310 CHARLES DEANE. 



special department, when the condition of the finances of the school 

 made it impossible to provide special teachers in these subjects. 



One of his early pupils, Mr. Moorfield Storey, has written these 

 words, which leave little to be added : — 



" By the death of William P. Atkinson this community has lost a 

 man of a kind unfortunately too rare. His singular simplicity, his 

 unswerving devotion to high ideals, his never failing courage and 

 hopefulness, his strong sense of duty, his absolute unselfishness, were 

 recognized by all who made his acquaintance. He was too modest 

 even to suspect how many men whom he knew perhaps but slightly 

 drew strength and inspiration from his example. He was simply 

 incapable of a base or sordid thought, and no material temptation 

 weighed for an instant with him against what he felt to be right. 

 During the early days of antislavery agitation, he gave abundant 

 proof of how little he valued worldly success or comfort if they were 

 to be had only by a sacrifice of principle. As a teacher, especially 

 during the years when he was dealing with young men, to many of 

 whom immediate pecuniary success was important, he sought to in- 

 spire his pupils with an interest in what makes life really rich, and 

 many of his old scholars will cherish through life a grateful recollec- 

 tion of their hours with him, and will appreciate more and more how 

 much of what they most value they owe to his teaching. He showed 

 by his whole life how devoutly he believed in 'plain living and high 

 thinking,' and in this material age, when the community seems given 

 over to luxury and the vow of poverty is so rarely taken, it is very 

 hard to fill his place." 



CHARLES DEANE. 



Charles Deane was born at Biddeford, in the then District of 

 Maine, on the 10th of November, 1813. His father was a physician 

 in extensive practice, a man of liberal culture, and not without in- 

 terest in the subjects of historical and antiquarian research in which 

 his son performed pre-eminent service. Among his father's nearest 

 neighbors was Judge George Thacher, who had been a Delegate to 

 the Continental Congress, had at an early period represented Massa- 

 chusetts in the National Congress, and was among the men who both 

 helped in the making of history and had no little power of narrative 

 and description. There were also in his native town and in the ad- 

 joining town of Saco several families that had been distinguished in 

 earlier time and were rich in treasured reminiscences. Mr. Deane's 



