USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Clinton > History of the origin of the town of Clinton, Massachusetts, 1653-1865 > Part 25
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CHAPTER XX.
FRANKLIN FORBES AND THE LANCASTER MILLS.
WHEN Horatio N. Bigelow found it necessary for him to withdraw from his connection with the Lancaster Mills, every possible effort was made by the directors to find the most able man available to take charge of their important interests. They wanted a man who combined in himself all the elements which go to make the successful manufacturer; a capacity to acquire a thorough knowledge of the details of the business and to see these details in their proper relation to each other, so that all things should work together with the least loss of material or power; an ability to so select and direct subordinates and operatives that from qualifications, conditions and dispositions, they should produce the best results at the least expense; a spotless integrity, which would care for the interests of the corporation, as if they were his own. The directors, being broad-minded men, sought even more than this, they wanted a man of such a character that he would elevate the general tone of the community and make Clinton so desirable a dwelling place, that the best men would be glad to come here and make it their perma- nent home. They found just the man they were looking for in Franklin Forbes.
Mr. Forbes was a native of West Cambridge, now Arling- ton. He was born March 8, 1811. He was the son of Eli and Clarissa (Nichols) Forbes. His father was a tallow chandler. This is not the only point in which the biography of Franklin Forbes resembles that of Benjamin Franklin,
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YOUTH AND EDUCATION.
after whom he was named and in whose character he found his ideal. He seems to have inherited his energy from his mother. He was one of eight children. His two brothers, who were older than he, died while they were young men. All his sisters were women of excellent ability. His father moved to Boston while Franklin was yet an infant. His parents were Universalists, and hoping that their youngest son might become a minister of that denomination, they de- termined to give him the most liberal education that their means would allow. When the boy was twelve years old, his father died, leaving so little property that the members of the family were all obliged to become self-supporting. Franklin became a druggist's boy in the shop of Sampson, Lowe & Reed. The proprietors were Swedenborgians and tried to lead the lad into their way of thinking. It is possi- ble that his natural tendency to place character above creed may have been fostered by their teachings.
Even thus early, he had determined to make the most of himself that he had the capacity for being, and he felt that such an education as he desired could be obtained to the best advantage through the schools. His brother, Luke, loaned him money to enable him to renew his interrupted studies. He received the thorough drill of the Boston Latin School, where Charles Sumner was his classmate. He also studied at Amherst Academy and under Rev. Nathan Perkins of East Amherst. So thoroughly was he fitted for college that he could repeat his entire Latin grammar verbatim, even in his later years. He was eighteen years old when he entered Amherst in 1829. This college had been established by the Congregationalists eight years before to counteract the Uni- tarian tendencies of Harvard. The expenses of the students were very small. It is probable that Mr. Forbes chose this institution on account of his lack of means. Thirty-eight men graduated in the same class with Mr. Forbes, twenty of whom became evangelical clergymen. Among the students in college with him were Henry Ward Beecher and Alexan-
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der H. Bullock. His scholarship is attested by his member- ship in the Chi Delta Theta Society, which was a close aristocracy of learning, to which only students of especial ability were admitted after nomination by the faculty. The Franklin Medal, which he received in the Boston schools, and the pin of this society were always kept by him among the choicest mementos of his youth.
When Mr. Forbes graduated in 1833, he felt that his first duty was to repay his debts. Teaching offered a larger im- mediate income than any other congenial profession. He became an instructor in the Wells Grammar School in Bos- ton, where he remained until 1835. The next year, he was principal of the High School in Lowell. From 1836 to 1842, he was in Boston, at first as principal of the Winthrop Gram- mar School on East Street, and later in a private school taught by him in connection with his brother-in-law, E. L. Cushing, who afterwards became chief justice of New Hamp- shire. Among the boys, who attended the school and after- wards attained distinction, was Horace Grey, so well known as a judge of the Superior Court of the United States. Sep- tember 5, 1837, Mr. Forbes married Martha Ann Stearns, daughter of Hon. Edmund Cushing of Lunenburg. From 1842 to 1846, he was again principal of the Lowell High School. This was by no means the end of his work as an educator, for, although he at this time abandoned teaching as a profession, yet he continued throughout his life a teacher in the broadest sense of the word, and he was for many years the official director of teachers.
It may be well for us to pause here in the outline of his biography and consider his work as an educator and a citi- zen before we study his work as the agent of the Lancaster Mills.
One of the boys who attended the Winthrop School while Mr. Forbes was master has said of him: "He had the most perfect command, control, respect and, I may say, love of
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EDUCATIONAL WORK.
his pupils. * His smile was ineffable sweetness and power and the quaint way in which he would ejaculate 'Oh, fudge !' when a boy made some improbable excuse or story, was something to be remembered. In fact, he was an expert at moral suasion; he was magnetic and he persuaded his pupils and fired them with a spirit of emulation."
In 1864, Mr. Forbes delivered an address before the Low- ell High School Association, and the "warmth of affection" with which his former pupils greeted him showed how benefi- cent his influence had been. The heads of this discourse give the main points of his educational creed. "We must ascertain the characteristics which God, in his providence, has implanted in the child, and give those characteristics their appropriate culture and restraint." "A strong will forms a good substratum of character." "Educators often think it is a dreadful thing, that must be broken down, * while the true doctrine is to enlighten and direct it." "Two other faculties of man, implanted by God, the world teaches me are essential to man's success in life. * * * I mean tact and common sense." "I look upon the public school as the chief of republican institutions, * * * the great demolisher of caste and the founder of manly, sturdy self-reliance." "A good thing is always in demand and the world takes it when it finds it out."
For thirteen years, between 1852 and 1877, Mr. Forbes was a member of the school committee of Clinton, and with the exception of a portion of a single year acted as chair- man. In 1852, there were in town four hundred and twenty- nine children between the ages of five and fifteen. In 1877, there were fourteen hundred and fifty-seven. It was largely due to his wisdom that ample provision was made for this increasing number of pupils. A study of the school reports, prepared by him, shows that his work as the executive head of the board was preeminently practical. There is little theorizing and little preaching. The needs of the schools and the best methods of satisfying these needs are stated in
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the simplest and clearest language, and yet extracts might be taken from these reports that would make an excellent monograph on education. A single passage must suffice: "The teacher's business contains no mystery, no cabalistic art to be imparted only to the initiated; and it requires no laying on of hands to give it sanctity, and no imposing pomp to humbug the people. Its worthy basis is sound, thorough and abundant knowledge, such as is not exhausted at the first opening of the mouth, nor contained within the covers of common school text-books. This knowledge must be vivified by a lively and suggestive imagination, that can aid in discovering the various conditions of pupils' minds and the appropriate means of illustration and example that will attract or enlighten them. It must be rendered effective by methodical as well as industrious habits. The imparting of it must be recommended to the child by a cheerful and agreeable manner, such only as a benevolent heart can in- spire. The guaranty of its success is, after all, that indefin- able characteristic,-whose defect neither learning, culture, imagination, industry, or benevolence can supply,-to wit, tact; the want of which has been fatal to the success of many a pains-taking person and proves that the teacher, like the poet, must be born, not made."
The work of Mr. Forbes as chairman of the Bigelow Library Association from the time of its organization in 1852 until the library was given to the town in 1873, and as chair- man of the Board of Directors of the newly formed Bigelow Free Public Library from 1873 until his death, over a quar- ter of a century of continuous service, belongs also to the educational department of his work. In connection with the Bigelow Library Association and in his private capacity, he helped to originate and support various courses of lectures by his purse, by labor in organization and by giving his services as a speaker. His lecture on "Hydraulics," his poem, his talk on Robert Burns, his readings from Shakes- pcare will be recalled by many of our older citizens.
31I
RELIGION AND BENEVOLENCE.
Perhaps the deepest influence which he exerted in educa- tion was through his example, for it made intellectual cul- ture fashionable to have a man of high position and large affairs work for it as one of the main ends of his own life and the hope of the future of the community.
In his final report as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bigelow Free Public Library, he leaves as a rich legacy to the future a statement concerning the supreme value of education and a plea that Clinton continue to pro- vide liberally for its maintenance.
"Let us never abandon to a niggardly support, these dis- tinguished institutions of New England, the public schools, and free libraries ; let us endow them well and keep them in charge of the best teachers and directors the town can find, commensurate with its ability and standing-for in the ex- isting state of knowledge, art and skill, no boy or man can know too much; the less he knows the weaker he is. Ignor- ance is never bliss. It is never folly to be wise. To the man of sound mind and well digested learning, ignorance, bigotry and tyranny are powerless to constrain the freedom of his mind, or steal away his right of private judgment in matters of religion or politics or self-control."
With Mr. Forbes, religion and education were closely allied, and he considered the fundamental principle to be the same in each. "The chief end of man" is to harmoni- ously develop to the utmost, in himself and in others, the powers which God has given; thus, and thus only, he can "Glorify God and enjoy Him forever." As we have seen, education with him meant something more than mere intel- lectual development; it meant the development of the whole man. In his first school report, Mr. Forbes says: "the com- mittee would rejoice to sce the spirit of their Heavenly Father diffusing itself through every school-room," and he urges "the influence of the teacher's own piety, evident, pre- dominating over all his other characteristics." Such piety
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was his, a piety that grew out of the realization of "the boundless efficiency of love." Meanwhile a statement made by him in regard to Robert Burns applies equally well to himself: "He scorned hypocrisy and canting pretence; he resisted attempts to fetter his reason in the trammels of theological dogma." When the Town Hall was dedicated he gave as a motto to guide in its future use "Magna est veritas et prevalebit," "Truth is mighty and it will prevail." He was intolerant of intolerance. He believed that truth was the outcome of free discussion. He especially con- demned every attempt "to establish an exclusive party," and claimed religious fellowship with all who loved God and their fellow-men.
As early as 1827, we find Mr. Forbes, then a youth of sixteen, deeply interested in charitable work. At that time, he was one of the organizers and original officers of the Young Men's Benevolent Society of Boston, which has since been so efficient in "alleviating suffering and poverty * and promoting the growth of benevolent principles and habits among young men."
In 1844-5, he was the first secretary of the " Lowell Mis- sionary Society." Of his work in this connection, Rev. Horatio Wood has said: "As secretary of the missionary society, he gave full proof of his interest and his deep sense of its claims upon his position. He seemed to be always at the right hand of the elected minister, calling frequently to learn of his experience and doings in the new field and to see if there was anything that he could do to help him, with a thrill of feeling that always coursed through his words. He was at the Free Chapel every Sunday, played the organ some time and afterward took the lead of the choir. Not only this, he observed every person brought into the Chapel, and informed himself of the history and circumstances of the prominent cases of poverty and reform as no one has done since. This fitted him to write that excellent report of the missionary society published in June, 1845, giving a his-
FRANKLIN FORBES.
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WORK AS A CITIZEN.
tory of the establishment of the Ministry-at-Large with an accuracy and glow, with a faith in its permanence and a God- speed, touching and very creditable to his soul. This, Mr. Forbes did while acting as principal of the High School and discharging his duties with eminent fidelity, and at the same time pursuing diligently classical and literary studies."
Immediately after he came to Clinton, he became inter- ested in the organization of a Unitarian Church here. The story of his work is best told by his last pastor, Rev. Charles Noyes: "Not an original member of this religious society, he allied himself with it immediately after taking his resi- dence here and has ever been its firm, steady, constant sup- porter, always ready with word of counsel when asked for it, and seconding every effort to strengthen it. In the building of this church edifice and in its restoration, he was the larg- est contributor, and, if the facts were but known to you, most of you would be surprised at the record of his bounty. However large the draught upon his time or means he made no complaints, ever ready to spend and be spent, in your, and in religious service; his life and example have been with us a pillar of strength. Constant in his attendance upon every service, for a long time he was your organist, and superintendent of the Sunday school, an example worthy of emulation by all, of strong faith that showed itself in deeds. What a debt we owe to him!"
His love for his fellowmen and the services he rendered them were not confined by the narrow limits of the religious society to which he belonged. He felt that all the employés under his charge had special claim upon him beyond the payment of wages. While he never interfered with their personal liberty, he strove to the utmost to relieve all suffer- ing and to furnish every possible opportunity for improve- ment and enjoyment. Even this field was not large enough to give full play to his sympathies. A neighbor says: "Who- ever had a meritorious claim on human charity was never turned empty away."
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FRANKLIN FORBES.
It was in his home that the personality of Mr. Forbes revealed itself with the greatest charm. Here, his keen wit, his sportive humor, and his tender sympathies found their fullest expression. Soon after he became agent of Lancaster Mills, the house on Chestnut Street, near the head of Union, was built, and here he resided until his death. Although the home was always the center of Mrs. Forbes life, she ably seconded her husband's efforts in the Unitarian Society and in benevolent work of all kinds, especially that connected with the Civil War. Two sons and four daughters grew to maturity. Their history belongs to later times.
As a citizen of the town, in addition to his great work in educational lines, he performed numerous other services which made enormous demands on his time and energy. His services as chief engineer of the fire department deserve special mention. He was chairman of the building commit- tee of the town hall, and the noble simplicity of that struc- ture in its original state was largely due to him. The ceme- tery, too, owes much of its beauty to his taste and the work he did as chairman of the committee in charge. Much more than half the money raised by the town during the time that he was a citizen was expended by committees in which he acted as chairman. Every one had the most implicit trust in his honesty and judgment. Even while the shadow of death was already falling upon him, he wrote a most careful report on the best method of abating the "Counterpane Pond Nuisance." He was not only willing but eager "to spend and be spent in the cause" of his brother man which he recognized as the same as that "of his Maker."
In public enterprises not under municipal control he took no less interest. His name was first on the list in the legis- lative act by which the Clinton Savings Bank was incor- porated in 1851. He was vice-president until the death of H. N. Bigelow in 1868, and president from that time until his death. He also served on the finance committee. The
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WORK AS A CITIZEN.
office was for some years in the counting room of the Lan- caster Mills. It would be interesting to know how far his influence led the workmen to make deposits of money. It is sure the prudential doctrines of Franklin met with full appreciation from Mr. Forbes. He was also a director of the First National Bank of Clinton from the beginning. Hc was a leading organizer of the Clinton Gas Light Com- pany and was president from 1854 to his death. He was a director of the Gibbs Loom Harness and Reed Company.
In national politics, he was a Whig and a Republican. July 4, 1854, he acted as president in the great local celebra- tion and made a stirring speech on national issues. June 14, 1856, he was president of "a large and enthusiastic meeting" held in Clinton Hall in behalf of the Free State settlers in Kansas. In a speech full of ringing eloquence, he said: "We see our fellow-citizens in Kansas * * unjustly restrained from the peaceful pursuit of their business; their houses in- vaded; their property plundered; their liberties abridged; their lives endangered, because they are freemen and the advocates of freedom to others." He called in no uncertain tones for measures to rebuke the "encroachment of the slave-oligarchy." Resolutions glowing with righteous indig- nation and love of freedom were passed, and a committee was appointed to collect a relief fund for the Kansas emi- grants. The story of the unbounded patriotism of Mr. Forbes during the Civil War, his burning words, his self- sacrificing deeds, will be told elsewhere, but the reader must recall that story here if he would appreciate the full nobility of his life .* What his fellow-citizens thought of him may be judged from the fact that, in the midst of the bitter fcel- ings engendered by war, he was elected to the state legisla- ture of 1864 with but one opposing vote.
It seems scarcely possible that all these phases of public activity should have been only the overflow of surplus
*See chapters on Civil War.
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FRANKLIN FORBES.
energy from the main work of his life. Yet the Lancaster Mills was always the center of his interests. The success of its business was his chief object. No personal labor or sac- rifice was too great, which might tend to this result. He was the heart of the concern, and throbbing pulses of power were sent from him into every part. Great as were the results of his labors in other directions, the development of the Lancaster Mills was the most important work he did for Clinton and for the world.
When Mr. Forbes resigned his position as principal of the Lowell High School in 1846, he accepted an appointment as a civil engineer for the Locks and Canals Company. He was at this time thirty-five years of age. He had been destined by his parents for the ministry; he had been led by circum- stances to follow the profession of the teacher and he had devoted himself for a while to the study of law. There can be no doubt that he would have succeeded in either of the other professions as well as in teaching, for he was a man of evenly balanced faculties, capable of special development in any direction, with the full force of a well rounded manhood behind. Great as were his literary talents, he did not find in any of the learned professions "the niche he wished to occupy for life."
James B. Francis had been appointed chief engineer of the Locks and Canal Company of Lowell the year before. It was his duty to manage the water power of the entire city. He was a man of great ability and is known as one of the world's foremost hydraulic engineers. During the four years while Mr. Forbes was with him, his two most famous works were constructed. The first of these was the North- ern Canal. We are told: "It would be considered a stu- pendous task in these days of improved methods, and for that early time it was a work that challenged the admiration of the engineering world." The second was the "Grand Locks," a massive gateway, which in after years saved the city from destruction. Although Mr. Forbes worked in a
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LANCASTER MILLS.
subordinate position on these great undertakings, yet he dis- played such power of leadership that, in 1850, two important positions were offered him, the agency of the Lowell Bleach- ery and that of the Lancaster Mills. He accepted the latter.
We have already studied the condition of the Lancaster Mills at the time of his entry upon his work as agent. The construction and equipment had been completed under charge of H. N. Bigelow and work was fairly under way in all the departments, but no dividends had been paid. Dur- ing the first year of Mr. Forbes' management, a dividend of three per cent was declared and from that time on until the time of his death there was never a year without some profit for division, and there was very little mill stock in the coun- try that paid as well. The shares, which sold for between three hundred and four hundred dollars when he became agent, after many fluctuations brought eight hundred and fifty dollars in the market in 1875, on a par value of four hundred dollars. Notwithstanding the large and regular dividends, there was still enough undivided profit to greatly increase the plant. This increase was especially made be- tween 1863-1877. The machinery of the Clinton Company was purchased in 1863. A deed of the Sawyers Mills prop- erty was received from this company in the summer of the same year for fifty-five thousand dollars. The carding and picker buildings were put up in 1868-9, the mule building in 1875-6. Without tracing the process of construction and addition step by step, we may say that from 1850 to 1877 the number of looms increased from five hundred and fifty to one thousand five hundred and twenty, with a proportionate increase in every other part of the mills.
Mr. Forbes' experience as a hydraulic engineer stood him in good stead as the agent of Lancaster Mills. From 1850 to 1857, several hundred acres of land, partly in Clinton and partly in Boylston, were purchased for flowage purposes, but a large portion of it was soon sold again after rights had been secured. In 1867, the dam was partially rebuilt, a stone
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FRANKLIN FORBES.
cap taking the place of the wooden one. This was done for safety rather than for increase of power, since the height was raised only about a foot. An immense gain in power was made, however, by substituting two Boyden turbine wheels for the three breast wheels previously in use. Seven hun- dred horse-power was secured instead of the two hundred and twenty-five. The guard gates were also built by Mr. Forbes. An additional engine was put up in 1871, and the old one replaced by another in 1875, giving a gain of three hundred and fifty horse-power.
The number of employes had not increased proportionally to the plant, however, as through improvement in processes, especially in carding and spinning, the operatives averaged much greater results than at first. In 1850, two hundred males and four hundred and eighty-eight females were em- ployed. In 1877, there were six hundred and five males and five hundred and sixty females. It will be noticed that, while the number of males had grown threefold, the number of females was but little larger than at first. The product increased in a much greater ratio than the number of opera- tives, for the former gained seventy per cent and the latter nearly two hundred, that is, the product rose from five mil- lions three hundred and sixty-eight thousand and fifty-two yards to fifteen millions one hundred and twenty-one thou- sand seven hundred and eight yards. Meanwhile the average wages of the females in all departments increased from three dollars and ninety-three cents per week of seventy-four and three-fourths hours to five dollars and eighty-nine cents per week of sixty hours. The increase in the wages of the males was in about the same ratio. All the operatives shared in profits arising from the gain in production in proportion to number of employes.
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