USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Litchfield > Semi-centennial of the Litchfield historical and antiquarian society > Part 5
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meeting of your Society in August, 1905, when the plans of this building were submitted by the large-hearted donor, it occurred to the speaker that the Chapter might be permitted to place a stained glass window there as a memorial to these men whom the two Societies would thus be united in honor- ing. The idea was heartily endorsed by the Chapter and resulted forthwith in the proposal which you did us the honor to accept. The gift was pledged, but how to redeem the pledge? Our thoughts turned naturally to the descend- ants of the patriots, and to the ever generous public, who might like an opportunity to share in this work; if not, another way would be found. But the descendants and the public responded royally to the call. Not only from Litch- field but from all over the country and even from abroad came help and cheering words of sympathy and encourage- ment from the descendants of our Litchfield County men ; many descendants likewise of Revolutionary soldiers not from Litchfield County shared in the work; the Litch- field public gave its ever ready patronage to Chapter enter- tainments and many another patriotic donor helped to swell the fund. I purposely give you this detailed account of our work because one of the most important and pleasur- able of my duties to-day is to make grateful acknowl- edgment, in the Chapter's name, of the generous assist- ance of all these donors, without whose help this memorial could not have materialized as soon as it did, within one year and a quarter of its conception. But although we give you the window to-day, the entire memorial plan is not quite finished, nor in the nature of the case can it be finished for some time to come. The names and records of the soldiers are still to be recorded in permanent and dignified form. Nearly 3,000 names cannot be placed on a window nor on any tablet; they will be given to you, as soon as the list is practically complete, enrolled in a volume worthy of their fame; and the Chapter's pledge to
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record memorial gifts to the window fund made by descend- ants in special memory of their own Revolutionary ancestors will be redeemed in full, and these two memorial records will be placed here in your care as soon as the material can be made ready for the engrosser. This material is still increas- ing by the addition of soldiers' names and the names of donors who wish to record their ancestors in the memorial book, and so it was not possible to have the book ready for to-day. The manuscript lists of the soldiers will be on exhibition in the reading room after the ceremonies.
The Chapter has now reached the supreme moment in this its labor of love and patriotism. In unveiling this monu- ment to the founders of our country and presenting it to you, we for the first time do public honor to those whose names we have ever held enshrined in our heart of hearts.
To the Revolutionary patriots of Litchfield County be for- ever given the tribute of a loving thought, a quickened heart- beat, a responsive thrill of love like theirs for the "Home and Country" they helped to give us. May this window not only commemorate their devotion and sacrifices ; may it also inspire present and future generations to evince the same loyalty to their ideals, the same self-forgetting love for our country and our flag, and all that we Americans stand for in the evolution of mankind.
And now, Mr. President, in the name of the Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, I unveil and present this window to your Society, and I com- mit to your care the sacred trust of holding in everlasting remembrance the Litchfield County patriots of the Revolu- tion.
Mrs. Buel then drew to one side the large American flag which veiled the window.
After the unveiling, Dr. SEYMOUR, President of the His- torical Society, accepted the window, as follows :
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Madame Regent :- Allow me to express to you, the official representative of the Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, the grateful thanks of the Litchfield Historical Society for the suggestive and beautiful window which you have just unveiled and pre- sented to us. We recognize very clearly the intrinsic value of this memorial as a work of art, and rejoice in the beauty which it adds to this hall, into the possession of which we have so fortunately come through the generous forethought of the donor. In itself this window is beautiful, but in two separate ways it has a beauty and a value over and above its own. For in the first place we see in this window the working out of a spirit in your organization worthy of the highest commendation ; viz., a determination, early formed as you tell us, to put into permanent form a commemoration of the men to whose patriotism and bravery we owe our independence, so nobly achieved in the days and in the spirit of '76. As you have already said, the deeds of those men are worthy of remembrance and commemoration. The suf- ferings and privations of those men, their fidelity to the call of duty and their brave deeds will never be lost sight of so long as our country shall be pervaded and ruled by a love of liberty and an earnest devotion to duty. Therefore your determination to weave an unfading wreath with which to decorate their memory honors your Association and gives value to the way in which you have wrought out your plan in this window now presented.
Again, this window has value to us Litchfielders in that through your efforts so many have been led to con- tribute to its cost. This act on their part is sure to awaken a new interest in and to build up a stronger regard for the men and the principles which it is intended to commemorate. So, also, I think it will give to the contributors a fresh hold upon Litchfield as a center, attracting their love and draw- ing them back from time to time to this home of their
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ancestors. This also will be good for us and for them. In accepting this gift from the D. A. R. I express the hope, a hope which I venture to think will be realized, that the present members of the Historical Society and those who in later times will succeed and follow us will ever find in it a pertinent reminder of the duty of a patriotic love for country, a love which will not suffer us nor them to be satis- fied and silent when evils exist which ought to be remedied. We of the present day may not be called upon to bear arms for our country's defence, but there are dangers which come not from outward foes but from foes within the State. Let it be our earnest purpose as it is our sacred duty to see that the republic takes no harm.
Madame, we thank you and your associates and all whose aid has made this window possible. The Historical Society is your debtor and it will certainly pay the debt in the only way possible; viz., by its gratitude fully felt and expressed, and its promise to prove a careful guardian of the gift.
In introducing the last speaker Mrs. BUEL said :
When we stand before a beautiful work of art and are stirred by the thoughts it inspires, our minds naturally turn to the artist. We ask, who is the creator of the thing of beauty? whose spirit conceived, whose hand executed it? And so to-day we want to see and to hear from him who has expressed in glowing form and color this embodied Spirit of the Revolution.
For the past year and a half it has been my privilege to know the creator of the window. Our intercourse in the common object which we had at heart has been and will ever be to me a pleasant memory. As a pleasure shared is ever a pleasure doubled, I begged him to complete the significance of this occasion by being present with us to-day, thereby giving the Chapter and the public of Litchfield the long-
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desired opportunity to express in person their appreciation of his work. It is, therefore, with most sincere pleasure that I introduce our artist, Mr. Crowninshield.
We are extremely sorry not to be able to round out the story of the speeches of Friday with a verbatim report of Mr. Crowinshield's remarks, but he spoke extemporaneously and we have been unable to persuade him to write out for us what he said. He made an eloquent and stirring appeal for the best and noblest in art, in literature, in the lives of individuals and of nations. He said he believed in democracy and had no use for those people who said that a monarchial form of government was much better. To use his own expression, such people were his "despair." He believed in the D. A. R. because they were democratic, in the best and highest sense of that term. Turning to Mrs. Kinney, who had reported the membership of the organization as being 60,000, he said, "Madame, you should be especially proud of being the mother of 60,000 patriotic daughters." Mr. Crowninshield also paid a magnificent tribute to women and the very important part they had always taken in the history of the world and declared that those nations were the most enlightened and doing the most for mankind where the high character and ennobling influence of womanhood were espe- cially emphasized.
After the singing of "America" and the benediction by Rev. Storrs O. Seymour, D.D., the building was thrown open to the inspection of the general public, hundreds not being able to attend the exercises because of the limited capacity of the room. Tea was very delightfully served by the ladies of the Historical Society, in the museum of the Scientific Association, and this marked the formal closing of a day memorable even in the history of Litchfield and one which was filled only with enjoyment and profit from first to last.
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The memorial window is at the north end of the Historical Society's building. In shape it is of Colonial design with a large central panel and a smaller one on each side. The figure, which represents the martial spirit of '76, is that of a winged youth with a drawn, short sword in his right hand, while in his left, uplifted, he holds a branch of laurel. He is clothed in mail, with greaves and sandals, while a flame-colored toga-like garment partially envelops him. The coloring is especially rich and beautiful and a member of the local Chapter has very graphically written as follows: "The artist has caught the colors of the early morning light, the pinks and the reds of sunrise, for the draperies and in the far background rise hills which one can easily feel are the Litchfield Hills. At the right of the window stand some white birches and massed back of the central figure are flowering shrubs almost matching the laurel in their coloring."
Forming a halo over the head of the figure are the words "PRO PATRIA," while underneath the window is the follow- ing inscription, with the insignia of the D. A. R. in the center :
IN MEMORY OF THE REVOLUTIONARY PATRIOTS OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY
PRESENTED TO THE LITCHFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY BY THE MARY FLOYD TALLMADGE CHAPTER
OF THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1776-1907
The members of Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter, D. A. R., are greatly pleased with the window and especially gratified with the close attention given the entire work, by the artist, Frederic Crowninshield. Mr. Crowninshield is
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the President of the Federation of Arts of New York and recognized as one of the leading men in his line in America. He designed a number of windows that have been much admired in Emmanuel Church, Boston, and is in great demand as a designer of memorial windows. He is extremely versatile and has just published a very pretty book of poems and is now doing more as a painter in oils than a designer of windows. While in Litchfield Mr. Crowninshield was the guest of Dr. and Mrs. John L. Buel.
Inder
Bigelow, John PAGE
22
Bowman, Clara Lee
Buel, John L., Mrs. . 31
24,5I
Crowninshield, Frederic
57
Ellsworth, William Webster IO
35
Hart, Samuel, Rev. Dr.
Hutchins, John, Rev. .2, 23
Kilbourn, Dwight C.
17
Kinney, Sara T., Mrs. 25
Peck, F. W., Dr. 19
Seymour, Storrs O., Rev. Dr. 2,55
Stedman, Clarence 21
Van Winkle, Edgar B. 2I
Wolcott, Roger 45
Woodruff, George M. 5
Window, description of 58
1
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 0 014 111 899 7
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