1895*

In writing these notes the thought uppermost in my mind is o£ Dr. Jesse Marden and Mrs. Marden. The downfall of Greece has quite likely meant disaster to these good persons. They, by all odds, have lived the most altruistic lives of any of us. I feel that I know Jesse well enough to mark him as the most conscientious, and the hardest working man of our class during these forty six years. He was my classmate in St. Johnsbury Academy, as well as in Dartmouth. He was a fraternity brother too, and a close friend during more than half a century. Dr. James Barton, foreign secretary of A.8.C.F.M., for many years, once told me that Dr. Marden's skill as a surgeon was widely known in the Near East and that his services were in constant demand there. He had received a sizeable fortune in fees willingly paid and with this self earned wealth he largely built a fine hospital in Marsovan, and carried on as head of that hospital until he was driven out by the Turks. Dr. Barton said that such a hospital could not have been built and equipped in the United States for less than $250,000. Jesse witnessed the massacre of untold numbers of Armenians during his service in Turkey. He saw large groups of men and women marched to ditches, dug deep in the ground, and there along the edge of a ditch, they were lined up, and shot, their bodies falling into the ditch in some cases and thrown in largely. When his hospital was seized, he and Mrs. Marden escaped with nothing except what was hastily put into suit cases. Afterwards Jesse was placed in charge of the work in Athens. He has been there some years. Now he is facing disaster again. No word so far as I can learn, has been received from him since Greece was invaded and conquered by the German Army. Jesse Marden exudes nobility and courage.

"Let wealth and commerce, laws and learning die, But leave us still our old nobility" I can imagine Jesse thinking what these lines express. This is not an obituary. It is intended as a richly deserved eulogy of a vital man.

I had the pleasure of a trip to Chicago not long ago for a few days sojourn with Dr. Roland E. Stevens II and his family, augmented six months ago by the advent of Roland E. Stevens 111, y-cleped by his father "Mr. Chips."

P. I. Morrison and I had several informal visits together at his attractive home and even in his garden where I found him diligently at work one forenoon. Mrs. Stevens and I sat at dinner with Prof, and Mrs. Morrison one evening and enjoyed their New England hospitality. P. I. and I settled and unsettled some of the burning questions of the day. He and Mrs. Morrison are planning to spend a week or more in Vermont, near enough to my home to be neighborly.

Frank Austin threatens to become a resident of Winter Park, Florida. I called on him there in April and found him in good health and enthusiastic about the climate and the flowers and the University Club.

Secretary, White River Junction, Vt.

Class Agent, 1129 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Mass.