USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Danvers > Centennial celebration at Danvers, Mass., June 16, 1852 > Part 18
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I cannot forget, too, that you have furnished excellent and eminent men to the ranks of civil life ; and it would have given me peculiar pleasure, on this occasion, to have borne testimony to the fidelity and patriotism of your late lamented Representative in Congress, the Hon.
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Daniel P. King. But his memory, I am sure, is still fresh in all your hearts, and his fidelity and patriotism require no other testimony than that which he has abundantly impressed on the records of his public life.
I regret, gentlemen, that imperative engagements will not allow me to be with you. I pray you to present my best respects to your fellow- citizens, and my best wishes for the continued prosperity and welfare of the town, and believe me,
With great regard and respect, Your obliged friend and ob't serv't,
Hon. R. S. DANIELS. ROBERT C. WINTHROP.
JAMES H. DUNCAN, M. C., in a long and interesting letter, says :- "I am vividly reminded, while I write, of one,-your late esteemed fellow-citizen and representative, and my colleague,-who, had he lived, would have taken the liveliest interest in this celebration. For everything concerning the interests of his native town, county or state, was near his heart. He was removed to a higher sphere too soon for his country and his friends, but not until he had earned an honorable and enduring reputation and an abiding-place in the hearts of his fel- low-citizens."
The following toast was then drank in solemn silence, the whole company rising :
The Memory of the Hon. Daniel P. King-His memory is still fresh in all our hearts, and his fidelity and patriotism require no other testimony than that which he has abundantly impressed on the records of his public life
The following toast was then submitted :
The Clergy-In the annals of our town we have had bright examples of all that is profound in learning, eminent in piety, and pure in the private relations of life -- those who " allure to heaven and lead the way."
Rev. Mr. Field, who was expected from Troy, New York, not being present, the following letter was read :-
TROY, June 14, 1852.
Gentlemen :- It would afford me the greatest pleasure to attend, in compliance with your kind request, the approaching centennial cele- bration in Danvers. My duties here, however, will make it impossible for me to be with you on that occasion. That it will be an occasion of deep interest, I do not doubt.
There are many events connected with the history of Danvers that will furnish themes pleasant and profitable to contemplate,-themes that will impart eloquence to the orator and inspiration to the poet, and awaken in the hearts of all who consider them, a love of liberty, of ed- ucation, and of religion.
To myself, personally, Danvers must ever be a place of the most interesting associations. Having passed there many happy years, in duties that brought me near to the minds and hearts of many of its inhabitants, having been called so often to rejoice with them in their joys and to weep with them in their sorrows, memory must cease to perform its office when Danvers and its people shall fail to have a large place in my thoughts and affections.
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Please accept my best wishes for the prosperity of the town of Dan- vers, in all its interests, and believe me,
Gentlemen, sincerely and respectfully yours,
THOMAS P. FIELD.
The following letter was read from Hon. RUFUS CHOATE, formerly of Danvers :-
BOSTON, May 26, 1852.
Gentlemen :- I had the pleasure to find your letter, of the 20th, on my return yesterday from Washington. It would give me the truest pleasure, for many reasons, to be present at the proposed celebration, and to share in its instructions, its memories, and its hopes,-and I shall certainly be there, if the necessity of attending the Baltimore Convention, and the impossibility of doing so by reason of peremptory detention here, does not prevent me. I wish you all possible success in the services of the day, and a future for Danvers worthy of her his- tory, virtues, and energy. I am most truly,
Your friend and fellow-townsman,
Hon. R. S. DANIELS. RUFUS CHOATE.
Among the toasts was the following :-
Our Representative in Congress-His eloquence has embalmed the memory of those of our citizens who fell at the Concord fight, and we fully appreciate the patriotic motives which induced him to tell in the Halls of Congress the story of their devotion to the cause of Liberty.
In response to this, a long letter was read from Hon. ROBERT RANTOUL, Jr., of which the following is the most material part :-
" Danvers may well be proud of her history. She is one of a group of towns which have done as much for the liberties of the nation and the world as any other equal population on the continent. The self- sacrificing devotion with which, when the Boston Port Bill took effect in June, 1774, Salem sternly and inflexibly refused to profit by the reduction to slavery of others, is worthy to be remembered and imi- tated forever by that patriotic city, and by the whole North. Elbridge Gerry, of Marblehead, a signer of the old Articles of Confederation, and of the Declaration of Independence, was the chairman of the committee who reported the resolutions adopted April 30th, 1784, determining that the power to regulate commerce ought to be vested in the United States,-which resolutions were the germ of the present Constitution of the United States. It is but a small addition to the glory of such a man, that he afterwards served as Vice President under that system whose corner-stone he had laid. Nathan Dane, of Beverly, was chairman of the grand committee who, on the 21st of February, 1787, reported the resolve calling the convention at Philadelphia to " render the Federal Constitution adequate to the exigencies of govern- ment, and the preservation of the union." The same Nathan Dane was the author of that immortal ordinance which rescued from the withering curse of slavery the broad Northwest,-doing for the territory between the Ohio and the lakes, what Thomas Jefferson had in vain attempted to do for the vast region now constituting Alabama, Missis- sippi, and the other southwestern states.
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" These towns could boast not only the guiding mind in the decisive movements which I have mentioned, but their courage to dare, and fortitude to suffer, in the great cause, were equally conspicuous. Bev- erly first flung to the ocean breezes the continental flag on board the schooner Hannah, and inaugurated those stripes and stars, which are the emblem of glory and victory-shall I say also of liberty-where- ever blow the winds or roll the waves. Manly, of Marblehead, held the first naval commission under the hand of George Washington, and the seal of the Union; and Mungford, of Marblehead, first poured out his willing soul with the death shout, "Don't give up the ship!" Dan- vers, Lynn, and Beverly, notwithstanding their great distance from the line of action, had about one-fourth part of all the killed and wounded in the hurry of the "Red-coats" from Concord to the shelter of their ships. The sons of Beverly were the farthest from the scene, of all who rushed to deliver in their testimony in the eventful trial of the 19th of April, yet their full quota arrived and acted there ; and I have seen the garment rolled in blood of one of my townsmen who laid down his life in witness of his abhorrence of slavery. Danvers alone lost more men killed, on that bloody baptismal day of American Liberty, than any other town, after the first unprovoked, sudden and unresisted massacre at Lexington, at sunrise."
Mr. RANTOUL forwarded the subjoined sentiment :-
The Freemen of the Towns of the North-May they, in their zeal for the preservation of the Union and the Constitution, never foget that THE UNION, to be preserved, should continue to be WORTH PRESERVING, AND THE CONSTITU- TION A BOND OF FREEDOM.
A toast complimentary to Mr. WEBSTER was next given. The fol- lowing letter was read in response :-
WASHINGTON, May 31, 1852.
Gentlemen :- I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20th of this month, inviting me, in behalf of the town of Danvers, to be present at a proposed centennial celebration of the sepa- ration of Danvers from Salem, on the 16th of June next.
I am always gratified, gentlemen, with these public remembrances of distinguished epochs of the past. Our New England history is full of instruction, our fathers having left us a rich inheritance of evangelical religion, sound morals, and political freedom. We honor ourselves, whenever we honor them; and their admirable example may well stimulate us to put forth new efforts for the promotion of civil and re- ligious liberty, the diffusion of knowledge, and the advancement of all the blessings and all the charities of social life.
I regret, gentlemen, to be obliged to say, that my public duties will not allow me to be with you and your friends, at the proposed celebra- tion ; but I tender to you and to them my best regards and most sin- cere good wishes. DANIEL WEBSTER.
R. S. DANIELS, Esq., and others.
Hon. JAMES SAVAGE, the President of the Massachusetts Historical Society, wrote :
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" My interest in your community has from early days been active in the search for causes of that greatest calamity that ever befell New England, whereof the chief scene of distress was within your bounds, though sixty years before the separation from Salem. Some repara- tion by tardy justice has in a second, a third, or a fourth generation been exhibited ; but, gentlemen, your neighbors have not, in my opin- ion, found greater evidence in any other quarter of the earth of the sacredness of the truth, how much better is it to suffer injustice than to inflict it. Which of you had not rather be the martyr, George Bur- roughs, than Chief Justice Stoughton, whose diabolical delusion con- curred with that of the majority in giving sentence of death ?
But beyond the sad reminiscences of your doleful era, in which no other town of New England can compete with you in measure of mis- ery, I exult in your almost adequate superiority in the exhibition of the love of your country in the dark months and years prior to our national independence. Here all is joyous in recollection ; and Danvers is well deserving of the happiness she has enjoyed since our firmament has been blessed with the constitution of 1789, for near three times the length of that period preceding, when only tremendous tempest or threatening and malignant meteors seemed to usurp all the sky.
I am, gentlemen, with highest regard, Your very obedient,
JAS. SAVAGE.
HON. R. S. DANIELS and others.
The following toast was given :
Edward Everett-A name always associated with profound learning, skilful diplomacy, and graceful oratory.
. Hon. EDWARD EVERETT, regretting his inability to be present, wrote : " It would afford me much pleasure to be present on an occasion of so much interest. The Municipal Organization of New England is one of the great elements of our prosperity ; and the annals of most of our towns are rich with traditions and collections which deserve to be handed down to posterity."
The following toast was given by Edward Lander, Esq. :
The Separation of Danvers and Salem-While the men are celebrating the dissolution of the Union, and the women go for Union to a man, we leave to fanatics the difficult solution of the problem.
Letters were also received from JARED SPARKS, President of Harvard University, Rev. Dr. ANDREW BIGELOW, of Boston, and other gentle- men, regretting their inability to attend.
Mr. FITCH POOLE then moved that the Committee of Arrangements call together the Town for the purpose of expressing its gratitude to Mr. PEABODY for his generous gift, and it was so unanimously resolved, with thunders of applause.
It was then voted to adjourn this meeting one hundred years. The festivities of the day were closed by a brilliant display of fireworks.
The company at length adjourned, highly delighted with the entire proceedings of the day, which was literally and truly a great day for Danvers and all the country round.
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There were several poetical effusions prepared for the occasion. The songs were sung with fine effect by the Salem Glee Club, and elicited great applause.
At the conclusion of Mr. Upham's speech, FITCH POOLE, Esq., rose and said he had, within a few weeks, discovered a manuscript, which he had taken the pains to copy, and which he thought might be inter- esting to the company. Mr. Poole declined to read it himself, and del- egated Rev. F. P. Appleton, of Danvers, to promulgate it for him, which was done in a very acceptable manner.
GILES COREY'S DREAM. A BALLAD OF 1692
Giles Corey lay in Salem Gaol,- A Stubborn Wizzard he : Dame Corey slumbered by his side,- A guilty Witch was she.
And as they lay, one Sunday morn, All in their place of Shame, Giles Corey had a troubled Dream, And told it to his Dame.
" My Goodwife dear, I've dreamed a Dream, All through ye livelong Night,
And coming Things were shewn to me In Vision clear and bright.
I dreamed a Hundred Years were past, And Sixty more were gone, And then I stood a living Man- Alas ! I stood alone !
I was among strange Phantoms there, No living Soul I knew, And you will hardly wonder, Dame, 'Twas Eighteen Fifty Two."
Quoth She, " Dear Giles, what did you see In that far distant Daye ? Your Dreaming Thoughts I long to heare, Come tell me now I pray."
"My Dear Goodwyfe, I'll tell my Dream, If you will patient heare,
How Specters strange did stare at me, And loudly laugh and jeerc.
At length a Ghost of pleasant mien Did listen to my Story ; I sayde, I'm called a Wizzard Man, My Name is Goodman Corey.
I told him I was doomed to Dye By Hanging or by Pressing ; The mode-it all depended on My Silence or Confessing."
" In Salem Village once," he sayde, " Suchi Deeds they did allowe ;
'That dark Delusion's had its Daye, And Men are wiser now.
" You stand," sayde he, "upon ye Spot So sadly known to Fame ;
No longer is it Salem called, But DANVERS is its Name."
" Aha !" sayde I, ('(was in my Dream,) " I'll see this altered Place, I long at once to look upon This boasted wiser Race.
I travelled North to Blind Hole Swamp,* The Fields were bright and gay; From Skelton's Neck* to Brooksby's Vale,* I then pursued my Way.
As on I roamed in eager Haste, With ardent Hope and wishfull, Too soon I founde my wandering Feet Quite in ye Devil's Dishfulle .*
Here Goblins came, and I must own At first in Terrour bounde me ; I spake them fair and bade them come And gather quick arounde me.
Full soon I saw that I had come Amongst a Race of Witches ; For every Man I looked upon Was destitute of Breeches !
"Fye, O Fye," sayde Goody Corey, (And sharply spake ye Dame,)
"'That you should look upon them thus- I blush for very Shame."
" Pray heare me out, impatient Wyfe, For know-these Wizzard Coons- Although they had no Breeches on, Were clothed with Pantaloons.
And ah, how queer ye Women looked, "Twould waken your Compassion To see what awkward Cloathes they wore, So strangely out of Fashion.
I looked upon ye Antient Men -- No toothless gums had they- Their aged Heads were never bald- 'Their Hair was seldom gray.";
Now Martha Corey spake aloud, With most indignant Frowne- " I don't believe a Word you saye About this Danvers 'Towne."
Her Goodman sayde, with quiet Tone, (A pleasant Speech had he,) " Remember, Dame, I dreamed of this, It thus appeared to me.
Well known localities in Danvers.
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J saw a Man pull all his Teeth, It took him but a Minute : He oped his Mouth and put them back- I thought ye deuce was in it !
A limping Man had lost a Leg. A wooden one had he ; To tell which Leg ye man had lost . Was quite too much for me.
I saw a man cut off a Limb, 'The Surgeon's Knife all gory, But yet ye Patient felt no Paine"- " "T'is False !"-sayde Goody Corey.
" "I'was in my Dream I saw it, Dame, I saw him take ye Stitches, And then I knew I'd fell among A Race of Real Witches.
I met a man who'd lost an Eye And chose to have another- He bought one at ye nearest Shop, Just like its living brother.
I had a raging Tooth to draw, (To you 'twill seem a Fable,) I went to sleep-and then awoke And found it on ye Table."
" I don't believe a word you saye," Sayde faithless Goody Corey-
" Just show this Molar Tooth to me, And I'll believe your story."
Quoth Giles unto his Wyfe ag a " "l'is thus to me it seems ; How often have I told you, Dame, "Twas in ye Land of Dreams.
I looked upon this Wizzard Race With still increasing Wonder, They drew ye Lightning from ye Skies And bottled up ye Thunder.
They carried News by Lightning Teams, Made Portraits with ye Sun, Used Cotton for their Gunpowder, To Charge ye sporting Gunn.
A magic Substance they have founde, And some ingenious Lubber Makes everything (save Consciences) Of Patent India Rubber.
To light their Homes with flaming Air The Elements they torture ; And hope to get-by taking Paines- Their Candle Light-from Water.
I told them that to see the World I had a strong Desire- They took me off in Vapory Cloud And Chariott of Fire !
Full Forty Miles an Hour they go, By power of nought but Steam ; And Ships with Wheels go swift" ___ " "T'is FALSE !" Sayde Goody with a Scream.
Quoth Giles, " Remember, my Goodwyfe, "T'is a Prophetic gleam- I do not speak my waking Thoughts, I only tell my Dream.
I pondered on these Sorceries, And thought them Witchcraft Sinus, But marvelled why, like Witchcraft now, They did not prick with Pinns.
I saw these Wizzards gather round, To listen to a Tapping, In wide-mouthed Wonder swallow all The Witchery of Rapping.
It was, (I own with humble Shame,) A Mystery to me, That Souls in Bliss should come to Earth To say their A, B, C.
Oh, what a Miracle Sublime ! It shews the World's advance, When Spirits leave their bright abodes To make a Table dance !
To have this awful Mystery solved Perhaps they may be able- The Faith that will a Mountain move Can doubtless move a T'able.
Amazed I saw how calm they were With all this Spirit rising ; They only called these Magic Arts A kind of Magnetizing.
So none for Witchcraft met ye Fate Of Pharaoh's luckless Baker, Nor did they seek to drive or scourge A Baptist or a Quaker.
I gat me quick to Gallows Hill, That fearful place to see, Where Witches are condemned to hang High on ye Gallows Tree.
I only saw two Shadowy Forms, Or Spectral Goblins rather ; One seemed like Him of Cloven Foot, The other-Cotton Mather.
I thought to see ye Gibbett there, The Ladder mounted high, The Rope suspended from ye Beam, For those condemned to Dye.
I marvelled much that there I founde The Sod was smooth and bare, No Mounds of freshly-shovelled Earth, No Grove of Locusts there.
Amazed I stood and looked around, The Grass was living greene, Afar I saw ye deep blue Sea ; A City lay between.
I went into a Dwelling House,- I ransacked every Room, I could not find a Spinning Wheel, Nor yet a Weaver's Loom.
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They had no Snuffers on ye Shelf ; The Dressers, too, had flowne ; No Pewter Plates, well scrubbed and neat, In Order brightly shone.
No Settle by ye Kitchen Fire, No Sand upon ye Floor, And when I asked for 'Tinder Box In Laughter they did roar.
I went into another House- The Fireplace was a Box ; I looked within, and there I founde The Fuel-only Rocks !
And when I asked for Mug of Flip, No Loggerheads were seen, But in ye Place of Worship neare Were Loggerheads-I ween.
I walked into this Meeting House Just as the Psalm was read ; The Parson had no Surplice on, No Wig upon his Head.
I saw no trace of Sounding Board, No Hour Glass had they there To prove ye Sermon two Hours long, And measure off ye Prayer.
No Chorister with Tuning Fork, No 'T'ythingman so grim, Nobody in ye Deacon Seat 'To Deacon off ye Hymn.
But see-within that Sacred House, That Place for humble Prayer, Averted lookes, and bitter Scorn, And jarring Sounds are there !
Alı me ! to see ye stubborn Will, 'The cold and formal Dealing, The stern Repulse, ye Needless Pang, 'The lack of Christian Feeling !
I asked a Shade-Why is it thus, That Men, in Wilful Blindnesse, Are pledged to Total Abstinence From Milk of Human Kindnesse ?
I turned away with saddened Thoughts, And pensive Feelings ledd, And sought ye Place where living Dust Soon mingles with ye Dead.
I looked upon ye Hillocks greene --- 'The Winds were sweeping o'er, And Ghostly Shadows flitted bye, Of Forms beheld before.
Remembered names were sculptured there On many an Antient Stone ; And One I saw, well grown with Moss ; I looked-It was MY OWN !
A sudden thrill came o'er me then, Soe fearful did it seeme,- I shuddered once, and then awoke, And now you have my Dream."
A VISIT FROM PARSON PARRIS.
Written for the Danvers Centennial Celebration, by Rev. J. W. HANSON, Author of the History of Danvers.
One cold night of chill December's, As I sat before the embers,- Chance had laid a book before me Full of slight historic lore ;- Well, it need not be a mystery, It was only a small history- Author's name I need not mention, Only this and nothing more.
I was turning o'er the pictures, And I could not help my strictures On the blindness, and the folly Of those darksome days of yore, --- And I came to that old mansion (It has had a late expansion) Where began the Salem Witchcraft, Which so sadly we deplorc.
' What a singular delusion ! ·What a state of wild confusion Must have filled our ancient Salem,- I am thankful it is o'er ; Parson Parris was a terror, The church was wrapped in error, And the people were all ignorant- May we have such curse no more!
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' What a shame that Christian preachers Should be no better teachers Than to be so much deluded, Or so fond of human gore, As to follow vicious children Into conduct so bewildering. As to hang and scourge each other, As they did in that dark hour.'
Then I thought of poor Tituba, (Parson Parris' slave from Cuba,) Sarah Osborne, Mary Warren, Whose sad troubles we deplore ; Sarah Good, and uncle Proctor, Parson Burroughs-learned doctor, --- Oh, how fiendish thus to murder- 'Thank God ! the folly's o'er.
How much more I should have spoken, I don't know,-my thoughts were broken. As I heard a heavy footstep Coming toward my study door. And the strangest apparition Flashed at once upon my vision, Saying-'I am Parson Parris, Whose follies you deplore !
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'I have heard your lamentations, I confess, with little patience,' Quoth the stern indignant spirit, ' Of our good old days of yore ; We were not without our failings, Every cent'ry has its ailings ;- 'That our own was worse than this one, Is a statement I ignore.'
' Worse than this one ?' was my answer, ' Let me know then, if you can sir, What this learned generation Ever does that you deplore ! Is not knowledge ever brightning ? We've made slaves of steam and lightning, Taught the Sun to paint our portraits, And a thousand wonders more !'
All the more to blame then, are you, Wise and skilful thus ; how dare you Looking back two centuries, utter Such a reckless slander more ?- If with all your great advances, "You have misimproved your chances, And still cherish greater follies, Here's the thing you should deplore !'
' Never mind your generalities,' Quoth I, ' let us hear the qualities That our wondrous age possesses, Worse than that dark age of yore ;- What have we that looks so sadly, That disgraces us so badly As the Witcheralt did old Salem, And will do, evermore ?'
Here the parson fixed his wig on, -I assure you 'twas a big one- And his bands he smoothed with unction, And surveyed me o'er and o'er ; And looking more complacently, Nay-he smiled at me quite pleasantly, More so than I ever heard of Any Spirit doing before.
Said he, -- ' We lived in Salem village By our pasturage and tillage, .A quiet, humble people As our country ever bore ;
l'o great wisdom no pretentions Did we make,-all your inventions, All your progress, light, and knowledge, --- We had heard of no such lore.
' Then came that awful mystery, (You have it in your history.) Such an one as never met us In our lives or thoughts before ; We supposed it was the Devil, The Arch-author of all evil, And we did the best we knew of With the evil you deplore.
' But your ' wondrous Age,' you style it- Has great evils which defile it, Which, allowing for your progress, Should disgrace you evermore ; And of all things that are shocking, I declare, that Spirit Knocking Which of late began at Rochester, Is worse than all before.
' Chiefest humbug-greatest folly- Nonsense vain-most melancholy- Surely we shall not be laughed at, No, nor pitied any more,- For the future, men shall call the Spirit-rappings, the 'Great Folly,' Greatest, until comes another, Worse than all that went before.'
Here the Parson clapped his hat on, Thrust aside the chair he sat on, And with all his old importance Passed right through my study door, And I heard his cane go tapping, And his heavy footsteps rapping, As he took his quick departure, And I saw of him no more.
But I deeply meditated On the truths the Parson stated, And I formed this resolution- (I'll depart from it no more ;) Not to blame our Salem grandmas, Till ourselves have worthier manners,- Till we banish our own witches, Worse than any were of yore.
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