USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Holden > The history of Holden, Massachusetts. 1684-1894 > Part 7
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Wednesday, the first of July, dawned clear, bright, breezy, a perfect New England summer day.
" Day like a radiant jewel set To dim all gems of lesser ray In stately summer's coronet."
Ringing of the bells at sunrise ensured that the people were promptly astir. Trains and teams early brought hundreds of old residents and friends from other towns to join the citizens in the celebration of their anniversary. It was estimated
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THE SESQUICENTENNIAL.
that two thousand persons shared in the festivities of the occasion.
At half past ten the Congregational church was thronged for the formal exercises of celebration. A large choir of the singers of the town opened the exercises by the singing of " Home Again." An Address of Welcome was then given by the President of the day, Mr. Stillman F. Morse, as follows :
Ladies and Gentlemen :- In behalf of the committee who have in charge this day's celebration, I extend to those of you who have in times past called the town home, a cordial greeting.
I also speak for all who are here to greet you, and I say that a more sincere welcome was never tendered, than we offer you on this occasion. Welcome back to home and its associations. Your old friends are glad to have you once more among them, and they join heart and hand in wishing you all the happiness which whole souled Americans can draw from the ample resources of the place, which they are wont to call their native town.
And to our guests and others I say, we in this same kindly spirit welcome you to our town, our hearts and our homes, assuring you that we shall ever remember with profound pleasure, the honor which you have conferred upon us by your presence here to-day.
Mr. Morse then called upon William Howe, D. D., of Cam- bridge, in his youth a resident of the town, to offer prayer.
The hymn written by J. H. Bancroft for the centennial celebration was sung by the choir without change, except that the first line was made to read thus :
"Thrice fifty years have passed away."
The Historical Address was given by Rev. David F. Estes.
The following Hymn, written by Mr. Solon P. Davis of Hartford, Conn., a native of Holden, was then sung.
" Eternal One, before whose sight Time's centuries pass as motes in air,
Yet whose great love finds a delight To fold the sparrow in its care, Lo! all the centuries chant Thy praise ; And we, with ours, the anthem raise.
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HISTORY OF HOLDEN.
God of our fathers ! whose strong hand Has wrought Thy will from age to age, Who turned their feet to this good land And gave it for their heritage,- We bless Thee for the love thus shown, And for the gift made now our own ..
Yet not alone for goodly land, For mountain height and fertile vale, For fields, where, by Thy kind command, Seed time and harvest never fail,- But for a better heritage These songs of joy our lips engage.
For love of truth and virtues stern Bred on these hills in earlier years, For freedom's watchfires set to burn By faith that had no room for fears,- We thank Thee in these later days, And lift our hearts in grateful lays.
For love to God and love to man ; Self-sacrifice for others' good ; For growing heed to Thy great plan Which seals the human brotherhood,- Our Father, ours as well as theirs, We bless Thee in these fruitful years.
Oh, may the virtues of the past Survive in us of later time, While larger faith and love forecast The glory of that hour sublime, When right shall conquer every wrong, And heaven and earth sing one glad song.
The Poem which follows was then most effectively recited by the author, Mrs. Georgia Allen Peck, of Boston, herself a native of Holden.
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I.
Fair mother, on this festal day,- Day like a radiant jewel set To dim all gems of lesser ray In stately summer's coronet,- To hold proud natal jubilee, Lo ! wandering children turn to thee.
II.
How wide so e'er our steps may roam, However full our fateful days, Fair though our chosen foster home, Thy honored call our spirit sways ; From distant plain, from surging sea, With glad accord, we come to thee.
III.
We come, our eyes by love made keen,- We gaze upon thy tranquil grace, The record of a life serene Depicted on thy placid face. No trace of change can love descry ; Destroying time hath passed thee by.
IV.
Still, as of old, doth towering hill Uphold its lofty forest crown, While flowering slopes their sweets distil, As hill to vale curves gently down. Still songsters sing in leafy bowers The songs they sung in childhood's hours.
V.
The current of thy restless streams Flows tireless on to seek the sea ; Industry, many-handed, teems Along their banks,-their waters free O'ersweep man's barriers, rushing fast On,-ever on,-yet never past,
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HISTORY OF HOLDEN. VI.
Fresh fields of fragrant, new mown hay, To passing breeze their sweetness lend ; O'er verdant land, now sunbeams play, Now soft the cooling showers descend. Glad Plenty smiles 'mid fruit and leaves, Foretelling autumn's golden sheaves.
VII.
In sheltered vale, on sunny hill, Old homesteads stand, in tranquil state. Let passing generations still Keep those dear walls inviolate,- Guard, gracious town, these homes of thine Each stands, to loyal hearts, a shrine.
VIII.
And hold, we pray, in deference meet, Secure from ruthless hand of time, Those plainer doors, where childish feet Up Wisdom's steeps essay'd to climb. They stand to-day-if taper lights- Yet shimmering to the upper heights.
IX.
One loved those simple halls of yore, And now, behold a massive tower, A stately pile, a broader door, Stand witness to a filial dower. The bread once cast upon the sea, Returns, a hundred fold, to thee !
X.
Thy sister churches, side by side, Their varied paths to heaven urge ; Rely on each unerring guide,- Above their spires the lines converge ! One sidelight from eternity, And rival creeds must cease to be,
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XI.
The rolling years their record keep On marble shaft and grassy mound. One after one, to death's chill sleep Our dear ones pass,-yon hallowed ground A Mecca stands, where oft the heart With tender memory dwells apart.
XII.
Yet, living faces smile once more ; Old playmates pause, love ne'er outgrown. To-day shall magic touch restore Again unto our hearts our own ; Time, change and death are powerless still, When mystic chords of memory thrill.
XIII.
Lo here, lo there, a friend we name,- Like scattered rays in one they blend ; Behold, the dear old town we claim Our friend, nay more, our father's friend : Faithful, though fortune pass us by, Steadfast when stormy seas roll high.
XIV.
O Life, anon with smile or frown, With tender touch or barbed steel, Thou liftest up, or hurlest down . Remorseless, 'neath thine iron heel. With all thou hast, with all thou art, Still dost thou lack the mother heart.
XV.
So, gilded treasure of the mine,- Idol ornate, with feet of clay- Before thy glittering, hollow shrine Vainly we kneel, in vain we pray. To soul's deep need, to heart's lone cry, Thy empty ring makes vain reply.
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HISTORY OF HOLDEN.
XVI.
And Fame, around whose honored board, Pale votaries press, ambition-thrilled, Too late we learn thy feasts afford But Dead Sea apples, ashes filled ; Thy liveries bring nor warmth nor glow When biting blasts o'ersweep life's snow.
XVII.
No gold, no gain, no fleeting cheer, A cordial to the soul can prove, Lifting to Hope's glad atmosphere, Like kindly joys of kindred love. This tried and trusted loyalty
We find, O, mother town, in thee !
XVIII.
A debt to busy time we owe- To time, that fain would make thee old ! Lo, worn and faded records show Thy second century half told,- Again among thy laurel leaves Its peerless flower the century weaves.
XIX.
As tides that sweep the shrinking sand, Stern though their mighty billows be, Yet scatter on the barren strand The treasures of a boundless sea- So passing years, with footsteps fleet, Have poured their treasures at thy feet.
XX.
Unfaltering, thy trust in God,
Untarnished still thy spotless fame, Unscathed by heaven's chastening rod Of pestilence, or flood, or flame -- Mighty, when there was none to save, God blessed thee, in the land He gave,
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XXI.
He blessed thee, and He blesseth still. Man's days like shadows shall decline,
Death work his stern relentless will,
While centuries pass and make no sign. Yet happy shall that people be, Who trust, eternal God, in thee !
After singing the old hymn, " Let children hear the mighty deeds," the exercises at the church were closed with the benediction by Rev. Henry C. Fay of Somerville.
While these exercises were going on in the church, other exercises of peculiar interest and importance were going on in Memorial Hall. By concerted arrangement between the committee of arrangements and the school committee, provis- ion had been made for a special celebration for the children of the public schools. About ten o'clock, to the number of nearly five hundred, they were formed in procession on the common, each school being led by its teacher, and marched to the music of the band to their assigned places in the hall. Each pupil wore a badge of garnet-colored ribbon bearing the inscription " Holden Public Schools " with the dates " 1741" and " 1891" enclosing the lamp of learning. So much of the hall as was not occupied by the children was quickly crowded with de- lighted spectators and listeners. After an interesting program of singing, recitations and declamations by representatives of the different schools, Mr. Charles E. Stevens, town superin- tendent of schools, gave an address which he entitled " Bits of Town History ", being a brief review of the history of Holden, carefully adapted to the comprehension of his audience. Some weeks before, the school committee had offered to the pupils of the grammar schools, three prizes for excellence in written composition, as shown by an essay on some point in the history of the town. About thirty essays had been handed in, and those found most worthy were read at the close of the exer- cises. Liberal lunches had been prepared and placed in boxes, one of which was given to each child. After ample time had been allowed for the enjoyment of this lunch, the children
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HISTORY OF HOLDEN.
once more formed in procession, and marched to the top of the hill, back of the village, where Battery B was counting in thunder tones the age of Holden. After a short time the procession was broken up and the children were dismissed, to remember all their lifetime the share which they had in the celebration of Holden's one hundred and fiftieth anniversary.
After a brief interval spent in social greetings and reminis- cences, a procession of invited guests, citizens and friends formed upon the common and marched around to the place where the large dining tent had been erected on the lawn, somewhat in the rear of the "Damon Memorial " building. Plates had been laid for nine hundred and fifty, and all were taken. The Divine blessing was invoked at the tables by Rev. George W. Kinney.
After ample justice had been done to the dinner, Mr. Morse introduced Mr. Alonzo K. Learned as Toastmaster, who spoke as follows :
"It is fitting that the morning of this anniversary day should be ushered in by the ringing of bells and other demonstrations of joy ; that these should be supplemented by the more formal exercises of the morning, the cordial words of welcome, the able and scholarly historical address, the graceful poem, the admirably planned and executed entertainment for the children, the service of song and prayer lifting our thoughts from earth to heaven; fitting also that we should announce at high noon by a salute of one hundred and fifty guns the completion of one hundred and fifty years of organized municipal life.
" As we look upon this group of distinguished men who have honored the invitation of your committee by their presence, we are confident that those exercises to which I referred are about to be crowned by words of pleasant reminiscence and of wit, by the eloquent appeal to consecration to the noblest duties of citizenship and to the purest ideals of duty and of life.
" It is pardonable in us as citizens of Holden, standing as we do to-day on an eminence of one hundred and fifty years, if we do exult somewhat in the record of those years, and feel, as we look forth, that we are quite a part of the great republic of the United States. For, before the signal gun of the revolution sounded
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on Lexington green ; before the Declaration of Independence was written by Jefferson ; before that august body of men assembled in Philadelphia to frame the charter of our liberties ; here among the hills, men were trying the principles of self-government, working out the govermental problem of the ages, and in training for that heavier struggle in which the great republic had its birth.
" And yet we acknowledge to-day our allegiance to the govern- ment and propose as the first sentiment of the afternoon :-
I. " The United States of America : Extensive in domain, ex- haustless in resources, the embodiment at once of a wise conserva- tism and a generous aspiration, she stands to-day grand and free and confident in her strength to solve the intricate social and political problems of the present and of the future.
2. " The State of Massachusetts : From the earliest date in her history, the abode of an honest, hard-working, liberty-loving people, ' the home of scholars and the nurse of arms,' potent in influence in the past, but never more so than at the present.
"I have the pleasure of introducing a gentleman long and prominently identified with the industries of the state ; a gentleman deeply interested in the cause of education, and who, in the Congress of the United States, fought in behalf of the hard-working people of this town, of this state, of this nation, a hard fight for hard money, and came off victorious-Hon. Joseph H. Walker of Wor- cester."
Mr. Walker was received with applause as he rose to reply. He spoke as follows in part :
"No words that have been said, or shall be said, could be such a tribute to the character of the people of Holden as is the gathering of a thousand persons to celebrate the virtues of their ancestors. Those who take no interest in ancestral virtues generally have but little virtue to hand down to their own descendants. Massachusetts, from the days of Plymouth Rock to the present time, has put man before all else, and her present high position is due to this course. Well did her great war governor, himself a splendid example of her noble sons, say : ' I know not what record awaits me in the future, but I was never mean enough to despise a man because he was poor, or ignorant, or black,' Massachusetts has always resented any
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HISTORY OF HOLDEN.
legislation that would result in injury to her humblest citizen. Such injury has been resented at whatever cost of blood or treasure necessary."
Mr. Learned then gave :
3. " The City of Worcester : On this jubilee day we would not forget that this town was originally a part of the now flourishing city of Worcester. We rejoice in its present and prospective growth, we rejoice that it is the seat of an already renowned university, that its public schools and higher institutions of learning have a national reputation, that within its borders resides a highly intelligent, moral and religious people. I have the pleasure of presenting to you the official representative of the city of Worcester, His Honor, Mayor Francis A. Harrington."
Mayor Harrington was cordially received, and in response said in substance :
" The interests of Holden and Worcester are identical. The mother town is proud of Holden and her record. She is proud of the position her citizens have taken. Worcester appreciates the many sons and daughters that she has received from this town and is glad to join her other neighbors in speaking words of congratulation, and in hoping that Holden's two hundred and fiftieth anniversary may be as succesful as this."
In presenting the next sentiment, Mr. Learned said :
"There are many present here to-day who vividly recall the 4. centennial celebration of the town. We desire to connect this anniversary with that of the fathers, and therefore I propose to use two of the sentiments then offered, the first of which is, 'Honor to the Memory of our Mothers, who presided over the distaff and the loom. May their refined and beautiful daughters be as much distin- guished for their industry, energy and virtue.' To this beautiful sentiment, calling to our remembrance the presence, the labors, the sweet and blessed influence of mothers 'who have passed into the skies,' I have the pleasure of calling upon a gentleman who has the reputation of being the very pink of speechmakers, Hon. Alfred S. Pinkerton of Worcester,"
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Mr. Pinkerton said in response :
" When I saw the memorial which had been erected to commemorate the loyalty of the men who stained Malvern Hill and other battle fields with blood, I remembered that the women of this town had as noble a record as their brothers who went forth to do and die. I am very glad to note Holden's progress, but when it counts the elements of its success it should not be forgotten that the mothers have largely aided in securing it. Massachusetts is proud of her women. They have stood in the front rank of every reform that has been undertaken. Nor is it too much to say that they are the highest type of her civilization and the richest product of her soil."
The succeeding toast was prefaced with the following words : 5. "In the operations of government, the judiciary department must ever hold and exercise important functions ; for ' Justice,' Webster says, 'is the ligament which holds civilized beings and civilized nations together.' Whoever, then, labors to extend justice between man and man, whoever from the vantage ground of official station-
' Poises the cause in Justice's equal scales,
Whose beam stands sure, whose rightful cause prevails-'
' connects himself in name, and fame and character with that which is and must be as durable as the frame of human society.' The Judiciary of Massachusetts. To respond, I call upon the Hon. William T. Forbes, judge of probate and insolvency for Worcester county, a lineal decendant of Rev. Joseph Avery, second minister of the town, whom Dr. Damon, in his centennial address, characterizes as ' pre-eminently a peacemaker.'"
Judge Forbes, in his response, described the administration justice in olden times. Ecclesiastical administration of justice was a feature of those days. Those old ministers who sat in judgment, did much to shape the course of events.
Mr. Learned then said :
6. " You are all familiar with the beautiful picture drawn by Goldsmith in 'The Deserted Village' of the 'Village Preacher.' Yet there is scarcely a town within the limits of the Commonwealth
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but has been blessed by the life and labors of just such men as Goldsmith so vividly portrays ;- men who came bearing the highest credentials of scholarship, of character and of piety,-content to spend their lives in the holy offices of kindness, of charity and of religion. Rev. Joseph Davis, Rev. Joseph Avery, Rev. Dr. Wil- liam P. Paine, men of blessed influence and blessed memory ! They rest from their labors, their bodies slumber amidst the voiceless congregations to whom they ministered, but their works do follow them.
"To the sentiment, The Christian Minister in the Common- wealth, I have the pleasure of calling to respond a venerable clergyman, for two periods pastor of the Baptist Church in this town, Rev. Josiah H. Tilton, of Reading."
Mr. Tilton replied appropriately, and subsequently Rev. William Howe, D. D., paid an especial tribute to "Parson Avery. "
The next sentiment was,-
7. " The Prominent Men in Worcester County Fifty Years Ago: Fifty years ago were gathered in yonder hall the men active in the affairs of the town, Col. Samuel Damon, Charles Chaffin, Silas Flagg, William Metcalf and their associates, and around them were others conspicuous in the life and thought of the present city of Worcester. They sought, as we are seeking to-day, to honor the founders of this town. Those men have passed away; but there was seen upon the streets of Worcester until within a few years the venerable form of one of the men participating in the exercises of that occasion. I refer to the late Hon. Isaac Davis, a descendant of Lieut. Simon Davis, whose ashes lie entombed in yonder church- yard. 'In the sons the sires survive,' and I have the honor to introduce to you Hon. Edward L. Davis of Worcester."
Mr. Davis responded most fittingly, referring especially to the part taken in the affairs of Holden by his ancestors.
8. "The echoes of the cannonading of Sumter had scarcely died away, when, upon yonder green, was seen a body of men ready to leave home and kindred, and engage in the perils of war. Their promptness and alacrity was characteristic of the history of the town during that prolonged struggle. We have with us this
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afternoon one who knew the soldiers of Holden in the camp, on the march, on the battlefield, in the dangerous and deadly assault, one endeared to them by many acts of personal kindness, by many perils passed with them, by honors and results of victory shared with them, and who is prepared to speak of The Soldiers of Holden in the Civil War most eloquently. Soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic, women of the Relief Corps, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Gen. Augustus B. R. Sprague of Worcester."
Gen. Sprague was received with three cheers by the audience, led by the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, many of whom had served under him, and who attended the dinner and the exercises in the church by special invitation in a body. He paid a fine tribute to the patriot- ism of the town, and the bravery and worth of its soldiers. " Holden's soldiers were to be found in the foremost ranks of war, an honor to the town both living and dying."
The sentiment, " The Schools of Massachusetts," was respon- ded to by Hon. John W. Dickinson, Secretary of the State Board of Education ; " The Industries of Holden," by Hon. Martin V. B. Jefferson ; "Personal Reminiscences," by Thomas Cleland, M. D., of New York City, and to the closing senti- ment, " The Gallant Sons of our Venerable Fathers," repeated from the centennial, Hon. John R. Thayer responded. Brief speeches were also made by Rev. William A. Lamb of New- ton, and Mr. Solon P. Davis of Hartford, Conn., and the exer- cises of the day closed with the benediction by Rev. David F. Estes.
CHAPTER VII.
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HISTORY. OF THE CHURCHES.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. - BAPTIST CHURCH. - ST. MARY'S PARISH. - METHODIST, UNIVERSALIST AND ADVENT WORK. - SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE CHURCHES.
NE of the chief purposes of the founders of Holden in securing its incorporation, was to have the gospel preached among them, and the first business of the town, after the choice of its municipal officers, was to arrange for obtaining a minister. Although the meeting- house was still unfinished, neither pulpit nor pews being in their place, it would appear that meetings were regularly held. Months, however, necessarily passed before a pastor was secured for the little flock, "like lambs in a large place ".
The following is the record of the organization of the church and the ordination of its young pastor :
" December. 22. 1742.
" The following Churches being present with their Revd Pastors & Delegates, Viz. The Chh in Lancaster Shrewsbury Worcester & Rutland, a Church of Christ this Day was gathered here, & the Reverend Mr. Joseph Davis was Ordained to the Work of the Gos- pel Ministry and to the Pastoral office and Charge of this Church.
" The Revd Mr. Buckminster began with Prayer.
" The Revd Mr. Burr Preached from Isaiah. 58. I.
" The Revd Mr. Prentice gave the Charge.
" The Revd Mr. Cushing the Right hand of Fellowship. -
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HISTORY OF THE CHURCHES.
" The Persons embodied belonged to the following Churches
I Simon Davis.
2 Joseph Davis.
3 Cyprian Stevens.
4 Samuel Hubbard.
in Rutland.
5 David Brown.
6 John Fletcher.
7 William Nickols
in Reading.
8 John Biglo
in Worcester.
9 Jabez Harrington
in Weston.
" These produced their Letters Dismissory and Recommendatory before embodyed.
" The following were recieved at the gathering of the Chh.
Io Samuel Pierce.
II Jotham Biglo.
12 Samuel Heywood.
13 Joseph Hubbard, and
14 Amos Heywood.
"N. B. These were propounded some time before."
It will be noticed that, very peculiarly, all the constituent members were men. There were doubtless godly and pious women in Holden then, as is shown by the fact that of the twelve members received within six months after the organiza- tion of the church, eleven were women.
No articles of faith were adopted at the constitution of the church, or for nearly seventy years after. The first business done by the church was to vote that " Persons be received into the chh. without a Relation", that is, without a statement of personal religious experience. The church had a covenant under which were associated those who became regular mem bers of the church, and were thus entitled to all its rights and privileges. Others, not desiring full membership, might "own the covenant ", as the phrase went, that is, assent publicly to its requirements and obligations, without, however, assuming them, and thus secure the baptism of their households, This was called " the half-way covenant ". During the time while this system was in force, one hundred and nineteen persons
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