1890.] 233 [Merrick. 



task peculiarly difficult ; his qualities were of so varied a nature, and pre- 

 sented strength in such apparently opposite directions. Irradiating his 

 whole life, was the power of Christian faith. This was, undoubtedly, its 

 dominating influence, the keynote of his nature. Gentle and courteous 

 to a high degree, sympathizing and consolatory to those who were suffer- 

 ing from trial and loss, a lover of children, his heart was womanly in its 

 tenderness. But in the defense of right, in the attack upon vice, in the 

 public debate upon policy, in the attempt to redress evil, whether in 

 Church or State, he was strong and uncompromising. When measures 

 involving ecclesiastical opinion were under discussion, he was thoroughly 

 alert, quick to point out what he conceived to be weak points in the 

 armor of his opponents, sharp and decisive in piercing them, unwilling 

 to surrender the slightest advantage or to adopt any compromise. 



In debate "he thought upon his feet, " and it was wonderful to hear him 

 touch upon some point in a speech or a resolution, to which his attention 

 had just been directed, dilate upon it, unfold all its possibilities, pursue 

 its results to their legitimate end (and sometimes, perhaps, beyond it), 

 until nothing was left of his antagonist or of the obnoxious measure. All 

 this time there would be no hesitation ; every word would be the exact 

 expression of his thought ; the logical process was perfect, the effect over- 

 whelming. Such self-command is rarely seen combined with such learn- 

 ing and logical power. Familiar with many languages, ancient and mod- 

 ern, a close student of their structure and the derivation of their words, 

 these words were his weapons ; the exact scope and weight of each being 

 carefully appraised, their relation to each other as carefully measured. 

 He used them with telling effect, and was quick to point out where others 

 failed to appreciate their true intent. In conversation, this power of his 

 was displayed in quite a different way. A keen humorist, he delighted 

 in word-play, and heartily enjoyed the sallies which resulted from an en- 

 counter of wits. 



But a perfect knowledge of the qualities of different weapons would be 

 worse than useless, were it not for an enlightened power of selecting and 

 employing them. So the philologist is not necessarily a wise reasoner. 

 Herein, then, lay Dr. Goodwin's great power in moulding legislation, 

 that possessing such knowledge, his clear and highly trained reasoning 

 powers made him a logician of the highest order. In his speeches there 

 was a singular freedom from an attempt at eloquence or at display. He 

 was not intent on moving the imagination of his hearers, or persuading 

 them to his side ; rather to drag them with him by the irresistible force 

 of his reasoning. 



As an educator, which, after all, was the vocation in which most of his 

 life was passed, one of his former pupils himself now well advanced in 

 years, and qualified by his own well-earned standing to judge fairly 

 Rev. C. C. Everett, says that he possessed in those days two distinctions 

 which contributed to his success. One was that "he taught; that was 

 something more rare in those days, in all colleges, than now. His hour 



