USA > Connecticut > New London County > Norwich > The Norwich jubilee. A report of the celebration at Norwich, Connecticut, on the two hundredth anniversary of the settlement of the town, September 7th and 8th, 1859. With an appendix, containing historical documents of local interest > Part 20
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" Physic .- We had rather toast it than take it. Good luck to the doctors, for in time of peace we must prepare for war."
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On calling upon Dr. Worthington Hooker, of New Haven, to reply to this sentiment, the president announced that the speakers would now be limited to five minutes.
Dr. Hooker said :- I regret that Dr. Knight, that prince of medical lecturers, could not be present to reply to this sentiment. We have, you know, a Day in New Haven, a remarkably clear headed man, but our Knight is as clear as our Day, and I regret that you could not have heard from him on this occasion, especially as he was in his early days a schoolmaster among you, and could have entertained you with some interesting reminiscences.
We are in the habit of dabbling in theology in New Haven, and think that we can settle most doubtful points. Now colonel Perkins, the chairman of your reception committee, has puzzled us a little. In one of his missives he refers to second John, 12th. Well, we turned to the second chapter of John's Gospel, 12th verse, which reads thus-" After this he went down to Capernaum, he and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples; and they continued there not many days." Now we thought that in the last clause of that verse there was a hint about not staying here too long, that was not quite consistent with the colonel's proverbial courtesy. Then we were told that he referred to the 12th verse of the second epistle of John. We did not on the whole decide the question, and so the colonel has the credit of puzzling even New Haven theologians. I may be excused for bringing up this matter, for I have sometimes been taken for a clergyman, (I sup- pose from my wonted gravity of manner so well known to you,) and was once introduced to a large audience as the Rev. Dr. Hooker.
I claim to be somewhat of a patriarch among you, having been . present at the birth of thirteen hundred of the natives of this place, one-tenth of your whole population. Familiar with every nook and corner of Norwich, I have been delighted in going about, with meeting with things both great and small, that recall the scenes of my residence of twenty-three years among you. I should like to speak of some of them, but my time is up. Before I sit down, however, let me say a word about that disputed point, the proper pronunciation of the name of your beautiful city. I consider it settled by the earliest authority, (earliest to each one of us,) that of mother Goose, who in the ditty so familiar to us, makes it rhyme with porridge.
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The President .- I have a sentiment that has just been sent in. It is :-
" Old Norwich-A beautiful and rare Mosaic, set in emerald, proudly worn in. the breast of every native at home or abroad."
" Our Merchants :- Self-made men, whose energy and enterprise have made: their mark in the world ; we welcome them home with pride."
Henry P. Haven, of New London, responded. He said :-
As a son of Norwich, Mr. President, it gives me pleasure to re- spond to a sentiment in which your merchants are so honorably re- membered. Though I have long found a pleasant home in your nearest sister city, yet I can never forget that I drew my first breath in the good old town of Norwich. It was a happy period that I first came among you, for I have been told that on the evening of the day in which I first saw the light, there was a general illumination of the town commemorative of the blessings of peace. The last war with Great Britain had just terminated; the Olive Branch had arrived at New York with news that the treaty had been concluded, and the dwellings of Norwich were decorated as they were last evening, with the brilliant tokens of rejoicing. I esteem it a privilege and a joy, to be born in such a day, in such a place.
When I began to emerge from boyhood and look about for an opportunity to commence mercantile life, the bright days of the prosperity of Norwich, Mr. President, of which we have just heard such an eloquent description-when her ships traded direct with London, and her commerce was no inconsiderable part of the ton- nage of the state, had passed away, and it was a season of business repose, if not of decay. Like many of your Norwich boys of that day, I was obliged to look abroad for a situation and a home. Was it strange that I should choose the city at the mouth of your beautiful river ? I think not. Of the early founders of Norwich, the brave thirty-five first proprietors, seven came from New Lon- don, and, when some years later, Charles Hill, one of the earliest commercial men of New London, wanted a wife, he did but what many a man has since done, he came to Norwich, and married the daughter of your major John Mason, the noble old pioneer whose deeds of valor, in state and church, have been so worthily com- memorated this day. Thus you returned to New London some of the good seed you had taken from her. John Elderkin, who built
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your first meeting house and mill, had previously erected the same buildings, so early necessary in the arrangements of the puritans, in New London. The first turnpike in the state was made in 1792, to connect Norwich with New London ; and during the whole two hundred years of our mutual existence, numerous and pleasant as- sociations have existed between the two towns.
I read yesterday in one of the New York papers, a notice of the death of George Griswold, the oldest member of the chamber of commerce in that city, and in the brief sketch of his life, it was stated that Connecticut had furnished New York with more mer- chants than any other state. Norwich, I doubt not, has con- tributed its full share. The Huntingtons, Nevinses, Stedmans, Hydes and Backuses, are names not unknown in high mercantile and commercial life. And here excuse me if I speak of one, who, had Providence spared his life, should have stood here rather than myself, to respond to your sentiment. Born in Norwich the same year that gave me birth, our lot was cast in the same city. As a near neighbor and friend, pursuing the same commercial enterprises, I had learned to love and esteem him. The name he bore has been and still is honored, both in Norwich and New London. In the ordinary course of events, these fair grounds on which your festive tent is pitched this day, should have been his paternal in- heritance ; but at the early age of forty, in the prime of business life and full strength, he was called away, leaving as a monument of his industry and enterprise, a fortune larger than is usually se- cured by the toiling merchant of three score years and ten.
I can not close without speaking of the gratitude which Norwich owes to her now resident merchants. In connection with her princely manufacturers, behold yon noble temple of learning which they have erected, endowed and presented, a free gift to your children's children. And forget not what your own merchants of previous years have done. To no one enterprise, perhaps, is Nor- wich more indebted for its present prosperity, than to the Norwich and Worcester railroad. One of the first undertakings of the kind in the state, it pressed very heavily upon its pioneer builders, and almost sank beneath the weight of its iron load, some of your best men and merchants of that day, but it eventually gave a new im- pulse to the trade and business of your city. I will not individual- ize any names, but I ask you not to forget what the builders of
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that railroad did for your local enterprise and business. Other men labored, and ye have entered into the fruit of their labors.
But, Mr. President, I must close. A merchant, particularly a Connecticut merchant, is expected to be able to make a good bar- gain, but the ability to make a good speech is not one of the lessons in which he is drilled.
" Schoolmasters-Old and New .- Birch and moral suasion. May the latter do as much good as the former."
Mr. G. F. Thayer, of Boston, in responding, said :-
MR. PRESIDENT :- I presume the word "birch" typifies coercion or chastisement generally ; not confining itself to corporal infliction, but applicable, also, to the various penalties to which the teacher has occasion to resort, in securing the objects for which his services are engaged. In this view, the birch is sometimes indispensable. It has done much good in the past, and may do much in the future. When necessary to secure obedience, to excite indolence, to correct carelessness, or arouse indifference, its use should not be foregone. In a long experience, I have sounded all its depths and shoals, and have proved its utility. But it is by no means the panacea for school maladies. It is not the dernier resort. Nor is the amount of the infliction-especially if it be a corporal application-to be measured by the enormity of the offense. A teacher's worst cases of premeditated disobedience, of anger, revenge, malice, falsehood, profanity, cruelty, meanness, must be treated by a totally different course.
The great mechanician, Archimedes, is said to have exclaimed, on his discovery of the power of the lever :- "Give me where I may stand, and I will move the world !" The schoolmaster should take a hint from this. Standing on human nature, with the hu- man heart for his fulcrum, and kindness for his lever, he may subdue the most refractory dispositions, and remove from his school disobedience, and passion, and vice. The world has yet to learn the omnipotence of kindness. The young teacher, in the. ardor of early manhood, urged by its aspirations, its impatient ambition, its jealousy of apparent disrespect in the pupils under his care, is apt to seize upon the very summary means of our puritan ancestors, and on many, if not on all occasions, apply the rod to the offender, as if that alone could inspire dullness, humanize
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the morose, soften obstinacy, and infuse a spirit of obedience and virtue into his refractory or vicious scholars. Time corrects this mistake in the teacher, and if he resolves conscientiously to make the most of his position and opportunities for the benefit of his precious charge, he modifies his discipline; and while he remits no jot of his reasonable requisitions, his methods are reformed or im- proved, are rendered more philosophical, more paternal, more genial. He gains by kindly means all and more than all that he ever attempted by the harsher; while, at the same time, he pre- serves his own equanimity, administers to the culprit a valuable lesson of self-control, and sends him away a better and a wiser being.
Sir, I am not a native of your beautiful city, nor connected with it by any of those ties or relations, which give a claim to a part in this interesting celebration.
About a year since, I attended a meeting of the American institute of instruction held in this place. Arriving here at 10 o'clock in the evening, I could find no hotel accommodations, and accepted the kind offer of a friend to conduct me to private quar- ters, and repaired with him to the mansion of one of your princi- pal citizens. My reception was cordial, and the hospitalities I en- joyed were delicate, varied, and princely. These and the attentions bestowed upon me elsewhere by others, almost made me a self- adopted son of Norwich ; and in some remarks I was called on to make, at the closing of the session of the institute, I stated that that was my " first visit to your city, but it would not be the last by many a one."
Through the whole succeeding year, I was anticipating the pleasure of this celebration, and heartily rejoiced as the time drew near, in the reception of an invitation to be present, from my large hearted host of 1858. I am now enjoying a repetition of last year's liberality and kindness, which time seems only to have in- creased and extended.
Yesterday was not only the birthday of Norwich, but also that of my excellent host,* who, jointly with his estimable wife, made a donation, valued at seven thousand dollars, to the Norwich free academy ; and I had the satisfaction to write my name as a witness to their signatures to the noble deed of gift. It was, indeed, a real
* Wm. P. Greene, president of the board of trustees of Norwich free academy.
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gratification to me; one that I should have deemed cheaply pur- chased, at the cost of a journey from my home, for it alone.
This was not the first benefaction to the academy from the same source-it having furnished as large a share of the subscription money as any one of the original donors.
This munificent donation, as you well know, consists of a dwelling house and land for the use of the principal of the academy. How must his heart swell within him at the contemplation of an act so generous ! How must it cheer him in his arduous labors, to feel that the institution has such a friend! How must every citizen of the place be inspired by the example, and incited to a zealous desire to support that which has been so nobly established !
The Norwich free academy! A seminary of learning of a high grade; one that will compare favorably with the best high schools of New England; excelling in its range of studies, in the thorough- ness of its teachings, in its lofty principles, its liberal and faithful supervision, many of the colleges of the west ; and yet open to merit to the children of every individual in the town. What a glorious mission it is destined to accomplish ! Not merely in its direct action upon those who become its pupils, but also upon all the schools of various grades about it in this community, stimulating some to effort, that they be not left far behind, and others, that their candidates for admission become worthy of seats within its classic walls.
It is, in fact, an institution which the former condition of com- mon school education in this community needed and demanded; which was called for by the age; which, with the immense school fund of Connecticut, the people were not likely, for a long period, to enjoy. Hence, what a debt of gratitude the good people of Nor- wich have incurred to those patriotic and high minded individuals, who conceived the splendid idea of this academy, and prosecuted it to completion !
Connected with, and almost indispensable to, the success of the institution, is its library. All honor to the lady whose liberal mind discovered this necessity, and whose equally liberal hand supplied the means to meet it. Besides providing a nucleus of valuable and well selected books, she furnishes the ample apart- ment in which they are to be kept in the neatest and most appro- priate style, at a cost, in all, of two or three thousand dollars, and
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adds five thousand more, whose annual income is to be expended for ever in enlarging the library for the use of the pupils of the academy. And that the benefaction may extend to as large a circle of persons as possible, the parents of the scholars are permit- ted to enjoy the privilege of using the books within the admirable reading room of the library.
And as an act of filial respect to the memory of her father, she denominates it the "Peck Library."
For myself, I can not but rejoice to live in the age of so many noble women; women who have not only gained a reputation that will carry down their names in glory to the remotest posterity, but who have conferred real benefits on mankind, that kings, and heroes, and conquerors, in vain may claim to have equaled. And when, in making our catalogue of them, we write the names of Mrs. Frye, Florence Nightingale, Dolly Dix, Grace Darling, and Mrs. Dudley, may we not, with perfect propriety, add that of Mrs. HAR- RIET PECK WILLIAMS ?
From a long continued connection with education, my interest in whatever tends to promote it in the most useful direction is ever active. I am proud of the school system of my native state of Massachusetts, and especially of the public schools of Boston, where I have toiled for more than half a century ; but neither Boston nor Massachusetts has any institution for the mass of the people (unless we except the Putnam school in Newburyport, established by the bounty of a single individual) that can compare with the Norwich free academy, when the means of effecting the object are consider- ed ; the one, the legislative action of the commonwealth, the other, the liberality and enterprise of individuals.
In conclusion I would say, Mr. President and ladies and gentle- men, long may your academy flourish and do good ; long may you appreciate and cherish it; long may you be blessed with the effi- cient, faithful, and successful labors of its present accomplished principal; and long may he continue to enjoy your cordial co-ope- ration, and deserve and receive your countenance and support.
May the Lord raise up new benefactors to add to its means of educating your sons and daughters for ages on ages; and when its worthy founders and active friends, present and to come, shall close their eyes on temporal scenes, may they enjoy the whispered plaudits of approving consciences, in the heartfelt " well done!"
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which these heavenly monitors shall cause to thrill through their departing spirits !
It remains, my friends, but for me to thank you for the oppor- tunity of participating with you in the festivities of this delightful occasion ; to acknowledge the kindness with which you have listened to the words of a stranger, at this late hour of your grand fraternal reunion ; and to express my admiration of your beautiful, hospitable, and well governed city. Long will the remembrance of your noble public structures, your stately private mansions, your shaded walks, your magnificent elms, your public enterprises, and, above all, your friendly welcome, come up in pleasing recollection to my mind, while I admit and proclaim that your city stands, among all the cities of our land, par eminence, the MUNIFICENT CITY !
" Our Governors-Regulators of the legislative engine. May they be always accurate in their movements."
Lieutenant governor Catlin was called, and when silence was procured, said that after the eloquent addresses and interesting speeches they had had, he would not presume, at this late hour, to occupy the time of those present in making a speech; and in lieu thereof I will propose a sentiment. I will give you, sir,
" Our New England Homes-The cradles of virtue and integrity. May the children educated here never desert the 'principles of their fathers.'"
"Joseph Otis-the enlightened, the liberal, and the good. In his lifetime he gave a library to Norwich, and at his death endowed it for enduring useful- ness."
Mr. John T. Adams, in responding, said :-
MR. PRESIDENT :- Very precious is the memory of a good man. Connecting the present with the past by ties of gratitude, and love, and admiration, it possesses a tender and sacred interest. Besides, it is an incentive to virtue. It is a voice inviting to the stars. Therefore I will speak a moment of our honored friend. Accept what I shall say, as you would a flower dropped on his grave.
It was not long before the death of Mr. Otis, when I made his acquaintance. At the age of twenty-one years he had left his native town of Norwich, to engage in mercantile pursuits, and after half a century, returned with a fortune honorably acquired
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in the city of New York. That period of life was reached when the distraction and tumult of a great commercial place no longer please, and quiet becomes congenial. Perhaps with a feel- ing not uncommon, he desired that upon the scenes of natural beauty which had greeted his infant eyes, his dying gaze might rest. Most, if not all of those who began life with him had passed away. Their earthly presence, therefore, could not allure him back. But the eternal features of nature, modified indeed by art, remained. These, to the old man, would speak of the boy, and awaken emotions, pleasing though tinged with melancholy. Sad though the retrospect might be, faith gilded it with light from Heaven, and prophesied of a time when friends should meet to part no more.
Thus at three score years and ten, having chosen his retreat be- neath the shade of his native trees, he thenceforth considered him- self entitled to resign himself somewhat more to meditation on the great change that at no distant hour awaited him. After so pro- longed a life of multiplied activities and varied fortunes, repose was wise and graceful. But that repose was not to be the torpor of inaction. Though his body was feeble, his mind was strong. He was as solicitous as ever to do good. Benevolence had be- come a habit with which he could not dispense. The quality of such a soul is to diffuse benefits. As spontaneously as the sun sends abroad rays of light and life, as freely as a fountain from its superabundance overflows, so liberally it gives its treasures. It longs for the happiness of all, and is full of plans to promote it. And so it happened that while revolving those interests of his fel- low men which lay nearest his heart, the idea presented itself to Mr. Otis of establishing a public library. It seems to me that the thought into which his liberality shaped itself is indicative of an enlightened as well as philanthropic mind. He appreciated the truth that "man lives not by bread only." There are cravings of the intellect and of the emotional part of our nature, as well as hungerings of the body. These cravings, books best satisfy. For what is a good library ? It is a depository for the choice thoughts and feelings of the world's choice spirits. It is a record of the ex- ploits of the brains and hearts of mankind. Here history teaches what the race has dared and suffered; here science recounts her marvelous discoveries ; here poetry, reveling in ecstatic visions,
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brings down Heaven to earth by raising earth to Heaven ; here human capacities and aspirations, and loves, and hates, and hero- isms, and crimes, and wisdom, and folly, are delineated as on a map, or painted as in a picture. By means of books, then, man acquires a wider and juster knowledge of himself and of his race. His soul is expanded, elevated, refined. In his illiterate condition he is a block; in his cultivated state he steps forth an Apollo from the chisel of Phidias. The bread of the soul is spiritual nu- triment. It is the food of angels. Surely he is to be ranked among the greatest of benefactors who provides it.
Mr. Otis did not defer the establishment of his library to the tender mercies of a last will and testiment. The good his hand found to do he did at once. He purchased a lot of land; he erected a building; he furnished it with books; he appointed a librarian, and in his lifetime enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing his bounty dispensing blessings. And more; when he came to die, he provided for the permanency of his benefaction. Mr. Presi- dent, the sentiment you have asked me to reply to, confines me to a mention of the gift of a library among the bounties of this man. Were I permitted to refer to others, I could point to many, stealing out like stars in a clear evening sky.
When I became acquainted with Mr. Otis, he was an old man, with the infirmities incident to old age. But from the first he attracted me. He was not learned; no very original thinker ; not 'one who from the stores of acquired knowledge could greatly instruct, or by genius dazzle. To means like these of drawing others around him, he made no claim. I think his attractiveness consisted in his goodness. It was scarcely possible to look upon his placid face and listen to his gentle voice, which was accus- tomed only to tones and sentiments of kindness, and not recognize in him a lover of his fellow men. Nor, I am sure, was his love bounded by sect or creed. He had seen too much, he had thought and felt too profoundly, to be affected to any considerable degree by these differences. Recognizing in himself an erring man, he pitied more than condemned the errors of others. He might have sat for the portrait of Abou Ben Adhem, as sketched by Leigh Hunt :-
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase !)
Awoke one night from a sweet dream of peace,
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And saw within the moonlight in his room, Making it light and like a lily in bloom, An angel writing in a book of gold. Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, And to the presence in the room he said : What writest thou ? The vision raised its head, And with a voice made of all sweet accord, Answered, the names of those who love the Lord. And is mine one ? asked Abou. Nay, not so, Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low But cheerly still, and said : I pray thee, then, Write me as one who loves his fellow men. The angel wrote and vanished. The next night It came again, with a great wakening light, And showed the names whom love of God had blessed, And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
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