Memorial of the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Malden, Massachusetts, May, 1899, Part 19

Author: Malden (Mass.)
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Cambridge, Printed at the University press
Number of Pages: 456


USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Malden > Memorial of the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Malden, Massachusetts, May, 1899 > Part 19


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31


J. W. Maynard. 5 Popular blind vocalist,


C. E. Coffin. 2 and instrumentalists.


La Petite Blanche. - The wonderful child artist in character songs and dances.


George Channing Darling. - Artist, caricaturist, humorist, and entertainer.


LINDEN SCHOOL HALL.


GEORGE H. FALL and MRS. ALFRED H. JONES, committee in charge. LINDEN SCHOOL. Badge, orange. 10 A. M.


Entertainment.


Harry Bryant. - Ventriloquist, humorist, and imitator of birds and animals.


Frank T. Basic. - Comique and novel instrumentalist.


Charles Williams. - Humorist and impersonator.


Pete LaMar. - Comic vocalist, yodeler, and mimic.


LITERARY AND MUSICAL EXERCISES.


THE literary and musical features of the celebration were prepared and presented by the committee on literary exercises and the com- mittee on musical exercises. Though these committees were practi- cally independent in matters relating to their respective departments, they worked together in complete harmony, and were amply rewarded by the results of their labors.


The committee on literary exercises held its first meeting on the evening of September 14, 1898, when an outline of the proposed exer- cises was made. It was decided to procure an original ode by com- petition ; and the following notice was given through the local papers : -


190


TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY


" ANNIVERSARY ODE.


" The sub-committee on the ode for the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Malden has decided to submit the writing of the ode to competition, open to any present or former resident of the city of Malden. The requirements are as follows : -


" Odes submitted must be not longer than four stanzas of four lines each ; must be written to one of the three tunes, Auld Lang Syne, Battle Hymn of the Republic, or Fair Harvard ; and must be in the hands of the secretary of the committee, Rev. Edwin H. Hughes, 100 Washington Street, Malden, on or before February 1,1899.


" The judges selected to decide the merits of the odes submitted are President William F. Warren of Boston University, Hon. Francis C. Lowell, Judge of the United States District Court, Boston, and Miss Annie H. Ryder, of Medford.


" Manuscripts, of which there must be three copies, should be written under a pseudonym, and should be accompanied by a sealed envelope, bearing without the pseudonym and within the real name of the writer.


"The following gentlemen compose the sub-committee : Rev. James F. Albion, Hon. Harvey L. Boutwell, Rev. Edwin H. Hughes."


In response to this notice, eighteen odes were presented ; and the superior quality of many was a surprise to the committee. As they were submitted under pseudonyms, the name of no writer was known until the decision had been made. The judges acting independently, and not having met together, unanimously awarded the choice to that written by John Langdon Sullivan, M.D. ; but the merit of others induced them to give honorable mention to those written by Arthur Mark Cummings, Francis J. Goodwin, Charles E. Mann, and the Rev. Mortimer E. Twomey. The ode of Mr. Cummings was sung at the gathering of the public schools to the tune of Fair Har- vard; and it has been published with original music by A. Fred Hamnett.


The Rev. Theron Brown of Newton was selected as the poet of the celebration. Mr. Brown has been favorably known as a writer of odes for several public occasions and as a poet of much merit. Many of his hymns have been set to original music by different composers.


The choice of the orator of the day fell upon a citizen of Malden, the Hon. Arthur Holbrook Wellman, who has long been known in the political and social life of the city. As a scholar and speaker he pos- sesses talents of a high order, and the respect and honor in which he


191


LITERARY AND MUSICAL EXERCISES


is held by all classes of the community rendered the selection one of the best, if not the best, that could be made.


The committee on musical exercises met for organization on the evening of September 12, 1898; and at a meeting held eight days later a comprehensive plan of procedure was adopted, which formed the basis of all future action. For the furtherance of its plans and the success which followed, the committee was largely indebted to the energy and experience of its chairman, the veteran musical conductor, Obadiah B. Brown.


The plan contemplated the gathering of a chorus of mixed voices of not less than two hundred and an orchestra of from forty to fifty performers. So far as possible, both chorus and orchestra were to be gathered from local talent, of which Malden was known to liave an abundant supply. In carrying out the plan, the services of the choir-masters of the several religious societies were brought into action, and the best talent within their knowledge was invited to take part in the preparation. To these were added others who possessed the required qualifications of good voices and the ability to read music with readiness. The members of the orchestra were especially selected by the chairman, whose efforts were ably seconded by John W. Little of the committee, himself an instrumentalist of acknowl- edged ability. It was at first intended to put a church organ in the Anniversary Building, but that not being found expedient, a vocalion was substituted.


Invitations were sent out to those who were selected as members of the chorus and orchestra, which met with immediate and most gratifying responses. A chorus of the best material was organized, and Ephraim Cutter, Jr., of Melrose was chosen as conductor. Mr. Cutter is well known as the efficient musical director of the Amphion Club. On the day of the celebration, the chorus and orchestra con- sisted of -


CHORUS : - Sopranos, 83; Altos, 70; Tenors, 36; Basses, 46 ; Total, 235. ORCHESTRA : - Performers, 45.


It was organized as follows : -


OBADIAH B. BROWN, Chairman. EPHRAIM CUTTER, JR., Conductor. ELLEN (BEALE) MOREY, Organist.


SOLOISTS.


MISS KATHERINE HUTCHINSON, Soprano. MRS. HOMER E. SAWYER, Contralto. THOMAS L. CUSHMAN, Tenor. FRANK R. SIRCOM, Bass.


192


TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY


Chorus. SOPRANO.


Boyce, Agnes G.


Holden, Martha E. (Starbird)


Bradbury, Grace Sewell


Hildebrand, Ida Jean


Backus, Effie


Holmes, Alice Marion


Bentley, Mary


Kinney, Grace L.


Bedlow, Harriet A. (Putnam)


Keeler, Kate T. (Buttrick)


Bardwell, Alice E.


Kendall, Helen B.


Black, Alice G.


Lang, M. Estella (Pratt)


Campbell, Clara L.


Lunt, Katherine W.


Campbell, Estelle F.


Locke, Mabel L.


Campbell, Geneve R.


Lucey, Delia E.


Connell, Anna E.


Malcolm, Carrie V.


Connell, Elizabeth R.


Millett, Mabel R.


Clifford, Hannah


Morse, Lillian


Connell, Margaret M.


McCarthy, Minnie


Christopher, Mary E. (Pond)


Morse, Hattie E. (Gould)


Corbett, Abbie C.


Moore, H. Elizabeth (Garrison)


Chatfield, Emma H.


. Peck, Lila M.


Cormack, Mary R.


Poor, Lina S.


Carlisle, Florena (Hamblen)


Perkins, Jennie (Goff)


Cox, Josephine E.


Prior, Fannie (Mitchell)


Connell, Annie L.


Perkins, Alice S.


Elliot, Harriet V.


Porter, Edith (Hamblen)


Etter, Jennie M.


Phillips, Abbie M.


Fernald, Florence M.


Quinn, Julia A.


Fletcher, Minerva C. (Rockwell)


Rich, Abbie M. Richards, Grace


Fox, Alice L.


Rogers, Annie (Baker)


Green, Fannie (Mundey)


Rodgers, M. Flora


Gaffney, Elizabeth L.


Richardson, Rosa E.


Gaffney, Minnie L.


Sleeper, Nellie M.


Goodhue, Florence D.


Scully, Margaret E.


Goodman, Julia (Pierce)


Stone, Edith M. (Fifield)


Gibbs, Laura


Sinnott, Lillian M.


ยท Hutchinson, Katherine Hildebrand, Elizabeth (Farrington)Sargent, Marie F.


Hawley, Augusta


Stackpole, Henrietta M. (Pease)


Hanlon, Mary E.


Hill, Edith B.


Hall, Hattie D.


Hancock, Annie E. Hollis, Mary J.


Sargent, Edith L. Whitmore, Carlotta Patti Waitt, Mary S. Woodside, Annie L. (Thomas) Wadsworth, Louise E.


Wiggin, Ruth (Hollis)


Flatley, Katherine


Sargeant, M. Ella


HAND ENGINE ENDEAVOR, NO. 3. NORTH MALDEN, 1846


THE PARADE


193


THE CHORUS


ALTO.


Annis, Flora K. Ballard, Mabel E. (Thorpe)


Burnap, Grace B.


Bardwell, Bertha L.


Bacon, Grace E.


Jordan, Marguerite E.


Bowlby, Elsie L. (Moore)


Bell, Harriet M.


Kendall, Anna G. (Pike)


Brown, Grace (Atherton)


Cox, Helen A.


Lunt, Elizabeth P. Little, Emma M.


Clark, Nellie L.


Clark, Mary A.


Lewis, H. Frances


Macdonald, Alice M.


MacArthur, Marie E.


McGann, Rosa A.


Cate, Ella M.


Nutter, Edna May


Newhall, Jessie E. (Crighton)


Nudd, Francelia A.


O'Donnell, Lillian


Parker, Minna W. (Ballard)


Putnam, Florence E.


Putnam, Eliza (Raymond)


Pratt, Clara R.


Quinn, Mary


Stebbins, Christine F.


Sawtelle, Vesta H.


Sargent, Ida A. Smith, Alice M.


Swett, Fannie S.


Scully, Agnes V.


Stiles, Millie G. Sawyer, Mary (Buckley)


Turner, Edith E.


Wiggin, Margaret E.


Wetherbee, Mabel F. (Putnam) Zwicker, Charlotte L.


Atwood, Elbridge W. Avjian, Armen Blois, Asahel W. Boyce, Wallace H. Corbett, Henry D. 13


TENOR.


Corbett, John Marshall Carlisle, Frank H. Davis, King S. Fuller, Hoyt E. Flanders, J. Allen


Ellingwood, Mary


Foley, Elizabeth M.


Fessenden, Mary L.


Gay, Helen M. Geary, Agnes G. Goff, Clara E. (French) Hill, Clara G.


Hobbs, Isabelle A.


Holden, Bessie L.


Hathaway, Ida Sanborn


Hathaway, Ida E. (Sanborn) Husted, Ada (Robertson)


Hawley, Marion Hamblen, Frances W.


Huggins, Margaret J. (Crighton) Howard, Marion L. Ives, Ida (Washburn)


Jordan, Bertha L.


Jenness, Phoebe


Kendall, Mary B.


Currier, Agnes


Corbett, Grace P.


Collins, Emily Y.


Cleary, Frances (Fitzgerald)


Converse, Mary (Parker)


Collins, Alma J. (Kittredge)


Collins, Adelaide E.


Dillaway, Emma F. (Carlisle) Davis, Cora E.


194


TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY


Hamblen, William B.


Pierce, E. Everett


Hanson, Charles H.


Parker, Henry M.


Hirtle, Wallace W.


Quinn, Arthur J.


Jeffrey, Frank F.


Robinson, Harry C.


Jordan, Samuel E.


Small, Fred W.


Kimball, John V.


Sanborn, Harry C.


Kimball, Charles B.


Sarkisian, Dickran M.


Mann, William A.


Tonks, Clarence H.


Moore, Chester M.


Treadwell, N. William


Miller, Elbridge G.


Treadwell, Edward D.


Pitman, Irving N.


Walker, Hugh L.


Philimore, Horace


Woodward, William F.


Phillips, Frank Elmo


Woodside, Charles L.


BASS.


Aylward, John H.


Langley, Arthur H.


Backman, Edward S.


Merrill, Albert S.


Bowlby, J. Northrup


Munger, Edmund C.


Burr, Freeman F.


Moore, Alfred G.


Browne, A. Parker


McManus, George E.


Bacon, Walter E.


MacArthur, Edward L.


Bacon, Henry C.


Pease, Alvin Fowler


Connell, James E.


Parker, John H.


Chadwick, F. Henry


Proctor, Arthur H.


Coggan, M. Sumner


Putnam, Otis Chandler


Donovan, Daniel B.


Ripley, Edwin F.


Farrell, John M.


Richardson, Wm. Harris


Foye, Fred M.


Rice, C. Herbert


Goddard, C. E.


Ryder, M. Joseph


Goodwin, Fred W.


Stiles, Edwin Byron


Garrity, Thomas J.


Stackpole, Ellsworth


Gaffney, Frank J.


Sexton, James Henry, Jr.


Grier, Matthew C.


Tarbox, Wm. Seaver


Howard, William


Upham, Henry W.


Hathaway, James R.


Hartley, George H.


Wilkins, Percy H.


Hayden, Henry C.


Wiggin, Walter


Kimball, Charles W.


Wass, Edward H.


Orchestra.


1ST VIOLINS.


Turner, Helen Farrington Pease, Ethelwyn F.


Hoffman, Jacques Nye, Harold E.


Welsh, Sylvester F.


195


LITERARY AND MUSICAL EXERCISES


Horne, Ida M. Hall, Frederick S. Butler, Frederick C. Marr, Joseph A.


2D VIOLINS.


Small, Florence A. (Hale)


Shute, Clara M.


Ives, Lois S.


Lansberg, Harold J.


Pettengill, John T.


Carver, Chester N.


Morey, Ernest Manuel


VIOLAS.


Jordan, Charles W.


Snow, Henry W.


Makechnie, Mabel W.


Ives, Charles Frederick Moorhouse, Helen Isabel


'CELLOS.


Little, John W. Andros, Annie A.


Moorhouse, S. Woodbridge Spalding, Josephine (Hale) Noyes, George L.


CONTRA BASSES.


Little, Blanche M. Phelps, Charles H. Milliken, John H.


FLUTES. Homes, William Munroe, Albert H.


OBOES.


Fischer, Paul C. Ribas, A. L. de


CLARINETS.


Whitmore, Osceola A. Brash, John B.


BASSOONS.


Post, Louis Regestein, Ernest


CORNETS.


Wolcott, J. B. Merritt, W. F. Connors, Timothy, Jr.


HORNS.


Lippoldt, Louis Schormann, Edward


TROMBONES.


Park, John Ripley, A. B. Hayes, F. G.


TYMPANI.


Perkins, Frank D.


The first rehearsal was held on the evening of April 12, in the hall of the Centre School building. Nine rehearsals were held, the last three in conjunction with the orchestra. A gratifying spirit of interest and enthusiasm was evident in the chorus, which ensured the final success of its work.


196


TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY


The committee in its report says : " The committee desires to express its hearty appreciation of the interest shown by the members of the chorus and orchestra in their prompt attendance at the re- hearsals, in many cases at great personal inconvenience, and the enthu- siasm with which they took up and carried through the work laid out for them. Especial mention should be made of those members who came long distances to assist us, from Everett, Melrose, Stoneham, and several from Boston.


" To Chairman Brown is due in no small degree the success of the undertaking. He has labored ' without ceasing' from the very first. The thanks of the committee are also due to those to whom were assigned the solo parts in the program. The work of the con- ductor, Mr. Cutter, was highly gratifying, and much credit is due to him for the admirable manner in which he handled both chorus and orchestra."


The chairman of the committee on musical exercises adds, in a supplementary report : " Our plans were laid with the idea of pro- ducing musical performances such as had never been heard in Malden ; and in the results we were not disappointed."


A public rehearsal of the chorus and orchestra, which was given in the Anniversary Building at 8.30 on the morning of May 22, was largely attended and enjoyed, although other interesting features of the celebration were then claiming the attention of the public. At its close, the building was cleared and prepared for the public exercises at 1.30 P.M.


To the experience and admirable executive ability of William Robertson, Jr., who had been invited to act as chief usher, and his corps of efficient aids, was due the comfort and convenience of more than three thousand people who filled the hall. So careful and complete were the arrangements that no rush, which had been feared, was experienced at any time ; and all comers were seated without inconvenience until the building was filled. The seats were free, except in a limited space allotted to invited guests ; but as the pupils of the schools had their gatherings on Saturday and Sunday, and entertainments during Monday forenoon, children under twelve years of age were not admitted, unless accompanied by parents or guardians.


The cover of the order of exercises, which displayed a silhouette view of Malden and the town and city seals, was designed and exe- cuted by Henry L. Noble, a pupil in the ninth grade at the Faulkner School. A reproduction is herewith given.


Precisely at 1.30 P.M., the baton of the conductor announced the opening number, the solos of which were effectively and artistically rendered by Miss Hutchinson and Mrs. Sawyer, while the large and


CELEBRATION OF THE 250-ANNIVERSARY


OF THE INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN. MALDEN


MAY 22, 1899.


1649 1899


I. Z.200JU


IM.


AB.


MALDEN


ALT


SETTI


ED


TY 1882.


163


MYST TIC SI


PROGRAM TITLE (LITERARY AND MUSICAL EXERCISES)


197


LITERARY AND MUSICAL EXERCISES


powerful chorus showed how firmly it was held in hand by its con- ductor and how responsive it had become to the spirit of the occasion and the demands of the music. It was one of the finest musical renderings ever given in Malden.


SELECTION from " Athalie." Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.


Heaven and the earth display, His grandeur is unbounded ;


They declare He is God, they resound his endless fame. He was Lord over all, e'er the universe was founded ; O praise ye Him in song, His wondrous love proclaim. No hostile force injustice raises can silence His elect,


Who bow and sing His praises, for everlasting is His name.


From day to day His power and glory are resounded - Each fruit He forms and stores with honied treasures ; He gives the lovely flowers their varied hues, - Each night and day with constant care He measures.


Tempers the parched earth, cools it with evening dews,


And earth redundant crowned sustains each living creature.


His Honor, Mayor Charles Leroy Dean, then introduced the president of the day in the following words : -


Fellow-Citizens, Ladies and Gentlemen, and Invited Guests : - It is my very pleasant duty to bid you welcome to these literary exer- cises, held in commemoration of the founding of the town of Malden in 1649, then comprising what are to-day the cities of Malden and Everett and the coming city of Melrose, with a population of nearly seventy thousand people.


It is a fortunate circumstance attending this anniversary that we have in our midst a citizen who has given long and faithful study to the history of Malden.


He was born in this community, and has witnessed a large part of its growth. Public spirited, but retiring, the friend and supporter of every good cause, I present him as an example of our best citizen- ship. He has contributed much to the welfare of the city, and we salute him to-day as its historian.


I have the honor to introduce Mr. Deloraine P. Corey as the president of the day.


THE PRESIDENT. - It is fitting that first of all we should recognize the Great Father whose providence has led our old town through storm and stress into the peace of the present. In the spirit of the fathers, who carried to the foot of His throne their joys and their sor- rows, the Rev. Richard Neagle will invoke the Divine Blessing.


198


TIVO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY


INVOCATION BY THE REV. RICHARD NEAGLE,


RECTOR OF THE CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.


ALMIGHTY and Eternal God, help us to realize that we are always and everywhere in Thy presence, that we stand here now before Thee, in Whom we live and move and have our being, the Author of every good and perfect gift, from Whose bounty comes all that we have and all that we are. We thank Thee, O Heavenly Father, for the mani- fold favors and blessings which Thou hast lavished on us and on our fathers through all the generations, and we humbly pray Thee to con- tinue Thy loving care and protection over us Thy children.


Bless all who are gathered here to-day, bless our whole community, our beloved commonwealth and country, and all Thy servants through- out the world. Enlighten and guide those who are charged with the responsibilities of government in city, state, and nation.


Protect and prosper us Thy people, but suffer us not to set our hearts on the quest and enjoyment of the things of this world to the forgetfulness of Thee and Thy holy law. Teach us to know and love the truth, to love one another as brothers, and to love Thee above all. Teach us ever to keep in mind why Thou hast placed us here on earth, - to know and love and serve Thee in this life, that so we may be fitted to dwell with Thee forever in the life to come.


We pray Thee, O Heavenly Father, in the name of Thine only be- gotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who with Thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, One God, forever and ever. Amen.


The impressive and beautiful Sanctus of Gounod followed the in- vocation, in which the sympathetic tenor of Mr. Cushman in its deli- cate renditions found its full effect against the heavier background of the chorus.


SANCTUS from "St. Cecilia Mass." Charles Gounod.


" Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth, Pleni sunt coli et terra gloria tua. Amen."


" Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth, Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Amen."


THE PRESIDENT. - Since I came upon this platform, a telegram has been received from one whom we respect for his high office, admire for his private virtues, and in whom we are all willing to trust.


EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHIINGTON, D.C., May 22, 1899.


HON. CHARLES L. DEAN, Mayor, Malden, Mass .: -


Please accept for Malden my congratulations upon the celebration of its two hundred and fiftieth anniversary.


WILLIAM MCKINLEY.


199


THE ADDRESS OF WELCOME


ADDRESS OF WELCOME, BY DELORAINE PENDRE COREY,


PRESIDENT OF THE DAY.


IT is a warm welcome and a hearty greeting which it is my privilege to extend to-day to the sons and daughters of this old town. Fifty years have passed since she called your fathers and mothers around the old hearthstone. Long has she looked for you, and with glad anticipation. If, like a fond mother, she sheds a tear to-day, it will be one of gratitude and joy.


There comes a time when, leaving the turmoil of life and its cares, we pause to review the dead years, to scan the present, and to fore- cast those years which hold somewhere for us the end of life and the mystery of the grave. Then comes that measure of regret or content, of doubt or of faith, which our lives have prepared for us.


So to us who abide in the homes of our fathers, and to you who have come to us and with your energy and prosperity have helped to make this later Malden, has come this day, when, leaving our accus- tomed vocations, our pleasures and our toils, we pause to greet those who have come back to the arms of the old mother, to the homes that knew them long ago, and to the graves of the fathers, - with them to review the past, to rejoice in the prosperity of the present, and to gather hope and strength for the coming years.


To you who from other homes have turned aside for a few brief hours to revisit the scenes of former days and to renew old friendships, Malden retains few of the features of the past. You miss the narrow lanes, the wide green fields, and the dark woods of your youthful days. You miss the fragrant wild rose and the sweet-brier by the wayside. For you the mill-pond gleams no more in the sunlight, and the salt tides come no more among the sedges and the flags of Harvell's Brook, where the blackbird built her nest. The rocky crest of Wayte's Mount seems not so near the clouds as in the days of your childhood ; and the arethusa blooms and the cranberry ripens no more in Blanchard's meadows. The advancing tides of population have swept away the charms of the countryside. These things bring the memory of bright spring weather or of long, sultry summer days, when with light hearts you wandered over these fields and meadows, or, lying lazy and listless in the cool shade of whispering trees, you listened to the murmur of the wild bees in the clover, that came with the fragrance of new mown hay and the breath of the pines above your heads.


You look for the forms and faces with which memory peopies these streets and these homes, but you cannot see them ; and if you ask for them, you find that you who seek and they who reply are but a few, -


200


TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY


a little remnant of those who were. They who are gone outnumber the living. The green grass and the daisies grow over them ; and the pitying skies drop their tears of dew and of rain upon the sod that hides them from your eyes. Some sleep beneath southern skies, and the blue and the gray clasp lands above their quiet graves.


In some face, touched by the wrinkling hand of time, you may find that of the little boy with whom you played marbles or duck, or that of the elder lad who taught you to make a kite or a willow whistle, or to swim at Sandy, when the summer sun beat fiercely on School- house Hill, and the cool tides filled Malden River to the brim. In some sober matron, a grandmother now, you may find the little girl, whose bright eyes shone merrily over the rosy cheeks that rivalled the apples you gave her, when, with fervent zeal and palpitating heart, you loved her with a boy's love.


You drop a tear, perchance, for those whom you see no more, the dear ones, endeared by love, endeared by kinship, by friendship, and association, endeared by a hundred subtile ties, whose tenderness and strength you did not know until they were severed, and the lives they had bound to yours drifted beyond the mystery into the enfolding arms that hold them, still within the circle of your love and your highest and holiest aspirations.


You clasp the hand whose friendly grasp turns back the tide of years. You are girls and boys again. The old town with all the memories of the past becomes real ; and as you dream, the sharp clang of the bell of the old brick schoolhouse - the true bell of Bell Rock, the bell that called the minute men on the morning of Lexing- ton - sounds in your thoughts, and you scamper away to school with hastening feet and unwilling hearts. These dreams of to-day were the realities of the past, and there are tears behind your smiles because of them.


But we may not be sad to-day, we who are here to rejoice as we gather once more on the soil which our fathers won from the wilder- ness. Out of the past, with its tender memories, have come the pros- perity and the peace of the present; and we would not lose one smallest part of all that lies hidden in it. Even though it comes to us with tears, we will hold it fast with present joy.


To another belongs the pleasing task to set before you the birth and growth of the town which has completed a quarter-millennium of its existence, - to speak of the discouragements and the triumphs, of the material weaknesses and the moral strength of those who came before us.




Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.