and after a long residence in Paris, France, he acquired an easy familiarity with the French language. His childish recitations of some of the French classics, with which he showed great conversancy, often delivered in an appropriate costume and characterized by a marked individuality of pronunciation, were a great delight to the older members of the family. As the child was premature, so the boy developed into an "old-fashioned" type of character, which re- mained more or less with him throughout life. Although quick to learn, and of an intellectual caliber that made learning easy for him, Dr. Dwight, when a boy, had not yet developed any strong taste for study. His shortened un- dergraduate term enabled him to begin his professional studies a year or two earlier than he would otherwise have done, and his capacity for hard work and serious endeavor quickly developed. He studied in Harvard University, grad- uating from the Harvard Medical School in 1867. He then took a post-grad- uate course in Vienna, and while abroad studied in many hospitals there. Alive to all that was new and interesting, Dr. Dwight then returned home keen to begin his chosen career. It was quite evident that although he felt it his duty to practice in his profession, his heart was really more in the scientific study of medicine, with a strong leaning towards anatomy, which at that time formed a large part of what was then classed as laboratory work. It was not long before a college president, coming from Maine to become a Professor of An- atomy, found in Dr. Dwight one to his liking and one fully prepared to take on all the responsibility pertaining to a professor's work. And so the professor's career began early and soon blossomed out. For a short time the sense of duty kept Dr. Dwight in the ranks of the practitioners, but this was not a rôle for which he was fitted either by inclination or temperament, and when at length in the fullness of time he rounded out and took his place among the world's anatomists, the "Doctor" became merged into the "Professor," a title
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Thomas Dwight, M.D.
which a whole generation of pupils and hosts of friends loved to remember him by, as it seemed an appropriate symbol of what is typical of one devoted to science, to pure living and devotion to the cause which he was gallantly serv- ing.
From 1872 to 1876, Dr. Dwight was Professor of Anatomy and a lec- turer at Bowdoin College. From 1874 to 1883 he was Instructor in Histology at Harvard University, and from 1880 to 1883, instructor in Topographical Anatomy at that College. In June, 1883, he was made successor to Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes as Parkman Professor of Anatomy and Physiology. Dr. Dwight was editor of the "Boston Medical Journal," 1873 to 1878, and gave a course of lectures at the Lowell Institute, on "Mechanism of the Bone and Muscle." He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sci- ences, and was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Academy of Philosophy and Medicine of Rome, Italy, and president of the Catholic Union of Boston. He received the degree of A.B. from Harvard University in 1872, and that of LL.D. from Georgetown in 1889.
Dr. Dwight was a gentleman in every possible sense, by birth, inherit- ance, instinct and habit, in the technical, the general and the widest meaning of that word-a gentleman at the head of his family, and one who did not think parental authority and thorough discipline inconsistent with fatherly love and tenderness, in short, a gentleman who realized the highest signifi- cance of the title and who lived up to its ideals. He possessed certain over- powering characteristics which dominate the picture that his friends hold of him. Perhaps the most prominent of these qualities were his faith and cour- age. His faith was the keynote of his life, and next to this his courage per- vaded his every action, whether as a Catholic, scientist, teacher or writer. He was not in the accurate sense of the word a convert to the faith, for he was baptized at the age of twelve years, and from that time on never faltered nor doubted. His faith was active, practical and unwavering. In many public ways it was manifested, but through how many silent and hidden channels it flowed, to the refreshment of the poor, not even his closest friends can know. His charity was ever colored with the warm flush and enthusiasm of religion. He was neither a dreamer nor a theorizer, but always an active worker, a director, a partaker, who with full hands, and in his own person, visited the sick and comforted the afflicted. These things he did as a gentleman should do them, quietly, thoroughly, earnestly and persistently. Dr. Dwight was a mem- ber of St. Vincent's and St. Paul's Society, and for a time was president of the General Council, and attended the Catholic Cathedral in Boston.
As a teacher the quality of courage was also manifest. Decision stamped his statements and directness dominated his lectures. He taught what he had learned from his own deep study and observation. As a teacher in the first and second school years, he was therefore positive, convincing and admirable, and stamped himself and the facts he taught upon the minds and memories of his students. Incidentally it may be added that his faith did not interfere with
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Thomas Dwight, H.D.
his scientific work. In his function as public library trustee he stood unfail- ingly for what he felt was right and just,particularly in relation to Catholic books and beliefs. Though friends and colleagues would differ with him, he held his convictions without compromise, and his views without wavering. Thomas Dwight was a great admirer and a deep student of his name Saint, the reli- gious philosopher, Thomas Aquinas. But there was another who seems to have been in even greater measure a pattern for this noble man, and that was Paul the Apostle.
On September 18, 1883, Thomas Dwight was united in marriage with Sa- rah Catharine Iasigi, a native of Boston, and a daughter of Joseph and Eula- lie (Loir) Iasigi. Dr. and Mrs. Dwight were the parents of eight children, as follows: Joseph, Sarah Catharine, Mary Collins, deceased; Margaret, Hel- en, Lawrence, deceased ; Florence, and John Warren, deceased. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Dwight resides on Beacon street, Boston.
It is unnecessary to speak at length of Dr. Dwight's actual accomplish- ments in the field of anatomy. He was an enthusiastic and zealous student of gross systematic anatomy. He returned well equipped from his studies in Europe for the pursuit of microscopic anatomy and embryology, but his incli- nation and perhaps his early interest in clinical work led him more and more definitely along the line of gross anatomy. In the study of variations, espe- cially of the bony skeleton, he made himself a master, unrivaled in this coun- try, or probably elsewhere. In connection with these and other investigations, Dr. Dwight enriched the Warren Museum with valuable collections made by his own hands, which will endure as a worthy monument of his industry. He was indeed an indefatigable worker, and it is undoubtedly as a teacher that he deserves to be held in the highest esteem. He dearly loved to lecture, and spoke without notes. He did not trust to the inspiration of the moment, but prepared himself with great care, and built up year by year an efficient educa- tional machine which was steadily improved with ripening experience. He may be said to have been an able anatomist, an authority on certain special fields, and a teacher of the first rank.
We herewith quote the words of David Cheever, M.D., of Boston:
Thomas Dwight was rigidly, inflexibly, and uncompromisingly honest. His opinions were strongly held, strongly defended, and rarely changed by argument. It would be dis- loyal to the memory of a man of such temperamental qualities to remain silent about their inevitable results. If his predecessor was the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, certainly Dr. Dwight was the Autocrat of the Department of Anatomy. On the personal side he was the kindest, most considerate and approachable of men. No under-graduate or graduate came to him for help without obtaining all that was in his power to give. These are the qualities of a man of strong individuality and opinions, and, led to the upbuilding of a well- organized and well taught department, complete and sufficient unto itself.
Dr. Dwight was the Author of "Anatomy of the Head," "The Intercra- nial Circulation," and "Thoughts of a Catholic Anatomist," besides contributing several papers on "Human Vertebra Anatomy."
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Thomas Dwight, O.D.
Thomas Dwight faced death, as he had faced life, with the courage and confidence bred of his character and of his faith. Here was a gentleman whose physique, habits and heritage gave promise of fifteen fruitful years to come, yet he was called e'er he could reach three score and ten. Why some are taken who seem so deeply needed, why some remain, we cannot know. Dr. Dwight's death was a loss alike to family and faith, to friends and to faculty, to pro- fession and to students, but both life and death were examples which he left behind for encouragement and imitation to those who admired the gentleman unafraid.
PESOA.Sf
George Franris Mond
George Francis Wood
W HILE American trade annals contain records of many men who have been the architects of their own fortunes, there has been no record more creditable by reason of undaunted energy, well formulated plans, and straightforward dealing than that of George Francis Wood. In the proud list of her citizens known and honored throughout the business world for stability and integrity, Boston has no cause to be other than entirely satis- fied with the career of this prominent business man, who was engaged in the brokerage business, into which he introduced all the elements of success. The methods by which he attained the high position which held the estimation of his fellow-men attested his qualites of mind and heart. Courageous, cheerful, clear of judgment, and untiring in labor, Mr. Wood carved out of enduring granite his success as a monument to himself and his exceptional qualities. We have a term, which originated in this country, to express a particular type of man, and which means far more to the true American than the honors and titles conferred by kings and other rulers. This term is that of self-made man, and expresses with a certain pungent precision, common to popular phrases, a type with which we are all familiar, and for which we feel the greatest ad- miration. It would be difficult to find a better example of what is meant by this term than in the person of Mr. Wood, whose death, which occurred at his home in Boston, July 23, 1903, at the age of sixty-two years, closed the life of one who had not labored in vain. To say of him that he rose unaided from comparative obscurity to rank is but stating a fact. In all the walks of life Mr. Wood so acquitted himself as to be regarded as a most valued and honor- able citizen, and as a representative business man. His genial nature won for him a very wide circle of friends and business associates, and it was only a natural outcome that his passing away brought forth many utterances of regret and sorrow.
The birth of George Francis Wood occurred in Worcester, Massachusetts, November 15, 1840, the son of Francis and Elizabeth (Woodward) Wood. The latter died when George Francis Wood was but four years of age. Fran- cis Wood was a man of modest circumstances, and his death occurred in Wor- cester, Massachusetts, at the home of his daughter. He was an artist and dec- orator.
Soon after the death of his mother, George Francis Wood removed to Springfield, Massachusetts, in company with his father. While there he at- tended the public school for a short time, but most of his education was ob- tained outside of the school-room, his teacher being "Experience." When a boy of eleven years of age, Mr. Wood sold books, newspapers and such articles
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George Francis Wood
on a train operating between Springfield, Massachusetts, and Albany, New York. In this capacity he displayed the beginning of a keen business foresight, which was his possession all through life. In passing through the train, he would place a book, magazine or newspaper on the seat beside the passenger, not asking them to purchase. Usually, however, the bored traveler uncon- sciously picked up the article left, and when the young train-boy returned to collect his goods, the passenger found it much easier to pass over a coin than to be interrupted in the reading matter, thereby greatly adding to the sales of the boy news-merchant. Everything has a beginning, and this plan of sell- ing is to-day almost universally in usage on trains.
Mr. Wood was not destined to make railroading, or the news-business, his life's work; a passenger on the train found in him a bright, honest and likable little chap, and through this man's influence Mr. Wood entered the employ of the Leicester Bank, at Leicester, Massachusetts. As stated before, his school- ing was decidedly slender, but his ambition as a child was great and he sought in independent reading and study the education and general culture which his environment alone was inadequate to give him. Upon entering the bank at the age of fourteen years, he found that he was a very poor penman, but this did not discourage him, for he immediately set out to overcome this handicap by taking for a copy the writing of one of the bank officials. His efforts were re- warded, for after long, tedious hours of practice in penmanship, he developed a beautiful handwriting, clear and firm as a steel engraving. Mr. Wood re- mained with the Leicester Bank for seven years, after which he became asso- ciated with the City Bank of Worcester, Massachusetts, in the capacity of tel- ler. Several years later he entered the employ of the First National Bank, also at Worcester, in which he was elected as cashier. Mr. Wood was always a public-spirited citizen, but not an office-seeker. However, while in Worces- ter, he was elected to the City Council. He made many friends there, all of whom regretted to see him move to Boston, which occurred in 1873. Going to Boston, Mr. Wood became a member of the brokerage firm of Rogers, Wood, Loring & Company, which afterwards became known as Wood, Loring & Com- pany, upon Mr. Rogers forming another firm, that of Rogers, Tolman & Newman. Later this firm and that of Wood, Loring & Company united, and the present combined firm is now Loring, Tolman & Tupper. Mr. Wood re- tired from all active business life several years prior to his death, owing to impaired health. Mr. Wood was one of the first men drafted in the Civil War from his section, but the bank paid for a substitute for him.
Among the most prominent bankers and brokers in the city of Boston were Messrs. Rogers, Wood, Loring & Company, whose offices were at No. 147 Federal street for many years. They were engaged in business since 1870, and by their energy and enterprise, coupled with the most strict integrity and com- mercial honor, succeeded in building up a connection of a most superior char- acter, many of their customers being among the most prominent business houses in New England. Their business was chiefly among manufacturers of
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George Francis Wood
boots and shoes and dealers in leather, and such was their experience in the continuance of their transactions with the members of that important industry that they became intimately acquainted with the rating of each firm, thus en- abling them to accept or refuse their notes as circumstances in each particular case dictated. The firm also carried on a large and extensive banking business, loaning money, and on the street and among the community-in-general they stood at the very head and front of the important industry in which they had been so successful. The members of the firm were highly respected and influential citizens, commanding the confidence and esteem of the entire com- munity. It came to pass that their names were guarantees in character, com- mercial integrity and capital.
On December 23, 1862, George Francis Wood was united in marriage with Anna M. White, of Leicester, Massachusetts, a daughter of William P. and Eliza E. (Smith) White. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Wood was blessed with two children, both daughters, namely: I. Mabel Augusta, who became the wife of Charles Crosby Blaney, and they are the parents of two children, Carolyn and William O. Blaney. Mr. and Mrs. Blaney reside in Waban, Mas- sachusetts. 2. Julia Elizabeth, wife of Frank Edward Fennessy; they reside in Brookline, Massachusetts, and are the parents of two children, namely, Frank Edward, Jr., and Esther V. Fennessy. Mr. Wood was a man of strong domestic affections, finding his chief pleasure and recreation in the home circle. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Wood has removed from their old resi- dence at No. 354 Commonwealth avenue, and now resides at the Hotel Buck- minster, located on Beacon street, Boston.
Mr. Wood was a charter member of the Algonquin Club, being one of the first fifty to join that organization. He was prominent in Masonry, having become a thirty-second degree Mason. He attended the Unitarian church, to which he was a generous contributor.
The funeral services of Mr. Wood were held at the residence on Com- monwealth avenue, and was largely attended by friends and former business associates and acquaintances. The services were very simple, the Rev. James De Normandie, Doctor of Divinity, and minister of the First Religious Soci- ety, officiating. The remains were taken to Worcester, Massachusetts, for burial in Rural Cemetery, of that city, the native place of the deceased.
The influence that is exerted by a man of high aims in business, and in his relations to the community in which he lives, was well exemplified in the career of George Francis Wood, who was in every respect a typical repre- sentative of the New England character, and a man of the highest moral integ- rity. His rise from train-boy to banker, then from banker to broker, was phe- nomenal. The advancement of self-made men to high positions of honor and responsibility illustrates the caliber of the true American business man, and surely such a man as the late George Francis Wood should exert a wide-spread and vital influence in the actual lfe of the community in which he resided.
Eugene Francis Endicott
T HERE are men whose memories are always green in the minds of those who knew them, whose personalities are so vivid that the recollection of them is fadeless, and whose life still thirobs in the hearts that loved them. To this class of men belonged the late Eugene Francis Endicott, ex-Mayor of the city of Chelsea, Massachusetts, and who still lives as one of the signal men of that city's history, whose name and record can never be forgotten. He was a man who took possession of the public heart, not alone by flashes of genius or brilliant services, but by kindness and the force of personal character. The sad news of the death of Mr. Endicott quickly spread among his many friends and admirers. Everywhere there was grief at the loss of a noble and public-spirited man. Those who had not been so fortunate as to have known him personally, mourned his passing away, which occurred in Chelsea, Massachusetts, December 10, 1914, for the invaluable services that he had rendered to the community at large. He possessed the elements of real greatness, and showed in his face the characteristics of a man that could not be trifled with. The record of his public services will always remain a price- less heritage to his native city of Chelsea. Mr. Endicott was a man who, by his own exertions and perseverance, had achieved success in all that he had attempted, both as a business man and in public life, and socially was one whose friendship was to be highly prized. Men who are the possessors of Mr. Endi- cott's qualifications or ability and integrity, that are willing to sacrifice their business interests and comforts for public service, are too rarely found, and his place in the community cannot be easily forgotten or adequately filled.
Eugene Francis Endicott was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, October 14, 1848, the son of Elijah and Clara ( Browning) Endicott, both of whom were Massachusetts people, and members of old and prominent families. Eu- gene Francis Endicott was a descendant of some of the earliest families in the State of Massachusetts, his ancestors having served in the Revolutionary War. Being born of a worthy ancestry, he did not fall below the standard thus set before him. Mr. Endicott received his early education at the old Williams School in Chelsea, from which he graduated with high honors. He then at- tended the Chelsea High School, now Cary School, and shortly afterward ex- pressed a desire to enter business life, to which his parents finally consented. Mr. Endicott became associated with the firm of Mason Tucker & Company, drygoods merchants in Boston, with whom he remained for several years. He then became connected with the Lamson Store Service Company, and was later manager of the Universalist Publishing House in Boston, remaining in this capacity for seventeen years. Mr. Endicott was also a member of the Uni-
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