USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Danvers > Centennial celebration at Danvers, Mass., June 16, 1852 > Part 8
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Next came the civic procession, preceded by Chief Marshal LORD, and his Aids, Messrs. TOWNE and PEABODY, with the following gen- tlemen as Assistant Marshals :-
M. T. DOLE, GEORGE P. DANIELS,
IRA P. POPE,
CHARLES DOLE,
EDWARD STIMPSON,
THEODORE POOLE,
GEORGE M. TEEL.
The following Marshals were appointed to preserve order at the Church :-
CHARLES ESTES, ISAAC B. COWDRY,
JOHN W. HUBBARD, ASA NOYES.
The civic procession, consisting of invited guests, reverend clergy, committee of arrangements, orator and poet, and town authorities, rode in open barouches ; and among the former we recognized among others, His Excellency Gov. Boutwell ; Hon. Amasa Walker, Secretary of State ; Hon. C. W. Upham, Mayor of Salem ; Judge White, of Sa- lem ; George G. Smith and Joseph B. Felt, Esqs., of Boston; Rev. J. W. Hanson and Daniel Nutting, Esqs., of Gardiner, Maine ; Hon. John W. Palfrey, of Cambridge; Hon. Robert Rantoul and Rev. C. T. Thayer, of Beverly ; Hon. A. G. Browne, Rev. Drs. Flint and Emerson, Charles M. Endicott and A. Huntington, Esqs., of Salem ; Hon. A. W. Dodge, of Hamilton ; Allen Putnam, Esq., of Roxbury ; Rev. Israel W. Putnam, of Middleborough ; Rev. C. C. Sewall of Medfield, Hon. Lilley Eaton, of South Reading, and many other's.
Among the invited guests also rode several persons in antique costumes, who represented notable characters of Danvers long since deceased. One of these was old Master Eppes, who, after a Rip Van Winkle sleep of many years, awoke in perfect astonishment at the:
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progress of things since his day. He held in his hand one of the ancient school books, and in the peculiar twang of his time deprecated the absurd radicalism in the modern system of education.
Next came the antique section of the procession, which was a most extensive and unique exhibition of the kind. First came a representa- tion of an old bachelor of ancient time, in the person of a sturdy individual on foot, in cocked hat, flowing wig, knee breeches, &c., who walked alone in his glory. He was followed by the " Putnam family," in a carriage filled with the farming and household utensils of that notable lineage, of which " old Put.," of wolf memory, is but one of the many illustrious citizens of that name who were born in Dan- vers. The carriage was attended with a large delegation of the mod- ern race, dressed in the antique costumes, of their ancestors, and hard at work in their various avocations. As the carriage passed along, one was grinding corn after the primitive fashion ; others were spinning, weaving, &c. We were informed that the various implements and dresses exhibited on this occasion were the genuine relics of their an- cestors, that have been preserved as heir-looms in the family. Then came several of those curious old chaises, such as we see in prints of one hundred years ago, with harnesses and horses that must certainly have been in their prime as early as the revolutionary war. These chaises generally contained a lady and gentleman, the perfect counter- parts of the establishment, in which they appeared greatly to enjoy the morning air. Then followed a carriage with four seats, and drawn by two horses, which, with its occupants, was a very curious specimen of the antique. An Indian, mounted, with full trappings, came next, and was followed by a " Blind Hole Shoe Shop, of 1789," with the work- men busily employed after the rude fashion of that time. Then came a huge block of granite on a platform, from which workmen were hammering out a mill stone, for which purpose Danvers granite has been for many years celebrated. A pottery shop, with the apparatus of a hundred years ago, in full operation, came next, and was followed by a band of music.
THE SCHOOLS.
The pupils of the several Public Schools, numbering in the whole 1500, came out in full strength, led off by the Georgetown Brass Band, and presented a most beautiful feature of the procession. We cannot expect to give, by description, any adequate idea of the ingenious and admirable designs they displayed. This large body of children, in holiday array, could not fail to call out exclamations of delight from every spectator. The committee of publication are enabled to give the following particulars, which have been mainly furnished by the teachers of the several schools. There are fourteen school districts in the town, with from one to three schools in each. There are also two High Schools, one in the north and the other in the south part of the town, which have, since the celebration, received from the school committee the names severally of HOLTEN and PEABODY, in honor of the late Judge Samuel Holten and our fellow-citizen George Peabody, Esq., now living in London. They are therefore described under those names in the following account.
This interesting part of the pageant was marshalled under the direc- tion of the following gentlemen :----
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SYLVANUS DODGE, Chief Marshal.
JEREMIAH CHAPMAN,
J. W. SNOW,
EDWARD W. JACOBS,
GEO. TAPLEY,
AUGUSTUS VARNEY,
ALBERT J. SILVESTER,
ALDEN DEMPSEY,
LORING DEMPSEY,
JAS. P. HUTCHINSON,
ABNER MEAD.
GILBERT A. TAPLEY.
PEABODY HIGH SCHOOL.
The High School of the South Parisli, numbering forty pupils, under the charge of Mr. Eugene B. Hinckley, next followed, and elicited the highest encomiums for the admirable skill and taste manifested in all its representations.
With the exception of the first and last carriages, this part of the procession was intended to illustrate ancient times, and to contrast them with the present .. It was headed by a young man on horseback, bear- ing the banner of the school. He was followed by two young ladies and one gentleman, besides the teacher, all on horseback, and dressed in the full costume of the eighteenth century.
Then came the first carriage, containing the Queen of the Season, with six attendants, appropriately dressed in white, and wearing ever- green wreaths, with spring flowers interwoven. The queen wore a floral crown, and a light wreath hanging from the right shoulder, and falling carelessly upon the left side, and bearing in her right hand a wand or sceptre. The carriage consisted of an oval platform, from which rose six pillars, supporting a canopy of like form. The plat- form, pillars, and arched roof were entirely covered with evergreen, making a perfect " greenwood bower."
The next carriage represented Marketing in the olden time, and was occupied by a venerable couple, whose looks and actions plainly indi- cated that they were of the few " who have come down to us from a former generation, whose lives Heaven had bounteously lengthened out that they might behold the joyous day." The carriage,-to say nothing of the horse, for we always feel a degree of delicacy in speak- ing of contemporaries ; besides, he was so far removed from the car- riage as to have little claim to description on the same page,-the carriage was an object of interest to antiquarians, and led us all to doubt one of the axioms of the philosophers ; for while the memory of man and even tradition itself runneth not back to the time when it had a beginning, it gives unmistakable evidence that it will speedily have an end. There was a goodly display of onions, potatoes, apples, &c., in- dicating the treasures within ; while, from the little box in front, ap- peared the pail of eggs, and at its side the jugs, designed to receive in exchange the sweetening for coffee and the sweetener of life. In con- spicuous places, also, the riches of its freight were emblazoned with chalk, in orthography which showed (to the regret, no doubt, of Dr. Stone and others) that the phonetic system was known to the " fathers," another proof of the wise man's sad proverb, " there is nothing new under the sun."
Next came an ancient Quilting Party. Eight ladies, dressed in the prim and proper style of the eighteenth century, cap-a-pie, not omitting the pin-ball and scissors hanging from the apron belt, were busily en-
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gaged in completing the quilt ; while, in one corner, sat the old lady, whose time seemed about equally divided between her knitting work and snuff box. The ladies were not all old, and the love of display, which we are sometimes inclined to look upon as characteristic of our times only, finding little room for manifesting itself in the puritan cut of the sleeve, the white kerchief, and the scanty skirt, was forced to take a higher place, and looked forth in no equivocal manner from the massive puffs of hair which surmounted their demure faces. It was rather invidiously remarked, too, that it could hardly have been acci- dental, that eight pairs of high-heeled satin shoes should have been so conspicuous, although the ladies were all seated. Most of the dresses were not only representative of a former age, but were true relics of the olden time, which have fortunately outlived their first possessors, and serve to connect the present with the past.
Then followed the Beaux and Belles of the eighteenth and nine- teenth centuries, a group consisting of two couples, one in the fashion- able dress of 1752, and the other in that of 1852. The cushioned hair, the rich flowing brocade dress, the wrought high-heeled shoes, the monstrous fan, the strait-backed but richly-carved chair ; the knce and shoe buckles, the short breeches, the ample coat, the powdered wig and cocked hat, reminded one strongly of the portraits of " lang syne's sons" and daughters, and formed a striking contrast to the more showy but less expensive dress of the opposite couple.
After these, came a busy company engaged in the various domestic employments which were the peculiar occupations of the ancient house- hold. Carding, Spinning, Reeling, and Lace-netting were all in lively and successful operation. The linen wheel also stood in its own cor- ner. Nor must the old cradle be forgotten, in which, no doubt, has slumbered the embryo genius of many a beloved and distinguished son of New England. Within its oaken sides, too, have been seen the early manifestations of that restless energy, which, though troublesome in childhood, is admired in the man, and which has given brilliancy and success to the Yankee career. From out its gloomy depths, far back in the shadowy past, have proceeded, in discordant tones, those voices that, in later days, proved mighty in council and debate, and whose thunders shook the king upon his throne. You would know that none but a Puritan had made it,-so square and heavy its panelled sides, so strait and unbending its posts ; and one could not help feeling that, in its turn, it must have helped in giving form and character to the minds that had been pillowed in it,-at once the emblem and the nurturer of an unbending race of men.
A large carriage followed, in which it was the design to show, in contrast, the Past and Present, as exhibited in the schoolroom, and all the appurtenances. A large map was suspended in the middle, entirely separating it into two rooms. The front room presented a rough and altogether comfortless appearance. On the backless bench were seated the luckless wights who were being "educated" and " instructed," with the "Slate and Rethmetic" before them. On the other side of the room, sat the " Master," in all the restrained severity of a Crom- well Roundhead. On the table at his side lay the indispensable and only school apparatus, the clencher of every argument, the unraveller
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of every scientific knot, the elucidator of every principle, the enforcer of every precept,-the rod,-good for doctrine, reproof, instruction, and correction. As it lay there in repose, a man of the present age would see in it only an emblem of the pliancy of the youthful mind, and the sprightly buoyancy of youthful spirits. But the youthful spirits opposite evidently put a different construction upon the matter, as the stereotyped tenor of countenance and the chronic shrug of the shoulders stoutly witnessed. They knew, as well they might, that its lessons were not merely emblematic, but eminently practical ; that its influ- ences were never silent, though always touching. They knew, too, by experience and " bobservation," as the sprightly nigger Sam would say, that the present quiet was only the repose of conscious power, the fearful eddy of the air that forebodes the awful tempest.
The blank side of the map, forming one wall of the room, was a fitting type of the child's mind when first committed to the master's. forming hand. A more appropriate representative of that mind and character at graduation, might be found in the marred and mutilated desk cover, whereon successive generations had carved, in the impress- ible pine, the creations of their untutored imaginations.
The other room was fitted up with handsome modern desks. The well defined map formed the wall at the head of the room, and in front, at his table, sat the teacher, with globes and a telescope at his side, representative of the expanding range of study in our schools of the present age, and the vastly multiplied and improved facilities for communicating knowledge. The whole room was made to have a cheerful and inviting air about it, in striking contrast to the headachy look of the first room. We saw no implements of school warfare here, and were reminded of Sprague's prophetic line :
" To martial arts shall milder arts succeed."
The carriage bore the motto which was quite naturally suggested : " Let there be light ; and there was light."
This carriage gave rise to many philosophic reflections, but we for- bear to record them here, since history is only the philosopher's text- book, and not the commentary.
Lastly, came the Gleaners, a little company of misses neatly and properly dressed, each wearing a broad white hat, and bearing on one arm the fruit of her labor.
HOLTEN HIGH SCHOOL.
The High School in the North Parish appeared in two carriages, each of which was trimmed for the occasion with evergreens. The advance carriage was the " Hector," bearing most of the ladies dressed in white, and wearing on their heads turbans of pink tarlatane, with long veils. In this carriage were two banners, one having the arms of the D'Anvers Family, and the motto, " History is our lesson to-day ;" on the reverse,
"WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE PAST, AND WE WILL LABOR FOR THE FUTURE."
The other, bearing the name of the school, and the motto,
“ Φιλοτοφία Βίου Κυβερνήτης;"
on the reverse, "SCIENTIA LUX MENTIS."
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In the next carriage was most admirably represented a Trial for Witchcraft-the court and its officers in full costume. The Chief Justice, Cotton Mather, Rev. Mr. Burroughs, and other historical char- acters, the witnesses, &c., were enacted .to the life. Dr. Mather was rather surprised on finding himself introduced to the Rev. Mr. Braman, the present pastor of the church at " Salem Village," but with dignity and courtesy he greeted the reverend gentleman, who, on his part, extended a most hearty and cordial salutation, with his wonted humor. The Judge and Mr. Burroughs went through the same ceremony with characteristic gravity.
After this interruption the trial proceeded, the several witnesses, Eleazer Keyson, Samuel Webber, Ann Putnam, and Goodwife Sarah Viber testifying, in the strongest manner, to the guilt of the accused, who was of course convicted, and put under the custody of the Royal Sheriff, whose scarlet coat and official staff rendered him a prominent figure at the trial.
This school is under the care of Mr. A. P. S. Stuart, and forty-two pupils took part in the representations.
School District No. 1 is situated in the south part of the town, join- ing Salem, with which it is connected by Main Street. In this district is located the Lexington Battle Monument, the Danvers Bank, Meth- odist Meeting-house, Southwick's large Tannery, and the principal burying-ground, where now rest many of the earliest and most valued citizens of the town. This district was the home of Gen. Foster, the greater part of his life; of Dennison Wallis, Edward Southwick, Squires Shove, William Sutton, Major Sylvester Osborn, Mr. Ward, and Dea. Fitch Poole, Ebenezer Shillaber, and Oliver Saunders, as well as others whose lives of usefulness have done much to give a character of enterprise and worth to Danvers. Some notoriety has been acquired abroad on account of this being the place where Elizabeth Whitman sojourned and died, (better known to romance readers as Eliza Whar- ton,) and pilgrimages are still made to her grave, the mutilated head- stone bearing ample evidence of the ravages of these relic-seeking and lovesick votaries.
The schools in this district were under the care of Mr. Thomas B. Hinckley, Miss Sarah H. Burt, and Miss Elizabeth E.Winchester. The number of scholars furnished to the procession was two hundred and ten, one hundred and sixty of whom were dressed in Turkish costume. The boys were attired in blue tunics and white trowsers, with scarfs and turbans, each carrying a glittering scimitar; the girls, in blue waists and white skirts, with Turkish head-dress.
The schools represented in this part of the procession were the Grammar, Wallis, and Primary, each accompanied by its teacher. The order of arrangement was as follows. First came the Grammar school, at the head of which was borne a banner inscribed with the No. of the district to which it belonged, followed at a short distance by another, bearing the Wallis school motto, "DENNISON WALLIS, OUR BENEFACTOR." Then came another, with the inscription, " TRUE MERIT OUR ONLY CLAIM TO DISTINCTION." Next came a carriage, thatched with evergreen and decorated with wreaths and flowers, con-
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taining " buds of promise" in their holiday dresses, accompanied by their teacher. From the back of this carriage was seen a gentleman of the olden time, who, judging from the expression of his countenance, was evidently regarding, with a troubled mind, the changes wrought in dress and habits of life by the lapse of years. There was also among the pedestrians one old gentleman, who evidently belonged to a former age, and who, though " in the world, was not of the world."
There are three schools in District No. 2, under the care of Mr. E. B. Lear, Miss Sarah A. Osgood, and . Miss Lydia A. Tilton. This district comprises what was formerly called Skelton's Neck, afterwards New Mills, and now Danvers Port. It was formerly the residence of Gov. Endicott, and within its bounds the famous old PEAR TREE, which tradition informs us was planted by the Governor, still flourishes, and the fruit of its third century is. annually plucked by his descendants. Col. Hutchinson, of revolutionary memory, was born in this district. Here is a Post Office and Railroad Station, and two Churches, Baptist and Universalist.
There were one hundred and fifteen pupils from this district, who came in a building which was intended to represent a schoolhouse, and was appropriately trimmed with green branches and various kinds of flowers. It was drawn with its immense load by a noble team of eight gray horses, each bearing on his headstall a miniature American flag. This beautiful team was gratuitously furnished by Mathew Hooper, Esq., an enterprising and public spirited inhabitant of the district.
The girls wore white dresses and millinett hats trimmed with ever- green. The boys had dark jackets, white pants, and palm-leaf hats trimmed with evergreen and flowers. On a banner was inscribed, "SUBSTANCE NOT SHOW."
The school taught by Miss Sophia C. Appleton, in District No. 3, (Putnamville) followed in a carriage drawn by two horses, which were decorated with evergreen and flowers. The carriage was also arched with birch boughs, and bore a banner inscribed, " PUTNAMVILLE, DIS- TRICT No. 3."
The boys were dressed in blue sacks, white pantaloons, and palm- leaf hats trimmed with evergreen. The girls wore white dresses, with millinett hats, with wreaths of flowers. The whole number of scholars in attendance was thirty-seven. This district is the birthplace of Gen. Moses Porter and Hon. Elias Putnam.
The school in District No. 4, the birthplace of Gen. Israel Putnam, also came in a carriage trimmed with evergreen, and drawn by two horses tastefully decorated. Banners were borne with the following inscriptions :
" OUR KOH-I-NOOR," " FROM THE BUSH."
The boys of this school were uniformly dressed in green jackets and palm-leaf hats. The girls also wore palm-leaf hats with wreaths. This school was under the care of Miss Mary A. Wilkins, and forty scholars attended.
The schools in District No. 5, the home of Judge Holten and Rev. Dr. Wadsworth, where is located the Village Meeting-house, and where Rev. Mr. Parris formerly lived, and the Witchcraft delusion originated,
14 n
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came next in three carriages, which were trimmed with evergreen and arched over with foliage. They were well filled with happy-looking masters and misses, the whole number being eighty-four. The first carriage bore this inscription, " We come from Salem Village ;" the second-" Descendants of the Witches," and the third-" The child is father to the man." These schools were attended by their teach- ers, Miss Sarah F. and Miss Ann Jeanette Emery.
School District No. 6 is in the central part of the town, the former residence of Master Daniel Eppes, and is known as the place where the Royal Governor, Gen. Gage, was encamped with his troops, previous to the Revolutionary war, to overawe the colonists. His head quarters were at the old mansion now standing, called the Collins house.
The school in this district, under the care of Miss Harriet Felton, made a fine appearance. The children connected with it numbered about fifty. First in order came a vehicle containing the boys, who were intended to represent Robin Hood's archers, each boy having in his hand a bow and arrow. Their dress was white pants, green tunics, and straw hats, with a wreath of evergreen. On their banners were the following : In front-
"No. 6. INCORPORATED Nov. 17, 1800."
In the rear-
" Bend the bow and wing the dart, Let it reach each foeman's heart ; But the enemy must be All that's bad in you or me."
Next came the girls belonging to the school. They were intended to represent Flower Girls. They were dressed in white, with a wreath of flowers around their hats, and each one having a bouquet in her hand. Their carriage was roofed over and densely covered with hem- lock boughs and evergreen, interspersed with flowers of every variety and hue. For their motto they had the following : "Flowers are types of innocent childhood."
" Flowers that bloom for a season. Flowers that bloom forever."
There were also two other vehicles connected with the district,-one contained some of the older girls dressed partly in antique style ; the other was a very ancient sleigh, owned by one of the inhabitants of the district, in which were four girls dressed in ancient costume. Dresses of brocade silk and damask, high-heeled shoes, bonnets of ancient style, and a beaver hat ornamented with plumes, comprised a part of their attire. As it was the custom of the original owner of the sleigh to have a black servant for a driver, they procured one of the same race for THEIR driver, an old horse, an ancient string of bells, &c., were all intended to represent a sleigh-ride in 1752.
The school in District No. 8, the place where Gen. Foster spent the last part of his life and where he died, was represented by sixty scholars, who attracted much attention from their lively and animated appearance, the magnitude of their carriage, and the novelty of its team. The carriage was of great size, arched with birch trees, and trimmed with evergreens and flowers, the sides being festooned with oak leaves. A banner, trimmed with evergreen and roses, with the
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name of the district, was borne at each end of the carriage, one of which had the following inscriptions :-
" I can't"-never accomplished anything.
"I'LL TRY"-has done wonders. INDUSTRY.
On the other banner were the following :-
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.
STRIVE TO IMPROVE.
PATIENCE. PERSEVERANCE.
The carriage was drawn by a team of six pair of fine looking oxen, which were well managed by their young drivers. The cattle were gaily decorated with miniature flags, evergreens and flowers.
The scholars were uniformly dressed ; the boys in brown linen sacks and blue sashes, straw hats trimmed with blue ribbon, and white pantaloons. The girls wore blue waists, white skirts, and white paste- board hats, trimmed with wreaths of flowers. The merry voices of these young people were often heard from their leafy bower, in lively cheers and jocund school songs, as they were drawn through the streets. This school is under the charge of Mr. W. F. Gile.
From District No. 10, in West Danvers, under the care of Miss Harriette Proctor, the number of scholars that joined the procession was fifty-seven, riding in three carriages, trimmed with evergreen, and drawn by two horses each. They were escorted to South Danvers by a cavalcade, consisting of about twenty young men, uniformly dressed in Kossuth hats and white pants, former members of the school. The first carriage contained the boys composing the school, wearing hats and epaulettes made of evergreen and roses, with scarlet sashes, accompanied by two of the descendants of the Salem Witches, attired in a costume of by-gone days. On the banner borne by these lads was the following inscription :- " COMMON SCHOOLS. THE TREE OUR FATHERS PLANTED WE WILL NOURISH AND PROTECT."
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