Excerpt from In Memoriam: William Brown Spooner, Born in Petersham, Massachusetts, April 20, 1806, Died in Boston, Massachusetts, October 28, 1880 Let us briefly dwell upon some virtues in his career not for the purpose of eulogy, but to aid ourselves in the building of our own character. That which all noticed, and noticed to admire, was his probity. This trait serves as a key to all else in his actions. The sense of rectitude governed his conduct; it imparted veracity to his state ments, guaranty to his promises, and honor to his motives. He carried an atmosphere of sincerity; therefore men confided in him, leaned on him in emergencies, and looked to him for a standard. This is a rare function to fill in business. No nobler one can I think of. It is often assumed that in mercantile pursuits probity is impossible and when we consider the temptations and excitement of a great city's occupations, the difficulties in the way tower high. But they were overpassed by his fidelity to principle. He kept himself unspotted. We are well aware that he rose to prosperity by persistent struggles. He possessed that self-making power which has characterized so many New England merchants. Obsta cles became incitements, and those impediments that daunt the less resolute roused him to effort. This is the school of experience where so many learn their best lessons. Not much did he obtain from books, not much from schools -the more to his after regret, no doubt but with a holy purpose to get from the great world what others receive in sheltered libraries and studious years, he was an apt pupil in the college of humanity. He grew wise in practical judgment be stored up common sense and made a place for him self. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.