USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Marlborough > Historical reminiscences of the early times in Marlborough, Massachusetts : and prominent events from 1860 to 1910, including brief allusions to many individuals and an account of the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town > Part 30
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COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT
O. A. Morton, Chairman. Miss Anna A. Hyde, Secretary.
George W. Morris
Mrs. Frank W. Sawin
Mrs. D. H. Fletcher
J. V. Jackman
Mrs. Annie Clifford Mrs. Etta McNally
Royal R. Giles
Miss Josephine O'Brien
Mrs. C. L. Cutler Jr.
John J. Salmon Mrs. Ida Bonville
Miss Ludivine Durand
Joseph A. Millington
Mrs. Fred A. Trull
Mrs. J. F. J. Otterson
William H. Loughlin
Mrs. Fred H. Fay
Mary E. O'Halloran
Mrs. Charles C. Hart
Mrs. Edward Butler
Below will be found some correspondence, together with a clipping from a Marlborough, England, paper, which is worthy of preservation in this volume as showing the wide-spread interest that our celebration aroused on both sides of the water :
FROM THE PRESIDENT.
The White House, Washington, June 6, 1910. My Dear Sir :
Your favor of the 4th of June has been received, and in the
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President's behalf I beg to thank you for your invitation to attend the 250th anniversary of the founding of Marlborough. He regrets that his engagements are such that it is impossible for him to accept. He greatly appreciates your kindly attention to his aunt, Miss Torrey. Regretting that I am unable to give you a favorable response, I am
Yours truly, CHARLES D. NORTON, Secretary to the President. Hon John J. Shaughnessy, Mayor of Marlborough, Mass.
FROM MISS TORREY.
Millbury, June 8, 1910. Mr. John J. Shaughnessy :
My Dear Sir : I received a letter from the President in response to one I wrote him, and he says he has so many engagements during June, and one constant engagement with Congress, that it will be impossible for him to be in Marlbo- rough on the 13th. He thinks the celebration will be of great interest and hopes I can go. If I am in good health and the weather is favorable, I shall try to give myself the pleasure of attending the exercises. Thanking you for the invitation, I remain,
Cordially yours, DELIA C. TORREY.
CLIPPING FROM THE MARLBOROUGH TIMES, ENGLAND.
"From Mar'borough, U. S. A., an Interesting Invitation.
"The following interesting letter, addressed to 'the Chairman of the Local Board, Marlborough, ' had, after some delay, reached the hands of the Mayor :
"City of Marlborough, Office of the Mayor,
Marlborough, Mass., U. S. A. May 4, 1910. " Honored Sir-In the year 1660, Marlborough, Massachu- setts, U. S. A., was incorporated as a town, and many of the original settlers came from Marlborough, England, and their home ties were so dear to them that they named their new home Marlborough, and the place has been known by that name ever
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since. It is now a flourishing city of about 16,000 people, and is located about 28 miles west of Boston, as you will notice on the back of the envelope.
"The 250th anniversary of our city will be observed on Mon- day, June 13th, 1910, and the President of the United States, the Governor of the State, and many other notables will be present to celebrate the quarter millenary. And, recognizing the ties of your ancient town, I have the honor, and I take great pleasure in extending to you the freedom of our city during the event, and inviting yourself and lady to be guests of the city on that occasion.
"Hoping that you will favor us with your presence, I am
Yours truly, JOHN J. SHAUGHNESSY, Mayor, Marlborough, Massachusetts, U. S. A. "
"On the envelope containing the communication was a railway map showing the routes by which the city could be reached, as well as the following, among other, letter press : 'One of the great shoe cities of the world. ' 'A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.' Marl- borough, like Rome, is situated on seven hills. ' ' 250th anniversary celebration, June 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th, 1910. Every day a big day. Every night a big night. '
"The reading of the letter caused a good deal of interest. The Mayor regretted that owing to delay in the letter reaching his hands, there was not time to avail himself of the invitation. Dr. J. B. Maurice jocularly suggested that he should borrow a flying machine. Mr. Free said it was a very happy idea. On the motion of Mr. Leaf, seconded by Dr. J. B. Maurice, it was decided to send a cablegram conveying the fraternal greetings of the meeting to the city on the occasion."
CABLE OF CONGRATULATIONS FROM MARLBOROUGH, ENGLAND.
Mayor J. J. Shaughnessy received the following congratulations by cable from Marlborough, England :
"Marlborough, England, June 11, 1910.
Hearty congratulations from Marlborough, England.
PUBLIC BOARD. "
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LETTER RECEIVED FROM MAYOR OF MARLBOROUGHI, ENGLAND.
The following letter was received by Mayor Shaughnessy from E. J. Hill, Mayor of Marlborough, England, in response to an invitation extended to him to be present and participate in the celebration festivities :
" Borough of Marlborough, Wilts. Town Clerk's Office, 3d June, 1910. "Dear Sir :
"Owing to your letter having been addressed to the Chair- man of Local Board instead of the Mayor, it has only just come into my hands. I regret very much that I am unable to accept your friendly invitation to attend the 250th anniversary of your city. But I have laid your letter before the town council of our borough and have been directed by them as representative of old Marlborough to offer to new Marlborough the right hand of fellowship and to wish you and all inhabitants of your city health and prosperity for many years to come.
" In 250 years you have increased your population to 16,000, while in more than double that number of years we have attained to 4,000 inhabitants. But it is in the nature of old age to go slow and we do not therefore withhold admiration for youth and energy. Go on and prosper is the watchword from old to new Marlborough. On the envelope of your letter, I see it stated that your city is one of the great shoe cities of the world. If this means that shoe manufacture is one of your staple indus- tries, it is interesting because leather tanning has been a prominent trade in this city for many years. And if you have any record of the names of your original settlers, I should like to know, as we might be able to trace them among our brother archives.
Yours truly, E. J. HILL, Mayor."
FROM CALIFORNIA.
" Pasadena, June 11, 1910. Mr. George L. Stevens :
Dear Sir : The kind invitation to ' come home' to the family gathering is received. It is with deep regret that I am unable
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to obey the summons. If nothing prevents, I shall be there the next time. I shall be there just as I shall be there this time. I shall be there in love and sweet memories. I shall be there with most of you. I shall be there with those whose faces I could not see and whose voices I could not hear, if I were to be there this time. With kindest thoughts and warmest friend- ship for every man and woman and boy and girl in the 'old home town, '
I remain truly, etc.,
C. F. HARRIS. "
THE NEW HOME AND THE OLD.
The home of the orange and the olive and vine
Sends love to the home of the mayflower and pine.
The mocking birds sing among the trees at my door,
But I'd like to hear robins and cat birds once more.
The orange trees bloom fragrant in valley and plain,
But I'd like to smell apple blossoms again.
For pomegranates and bouquets perhaps you may sigh,
But I'd just like to have a nice dried apple pie.
The ties of sweet memories forever abide
To bind us in friendship through distances wide.
Thus the home of the orange, the olive and vine
Remembers the home of the mayflower and pine.
And if to San Francisco your footsteps should roam, Take the first turn to the right-you'll find me at home.
The latch string be out and a warm welcome yours.
Our heads may grow white. Who cares? if friendship endures.
SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 1910.
Although it was necessary on account of the weather yesterday to postpone until Tuesday the program for the special pleasure of the school children, which was to open the four days observance of the anniversary, there was no occasion today for any postponement other than a band concert which was to have been given this afternoon.
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Special services in observance of the 250th anniversary were held in all the churches, also special musical programs. The outdoor union ser- vice which was to have been held on the Union Congregational church common was held in the church on account of the bad weather, the church being crowded to its utmost capacity.
The services in the morning were well attended and there were present a large number of returning sons and daughters who accepted the opportunity to meet today as many as possible of their relatives and friends.
AT THE UNITARIAN CHURCH.
Rev. E. F. Hayward of the Unitarian church spoke from the text, " The Lord hath done great things for us all, " and said :
" To attempt to look back over two and one-half centuries of human life is to get the impression of a series of pictures continually changing, yet human souls and bodies have not changed much, if any, from what they were 250 years ago. Human habitations have changed human habits. The clothes are of another cut, there is a new fashion of living and dressing, and locomotion, but life, essential life, has not greatly changed. We have the same deep joys and sorrows as our fathers. We love and laugh and weep as did they, but our religion does not, and can- not differ from theirs. It is a great thing to have lived two centuries and a half in a free State, with free church, and press and public opinion and to have corrected as many abuses as we have. In themselves improve- ments are good and they may furnish conditions more favorable for that life of the spirit, the life of self restraint and unselfish love which ever must be our first consideration here. The railroad has made a great change. It was only in 1835 that the Boston & Worcester steam railroad was completed, and it was thought to be a vast work. At that time Josiah Quincy was president of Harvard college. One day he had a student from Marlborough in his study, and he asked : "What do your people in Marlborough think of the railroad?" . The student replied that they didn't think much of it. "Why not?" he was asked, and he replied, " Because it will never be of any use to them. It is too far away. " " But they will build a branch down to it?" No, they never will, as there is not enough business in the town. " But it came 20 years later and other facilities of inter-communication have come and are com- ing.
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" Ye citizens of Marlborough, descendants of the early immigrants, consider your blessings ; consider your duties. You have an inheritance acquired by the labors and sufferings of eight generations of ancestors. They founded the fabric of your prosperity in a severe masculine morality having intelligence for its cement and religion for its ground work. Continue to build on the same foundations and by the same principles. Let New England continue to be an example to the world of the blessings of a free government, and of the means and capacity of man to maintain it, and in all times to come, as in all times past, may Marlborough be among the foremost and the boldest to exemplify and uphold whatever constitutes the prosperity, the happiness, and the glory of New England. "
AT THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
Rev. M. R. Foshay of the Baptist church spoke of "A City's Abounding Joy," and said :
" It was said of a city many centuries ago, that there was much joy in it. The sources of joy are many and deep. It is in the purpose of God that man should love the place of his habitation. This was an absorbing passion with the Jew of the olden time, and to the Jew of to- day, the glory of the city of his fathers is treasured as a most precious heritage. Every man should have an inherent pride in the place he calls home. It may be a smaller, less known, less productive city than many others, but this is of little consequence in the obligation of loyalty on the part of its citizens. What Jerusalem was to the Jew, what Athens was to the Greek, what Rome was to the ancient Roman, so should every man's home town be to him. Neither should this regard be merely a feeling due to the fact that a man was born in the city where he now lives. True, one who can say, "In this place I was born, here I was reared, and here I was trained for the great work of living, " has a keener and more exquisite sense of obligation and affection than one who has been reared elsewhere and has later in life made his home in a new com- munity. But to all, regardless of prior associations, there should come the thrill of loyalty and regard which indicate consciousness of obligation and desire for usefulness.
"Few cities are fairer or more highly favored by nature than this. Standing as it does upon this magnificent hill top, it is the glory of the surrounding country side. Gentle zephyrs waft the sweet scented odors.
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from a hundred meadows, and from many a sightly hill the eye of the watcher is gladdened by the vista he beholds in any direction he may choose to turn.
" What a sight it would be for the early settlers could they stand upon these eminences and see the changes that two centuries and more have wrought. Then the thick forests teeming with every kind of game familiar to the American woods, and the wily redskin, treading with noiseless step the unmarked paths of the silent forest. Then the little clearing with its rough log house and the patch of tilled land where they struggled hard to secure their winter store ; now the wide sweeping acres of cultivated land, the modern home with the conveniences of a city man- sion. Perhaps they do see and rejoice in the grand foundation they laid so many years ago.
" It is meritorious to acknowledge the accumulated debt which has been piled up by the succeeding years. A debt of security and prosperity which can only be repaid by continuing to the future generations the noble heritage which they left to their children. We need not pride ourselves so much upon the accomplishments of our own day, for we are pygmies beside those giant men who faced foes and perils, the like of which never presented themselves to us. They were men of pronounced views, and rightly so, for did they not dare the unknown trials of the pioneer's life rather than bow before authorities who said they had no right to private judgment? They showed the world that their judgment was as keen and clear and their vision as far reaching as those who robed themselves in ermine and drank out of kings' cups. They were men of character, else they had gone down in utter defeat beneath the subtile perils that confronted them. Native honesty marked their simple lives, and the bequest they left for following generations was a heritage of courage and righteousness.
" We rejoice in the things which they made possible, and the city decks herself in honor of those heroic souls who planned better than they knew. Let no unworthy thing mar the fair city built upon the princi- ples of truth and honor laid so deep by the men who are gone. Let our joy have no selfish note, but rather may it be a symphony of praise, an anthem of promise, a prayer for undying loyalty to the noblest traits of manhood. "
AT THE CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.
At the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Rev. T. J. Fahey of Boston, a native of Marlborough, said :
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"Let us rejoice that we behold this day. Let us be thankful that we have lived to see this bright and happy breaking of this auspicious morn which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the foundation of our city.
" It is a noble faculty of our nature which enables us to connect our thoughts, our sympathies and our happiness with what is distant in time or place ; and looking before and after, to hold communion at once with our ancestors and our posterity. Human and mortal though we are, we are nevertheless not mere isolated beings without relation to the past or the future. Neither the point of time nor the spot of earth in which we live bounds our rational and intellectual enjoyments. We live in the past by a knowledge of its history, and in the future by hope and antici- pation. By ascending to an association with our ancestors, by contemplating their example and studying their character, by partaking their sentiments, and imbibing their spirit, by accompanying them in their sufferings and rejoicing in their successes and their triumphs, we seem to belong to their age and to mingle our own existence with theirs. We become their contemporaries, live the lives which they lived, endure what they endured and partake in the rewards which they enjoyed. And in like manner by running along the line of future time, by contemplat- ing the probable fortunes of those who are coming after us, by attempt- ing something which may promote their happiness, and leave some not dishonorable mention of ourselves for their regard when we shall sleep the sleep of the just, we protract our own earthly being and seem to crowd whatever is future as well as all that is past, into the narrow com- pass of our earthly existence. "
Rev. James A. Brewin, who was the celebrant of the 250th anniver- sary mass, is a grandson of William Brewin, in whose house the first Mass celebrated in Marlborough occurred. The ceremony took place in the Arcade building on South street and only about a score of people were present. That number constituted the entire Catholic population of the town at that time. Fr. Brewin is the son of the late Bernard Brewin and is 26 years old. He was born in Marlborough and received his ecclesiastical education at the Montreal and Brighton seminaries. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop John J. Williams at Boston, December 1906. He is a curate at Melrose.
AT HOLY TRINITY CHURCH.
From Rev. Geo. S. Pine of the Episcopal church : " 'But the God of
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all grace, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.' These words breathe just the spirit that should be in our hearts as we think of the past 250 years and what has come from them. In the early years the men had to protect them- selves and their families from the marauding Indians, and to get a living had to fell forests and till the rather poor ground. There were questions too of one kind and another within the town itself to be settled, requiring discussion and hard thought. The first two ministers in this town did much to mould the lives of the people in the right way. They were men of culture as well as of deep religious feeling. William Brimsmead, the first pastor, although only three years at Harvard, was able for thirty years to keep a diary in Latin. As pastor for 27 years he led his flock, which was the whole town, into ways of peace and righteousness. Robert Breck, a graduate of Harvard, only 22 years old, was his successor for 31 years. Mr. Breck preached the gospel here on Sundays and com- forted the people in time of sorrow and trouble. He baptized 1077 which was at the rate of 35 every year. He was, according to the Latin epitaph on his tomb, 'eminently skilled in the learned languages, .familiar beyond the common measure with polite literature as well as versed in every department of theology. He was a counsellor in cases. of difficulty, both public and private, of distinguished uprightness and consummate prudence ; a model of piety and every social virtue.' It is interesting to note that the town voted fifty pounds for his funeral expenses, a good deal of money in those days, and that three sermons. were preached on the occasion. . The town owes a good deal to these two men. The names of Brimsmead and Breck ought to be remembered with gratitude by Christians of all sorts. They did not live in easy times. Things have changed in 250 years. We understand each other better now than men understood each other then, and we rejoice that charity prevails to a very large extent and hope for still better things."
AT UNION CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
At the Congregational church, Rev. A. H. Wheelock, the pastor, preached on " Quickening Memories-Remember the Former Things of Old. " Following is a brief abstract of the sermon :
" Two hundred and fifty years are but a drop in the bucket of time. For us, however, they measure the life of our city, and are therefore of consequence. History is the record of the manifestation, progress and
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interplay of human life. As what we have been makes us what we are at our best, it is well to look back to former influences that we may be enlightened and quickened by such memories. Two factors are in evidence as we go back to the beginning of New England-the divine and the human. One is impressed with the fact of a formative, guiding influence, not of man, as he reads the story of the Pilgrim and the Puritans. Through them the spark of freedom was kept alive and fanned into a blaze. Persecution without and conscience within kept them moving until they were settled in a land where they could exer- cise the right of private judgment and worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience.
" They were singularly preserved and guided before and after their arrival in America. One instance out of many illustrates : An educated Indian who could speak some English, the only survivor of a tribe that had been devastated by a pestilence, was seemingly a special agent under God for the help of the Plymouth colony. As Charles Francis Adams well says, 'Squanto, in fact, was for a time, perhaps, the most essential factor to the prolonged existence of the Plymouth colony.' Thus sifted by persecution and hardship we had the finest of wheat for the sowing of God's new plantation. Men and women of piety, character, courage, industry, were the beginning of things here. They gave the quality and strength of their lives to the founding and upbuilding of the New Eng- land settlements that gradually sprang up here and there in the wilderness, among others in due time, Marlborough. Wherever they started their ventures, they fostered the beginnings of a free state, free church, free schools, free press and free speech. Into these things they put their vital selves that they might exalt divine ideals through them. They did not temporize nor compromise. They had work to do. Duty commanded them. Religion inspired them. They were not perfect by any means, but they were loyal to their ideas, and ideals according to the light they had. If we think them stern and repellant, without gentleness and grace, let us remember the times in which they lived, their enemies, their prob- lems, their tasks. They were the men and women for the time and place and work. If they had not been what they were, we would not be what we are today at our best. Let us honor them in this hour of our joy and pride, and let us remember that if Marlborough shall survive to celebrate her five hundredth anniversary, it will be because something of our fathers' and mothers' strength and courage, character and conscience is operative in their descendants. May the memories awakened by this celebration quicken within us the spirit of devotion to Puritan ideals even
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though we seek to maintain
" With milder laws, And clearer light, the good old cause. "
AT THE METHODIST CHURCH.
From Rev. J. W. Fulton of the Methodist church. "'And they brought us on our way.' We like this text as suggestive of some thoughts connected with the 250th anniversary of the settlement of our town and city. The first thought of the early settlers of this town was religious liberty, so they left their country and came here, and, first of all, established the parish and called a minister. The people were taxed for his support two pence for land and two pence for cattle, and committee were appointed and a house erected for the minister to live in. Next, a house of wor- ship was erected which stood on the old common until burned by the Indians in 1676. The men called to preach were Harvard graduates. The salary paid was seventy-two pounds a year, with winter's fire-wood sawed, split and put in the shed. Next, a common school system was organized and the little red school house was located on the hillside and in the valley. They had sound views on the subject of education so they built a grand school system ; there was religious instruction in these schools. The bible was read every morning and prayer offered, often there were services in the little red school house. Piety and sound learn- ing were the foundations on which they hoped to rear our free institu- tions. Next to the school system they looked after land grants. The more land a man had the wealthier he was supposed to be. Many of the people were really land poor; they would not go out of town for land but would bring land in. It is pleasing to note in read- ing the history of the town the kindness shown, by the early settlers, to the Indians. They were given possession of certain portions of the town and lived peacefully until King Philip's War and even then were very re- luctant to take up arms against the people. It is significant to note just here that the last day of our celebration is flag day, how appropriate that all these buildings should be decorated with old glory. In the congres- sional library at Washington, it is shown that on Saturday, June 14, 1776 a resolution was passed, ' Resolved, that our flag of thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternating red and white for the Union and thirteen white stars on a blue field representing a new constitution. Among the special days of the year this day is one of importance. The
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