USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > West Brookfield > Quabaug, 1660-1910 : an account of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary celebration held at West Brookfield, Mass., September 21, 1910 ; > Part 10
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"We have wandered down the road to Drake's melon patch, and after innocently looking around to see that the coast was clear, we have inspected the melons, simply to determine whether Drake was maintaining the standard.
"We have been out skating on the pond, and through the forty-odd years of memory there comes to us the thrill that went through us as we skimmed over the ice holding those dear little hands in Mollie's muff.
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"We have in imagination been out riding on the West Brookfield road. Oh, those delightful rides down to the Kissing Grove on those beautiful country roads where the branches of the trees formed an arch over the road just wide enough for one team, and in those days the horses were well trained. They did not need to be driven, they just went; not too fast, but fast enough. That was before the day of State highways, and on those beautiful roads there was ab- solutely no danger that anyone would drive past and look back into the carriage, and we were never disturbed by the 'honk, honk' of the modern Juggernaut which notifies us in these days to get off the earth.
"Why shouldn't we love dear old Brookfield? What memories cluster about her! When we think of her, we can appropriate and make our own the words from our National hymn:
I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills, My heart with rapture thrills, Like that above.
"This occasion is great, because of the purpose for which we have come together. Two hundred and fifty years of eventful and honorable history lie behind us today, and two hundred and fifty years is a long time, as men count time, even in the life of a nation.
"In 1660, some of the men and women who landed at Plymouth Rock were still living. This takes us back to the time when the Indians roamed over these beautiful hills and valleys, back to the beginning of things in this country, for we need to remember that that was long before the day of the United States.
"The seed from which was to grow the mightiest Re- public on earth had but just been planted in the New World. In the Providence of God this virgin soil had been kept until the time was ripe for planting the tree of liberty.
"During all these two hundred and fifty years, by a
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MAYOR JAMES LOGAN
devious path God has led this nation, sometimes through the dark valley of defeat, but having passed through the valley, we have come out into the open beyond, where with a vision clarified by suffering and sacrifice we have been enabled to behold the larger truth. And thus, in His own way and in His own good time, there has been wrought out for us a truer victory and a larger truth.
"Only 168 years before the founding of this town, Co- lumbus and his motley crews, seeking to find a sea route west- ward to India, sailed away over the uncharted seas; but, as often happens in our search for one thing, we find another; and so, as these men searched the wide waste of waters, they found, not the route they sought, but they found the new land which must needs arise to offer an unstained abode for the new ideals of human progress.
"The powers of the middle ages were intolerant; at the same time they quite unconsciously permitted the discovery of a new land destined to be used, under God, for the creation of a new order of society that was to put an end to intoler- ance, and which was to dedicate this new continent to a modern democracy which had not yet been born.
"The crews of Columbus were typical of the history of migration to the new world that lay unseen before the great discoverer. His crews were prophetic of the cosmopolitan character of the population of our country, for among his one hundred and twenty men were Italians, Spaniards, Por- tuguese, Frenchmen, Englishmen, Irishmen, Swedes, Moors, and Jews.
"On that October morning, only one hundred and sixty- eight years before the founding of this town, the men with Columbus saw upon the shore the light which told them that a new continent had been found, and four hundred years later, on this same continent, two great Republics, then un- born, united in rearing a colossal figure of the Goddess of Liberty in bronze, to symbolize an idea of which, in 1492, men did not even dare to dream,
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'The idea of human liberty.'
And so there stands in the harbor of New York, the gateway of this great nation, this colossal figure symbolizing liberty, holding aloft in her hand a torch, to light from sunset to sun- rise the great channel through which flows the stream of human life, which, blended into one, makes the American people.
"From all quarters of the world we have gathered here to make our homes; the blood of all the families of mankind mingles here in a National life-giving stream, which flows forth into the civic life of America, and while the great Father of us all ordained that among the nations of the earth the language of the lips should be different, he also ordained that the language of the heart should be the same.
"God has implanted in the breast of the entire human family a love for the land that gave them birth, and the near- er we get to the common people, the stronger that love seems to be. It matters not how wild, poor, desolate or down- trodden, the flame of divine love of country burns brightly in the hearts of her sons and daughters.
"Someone has said that the only purpose of such a gath- ering as this is that it gives some people an opportunity to boast of their native land or of their ancestors, and there may be just a grain of truth in the criticism; but if it serves no better purpose than to create in each of us a stronger love for the country of our birth or of our adoption, and if it lift up in our estimation the ancestral name, so that there may be created in us the determination that no act of ours shall ever tarnish the good name of country or of kin, it will be time wisely spent, for we need that kind of a tonic in this day and generation.
"The true purpose of such a gathering as this will be altogether lost, if it shall fail to impress us with a deeper and purer love for those eternal principles represented by the flag for which our brothers died; and if other men were will- ing, yes, if need be, glad to die for those colors, ought not we
JAMES E. BARR J. THOMAS WEBB HON. GEORGE K. TUFTS
CHARLES S. LANE D. CLARENCE WETHERELL
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CONCLUSION
to be willing to live for them, and so to live that we will do our part to make a country worth dying for.
"Some years ago, Henry Van Dyke was homesick in London, and longing for the land he loved, he gave expression to this sentiment which we Americans ought to cultivate:
'Oh, London is a man's town; there's power in the air, And Paris is a woman's town, with flowers in her hair,
And it's sweet to dream in Venice, and it's great to study Rome,
But when it comes to living, there's no place like home.
Oh, it's home again, and home again, America for me,
I want a ship that's westward bound to plow the rolling sea, To the blessed land of room enough, beyond the ocean bars, Where the air is full of sunlight, and the flag is full of stars.'"
VI. CONCLUSION.
After the exercises in the main tent were over, a concert was given on the Common by the Worcester Brass Band. An hour later, the throngs that all day long had crowded West Brookfield as the little village had never been crowded before in the whole course of her existence, had melted away, and when the ringing of sunset bells in the four Quabaug townships announced the close of the great celebration, the mother district had resumed her customary calm.
It is estimated that no less than 12,000 persons were present in West Brookfield during some portion of the day, and that at least 7,000 witnessed the battle on the hill, while the great audience tent was filled to the limit of its capacity during the exercises of the afternoon. The way in which the crowds were handled, so as to avoid the slightest sem- blance of disorder, was the subject of much favorable com- ment. The local police force was augmented by a squad of four policemen from Worcester, while a number of the State force mingled in plain clothes among the throngs. But
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there was little for them to do. The thousands of visitors were easily handled, while, if any crooks were present-as almost invariably is the case on such occasions-the pre- cautions taken to guard against their operations proved ample.
There was a total absence, too, of disorder due to liquor, and the fact that not a single intoxicated person was seen upon the streets reflects the highest credit upon all in author- ity. Nor did the slightest accident occur to mar the day's celebration. The Joint Executive Committee has every reason to congratulate itself upon the perfection of its ar- rangements and the complete success with which they were carried out.
In the evening, the Worcester Brass Band gave a second concert, upon the grounds of the Merriam Library; but, with few exceptions, only the villagers themselves and their own private guests were there to hear. At an early hour the music ceased; one by one the lights in the houses were extinguished, and, with the breath of the night air through the deserted streets, came a mysterious rustling sound, as though old Father Time were folding down another leaf in the ancient tome of Quabaug history.
APPENDIX A
List of the ladies and gentlemen who served as a Reception Com- mittee under the chairmanship of Hon. Theodore C. Bates:
BROOKFIELD.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry V. Crosby Mr. and Mrs. Edwin D. Goodell Mrs. John L. Mulcahy Mr.and Mrs. William B. Hastings Mr. and Mrs. Warren E. Tarbell
Edward F. Delaney
Mr. and Mrs. William F. Hayward
WEST BROOKFIELD.
Mrs. Susan F. Fullam
Miss Mary Lynde
Mrs. George H. Fales
Mrs. Elisha Webb
Miss Alice J. White
Mrs. Allen Jones
Mrs. John G. Shackley
Mrs. Harold Chesson
Mrs. Sumner H. Reed
Mrs. Charlton D. Richardson
Mrs. Nellie J. L. Canterbury
Mrs. James D. Farley
Charles O'M. Edson
Mrs. Philander Holmes
Dr. Frederick W. Coles
Mrs. Charles H. Clarke
Dr. Clifford J. Huyck
Mrs. Arvilla Makepeace
Dr. Clement E. Bill George H. Coolidge
Mrs. Nellie D. Makepeace
Mrs. Eli M. Converse
John A. Conway
Mrs. Chauncey L. Olmstead
Dwight Fairbanks
Mrs. Nellie Coffin
John J. Mulvey
NORTH BROOKFIELD.
Hon. and Mrs. Theodore C. Bates Mrs. George R. Doane
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred C. Stoddard Miss Bertha Collins
Mr. and Mrs. Harold A. Foster Miss Katherine Doyle
Mr.and Mrs. Charles E. Batcheller Mrs. George A. Whiting
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert T. Maynard Horace J. Lawrence
Ward A. Smith
NEW BRAINTREE.
Hon. and Mrs. George K. Tufts Mrs. James P. Utley
Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas Webb Mrs. Edward L. Havens
Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Barlow John Bowen
Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Lane
Charles H. Barr
Miss Marianna Blair
Mrs. Benson M. Frink
Dr. Charles A. Blake
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APPENDIX B
Troopers who rode in the Pageant under Carlton D. Richardson, who represented Captain Edward Hutchinson:
Walter A. Putnam of Warren, representing Captain Wheeler.
John P. Ranger, of North Brookfield, representing Major Wilson.
Alfred C. White, of West Brookfield.
Bowman S. Beaman, of West Brookfield.
Lewis K. Bruce, of West Brookfield.
Elmer Perry, of West Brookfield.
Martin Walsh, of West Brookfield.
Francis McReavy, of West Brookfield.
I. Walter Moore, of Warren.
George Freeman, of Warren.
Myron Rice, of Warren.
APPENDIX C
Troopers who rode in the Pageant with Alfred C. Stoddard, who represented Major Simon Willard:
Henry E. Cottle, of Brookfield representing Captain Parker.
George A. Putney, of Brookfield.
Windsor R. Smith, of West Brookfield.
Philander Holmes, of West Brookfield.
Ralph M. Buffington, of West Brookfield.
Fred B. Walls, of West Brookfield.
Howard Foster, of West Brookfield.
Lewis Richardson, of West Brookfield
William M. Richardson, of West Brookfield.
Harold Risley, of West Brookfield.
Daniel McReavy, of West Brookfield. Edmond Smith, of West Brookfield. John J. Mulvey, of West Brookfield. Robert Converse, of West Brookfield.
G. Lincoln Smith, of North Brookfield.
H. Stanley Smith, of North Brookfield. Milo D. Childs, of North Brookfield.
Harry K. Woodis, of North Brookfield. George O'Brien, of North Brookfield.
Maxey C. Converse, of North Brookfield.
Archibald D. Melvin, of North Brookfield
Charles S. Lane, of New Braintree.
Charles M. Dailey, of New Braintree.
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APPENDIX
Fred O'Brien, of New Braintree. Charles H. Fales, of New Braintree. Charles W. Ross, of New Braintree. A. W. Bliss, of Warren. Milton H. Lathe, of Warren. George E. Rice, of Warren. Harry O. Rice, of Warren.
APPENDIX D
Individuals who represented settlers in the Pageant:
Lindsey Smith
Miss Louise Hazen
Miss Dorothy Smith
Miss Maud Beauregard
Carlton P. Tyler
Miss Martha Canterbury
Miss Emma B. Tyler
Miss Marguerita Fales
Miss Stella Tyler
Edward J. O'Day
Miss Myrle E. Dodge
Miss Theresa O'Day
Miss Alice E. Babbitt
Miss Catharine B. O'Day
Miss Charlotte Thurston
Miss Anna O'Day
Miss Margaret Blair
George A. Whiting
Miss Grace Whiting
David B. McKerley
Miss Dorothy Makepeace
Miss Nettie Allen
Stanton Furguson
Miss Edna Allen
Miss Eleanor G. Bill
George Boothby Alfred Mundell
Miss Susan Bill
Miss Marjory Cutler
Miss Jennie Mundell
Miss Esther Mulvey
Miss Angie Mundell
Miss Nellie Mulvey
Miss Carrie Allen
Miss Hazel A. Anderson
Miss Marion Allen
Miss Dora M. Allen
Miss Grace Allen
Miss Gladys E. McKerley
John J. Mulvey, Jr.
Alfred R. Allen
Miss Mary Gilmore
Miss Jennie Hocum
Arthur Brigham
Miss Ruth Green
Miss Ruth Warfield
APPENDIX E
Gunmen in the Pageant: Alva Sikes, of West Brookfield. Warren Davis, of West Brookfield. George E. Allen, of West Brookfield. Frank W. Baker, of West Brookfield.
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Henry W. Ayres, of North Brookfield, a descendant of Sergeant John Ayres, killed in the fight with the Indians at Wenimesset, and of Joseph, 4, the only son of Sergeant John to return at the re-settlement of Brookfield, was to have acted as one of the gunmen. But, although present throughout the day, he was prevented by the condition of his health from taking an active part in the proceedings.
APPENDIX F
Members of the Quabaug Tribe of Red Men who represented Indian Warriors in the Pageant:
CHIEFS.
John J. Fitzgerald
William Letendre
Clarence W. S. Allen
Frank A. Brown
David H. Robinson
Frank E. Brown
William Macuin
Frank Macuin
Henry H. Flagg
Otto Olmstead
Edward M. Houghton
SCOUTS.
Arthur R. Stone
Arthur H. Bates
WARRIORS.
Sumner H. Reed
Arthur Bell
Levi Flagg
Harold Babbitt
Louis Brown
Ralph Clark
Louis Baily
A. E. Shumway
Charles Stone
Robert Walker
Charles Wine
William Foster
William Dane
Frank Mahoney
John Nelson
Joseph Clark
B. A. Conway
Paul Grondine
Edward Davis
Bert Shepherd
R. T. Allis
John Morgan
R. D. Olmstead
W. Potter
Alfred Brigham
Roy Haskins
Richard Young
Frank Griffin
George Canterbury
Charles Brigham
APPENDIX G
Members of the first and second grades of the West Brookfield Public Schools who rode in the parade as the "Committee in Charge of the 300th Anniversary Celebration":
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APPENDIX
Alberta Delpech
Philip Tolman
Eleanor Morgan
Donald Duggan
Harriet Boothby
Francis Flagg
Mary Mulvey
Alonzo Gilbert
Helen Flagg
Norman Smith
Gladys Pratt
Burton Smith
Millie Wright
Elliot Guertin
Helen Canterbury
Milan Lynch
Edith Greene
Ralph Chapin
Winifred Woodward
Milton Richardson
Lena Sankosky
Richard Kent
Mary Begley
Edward Morgan
Earl Smith
Walter Gould
Francis Barrett
Miss Alice J. White has taught these grades in the West Brookfield schools for thirty-three years. She is a descendant of Peregrine White, and also of John White, who was killed in the Brookfield meadows, during the early years of Brookfield history.
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