Mr. Bowditch translates a Spanish paper; is chosen president of a Fire and Marine Insurance office.—Habits of life.—Becomes interested in politics.—Federalists and Democrats.—Great excitement.—Division between him and old friends in consequence of his zeal.—Feelings of Mr. Bowditch when war was declared.—Decision of character.—His charity.—Earnestness in aiding others; ludicrous instance of the effects of this.—Boldness towards a truckman.—Zeal for improving the libraries; unites the two.—Dr. Prince’s church.—Performance of duties of president of Insurance Office.—Answer to an overbearing rich man.—Appointed professor of mathematics at Harvard College; same at West Point.—His modesty.—Hints about leaving Salem.
Mr. Bowditch translates a Spanish paper; is chosen president of a Fire and Marine Insurance office.—Habits of life.—Becomes interested in politics.—Federalists and Democrats.—Great excitement.—Division between him and old friends in consequence of his zeal.—Feelings of Mr. Bowditch when war was declared.—Decision of character.—His charity.—Earnestness in aiding others; ludicrous instance of the effects of this.—Boldness towards a truckman.—Zeal for improving the libraries; unites the two.—Dr. Prince’s church.—Performance of duties of president of Insurance Office.—Answer to an overbearing rich man.—Appointed professor of mathematics at Harvard College; same at West Point.—His modesty.—Hints about leaving Salem.
KNOWLEDGE OF SPANISH.
ADVANTAGE OF STUDY.
PRESIDENT OF INSURANCE COMPANY.
REGULAR HABITS.
Mr. Bowditch, on his arrival from sea, met with one of those events to which he always referred when any one doubted the expediency of any kind of knowledge. In his voyagesto Portugal and Spain, he had become acquainted with the Spanish language. It so happened that no one else in Salem was acquainted with it, and an important paper came to the care of a sturdy and sensible old sea captain; but it was unfortunately unintelligible to him, for it was written in this same unknown tongue. A friend suggested to him that probably Mr. Bowditch would decipher it for him. The document was handed to Mr. Bowditch, who in a few days returned it with a free English translation accompanying it. The old sailor was delighted, and immediately supposed that any one who knew so much about a foreign language must be a very superior person, and capable of performing any duties. Moreover, he was delighted with the apparent generosity of Mr. Bowditch, in making the translation without charge to his employer. It happened at this time that an insurance office in Salem was in need of a president. The captain was one of the directors of this institution, and used all his influence in promoting the election ofhis young friend. This influence succeeded, and in 1804, when he was thirty-one years old, we find Mr. Bowditch installed as president of the Essex Fire and Marine Insurance Company. In this office he continued, with entire success, until 1823, when he removed to Boston, and took charge of other similar but much larger institutions. The relief was great which he experienced from not being obliged to seek subsistence for his family by continuing in the sailor’s life. The duties of the office in which he now engagedseemedto occupy all his time; yet he did not neglect science. He arose at six in the morning during the year, and took a walk, either before or after breakfast, of at least two miles. Afterwards he studied mathematics until nine, and he then went to the office, where he continued until one. After another walk he dined, and after a short sleep he again visited his office until tea time. From tea time until nine in the evening he was at the same place occupied with business. He was not, however, all the time, during office hours,actually engaged in the necessary work incident to his position as president; but he was constantly liable to interruption, as much as he had been when an apprentice. Yet he found leisure enough for study by early rising and by regular habits. He used to say, “Before nine o’clock in the morning I learned all my mathematics.” He kept some of his books on science at his office, and whenever a moment of leisure occurred, spent the time in reading them. At home he had no private room for many years; and, as his family of young children grew up around him, he studied at his simple pine desk, in the midst of their noise and play. He was never disturbed, except when they failed in kindness to one another, and then he could never work until quiet was restored. In truth, the influence of his studies was felt by his children, whose greatest reward was to receive from him, in token of his approbation, the drawings of various constellations upon their arms or forehead. It was a sad day for them when they did not receive from his pen the representationof the Belt of Orion, the Great Bear, or of some other beautiful constellation in the heavens.
POLITICAL EXCITEMENT.
PARTY POLITICS.
But, in addition to the duties of his office, he became interested in the political affairs of the day. After the revolution, and the new government of the country went into operation under the presidency of General Washington, there had been but little political excitement in Essex County. There were no great parties, which were destined soon afterwards to spring up and excite the bitterest animosity between individuals who had been from birth the warmest friends. It would be impossible, were it useful, to tell all the causes that led to the formation of the two great sects in politics, called the Federalists and Republicans. Suffice it to say, that even during Washington’s connection with the government, the seeds of this division were beginning to spring up, and, upon the accession of John Adams, as his successor, the political rancor between these two parties increased with tenfold energy, until at length therepublican party triumphed in the election of Thomas Jefferson to the office of President of the United States. In Salem the violence of party spirit rose as high as in any city of the Union. It would have been surprising, with his desire for aiding any public cause, if Mr. Bowditch had not been influenced by the excitements of the day. We frequently find at the bottom of a page, or at the end of some theorem, brief memoranda of the results of an election. He was, moreover, for two years a member of the State Council. He was likewise proposed by the Federalists as a representative to the General Court, but at that election they were defeated.
PEACEFUL MATHEMATICS.
We have scarcely any idea of the violence with which the two parties contended. Persons who had been, during life, sincere and devoted friends, were separated by this virulence. Mr. Bowditch suffered as much as others on this account, and two of his longest and best-tried friends he did not have any intercourse with for many years. Dr. Bentley and Captain Prince were these persons,and with both of them you are already acquainted. It was not until 1817, when President Monroe visited these Northern States, that harmony was restored between the two great divisions, and friends once more embraced each other. But, in the midst of all this excitement with politics, Mr. Bowditch never neglected the duties of his office, or his studies. In fact, the pursuit of learning had, as before, a sweet influence over his character. It still gave calmness when circumstances around him tended to disturb him. An illustration of this you may find in what follows. In 1812, after a long series of supposed insults and wrongs from Great Britain, the American government declared war against that power. Mr. Bowditch was much distressed by the news, and for two days was so much overcome that he was unable to study. Friends who knew him had never seen him look so sad before on any public emergency. He could speak of nothing but the disasters that he foresaw war would entail upon his country. On the morning of the third day he got up, and,going down into the parlor, said to his wife, “It won’t do for me to continue in this way. Iwill notthink any more about it.” Saying this, he retired again to his books. The difference in his whole manner was very perceptible. He rarely afterwards allowed himself to be disturbed by the unfortunate state of affairs. Such should always be the benign influences of the study of science and of Nature’s laws.
CHARITY.
ANECDOTE.
A RIDICULOUS JUDGE.
KINDNESS TO ANIMALS.
Amid all these various engagements, he was full of sympathy for others. Wherever he saw he could aid with his counsel, he did so; and many widows and orphans have felt the influence of his charity. This charity showed itself chiefly in a desire to improve others. There was scarcely one of those connected with him in friendship upon whom he did not devote some time for their instruction. To one young lady he taught French, and another studied Italian with him. If a young man needed funds, he knew upon whom he could call with a certainty of substantial aid, even if he had no money of his own to giveaway, for throughout life it was one of the remarkable attributes of Mr. Bowditch’s character, that he could persuade many to open their hearts to the poor, who, upon other occasions, were deaf to the common feelings of humanity. For one young person of this kind Mr. Bowditch obtained a subscription sufficient to enable him to continue at the university, whereas his young friend would have been unable to do so without assistance. He was always so zealous in these undertakings, that one scarcely felt under any obligations to him. It was his delight to help, and every one saw that his heart was engaged in the cause. His zeal for humanity was at times immoderate, and the following laughable law case occurred in consequence of it. One day he was informed that a little girl, who lived with him, had been run over by some careless driver; and a crowd, which he could perceive at a little distance from him, was a collection of individuals drawn together on her account. He immediately ran forward, and getting to the outside of the circle, began very energeticallyto make his way into it. In doing so, he pulled one of the bystanders so forcibly, that the individual, as it will appear in the sequel, was offended. Arriving, however, by dint of hard pushing, at the object of his search, he took his little domestic with him, and led her safely home. On the next day he was much surprised at receiving a summons from a justice of the peace, to appear before him, to answer to the charge of assault and battery upon the individual above mentioned. He answered the call and paid his fine of a few dollars; but the judge, who had been notorious for always making both parties suffer, when it was possible for himself to gain thereby, said, on receiving the fine, “But you say that Mr. ——pushedyou, after you hadpulledhim.” “I did, sir.” “Very well; then, if you wish to complain of him, I will fine him likewise.” The ludicrous nature of the whole action struck Mr. Bowditch so forcibly that he was not unwilling to increase the folly of it. The plaintiff was then fined, and the affair was ended. It is but right to say, that the judgewas considered, previously to this, one entirely unfit for the office. Probably no other would have issued a summons on such an occasion, and the plaintiff was not unjustly punished for having called upon such a person to aid him in prosecuting an individual who, in exerting himself to help another, had slightly disarranged the dress of a bystander.
Mr. Bowditch’s desire to aid the unfortunate was exhibited on another occasion, when a poor, overladen horse was the object of his commiseration. A truckman had been violently beating the animal, in order to induce him to pull along a very heavy load, which was too large for his strength. Mr. Bowditch had watched the driver for some time, and at length he stepped earnestly forward, and in abrupt and decided tones ordered him to desist. The truckman was much superior to Mr. Bowditch in personal strength, and was, at first, disposed to ridicule the attempt of his inferior to restrain him. Full of indignation, Mr. Bowditch cried out, “If you daretouch that horse again, and if you do not immediately go and get another to assist him, I will appeal to the law, and you will see which of us two will conquer.” The man yielded, and Mr. Bowditch went home.
MARINE SOCIETY.
The public institutions of the town felt his influence. The East India Marine Society, of which I have already spoken, improved very much under his auspices as president. It had fallen considerably during high political times, and, when he was chosen chief officer, he instilled such zeal among the younger members of it, and obtained so many new members, that it revived; and soon after his removal to Boston, the splendid hall was erected, containing the most remarkable collection of East India curiosities, of which I spoke in Chapter VI.
SALEM LIBRARIES.
In the libraries he had always felt very much interest. You already know what reason he had for being devoted to the Philosophical Library, for from it he drew most of his knowledge of science. But there was another, which had been in existence muchlonger than this, called the Social Library. The books contained in these two collections were almost wholly distinct in their characters. In one only works of science were to be found, while the other was chiefly devoted to literature. Mr. Bowditch saw that both of them united would be of great service to the community, for it would not merely combine the books, but the energies of the proprietors. Consequently it appears that he, with another of the Philosophical Library proprietors, was chosen a committee for the purpose of providing for a union. This was happily effected (1810), and the Salem Athenæum arose from the combination. The rooms over his office were chosen as the place for their deposit, and for many years he was one of the most active of the trustees.
There was another institution with which he was intimately connected during the whole of the time he lived in Salem. I allude to the church in which his early friend, Rev. Dr. Prince, officiated. He was one of the committee of the parish, and, though never a member of the church strictly so called, he was a constant attendant upon the services, and had great influence in keeping up the harmony and supporting the true interests of the congregation.
Dr. Bowditch’s Residence at the Time of his Death.
Dr. Bowditch’s Residence at the Time of his Death.
DEFENDS THE WEAK.
In the performance of his duties as president of the insurance company, he was faithful and prompt in action. He was frequently placed in circumstances which required great decision of character. At times a disposition was shown to deceive him; at others, a richer stockholder would attempt to gain advantages over a poorer one. I well remember an anecdote in which it is said a purse-proud rich man tried to browbeat Mr. Bowditch into doing an act which Mr. Bowditch thought would be unjust to another poorer one. The nabob pleaded his riches, and amount of his stock in the office, and intimated that he would have his way. “No, sir, you won’t. I stand here in this place to see justice done, and, as long as I am here, I will defend the weak.” He seldom met with difficulties of this kind, for few dared approachhim with the intention to be unjust or untrue. Nothing aroused him so much to an almost lion-like fierceness as any appearance of wickedness in the transaction of public business. He had much wisdom, likewise, in the selection of risks, so that the office, while under his control, succeeded admirably and he left it prosperous.
PROFESSORSHIP OF MATHEMATICS.
EXTREME MODESTY.
During his residence in Salem he was often invited to seats of honor and trust. We have already mentioned his political course. In 1806, by the agency of Chief Justice Parsons, then in the corporation of Harvard College, he was appointed professor of mathematics in that university. In 1818 he was requested by President Jefferson, in very flattering terms, to accept of a similar office in the University of Virginia. In 1820, he was called upon by the secretary of war of the United States, to consent to an appointment at the Public Military School at West Point. All of these he refused, as not congenial to his mind. He always declined talking in public. He would teach all who came to him, but hecould not deliver a public course of lectures. His extreme modesty prevented. For it will be remembered that he was as remarkable, from his youth, for his modesty, amounting, in early life, to diffidence, as he was for his other qualities. Moreover, it should be stated that, at times, he had a certain hesitation in his mode of speaking, which probably would have prevented him from addressing easily a public audience.
In 1818, he was urged to take charge of an insurance office in Boston, but he preferred living in his native place.
From 1803 to 1823—age, 30-50.