208 



ful valley of the Seekonk River where in early life he had found 

 his favorite haiint55 for botanizing. 



As a man, Dr. Thurber was frank, truthful and conscientious 

 in all his relations, kind and generous beyond most men, sensi- 

 tive and sympathetic. Possessed of a perfect physical and moral 

 courage, and of a fortitude ample to second tliose qualities, he 

 never wavered in the performance of any one of the diversified 

 duties which fell to his lot. Like his warm personal friend Dr. 

 Gray, he was noted for his readiness to turn from his absorbing 

 labors and spare a portion of his limited time for the assistance 

 and instruction of the young; but almost the last thing he would 

 do was to ask any assistance from anyone else or subject them 

 to the slightest inconvenience. At the same time that he was 

 thus genial and considerate of the young, his air had nothing of 

 the patronizing style about it, and he was equally considerate to 

 those who approached him as his equals. 



A considerable portion of his time and effort were devoted to 

 the exposure of business and professional frauds, in the humbug 

 column of the American AgriculUirist^ which thus became a 

 terror to quacks, charlatans and swindlers of every description, 

 but particularly to those circulating among the agricultural com- 

 munity, where his influence was widest and strongest. Under 

 his control the advertising columns of this journal were absolutely 

 incorruptible, and unapproachable by any but the most worthy 

 of subjects. Although constantly tempted by the most alluring 

 offers, both for himself and for his publishers, those columns were 

 never known to be opened to any patent medicine or other ques- 

 tionable or evil article ; and in thus commenting upon his charac- 

 ter, we cannot fail to be impressed with the very imusual specta- 

 cle of a large publishing house supporting its editor In refusings 

 solely from motives of principle, this very lucrative class of 

 patronage. Dr. Thurber carried his discountenancing of secrecy 

 to a point which must appear amusing to any but the most well 

 Informed intelligence. He would touch no medicine of any kind 

 unless he was fully informed as to its composition and character, 

 and even in matters of eating and drinking he insisted upon the 

 most perfect knowledge of the nature of the articles. It is even 



