USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Ludlow > Ludlow: a century and a centennial, comprising a sketch of the history of the town of Ludlow, Hampden County, Massachusetts > Part 13
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THE CENTENNIAL.
We are now a free people. Slaves can not breathe here. Every man, white or black, may carve out his own fortune, may acquire property, may compete for office and honors, yea, even the highest in the land, irrespective of his birth or blood. Has there not been prog- ress, then, in our civil polity ? In no other period of our history could slavery be abolished, but the present.
In morals and religion, also, there are the same marked and encour- aging changes. Never has the religious element in our churches been so active and aggressive; never before was it clothed with sufficient power to carry forward the grand temperance reformation with such marvelous success until this year. Almost every State and County and Town is reached by this reform. God grant it so much success that soon, like slavery, it may be among the things of the past. I am glad to learn that even your old mother town is adopting the wise, safe practice of drinking pure, cold water; and that she may never want for it, asks of her fair daughter the privilege of construct- ing an unfailing reservoir between the rocky ramparts of your Mount Mineachogue and Facing Hills.
Taking the progress of the past as a measure, with so much already done, and the prospects ever brightening, what will not another cen- tury do ? Who says the world does not move ? It does, and the pos- sibilities of the future, imagination fails to reach. The people that will live in 1974, on these hills and plains, and in these valleys, shall see the wilderness become as fruitful fields, the fields pleasant gar- dens, and quietness and assurance be theirs forever. While we do not expect to be present at the Bi-centennial they will celebrate, we send them happy greetings across the intervening space of the century to come.
A bow of promise spans the future. Better days than ever are dawning upon our country and the world; when all men's good shall be the rule of each,-
" And universal peace Lie like a shaft of light across the land, And like a lane of beams athiwart the sea, Through all the circle of the golden years."
Following the hour of earnest and appreciative attention, the clos- ing prayer was made by Rev. E. N. Pomeroy, pastor of the Upper
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THE DINNER AND SPEECHES.
Congregational Church in West Springfield, and the benediction was pronounced by Rev. D. R. Austin.
Scarcely had the exercises closed when a terrific shower, whose thunderings had for some moments been muttering in the clouds, broke with torrents upon the assembly. All who could took care of them- selves inside the tents, while some hundreds hurried into the adjoining church, kindly opened on the occasion. The town house, horse-sheds, barns and houses in the vicinity were overrun with refugees for a few moments, until the fury of the storm was expended.
It had been arranged to station the band outside the tent and have played a few stirring airs, to draw the people out, and then to form a procession, march to the music of a dirge to the cemetery, visit the graves of friends and then return to the tent in time to reseat, and re- ceive what the army of waiters might have to offer. But,
" The best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft agley."
and so it was proven in this case. A dilemma was presented, but Ludlow wit was not yet exhausted. Happy are they who, when their own plans fail, can adapt themselves to circumstances. The pleasant voice of the marshal was soon heard calling for the withdrawal of two hundred from the rear of the auditorium tent to the galleries of the town house, with which request the desired number soon complied, and the work of distribution of food commenced and continued for nearly an hour, the company meanwhile gathering together in knots and visiting to their hearts' content. At last the keen appetite of the crowd was satiated, and they were ready for the after dinner exercises.
The first toast, " The Governor of the Commonwealth," elicited the following letter :
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, BOSTON, 11th June, 1874.
Dear Sir :- I should be happy to accept your invitation to the Ludlow Centennial Celebration if I were not already engaged for the day on which it occurs. Therefore I must ask you to excuse me, and make my regrets to your committee.
Very truly yours, THOMAS TALBOT.
B. F. BURR, Esq., Secretary.
The second toast, announced by Major Hubbard, toast master, "The land we love," received a response from Rev. D. R. Austin, who gave the necessary eulogy to the country, and then related personal remi- niscences of his ministry in the town.
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THE CENTENNIAL.
"The Historian of the Day," called up Rev. Mr. Tuck, who spoke very pleasantly, gently touching up as he went along those newspa- pers which had forestalled him in making public the gist of his ad- dress.
" Home again," drew out Professor White, whose remarks we are happy to give in the speaker's own language :
"Surrounded by those who but a little while ago were boys and girls with me, and are now developed into men and women filling with honor their places in society, I feel that I should be false to the best promptings of our hearts, if I should neglect to refer to the faithful teachers whose careful investments in our young life have been so pro- ductive of good to us. To mention the names of Thedocia Howard, afterward the mother of one who has been an esteemed pastor in the town, and of George Booth, so long a pillar in the church and a citizen whom his townsmen delighted to honor, can not, I am sure, fail to awaken in many hearts feelings of warm affection and high respect. Many others, of earlier or later times, equally worthy, are remembered doubtless with like affection by those whose lives have been enriched by their labors.
"But I need make no apology in mentioning as worthy of peculiar honor the name of one young lady teacher of our time, who served us for a series of years with singleness of aim, and with remarkable en- ergy and success. My old school-mates here to-day will anticipate me in giving the name of Mary B. Newell, now Mrs. E. B. Scott, of Brant, Calumet County, Wis. In my recollections of our teachers, it is but justice to say, that Miss Newell has ever occupied the central place. Nor does she lose this position when I enlarge the group by adding the honored and titled names of the teachers of my subsequent years. It must have been as early as 1830, when in the vigor and bloom of her young womanhood she was first introduced to us as our teacher. In despite of a strictness at which even those days sometimes demurred, she has always been nearest my ideal of a good teacher. No escape was there from sharp work in her school. If she could not instill wisdom into us by gentle means, none better than she knew how to whip it into her pupils, and there were, I think, few among us who did not, sooner or later, test the quality of the birch as plied by her hand, with moderation where that would do, but unsparingly if the case required it.
" But whipping by no means describes her usual method. With the instinct of a cultivated Christian young lady, and with rare skill, she . found the nobler side of her pupils and awakened in them conscience and a love for their tasks, and then, by an enthusiasm that made her
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THE AFTER DINNER SPEECHES.
the very embodiment of life, she inspired as well as instructed her pu- pils, and so in a good degree made the daily work of that old school- house a fine art.
"Nor was this all. The pupils of Mary Newell will never forget with what persevering endeavor she taught them to think. With a patience and tact that no dullness on our part could thwart, she made us un- derstand the distinction between the questions, What? How ? and Why ? and so led our little minds in the path of a true analysis, and contributed to our development more than could any amount of mere learning and saying lessons. Is it a wonder, then, that neither scores of years, nor the rivers, mountains and plains of a continent that for most of that time have intervened, have removed her from the place she had gained in our hearts. For one I can say that a feeling of grateful respect for her, and a desire to do her honor, placing her in this regard next in my heart to a mother, have been among the inspi- rations of my life.
"Miss Newell, many years ago, removed to the West, where she con- tinued to labor as a teacher till at past the age of sixty she was hap- pily married. At her visit among us a few years since, with her husband, we, the boys and girls of her early days, were proud to find that single life had left no blight upon our dear old teacher. Loving and loved all the way by succeeding generations of young life, neither time nor occasion had she to try the experience of the "anxious and aimless." Fresh and fair, and in heart as young as ever, she furnished a practical refutation of the whim of writers of fiction, that only in wifehood and motherhood can the charms of womanhood be preserved and find their fairest development."
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The next toast was, " A name revered, Ebenezer B. Wright," to whose memory Rev. Simeon Miller gave a deserved testimonial.
"Our honored relic, the Old Meeting-house," brought to the front Hon. Edwin Booth, of Philadelphia, a native of the town, who had been desired to preface his remarks by reading a poem handed in anonymously, which was as follows :
POEM.
In good old times of which we read,
Before the thought of gain and greed Had blunted all our finer feeling, Had set our better judgment reeling, There lived a very worthy dame, And Springfield they had called her name.
In fashion then (now 'twould be rare) Her frequent offspring claimed her care.
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THE CENTENNIAL.
When they had strength and courage shown To manage matters of their own, She gave to each a plot of ground With woods enough to fence it round, And bade them wise as serpents be, For deadly foes they soon might see, Whose craft and cruelty combined To make them dreaded by mankind. In those old times of which I write, Were hearts like oak, and arms of might. The treacherous foe, subdued at last, Their watchings and their terror past, The people quiet tilled the ground, While plenteous peace their efforts crowned. Thus of the mother, good and mild ; My theme shall be her youngest child But one,-Ludlow, (you've heard her name, With others, told on rolls of fame,) Who took her time in seventy-four, But annals show not at what hour. Her dowry gained was rather damp, Consisting of a cedar swamp; Such as it was she took with grace, And went to work to gain a place For self in records then kept well ; How well she did those rolls must tell, Though rather green in gentler art, Yet claimed to have a clever start In farmer's skill and district schools, In which well taught are simpler rules ; (But higher rank from out of town, For some at Westfield seek renown, And some at Wilbraham gather lore, To lay, 'chance, at a farmer's door.) She's managed well from year to year To fill the larder, held so dear ; Always was bread on pantry shelves, And needing ones might help themselves. Mayhap the pork would all give out, But then she'd catch the speckled trout ; Turkeys and pigeons from the wood, Served up in shape, were very good ; Ofttimes a deer in forest found, Was easy game with gun and hound. She struggled on bravely, through trial and ill, And proved the old saw of a way and a will ; She fixed up her kitchen so tidy and clean, Nor thought she nor cared she for better, I ween ; For weightier matters had filled up her head, And her sons into many a confab were led,
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THE CENTENNIAL POEM.
On shearing the sheep and carding the wool, On weaving the cloth already to pull ; " Young Zeke must have pants and Dan a new coat, And father's old waistcoat is nearly worn out, Poor Jerry must wait yet a year, perhaps two, Though his best Sunday breeches are just about through ;" So with making and planning each hour would well fill, Each helping his brother with hearty good-will. But the years sped away, and the factories soon
Into garrets consigned wheel and clumsy hand-loom. Thus relieved, the good housewife could turn her attention To parlors and carpets of modern invention, Each article extra she joined to her wares Increased much her labors, her trials, her cares ; She sought all in vain to deliver her house From the speck of a fly or the tooth of a mouse ; Till she sighed to return to those primitive times When luxurious indulgences counted as crimes. But changes will come and she must keep pace, Or own up as beat in fashion's wild chase.
The change most dear to farmer's heart Is that to chaise from clumsy cart. He drives to town from his plantation,
And thinks he makes a great sensation.
The horse the same, though seeming faster, --
Do people think he is an Astor ? His produce waits, but now's no time ; Is not his turnout quite sublime ? With nothing gained, and something spent,
His chaise shown off, he rests content.
We have the nicest water, we have the purest air,
Our homes may not be splendid, but they are very fair. If our water were not wholesome, Or our springs were less abundant,
Madam S. would not be tempted 'To infringe the tenth commandment. But she seems to be forgetful That her name was once derived
From the bounteous springs of water Found when Pynchon first arrived. So she comes to Ludlow, panting, Seizes now her flowing streams, While the townsmen stand astounded Like a man in troubled dreams. Till the plan is all completed, And the work is well begun ; But we now are ever hearing "·What by Ludlow can be done ?" Shall we tax the thing in toto, Shall we tax the thing in part ?
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THE CENTENNIAL.
There's a way to do it rightly,
But at what point shall we start ? Springfield's citizens are saying That we find ourselves too late ; That we should have given our veto At the very earliest date. Now the city-full is chuckling Over fortune's quiet smiles,
Thinking she shall soon have water Brought through pipes so many miles.
Seems to me she soon will laugh from T'other corner of her mouth, When the streamlets' onward moving Shall be stopped in time of drought ; For those brooks, so pure and limpid, Are not always found to flow. Some completely dry in summer, Some are often very low ; So, ye city damsels, hasten, Washing up your costly laces ;
Whence will come the needed torrents For the cleansing of your faces ?
We may all be croaking plowmen, Hardly worth a thought or care,
But, O denizens of Springfield, Hear us, when we cry " Beware !"
Mr. Booth then spoke on the theme assigned, alluding to the pecu- liarities of the church service when he was a boy, relating several inci- dents, much to the delight of the audience, and pleading for the pres- ervation of the time-honored structure.
"Our Aged Mother, the City of Springfield," was answered by Mayor J. M. Stebbins of that place, who resented the epithet applied, claiming that the City was never so young or thriving as to-day, and bearing the best of wishes to the town, complimenting the citi- zens upon the sturdy worth of the denizens of Ludlow.
A sentiment from a citizen, "Springfield in 1774, Ludlow in 1874 : 'She that watereth shall be watered also herself,' " pleasantly intro- duced the next toast-
"Our Mother, boasting of riches and independence, must yet ask a drink of water from her child." This sentiment had been assigned to Hon. A. D. Briggs, of the Springfield Board of Water Commissioners, from whom the following letter was now read :-
SPRINGFIELD, June 15, 1874.
J. P. HUBBARD, EsQ., Chairman :-
My Dear Sir :- Your favor inviting me to respond to a " sentiment " at your Centennial Celebration on the seventeenth is at hand, for which
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MR. C. O. CHAPIN'S RESPONSE.
I thank you, and regret that an engagement at Boston on that day obliges me to decline, but have done a better thing by you in securing as my substitute, Charles O. Chapin, Esq., the Chairman of our Board of Water Commissioners, who promises to be present and respond to the sentiment referred to in your letter.
It was said by one of the greatest men who ever lived that "he was born one hundred years old, and always grew younger and younger, until after four-score years he died an impetuous boy !" For this occa- sion I propose as a sentiment : " Ludlow-May she upon this, the one hundredth anniversary of her existence as a town, experience a new birth ; and not only during four-score years but forever, continue to grow younger and younger, ever recollecting that the true greatness of a town consists, not in its breadth of territory, or the number or wealth of its people, but in its successful efforts to elevate and ennoble humanity."
Mr. Chapin being introduced, said, very neatly :--
The graceful allusion to the intimate relationship of Springfield and Ludlow, that of parent and child, the tenderest of all ties, brings to mind the interesting and touching story of that dutiful and, of course, beautiful daughter, who, when her venerable father was in danger of . famishing, bared her bosom to his aged lips and proffered him that sustenance without which he would have perished. There can be but one fault in this comparison, one variation from this parallelism, and that would arise from my inability to answer some carping critic or, possibly, some practical councilman from my own city, who may rise in his seat and confound me with the question, "How much did the old gentleman pay for this privilege ?" History gives us no light on this point. But for the benefit of the alderman and the common councilman of the future, I would state that every item in the history of this transaction is recorded, and every dollar of expenditure is properly vouched for. And here let me say that I fear very many of the good people of Ludlow regard themselves as sinned against* by the citizens of Springfield in general, by the Water Commission- ers, all and singular, who are sinners above all their fellows, and by the chairman of the board, who must be the very chief of sin- ners. What audacity, what temerity must we possess to stand up before this orthodox community with such a characterization, such a stigma upon us ! Why, sir, I should expect to see trooping in upon us from yonder quiet inclosure the outraged spirits of the " forefathers of the hamlet " to scourge us from this gathering of their children. We are no such men ; we represent no such people. There is a charitable
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old adage which maintains that the devil is not so black as he has been painted. I trust we shall not prove so bad as you may have feared. I know there have been some misunderstandings, some differ- ences of opinion, but time and a better acquaintance will soften all prejudice, make clear all misunderstandings, and help us to dwell to- gether in peace and unity, and in the exercises of neighborly offices and good fellowship. To that end I will give as a sentiment : "Ludlow and Springfield-Bound and cemented together as they soon will be, may there be no break in the bonds, and may the record of all differ- ences be writ only in water."
The final toast-"The Men who Drugged us"-was answered by Dr. William B. Miller of Springfield, a native of the town, who spoke concerning its physicians, and closed with a suggestion that Spring- field should give Ludlow an invitation to return into the family again, to which a stentorian voice responded, "Pay your debts first," which the Doctor acknowledged as apropos.
A number of letters of invitation to the centennial exercises were read.
FROM HON. H. L. DAWES,
CONGRESSMAN REPRESENTING THE TOWN.
I am very much obliged to the Committee of the Town of Ludlow for the kind invitation to participate in their approaching Centennial Cele- bration. I regret that official engagements will prevent my taking part in those interesting exercises. A hundred years in the life of the town can not but be full of interest and instruction, and I should, had it been possible, have found great pleasure in not only taking part in your Centennial but visiting your people.
FROM HON. GEORGE M. STEARNS,
DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
I received your invitation to be present at the interesting celebration of your Town's Centennial, and should be greatly pleased to participate with you in the ceremonies of the occasion. But my close attention is required at the present term of court, and I shall be compelled to forego the pleasure.
FROM HON. N. T. LEONARD,
OF WESTFIELD.
The state of my health will prevent my complying with your kind invitation to mingle with the citizens of your town in their approach-
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LETTERS OF REGRET.
ing Centennial Celebration. A residence in the county now wanting but a few days of half a century has afforded me opportunities of making the acquaintance of many of the citizens of Ludlow, and the recollections connected therewith are mainly pleasant.
FROM HON. HENRY FULLER,
SENATOR OF THE DISTRICT.
I most sincerely regret your kind invitation to be present at your Centennial Celebration did not reach me till the 16th, as I should have been most happy to have joined with you and your fellow-townsmen on the occasion.
FROM HON. GEORGE D. ROBINSON,
OF CHICOPEE, THE TOWN'S REPRESENTATIVE TO THE GENERAL COURT.
Accept my thanks for your invitation in behalf of your Town Com- mittee to be present at your Centennial Celebration on the seventeenth instant. I regret to say it will be next to impossible for me to attend. As your representative in Boston, I find that the Legislature will de- mand my attendance there later than the day named. With best wishes for a happy and successful union of old friends and renewal of old associations, I am yours, &c.
FROM COL. HARVEY CHAPIN,
OF SPRINGFIELD.
Your invitation to be present on the occasion of the Centennial Cel- ebration, on the 17th, has been duly received. I appreciate fully the cordial and kindly feeling which prompts this token of respect to one who was on familiar terms with the men of Ludlow, sixty years ago, many of whom are now dead and gone. I should be pleased to make one of your number at this coming celebration, but my weight of years must be my excuse for declining this and similar festivities which would otherwise be most agreeable.
Letters of regret were also received from Judge Morris, and from W. M. Pomeroy, of the Springfield Union. Jerry Miller, of Beloit, Wis., a former citizen, wrote a long letter containing interesting reminiscences of the town and its people. Letters were also received by the com- mittee from former ministers in the town. Rev. Isaac Jennison, over eighty years of age, the first regular pastor of the Methodist Society, and architect and builder of its original edifice as well, wrote thus :-
I feel disposed to inform the dear friends of Ludlow that I have not forgotten those pleasant days and years I spent while at Wilbraham
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THE CENTENNIAL.
and Ludlow. 1825 and 1826 were employed in superintending the building of the old Academy at Wilbraham and the little Church at Ludlow. What good times we had in the revival at Ludlow when the Fullers, Millers, Aldens and many others were converted. Dr. Wilbur Fisk and myself came over to aid in that good work. Most of them have gone to their reward in heaven. It would afford me much real enjoyment to meet any and all who remain-to be with you on Wednesday of next week, and review the past and exhort you all to cleave to the Lord.
Revs. Philo Hawks, pastor of the M. E. Church in 1836, J. W. Dadmun, in 1842, George Prentice, in 1859, and Thomas Marcy, pre- siding elder, 1854-7, also sent expressions of regret.
The reading of these letters closed the formal exercises of the day, and the congregation was dismissed. But knots of older and newer acquaintances were gathered about the premises until nearly or quite time for the curfew bells.
At an early evening hour the seats of the spacious Congregationalist Church were all well filled for the concert. A stage had been built across the west end of the room, on which the singers were seated. At about the appointed time Wilbur F. Miller, conductor, gave the signal and the exercises commenced with the anthem. The pro- gramme was followed throughout the evening, with added pieces. Everything went off in accord with the spirit of the day and to uni- versal satisfaction. Many a dollar concert ticket has been sold to parties who have received for it an entertainment much inferior to this, the gift of the singers to the people of the town. The thanks of the people were more than due to all who participated, and not less to Messrs. J. Gilbert Wilson, pianist, and G. H. Southland, cornetist, of Springfield, and Mrs. Alvin Barton, of Knoxville, Tenn., than to the earnest and gifted singers of our own town.
A not unpleasant episode enlivened the recess between parts. A hint had been given Hon. H. L. Dawes, a few days before, that the standing application for a post-office at Ludlow Center might find an opportunity for a favorable reply at this time. Mr. Dawes acted at once, and, having secured from the department the desired favor, for- warded directly the requisite papers, which reached Ludlow Center ơn the afternoon of the Centennial day. An announcement of the fact in the evening was the episode to which reference is made. And every one wondered why the institution had not before been established.
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