to the other, being
engaged in a very large part of the important actions that
were tried in those days. The Court had long sessions. The
judges who came from abroad were anxious to get their work
done and go back to their homes. So the Courts sat from half
past eight or nine o'clock in the morning until six in the
afternoon with an intermission of an hour, or an hour and
a quarter, for dinner. The parties to the suits came from
all over Worcester County. Frequently it was impossible to
see the witnesses until the trial came on, or just before.
So the lawyer had to spend his evenings and often far into
the night in seeing witnesses and making other preparations
for the next day. General Devens and I had at one term of
the Supreme Court held by Chief Justice Bigelow twenty trial
actions. The term resulted in a serious injury to my eyes
and in my being broken down with overwork. So I was compelled
to go to Europe the following year for a vacation.

But I found time somehow, as I have said, to keep up a constant
and active interest in politics. I was also able to contribute
something to other things which were going on for the benefit
of our growing city. I got up the first contribution for
the Free Public Library, of which I was made President. I
took a great interest in the founding of the famous Worcester
Polytechnic Institute, and I was the first person named in
its Act of Incorporation. The first meeting of its Trustees
was held in my office, and I am now the only surviving member
of that Board, in which I have retained a warm interest ever
since. In 1869 I made before the Massachusetts Legislature,
on a petition which was successful for a legislative grant
to that school, what I believe is the first public address
ever made in behalf of Technical Education in this country.
I was for some time President of the Board of Trustees of
the City Library and while President planned the excellent
reading room connected with the Library, for which I obtained
a handsome endowment by personal solicitation.

I was also Trustee of Leicester Academy.

The Worcester Lyceum, which furnished the principal course
of lectures in the city in those days, was in the hands of
some very worthy and conservative old Whigs. They would not
permit any politics or religion, or what was called Radicalism,
either in religious or social matters, to be discussed on
their platform. So we had to listen to very respectable and
wort