USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Abington > Celebration of the one hundred an fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of Abington, Massachusetts, June 10, 1862, including the oration, poem and other exercises > Part 6
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But enough. The great work is still in our hands. The Past, to which we to-day turn in congratulation and joy, is with us, with its memories and its lessons, a full fountain of instructive experience. The Present is here also, with its
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constantly multiplying opportunities and responsibilities. In the advance guard in the march of nations, in moral as well as material achievement, centuries before are beckoning, as the centuries behind are bidding us forward. Forward then, one and all, in the pathway of Love, Purity, and Fidelity, laboring heroically, manfully, and faithfully, according to the light and strength given us, in our day, as did the fathers in theirs.
12. Our Volunteers .- We do not forget to-day those of our citizens who, in the hour of peril, and at the call of duty, went forth to fight the battles of our common country. May success crown their efforts to restore an honorable peace and permanent quiet to our land.
Rev. HENRY L. EDWARDS responded as follows :-
I rise with pleasure, Mr. President, to respond to the sen- timent. Since receiving your invitation last evening to say a word in behalf of our brave volunteers, I have anticipated the privilege with no little interest ; and if I had anticipated it longer, I surely would have said something more worthy of them, and this occasion. But even without a moment's notice I would neglect no opportunity to speak in praise of those patriotic men, through whose toils and sacrifices, aye, sufferings, we are enabled to spend thus the hours of this passing day.
Speech is poor. The best words of to-day are dross com- pared with deeds of honor and heroism. The soldier first ; the highest civilian holds but a second rank. Sir, I need not say, that I have great respect for the population of this town ; for the vast assembly that sit before me; for the music and the military that have handsomely escorted us hither. I greatly respect the honest and able government
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of this Commonwealth, represented here in the welcome presence of her Chief Magistrate. I have indeed a certain measure of self-respect. But more than all, let me say, more than myself, more than any man on the ground, I esteem, just now, those fellow-citizens of ours who have gone forth from among us to defend their country, to defend State and Town, to defend our homes, and Groves, and ourselves. And when they return-God grant they may-I intend to concede as much, face to face. And I greatly long to see them again, that I may take them by the hand, one by one, and assure them of my lasting gratitude and esteem. Would that this cruel conspiracy were already crushed, and the war were over, and these patriot-soldiers were here to-day, to speak for themselves, or, at least, to inspire respect by their bodily presence ; for,
"Ours are no hirelings train'd to the fight, With cymbal and clarion glittering and bright ; O'er the proud heads of free men our star-banner waves, Men firm as their mountains and still as their graves, -- To-morrow shall pour out their life-blood like rain ; They come back in frimph, or come not again."
All honor, I say, to these Abington braves. If Heaven has so ordained, and they shall be denied
"the death of those Who for their country die,"
as dearest love and friendship can but hope and pray, still let us not forget what they have done, and the hardships they have borne. I do not know, Mr. President, just what they are enduring now, on the Peninsula and along the Shenandoah-nobody can know without being there-but I have a vivid recollection, and I shall never forget a frosty
12
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experience, at Camp Brightwood, of a bleak October night ; and from a little, I know that during a long winter-encamp- ment these soldier-friends submitted to hardships of which dwellers at home have little idea. But it is rather on this peaceful summer day, and amid these smiling scenes, and sounds of jubilee, that I have sought to imagine the contrast between our circumstances and theirs, as they bare their breasts before Richmond, in this bloody rebellion, or, as with our own noble, thrice-noble Banks, they clamber among the blue and blood-stained mountains of the Old Dominion. Ah! yes, may God forgive me if I forget my brothers on the battle- feld. If I forget them, let my right hand forget its cunning ; let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth.
Mr. President and fellow-citizens: It is most becoming, and appropriate, and important, that we associate these thoughts of the soldier, with our reminiscences of that remote date when a certificate of incorporation was conferred upon the then sparse population of these so familiar pre- cinets. We see now why it was that so long ago as 1712, an honorable charter was granted to those few respectful, ancestral petitioners. Was it for purposes of self-protection and government ? Yes. Was it to promote the prosperity of the people in this locality ? Certainly, yes. But it was for more. It was that there might be a township here, in common with sister townships elsewhere, in preparation for military emergency; like that of 1812; like that, more strikingly, which has risen in our own time, when institu- tions of state and nation are so endangered. 1 speak to some present, who know much better than I do, how much these town organizations have facilitated the organization of a large federal army. Who believes that our Governor, energetic as he is, could have assembled some thousands of
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men on Boston Common, armed and equipped, in a single day, or have put thirty regiments into the field in a single year, and that without one conscript, had it not been for this system of independent municipalities-these little lim- ited sovereignties-these miniature republics, borough-towns, organized and consolidated under one grand State gov- ernment ? 1 applaud, therefore, the wisdom of the men who originated this happy political framework. And as we remember, this day, with a reasonable pride, that not less than two hundred and fifty of our young and spirited towns- men have sprung, in the hour of their country's call, from their peaceful employments to the protection of the glorious stars and stripes, we will not be unmindful of the wisdom of the past which made this possible. But I may not enlarge. The shadows are lengthening. This semi-centennial day is drawing to a close, and those who were to the manor-born should have the time, before strangers and foreigners. And yet I think I may say that no theme should more sacredly command your attention, than that of our brave and beloved volunteers. May God be with them and bless them, and bring them back, in body sound, with characters unblem- ished, and, in after years, may their children, and their chil- dren's children, rise up and call them blessed.
" Each soldier's name Standing untarnish'd on the rolls of fame ; That name an example to each distant age, Adding new lustre to the historie page."
Allow me, Mr. President, to add a sentiment, a little remote from my subject. The soldiers remind me of seces- sion. A word for Abington :-
Union is Strength .- Let Abington ever be one and indissoluble. Though she may have many sins, and though West, and East, and North, and South, shall not always agree, may no section ever be guilty of secession.
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13. The Volunteer Militia .- The Right Arm of the country in its hour of peril.
Response by Sergeant B. F. PETERSON, Company E, (South Abington Infantry, ) Fourth Regiment M. V. M.
Mr. President :-
Never was there a more truthful sentiment uttered than the one just announced, and yet it is one that the people of the present time have just begun to appreciate. Too long, by far, has the Volunteer Militia been neglected, disregarded and forgotten ; and what solemn warning our present difficul- ties present to us of the danger which was before us from the growing indifference to this great bulwark of our public liberties. The founders of this republic viewed with jealousy standing armies, as being incompatible with a free govern- ment, and so firmly and deeply was it fixed in their minds, that it passed into a maxim among them, that large standing armies in time of peace were dangerous to liberty ; and that maxim remains to this day in the bill of rights in many of our State constitutions. But notwithstanding their hostility to standing armies, no statesmen were more sensitive to their national honor, or more awake to the necessity of national defence. While they were hostile to standing armies, they were at the same time zealous to provide for the public safety ; they looked to the Volunteer Militia of the several States for the necessary protection against foreign invasion and domestic insurrections, and it stands to-day a part, though a forgotten part, of the Constitution of the United States, that " a well regulated militia is necessary to the security of a Free State."
Such, Sir, was the high estimation with which the Vohin- teer Militia were held by the fathers of this republic; and was that trust in vain ? Let subsequent history prove.
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Who were those that in the darkest days that the country ever experienced since the Revolution, without a moment's notice, hastened to the defence of their country, left their work in the shops unfinished, bade adieu to friends and loved ones whom perhaps they might never see again on earth, and exchanged thus suddenly their happy homes and cheerful firesides for the field of conflict, and for aught they knew, the field of death ? It was the Vohinteer Militia. What noble examples of patriotism.
" Where duty called, there did their footsteps tend."
Like Putnam, they left their plough in the unfinished furrow, and hastened to the camp. llow well that duty was per- formed you know full well ; these were the men who saved the Federal capital from destruction, and stood like a bul- wark around it until the national army could be increased and strengthened by volunteers for the war. And had not Massachusetts had her Fourth Regiment of Volunteer Militia, of which Company E (the South Abington Infantry) is a component part, that world-renowned Fortress Monroe, the key to Virginia, with all the valuable lives it contained, and its millions of property, would this day be in the hands of the rebels.
And while I would not be unmindful of the great service which the volunteers for the war from the various States have done, and are now doing for their country's honor and the defence of its flag, it must always be remembered that they are but pushing forward the work so gloriously begun by the Volunteer Militia. Let us, then, as a Nation and as a State, learn a lesson of wisdom from the past, and hold fast that which is good.
What a debt of gratitude do the loyal people of this country owe and ever will owe, to the Volunteer Militia.
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They have proved themselves to be in deed and in truth faithful to their country, the defenders of its laws; their patriotism is unconditional; their motto, the Union as it was. And while the Nation and the State should heed the lesson inculcated by past experience, and treasure it into good and honest hearts, I would not have you unmindful, fellow-citizens of my native town, of the lesson of duty you should learn from the past. Let former divisions and diffi- culties be forgotten, if need be, and this anniversary be the commencement of a new epoch in your history, when the Citizen Soldier shall receive that honor, respect and love which he so richly deserves, and I assure you that they will be found in the future, as they have abundantly proved themselves in the past,
" Ever faithful, ever sure."
Volunteer sentiments :-
1. The Thousands of Abington-Dead .- Long may they lire in the lingering traditions of their descendants; sweet peace to their hallowed dust.
2. Alington .- A good mother; she has adopted many children; and between these, and those born of her own body, she knows no difference.
3. Abington .- The four pillars of her prosperity : Labor, Law, Educa- tion, and Religion.
Concluding sentiment :-
The Two Hundredth Anniversary of this Town .- We charge those that survive to that date, and who are present to-day, to communicate our salutations and best wishes to all the people that shall participate in that celebration.
The exercises of the day were then closed by music by the Weymouth Band.
LETTERS.
[From Seth Hobart White, Esq., of New York.]
DELHI, N. Y., June 4, 1862.
DEAR SIR,-Pressing engagements, entirely unforeseen, when I partially accepted your kind invitation to be present at the Abington Anniversary, will, I regret to say, prevent my being with you on that interesting occasion.
Although several years have elapsed since my adoption of another State, still I can say, and I think with an honest pride, that I am proud of my native town, and could I have selected my own birthplace, it would have been in the ancient town of Abington.
There is something inexpressibly fascinating about one's native place, especially after an absence of a series of years. Sculptors may carve, painters may color, and poets imagine, but when you come to see in reality the old gnarled oak, the towering pine, or the moss-covered pear tree o'erlooking the quiet brook, there is a reminiscence about them which no art can engender. It was under the shade of these trees, and on the banks of this brook, that our hopes and fears first had their origin. There is a shady and a sunny side to these reminiscences, but they cannot fail to awaken within us the strongest sensibilities of our nature. Who is there that cannot recollect, with the deepest interest, the loved ones of their youth, some of whom this day are occupying places of trust and distinction, and even fighting valiantly the battles of our common country, while others have
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gone to the spirit-world. But I must not indulge further in these reminiscences, and you will please accept my warm- est thanks for the kindly notice you have taken of me, and the dignified position you have given me to speak of the Judiciary.
This branch of our government is so interwoven with the other two, namely the Legislative and Executive, that it would be as difficult to determine which of these powers performed the highest functions in a well-regulated govern- ment, as it would be to know in our safe passage on an ocean steamer, which conduced most to the object, the motive- power, the ship, or the rudder-as without the rudder the ship would be tossed to and fro, at the merey of the elements, so with the ship of state without the Judiciary. She would be speedily swamped on the quicksands of anarchy ; hence it becomes an object of interesting inquiry, how can we best strengthen and render efficient this branch of our Govern- ment ? And it was to this inquiry that my thoughts were directed on the reception of your invitation, and I was cheered by the thought, that on the hallowed ground of New England, where the truest principles of civil and relig- ious liberty that ever had a being originated, was a most fitting spot to make such an inquiry ; and a fitter place still to answer it and say-" live just such lives, and die just such deaths, as our forefathers did before us."
Allow me, in conchision, to offer the following senti- ment :-
Our Native Town .- A beautiful moment of the enterprise, intelligence, and virtue of its noble founders-let us preserve it in all its original purity and grandeur, and bequeath it to posterity unimpaired, as a rich legacy of enduring fame.
Yours truly, SETH HOBART WHITE. ISAAC HERSEY, E.q., Committee of Correspondence.
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LETTERS.
[ From Rer. Joseph Pettee.]
ABINGTON, June 6, 1862.
To the Committee of Arrangements for the Celebration of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of Abington :-
GENTLEMEN,-Though duties elsewhere require me to be absent from Abington on the occasion of the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, they do not preelude my accepting an invitation to contribute a sentiment. This I offer, accompanied by a few words of introduction.
The last half century of the century and a half that has elapsed since the incorporation of this town, has been signal- ized by vast improvements, contributing to the material pros- perity of the community. Almost every day, in one place or another, have arisen inventions and discoveries which diminish greatly the burdens and labors of men, and, in an outward sense, add to their means of enjoyment. And not only have new modes of applying natural and mechanical laws and agencies to useful purposes been ascertained, but new fields of science have been explored, and new and more effective modes of communicating knowledge have been discovered, by which the intellectual stores of the public are greatly increased. In the advantages involved in the progress made in this direction, Abington has par- ticipated.
Now,-it may not really be the case,-there is, however, a strong appearance that there has not been equally great progress in discoveries having a direct bearing upon the spiritual prosperity and happiness of men. Lightning has been brought into requisition to carry messages here and there over the earth. The Locomotive, with his mighty and untiring breath and iron sinews, has been chained to the
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car to traverse the lands with a power which no living crea- ture can equal. These, and other similar things, confer immense natural advantages upon men. But our well-being certainly depends vastly more upon a knowledge and observ- ance of spiritual laws, than upon the knowledge and use of natural laws. Who shall discover an effectual way of cor- recting the spirit of selfishness ?-- a way of leading men of business to avoid injustice, craft, eunning, in their transac- tions, and a way of bringing them to be actuated in their trade by a truly magnanimous and neighborly spirit? Who shall make a discovery that will put an effectual check upon the indulgence of low ambition and self-seeking in civil and political, and even religious affairs, and introduce into prac- tical operation, a generous love of the public weal, and a desire that the affairs of the community may be administered by those who have the best qualifications, and can administer them in the best manner ? Who shall discover an effectual way of placing the public good before private interest in the hearts of men ? Who shall discover the way of bringing the Golden Rule into practical operation ?
Ile who shall make these or any of these discoveries, will confer benefits upon mankind, with which those conferred by natural inventions and discoveries can bear no com- parison.
In pursuance of this idea, the following sentiment is respectfully offered :-
May the succeeding fifty years be as signally marked by the discovery and application of the laws upon which spiritual prosperity and happiness depend, as the last fifty have been by the discovery and application to useful purposes of natural and mechanical laws and powers; and may it prove to be the distinguished felicity of this town to participate largely in the more excellent work of the coming period.
Yours, very truly, JOSEPH PETTEE.
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LETTERS.
[From Ellis Ames, Esq.]
CANTON, June 9, 1862.
DEAR SIR,-I duly received your kind invitation to attend your celebration of the incorporation of Abington. I have been for three weeks past, and now am for three weeks to come, severely pressed with professional engagements, and all entirely outside of Plymouth Court which opens to-morrow morning.
If consistent with Plymouth Court, I shall endeavor to go up and enjoy the festival and memorials of Abington, which from the smallest town for many years in Plymouth County, has finally become the greatest in population, wealth and enterprise, of any in the county of Plymouth.
Yours, truly, ELLIS AMES.
ISAAC HERSEY, Esq. ยท
[ From Rev. Jacob White.]
WEST BRIDGEWATER, June 10, 1862.
MR. ISAAC HIERSEY : Dear Sir,-When I acknowledged the receipt of your very respectful invitation to be present at the celebration which is to take place in Abington to-day, my warm expectations and hopes were, that I should enjoy the privilege. But bodily indisposition, together with other circumstances beyond my control, prevent me from so doing.
Accept for yourself, and be kind enough to convey to the Committee, my sincere thanks for the respect you have shown me.
With the best wishes for a pleasant celebration,
I remain, Dear Sir,
Respectfully, yours, JACOB WHITE.
APPENDIX.
[A.]
The following is the Order of the General Court by which Abing- ton became an incorporated town :-
[General Court Records, vol. 9th, page 178.]
In Council .- Upon reading a petition of several of the inhabitants of the easterly part of the town of Bridgewater, and several proprie- tors of land adjoining, praying to be made a township, the whole of the said traet of land containing about six miles in length and about five miles and a half in breadth-bounded on the north with the line of the late Colonies of Massaelmsetts Bay and Plymouth, and upon the town of Scituate, south with the line that is the southerly bounds of the lands of John Cushing Sen'r and Jun'r Esqrs-and from thence on the south-westerly side by certain bounds which the town of Bridgewater have set up and prefixed to Beaver Brook -- and on the west with the said brook until it comes to the extent of the town- ship of Bridgewater northward-together with a small gore of land lying between the said town of Bridgewater and the line of the aforesaid colonies. The town of Bridgewater having signified their consent thereto, and a plat of the said land being now presented, and the petitioners having set forth that they have settled a learned orthodox minister-
Ordered, That the prayer of the petitioners be granted. The tract of land within mentioned to be erected into a town, and that the town be named Abingdon.
TUESDAY, June 10, 1712.
Concurred by the House of Representatives.
Consented to. J. DUDLEY.
A true copy.
E. AMES.
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Mr. AMEs adds :-
The incorporation of Abington was not by aet or law upon parchment, as Attleborongh, Harwich, and some other towns, incor- porated years before Abington, but like a few towns before and since, was incorporated by a joint order of both branches of the General Court, viz., the House and Council, approved by the Governor, and so was never printed with the Aets and Laws of the Province. The proceedings in the General Court, erecting or incor- porating the town were always in manuscript, and so the same were liable to be written not always precisely alike. Some years ago I went to the original record, and found it was incorporated by the name of Abingdon. I own a copy of the order incorporating Abing- ton, attested by and in the handwriting of Woodbridge Brown him- self, while he was town clerk of Abington, and finding upon compar- ison that it differed a little from the copy as printed in Mr. Hobart's Ilistory, I went to the General Court Record, the original record as drawn up by the Secretary of the Province at the time, and found that it differed a little from both Brown's copy and the print in Ilobart's History. I send you here enclosed a true copy as I took it from the original record, in the hand of the Province Secretary at the time of its enactment.
CANTON, June 6, 1862. -
[B.]
Since the delivery of the Address, I have received from Mr. JOHN N. NoYES, a copy of certain town records, relative to schools, which had escaped my notice. The substance of these records I insert here, as they show the people of this town deserving of more credit for early devotion to the interests of education than is awarded to them in the Address. As early as March 7, 1715-three years after the incorporation of the town-forty shillings were allowed for schools. In the year following, the same sum was allowed for a like
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purpose. In 1717, the same sum was allowed, with the provision that it should be for four schools-ten shillings for each school. The year following, the same sum was allowed for the same number of schools, the division of the money to be left to the judgment of the selectmen. There is also a record of the sum of one pound having been paid to Andrew Ford for schools. Mr. Noyes suggests that " these schools must have been kept at private houses," and that probably one of them was at Mr. Ford's. It is possible that the schools were started by private enterprise, and that individuals were aided by the town appropriation. Mr. Noyes has my thanks for minutes from the records.
[C.]
The following, furnished by ELLIS AMEs, Esq., shows the progres- sive growth of Abington in wealth :-
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