Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/635

 LEWIS B. SMITH. 519 rior sort, A liberal education would have made him one of the most commanding men of his time. He united in his person the strength of the Smith-Bosworth characters. His moral nature ruled and subordinated, or rather co-ordinated his mental and physical natures. He was born in 1817, and united with the Congregational Church in 1832, and was an interested witness of the trying events of that period. At the age of manhood he entered public life. He was a dele- gate to the Convention to form a state Constitution, in 1842, and from that time until his death was occupied with public concerns. He was a peacemaker as well as an organizer. The parsonage difficulties were settled mainly by his active diplomacy. The meeting-house was remodeled in 1851, and Mr. Smith was the leading spirit in the improvements. As treasurer of the Congregational Society and Church he was the trusty and faithful agent of both, and when funds were wanting and collections in arrears, he advanced ministers* salaries and paid bills out of his own moneys. One such man in Barrington was equal to a host of common men in leading and reconstructing society. Enemies he had, and opposition he encountered, but he won his triumphs with the weapons of peace and good-will. When the Civil War came, Mr. Smith accompanied his son, George, to the re- cruiting station, and during the four years of trial he was the helpful friend of every Barrington soldier in camp, in hospi- tal, or in the field. He wrought always with and for men, for the good of all, and the town and state honored him as few men of our town have been recognized. The office of lieutenant-governor was offered him by the leaders of the Republican party, but he declined the honor as it seemed to him to involve at the time the loss of independent manhood. His name appears on almost every page of our town history since 1840, and to those records as well as these pages the student of Mr. Smith's life must go for the details of his splendid services for Barrington. The construction of the Providence, Warren and Bristol Railroad was one of the important movements that changed