Reprinted from The Narragansett Times of 
April 30th, 1897. 
PROF. JOHN PEIRCE. 
Another worthy son of Rhode 
Island aud the “Providence planta- 
tions” has passed beyond the river to 
the regions where the spirits immor- 
tal dwell. That spirit while on earth 
bore the very plain and Quaker-like 
name of “John Peirce.” He entered 
this life August 16th, 1836. and de- 
parted from us March 3d, 1897. 
His face and form was familiar to 
the older residents of Providence, 
whose duties or inclinations bring 
them in contact with that which 
gives the settlement of Roger Wil- 
liams such a grand rank among the 
true nobility of tbe earth. If there 
ever was a man simple in his tastes 
it was John Peirce. No one, I think, 
ever saw in his face or form that 
spirit of hauteur that at times we see 
in men of smaller calibre, who seem 
to think that unless they assume 
such an air the world will not wor- 
ship them. The lower classes may in 
this see something to worship, but 
the higher grades—men of real 
ability and good sense do not wor- 
ship at any such shrine. They have 
the utmoet contempt for it, unless 
perhaps as an amusement, as in the 
“Cake Walker,” colored minstrel, or 
the “Drum Major.” 
Amona people of culture and intel- 
ligence the plain, natural and able 
man is known without any such 
signs as the “Cake Walker,” tbe 
negro minstrel or the “Drum Major” 
might, envy. 
Whilp nrofnaanr P»irf»p waq nnr a. 
man to assume any air of hauteur, 
he was not lacking in dignity. Like 
the noble man he was, his dignity 
grew with the occasion. He was un- 
like the ship of mere painted ports 
carried for the purpose of attempting 
to inspire fear. On the contrary he 
was more like a well armed vessel 
that makes no outward show of its 
heavy armament. Thenhe was a kind 
man; and if all could come up and 
give their personal testimony of the 
quiet kindness that they had re- 
ceived from John Peirce, their con 
tributions would fill many col- 
umns. He was a few years my 
senior, and often came into the 
office of A. C. Morse, architect, 
where I was acquiring knowl- 
edge of architecture. He was asso- 
ciated, iu a quiet way, with profes- 
sor Hill, who was so instrumental 
and so zealous in the cause of the 
new laboratory at “Brown.” Proba- 
bly few persons realize that this 
laboratory of “Brown,” where profes- 
sor John Peirce often labored, was, 
at the time of its erection (1861,) the 
most approved and best planned 
building of its kind in the United 
States. Under the direction of pro- 
feseor Hill, then the younger profes 
Bor of chemistry at “Brown,” with 
A. C. Morse as architect, that labora- 
tory was built. 
It was a new departure, and but 
for the zeal of professor Hill, sus- 
tained by such men as Dr. T. P. 
Shepard and professor George I. 
Chase, “old Brown” would not, then 
at least, have had the advantage of 
so fine a laboratory. Professor Peirce 
was then a young man, but he was, 
to a great extent, associated with 
men much older in the field than 
himself; and undoubtedly this asso- 
ciation was highly beneficial to him; 
it certainly is to the young man who 
can appreciate it. And if there ever 
was a young man who could profit 
by such association it was the sub- 
ject of this sketch. His kindness 
was first revealed to me, when, al- 
most daily he came in to see how 
the plans of the laboratory were pro- 
gressing, that I, under the instruction 
of Mr. Morse, was working upon. 
He then ranked me by a few years in 
age, in knowledge and in social posi- 
tion; and yet he freely associated 
with me, and in a quiet manner that 
did not imply any superiority on his 
part, he imparted instruction and 
threw out hints that were indeed 
valuablo. And in the same manner 
that he was kind to me he was to 
many others. 
At this time professor Peirce was a 
tall and very slender man—indeed 
up to within a few years of his death 
he was of very slender build, but 
during the last few years of his life 
he became very large and stout. 
With his burden of flesh upon him 
he never looked natural to me, and 
yet he was the same kind and genial 
spirit. When in his younger years I 
met him, he would often say that a 
man never got fat until he was satis- 
fied. So when I met him,two or three 
years before his death, when he had 
become so immense in size, I said to 
him, jokingly: “Professor, you must 
be quite well satisfied now.” He 
looked at me with a good natured 
interrogation sign in his eyes, and 
asked “Wby?” Then I recalled to 
him his early philosophy. He smiled, 
but I could see tOac he was not satis- 
fied with tbe amount of flesb that he 
was then burdened with. His organs 
for developing flesh were in good 
order, and perhaps too active for the 
sedentary life that he was leading. 
Asa rule the professional men and 
students of the world are not good 
business men. Once in a while we 
see an exception, and professor 
Pierce was one of them. He was a 
good business man and took interest 
in the ways of business, from his 
earliest years, in the money line, he 
seems to have been well provided 
for; so, as with some, there was no 
struggle against poverty. But while 
the worid was kind to him in this 
line, this good fortune did not spoil 
him nor unfit him for his intellectual 
aspirations, on the contrary it gave 
him the better opportunity to work 
on the lines of bis inclinations; and 
these inclinations we know were 
most worthy, and highly beneficial 
to the state. 
To invent was as natural for him 
as it is for the artist to paint. 
When people see a great invention 
they too often think that it is all due 
to some one man, who by some good 
fortune is associated with it. Take 
the telephone for instance; it is the 
product of no one man’s genius—it 
grew and grew. In the perfection of it 
however professor John Peirce was 
prominent, and did far more for it 
than eome who have reaped fame 
and fortune through this channel. To 
the world at large his work in this 
line is not known, but to his intimate 
friends it is well known. He was an 
expert in many lines. Like Dr. 
Shepard he was a first-class photog- 
rapher, and even instructor. But in 
the line of wool dyeing he has prob- 
ably conferred the greatest benefit to 
a centre like the “Providence planta- 
tions.” Before he entered upon his 
patient and careful experiments 
in this line the dyeing of wool 
was confined to a few dyers, who 
seemed ;o keep the knowledge of 
it to themselves, to guard their se- 
crets and to impress the world with 
the superiority of their skill. But 
now there appears a man on the 
scene who takes hold of the subject 
in an intelligent manner, and han- 
dles it as it never had been handled 
before. He was a chemist, and not 
only a chemist but an inventor and 
practical man. In the new labora- 
tory of “Brown” he labored, and 
there to-day may be seen his work. 
Wool dyeing no longer depends upon 
the good, bad and indifferent receipts 
of the old time dyer; but upon exact 
knowledge. No patents were se- 
cured, nor was his name heralded 
from world’s end to world’s end; but 
to the world’s end the blessing that 
emanated from him will flow, and 
many millions of his fellowmen will 
receive the benefit of his quiet and 
unambitious work. Work that was 
pushed, day after day, through the 
workings of that inward spirit in 
man that bids him to go on, and ever 
on, and overcome the earth. Not in 
the spirit of the Alexanders and JNa- 
poleons of the world, but in the 
spirit of the many immortals who 
have blessed this world of ours, yet 
who strange to say have received 
little or no honor or credit from their 
fellowmen. It is a queer freak of 
human nature,that prompts mankind 
to worship at the shrines that they 
so often do. They too often 
worship the mere destroyers and 
erect their monuments to the cun 
jung knaves of the world and let 
their real benefactors be forgotten 
and their names pass into oblivion. 
Whether this shall continue or not 
remains with the intelligent world 
to say. Already there is a little 
light here and there appearing, and 
ere long those little lights may so 
grow and extend as to seem like one 
great light. Then we shall have 
that glorious condition so many 
thousands of years ago foretold, and 
earnestly labored for by the old He- 
brew prophets and philosophers— 
when the destructive spirit in man 
shall pass to those shades where the 
destructive animals of the world are 
fast passing to—to be buried in caves 
of darkness where they and their 
miserable works and examples be- 
long. 
In that bright future, which so 
many good men and women are la- 
boring for, the monument and re- 
corded page will be for the real 
heroes and benefactors of the race, 
and not for those who simply become 
conspicuous through the agency of 
low ambition. 
The monuments—the tablets—and 
the recorded pages of the future, 
while they should, and will honor 
many worthy names, they would be 
incomplete did they fail to bear testi- 
mony of the high worth and noble 
qualities of Professor John Peirce. 
I. P. N. 
Washington, D. C., April 24,1897.