USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Westminster > Celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of Westminster, Mass. > Part 8
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That he, the creature and the child, all noble toil might share With Him, Creator, Lord of all, who worketli everywhere. Behold the deeds man's hand hath wrought in the outward creation, Thus introducing to the earth a better dispensation ;-- The barren fields he cultivates, and fairer landscapes rise, The rugged wilds to gardens turn, that bless beholding eyes ; Where thorns and brambles grow and thrive, springs yellow, waving grain, And so broad wastes and deserts change to Eden come again ; Wild beasts forsake their native dens, their roars forever cease, And human habitations stand in beauty and in peace. God gives a river, island, bay ; man sets himself to work, And lo ! as by some magic power, appears the great New York ; A small peninsula he gives to man's industrious hands, And Boston rises on the sight, the light of many lands ; The forces of the outer world his servants he enrolls, Unlocks the mysteries of time for the welfare of all souls ; The hidden power of fire and water at his word comes forth, An agency more potent than the Mastodons of earth, Which carries him o'er land or sea, or here or there at will, And multiplies in countless ways his own effective skill ;
Lightning he makes his errand-boy, the winds his harnessed steeds, With sunbeams he his portraits paints,-such are his marvelous deeds. But not alone to matter is his capacity confined ;
The greater his achievements in the spacious realm of mind ;_ He gathers up from all the past, its wisdom, light, and lore, And brings out from the present what was never known before. Old Egypt with her idol hands, her early treasures yields ; And Greece, the many precious gems of her rich, classic fields ; And Rome, whose eloquence and power shook Capitoline hill ;- All these, each with peculiar gifts, his mental storehouse fill ; While other nations, tribes, and tongues, their ready tribute bring, And humbly lay it at his feet, a free-will offering. Nor delves he always in the old, but finds new trophies still Rewarding him, as on he toils up Science' rugged hill. HIe reads in Geologic facts, in sand-stone, coal and granite, The mighty works of nature's God, on this our native planet, The wondrous changes that occurred in ante-human ages, Ere history, with careless pen, had blotted yet her pages. Or, leaving earthly things behind, the realms of space explores, And visits regions far away, creation's other shores, Discovers worlds and peoples them, and numbers all their years, And marks the power, wisdom, love, that guides the circling spheres,
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Nor pause we here ; for better ends and higher conquests lie Within the reach of him that's made for Immortality. Greater than intellect alone, than genius, reason, skill ; Man has another nature, he has power of choice and will, Of love and aspiration, of virtue, goodness, right,- The loftier expressions of the everlasting might. He is a moral being-he a spirit in his birth ; His needs and sphere of action outreach the bounds of carth ; He plays the harp of thousand strings, with discords harsh and bestial, Or else, attuned by skillful lands, to symphonies celestial. He judgment has of right and wrong, of what is good and evil, And chooses he whom he will serve, or God, or self, or devil. His power of ill, of deadly hate, of cruelty and crime, Exhibited in all his course adown the stream of time, Is counterparted by his power of holiness and love, Which, in the wise designs of Heaven, his real worth must prove. No Nero, full of lies and sin, debauchery and shame, Who might not for himself have won the meed of heavenly fame; No Cæsar, full of war, driven by ambition's mad behest, But might have won, in holier strife, the victories of the blest. A Saul of Tarsus, breathing out fierce threatenings and rage Against the new religion of more than prophet, priest or sage, In Paul, the brave Apostle to the scattered Gentile race, Appears with lovely radiance illumining his face. And all the holy men and saints, God's sacramental host, But indicate capacities that man, as man, may boast. To conquer self, to bring to order, passion, appetite, To train the soul to Christian truth, to principle and right, To rise above temptation's power, to stem the tide of ill, To humble at the throne of God the strong and stubborn will,- This, man may do-all this, and more ; he holds the potent charm By which the mighty wrongs of earth shall stay their blighting arm ; He has the word which, if he speak, shall be at once obeyed, "Tis "Thus far, Evil, shalt thou come-here be thy proud waves stayed ;" And War, and Tyranny, and Lust, would then forever cease, And all the realms of earth be filled with purity and peace. He holds the futures in his grasp, the coming states and nations, And moulds at will, for weal or woe, advancing generations. Aye, such is man, the child of God, as runs the Christian story, Created for exalted ends, for honor and for glory. With eye of faith, he views the scenes on the eternal shore, With heart of hope and love, aspires to life forevermore ;
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To those companionships and joys that once below were riven, To be revived and shared again within the gates of Heaven ; To beings, sanctified and pure, where mortal hath not trod ; To realms of light and joy and peace, the bosom of his God. Though born on earth, he yet may rise in spirit, pure and free, And claim his mansion in the skies for all eternity. The earth, with all its mighty works, may run into decay ; The heavens like a scroll be rolled, and, fearful, pass away ; The rock-ribbed mountains bow their heads, the hills may take their flight, And sun and moon and stars, grown dim, be lost in blackest night : All nature and all systems into one vast ruin hurled, And not a single pile be left, of universe or world;
Yet man shall live, surpassing all, in God's far-stretching spheres, Nor reach the limit of his powers through rolling, endless years.
" Such is man," the voices echo, Clearly 'mid the din and strife ; Yet once more I hear the query, " What, oh, answer, what is life ! "
Aye, what is life-man's truest life-life worthy of the name, That shall secure the human soul from dire remorse and shame ; That aids it in its lawful course, its ever-rising way, And realizes to it God's appointed Destiny ? He only lives, who liveth well ; who gives supreme control, To Him, by whose eternal law the universes roll ; Who is forever cognizant of what he is within,- His own inherent nature, though debased by self and sin ; Employs his energy and skill to lofty ends and aims, And, in his every word and deed, his noble worth proclaims. The vital forces of his soul, with operative might, Subdue all passion, lust, and pride, all carnal appetite ; With pure affection, high resolve, with purpose firm and strong, He stands, in his integrity, against all forms of wrong ; Of Christ-like spirit, meck and mild, he holds to right and good, And looks on all the human race as on a brotherhood. Life is not sham, to spend one's years in artificial secming ; It is to be, in heart and life, frank, honest, self-redeeming. Such, such is life, is glorious life ; all else is but appearing To live, it is to vegetate, all godlike senses searing ; 'Tis famishing for wholesome bread ; to live to self and ease, To eat, to drink, to sleep, this is on emptiness to seize, To lie in idle sluggishness, as swiney beasts do lie ;
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It is to feed on husks and chaff, to pine away and die. To live to show, to vain display, to gain a place or station ; To seek, in all one's walks and ways, to save a reputation ; To live to Mammon, or to greed of any kind or name, Is perishing to noble things, in ignorance and shame. And when God strips such of their shams, their simple incidents, Their silk and satin, broadeloth, starch, their shillings, pounds, and penee, Their rank, their fame, their self-eonceit, the power that they wield, Of all but just their naked selves, when character 's revealed, Oh, what a spectacle there'll be, to angels and to men ! What self-reproaches and disgrace, what dark forebodings, then ! And they who give themselves and all to baser, viler ends, With envy, pride, and vengeful hate, make willing, steadfast friends ; Who plunge deep into open vice, debauchery and crime- Foul moths upon the silken flag, the floating folds of time ; Who thrive on others' miseries, who pour a constant flood Of woe and wretchedness around, their garments stained with blood ; Tyrants and steel-clad conquerors, who trample to the dust, Or slaughter still their fellow-men, obedient to their lust,- Live such as they ? Worse than in vain, they live to wicked uses, And all their strengthi perpetuates man's vices and abuses. Perverted all their wondrous powers of body, mind, and soul, Oli, who shall envy them their lot, when Justice shall unroll Her lengthy catalogue of sins, of outrages and wrongs, And ply her retributions with their seven-scorpioned thongs ? Who can put off the law of God ? What soul with madness driven, Self-deified, shall set at nought the statutes of high Heaven ?. Who does it, Man, or Church, or State, a fearful hazard runs, As if yon planetary orbs were hurled from central suns. Who lives to else than virtue's ends, scorning wisdom's pearls, And giving passion mastery, himself to ruin hurls.
Wreck of a man ! Oh, what a wreck ! Behold it, as it lies, Where should, in stately majesty, a glorious manhood rise ! There are in other lands than ours, as many tourists say, Temples and cities, here and there, fast crumbling to decay, Once rising beautiful and fair, designed with wondrous art, With architectural taste and skill displayed in every part, Their shining turrets towering high, their galleries and halls, And ornaments, both rich and rare, upon their ample walls,- How splendid in their proper day, wrought with such perfeet skill ! Though they in desolation lie, how splendid are they still ! Column and capital and tower, dome, architrave, pilaster, And arches, statues, paintings, busts, the works of some old master,-
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A broken, crumbling mass they lie, a ruin vast and great, The mind is struck with awe and dread, the wreck to contemplate. But ah, a human wreck ! a wreck of God's immortal child ! A blasted soul, a heart given up to devastations wild !- What wreck of temples, cities, states, with that can well compare ! Wreck over which demons may send a howl of mad despair, While angels, from their lofty hights, behold with tear-dimmed eye, And heave from bosoms pitiful, a deep, unuttered sigh, And only find repose, at last, as hallelujahs swell,
The God of Wisdom, God of Love, " He doeth all things well." But what of life ? It is not tame, not spiritless, and dull, "Tis vigorous and heroic, of active labor full.
It gathers up the goods of earth, not selfishly and vain, But renders them all doubly good, by scattering them again Where they shall carry comfort, peace, and blessing in their train, Supplying many a rising need, and soothing many a pain.
It shares the real joys of time, the beauties spread around, The Wisdom and the Love of God, wherever they are found. The grassy mead, the rising hill, the wide, outstretching plain, The pastures green, the fields of corn, of waving, yellow grain, The snow-capped mountain, awful, grand, with ravine dark and fell, The forest deep, the glassy lake, the quiet, smiling dell, The murmuring brook, the cataract, the rushing, foaming river,- In all, it sees the steadfast love and bounty of the Giver. And sun and moon and planetary systems, as they roll In might and majesty above, awaken in the soul The loftier sentiment of praise, of grateful adoration To Him who, though invisible, yet reigns throughout creation ; Who, in his tender mercy, gives his human children free Entrance to the unmeasured realms of his immensity. Life uses well the gifts of mind, scorns not the power of thought, Ignores no worthy victory that genius' hand hath wrought, Pays tribute at the court of Art, and Reason's counsels heeds, And summons all the intellect to wise and useful deeds ; Yet makes all else subservient to Virtue and to Right, Thus clothes itself forevermore with God's own moral might. The living soul breathes Heaven's air, and drinks from founts supernal ; It feeds on holy angels' food-the bread that is eternal ; From trials sad and burdensome, from sorrows lone and drear, Extracts some precious nectar the Father mingled there. Yes, life is active, everywhere, it breaks the galling chains Of Bigotry, and overturns blind Superstition's fanes ; Is ever ringing out the old, and ringing in the new,
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And seeks to installate the Good, the Beautiful, and True. Bids Sin depart, and Righteousness, whose right it is to reign, To come and bless the fallen world with Brotherhood again. Such life is blessed ; it is full of hope and trust and joy ; Purer than earthly pleasure, it exists without alloy ; And he alone can share it, who, in singleness of heart, Makes Justice, Purity, and Love, his wiser, better part. Whoe'er hath tasted of its sweets, by humble aspiration, Whoe'er hath felt its potent strength, by earnest consecration, Hath found a peace that passeth far all mortal understanding, Hath gained a power more noble than all temporal commanding. Life is aggressive ; it goes forth a moral war to wage, And, in the strife for God and man, is ready to engage ; Fears not on every kind of wrong to make a bold attack, And drives all shameful practices from its own chosen track ; Beats back the flaming flood of ill that threatens human weal, And treads the serpent Selfishness beneath its conquering heel ; Brings down to earth, for all mankind, the grace that is perennial, And heralds in the coming day, the glorious day millennial. Life that is normal, lofty, pure, inspired by heavenly breath, Strengthened by faith, and cheered by hope, sees no such thing as death ; For death, to it, is only change from lower sphere to higher, Where Heaven strikes up forevermore its own harmonious lyre, And one majestic chorus swells, through every shining mansion, And souls grow more and more like God, in glorious expansion.
" This is life," repeat the whispers, Speaking with their silent power, And they tell us, " Learn of Duty In the Lesson of the hour."
What Lesson, then, does Providence Give to our inner, better sense ? "Tis this,-Be manly, noble, true, Keep Justice, Righteousness in view. Humble in heart, single in mind, To selfish ends be not inclined, But let thy soul with love embrace In its desires the human race. In every deed, in every word, Let God's own voice by thee be heard. Keep a pure conscience ; never dare Allow a stain of treachery there ;
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Spurn from thy presence shame and lies, All Heaven-cursed hypocrisies. By the strong power of self-control, Rule cach department of thy soul. And, as, on our New England strand, The Eternal, with his mighty hand,
Hath over-arched those central fires Whose pent-up fury never tires With granite masonry, firm and sure, Which through time's changes shall endure,- So, over passion, lust, and pride, That threaten ill on every side, Those hidden flames that, fell and dire,
Rage with more than volcanic ire, Build, as with arm of vigorous youth,
The solid masonry of Truth- Of moral principle, the Rock That shall resist the sternest shock. So, strengthened with that conquering Might That's coupled with eternal Right, Go forth, in love and hope and trust, To wage the warfare of the just ; To spread around, broad-cast and free,
The seed of bright Futurity. Is there a wrong to be resisted ?
A worthy cause to be assisted ? With ready heart, oh, be thou nigh, Prepared to labor, suffer, dic. Is there a trembling, bleeding slave ? Thy hand, be it stretched out to save.
A fugitive, hunted and lone ? Spurn law and court, be mercy done.
Is there a bloated, staggering sot ? Let not his case pass by, forgot. Is there a fallen wife or sister ?
Do what thy soul may find to assist her. Does fearful want oppress the poor ? Be there a helper at thy door. Do wars prevail, rapine increase ? Be Christ's disciple, speak for Peace. Whatever is corrupt or vile, That soul or body may defile ; Whatever selfish, base, unjust,
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Trampling God's image in the dust ; Whatever habit, custom, fashion, Is built on pride, caprice, or passion ; Whatever popular institution,
In Church or State, needs revolution ; Whatever hoary-headed crime
There be, bearing the marks of Time ;
Whatever ignorance, vice, or sin, Human affairs still lurks within ;-
Abhorred of God, hostile to man,
In battle with it, be thou in the van. Nor in thy labor e'er despair, For God will heed thy earnest prayer,
Nor shalt thou justly once complain
That thou hast done thy work in vain.
Thou may'st not find a bed of down ; Men may not weave thy brow a crown ; Nor glad hosannas meet thine ear, As onward move thy high eareer ;
Thou may'st be made to feel the fire That persecution lights to flame the pyre Of martyred prophets, saints, and sages, Whose ashes fertilize the ages ;
Thou may'st even die, what's that to thee, O child of Immortality !
Thou hast but to be faithful, still
Concerned to do thy Father's will ; For Duty done, be it confessed,
With God you can leave all the rest.
Nor seek for famous works, or great, As men count such, but consecrate Thyself to goodness, be thy lot Lofty or lowly, it matters not. The tiniest flower beneath our feet May for God's Paradise be meet ; From humblest cottages may rise Dwellers of mansions in the skies ;
The meekest soul may strike the strings That vibrate to the King of kings ; And some low, plaintive cadence here, May swell in accents grown more clear, Till, caught by flaming tongues above That chant forevermore in love,
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It echoes through the realms that lie Beneath the everlasting sky. All things are in the hands of Him Who, throned amid the seraphim, Yet lives in all unfolding life, And who, in every manly strife, Whatever be the earthly degree, Awards the meed of victory. To the true soul, there is no defeat, There is no dismay, there is no retreat, Success is sure, forever appears The triumph of the coming years; A triumph glorious, pure, divine, Whose trophies through all ages shine.
But the hours of our Jubilee hasten away, And my Muse must resign her tremulous lay. : No more may we dwell on these loftier themes, Whence mortals may catch some radiant gleams From the sunlight of Wisdom, of Power, and of Love, Which shines so resplendently ever above. That sunlight which shall all darkness dispel, Send ignorance down to its own native hell, Banish all falsehood, lies, and crime, From this beautiful earth to the Gehenna of tinie, That the kingdoms of earth, with a hearty accord, May become the dominions of Jesus our Lord, While angels descending, with rapture again Sing, "Glory to God, peace, good will among men." It is well that we bathe in those glorious beamns, They quicken the soul with the grace that redeems ; They cleanse from the dross and corruptions of earth, And fill with a spirit divine in its birth, Transforming frail man, child of sense and of sin, To an angel of God, prepared to go in And out before Him with service and praise, Here on earth, or beyond, unto endless days. Drinking deeper and deeper at the infinite fountain, Climbing higher and higher the glory-capped mountain, Finding always and aye, abundantly more Of joy and delight than conceived of before, And swelling the anthems, full-toned and free, Of the grand orchestra of eternity.
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PROCEEDINGS
AT THE
WESTMINSTER CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
A NUMBER of the citizens of Westminster, desirous of cele- brating the ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY of the Incorporation of the Town, held several informal meetings, to consider the sub- jeet ; and adopted measures to ascertain the wishes and views of the inhabitants in relation to such a Celebration. Finding the people favorable to this measure, it was though desirable that the Town should take corporate action upon the subject. Conse- quently, a legal meeting of the inhabitants was called, when the Town expressed their approval of the contemplated Celebration, and chose a Committee of Fifteen, with full power to make the necessary arrangements to carry their resolution into effect.
They also generously voted, that the Committee be authorized to cause the Address and Proceedings to be published, at the ex- pense of the Town, and circulated among the inhabitants, if they should deem it expedient.
.The following gentlemen were chosen as a
COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
JOEL MERRIAM, Jr. DANIEL C. MILES,
CHARLES A. FORBUSH,
BENJAMIN F. WOOD,
THEODORE WHITNEY, BENJAMIN WYMAN,
JOSIAH PAGE, FRANKLIN HOWE,
CALEB S. MERRIAM,
WILLIAM S. BRADBURY,
CALVIN WHITNEY, JAMES C. CLARKE,
A. MILLER,
A. MERRIAM,
JOHN MINOTT.
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The Committee of Arrangements having taken measures to secure an Address and Poem-and having engaged a Caterer, and made such other arrangements as were deemed necessary-selected the following gentlemen as Officers of the Day.
President.
BENJAMIN WYMAN.
Vice Presidents.
WILLIAM S. BRADBURY,
JONAS MILLER,
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GEORGE MILES, EDWARD BACON,
SAMUEL G. KENDALL, B. F. WOOD,
JOEL MERRIAM,
AARON WOOD,
MANASSEH S. FORBUSH, STILLMAN BROOKS,
ANSON SPAULDING, FRANKLIN WYMAN,
D. WHITNEY.
Toast-Masters.
DANIEL C. MILES, FREDERICK ALLEN.
Chief Marshal. JOHN MINOTT.
Assistant Marshals.
JOSEPH W. FORBUSH,
A. B. HOLDEN,
DANIEL C. MILES, JAMES R. BRUCE,
ARTEMAS MERRIAM,
FRANKLIN HOWE,
P. C. BROWN, C. S. MERRIAM,
JOSEPH M. WHITMAN, MAJOR PAGE,
A. WHITNEY.
Clerks.
Dr. CLINTON WARREN,
CHARLES H. STEARNS. .
Though Westminster was Incorporated on the 20th of October, 1759, the Committee deemed it advisable to select an earlier day, for their Celebration, for various reasons ; but principally to avoid
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any interference with the inhabitants of the adjoining town of Princeton, who, it was understood, would celebrate their Anniver- sary on the 20th. To avoid all inconvenience arising from this source, and to enable those who were desirous of attending both Celebrations, to do so, the Committee selected the 6th of October for their gathering.
Westminster having no Military Company, the Firemen of the town kindly volunteered to perform the escort duty ; and inter- changing a civility with the Gardner Firemen, invited their two Companies to join them on the occasion, and lead the Procession.
The day preceding the Celebration was remarkably fine, and every thing looked propitious. A large Tent had been pitched on the Common, and extensive tables were laid for the repast. A stage had been erected on the Hill for the Speakers, under the de- pending, but leafless branches of the large elms which grace the Common, and which had withstood the storms and the tempests for nearly, if not quite a century. The Firemen had also made preparation for a trial of their skill and the power of their machines, on the morning of the 6th, before the Procession had formed. They had erected their target-pole, which towered above the steeple of the Congregational Church in the village. Large flags were suspended across the street in various places, which, with the stars and stripes thrown to the breeze from the Tent on the Hill, gave to the whole village a gala-day appearance. Absent citizens were returning to the place of their nativity, joy lighted up every coun- tenance, and all looked with pleasing anticipation to the pageantry, festivities, and cordial greetings of the coming day.
Morning came,-and the rising sun, as it shed its early rays on the pleasant village, beheld its fine natural scenery tastefully set off by artificial decorations, and its usually quiet streets filled by the citizens of the town, and the absent sons and daughters of Westminster, who had returned once more to their native place, to lay their offerings on the altar of their ancestors. Invited guests and citizens from the neighboring towns were flocking to the vil- lage, to participate in the joys and festivities of the day. The citi- zens of Gardner, a portion of whose territory was formerly included in Westminster, participated largely in the pleasures of the occa- sion. With a filial regard for the parent in whose lap they had been nurtured, they honored the day by their presence, and con- tributed much to the interest of the occasion.
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At an early hour, the fine Engine Companies were on the ground. The Cataract, No. 1, of Gardner, numbering sixty-seven men, commanded by Mr. Bowman Clarke, and accompanied by the Gardner Cornet Band ; the Torrent, No. 2, of South Gardner, numbering seventy men, under command of Mr. Samuel Bently, accompanied by Fisk's Cornet Band, from Worcester, in connection with Westminster Company, No. 1, commanded by Mr. James R. Clarke, numbering ninety men, and accompanied by the Fitchburg Cornet Band, assembling with their Engines tastefully decorated with flowers and evergreens, made an imposing appearance, and gave a lively interest to the occasion. They were all dressed in their respective uniforms, and were fondly anticipating that trial of firemen prowess, so animating to themselves, and so pleasing to the beholders.
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