USA > Connecticut > New London County > New London > New London's participation in Connecticut's tercentenary, 1935 > Part 4
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THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER-U. S. Coast Guard Academy Band BENEDICTION
PROCESSION, 2.30 P.M., d.s.t.
Units assembled at the Broad Street entrance
Marshal: Major General Morris B. Payne U. S. Coast Guard Academy Band U. S. Coast Guard Academy Cadets Detail, U. S. Navy Detail, U. S. Coast Guard
New London Nautical Academy Junior Naval Militia Pequot Council, Sea Scouts Union and Brainard Masonic Lodges
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NATIONAL MARITIME DAY
The procession was colorful, with military and civilian units par- ticipating. They marched at slow time, with Major General Morris B. Payne, commanding the 43d National Guard Division, as marshal.
The units included the Coast Guard Academy Band, the Academy Cadet Corps, a detail from the Submarine Base, a Coast Guard enlisted
Masonic and Naval Units in the Procession, Maritime Day Exercises.
men's detail, the New London Nautical Academy, the Junior Naval Militia, Pequot Council Sea Scouts, colors and delegations from Murphy- Rathbun Post, Veterans of Foreign Wars; John Coleman Prince Post, American Legion, and George M. Cole Camp, United Spanish War Veterans ; representatives of patriotic groups and members of Union and Brainard Masonic lodges. Stevens Rogers served for some time as chap- lain of Union Lodge.
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The exercises began shortly after 2.30 o'clock, when Ernest E. Rogers, the General Chairman of New London Organization for the observance of Connecticut's Tercentenary, presented Mr. Mackinnon.
The band played America, and the Rev. Dr. Bell, Associate Grand Chaplain of the Eighth Masonic District of Connecticut, gave the in- vocation.
Mr. Mackinnon then read a congratulatory telegram from the city of Savannah. He called upon Mayor Twomey, who expressed great pleasure. at "being here to extend the greetings of the city on this occasion." He spoke of the exercises as honoring faithful navigators and their crews and expressed appreciation for the presence of so many persons at the exercises.
INVOCATION 1774678
REV. OLIVER W. BELL
Associate Grand Chaplain of the Eighth Masonic District of Connecticut
Almighty God, Ruler upon the land and Sovereign upon the seas, in whose love the quick and the dead alike find life and hope, accept our praise this beautiful day for Thy loving kindness, and grant us forgiveness for all we have done amiss. Thy mercies are new every morning, and at nightfall Thou dost come to illumine every shadow. If the darkness upon the land or sea threatens to overwhelm us, even the night is made light about us.
We lift up to Thee the names of heroic men and women taken at the noonday, and of gentle children taken at the sunrise, of their lives. Especially, O Lord, we call to remembrance the name of him beside whose honored grave we stand with bowed heads and reverent hearts this hour. Help us to see those sterling qualities which made him a brother beloved. Grant that in the spacious fields of eternity he may find a larger world beyond our ken where he may complete the unfinished tasks of this mortal existence.
Bless, we pray Thee, the exercises of this hour. Wilt Thou, O God, bless the brothers representing his beloved fraternity; the men who go down to the sea in ships; the neighbors and friends who have gathered this happy hour together to honor a Mason, a sailor, and a worthy friend. Grant that any words spoken this afternoon may not only honor the dead but inspire us all to live more nobly. Thou who orderest the steps of rightcous men, guard in Thine enfolding compassion those who, through faith and patience, have inherited the promises, and strengthen those of us who remain that we may keep the faith, and glorify Thy holy name. Amen.
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GREETINGS
HON. ERNEST E. ROGERS
General Chairman of New London Tercentenary Committees
As general chairman of the New London committees, it is my happy privilege to welcome you to this program of Maritime Day observance, which is one of New London's events in connection with her participation in celebrating Connecticut's 300 years of self-government.
Also, as president of the New London Cemetery Association, may I express our gratification upon your presence in these sacred grounds, the shrines of so many New London families. Particularly do we appre- ciate the honors you are paying to the memory of Captain Stevens Rogers, a famous navigator, an exemplary Christian, and a faithful Mason, all of which are symbolized in marble with the ship Savannah, the Cross of the Church, and the Masonic emblems on his tombstone.
When uncrating this beautiful dogwood tree, we found it packed with hanging moss, which reminds me of the Bonaventure Cemetery at Savannah, with its oaks and hanging mosses, one of the beauty spots in the southland.
In my hand is the watch of Captain Moses Rogers, bought by him in Liverpool. It has not turned a hand since it was here last year. Apparently it also is in the spirit of eternal rest.
Many inquiries are made of me: Are you a descendant of one of the Captains Rogers? May I quote from my address delivered in the Savannah auditorium on the centennial of the sailing of the S. S. Savannah in 1919, where I was present, officially representing the City of New London. "I am not a descendant of either of the Captains Rogers, but am a member of the same New London family."
May I announce that in a letter from my friend of long standing, Thomas Gamble, now the Mayor of Savannah, under the date of May 13, he regrets his inability to be present today, but accepts my invitation to be here at the anniversary in 1936. He also says, "After the tree has taken root and is thriving, I think it will be nice to put a brass commemo- rative tablet on it, to be furnished by the City of Savannah."
These grounds are sacred to the memory of our departed relatives and friends. They are filled at this season with the bloom of trees and shrubs, 'and the calm and quiet remind us of those lines of that flawless masterpiece, Gray's Elegy:
"Hark, how the sacred calm that broods around
Bids every fierce tumultuous passion cease,
In still, small accents whispering from the ground A grateful earnest of eternal peace."
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CONGRATULATIONS FROM SAVANNAH
A telegram from Mayor Thomas Gamble and the aldermen of the City of Savannah to Ernest E. Rogers, General Chairman of the New London Organization for the observance of Connecticut's Tercentenary, was read.
"The City of Savannah extends its best wishes and congratulations to the City of New London on the observance of its 289th anniversary held recently, and the 300th anniversary of the founding of the State of Connecticut. We greatly appreciate the ties that bind Savannah to New London and to Connecticut, and hope that they will be strengthened throughout coming years. It was a genuine pleasure to cooperate in your celebration by supplying the dogwood tree from the lands of the estate given to General Nathanael Greene by the State of Georgia, and which was used by him as a residence until his death.
"It would not be possible to enumerate in detail the many historical bonds that draw Georgia and New England close together. Many Savan- nahians and other Georgians trace their ancestry back to the early settlers of Connecticut and other New England commonwealths, and are proud of the fact that their lineage runs back to your section. With best wishes to you personally, and the hope that the coming events in your celebration will all measure up fully to your expectations."
ADDRESS
HIS EXCELLENCY WILBUR L. CROSS Governor of Connecticut
Governor Wilbur L. Cross of Connecticut welcomed Governor Eugene Talmadge of Georgia to this State, and paid tribute to the men who sailed the S. S. Savannah across the Atlantic 116 years ago. He said :
Once more we gather around the grave of Stevens Rogers. Nor do we forget his brother-in-law, Moses Rogers, who lies buried in the southland.
This is a memorable occasion. I welcome to Connecticut, Governor Talmadge, who comes here to plant a dogwood tree from Georgia by the grave of Stevens Rogers.
It is most fitting that Georgia and Connecticut should stand side by side in doing honor to the heroism of Stevens and Moses Rogers, who were the first to cross the Atlantic in a ship propelled by steam. The story has been many times told. The S. S. Savannah was built as a sailing packet for the New York-Havre trade. She was but a hundred feet long with a 28-foot beain and a draft of 14 feet. The power plant
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consisted of a one-cylinder engine of but 90 horsepower. The engine was hitched to a pair of iron paddle wheels that could be hauled on deck during bad weather. Sails were provided and used when necessary to supplement steam.
On this small ship Stevens and Moses Rogers, with a New London crew, put to sea from Savannah a hundred and sixteen years ago, and about six weeks later reached Liverpool. It was for those days an astounding feat for a little boat to cross the ocean under power that we should not now regard as sufficient for the ordinary automobile. Everybody expected that the "Yankee teakettle" or the "steam coffin" would meet disaster off the coast of Georgia.
As time goes on the voyage of the S. S. Savannah will assume very great significance in the history of navigation. Columbus sailed westward over the Atlantic in the hope of reaching the eastern shore of Asia and bringing back to Spain a shipload of gold and diamonds and spices. When he first saw an island off the coast of this continent he did not know where he was, and when he returned to Spain he did not know where he had been. He died without surmising that he had discovered a new world with the aid of a little instrument called the mariner's compass.
Three centuries elapsed, and then came the steam engine. Stevens and Moses Rogers were quick to make use of the new invention. Under its power they were not afraid to meet the perils of the ocean in storm as well as in calm. Before their complete success Europe and America stood amazed.
Again years elapsed before the steamship was taken seriously by either the old or the new world.
Now have come the leviathans of the sea with the use of electric power. The length of the steamship, beginning with 100 feet, has now reached more than 1,000 feet. A 28-foot beam has become a 119- foot beam. A 250 tonnage has become nearly 80,000 tonnage. A 90 horsepower has now become 160,000 horsepower. No such development could have been foreseen by the two mariners whom we are now honoring in a beautiful cemetery in a beautiful city by the sea. All honor to them and their equally heroic crew!
ADDRESS
His EXCELLENCY EUGENE TALMADGE
Governor of Georgia
Happiness at the knowledge that America is becoming ship-con- scious was expressed by Governor Eugene Talmadge of Georgia in a pleasing address in which he paid tribute to the crew of the old-time
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S. S. Savannah and presented a dogwood tree to Connecticut as the gift of the State of Georgia. He said :
I can state as a truism that there are few of us, who, finding our- selves beside a grave in God's acre, that does not recall to himself the immortal lines of Gray's Elegy:
"The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, All that beauty, all that wealth e're gave, Await alike the inevitable hour. The paths of glory lead but to the grave."
I am particularly reminded of these lines today because I am aware that Gray's tomb went unnoticed for 125 years before the literary world awoke to a realization of the full beauty and underlying truths voiced in his Elegy in a Country Church Yard.
In a somewhat similar manner it has taken our people more than 100 years to properly appraise the value of the service of that New London crew, who, manning the little Georgia-owned craft, the Saran- nab, set forth from the port of the same name, on what proved to be an epochal voyage, ushering in a new era in world shipping from which all civilization has ever since been benefitted.
The glory of that achievement, of which Captain Moses and Stevens Rogers had but a glimpse in their day and generation, finds us gathered by their graves, we of Georgia, joining with you of Connecticut, to pay a belated homage to the joint contribution of these, our honored citizens. In doing this we emphasize the self-evident truth that peace has her victories no less than war. In the years to come their names will take a rightful place with others who have successfully pioneered in the peaceful arts and sciences, and from whose labors and visions all' have profited.
I have specifically referred to Captain Moses Rogers whose remains have rested in an unmarked grave in the southland for 112 years. As a result of the interest that has been awakened by the National Maritime League, that resting place has been located in the quiet little churchyard of St. David's, in Cheraw, South Carolina, and at this very hour, similar ceremonies are being observed there for the first time. We of the south are paying homage to this Connecticut captain after the manner that my Georgian friends have journeyed with me to New London to pay our respects to the men who have brought this honor to our two states. At their graves, we, too, can well afford to bury all our social, industrial and political differences, for here we are reminded that all paths, glorious or otherwise, lead but to the grave.
It is with pardonable pride that I take advantage of this occasion to remind you that beginning with tomorrow upwards of 300 patriotic, civic, and commercial organizations will launch a coast to coast program
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VIEWS OF MARITIME DAY EXERCISES
1. Governor Wilbur L. Cross of Connecticut. 2. Governor Eugene Talmadge of Georgia. 3. Grand Master Ernest L. Prann of Grand Masonic Lodge of Connecticut. 4. Speakers and guests.
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for the observance of National Maritime Day, and Foreign Trade Week. To you of New London it must be a source of supreme satisfaction to recall that the first public observance took place at the spot where we are now gathered, but two short years ago.
For myself, I count it a privilege to have been able to give this movement my executive and personal support from the day of its incep- tion. I have been amply repaid by the interest it awakened and the support I have since endeavored to extend to American shipping, an industry in which I had only a passing interest, for like millions of others, my home is not on the seaboard. Today, I am happy in the knowledge that America is becoming ship-conscious.
That you may know and understand how sincerely Georgia joins with you in honoring this man, who was born and lived among you for many honored years, I have arranged that this tree be brought here to serve to remind you that we are glad to have had a part in honoring your famous citizen. By a happy coincidence this tree comes from the Georgia plantation of a famous New England general, Nathanael Greene, who made his home among us following the Revolution.
As you plant this tree I give voice to the hope that it will grow lusty and strong so that when the boys present will have grown to sturdy manhood, they will look at it and regard it as a challenge to go forth and pioneer in the world of industry and science as did the man whose memory we commemorate today. He was the type of American seaman that recognized no limitations, and it is because Captain Rogers and his New London crew dared to do what no other navigator ever attempted, we have come to honor the memory of a brave crew that sailed forth to conquer. Let us keep that memory green.
ADDRESS
ERNEST L. PRANN Grand Master, Grand Masonic Lodge of Connecticut
Ernest L. Prann of Deep River, Grand Master of Masons in Con- necticut, commented upon the fraternity and told of distinguished Masons of New London. He said :
In an old copy of The Connecticut Magazine, the late Abiram Chamberlain, then Governor of our State, said: "Connecticut is a State of which we are all proud. Its foundation was laid by men whose memories we cherish. From them we have received a legacy such as no other people have inherited, and it is our duty to guard it well, that we may transmit to our children our own goodly heritage." This senti- ment is as true today as it was when spoken 30 years ago.
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CAPTAIN STEVENS ROGERS MONUMENT
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I appear on your program this afternoon as Grand Master of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in Connecticut, and it is both a privilege and an honor to have a small part in paying tribute to one of New London's distinguished sons.
It is particularly fitting at this time, when our State, in every city, town, and village, is celebrating its tercentenary, to pause for a moment and pay homage to those men whose daring exploitations, in blazing unknown trails and sailing uncharted seas, have paved the way for those who were to follow.
A few days ago your city, as a part of its extended program, honored the memory of another of your distinguished residents. I refer to John Winthrop, Connecticut's first governor. Upon his return from England, following the death of his wife, Winthrop was commissioned by the Lord Saye and Sele as Governor of the Connecticut River and lands adjoining, and history tells us that for a brief time he made his home in the town of Saybrock. Being a resident of that town myself and a member of its Tercentenary Committee, I desire to pay this brief but belated tribute.
From the days of Benjamin Franklin down through the ages, Masonry has played an important part in the political and social life of our nation. The American Revolution began a new era in the Masonic, as well as the political, history of our country. Throughout the war the influence of Freemasonry was a decisive one, both in the halls of congress and upon the battlefield. Political and civic leaders have been, and are today, enrolled upon lodge membership records. The first grand master of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut was a son of that famous New England preacher and philosopher, Jonathan Edwards. Young Edwards took part in at least two hard-fought battles of the Revolution, and later served as administrator of the estate of Benedict Arnold.
Another grand master of the Grand Lodge of Connecticut was Dyer Throop Brainard. This eminent member of our fraternity was born in New London, and in addition to his medical profession, was active in the civic life of your city and in your banking institutions. Brainard Lodge, No. 102, was named in his honor.
Two other distinguished residents of your city-Lyman Law and Edward Rowe-served as grand masters of Masons in Connecticut.
Masonry has contributed many men who have distinguished them- selves in legislative halls and as acknowledged leaders in state and national affairs, and not the least of these was the late Governor Thomas M. Waller, who after serving as chief executive of the State was ap- pointed as United States Consul General at London. Governor Waller was also a member of Union Lodge, No. 31. That Masonry is con- tinuing to contribute much to our present-day citizenry may I mention
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one more member of Brainard Lodge, No. 102, who today is serving as General Chairman of the New London Tercentenary Committees- the Hon. Ernest E. Rogers.
Before passing, may I refer to another distinguished resident of your City who has received the highest honor within the gift of Free- masonry in this State-Most Worshipful Charles C. Perkins, who, I presume is here in person today. There are still further Masonic honors to come to your City, for in 1938 your distinguished military leader and esteemed citizen, our own Grand Junior Warden, Major General Morris B. Payne, will be occupying my present office as Grand Master of Masons in Connecticut.
I have referred briefly to a few of the Masonic activities in our own State, but Masonry is universal. It extends from the north to the south, from the east to the west. Many of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, leaders in all walks in life, and many of our presidents from George Washington to Franklin D. Roosevelt, have been members of our fraternity.
It is not for us to say what would have been our destiny if there had been no Freemasonry in their lives. It is for us to congratulate ourselves and be thankful for our country that these wise philosophers, these leaders of men and of nations, had taken to their hearts the im- mutable and eternal principles of our ancient craft.
It is not my purpose, nor do I think it necessary for me to dwell at length upon the life of Captain and Brother Stevens Rogers, whose memory we are commemorating today, or to the important part he and his faithful crew played in the early maritime history of our country.
Suffice to say, he was a most devoted and sincere member of Union Lodge of this City, and for years served that lodge as chaplain. Masonry meant more to him than mere form and ceremony. Many of his crew were likewise members of the craft, and it is quite likely to believe that the several Masonic lectures were rehearsed many times, and it is quite probable, too, that they may have opened and closed a lodge of instruction frequently on that slow and monotonous four weeks' journey across the Atlantic.
Throughout his life, Brother Rogers is said to have lived and demon- strated Masonic teachings and principles in his daily life, and we have con- fidence to believe that when the summons came for him to cross the bar, that his soul found a safe anchorage in that harbor where the wicked cease from troubling and the weary shall find rest.
The benediction was pronounced by Lieutenant George L. Markle, Chaplain at the Coast Guard Academy and the Submarine Base.
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Early Printers' Day
SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 1935
T HE idea of an Early Printers' Day in connection with Connecticut's 300th birthday was first suggested by Miss Anna Hempstead Branch, poct, of New London and New York. Miss Branch, who is a native of New London, resides in her ancestral home in the summer, and in Christodora House in New York in the winter, where she is a member of the Poets' Guild. She is Chairman of the New London Allied Families Committee of the Tercentenary, and was introduced to the large audience in the Outdoor Theatre of Connecticut College by Ernest E. Rogers, General Chairman of New London's Tercentenary Committees. Miss Branch extended the welcome to the guests in the name of the distinguished founder of the town, John Winthrop the Younger, a man "august in intellect and genius." Later, Miss Branch, in behalf of the Allied Families, presented the hospitality of the printing press of New London to the Poets' Guild in recognition of the Poets of Connecticut.
In addition to the speakers and interested audience, a number of consuls from various nations were present, who will cooperate in for- warding invitations to pocts.
They were Charles B. Vincent, Consul General of Haiti; Walter F. Walker, Consul for the Republic of Liberia; Prince Guido Colonna and Pasquale De Cicco, Royal Vice Consuls of Italy; and Cayetano de Quesada, Consul General of Cuba. Mr. De Cicco is from New Haven ; the others from New York.
The gathering also included a number of distinguished poets, and there was a large delegation of printers from this City and vicinity, including members of the New London Typographical Union, No. 159, a subordinate union of the International Typographical Union, which was organized May 3, 1852, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Miss Branch asserted the press was dedicated to the poets of all the world in its work of printing invitations for participation in the festival of poetry, and she then introduced the consuls.
Edwin Markham of New York, a poct who is in his 83d year and one whose poetry appears in 40 languages, spoke. An interesting man, in wide-brimmed hat and with flowing beard, Mr. Markham charmed his audience with a delightful talk, in which he related many humorous incidents.
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He paid tribute to many poets, including Miss Branch and Mrs. Richard Mansfield of this City, and said that persons were helping the cause of internationalism when helping the cause of poetry.
When he was about to conclude his remarks, Dr. Katharine Blunt, President of Connecticut College, asked him to read one of his poems as a favor to the college students, and he read The Look Ahead, from his book Eighty Songs at Eighty. He also recited his Ode to Lincoln, a brilliant work.
Ridgely Torrence, a member of the American Institute of Arts and Letters, then placed a wreath at the base of the printing press in honor of the ancient printers and poets and as a prize to printers and poets who are still to come.
Miss Branch wrote the prologue and epilogue for this program.
PROLOGUE
Today, June 2, 1935, there is printed on the New London Printing Press, in the Outdoor Theatre of Connecticut College, a message from the Poets' Guild of Christodora House to the Poets of all Nations. This message is an invitation to participate in a World Festival of Poetry and the Rhythmic Arts, focussed around the theme of the World Book, and later on it will be sent to the poets of foreign countries through the medium of their chief executives.
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