USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Harrison > Centennial history of Harrison, Maine > Part 6
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"Ah, boys! now you stand at the portal of life, And the path stretches onward, away,
Through the dim, distant future, through sunshine and shade,
And through night alternating with day ;
The world lies before you, unconquered, untried - Unknown yet its pains and its joys,
And life, full of promise, lies close at your hand - Oh! what will you do with it, boys?
You may make what you will of that life, my dear boys - A failure, a mighty success,
A name that the world will not know - will abhor - Or one that the nations will bless ;
All depends, my young friends, on the way that you use The talents consigned to your care ; -
Oh, fight 'neath the standard of honor and truth,
Let your motto be 'Labor and prayer'!
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Don't expect Madam Fortune to trot by your side, Smoothing all the rough places away ;
Depend on yourself - carve your own onward path, And fight your own battles each day;
There is work for your brain, and your heart, and your hands,
And there's need of a plenty of pluck ;
But there's no 'fate' to conquer - on that rest assured - And there's never a question of luck.
Ah! what will you do with your talents, my boys, When all of life's battles are done,
And you look down the vista of long-vanished years To the hour when those battles begun? Oh! what will you see? and what record will stamp Those hours of struggle and strife?
Oh, pause now, while all is before you, and think What, what will you do with your life?"
The hours of this day are rapidly fleeting. This occasion, and the sentiments of patriotic affection inspired by it are being inscribed on the page of current history. Forward the eye of expectancy is fixed upon the coming events of the new century. The questioning words in our minds are, who, which, and what?
"Who'll press for gold the crowded streets, A century to come ? Who'll tread the churches with willing feet, A century to come ? Pale, trembling age and fiery youth, And childhood with the brow of truth; The rich and poor on land and sea - Where will the mighty millions be A century to come ?
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We all within our graves shall sleep A century to come. No living soul for us will weep A century to come. And other men our lands will till, And others then our streets will fill, And others shout and sing as gay, And bright the sunshine as today, A century to come."
ADDRESS OF HON. JAMES H. TOLMAN, OF WESTBROOK, MAINE.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :-
Although most of the faces before me seem to be those of strangers, yet I feel that I ought to address you as neighbors and friends. Time has gone so quickly that it seems but a few days since I was one of the citizens of the town, and, for this reason it seems as if I should know you all, and claim you as fellow townsmen. But the interven- ing years have wrought many changes, and the many new faces that are here before me are a reminder that the time between those earlier years and the present has been much longer than it seems.
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Nevertheless, with all these changes, this town has many pleasant reminiscences for me; and, of all the places in the vicinity, this very spot where we are gathered is to me, for many reasons, the dearest of all. In the second house to the east of the church opposite to us, on the same side of the street, is the place where I was born. It is here that we school-mates would meet for our games and plays, as it seemed to be the central place for all sports. We were so near to the pond that in summer we could steal away when our parents were not on the watch, and go in swim- ming. Here was the place where in winter we boys and girls gathered for our coasting. We would go to the very top of the Dawes Hill, and slide through the village, and even beyond. Often, when some of the older men were going to the village, we would have a passenger down. As we wanted to be generous and help the traveler on his way, we would get him on our sled, but, from timidity, or from a desire to help steer, he would usually drag his feet. I suppose he thought that he was putting on the brakes, but he usually brought about an unlooked-for result, and landed us in the ditch, buried in the snow-drifts. As our guest always occupied the front seat on the sled we were quite willing to go in for the sake of seeing the old fellow crawl out of the drifts.
We used to have fine skating, both on the pond to the north of us, and on Long Pond, as it was then called. It would be the work of the boys just beginning to learn to skate, with the help sometimes of others, to collect the brush and old wood for our bon-fire, which was built large and high, so that it would last as long as any cared to stay out, and would give light about all over the pond.
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With these recollections in mind it certainly gives me great pleasure to have the privilege of meeting with you today, and joining in the celebration of the anniversary of this grand old town of Harrison. Of course there are other towns and cities in this broad land of ours, which may be larger in area, and may be able to boast of a much greater population, of more manufacturing industries, and of a larger valuation, but, with all this in their favor, there is probably no spot on earth so dear to many of us here today as Harrison. Its situation makes it the most lovely spot that the sun ever shone upon. So beautiful, so lovely, is this situation that it can justly claim to be at the head of this great County, seated as it is at the head of the line, watching over the destinies of the grand old County of Cumberland.
Harrison, with its beautiful Long Lake reaching down through the center of the County, or nearly so, with its charming long arms still further stretched out as if inviting both strangers and friends to come and enjoy with us its pleasures and beauty; to roam over its beautiful hills, which are so high that they overlook nearly all of the County ; to wander in its forests; to drink of God's only beverage for man or beast at Summit Spring, that fountain of life, the drinking from which will renew the youth of the old, if any such a place was ever created; to enjoy the lovely lake at the northern part of the town known, I be- lieve, to the younger people here as Crystal Lake, but to us older members of the tribe as Anonymous Pond; to delight, in the eastern part of the town, in the beauties of the valley of Crooked River, which, besides being known far and wide for its picturesqueness and charm, also affords
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us excellent water power for our mills; and to note at the southern part of the town the same beauties which the eastern and western parts can boast. You may travel the world over, go into every corner of the earth if you like, and you can find no more suitable location for the Garden of Eden than the town of Harrison. This is the land which flows with milk and honey. Here is the place where many of us spent our childhood days. It is here we had our greatest pleasures and enjoyments, but like all others we did not fully realize the blessings with which we were surrounded. We were in the spring-time of life, and we could not comprehend it, always wishing for something better, for something different from what we had.
But now we are at a mile-stone, and, while we do not wish to turn back after having put our hands to the plow, we do want to stop and review the past, talk of the present, and consider the future. Let us look at the blessings which we had in our younger days, and comprehend and enjoy now through memory those things which we ought to have enjoyed more in our youth ; and let us pass in review some of the pleasant things which have happened, some of the kind acts and charities performed in this good old town. While this is a day of joy, I feel that there is somewhere also a note of sadness. Let us speak not only of the bright side of the picture, but somewhat of that which lies in the shadow. As I look about me and go over the past, I call to mind those good old citizens who were ever maintaining the puritanic ideas, and were always faithful and true to their own convictions; those men and women who lived a life which made other men and women better, which made them true to themselves and to their God; who always had
-
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a cheery word and a warm welcome whenever and wherever you might meet them. I see those men now -the Har- mons, Burnhams, Walkers, Perleys, Frosts, Brays, Cum- mingses, Stanleys, Carsleys, Bucks, Ingallses, Chaplins, Sampsons, Peirces, Hamblins, Howards, Abbotts, Wood- sums, Bracketts, and a great many others that I might mention. I would like to make special mention of two others for whom I always had great respect and esteem. They seemed to me to be as near correct as it was possible for mortal man to be. They were true to their faith, every Sunday finding them in their accustomed places of worship, they always met you with a friendly greeting, and even the boys always received a kind word from them. I refer to Edward K. and James G. Whitney. There were many more who always seemed to me to be the salt of the earth.
If I should chance to overreach the rules of propriety, I trust that you will pardon me, but this occasion calls to my mind one who was near to me. Now that we have all come home to help to celebrate the birthday of our dear old town, we have a right, so I have been told, to speak of our own, and of each other; hence what I have to say cannot be deemed out of character. I refer to my own father, who always took such a lively interest in any mat- ters which he thought would benefit this town. Such an occasion as this would have been his meat and drink. I well remember of his telling me many times of the great Fourth of July Celebration held here at the "Head of the Pond" many years ago; how he had the management and direction of the day's entertainment; how, through his instrumentality, the band from Massachusetts was secured ; and of what a wonderful celebration it was in every way.
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That which can be said of his interest and activity in this instance can also be said of him in the more quiet walks of life. He was always ready to respond to calls for charity, always trying to maintain those principles of our forefathers which have been handed down to us, - and which, I am sorry to say, many of us are neglecting - al- ways advising and assisting young men in the maintenance of those principles. He was always faithful and true, ever mindful of the future.
I wonder if he and his fellow workers are not looking down from the battlements of heaven and rejoicing with us today. Surely it seems as if all heaven and earth has joined with us to make this a most grand celebration. It was the spirit of men like them which laid the foundation of this town ; which has given us the best system of schools the world has ever seen; which has built and maintained our churches; which is teaching and fostering true civi- lization and liberty. This is the spirit which will uproot the mother of all evil, and the father of all crime, man's worst enemy and the devil's best friend. This is the spirit which we should maintain, for there is an element quietly working to undermine the foundation laid by our fore- fathers, and to overthrow it. It is for us to stand firm, and see to it that that which our ancestors have handed down to us is protected and preserved. As the Children of Israel after crossing the river into the promised land, were to erect a monument of stones so that their children and their children's children in after years would have an object lesson, in order not to forget the great blessing given to them, and to their fathers before them, by an overruling providence, so let these principles which have
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been handed down to us by our fathers, and our fathers' fathers, be their monument, which we will cherish, protect and emulate. Let us all strive together to maintain them.
In noting what the town has had, and now has, for its industries we shall see that, although the manufactures of the town may possibly have been small when compared with those of some of the larger towns, Harrison has furnished its full share of products to the markets of the world. Many, in looking back, can remember how this place used to be a great trade center for Maine, New Hamp- shire, and Vermont. I refer to the boating industry. The canal boats would freight goods from Portland to this place, and then they would be distributed by teams through other towns and States. This business was, of course, injured by the building and operating of the Grand Trunk Railway, and the final destruction of the old canal was brought about when the Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad was built.
There were other industries here. The manufacture of wire, quite an old industry, which was engaged in at first, I think, by Farley and Tolman, was later organized into the firm of P. Tolman & Co., consisting of P. Tolman, John W. Caswell, and Franklin Walker. The first mill which I remember was the one we called the "old wire mill," which stood above A. K. Morse's place, and near where Sumner Whitney's saw mill now is. Later was built the new wire mill where Mr. Whitney's chair and furniture factory now is. The firm of P. Tolman & Co. continued the same until the death of Franklin Walker. After this the business was continued for a few years, and then the other members withdrew and dissolved the partnership.
There was the foundry of T. H. Ricker, which was, as
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I recall it, enlarged by the addition of a machine-shop. This firm, now known as T. H. Ricker & Sons, has been very successful, and is today an industry of which we may all well be proud. Then there were the N. N. Caswell mills, which always did quite a business, and continued successfully until the death of Mr. Caswell. This estab- lishment, largely a stave mill, is now owned by N. N. Cas- well's son, H. H. Caswell, who has largely changed the business, and carries on a large grain business on the same spot, and runs the grist mill in connection with it.
Samuel Gray and others who have been successful in the lumber business, have given to the markets of the world their share of products, and there have been many other industries. For a few years there was a woolen mill, the firm being known as The Harrison Water Power Co. It was incorporated by act of the Legislature in the year 1868, with Samuel Thomes, Philander Tolman, Silas Blake, Samuel Gray, Joshua Howard, and John Dawes, as in- corporators. This was for a time the largest industry in town, and was continued until the mill was destroyed by fire. In the eastern part of the town were other industries which were, as I remember them, principally lumber mills owned by O. G. Cook, Cyrus Scribner, and others.
Today you have in place of the wire mill a chair factory, presided over by our active and hustling friend, C. Sumner Whitney. In place of the woolen mill you have a saw mill just built by Pitts & Doughty, which is doing a thriving business. The cooperage business has nearly, or quite, disappeared from the village, but there are a large number of inhabitants who are still engaged in lumbering, and all are active, busy, and happy. I should judge that T. H.
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Ricker & Son's machine-shop is the largest industry which has stood the test of all the hard times, and they are now shipping, not only to our own markets, but also to many foreign ports. The mills in the eastern part of the town have a good business, especially the Scribner mills which have been during the last few years, and now are, doing an increasing business.
The town has always been well represented in the va- rious professions. In the legal profession, one of our best lawyers was, I think, Harrison Blake, a man who was al- ways looked to for counsel, and who stood high in his profession. He was much respected, and was an old time settler who was well known throughout the country. He was succeeded by the late Hon. A. A. Strout, who gained a wide reputation, and is doubtless well remembered by many who are present. He was succeeded by Hon. Caleb A. Chaplin, who was deeply interested in the welfare of the town, especially in its educational life. Many of us can remember how he pulled us through those hard ex- amples in arithmetic and algebra, and helped us to un- tangle the twisted sentences in analysis and parsing, and for our questions in history his answers were ever ready. He continued to practice law here until his death. Hon. Obadiah G. Cook, after having served as Clerk of Courts for several years, settled at Bolster's Mills in the eastern part of this town, and practiced law for many years. He always took an active interest in town affairs, and always seemed to be on the right side of all questions.
The medical profession has been as well represented in the past as has the legal profession. The first doctor that I remember was John E. Dunnells, M. D. He was an ex-
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ceptionally good surgeon and physician who had an exten- sive practice extending over a wide territory. His life and work were very deeply impressed upon my mind be- cause of the fact that, when he went out in his old-fashioned "one-hoss shay," his son John and myself were often a part of the necessary outfit. We always preferred to sit on the outside, - one on each side of the good doctor. He was not a man of whom it could be said that he "rusted out," for he continued his practice up to the time of his death, which occurred one evening when he dropped dead after walking from the store to his house. In the follow- ing years the profession was represented by Drs. Dunn, and Pease, our late lamented Dr. H. H. Cole, and by our present physicians, Drs. Sylvester, and Blake, all able men, and all well thought of throughout the surrounding territory.
In the ministry there has been a large number of very able men. One, whom I shall always remember because of his faithfulness, was the Rev. Mr. Shelden. Certainly he was always about his Master's business. There was another whom I so liked to hear that I used to walk nearly every Sunday over to the old Free Will Baptist church, about three miles from the village. I refer to the Rev. Mr. Bartlett. It seems to me as if I can hear his words now as he used to so earnestly express them to us. There were other noble men who did good work in an earnest way. A proof of this is seen in the young men who, following the good examples set by these leaders, have entered the ministry.
There are others who have gone out from our town, and are making their mark in the world, leaving an influence that tells, not only in the community where they live, but
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in the country at large. Some have been heard from in Legislative bodies, and others in different vocations of life. There is the Hon. George H. Buck, who has worked him- self up to such a fine position that he exerts a commanding influence in the community where he now resides. The Hon. M. E. Ingalls is another who, as a railroad man, has no superior, and who today controls and has under his manage- ment one of the largest systems of railroads in the country. He is a man who has great influence, whose counsel and advice is eagerly sought and much esteemed. Another man who is certainly an honor to our town is the President of this meeting, the Hon. Charles S. Cook, who has just fin- ished his third term as a member of the Governor's Council. I suppose there is no doubt that he can be Governor of the State if he choose, but I believe that he will be the successor of our worthy Representative to Congress, Hon. Amos L. Allen, whenever he is ready to lay down the mantle. There are others who have gone from here into the West, and have met with great success. Of those who have gone into the neighboring towns, I recall one grand old man of whom I love to think. That is Sumner Burnham, who went from this town to Norway, and was instrumental in organizing the Norway National Bank, serving, I believe, as its first President. He was a man who left on "the sands of time" footprints worthy to be followed, a man whose influence still lives. There are many others whom we would de- light to honor, and I should like to name them all if time would permit.
Before closing I would like for a moment to compare your present means of conveyance with what it was in the past. One hundred years ago, I presume that it was largely
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by stage to Portland, a method decidedly slow and tire- some. As time went on the town was favored with a steamer which run to Standish, the passengers being con- veyed from there to Portland in coaches. This boat was under the command of Capt. C. C. W. Sampson, and Thomas R. Sampson was Clerk and Purser. This, of course, was a pleasanter and better means of transportation for the summer season. The freighting was done by canal boats in the summer, passing through the old Cumberland & Oxford Canal. After the building of the Grand Trunk Railway, passengers and mails were conveyed to South Paris by stage, and freight was hauled to that place by teams. Later we were much better served by the building of the Portland & Ogdensburg R. R., with steamers and sail boats running to the Lake Station in Standish. Our condition was still more improved when the Bridgton & Saco River R. R. was built, but as that stopped at Bridgton it was not satisfactory to our inhabitants. Harrison did not propose to remain quiet, and the agitation in regard to better means of transportation finally brought about the extension of the Bridgton road to this place. This makes, of course, the best means of transportation that you have ever had, but, in my opinion, it is not as good as you are to have in the future. The time is coming, and it is not very far distant, when you will see electric cars coming into your community. When that time comes you will have far better facilities than you have ever had, and with a rea- sonable fare to Portland.
In closing I wish to express my gratification for the priv- ilege of addressing you on this occasion, and for the still greater pleasure of meeting and greeting my old friends and former townsmen. I thank you all for your indul- gence in listening to me.
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CENTENNIAL POEM.
BY MRS. GRACE BRAY PUGSLEY.
One magic word there is that never fails To open wide the door of memory; On noiseless hinges swings the moss-grown gate, And lo! in childhood's land we wander free; Where'er men bide, however far they roam, Hearts beat responsive to the thought of home. Sometimes it chances in our busiest hours, A strange swift vision smites the weary brain, And through green country lanes we seem to walk, A barefoot boy, or laughing girl again. Without, the tumult of the noisy street, Within, a sudden stillness, calm and sweet.
And so with eager hearts we come today To greet the hundredth birth year of the place Where cluster fragrant memories of home ; Gladly we drop life's burdens for a space, Drawn to the old familiar haunts at last, By unseen cords that bind us to the past.
A century ago our fathers came,
Ere yet was born our grand old Pine Tree State, Slow pushing onward through the wilderness, Sturdy, undaunted challengers of fate, And pitched their camp, the toilsome journey done, Upon the wooded slopes of Harrison.
Fair village, nestling by the quiet lakes, Green farms that stretch away on either hand, Who knoweth if some vision, piercing through The forest depths that covered all the land, Revealed to them the picture fair we see, And gave them courage for the days to be?
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And yet it well may be they needed not To look beyond the duty close at hand, - To carve a home from out the wilderness, To wrest a living from the virgin land. Theirs the fierce joy of conquest, day by day, Bending the powers of Nature to their sway.
Courage and faith and patience, too, were theirs ; Cheerful they toiled for love of child and wife, And dwelling close to Nature's throbbing heart, They lived the "simple" and the "strenuous" life; Then, full of days, their time for labor past, In calm content lay down to rest at last.
Thus was the wilderness reclaimed; where once Dwelt undisturbed wild creatures of the wood, And pine-crowned hills looked down on peaceful lakes, Close guarded by eternal solitude, There lay the fields of ripening grain, And thrifty, happy homes on hill and plain.
The early struggles of the pioneers Were past forever; life had easier grown; Their children's children might in comfort dwell, And reap the fruit those horny hands had sown; Might live in peace a healthful farmer's life Of honest toil, untouched by greed or strife.
But youth loves change and action; and while some Still followed in their fathers' steps, content, Full many a youth and maiden felt the stir Of that adventurous spirit that had sent Their grandsires forth, through trackless wastes to roam, And far from beaten paths to build their home.
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