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 31
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ROBERT WILKINS MERRILL.
From the President of the United States.
(A telegram received at the Anniversary Building on the afternoon of May 22nd.)
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, D. C., May 22, 1899. To 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.
Mayor Dean to President McKinley.
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR, MALDEN, MASS., May 25, 1899.
To the President : - Your very kind message of congratulations was duly received, and would have been acknowledged more promptly but for the many duties connected with our two hundred and fiftieth anniversary celebration, which required my immediate attention.
Our citizens highly appreciate your kind courtesy, and thank you for your expression of friendship and good-will.
Yours very respectfully, CHARLES L. DEAN, Mayor. Hon. WILLIAM MCKINLEY, Washington, D. C.
From the Governor of New York. (Received by homing pigeon.)
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, ALBANY, N. Y., May 22, 1899. Hon. CHARLES L. DEAN, Mayor, Malden, Mass. : -
Congratulations to your good city upon her two hundred and fiftieth anniversary.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
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TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Mayor Dean to Governor Roosevelt.
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR, MALDEN, MASS., May 25th, 1899. To HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, Albany, N. Y. :
My dear Sir :- Your kind message of congratulation upon the celebration of our two hundred and fiftieth anniversary, sent by hom- ing pigeon, was received about ten A. M., the 22nd inst., and would have been acknowledged at once but for the press of numerous mat- ters attending our celebration.
I assure you our citizens fully appreciate your expression of good- will and thank you for it.
Respectfully yours, CHARLES L. DEAN, Mayor.
Hon. THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
From the Selectmen of Revere, Mass.
OFFICE OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN, REVERE, MASS., May 26, 1899. Hon. CHARLES L. DEAN, Mayor of Malden :
Sir : - At a meeting of the Board of Selectmen held this day, it was unanimously voted to tender to you cordial and sincere thanks for the many courtesies so graciously extended, which enhanced the pleasure it derived while attending the two hundred and fiftieth anni- versary of the incorporation of Malden as a town.
We beg to offer congratulations to you and your committees upon the marked success of each and every event in the program ; upon. your city's past, full as it is of the achievements of an earnest, intelli- gent, and God-fearing people ; upon its present as a city of business thrift and beautiful environment ; upon its future, bright with the promise of all that is requisite to make an ideal community.
It will be our constant aim to encourage and foster the harmonious relations that have always existed between our municipalities.
ALFRED S. HALL, Chairman. B. FRANK DEBUTTS, Clerk.
Executive Committee to Committee of Melrose, Mass.
CITY OF MALDEN.
COMMITTEE ON TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY.
OFFICE OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, MALDEN, May 27, 1899.
Hon. LEVI S. GOULD, chairman Melrose celebration committee :
My dear Sir :- At a special meeting of this committee held this evening, the following vote was unanimously passed : -
331
CORRESPONDENCE
Voted, That the executive committee of the general committee on the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the in- corporation of the town of Malden, appreciates the enthusiastic inter- est of the town of Melrose, as shown by its active assistance in the preparations for the events of the celebration, and also by its partici- pation in the parade in a manner deserving of the highest praise.
And this committee tenders its thanks and the thanks of the citizens of Malden to the committee and citizens of Melrose for these expressions of affection for and interest in the mother town.
Respectfully submitted,
ALBERT AMMANN, Clerk.
Mayor Dean to the Mayor of Cambridge, Mass.
MALDEN, MASS., May 31, 1899.
Hon. EDGAR R. CHAMPLIN, Mayor of Cambridge, Mass. :
My dear Mr. Mayor : - Please accept for yourself and through you for the members of the two branches of your city council, my sincere thanks in behalf of the city of Malden and the committee on Historic Loan Exhibition, for the loan of the portrait of Hon. James D. Green, ex-mayor of your city, for use during our two hundred and fiftieth anniversary exercises. I most heartily appreciate your kind courtesy in granting us this favor. We thank you for your action, and shall hold it in friendly remembrance; and I feel very sure that the people of Malden, one and all, will most cordially and heartily endorse this.
Very truly yours, CHARLES L. DEAN, Mayor.
From the Mayor of Cambridge, Mass.
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR, CAMBRIDGE, MASS., June 1, 1899.
Hon. CHARLES L. DEAN, Mayor of the city of Malden, Malden, Mass. :
My dear Mr. Mayor : - Permit me to acknowledge your very kind communication of the 31st ultimo, and to assure you that Cambridge was happy to contribute to the celebration of Malden by the loan of the portrait of the Hon. James D. Green. Personally, I congratulate you upon the success of the celebration. It was simply magnificent.
With best wishes for your city and for yourself personally, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
EDGAR R. CHAMPLIN, Mayor.
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TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
GENERAL ORDER, No. 5.
1. The chief marshal desires to express to those who took part in Tuesday's parade, and to those who in different ways contributed to its success, his appreciation of their work.
2. The satisfactory carrying out of the parade was made possible only by the hearty cooperation and earnest, willing work of the many participants.
3. The chief marshal desires to compliment marshals of divisions and their staff officers on their efficient work. Division marshals are requested to convey to their staff officers and to the various organiza- tions of their respective divisions his hearty thanks.
4. The efficient work of the police department in cleaning streets and otherwise aiding in the movement of the parade deserves special mention.
5. Thanks are due the street railway companies for their assist- ance in so arranging traffic that no interference occurred with the movements of the parade.
By order of the chief marshal,
FRANK L. LOCKE, Chief of Staff.
H. E. CONVERSE.
AFTERMATH.
RARELY has a significant anniversary been celebrated with more enthusiasm or more justifiable local pride than that whose conclud- ing exercises were carried through on an elaborate scale at Malden yesterday. It does a town or a city good to reach one of these way- marks in its progress. Its public spirit is quickened, its loyalty glows with new heat, its self-respect is intensified, and among the citizens of Malden there is doubtless a keener sense of duty, opportunity, and responsibility than there was a week ago. They have much to be proud of and much to be thankful for. They probably realize to a greater degree than ever how large a factor in their municipal life and development one particular man has been. It has been Malden's great good fortune that she has possessed a citizen like the Hon. Elisha S. Converse, whose discriminating public spirit and wise philanthropy have given the vitalizing toucli to so many of her in- terests. Not that he monopolizes the public spirit or the philan- thropy of the place, for in those respects Malden is well endowed ; but in the wealth and the purpose to give them conspicuous and practical
333
AFTERMATH
expression he has naturally been the leader. He has not wasted him- self in the development of fads, but has proved a well rounded and properly balanced benefactor. The religious, the literary, the æsthetic and the material needs of the city have all received generous remem- brance from him. He has shown rich men how to be wisely helpful and make their benefactions keep pace with their prosperity and the added responsibility that it imposes. Were all wealth as wisely em- ployed as his has been, it would arouse but little jealousy or hostility. The events of the last few days have doubtless been among the most pleasant experiences of his life. - Boston Transcript.
What impressed the stranger was the unanimity of sentiment on the part of Malden's own sons and daughters to make the event worthy of the ancient town, and in this they were eminently suc- cessful. - Woburn News.
This thriving and beautiful city beyond the Mystic has always had a notable share of enlightened public spirit. That is being manifested anew in the character of its commemoration. The ceremonies have been planned with much felicity, and they are being carried out in a way which would be impossible in a community less vigorous and progressive. This neighbor of ours beyond the Mystic is a fine type of the Massachusetts city, steady of growth, ambitious, prosperous, adding every year to its material importance and its attractiveness as a place of quiet, comfortable American homes. Proud as it is of the historic past, Malden of to-day is not buried in it. In spite of its two hundred and fifty years, the city has all the characteristics of robust youth. There is not much visible antiquity in Malden, but there is abundant life there - life of a kind which gives promise of a long continuance. - Boston Journal.
Everything pertaining to the anniversary celebration was on a scale that, considering the resources and size of the city, has never been excelled in any of the anniversary celebrations which have been so frequent in our New England cities and towns. Its business enter- prise and the public spirit of its citizens were demonstrated in a manner that made a marked impression upon all who had the good fortune to participate in or witness the exercises. The old mother town covered herself with glory, and gave her numerous progeny a striking example of what they might hope to become when they have cast off their municipal swaddling-clothes. The arrangements for the mammoth affair were complete in every detail, and furnished abundant evidence that when Malden undertakes to do anything it does it well. Her children are proud of her, and will undoubtedly, when they attain the same advanced age, be content if they can do equally as well. - Everett Herald.
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TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
As the Malden celebration began with an invocation, so it ended with a prayer from the preacher that God's blessing might rest and abide with the people. The great white lights of the banquet hall shone stilly over the partly deserted tables, the chairs sitting in listen- ing, empty attitudes, cocked at angles toward the preacher on the high platform. Through the walls and doors came the shouts and the frequent explosions, the hawkers' cries and the shouts and laugh- ter, mingling and cutting through the prayer of the preacher. Women with gay gowns and bare arms, men in the black and white of civiliza- tion, decked with the insignia that meant work done for Malden, sat respectful while the preacher prayed.
The celebration for the common people concluded with the parade and the fireworks. The people who had done the work, and the in- vited dignitaries, finished off the climax night of the celebration and sat late over the last morsel of it all. It was eleven o'clock before the carriages began to thicken before the door of the Anniversary Hall.
It was midnight before anything like quiet was to be had in Mal- den, and it was dawn before the streets were really clear. And thus ended the finest celebration that has yet been seen in Massachusetts. There was not a slip nor a miss from Saturday till last night at mid- night. Even the accidents, which have come to be regarded as the inevitable concomitants of public rejoicing, were absent. To be sure, one man was hurt during the parade by his horse falling backward upon him. But nobody was killed, though there were several threats that the fatal accident was to happen. The balloon ascension carried a woman aeronaut up helpless, and dropped her safe ; a stand for re- viewing the parade came down, and the people miraculously escaped ; the president at the literary exercises was taken ill with an attack of a dangerous disease, a disease that kills at a stroke ; yet he recovered almost completely.
The weather in Malden followed the steady upward tendency of the interest-line. Beginning with the first day of the celebration, it steadily improved, until the last day, which dawned in the morning as perfect as the worst martinet could wish. Cold, rain, clouds, were all gone, and a sweet, warm air, not too warm either, greeted the marching bands and companies as they went down to their positions in the line.
The curve of dynamic interest was steady from first to last, and there was no anticlimax. - Boston Journal.
Rejuvenated, bright, and beautiful, and with every indication of continued prosperity, Malden enters upon her half-millennial with re- newed energy and vigor. She has passed her two hundred and fiftieth birthday, and the epoch in her existence was most fittingly observed.
335
AFTERMATHI
The city government, churches, schools, fraternal and social organiza- tions, and private individuals united in making the celebration a suc- cess, and the result was beyond their fondest anticipations. An executive committee of exceptional efficiency had charge of the entire affair, and with each individual member the duties of his or her posi- tion preceded private business, so that every detail was personally and carefully looked after, leaving nothing lacking, nothing to be de- sired. The thousands of visitors to our city must have been impressed with its natural beauty, the evidences of enterprise on every side, the handsome public and private buildings, especially our churches and schools, and the open-handed hospitality of our people. Malden has much to be proud of, much to be thankful for. - Malden Mirror.
Old Dame Malden has finished her birthday celebration. It took three days to crowd into the affair all the hilarity which her children deemed necessary ; but then, what are three days in two hundred and fifty years? This morning she will probably awake with a headache after all the din of yesterday's parade and the grand banquet of last night, and in all likelihood have palpitation of the heart for a few days when her thoughts flow in a reminiscent vein ; but with these various flutterings there will be the comforting feeling that her children are proud of her, and no regrets that she made a few concessions from her original Puritan ideas so long as they gave pleasure to them.
Yesterday was the day of days for her. Saturday and Sunday and Monday simply paved the way. She had the governor of the commonwealth for a guest, and not merely him, but his lady as well. When she was introduced to him she said his name had a familiar sound. His ancestors were neighbors about the time she left her father's house in Medford and started housekeeping for herself on the south bank of the Mystic. Massy me ! And she was so glad to see him !
It really almost lifted off the top of her head, the noise and the frolic and the fireworks and the various kinds of excitement ; but then, we let the boys have their firecrackers and their toy cannon on the Fourth of July, which comes every year, while it is fifty years since there was anything like this in Malden. And in fact it was n't very much like this, either, when she celebrated her two hundredth birth- day. Of course, it was very nice and very appreciative, but in fifty years Malden has grown from a small town to a bustling city ; she has three or four times as many children within her borders, and a half- century of modern progress has produced an enthusiasm which would have frightened the celebrators of 1849.
This morning the old dame is busy taking down the tricolored decorations put up in her honor, and cleaning up the inevitable clutter
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TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
after such a celebration. She thanks the Lord for the good weather vouchsafed her for her anniversary ; she feels grateful to her neigh- bors and her children for their efforts, which made the affair such a spontaneous success, and when she leans on her broom in some remi- niscent dream and thinks particularly of the events of the previous twenty-four hours, she involuntarily puckers up her old lips and whistles a bar (in the past tense) of " There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town to-night." - Boston Herald.
Malden made a splendid showing at the celebration of her two hundred and fiftieth anniversary last Monday and Tuesday. Success attended every detail. The entire jubilation was in every way cred- itable to the pretty and thriving city, which thus made evident its attractiveness, and the progressive attainments of two and a half centuries. - Old Colony Memorial (Plymouth).
The scholarly oration of Hon. A. H. Wellman, son of the distin- guished Congregational minister of that name, was enough to redeem any celebration from the charge of being commonplace. The program is sufficiently varied to furnish something for every variety of taste ; and the citizens have entered into the spirit of the occasion with a heartiness that insures its complete success. The decorations have been highly commended, and nothing appears to be lacking to mark this as one of the most noteworthy of all our municipal anniversaries. - Zion's Herald.
Malden is one of the prettiest and most progressive of our north- ern suburbs. Guided by some wise heads, she has carried her prog- ress not over but around the natural beauties with which she was blessed at her birth. In a happy way she has solved the problem of how to have factories and have walks, woods, and parks, too. Among the belt of cities that surround Boston, Malden has, therefore, a pecu- liar place. We should say that the northern and eastern suburbs had now fairly entered upon that stage of rearrangement which gives to cities and towns their final character, and that hereafter they will di- vide with those to the south and the west the attractions that draw so many travellers to our city and its vicinity. - Boston Transcript.
The affair was a success, from start to finish. - Beacon (Dor- chester).
Malden, to the casual topographer, has thus far seemed aggres- sively suburban. One had been wont to think of it as a town whose men flowed in and out of the city as a daily tide, independent of the moon, and whose women helped swell this tide on pleasant Mondays. But Malden suddenly discovered that she was two hundred and fifty years old, and determined others should know it too. Therefore she
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AFTERMATH
has had a celebration. It has been a good one, too, and one worth while going to, if for nothing else, at least for the abounding proofs that she is much more than a suburb. As a modern city of thirty thousand inhabitants and over, she has more than her share of hand- some buildings, some of them of artistic framing. As an old town, while there is nothing very individualizing in her history, there is a wealth of association, and the genealoger greets genial, generous ground. The cheerful optimist (and one should be no other during a celebration) found the streets of Malden a delight. - Time and the Hour.
This is one of the gem cities of the commonwealth. Malden has been ancient, and we see it has been honorable. Her broad streets, her beautiful residences, and her elegant public buildings bespeak a deep and broad-minded statesmanship and a pride of locality that in many respects this city could copy to advantage. - Brockton Times.
There is no doubt that Malden made a great success of its two hundred and fiftieth anniversary celebration. In every detail it was one of the most satisfactory achievements of its kind that have been re- corded in this vicinity. The arrangements were carefully planned and intelligently carried out. - Charlestown Enterprise.
A civic demonstration which has not often been surpassed in inter- esting features. Our towns and cities in this part of the country are beginning to feel their age, not in a depressing way, but as something to be proud of; and Malden's two and a half centuries of corporate existence have been full of honor, and the anniversary finds the old town and the young city in the best condition to pose as an example of municipal progress. Among the communities included in the Bos- ton metropolitan district, Malden is one of the most robust, prosper- ous, and progressive. As a place of residence it is most attractive. In business enterprise, it is active and successful. The public spirit of its citizens is notable. The celebration was wisely planned to illus- trate these features, and it has been well carried out. The anniver- sary week will long be remembered; its proceedings will form a notable chapter in local history. - Boston Post.
The Malden celebration was an event worthy of all the time, labor, and money expended. It will give to that city a new energy, develop new men, and make conspicuous the great resources that have been the reserve force in Malden for so many years. Malden is prosper- ous, and her leading men are strong, influential, and patriotic. - Melrose Journal.
Now we'll recognize Malden as somewhat near our size. - Cambridge Times.
22
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TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Two hundred and fifty years is a ripe old age, and it is fitting that a municipality and its neighbors join in retrospective and pro- spective gratulation. Malden has much to be proud of and to be thankful for; and she will be more proud and more thankful as a result of her citizens' loyalty and her neighbors' respect as shown during the present week. - Jamaica Plain News.
It is to be noted and commended that the program for Malden's jubilee-keeping has been made up with a view of meeting all the reasonable wishes of the population. Too often the observance of anniversaries in the case of our towns has been of a purely formal character, and chiefly confined to oratory. Malden seems to realize that a celebration ought to mean a good deal more than speech- making or a parade. - Boston Globe.
Malden celebrated royally and entertained lavishly. She has set the standard for anniversary celebrations so high that it will be years before it is excelled in this commonwealth. - Somerville Journal.
There are not many towns in this country that can talk of so many years, or lay claim to a more honorable record. We wish the people of that locality much joy. - Newport (R. I.) News.
The Malden anniversary celebration was a triumph in every par- ticular, and our neighboring city will undoubtedly experience a boom greater than ever before. Splendid management has characterized the whole affair, and every feature of the program was carried out in clock-like precision. - Revere Journal.
Members of the executive committee, and all the sub-committees having charge of the arrangements for the preparation and carrying out of the celebration of Malden's two hundred and fiftieth anniver- sary of its incorporation as a town, to you all we tender our hearty congratulations. Never was there a more complete success, and it will appear as a shining mark in Malden's history to all coming generations. - Mulden Evening News.
The newspaper men, who have been working at the Malden fes- tival since last Friday, have agreed that there has never been shown to them more complete courtesy, nor has ever so much guarding of their rights and fostering of their privileges been seen. At every point where their work could be helped, or made easier, work has been done by the committee in charge. Large headquarters were provided in the centre of the city, and these rooms were furnished with type-writers, telephones, lunch, and attendants. Badges were issued to the reporters, taking them everywhere they needed to go, and endless attention to details made their work easier. - Boston Journal.
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RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES
The committees in charge of the various features were untiring in their efforts to make the event memorable. Especially was this true in their attitude toward visitors, and whoever was in Malden during the festival came away with pleasant recollections. None were more thoughtful of the comfort and pleasure of their brethren than the press committee, and in ways too numerous to mention they dis- played the fraternal spirit, and made the newspaper men feel as though they were in every respect guests of honor. The Malden com- mittees were to the full extent quite up to date. - Lynn Item.
The long and appreciative stories of the celebration printed in the newspapers were splendid advertisements for Malden, and practical examples of the good fruit that comes from decent and courteous treatment of the men who have to do the work. - Brockton Enterprise.
STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES.
Receipts.
Appropriation by City Council . $17,500.00
Contribution from Boston & Maine R. R. . 500.00
" Boston Elevated Railway Co. 500.00
66 Lynn & Boston R. R. 300.00
Sales of Official Programs 255.00
66 Hist. Loan Exhibition Catalogues 80.00
Rent of Anniversary Building .
300.00
$19,435.00
Expenditures.
By Committee on Invitations .
$173.48
66
66
Literary Exercises
164.21
.. Musical Exercises 580.17
66 Military and Civic Parade 3,072.79
66
" Salutes, Decorations, and Fireworks .
1,595.38
Banquet (self-supporting).
.6
66
" Concert and Ball (self-sup- porting).
Athletic and Field Sports 1,210.00
66
66
" Children's Entertainments 559.95
66
" Observation Stands 396.75
" Transportation and Car- riages 428.50
66
66
" Badges .
312.00
66
Amounts carried forward . $8,493.23 $19,435.00
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TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Amounts brought forward . $8,493.23
$19,435.00
By Committee on Reception of Guests
356.12
66 Reception of the Press 661.74
Marking Historic Spots 124.05
66
66 Historic Loan Exhibition .
825.06
66
66
Police
999.80
66
66 Information
118.15
66
66 Emergency
40.67
By the Executive Committee : -
For Anniversary Building, Janitor Service, etc. 3,309.17
Plumbing . 128.00
66 Rent of Chairs 400.00
66 Decorations 260.00
Public School Exercises
360.10
" Parochial School Exercises 125.00
" Band Stands, Band Concerts, Chairs, etc. 543.68
" Expenses Dodd's Cavalry .
299.13
" Clerical Services, Printing, Stationery, Postage, etc., less sundry receipts
958.33
$18,002.23
Balance
$1,432.77
NOTE. - By an order of the city council, the committee is author- ized to expend this balance in defraying the expenses of the celebra- tion, "including the expenses of the preparation and publication of the memorial volume."
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