CHAPTER VI.

Business pursuits. — A friend to religion.

- Receives a silver medal from the New York Institute, for the best soleleather. Promotes education. - Elected honorary member of the American Institute, and of other societies. Delivers an address before the Catskill Mechanic Society. - Petitions for a new county.-Offers to pay for county buildings. Printing-press established in Prattsville. - Colonel Pratt's generous welcome to the Baptists. His characteristics. The credit system. —

Means of success. Establishes a bank in Prattsville.

His character as a

banker. Anecdotes. His endorsements. - Advice to young traders.

FROM 1836, Colonel Pratt's career assumes a new feature, and we no longer see him as the mere man of business. Henceforth he appears before the country as a politician and statesman. What a man does for himself,

in the way of business, is one thing; what he accomplishes as a public servant, quite another. We shall, therefore, delineate these two features of his character separately. By pursuing this course, we can better understand the means of his success, his capacity for progress, and his unity of purpose. With this view, his career as a citizen and as a man of business will first be completed.

In 1837, he received a vote of thanks from the stewards of the Methodist Church, in the Prattsville circuit, "for his benevolence in the support of the Gospel."

In the rapid growth of the town, it became necessary, as well as politic, to provide further accommodations for

religious worship. The Methodist denomination having become quite numerous, and being without any suitable place for religious services, it was determined to make an effort to erect an appropriate house for that purpose. Most of the members of that denomination were of limited means, and their success depended much upon the liberality of citizens who were connected with other societies. The character of the movement, and the real wants of the town, recommended it to the favor and support of all who sought the public good. No one was more active in this than Colonel Pratt; and, although not a member either of the church or society, he manifested his usual liberality, by subscribing to the amount of one-third of the whole expense of the house, and subsequently presenting to the church and society a parsonage. Since that time, he has aided them with a subscription of from fifty to one hundred and fifty dollars annually. "Each man for himself," he would say, "according to what he is fitted to accomplish, to do much or little. Let every man do what he can do, well. What he cannot do well, let him have the good sense to leave to others. So of societies. So of religion. Men

believe differently; and they feel

better and do better, if

they are permitted to have entire freedom in all matters When I help the church, I help the

of religion.

country."

In 1837, the American Institute, New York, at the fair held in that city, in distributing premiums for the best specimens of American manufactures, awarded to

the Prattsville tannery the first silver medal ever given in America for the best specimen of hemlock-tanned sole-leather.

The Prattsville tannery had thus, in the course of twelve years, grown up in the forest, entered its articles for competition in the market, and risen, by the force of skill and industry, to the first rank among American tanneries.

Again, in 1846, Colonel Pratt received the first premium and a diploma at the New York State Agricultural Society. He now saw the full accomplishment of his original design, so far as to secure to his native state the command of her own great market.

In pursuance of the liberal policy which he originally adopted, with a view to advance the interests of the village, Colonel Pratt early made strenuous and earnest efforts to place the means of education on the most permanent basis, with advantages and facilities of the most liberal kind. Later, in 1839, he offered to give five thousand dollars towards the establishment of an academy of the highest order in Prattsville, to be under the direction of the Methodist Episcopal Church, provided a like sum should be contributed for the same object from other sources; but, unfortunately for the cause of education and the welfare of the place, the required five thousand dollars could not be raised, and the generous project failed.

In 1839, he was elected a member of the American Institute, at New York. In August, 1841, he received

a similar honor from the " CATSKILL MECHANIC SOCIETY." The following year, he was invited to give an address to the Catskill Society; which he delivered December 29, 1842. The address was published by the society. In requesting a copy for publication, the committee say, that "it is calculated to render essential and important benefit to young mechanics, who are just entering on the stage of action." It exhibits in a strong light that sound practical common sense for which the author is particularly distinguished.*

In 1841, the inhabitants of Prattsville began to realize, in common with the inhabitants of the adjoining towns, very serious inconveniences from being at so great a distance from the centre of the county business, Prattsville being more than thirty miles from the nearest county town. It seemed highly important, therefore, that measures should be taken to have a new county incorporated, by taking a portion of those towns similarly situated, and to make for them a new centre. This could be done so as to lessen at least one-half the distance for the people to travel for the transaction of their county business.†

The towns to be accommodated by such an arrangement were Prattsville, Lexington, Windham, Broome, Conesville, Middletown, Blenheim and Roxbury, with

*It will be found in the second part of this volume.

† A statement of facts was made and printed by Colonel Pratt, remarkable for its simplicity and comprehensiveness, which will be found in the second part of this volume.