HON. MARSHALL P. WILDER. 'J'^ 



bear witness to the zeal and fidelity of our venerable 

 friend in the discharge of his duty as a director of 

 the Bank for more than half a century ; and also to 

 bear to him the congratulations of each member of 

 the Board, that he is able on this, the eighty-fifth 

 anniversary of his birthday, to meet around the fes- 

 tive board, with mental powers unimpaired, so many 

 of his associates of earlier and later years, and also 

 to assure him of their undiminished confidence and 

 respect. 



And, Sir, if I may be permitted to make a personal 

 allusion, I wish thus publicly to thank our friend for 

 the many kind words and acts with which he has 

 cheered me in my various duties for a long period of 

 years. 



Mr. Chairman, as I was looking over the pages 

 of a valued book a short time since, I read a sentence 

 which now seems to me so appropriate to this oc- 

 casion, that I venture to repeat it : — 



" The oak-tree was once an acorn under the ground, then 

 a little plant in the turf ; now it stands aloft, a full-grown 

 oak. So a good old age grows up to the height of thoughts 

 not of this world. It is always shedding ripe fruits, and 

 every beholder is the better even for looking at it." 



