USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Royalston > Reflections on Royalston, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A > Part 4
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This was in May, 1911, and I have never since that time exchanged a word with Dr. Adams in relation to that History; nor have I ever at any time, or in any way, conferred with any other member of the Com- mittee concerning it.
Sometime in 1913, probably, Mr. Caswell called on me. He had been referred to me as one who could give him a sketch of the Morse family, as my mother was one of that family. I told him I would do something, and the next night I worked until three o'clock picking out and putting in order such data as I had, which I sent to him, together with the ad- dresses of other descendants of the family who could give him details of their respective branches better than I could. I regret that I sent him that matter, for a part of it was thrown away, a part was used to pad out other families, one family was extinguished, and others who had been Royalston merchants were barely named, and the Morse family presents one of the worst jumbles in the book.
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When I sent my first letter to Mr. Caswell, in February, 1911, I en- closed a list of post-card views of Royalston of my publication, and as he was closing this short visit in 1913, he pointed to a sheet of the cards hanging on the wall, and said that later on he would wish to see about using some of the views in his book. The next year I received this letter.
MR. H. C. BARTLETT, Fitchburg, Mass. ATHOL, Sept. 24, 1914.
My Dear Mr. Bartlett: - I am writing you at this time in regard to pictures for the Royalston History. I have a list of Souvenir Post-Cards of Royalston that you sent me some time ago. Would those Post-Cards be all right to make half-tone cuts from? If they are all right for that I would like to have you send me the following: [ten subjects named] and send me bill for the same.
Also have you other pictures connected with Royalston history that would be interesting for the work? If so, please write me what you have. I wish to push the picture part of the business as fast as possible now.
Yours truly, L. B. CASWELL, Athol, Mass.
In reply to this letter I informed Mr. Caswell that my post-card views would not be good to make his half-tone cuts from, as the views are half-tones, and the double screening effect resulting from half-toning half-tones is usually far from satisfactory. I also stated that if my views were to be used in his book it would be better to have them printed directly from my plates, thus saving the expense of new plates and avoiding the double screening; but, as I intended to use the views and everything else that I had in the line of Royalston pictures in a work of my own, I should prefer, for obvious reasons, that they be not used in his book. The next communication from Mr. Caswell follows.
MR. H. C. BARTLETT, Fitchburg, Mass.
ATHOL, Jan. 13, 1915.
My Dear Mr. Bartlett :- I am writing you at this time regarding the History of Royalston, and especially in reference to the portrait or pic- ture part of the work. The pictures for the book are to be half-tones and the prices are as follows: Full page $20; 12 page $10; 1/3 page $7; 14 page $5; 1-5 page $4, and 1-6 page $3.50.
Do you want your portrait in the work? If so fill out the enclosed slip and send me your photograph at an early date, for we have already set the engravers at work on the pictures, and must send them the pho- tographs as fast as we can.
Hoping to hear from you at an early date, I am
Yours truly, L. B. CASWELL, Athol, Mass.
As I did not wish to advertise in that way, I made no reply to that letter.
As previously stated, it had been expected that this official History of Royalston would be printed and ready for sale at the anticipated sesqui-centennial celebration, the time for which was finally set for August 1-3, 1915. During the spring months of that year calls were made through the Athol newspapers for all matter intended for the book to be sent in at once, and it was stated that everything must be closed up very soon. But when the time for the celebration had nearly arrived it was stated that it had been found impossible to get the book out at that time.
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Following the celebration it was decided to publish an account of it in the book; this occupied 28 pages, - 19 pages in the book proper, and 9 pages in the appendix devoted to Hon. Fred W. Cross' historical ad- dress, - hardly enough, with the matter all ready, to delay the publica- tion for any great length of time. But, although it was frequently stated, officially or semi-officially, that the book would soon appear, it was not until the latter part of March, 1918, that the announcement was made that it was actually ready. I received a first copy on the first day of April, and another one as soon as I could get it after being informed that the copy for which I had sent a subscription to Mr. Caswell could be procured from the Committee.
The book is a large, heavy volume, of several hundred pages more than were promised by Mr. Caswell's prospectus. It is illustrated by something like 225 portraits and pictures, all except eight of which are half-tones. The chapter on "Longevity" is missing; otherwise the book treats practically of all the subjects proposed by Mr. Caswell in his pro- spectus, and others have been added. No one can say that he has failed to give the bulk and quantity promised.
There are three ways in which the printing of a work of this kind may be handled, with reference to accuracy and uniformity of style in punctuation, capitalization, the use of italics and abbreviations, spacing, paragraphing, and other details. First, if allowed to do so, the printers will try to bring the work to their standard, based generally on the best usages and in accordance with good taste. Second, if the author has ideas of his own, differing from the printers' rules, and makes them known, and attempts to prepare his copy accordingly, the printers will try to do the work in conformity with his ideas. Third, when the author has no particular style of his own, bringing in his copy varying in all the essential details, objects to the printers' efforts to harmonize them, and calls for an unreasonable amount of changes in the type which should have been made in the copy, then the word is likely to go out, "Give it to him just as he has it; if he don't want it right, we needn't bother." The result is a somewhat hodge-podgey book. I am of the opinion that the third rule of operation was largely in force in the printing of this Caswell's History of Royalston.
We cannot say that a book is a first-class job of printing in which things like these appear. This is the headline of page 11.
INCORPORATIGN GF THE TOWN 11
And these are the last five lines of page 19.
One of their number, and the one with whom I was most intimately connected, has fallen by my side; and we mourn his loss, and tender our sympathies to the Bereavedof :- such men as Russell Morse, Jr., the Town of Royalston have none to spare.
On page 471, the 8th, 9th and 10th lines are set in three different kinds of type-all one size "body," but each a different "face." And
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page 417 is started off with a nice mixture of "Old Style" and "Modern" faces, with the little "Old Style" figures in some of the lines and the large "Modern" figures in some of the others. This mixture of the dif- ferent "faces" of type is quite general throughout the book, varying from a line or a part of a line to a part of a page and even whole pages.
With the whole book printed on paper suitable for half-tones, as is proven by the fact that half a dozen half-tones were well printed along with the reading matter, we may well ask why all of the half-tones were not printed on the same sheets as the reading matter, thus bringing the picture and the story together, and all having the benefit of the binding, instead of having the pictures printed on 90 separate sheets and pasted in, -like patches cut out of a whole garment and sewed on. We may well conclude that Mr. Caswell thought that because the lithotypes had to be pasted in his "Athol Past and Present," the half-tones must be pasted in his Royalston book. These pasted-in leaves, while they may stay in place with careful usage, will pull at the leaves to which they are attached and loosen the binding.
"Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts; with a History of the Worcester Society of Antiquity. Prepared under the Editorial Super- vision of Ellery Bicknell Crane, Librarian," etc. Such is a part of the title-page of four large volumes, issued in 1907, containing a vast amount of genealogical matter. It was undoubtedly a subscription affair, and the subscribers and their families are the ones genealogically and other- wise "illuminated." Quite a number of Royalston families were caught in Mr. Crane's net, and shine forth in his books. Mr. Caswell's History of Royalston bears evidence that he availed himself largely of such in- formation as they contained, for good or ill.
It was not "good business" for the Town to employ Mr. Caswell on a salary to copy out those "Old Royalston Families" from Crane's and the other books. The books should have been purchased for a few dol- lars and the necessary pages taken out and given to the printers for copy, thus consevring labor and money, and reducing the liability to errors by 50 per cent.
Someone has quoted the eighth stanza of Tennyson's "The Grand- mother," as follows:
"And the parson made it his text that week, and he said likewise, That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies:
That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright, But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight."
This fits a lot of Mr. Caswell's matter. He has got from Crane's, or the "Vital Records" books, or somebody has told him, something about some Royalston family, individual, or event; he does not know that he has not the whole story, or, realizing that, he does not know where to go to get it completed, and so he lets it go in a "half truth."
The "Vital Records" are good in their way, but they are only tran- scripts of town and graveyard records. There were many births, mar- riages and deaths during the period covered by the "Vital Records"
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which were not recorded on the town records, and therefore do not appear in the "Vital Records." We will not blame Mr. Caswell nor the "Vital Records" man for saying that Dr. Willis' son's name was Julius, when it was Jules, and Russell Morse, Jr.'s son's name Edmund, when it was Edwards. Those boys were born during the time when Barnet Bullock was Town Clerk. It was said that sometimes "Uncle Barnet" could not read his own writing after the ink got dry; so the copyist, who did not know the boys, had to guess at their names on the records.
Of course we expect a few mistakes, like the statement that Elder Wightman Jacobs, who was born about 1725, was installed in Royalston in 1870; we know that is only a mistake of a century. And when we read that Flora Sherwin married Fred Drury in 1838, and look up Fred and read that he married Flora in 1878, we know that is a mistake, but it is an improvement over the other, being only 40 years instead of 100. Mr. Caswell is a "leetle mite careless with his figgers." That may help out some of those whom he has placed in critical positions by his state- ments, clergymen as well as laymen.
On page 37 it is stated that Dr. Frank W. Adams was Town Clerk from 1877 to #$5, inclusive. On page 119 it is stated that he was Town Clerk from 1877 to 1889 and from 1900 to 1915. If the latter statement is correct, the book makes no record of who was Town Clerk for the ten years 1890 to 1899, inclusive.
On page 37 it is stated that Rufus Bullock was Town Treasurer from 1825 to 1837, inclusive. On page 179 it is stated that he held the office from 1835 to 1837, inclusive.
On page 37 it is stated that Dr. Frank W. Adams was Town Treas- urer in 1899 and 1900 to 1915, inclusive. On page 119 it is stated that he held that office in 1888 and 1900 to 1915, inclusive.
On page 37 it is stated that George Everett Pierce was Town Treas- urer from 1889 to 1899, inclusive. On page 270 it is stated that he held the office from 1888 to 1899, inclusive.
On page 37 it is stated. that George F. Miller was Town Clerk in 1847, 1848, 1849, 1851, 1866 to 1870, inclusive, and 1873. On page 376 it is stated that he was Town Clerk from 1847 to 1851, inclusive.
On page 57 it is stated that "Rev. Ebenezer Bullard" "was dismissed from the Royalston church Nov. 9, 1865." Some of us know that Rev. Ebenezer W. Bullard did not resign his pastorate until several years later than 1865.
On pages 320 and 321 we are told that Benjamin Leathe, Jr., son of Benjamin and Lois (Walton) Leathe, "married Paulina Chase, daughter of Silas and Diadama Chase, Aug. 11, 1814. Their children were: John Walton, born Jan. 22, 1815, married Polly Morse of Fitzwilliam, N. H., Nov. 15, 1828;" four other children mentioned, but Leonard Lorenzo Leathe, who is stated on page 105 to have been a son of these parents, is omitted. In the same paragraph we are informed that John Leathe, brother to Benjamin, Jr., and uncle to John Walton Leathe, also married Polly Morse of Fitzwilliam, Nov. 15, 1828. It must have been a sort of double wedding for Polly, if she became the wife of the 13-years-old nephew and of the 34-years-old uncle at one marriage.
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On page 322 it is stated that William H. Leathe, son of John and . Polly (Morse) Leathe, married Frances R. Williamson, March 13, 1890, and that their children are John H. Leathe, born Sept. 2, 1890, and Her- bert H. Leathe, born July 13, 1895. The Royalston Town Report for 1895 gives the parents of Herbert H. Leathe as William H. and Frances R. (Whitmore) Leathe. George W. Blandin signed the record as Town Clerk for 1895, although Mr. Caswell ignored him. It is also stated that it was at the suggestion of William H. Leathe "that the article regard- ing the publication of a town history was first put in the town-meeting warrant."
On page 324 it is stated that "Edward Lyman and Emma (Collins) Stone had two children: Robert Waldo, born Aug. 7, 1862, and Cora Viola, born May 9, 1869, married to George Henry Richards, Dec. 24, 1891;"' etc. On page 323 it is stated that Edward Lyman Stone was born March 31, 1852, or a little more than 10 years before the birth of his son and 17 years before the birth of his daughter. It appears, also, by the record on page 323, that Edward Lyman Stone had a sister of the same name as his daughter, Cora Viola, who was born May 7, 1868, and married George H. Richards Dec. 24, 1892. These dates are quoted ex- actly as given by Mr. Caswell, and comment would seem invidious.
Whether the author's errors of commission or of omission are the greatest, it would be difficult to decide.
On page 54 he attempted to quote from Rev. E. W. Bullard's anni- versary sermon the amounts offered Rev. Joseph Lee as salaries for several years, but dropped out 14 words relating to the amounts for the "three first years" and the "three next following years."
On page 37 it is stated that in March, 1899, John N. Bartlett made a gift of $20,000 to the town, in trust, the income of which is for the sup- port of the poor, and on page 38, that the income for the year 1914 amounted to $1,150.40. But nowhere in the book is the truth stated that the fund had been increased by additions by Mr. Bartlett and unex- pended income, so that in 1914 it amounted, to $28,564.66.
On page 34 are these words: "Intereresting facts gleaned from the Assessors' Reports covering the last 55 years." Then follow quota- tions from the reports for 1860, 1875, 1885 and 1890, "covering" 31 years; the remaining 24 years of the 55 escaped the "covering."
On page 103: "Royalston's list of graduates from the State Normal Schools is also worthy of mention;" followed by a list of names of seven graduates, from 1864 to 1883, inclusive. Is that a full list?
On page 116 it is stated that Dr. Isaac P. Willis had two children, and that he died "about 1863 or '64." Dr. Willis had three children, and there is no uncertainty about the exact date of his death. And more.
On page 374 three children are named for Col. George Whitney, and "Mrs. Whitney died Col. Whitney had four children, and his first wife did not die blank. And more.
On page 278 we read that "Mr. Newton died - In that story of the Newtons in Crane's book from which our author made up largely his history of "The Newton Family," the date of Charles H. Newton's death is quite definitely stated.
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On page 208 we are informed that "Mrs. Harriet Wilder Walker died " In the early years of his historical researches our author found the lady in his home town and received "valuable assistance" from her. Her funeral was held in Royalston, and the story was told in the Athol newspapers, like many another item of importance to a "most comprehensive and complete" "review of Royalston families;" and our author,-who alone was entrusted with the reviewing,-
"Where, oh where was he? 1385534 Ask of the winds, that, far around,
With fragments strewed the [historical] sea!"
On page 272 it is stated that Leonard T. Pierce was born July 25, 1874, and nothing is said about his marriage, children or death. Some of us who knew Leonard T. know that he was born 27 years earlier than 1874, that he was married, had a child, and died before work was begun on this History of Royalston by Mr. Caswell.
On page 127 it is stated that the Town voted to have a free collation at the Centennial Celebration in 1865, which was true; but nowhere in the book is the complimentary truth told, that at an adjourned meeting the Town rescinded its vote for a free collation, and that later a contract was made for a dinner of 800 plates, sold at $2.00 per plate.
On page 447 it is stated that four persons and firms "kept store" in the "old tavern and store building, west side of Common." The truth is that at least eight different firms and individuals sold goods in that store at the south end or head of the common.
On page 451, at the end of the "Industrial" section of the "Mercan- tile and Industrial" chapter, are given the statistics of 1864, as published in the Memorial in 1865, of the manufactures from wood in the town, but the statistics of manufactures from palmleaf and wool, shown on the next page of the Memorial, are not given. For Royalston industrial sta- tistics later than 1864 the reader will need to look elsewhere than in Mr. Caswell's History of Royalston.
Page 236 is devoted to the document containing the terms on which John N. Bartlett offered $20,000 for the support of the poor. Right out of the middle of it are dropped 49 words, containing a most important provision. It was not crowded out, for the last two-thirds of that page is double leaded between the lines, while the most of the book is only single leaded, favoring a suspicion that the missing lines might have been set in type, and then thrown out, and the extra leads used to stretch the page to full length.
But the worst is yet to come. Having been told on page III, again on page 120, some more on page 348, and still more on page 349, of the merits of Dr. Adams' "Epic Poem on the War of the Rebellion," we had good reason to hope that that much-complimented narrative might run through the book without being side-swiped, losing a mud-guard or a wheel. 'And so we sat down, to enjoy as well as we might with our be- nighted intellect, the rich treat vouchsafed in the few extracts for which space could be spared in the book. Beginning with the first extract, we deemed it to be a rythmical description of surroundings and conditions
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just before Fort Sumter was bombarded. And, following the rhythmic couplets, we are brought to this peculiar announcement:
A scene of peace! for war's hoarse, clarion notes Had never rung from out those iron throats, On whose fair bosom peerless Sumter lay,
'Plashed her sweet shores with joy at flight of night - And nodded to the morn her crests of white.
"Iron throats?" "Fair bosom?" Throats don't have a bosom for "peerless Sumter" or anything else to lay on. Throats don't rhyme with lay, and lay don't rhyme with night. Gracious! The thing has been Caswellized! A line is missing. Find that, and replace it, and it will run along like an automobile coasting down Doane's hill without power. I have written on the margin of that page of my private office copy of the book (with apologies to Poets Peck and Leathe) this line:
To break the calm where lovely Charleston bay,
And whenever I sit down to read that poem I read that line in where it will do the most good, to wit, in separating "those iron throats" from that "fair bosom." It will not be copyrighted, and all who choose may use it without prejudice.
I wish I had the swing of language to express what I think of Dr. Adams' grand word-picture; but, in utter helplessness I can only say, in italics, "It's great !" Why couldn't we have had more of his super- excellent work in the book? Of course we find a little here and there, like oases in the desert; but there was room for a great deal more, with- out putting us out of sight of a healthful amount of silex.
The chapter headed "Royalston's Soldier Record" was compiled and written by Fred W. Cross, which is equivalent to saying that Royalston's military record is very accurately and properly set forth. The record of the soldiers of the Civil War, all arranged in alphabetical order and treated systematically, is by far the best piece of work in the book. It was completed and ready for publication in 1913; but it is evident that while the other parts of the work were left stuck in the sand all along from 1914 to 1917, Mr. Cross kept his record patched up until it "went to press." It is a standing shame that such an orderly elaboration was subjected to the indignity of having the soldiers' pictures thrown into it helter-skelter, so that only 16 out of the 48 shown come opposite their stories. There seems to be no sane reason why those little half-tones should not have been printed right on the pages with the little stories, alle samee medicine-book; but if the management couldn't grasp such an innovation, and insisted on having them stuck in, why didn't some- body stop the mad career long enough to put them in some kind of order corresponding to the stories?
There are indications that Mr. Cross had a finger, if not a whole hand, in the compilation of the South Royalston families, sons, et cetera. It is much to be regretted that he was not allowed to do more of the general work, for which he no doubt could have found plenty of time. In the few years since Fred jumped into the arena I have never noticed him in the position of one overworked; but rather he has seemed to be in the attitude of Oliver Twist, holding out his skillet for more.
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I did not intend to go so far in my remarks along this line, but there seems to be no stopping place. Quite likely it will be said that I have hunted up everything I could to criticise. That is not true. I have hunted very little; most of the things wrong have come to my attention while I was looking up somebody or something I was interested in. Just now I turned to the Chamberlain family, on page 337, and there it is stated as plainly as it can be told in print, that Bela N. Chamberlain married H. Jane Cram Aug. 15, 1849, and that they had a son born on the same day, Aug. 15, 1849. I am sure that if I should go on a regular proof-reading hunt through the book I would find hundreds of typo- graphical errors and a large number of other things wrong. There are many things which I have seen that are wrong, which I have not men- tioned. I have just looked at the Perkins family, and on page 274 was informed that Annette Perkins married Horatio Newton in 1854; turning over to the Newton family, on page 276, I learned on just as good au- thority that Horatio married Annette in 1851. What's the use in hunting for things which will jump right out at you if you keep still?
The "Table of Contents" in the front part of the work. is a nice thing, like the four-page bill of fare at the hotel, which you study to decide which of all the nice things mentioned you will order for your dinner. To find the main story about some person or family, you have a grand hunt, for such stories are classified under all sorts of headings, from "Town Government" to "South Royalston Families." Dr. Adams is served up under "Medical Profession," done to a turn, with mushroom sauce. Phin. Newton comes in a fricassee of "Old Royalston Families." Col. Whitney is the top slice of a nice chapter of "Biographical" toast, well buttered. Fred Nichols was born in Fitchburg, but he is served as an entrée, under the heading of "Sons of Royalston." Fred Cross comes on the board under "Sons of South Royalston," home cooked. David P. Foster is served as dessert in the "Appendix."
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