- THOMAS HENRY LITTLE, a native of Augusta, Me., was born on
the 15th of December,
- 1832, and was the son of Thomas LITTLE and Elizabeth P. HOWARD.
He traced his ancestry back to the Plymouth Colony, when one
Thomas LITTLE married the daughter of Richard WARREN, who came
over in the Mayflower. Always of a quiet, studious disposition,
he graduated from Bowdoin College in 1855 with honors, and, soon
after, accepted a position as teacher in the high school at Gardiner,
Me. One year later, turning his steps westward, he was providentially
drawn into a work which, though he then regarded it as only temporary,
so engaged him that he afterward resolved to devote his life
to it. Arriving at Columbus, Ohio, he engaged to teach in the
Institution for the Blind. Remaining till 1859, he accepted a
similar position in Baton Rouge, La., but, owing to the troubles
in the South, he remained but one year, and returned to Columbus,
where he taught until August, 1861, at which time he received
a call to the superintendency of the Institution for the Education
of the Blind at Janesville, Wis., a position which he accepted
and filled till his death, which occurred on the 4th of February,
1875.
- He was married, in 1862, to Miss Sarah F. COWLES, daughter
of Rev. Henry COWLES, D.D.,
- of Oberlin, Ohio, and became the father of four daughters.
- Mr. LITTLE was thoroughly and conscientiously devoted to
his work. By close study and careful
- observation of institutions for the education of the blind
in our own and other countries, he became master of the most
advanced theories of his profession, and gained such a reputation
that when the Institute for the Blind in Batavia, N.Y., was opened
in 1868, he was invited to its superintendency. He declined the
offer, however, feeling that he could accomplish more where he
was. By constant work and close application to study, he so overtasked
himself that, in 1873, by the advice of his physician, he took
a sea voyage and spent several months in Europe, visiting different
institutions and conferring with the most experienced educators
of the age. The relief from care and labor so improved his health,
that he returned with renewed vigor and enthusiasm and an added
experience of great value to his work.
- Upon the destruction of the main building of the institution
by fire, in April, 1874, in his forgetful-
- ness of self and devotion to his pupils and the interests
of the State, he periled his own life, receiving injuries from
which he never recovered, and which probably hastened the termination
of his life. An intimate friend has written of him as follows:
"As a private citizen, he was quiet, unassuming and upright;
as a public officer, he was thorough, untiring, efficient and
jealously watchful of the interests committed to his care; as
an instructor, he was a recognized leader in his profession,
a disciplinarian who knew how to govern without seeming to govern
at all, and was to his pupils far more like a kind and wise father
than like a superintendent, and, as a Christian, he was manly,
generous, humble, full of faith, given alike to prayer and good
works, seeking to know and do his Master's will, and trusting
for salvation only in the merits of a crucified and personal
Savior. In his death, the community has lost an upright and useful
citizen, the State has lost a faithful, honest and valued servant,
the Church has lost an exemplary, prayerful member and efficient
officer."
- The following was paid tribute to his memory by the Trustees
of the institution:
- "The Board of Trustees desiring to place upon the record
a simple and affectionate testimonial of
- their appreciation of Thomas H. LITTLE, M.A., do unanimously
adopt the following resolution:
-
- 'Resolved. That in the death of Superintendent
LITTLE, our institution has lost its best friend, the State an
- eminent Christian citizen, and the cause
to which his life was dedicated one of its foremost men. He was
a man of varied and extensive learning, of great executive ability,
of indefatigable industry, and his daily life was a continued
testimonial of the faith that was in him and the motives that
governed him.'"
-
- Taken from "The History of Rock County, Wis."
(c)1879; pp. 430-431.
-
- Courtesy of Carol
|