Moses Brown Su Vived His Brothers Many Years

At R I s H s S held a meeting of the hode land i torical ociety ,

B . T uesda v n O 18 1892 A s J s LL. y e eni g, ctober , , ugu tine one , ,

P M s s B s read a aper on o e rown ; at the conclu ion of which , the

m B . a ff M r. W s w s W . following re olution o ered by eeden , and , k E M r A s M . after highly complimentary remar s by . ma a aton and

P s R s wa s s re ident oger , unanimou ly adopted

R E SOL E D T h a ks S V , t the than of the ociety be , and are hereby

t n l B . hi s s A s J s LL. s ab e pre ented to ugu i e one , , for and cholarly sk a n d s v s M s s B etch of the life er ice of o e rown , and that a copy

s s v s S of the ame be reque ted for the archi e of the ociety , that it may s erve to honor and perpetuate the memory of on e of

s s S was z the founder of thi ociety , who an eminent citi en of the

S fﬁ s tate , and an e cient promoter of the cau e of education and of humanity .

E x tract from the records .

A M O S PE R R S ecre a ' , t ry .

— NOT E Letters referred to in this document are nearly a l l in the C R l l S abinet of the hode Is and Historica ociety .

MOSES B ROW N .

Those gentle , unobtrusive people , who, without

o f seeking the attention and applause men , have nevertheless contributed to their liberties and their education , and have assisted them to better food and clothing, are now beginning to receive that recognition and appreciation which , until recently , was reserved exclusively for politicians , martial

- heroes , and demi gods . These are the true delvers who remove the obstacles from human progress .

a re These the moral heroes It may be said , in

* - There is more h eroism in s el f denial than in deeds of arms .

S en eca .

” o f i s ' A Ma n ' l The true epic our times not rms and the , but Too s ” l k — a rl l e c C . and the Man , an inﬁnite y wider ind of epi y The time wil l come when the science of destruction shal l bend before the arts of peace ; when the genius which mul tipl ie s our pow s f ers , which creates new product , which di fuses comfort and happiness

th e a s l s h a l l l among great m s of the peop e , occupy , in the g enera k h k estimation of man ind , t at ran which reason and common sense

i —A ra o now assign to t . g . of the trite words Swift, without detracting from ' a noble profession , that whoever can make two of a of ears corn , or two bl des grass , to grow upon of on e a spot ground where only grew before , will

of do s deserve better mankind, and more es ential service to his country th a n the whole race of poli ” i i a n t c s put together .

Industry, invention and education , have fitted out re fin e the cottage with comforts , luxuries and ments not possible until recently in the homes of un re princes . The humblest person by the most p n ow tending fireside, at a minimum cost, may

of or study the wisdom the ancients , the marvel

l f n ous achievements o his o w generation .

The city of Providence, fortunate in its situa

- tion at the head waters of Narragansett Bay , thrice fortunate in its birth of freedom and soul 16 3 6 liberty in , was most highly favored in the

character and quality of its founders .

But in all that group of sterling , famous men , W who were the colleagues of Roger illiams , not a bl e one was more , upright and spotless than the

Rev . Chad Brown . And the descendants of that heavenly minded ma n have had greater inﬂuence upon the fortunes of this city than the offspring h li of any ot er man vmg or dead . w Moses Bro n , in direct lineage from Chad

or Brown , was born in near Providence , Septem 7

23 173 8 ber , , and lived here until his death , Sep

6 1836 - tember , , almost ninety eight years . His long life covered nearly on e - half of the existence of then , both the colony and State . He was the

o f youngest son James and Hope Brown . His

o r brothers were Nicholas, Joseph and John , as tradition says , the colored servant called them ' M i ” os e . from their sports , Nickie , Josie , Jonnie , r Moses Brown su vived his brothers many years . h He left sc ool at thirteen , having lost his father, and went to live with his uncle , Obadiah Brown , 1764 whose daughter, Anna, he married , in . He received considerable property from his uncle , who made his share of his estate the same as that of either of his children . And a further sum also came to him by his marriage . This marriage was

n a n d blessed by a so two daughters . The daughter W 1794 Sarah became the wife of illiam Almy , in , the other daughter died in infancy . His only son ,

1822 of ﬁft Obadiah Brown , died in , at the age y * two years , his father surviving him fourteen years . Obadiah Brown a n d William Almy were partners

' of with Samuel Slater, the Father American

1792 1822. Manufactures , thirty years , from to They manufactured the ﬁrst pure cotton goods in

i . this country , under the Arkwr ght invention

* 28 7 XI V . . . S e e L W s Vol . etter of Noah orce ter , , p 8

The warps were previously linen . And Moses

- . Brown was the foster parent of the enterprise .

He exhibited in childhood that rare judgment , that ﬁne quality of discrimination in men and things , which distinguished him through life . He took pride in old age in th e following illustra tive anecdote : A cargo of molasses was being dis d charge , and the children were allowed with their spoons and bright tin pails to catch the dripping molasses . A customer asked the merchant which k ' ' I ’ w ” was the best cas he had don t kno , he ' replied ; ask that little Mo- sas- us faced Moses ” ou Brown ; he will tell y .

He was a Freemason , and , indeed , was secretary f 1 o 76 9 . the lodge eleven years, until Then was ' heard , as all through his life , Moses Brown will ” 17 0 . 6 be there at the hour He was, in , admitted f to be a freeman , with full privileges of su frage .

It marks a change in customs and sentiment , 176 2 that he was authorized , in , to secure thirty thousand dollars , by lottery , to pave the streets of this city , and that he himself was a director in that lottery . It is not so remarkable , however, when we remember that the best people made use

to or of such means raise money for churches , for w any other common good . It, ho ever, shows his public spirit . The Brown brothers were in partnership ten 9

176 3 years, from , and did a very large and suc f * ce s s ul business . n 1773 Moses Brown lost his wife , An a, in , when

- f he was thirty ﬁve years o age . He married twice 1779 d afterwards ; ﬁrst, Mary Olney, in , who ied 1798 1799 in , Phoebe Lockwood , in , who died in

- of 1808 . The last twenty eight years his life he was unmarried . Moses Brown and Stephen Hopkins assisted of V Joseph Brown in observing the transit enus , 7 in 1 69 . This was done so accurately that the United States C oast Survey has since found the results very satisfactory . Joseph Brown expended

ﬁve hundred dollars upon this observation , and

n o the location is w called Transit street . Moses Brown had a special taste and aptitude for mathe e W mathi s , and , like George ashington , was an a of ccomplished surveyor land , and possessed an

- elegant London made compass . 1769 This same year, , Moses Brown moved the of th e Assembly, wh ich he was a member, to have northern line of the State rectiﬁed . But Rhode

Island had so long neglected her interests , that, although she contended one hundred and ﬁfty years in all , she lost, and Massachusetts gained a district over one-ﬁfth of the present size of Rhode

* ' Increa s ed means and increa s ed lei s ure are the two c ivil i z ers of ” man . 10

a of Island . He was member the Committee which reported the line to the Assembly to be four miles north of the present boundary . He represented this town in the Assembly more 1764 than seven years from , at that period when bitter and strained relations began to exist between the colony and mother country . There was ﬁerce W strife , also, between ard and Hopkins , and , although Hopkins was on e of his nearest and W dearest friends, and the ard faction had reason w to feel that his sympathies ere against them , yet,

of with a full measure public conﬁdence , he was

- again and again re elected without opposition .

He was on the most important committees . He was a member of the committee respecting the

Stamp Act, which , by its resolutions in the inter ests of Liberty , exceeded in spirit and vigor the declarations of all sister colonies . They neither ' hesitated nor faltered ; they said that the As s embly of Rhode Island h a s the sole and exclusive

l a a l l dire c right to y taxes , and attempts in that ” tion by others are unconstitutional . They de cl a re d that the ofﬁcers of the colony were to dis regard the Stamp Act, and the colony will indem n ify and save them

—Pl a to There can be no afﬁnity nearer than our country .

Of s um l the whole of human life , no sma l part is that which con 11

It was in 1770 that Leagues* were formed in f many places against the use o tea . The mis tresses of three hundred families in Boston sub 9 th scribed to such a league , February , binding themselves n ot to drink tea until the Revenue Act on 12 should be repealed . And the th the young ' of on e s a m W e ladies Boston signed , y g, do with pleasure engage i n denying ourselves the

drinking of foreign tea, in hopes to frustrate a plan which tends to deprive a whole community of all ” u s that is valuable in life . It reveals to the of intense patriotic sentiments Moses Brown , his

sturdy character, his obedience to duty, that he

also then made a vow to drink no more tea, and meekly and q uietly kept it more than sixty years , f even to the end o life . He furnished to his guests always what Samuel Pepys called a ' Chinese ” of ff drink , excellent quality , while he drank co ee ' or t ff . o herb tea If meat make my brother o end ,

I will eat no ﬂesh while the world standeth .

of 1772 The burning the Gaspee , in , was stig ma tize d l n on e England by high in authority, as

’ l a n d h is l sists of man s re ations to his country , fee ings concerning it . la dston e G .

x l s That grounded ma im , so rife and ce ebrated in the mouth of s l s s l wi est men , that to the pub ic good private re pect must yie d . M lto n .

’ * L 2 s C l U S Tea eagues , Harper yc opedia of nited tates History , 13 76 p . . 12

f A crime o deeper dye than piracy . And it was suggested that persons from Providence would be sent to England to be tried for their lives, if

of suspected a share in it . Governor Hutchinson , of of Massachusetts , proposed to annul the charter the colony . Rhode Island , in her distress , appealed to Samuel Adams . The committee were Darius

Sessions, Deputy Governor ; Stephen Hopkins, l * Chief Justice ; John Co e , and Moses Brown . of The characteristic reply Adams was, that

An attack upon the liberties of one colony , was f ” an attack upon the liberties o all . He was

thoroughly sensible , as Franklin was, when he

had signed the Declaration of Independence , that ' or they must hang together, they would hang ” separately . The life and future career of Moses Brown were ff suddenly and e ectively changed, by the death of

17 73 n 5 . . o his wife, Anna, Feb , He was placed the committee to correspond with the other colo n ies , in June, but his feelings , his desires, his heart were cha n ged rl‘ Returning from the grave of

* B ’ 4 4 s U Vol . VL . 1 ancroft s Hi tory of the nited States , , p .

E ve r th i n l T y g that happens to us , eaves some trace behind ; every

he l . oet thing contributes imperceptib y to make us what we are G .

h a s l h is l l He himse f revealed po itical imitations , in a very interest l J W l J ing etter to ames arren , who , after the death of Genera oseph W P s P l C Ma s s a c h u arren , became re ident of the rovincia ongress of ' M R s . s : l P l s etts He write y e igious rincip e , thou art , I presume , 13

’ his wife, and meditating upon the Lord s mer w cies and favors , and seeking to know hat the ' : Divine will was concerning him , he says I saw my slaves with my spiritual eyes as plainly as I to see you now, and it was given me as clearly understand that the sacriﬁce th a t wa s called for ”96 of my hand was to give them their liberty . He was ' not disobedient unto the Heavenly vis ” ” ' ' ion . 1 He conferred not with ﬂesh and blood , l 0 th of 11th 17 73 but on the day the month , ,

of n made the deed manumission , givi g liberty to ten slaves ': The deed is duly recorded in the s s m W a r m l m en ible , do not admit of y interfering in , but y ove for y m country , and sense of just rights , is not thereby abated , and if y poor abil ities coul d be a n y w a y subservient to a happy change of ff s h m l s a air , not ing on y part wou d be wanting . I had thought of C o u f coming to ambridge , and giving y some account of a fairs , and the l l disposition I found the peop e in at Boston , having a considerab e l Of A a s l l opportunity with the principa ﬁcers of the rmy and Navy , we th e S l l as with e ectmen . But the fatigues of s uch a disagreeab e l m l errand weighed strong y to bring me home to y fami y and friends , x l n who were an ious y waiting our retur . P 1 1 5 — 2 1775 . Le ers l I L . 3 . . tt Vo . rovidence , of mo , , , p

' * E we o mi t s s l k very duty , obscure ome truth we s hou d have nown . k R us in .

h i s l ﬂ b ut s T ere no evi that we cannot face , or y from , the con cious

d — a niel Webster ness of duty disregarde D . To what gul fs a single deviation from the track of human dutie s s l—B r on lead y .

Ob e di en ce s —1 E sch lu s . f is the mother of uccess . y

N ot C l l l i the hristian re igion on y , but Nature hers e f cries out th e s — Leo against tate of slavery . X. 14

V l 6 73 o . C Probate Records, , page , and a opy is f m in the Cabinet o this Society . This docu ent is full of directions to his legal representatives to

of take care these wards , who had not been taught

of to take care themselves.

It reveals , also, the peculiar religious teachings of of the Society Friends , of that period , although he did not join them until the next year . He says to his slaves , Be watchful and attentive to own that Divine teaching in your minds , that con vinces you of sin , and as you dutifully obey its

n ot enlightenments and teachings , it will only cause you to avoid open sin , but will teach and lead you into all that is necessary for you to know as your duty to the Great Master ‘ of all men , for He says, I will write it in their hearts , and they shall all know me , from the least to the He became a member of the

2 h 1 4 om 8t 77 . c Society of Friends April , The mittee to visit him report ' that they have had an opportunity with him , and think it may be safe to grant his request . Therefore , he is received f ” under the care o the meeting . This record is certainly tame in the light of his o of subsequent career in the S ciety , which he was for half a century the most distinguished orna ment, and the most inﬂuential member in New

n England . Stephen Hopki s was disowned by 15

in 1773 n o t Friends , March , , because he would

e . liberat a slave woman He , however, attended the meetings of the Society through life . It is probable that he was annoyed by the ofﬁciou s ness of the committee in meddling with his pri

a ﬂa irs to . vate , and refused to be dictated by them He was certainly always in favor of human free

' dom . Moses Brown the same year liberated his slaves , and the next year joined the Society which

Stephen Hopkins had left . The Revolutionary W a r and separation from the mother country probably received little sym H e pathy from Moses Brown . was not prepared for resistance to blood . There he found his lim ita tion 17 75 . He was surprised , in , when separa tion was suggested to him as a possibility . Even

Dr . Franklin did not, until the very latest mo ment, think such extreme results were to follow.

Rhode Island, by op position to impost law, set in motion the agitation which brought forth the Con s titution of the United States ; and yet she was the last of the original States to adopt it .

on n It has been said , excellent authority, that i

1787 a n d 179 0 i n that critical period , between , which the momentous question of the Union wa vered in the balance , the great personal inﬂuence of - al Moses Brown with his fellow citizens, . ( though he was in private life ,'contributed power 16 fully towards the ratiﬁcation of the Constitution

by this State .

Silent inﬂuence, without annals, has often been

more potent in great events , than the incidents

with brilliant record , which have taken the name of history . The once belligerent Moses Brown had become f an apostle o peace . The religious change from Baptist Opinions and teachin gs to the views of

Friends which he experienced, has been often f the subject o comment . He himself related that his ﬁrst religious interest was awakened in on a frightful storm the bay , when he seemed

of to stand in the very presence death . But the

of of loss his ﬁrst wife , the liberation his slaves, and the sympathy received by him from the

Society of Friends in this act of justice , his

studies, and the natural constitution of his mind , m which was of a deeply conte plative nature , all contributed to direct him to that ﬁeld where his eminent C hristian course of usefulness and true nobility of soul were to be most intimately

known and felt . N ot 1776 a Friend in the world held slaves in ,

n the era of the Declaratio of Independence . ' or His brother John , as he called him Brother ” o John , the chief rebel connected with the destru

of o wn tion the Gaspee, was captured on his cargo

b and the Americans were esieging it . He passed the American lines successfully with his letters ; he next encountered the British sentinel , who did him not see him until he was near to , and then W he says, hen he turned and saw me near him , he was so angry that he gave me such a blast as

I never had, or heard before . I did not know ” what his fright might induce him to do . They were both thoroughly frightened ; but soon his letters took him to General Gage , to Admiral to Graves , to Chief Justice Oliver, and also visit

Brother John . He was the very ﬁrst Ameri can who had gone into Boston after the contest at

fo r Lexington , and while he waited General Gage who he conversed with Major Pitcairn , convinced him that he thought the Americans ﬁred ﬁrst at

. on e of Lexington Judge Oliver, who was the Commissioners who held Court in Newport a long time, directed by his Majesty to ﬁnd out who ' burnt the Gaspee , said to Moses Brown , It is true there were named before the Court ﬁve John

Browns, some black, some white , but no person was so identiﬁed as to enable the Court to issue

on any process , and, considering the subject, we were united in judgment th a t nothing further l could be done , and I will speak to the Admira , if ” you wish it . And , at his request, the Admiral ' ” set Brother John at liberty ; and n ow follows 19

of the words of Moses Brown , deepest import, ' It happened well for me and for John that I knew nothing of his being concerned in the burn

o f or a w a s ing the Gaspee , th t he charged with ” it . It was his hones t entreaty in behalf of ' Brother ” John , his perfect certainty that John had no con n e tion ff c whatever with the a air, that brought about his rescue . If anyone is still inclined to suspect that he knew more than he admitted , par ticularly as he was a partner in business with

to John , the answer it is , that we have the words

of of to the contrary an honest man , who, all men , knew whereof he spoke . He says he not only ’ ff knew nothing of John s connection with the a air, ' but he did n ot know that he was charged with ” d re it . Besi es , he had no motive to be false in lating the story voluntarily to Tristam Burges , sixty years after the event . There was now no ' Brother John ” to capture from the merciless

British . It is to be remembered , also, that on

of that night, when citizens in the village Provi dence were ga the rin g/in boats to resist the attack on w a s their liberties, he probably at his home by

the Seekonk, more than a mile away , and , as there

was little more th an a bridle path to it, that dis tance became a far more remote separation than

it would be at present, and hardly a secret in his 20

tory was better kept, until there was no further for occasion concealment, than the names of the

persons who burnt the Gaspee . But to return to the brothers : they both mount ed the same horse Moses Brown had ridden to

Boston , John in the saddle , because he was older

re and larger, and Moses on behind . They were ce ive d u pon their arrival in Providence , with * j oy beyond expression . They were immediately e th e G call d upon to attend eneral Assembly , and

relate all they had seen and heard . Stephen Hop a wa s kins , then member of Congress , present, t and thereupon an earnes discussion ensued , and

the Assembly, at that very sitting , voted to raise of a regiment ﬁve hundred men , and Generals

Greene and Varnum to be put at the head of it . be Moses Brown , having liberated his slaves,

came an earnest abolitionist . He was a founder f o the Abolition Society of Providence . He gave to the colored people the landi' on which they built of their house worship . His house was a place f on o refuge the underground railway to Canada .

fo r He visited Congress in Philadelphia, asking f the suppression o the slave trade . He agitated b of the su ject constantly in the Society Friends .

They held no slaves themselves, but they were

L l l See etter of W i iam Harris .

a rt l X . . 3 2. Le tter Ma c Vo . f to George y , III , p 21 urged by him to use everywhere their utmost inﬂuence to extinguish the evil . He frequently

n n visited other States , stimulati g and spurri g the people to legislation against the traffic in men . o Before Garrison and Phillips were b rn , this excellent man was sturdily fighting the battle of e human fr edom , with his friends Anthony Bene * m — zet and John Wool an as co laborers . These men assisted in preparing the way for the fina l

f . overthrow o that gigantic wickedness . John G W 183 3 hittier says , I read to Moses Brown , in 4 or , at his request, the speech of the Premier on the passage of the Emancipation Act in Eng ” i h will land . He gave his ﬁve hundred dollars to the anti-slavery c a us e rl' Every chapter in the life of this noble man is another illustration of his regard for the whole k V or . people , without distinction of race ran ital religion and love to God had ﬁlled him with love to men . He had learned the luxury of doing good , and that the highest happiness is found in being helpful to others . W td hile he labored free the bodies of one race , he sought by education to liberate the minds of all races and classes .

* Bene z et wrote that tract which started Thomas Cl arks on on his l W mission to suppress s avery in the British est Indies .

Letter l l X C V o . . 4 T to Samue oates , . III , p . 22

wa s He appointed , with three others , by the

in 176 7 town of Providence , , to draft an ordinance for of free schools , and Higginson says the report this committee wa s the ﬁrst attempt to embody * and organize the free school idea . He was next of of on a committee the Society Friends, in April , 17 77 s , to draw a plan for free chools in the Soci

ou t ety, which was carried , and Moses Brown was pla ced on the ﬁrst school committee in northern

Rhode Island . He was deeply interested in Rhode Island Col lege , which afterwards received the name of Brown

University . He was a member of the Assembly which granted its charter, and this is given as the reason why he was not a charter member . W W hen Newport, arren , Greenwich and Provi dence were all presenting their advantages and special attractions a s the abiding place of the college, Stephen Hopkins and Moses Brown were of the representatives Providence in the meeting,

O l wa s The pening of the first grammar schoo , the opening of the first trench a gainst monopoly in Church and S tate ; the first row of trammel s and pot - hooks which th e l ittl e S h ea rj a sh u b s and E l kanahs l l - k wa s l b otted and b ubbered across their copy boo s , the preamb e to

l —Low the Dec aration of Independenc e el l .

l l - l b a ttl es Not on y the need e gun , but the schoo s , have won our . Leh r n e t. — Public instruction s houl d be the ﬁrst object of government N a o p ol e n I . l — h Toi of Science swel ls the wealth of Art Sc iller . 23

ff and by virtue Of their o ers Of endowment, their eloquence and arguments , the college came to

9 th 17 70 . Providence, February , He gave the n e 1771 college o thousand dollars in , and after wards a donation Of books . Dr . R . A . Guild says ' The ﬁrst motion to have the college in Provi dence came , so far as we can learn , from Moses ” too Brown . Is it much to honor him as a founder of the noble University ' He certainly was one

Of its earnest friends in its infancy . W a r th e During the Of Revolution , the Society of Friends began to agitate the subject of a school 1780 for higher education , and in , ten years after the University was located here , a subscription for was taken such a school , and Moses Brown

-fi ve t gave five hundred and seventy dollars o it . 1782 He wrote an earnest appeal to the Society in , of 1784 nineteen printed pages , and , in , after the war , the school began , in a little upper chamber Ol d in the meeting house in Portsmouth , R . I . s till n The building is standi g, visible from the of hills Providence , arrayed , it is to be regretted , on in modern ornament . His s Obadiah attended r this school , and his Latin G ammar, with his ’ - name in it, in his father s hand writing, is kept n with miser care . Isaac Lawto , schoolmaster, poet and preacher, was the first principal . This school had a brief life , and after four struggling

of -on e years, took a recess thirty years . 24

n Moses Brow was treasurer . He gathered the scanty fragments of school property ; he invested 1814 ff o to advantage , and , in , he o ered to d nate to the school its present site of forty-three acres

Of land , and informed the meeting that the rem nant of the Portsmouth school estate h a d grown to nine thousand three hundred dollars . The subscriptions , under this impetus, came in freely ,

an u a r 1s t 1819 and the school Opened again , J y , , i n the principal building of the present Friends

School . He gave the school constant care during of m the last seventeen years his life, aking per e tua l p donations to it . His son , Obadiah , died in 1822 b , leaving to it y far the largest bequest in one sum , which had been given to any school or * of college in this country . The will the boy was in the hand - writing of the fa th er j f They were united to each other as the heart of one man , but the soul Of Moses Brown was marching through the history of the Friends School for almost sixty f years . It adds to the historic signiﬁcance o this

i t ma n ufa c large fund , that came from the ﬁrst ture Of unmixed cotton fabric in America . It is neither the time nor the place to consider the importance of this school to Rhode Island

o u t and the country . It has sent thousands upon

* L 29 2 J O V l . XI . . o V . etter of ohn sborne , , p L e e V l XI 288 . S o . V . . T etter of Moses Brown , , p

country . He had himself been long interested

in the subject . He had previously purchased all i n the machines which he could Obtain , that were of the direction this invention , which invention * and u n dertaking consisted in spinning cotton so that it could be used for warps in pl a ce of linen of thread , and in the moving the machinery by is wate r. It very important to note how long and h ow much the mind of Moses Brown wa s awak ened on the subject Of cotton S pinning before he ff knew Slater . These previous e orts enable us to

see why he so readily took up a stranger , an immi Or grant without money , drawings , anything ex

cept his own honest , manly person and character

to recommend him . It adds greatly to the force of this consideration , if we call to mind that mul titu de s of imposters had come ou t from England claiming to be able to construct the Arkwright

machinery .

Moses Brown wrote to Samuel Slater, December ' 12 1789 : o ur th , Come and work machines , and have the credit as well as advantage of perfecting ” - the ﬁrst water mill in America . Samuel Slater the came , and Moses Brown took ﬁnancial risk , and furnished him with the best means and oppor

* S pinning was performed previously to th e y ear 176 7 on th e do

m i - l — emoir o a mu l a b es t c . e S l te eor e White one thread whee M f S r , y G g S. ,

9 80 . 1 . 27 tun ity in the country to unfold a n d perfect the W a Arkwright invention . hoever has had his p of tie n ce tested by the plausible recitals inventors, or had his bank account depleted in a fruitless attempt to materialize their dreams of impossible th e u things, will have sympathy with ndertaking of Moses Brown , and will entertain a certain rev erence for that sublime faith and foresi ght which controlled and guided him in this great and patri E u otic service . The eminent services of the

lishma n g , Samuel Slater, are j ustly held in high of esteem , while the skill, tact , push , and capital W il the native Americans, Moses Brown and the kinsons, which so largely contributed to the recon struction of the machinery here that it seems like

re - n of Off a inventio , are little thought , or cast with tardy and scanty praise . They are entitled to a much higher recognition in this country than on e they have received . It was remarked by who m of knew, that the ti ely practical suggestions Moses Brown followed the construction at every ' d h n stage . Moses Brown sai , The mac i ery was so much longer in preparation than he expected , that he was The most clever and expert mechanics in the world were not then

h h l - l l T ey were more t an a twe ve month comp eting , before we cou d — get a singl e warp of cotton perfecte d Letter of M os es B r own to J ohn

ex ter c 1 1 1 i 8 O t. 5 9 em r o mu a b eor e t . 5 . 7 oi S a el l ter S . Wh e D , , , M f S , y G g , p 28

of n swarming in the streets Provide ce , neither were huge engines then o n every hill and in every valley driving machinery and doing the labor of thousands Of men with great perfection and with

the versatility almost of human thought . The

ff of trials and e orts Samuel Slater were very great ,

no doubt . In deep anxiety , with tears in his eyes , ' he says , If I am frustrated in my carding ma ' chines , they will think me an So

great a work it was to found the Roman nation .

‘ Moses Brown , without any aid from the Stated

o r nation , other persons , carried through and de ve lo ed c a ita l p , so far as p was concerned , this art of of manufacture, to the great honor and beneﬁt

Rhode Island , an achievement which both the States of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts sought in vain to accomplish with public bounty . Neither were Moses Brown ’ s trials at an end

* l l b W . 9 6 9 7 . Memoir of Samue S ater , y George S . hite , pp ,

N O h a s b a n s T encouragement been given y y law of this State , nor b a n s a n l l l y y donation of y society or individua s , but who y beg un , ” x —L etter o os es carried on , and thus far perfected , at private e pense . f M

m o m l a b or e Whi e 88 89 B rown s e e e oi a uel te e S . t . . ; M r f S S r , y G g , pp , John Dex ter has shown his appreciation of the s ervices of Moses l J l 7 th 179 1 l l : ' l Brown in his etter of u y , , as fo ows I address myse f o u h l l to y on t is subject with more conﬁdence , from a fu conviction h t at , as no one in the State has more at heart the encouragement of — our infant manufactures h a s been more indefatigabl e and l iberal in th e l h h l estab is ment , improvement and use of t em than yourse f, so no one can possibl y posses s a more competent knowl edge of their com ” me n ce me n t . , progress and present state 29

when the machinery was in successful operation . W n S hen it was known in E gland that, in pite Of Of law and guards, the Arkwright invention had E m really escaped and gone to America, then the glish manufacturers combined in associations to

ﬂood this country with cheap goods , and , with bankrupt prices, to strangle the infant at its * birth . for a n d Then thrice fortunate this cause for us , f 4 th 17 89 W the tari f Of July , , signed by ashing Or n ot d to ton , unconstitutional , declare be for the assistance of these very industries , came at this juncture and crisis, as a barrier, protection , and defence . And also we were fortunate in the cour age and steadfast purpose of Moses Brown that , or with proﬁt without, this should succeed , for the public good rl' That we may more fully appreciate the scope n and importance of this u dertaking, I will quote from distinguished contemporaries . ' Tristam Burge s said in Congressi A circu m

* b a uth tf i t th e l E n This , I am informed y good y , was po icy of the l s e — OS E S g ish manufacturers , formed into societies for that purpo M R OWN — emoir o a mu l a r b S e S l te or e . Whi e 68 . e t . . B M f , y G g S , p ” ” ' ' th e l — en eca . 1 ire is test of go d adversity , of strong men . S h ma l l Grit is the g rain of c aracter . It y genera y be described as l z — l l h heroism materia i ed , spirit and wi thrust into eart, brain , and k h s l th e bac bone , so as to form part of the p y ica substance of man .

s e e ch R A l 21 i p on the tariff in the House of epresentatives , pri , 18 28 8 - moir a m . 0 . S e e e o S uel S l a ter b eor e White S . . 9 . , p M f , y G g , p 4 3 0

stance worthy of the attention of the whole n af of a tion , and worthy , also, a fair p ge in history , is the art and mystery o f making cloth with ma

- chinery moved by water power . This was intro d uc ed into Rhode Island, and commenced at Paw tucket, four miles from Providence, about the same time that the American system of tariff was

4 th 1789 . established by the impost law of July , I have often thought Divine Provi to dence directed Slater, and brought him lay his th e W k project before il insons , because He had not ﬁtted any other men in the country with minds and abilities either to see and at once compre

Of hend the immense beneﬁt it, or to under stand and perform what must be understood and performed to bring this scheme into full and per ” i f ' of feet operation . A yard cloth made by

the wheel and the loom , cost ﬁfty , never less than forty cents ; it may now be had for nine or ten f cents . A trade so productive o public beneﬁt ” will be duly appreciated by all patriots .

I think that we shall all agree , that in a higher,

to if not a truer sense, Mr . Burges ought have

said , that Divine Providence directed Samuel

Of Slater to Moses Brown , and by years training

and experience, prepared him ardently and joy

. l fully to welcome Mr Slater . Because the W i kinsons were only the chosen agents of Moses 3 1

of Brown , and from the meeting Brown and

Slater, all came as a natural sequence . of Alexander Hamilton , the ﬁrst Secretary the ' : ma n ufa c Treasury , said in commendation The

n ot tories of cotton goods , long since established M at Beverly , in assachusetts , and at Providence , o in the State Of Rhode Island , and c nducted with a perseverance corresponding with the patriotic motives which began them , seem to have over come the ﬁrst obstacle to success . The quality will bear comparison with the like article brought from But the Secretary does not mention that Beverly , with the bounty and the

Commonwealth at its back , still used linen for ou t warps , and was in the rear, far of sight in h t e race . Each of these distinguished contemporaries rec ogn ize s the patriotic purpose which dominates this great enterprise , and here , at least, Moses Brown ' is conspicuous . He says himself, I, being desir ous of perfecting the machines if possible, and the of u business cotton manufact res , so as to be useful to the country All the other fa ctorie s j‘ in the country sprang on Al l from this e . the others took the mystery

* R A l x i l S th e eport of e ander Ham ton , ecretary of Treasury of the U S 5 1 9 1 7 . nited tates , December ,

Me mo i r of l S l b W 1 S . . 0 6 10 7 85 T Samue ater , y George hite , pp , , . and art from this fountain source . To this group W n of men , including the ilkinsons , belo gs the fadeless honor of having begun and set in motion the elements of that thrift a n d prosperity in man ufa cturin g with both cotton and wool which has t nourished and built up these New England Sta es, and provided the people at large with the com forts and luxuries of life, and their homes with the culture and reﬁnement which characterizes the * highest civilization in the world .

W e on e will not snatch the laurel from brow ,

to twine it about the other, of these two illustrious

men . One was the father, the other was the fos

- ter parent . The cloth they made could not exist

without both the woof and the warp . This great f achievement required both o them . Let the praise be duly awarded according to the distin

uishe d of of g merits each them , and let all men join in grateful appreciation Of what they did for

us, without us . But let every Rhode Island man ,

Tristam Burges said ' That these manufactures enabl ed E ngl and so to mul tiply l abor and accumul ate weal th in the cl ose of the l ast and beginning of the present century as to stand between the mil itary

o f E e n ti re l ib e rti es l despotism one part of urope , and the of the wor d . ’ —S eech a t Pa wtucket J un e 1828 s e e l B a in es H is to o ot p , ; a so ry f C

o a u a t n M n f ctures .

' Nor wil l the enl ightened judgment of modern s deny that the k men to whom we owe such inventions , deserve to ran among th e ” ’ m k or e hite m i e . W s e o r o a m chief benefactors of an ind . G g S M f S uel

l a ter . 9 1 . S , p

' a liberated Brother John , that Moses Brown p

e a re d of W p again at the lines General ashington , l in Boston , with a mission to fo low in the wasting W of . track war, and feed the starving poor ash i n gton could not allow it ; the British commanders

refused to permit them to pass , but they went to

Lynn and sent in provisions in boats, by permis m * sion of Ad iral Graves .

Moses Brown , with his committee of Friends , aided three thousand and thirty families in differ

of ent places , consisting six thousand nine hun

- dred and twenty three persons . The Friends of Philadelphia furnished for the purpose

in addition to donations in New England . They followed the whole coast from New Hampshire to

Newport, including the islands Of the sea . These people were not giving aid a n d comfort to the enemy ; they were saving the lives of non -com b a ta n ts , within the city and without . Such action i looks for j ustiﬁcat on to the higher law, rather than to the will of comma n de rs i It takes its

* l s os i n s o ' th k . The ate t g pel thi w rld is , now y wor , and do it

’ Doing good i s the only certainly happy action of a man s life . Sir Phili dn e p Sy y . l k — l l . R ichter . Good deeds ring c ear through Heaven , li e a be

Lette r s L l I Vo . I 4 4 5 0 . 7 8 . T of Mose Brown to Henry oyd , , pp . , , R ' l ' E l 1 75 7 . ecords of the ear y Meeting of riends for New ng and ,

m i i — H u a n t s th e . Gon wius i y the eq uity of heart ﬂ . 3 5

wa s appe al to the court of Heaven . Moses Brown

never thought to be disloyal . His philanthropic

work was not done in secret . He continued always in the closest friendship with Stephen

- Hopkins , who was thirty one years his senior, and f M was an ardent supporter o the war . oses Brown 1781 ' writes , in , I was with Stephen Hopkins W s e e sitting , when General ashington called to

him . I sat some time viewing the simple, friendly and pleasant manner in which these two great men on met, and conversed with each other vari

ous subjects . I have occasionally seen Washing

ton before and since, and been impressed by his G ov simple , easy manner, as resembling that of ” n or e r Hopkins . The natural inference follows

that they both kindly regarded Moses Brown . When President Andrew Jackson visited Provi 20 th 183 3 ' dence, June , , he said to him , I am

glad to see thee . I have known all thy pre de ces f t . sors in o ﬁce , and I wanted to see hee He was -ﬁve of nearly ninety years age then . The helpful service of this remarkable man appears everywhere in the history of his native

city during his long life . He was on e of the founders Of the Providence Athen aeum library ; he 1 held share No . in that corporation . He was \ a founder of a Society for the Promotion of

Agriculture in Rhode Island . He was a founder of the Rhode Island Bible Society, an insti tu tion of growing inﬂuence . He was a founder of the Rhode Island Peace Society . He was also a founder of the Rhode Island Historical

Society , and presided at the organization of this society, and at the meeting which adopted the * e charter . W have already mentioned that he was a founder of the Abolition Society, the mis sion of which has fortunately passed away . He was a charter member of several of these in s titu

tions , and if we add his connection with the Col lege and the Friends School , we have a worthy exhibition of his quickening and V italizing i n ﬂu ence in this community . The historical service rendered by him was not, however, limited to the the Historical Society . If you would study early of commerce and shipping Of the port Providence , w the most trust orthy original document , is a letter of Moses Brown . If you are interested in the 1815 : great storm which , in the year , nearly sub

merged Providence , the best account of it is in a to letter of Moses Brown . If you wish study the

or history of the University, other institutions in

Providence, or the character and achievements of his distinguished contempora ries for almost a cen

- on tury , the reliable side light the subject is every where found in a letter from Moses B rown xl' It

l l X C Vo . I L 284 V . . See ircu ar , ; etters , p .

T h e l x s s t vo uminous e tant corre pondence of Mo es Brown , assures us 3 7

l seems proper and needfu , if we would thoroughly appreciate him , that we should follow him more * closely still , into his personal and home life . I think he began his married life at what was ' ” known as the Neck Farm , opposite the Swan

Point Cemetery , and it was his conﬁdent expecta

t of tion to have remained there the res his days , 17 70 in retirement, but in about , he bought Of the executor of the will of John Merritt, the '

a . Elm Grove F rm , near Red Bridge He built the ﬁrst bridge , and here he had his home until the end of life rl' A home around which clusters great historic interests . He paid six thousand dollars for this broad domain , where Mr . Merritt , a princely Englishman , with the true instincts Of on an Englishman , dwelt remote from town his

di tin . s c landed estate . Mr Merritt had the proud

n ot o n e tion Of having , if the ﬁrst, certainly at

on l period, the v coach in Providence , and when ’ this coach came into the street by way of Olney s

Lane, the children attended it with the same

l ﬂ l l of his wide persona in uence , both pub ic and private . It inc udes l etters to and from the foremost men of his period , upon a great vari e t s —S e e Letter s o oses B r own to eor e Wa shin ton J ohn y of subject f M G g g , H a n cock a n d others h R 1 t e C . . l S . , , in abinet of the Historica ociety

It is also worthy of note , that he did a g reat service for very

n l b l l l l . ma y fami ies , y co ecting and preserving their genea ogica records S e e en ea l o i ca l Pa wn 1 e s o os e B r o R . . s l S . G g p r f M , Historica ociety

th e s e — de Home is acred refuge of our lif Dry n .

L W P k l 4 . Vo . X . . 5 { etter of Georg e ec , III , pp and . 3 8

eagerness with which they greet a modern show . ’ Mary , the sister Of Mr . Brown s wife , took the

he 1771 farm which left, but in he carried a small elm tree on his b a ck from Cat Swamp and planted h f it before t e door o his ﬁrst home . This tree is

of on e still, at the age more than hundred and * twenty years , hale and hearty . Multitudes of happy people have min gled in the festivities and merry-makings under its spreading branches and

- grateful shade , cooling themselves with ice cream , and entertaining themselves regally with that ber r W ' y Of which Dr . illiam Butler said , Doubtless

God could have made a better berry , but doubtless ” Com God never did , a sentiment approved in the ” l e te p Angler, and by mankind generally . This tree extends a hundred and ﬁfteen feet from on e

on e of extremity to the other, the largest trees in

the State . It still flourishes in pride and beauty , a stately and magnificent emblem of the n obl e l institutions he planted . It wil have crumbled of to dust when they , in the vigor their usefulness will be still spreading aloft over men their b en e fi

cent inﬂuence . be Moses Brown retired early from business ,

* Ol d s l s l s tree , in their iving tate , are the on y thing that money —L a dor n . cannot command .

A l a tree is a nob er object than prince in his coronation robes . 3 9

f cause he was a ﬂicted with a fearful vertigo, which

attended him all his life, and must have seriously of interrupted the plans , purposes and activity

o n in ﬁrmi tie s such a man . His w led him to give

thoughtful attention to disease in every form , and

to the remedies . An extensive knowledge of med

icin e thus acquired , rendered him, when good

physicians were scarce , exceedingly useful to his * l neighbors . He was constant y consulted, and freely administered both ad vice and me dici n e s j Of a n He was fond m thematical study , and fou d in Stephen Hopkins a kindred spirit in these

delightful ﬁelds . He gave constant attention

to physics and chemistry . He sought in every way to put to practical and daily use al l that he Of saw and read . The roof his carriage was cov

ered with white material , to resist and not attract

the heat of the sun . He had extensive physical

apparatus, and materials for chemical experiments

always at hand . The home at ' Elm Grove was the abode con

s ta n tl of f y a deep , sincere spiritual li e . And this is the root and ground Of the inﬂuence which e ve r wl e re y r emanates from this saintly man . He for never himself posed as a saint , and that reason H we are more inclined to believe he was one . is

* L J l XI 2 5 V o . V . 8 etter of essie Howard , , p . .

L t r R e te . V ol X . . 7 . T of M otch , . III , p 4 0

on life seems to centre the two Commandments , ' ” on t which hang all the law and the prophe s ,

Love to God and Love to man . He and his relig ious associates laid great stress upon personal , super l S a . natura , Divine, piritual guid nce The command oiii t to set free his slaves was an instance in p , Of this illumination . The Friends were highly charged also with the Puritanic hostility to the s u erﬂuit - p y and vanity fair of this world, which consumes the lives of men in a perpetual round ‘ foll ﬁ of y They felt that Life is real , life is ear ” - V . nest, a solemn truth , as ital to day as ever It is important , however, to note that circumstances alter cases, and that many things which in that day would have been luxurious and extravagant ,

for the u se even the rich , of machinery has made almost essential in the humblest home . There is now leisure and money for art , which did not exist when the struggle for bare subsistence was i so ﬁerce and doubtful . The elements wh ch deter mine what is extravagance, change from age to age , but the testimony against it when recognized , ought to be perpetual .

Moses Brown was no ascetic . He thankfully received and used every reasonable creaturely com fort . Four meals a day, the year round , was the

* I t i s . the age that forms the man , not the man that forms the age

M a ca ul a y .

4 2

on his good nature , and the scathing lightning of his displeasure would frown the person o ut Of his i mﬁ W d s co te d . presence , rebuked and hen occa sion required, he spoke his convictions . The habitual expression of his face was pensive , but a not sad . Conspicuous in his char cter were good H e ness , generosity , charity , and wisdom . was , of as Sir John Denham said Father Thames ,

T clear hough deep , yet , though gentle , yet not dull ’ l S o erﬂowin ful . trong without rage , without g ,

- He was retiring , never self asserting . He would not have his picture painted , and it was taken without his knowledge . He had no sympathy with persons who did good works to appear unto men . They should be done , he thought as a duty l to God , and to men , with litt e or no mixture of selﬁshness .

There is something very admirable in a builder,

or - author, anybody else, who , in self forgetfulness ,

for - labors the good of remote generations , which can never reward his service , whether it be to or or plant a tree by the wayside , write a book , or Co paint a picture , design the Cathedral at * Un s ﬁ h u . e l s n ess log e anywhere and everywhere ,

There cannot be a more gl orious Obj ect in creation than a human l l being , rep ete with benevo ence , meditating in what manner he might s l l h i s C t b render him e f most acceptab e to rea or , y doing most good to —'i el din his creature s g . ' ou will ﬁnd people ready enough to do the S amaritan without il — d e mi the o and two penc e Sy n y S th. - hom is God like . It is such , even in battle . The age of mankind has attended the memory Of that poor common soldier who saved the life of Sydney on the ﬁeld of Marston Moor, and, when found v that he might be rewarded , refused to gi e his ' ” ' name , saying , It was not for that I did it .

N O one was allowed to paint his picture, and no on e was encouraged to write his biography .

Had he been a religious minister, the work of the Lord might have been spread out on the printed of n u page , but not the outward career the poor * worthy creature himself.

W e a e . live in another g , under another gospel When all men are taught to make this world

to appear blossom as the rose, while not neglect

or ing the next, themselves , and that all human greatness, goodness , and nobility should be held m aloft by the j ust the selves, for the reasonable admiration and imitation of mankind .

The moral heroes are the greatest . There are marked distinctions in great men . One order

z Caes a r or of leaders , like Bonaparte , seem to use their gifts exclusively for their own emolument

a dva n ta e s ' or personal g l Another, like Lincoln ,

* T h e l l l k l humb e sou is i e the vio et, which grows low , hangs the

d s l l —'rede ika hea downward , and hides it e f with its own eaves . r B m re er .

I f sk is th e t s a s T I am a ed who grea e t man , I nswer , The be t ; and 4 4

W ashington, and the entire army of philanthropic

of men , have sought to be use to men , to improve

of the conditions human existence . And to this end they have taken greater per sonal risks of life , property , and reputation , and

v of a have bra ely stood , like the heroes Thermopyl e , w Of in tell ec in the pass here the battle ideas , of well tual and spiritual freedom , as as personal lib e rt y , was to be struggled for in behalf of man kind .

'uiet, unnoticed, but steadfast, able heroes , who n o ff too counted cost too dear, no su ering great to

- be endured, in the service of their fellow men . Moses Brown belongs to this noble class of

n moral greatness and gra deur . And let his own ' State be proud of him . He is to the manner born . He drew the elements that made up his grand character from this vicinity . His life has f the ﬂavor of the soil o Rhode Island . The same which produced the great and saintly Channing, s the eloq uent, incorruptible and matchless Curti . It is n o t a small matter to have lived almost a

s o century, and to have been guided by intellect

to and moved by high moral sense, as stand at

of the end of so long an exposure to the eyes men ,

s a l h a s s if I am req uired to y who is the best , I rep y , He that de erved i l - — h ir W. J ones . the most of s fel ow creature s . S

l s s l i s h i s l — us I be ieve the ﬁr t te t of a tru y great man humi ity R ki n . 4 5

still true , just, noble, sustaining a moral character without a ﬂaw . It has been a great misfortune to many a on e t hat he lived too long, and survived his useful ' ness ; but here was a man who husbanded o ut ’ ” ' life s taper to the close , And , although his days ” were many, the very last were rich and eventful . He seemed to descend the declivity of ol d age f * without a consciousness O decay . He never for l a moment ost his interest in things about him , spiritual or secular, to the very closing hour of life . Multitudes Of his friends had passed away , and there he stood like an ancient oak on the

n mountain side, toweri g above later generations , serene, majestic, unclouded . He changed his will several times a little be of fore his death , without the least indication loss of mental power .

He withdrew for many years , more and more

com from the society of the world , to the sacred

an ion shi Of i p p the same relig ous faith . The sectarian fences were higher and more bit rl te y guarded then . The grand unity of Chris ti a n it y was less known and felt than now . There was one lessening circle of kindred spirits which grew constantly dearer and more interesting to of the very close his life . One theme and on e

L J W s E . V XI s ol . V . . 283 See etter of o eph orce ter, , p . 4 6 purpose united them into holy sympathy and * r tender fellowship . This was not the withe ed and hideous Old age depicted by Montaigne , when ' he said , Age imprints more wrinkles in the mind

on or than it does the face ; and souls are never,

in Old very rarely seen , that, growing , do not smell sour and musty . Man moves all together, both towards his perfection and decay Did Mon ta ign e overlook the sweetness and light which spring from a correspondence ﬁxed with Heaven through the growing years ' Did he n o t know it is possible for both body and intellect to waste away and the spirit meanwhile to grow stronger,

to to clearer,deeper and nearer the Eternal , even the end , and that it is the Divine Spirit which sends the Gulf Stream of ' outh into the Arctic ' Region of our But the path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day . A poet who had known and felt it all , says more ' A e sweetly and truly, g is opportunity , no less

a n d than youth itself, though in another dress , as the evening twilight fades away , the sky is ﬁlled ” with stars invisible by day . l' This poet has be autifully delineated in these

* L J l I 286 X V . . . s V o . etter of ohn Gri com , , p

i —R i hter s h c . T The y outh of the soul everlasting , and eternity is yout

H en r W L l x y adsworth ongfel ow . 4 7 picturesque lines the daily life experience and

of faith Moses Brown . ff own Thomas Je erson wrote his epitaph , The Author of the Declaration of Independence ; of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom a n V d the Father Of the University of irginia . But here is a life-work of greater depth and com pass than the composition Of Statutes or Declara f tions o Liberty . It embraced freedom for the colored man , manufacturing industry , patriotism , l education , philanthropy . No marb e shaft towers

old above his grave in the North Burying Ground . NO mausoleum points to his abode among the rich and great . The brief stories Of his birth and death are legible on a small unattractive stone , t almost lost to sight in hat wide ﬁeld of sorrow, not far from the grave Of his honored and beloved friend , Stephen Hopkins . But he has set in fadeless colors the inﬂuence

- on Of his useful life work these hills and valleys .

’ us f W His monument is about herever commerce , wherever the arts and humanities touch and e n noble the race , Moses Brown is present, though * ma his name y not pass from lip to lip .

' ' s ear not but that thy light once more hall burn , O nce more thine immemorial gleam return .

— a tthew A rn old M .

* W h s en g ood men die , their g oodne s does not perish ; but l ives e —E i des though they are gon ur p i .