38 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



remarkable. As a presiding officer over deliberative bodies lie 

 was the right man in the right place. At all times and places 

 but especiall}' in such public positions, his dignified and command- 

 ing presence aided essentially in enabling him to effect the objects 

 which he desired to attain. His personal influence has been suffi- 

 cient to magnetize many a half-dying form into active life. And 

 this strong personal characteristic was espec'ally remarked among 

 his friends. No one approached him in doubt, in despondency, 

 or in embarrassment, and left him witliout a higher hope, a 

 stronger courage, and a manlier faith in himself. It is impossible 

 that an}' man should perform, single handed, the various labors 

 we have recounted, but Mr. Wilder's magnetic personal influence 

 was such that he drew to his aid men who were surprised and 

 pleased at the quantity and excellence of the work the}' came to per- 

 form under his leadership, and which without him would have 

 remained undone. And such coadjutors were always rewarded 

 with his hearty appreciation of their services. That he himself 

 loved the praise of men his friends all know, for he admitted it 

 with a freedom which disarmed all criticism, but while desiring 

 the approbation of his fellow men he sought it only b}' seeking to 

 deserve it. There are benefactors of their race whose usefulness 

 is not discovered until they are gathered to their fathers. More 

 fortunate than these, Mr. Wilder lived to be appreciated. He 

 was surrounded with prosperity ; his path was one of peace ; 

 sweet odors were on ever}' side. It was a pleasant sight to behold 

 this patriarch at the rooms of the Horticultural Society on Satur- 

 days, receiving the tributes of affection and respect of his friends 

 and returning all their love, and it is pleasant now to recall it. 



His instincts were conservative. At his eightieth birthday fes- 

 tival his pastor. Rev. James H. Means, D.D., testified that he 

 was always a peacemaker, and we trust that he has received the 

 blessing promised to such. A striking trait of his character was 

 prominently exhibited in always discovering something to admire, 

 to cherish, and to encourage in everybody and everything. He did 

 with his might what his hand found to do, and inherited to the full 

 the family trait of not leaving unfinished what be had begun. While 

 cidtivating his grounds and introducing new seeds, trees, and 

 plants, he was doing all he could to instil into the public mind a 

 taste and love for rural labors, and to elevate the rank and posi- 

 tion of those engaged in the honorable employments of the farm 



