and her father, Matthew Bridge, and which has a marked history if it could all be told.

Nathan Bridge, the brother of Mrs. Baker, and his family are particularly mentioned in the article on the Dexter estate.

Seth Knowles, the husband of Sallie Bridge, was a merchant and for many years a noted man in the town. He represented it in the Legislature in 1816, 1822-23; was in the Senate in 1824-25, and was a member of the Convention in 1820. He lived in the brick house on Town Hill (Harvard Street), to which reference has been made, from the time it was built till about 1830, when he removed to Boston. There was a fine garden belonging to this homestead. To stop to admire the good taste displayed in the arrangement of its flower-beds was common for passers-by.

Referring to this garden, Dr. Abraham R. Thompson used to tell a good story about a highly respected deacon of one of the churches in the town. One day in early summer, when the sky was clear and the air balmy, the doctor was making his morning round on horse-back, and drew up by the side of the deacon who was looking through the open fence at this garden.

"Good morning, neighbor!" said the doctor. "This is very bright, sunny weather for the gardens, and we ought to thank Mr. Knowles for this fine show of beautiful plants and flowers, and for his generosity in providing for the public enjoyment."

"Yes," said the deacon, "this is a very pretty show; but is it wise to spend so much time and money on such frivolous things? It seems as if our friend's thought should be on more serious matters."

"I have never looked upon flowers as frivolous things," replied the doctor, "or questioned the wisdom of the Almighty in scattering them so profusely over the face of Nature. There is scarcely a spot of earth that does not send

up some bright little flower to

quicken love and to cheer us on the pathway of life; not a nook or cranny, even, where

"True, true," interrupted the deacon; "that is a point I had not considered.

Yes, I think Mr. Knowles is very kind to place his beautiful flower-bed where passers-by can enjoy it."

The spurs pressed lightly upon the sides of his horse as the doctor rode away, and the deacon was left to enjoy the flowers and to sigh less over the errors of his friend Knowles.

Mr. Knowles was one of the founders of the Harvard Unitarian Church, one of the first board of directors of the Bunker Hill Bank, and one of the original members of the Bunker Hill Monument Association and of its first board of directors. He had much to do with the negotiations for the purchase of land, and was also on the building-committee. On the morning of the day when the corner-stone of the monument was laid, June 17, 1825, the occasion of a grand celebration made forever memorable by a visit from General Lafayette and the eloquent address of Daniel Webster, the Knowles mansion was thrown open for the reception of the ladies; and in a very interesting book by Josiah Quincy, published in 1883, entitled "Figures of the Past," there is an account of this reception, taken from a journal kept by a sister of Mr. Quincy. She says:

On arriving at Charlestown we drove to the house of Mr. Knowles (one of the marshals) where it had been arranged that the ladies should assemble. All the rooms of the house were crowded with company and we were received with great kindness and civility by its mistress. The ladies vied with each other in the elegance of their dresses, and their variety afforded us ample entertainment during the hour we passed there, before we were permitted to secure our places to hear the oration. We found foreigners and strangers from all parts of the Union; among them, of course, many of our acquaintances Mrs. Webster, Miss Sedgwick, Mr. Daniel Wadsworth, and others. The latter is a gentleman of taste and cultivation. He spoke with great enthusiasm of the visit of Lafayette to this country. "I was in the carriage with the General," said he, "when he entered Hartford. Lafayette was describing to me the sufferings he underwent at Olmutz, when we came to a place where the crowd had collected to welcome him. His description was rendered inaudible by the cheers which rent the air. Lafayette bowed to the people, and then turning to me said with emphasis, 'These are indeed the extremes of human life!' To which I replied, 'They are extremes which no mortal but you have been permitted to behold.'"

After Mr. Knowles removed to Boston the house became the residence of Edward Everett, concerning whom, and its other occupants, something may be said in subsequent pages.

APRIL 26, 1890.

XXXIX

The Statue of
of Harvard

The Gift of Samuel J. Bridge Address of Dr. George E. Ellis.

N the previous chapter I alluded to the statue of John Bridge, the Pilgrim pioneer, and to Samuel J. Bridge, for some years a citizen of Charlestown, who presented it to the city of Cambridge. I desire now to say something concerning another statue interesting to Charlestown people inasmuch as it perpetuates the memory of an early citizen of the town whose love for learning and whose generosity made him the founder of Harvard College. The statue of John Harvard, in the grounds of the college in Cambridge, was the gift of Samuel J. Bridge, and to him are we indebted for whatever of pleasure and gratification the fact of its erection affords

us.

It may be interesting to make some further reference to the history of this statue. At a dinner of the Alumni of Harvard University on commencement day, June 27, 1883, the presiding officer read the following letter:

TO THE PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE:

Gentlemen- I have the pleasure of offering to you an ideal statue in bronze, representing your founder, the Rev. John Harvard, to be designed by Daniel C. French,

of Concord, and to be placed in the south end of the inclosure in which Memorial Hall stands. If you do me the honor to accept this offer, I propose to contract at once for the work, including an appropriate pedestal; and I am assured that the same can be in place by June I, 1884. I am, with much respect,

SAMUEL J. BRIDGE.

Dr. George E. Ellis, who was present and one of the speakers at the dinner, referring to the subject, said:

It is delightful for me to have heard for the first time this day that one of my boys [turning to Mr. Bridge], a member of Harvard Church Society in Charlestown, is to give to the college a statue. It must be an ideal one; but our ideals, we are told, are always perfection; and, if there ever ought to be a perfect exposition of a good and lovable man, it must be that of John Harvard.

The ceremonies of unveiling the statue took place October 15, 1884, before a large audience in Sanders Theater and on the grounds where the statue was placed. Doctor Ellis, in behalf of Mr. Bridge and by official invitation, made the presentation speech. It will be needless for me to speak of its appropriateness, point, and eloquence, but I may with propriety, perhaps, quote a few extracts from it. Referring to Mr. Bridge, and to his acquaintance and friendship with him, which dated back more than forty years, he said:

He has been a wide wanderer, a traveler in all lands, having more than once circled the globe. As a confidential agent of our government for many years on the Pacific coast, he faithfully discharged high trusts. He has liberally endowed many aids to education, and