Dr. Smith exhibits in his writings a broadly charitable mind which sees even in the worst, still some lingering or smothered good.
Dr. Smith is one of a family of patriots; his great-grandfather, Copelton Smith, who came from Germany to America in 1760 and settled in or near Philadelphia, Pa., fought for liberty in the war of the Revolution under General Washington. His father, Nicholas Smith, a native of Pennsylvania, fought for the Stars and Stripes in 1812. Two brothers fought for Old Glory in the war of the Rebellion, and he himself was one of the volunteers who fought for their firesides in the State, then Territory of Washington.
“A family of fighters,” as he says, “famous for their peaceful proclivities when let alone.”
The varied experiences of life in the Northwest have developed in him a sane and sweet philosophy, perhaps nowhere better set forth in his writings than in his poem “Pacific’s Pioneers,” read at a reunion of the founders of the state a few years ago, and with which I close this brief and inadequate sketch:
“PACIFIC’S PIONEERS.
“A greeting to Pacific’s Pioneers, Whose peaceful lives are drawing to a close, Whose patient toil, for lo these many years, Has made the forest blossom as the rose.
“And bright-browed women, bonny, brave and true, And laughing lasses, sound of heart and head, Who home and kindred bade a last adieu To follow love where fortune led.
“I do not dedicate these lines alone To men who live to bless the world today, But I include the nameless and unknown The pioneers who perished by the way.
“Not for the recreant do my numbers ring, The men who spent their lives in sport and spree, Nor for the barnacles that always cling To every craft that cruises Freedom’s sea.
“But nearly all were noble, brave and kind, And little cared for fame or fashion’s gyves; And though they left their Sunday suits behind They practiced pure religion all their lives.