personal. He was the greatest organizer of righteousness
in his generation. We must go back to Sam Adams to find any
one who deserves to be compared with him in this respect.
I cannot now undertake to tell the story of his important
services to the Commonwealth at some very critical periods,
or to narrate the history of all the political events in which
he bore so conspicuous a share. The time to do this has not
come. It can be done only when the correspondence, the inner
personal life of men who were the leaders of Massachusetts
during the stormy period through which she has lately passed,
shall be given to the world.

Worcester County, from the day of Rufus Putnam until to-day,
has in every generation contributed eminent persons to the
service of the Commonwealth. But the service of none of them
has been in the same field as his. Indeed, as I have just
said, we must go back to the days of the Revolution to find
a conspicuous character who united so completely absolute
disinterestedness of character, inflexible integrity, passionate
love for Massachusetts, devotion to the loftiest ideals, and
was at the same time a most skilful and efficient organizer
of political forces.

Adin Thayer was born in the town of Mendon, in the County
of Worcester, December 5, 1828. His birthplace was near Chestnut
Hill, in the territory which was incorporated into the town
of Blackstone in 1845. He was the son of Caleb Thayer and
Hannah, the daughter of Peter Gaskill of Mendon. His ancestors,
so far as known, in all the line of descent, were New England
farmers. No better race ever existed for the development
of the highest intellectual and moral quality. They wrung
a difficult livelihood from the soil and forest. They were
educated by the responsibilities of self-government. They
were accustomed to meditate and discuss with each other the
profoundest questions of theology and of the State. Their
local traditions had made them familiar with a stimulant and
heroic history, in which every family had borne its share.
In these Puritan communities life was a perpetual gymnasium.
At the time of Mr. Thayer's birth, the strictness of the
Puritan manners had softened somewhat. A milder theology
was slowly making its way, but the race which settled in New
England still remained without a tincture of any foreign element.

The town was one of the oldest in Worcester County. In every
generation it had contained men of large infl