USA > Maine > Oxford County > Bethel > History of Bethel : formerly Sudbury, Canada, Oxford County, Maine, 1768-1890, with a brief sketch of Hanover and family statistics > Part 31
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Clergymen of Bethel, you know your work. Well some of you have wrought at it these many years. Others are fresh in it. Your memorial will be looked upon by other eyes than those which look on you to-day. It shall be honorable.
Meet, we all shall, but not here. There let it be, in the "Bethel" above. Nay, rather, in the "Blessed Home."
"The Medical Profession : They show by their practice rather than by words, what they do."
Responded to by Dr. N. T. True.
" Wiley, as some men claim to be, they cannot easily escape jus- tice, so long as the legal profession maintains integrity."
Responded to by Hon. James S. Wiley of Dover, Maine.
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: A little more than twenty-four hours ago, I was more than one hundred miles away, at the mouth of Penobscot Bay, on the verge of the Atlantic. I debated with myself for a moment whether I would return home, a comparatively short distance, or come to Bethel. I did not long hesitate. I wished to view once more your unrivaled scenery, to gaze once more upon your beautiful and grand panorama of valley, river, hill and mountain. I longed to greet again with cordial grasp the few remaining friends of my youth, and to renew my acquaintance with those whom I had known in later years. I con- cluded to come, with not the remotest idea, however, of taking any part in your celebration. But your historian, an energetic geologist, famous for discovering things, found me out after I had retired to my room for rest and repose. He said I must take a part. I de- clined, (urging fatigue and want of time for preparation. ) He insisted, claiming that I was a son of Bethel ; and as a dutiful son, I obeyed. I am glad I came. I have been highly gratified. I have had the pleasure of receiving a hearty welcome from old and dear friends. and of feasting my eyes upon the beauties of nature surrounding my old home. Your President has announced me as "almost a son of Bethiel." I do feel, sir, that I may claim to be almost a son of Bethel. You have a history of one hundred years ; concerning forty-eight years of that history I know something my- self. I knew the Chapmans, the Twitchells, the Beans, the. Hastings, the Kimballs, the Masons, and most of the old worthies, some of whom, by their presence, honor our meeting to-day. And, can I ever forget your adopted son, our old brother, William Frye. I knew him well, and cherish the fondest recollections of his gentle- ness and kindness to me. To him I was accustomed to recite many a lesson in my schoolboy days. A gentleman, a ripe scholar, a worthy member of the legal profession, whom we delight to honor.
But, Mr. President, I am expected to say something more 'par- ticular about the legal profession. This subject presents a very broad field of discussion, and time will permit me to glance at only a few points.
Law, in its true sense, is the very foundation of all civilized society. All nations which have made the least advance beyond the lowest barbarism, have found it necessary to restrain and govern themselves by rules and regulations for their own good. In the earlier stages of society, when the governing power is lodged in the hands of a few, these regulations may be few and simple, but as nations and communities become more numerous, and their affairs more complicated, laws must become more numerous and complex. Then there must be a class of men, learned men, who are able to make, expound and administer the law. Hence the profession.
Moses was a great law-giver and lawyer to the tribes of Israel. All great lawyers who really understand their profession are states- men ; he was such, learned and wise.
Solon and Lycurgus were great statesmen, law-givers and law-
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
yers, under whose wise administration the Greek nation made unprecedented advances in useful knowledge. I trust, sir, it will not be considered sacrilege to say that our Savior himself was the greatest, wisest and best law-giver the world ever saw. He gave us the Golden Rule, the very essence of all true law and justice. I fear we do not properly estimate the importance of the legal profes- sion in founding, building up and sustaining all great and enlight- ened nations. Consider how much England owes to her system of jurisprudence. What would she have been without her great states- men, judges and lawyers? I have time only to name Lord Mans- field, the great lawyer and upright judge, and champion of English liberty, who decided that slaves cannot live in England. "They touch our country and their shackles fall !"
Consider, for a moment, our own glorious United States. The fathers of the Republic, the framers of our incomparable Constitu- tion were good men, wise statesmen, and most of them, practical, sound, learned lawyers. And if we will but consider the matter for a moment, I think we may conclude that we are more indebted to the legal profession than to any other cause alone for the exalted rank which we hold in the scale of nations. As great judges and expounders of the fundamental law of the land, we are proud of a Marshall, Taney and Chase ; as great lawyers we may boast of a Lee, Livingston, Wirt, Clay, Webster and Choate. In short, our Constitution and the whole framework of our government and juris- prudence-all the work of the legal profession-are such as justły to challenge the admiration of the civilized world. A wonder indeed. But I might repeat the same in regard to almost every State in the Union. I cannot omit our own State of Maine. We can boast of judges, lawyers and a judiciary system which will compare favorably with those of any sister State.
But I am reminded my time is limited.
The other learned professions are well represented here to-day, and I would make no invidious comparisons. There is no antag- onism among us ; there should be none. The physician labors to eradicate or regulate the evils and disorders of the physical system ; the clergyman strives to inculcate the true principles of morality among the people ; while the lawyer, the true lawyer, strives to eradicate or correct those evils which infest the body politic. The good clergyman teaches the true principles of christianity, the true foundation of all laws ; the lawyer expounds and enforces them. So we see that neither is sufficient of himself alone, but each must aid and assist the other. Then let us work together, each in his own appropriate sphere, striving to fit and prepare the world for the coming in of that happy time-
"When Peace o'er earth her olive wand shall sway, And man forget his brother man to slay ;
Plenty and peace shall spread from pole to pole, And earth's grand family possess one soul."
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
"Our Mother State, Massachusetts: The blood of her citizens still courses in the veins of our sons and daughters."
Responded to by Rev. Mr. Tilden of Boston.
Mr. President : I believe this is the first time in my life I was ever called to speak for a State, save, when a young man, I popped the question for the state of matrimony. But as I had such good luck then I shall not hesitate to try again, especially as I know full well that Massachusetts, the dear old mother of States, does most cordially reciprocate the kindly sentiment you have just expressed. Like all doting mothers she is very fond and proud of her children when they do well. Besides, as we all know, she has special rea- sons for a tender regard for the sons and daughters of Maine, since they are not only bone of her bone and flesh of her flesh, but soil of her soil.
I remember a conundrum I used to hear in my boyhood, "Why is Massachusetts like a sheared horse?" "Because she has lost her Maine."
The good mother, if I remember right, was a little troubled about that shearing process, but she soon got over it, and has long since seen that it was best every way that her "down East" children should have their portion of the farm set off to them and set up for themselves. You certainly have shown your capacity for managing successfully your part of the old homestead, and of becoming a strong and worthy member of the great family of States, now happily re-united. we trust forever, in the bonds of liberty, equality, justice, and so, of peace.
Mr. President, this is a memorable day for Bethel, and I am right glad to be with you, even as a visitor, and share in the pleasures of your centennial celebration. A more delightful day you could hard- ly have had ; a more charming spot you could scarcely have selected. I was greatly interested in your procession, exhibiting the handicraft of a former day, and the old-time way of doing things. I was pleased with the pioneer woodsmen and hunters, though really, I could hardly have believed that you had a dog in Bethel a hundred years old, if I had not seen with my own eyes the veritable animal led by one of the hunters. I was gratified to see so fine a representation of glorious old men and women, showing the hardy stock from which you sprung, and the healthiness of your climate, together with the youth and beauty of Bethel so finely rep- resenting the 'Old Thirteen" and "the coming woman." I have been glad to listen to the interesting story of the last hundred years told by your historian, and put into sweet and musical rhythm by your poet. Glad to hear the letters of your absent sons, full of filial affection, and the spoken words of those present with you. Glad thus to learn that while your forests yield sound timber and your valleys rich grain, your homes yield historians, poets, preach- ers, physicians, lawyers. and above all, good, honest, industrious men and women ; the strong arm of future prosperity as of past achievement.
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
Mr. President, I was gratified to hear the cordial welcome ex- tended to visitors to-day. There seems to be a special propriety in this. For dear as Bethel is to her own sons and daughters, she has also a growing interest to visitors from abroad. There is something in your charming valleys and background of "everlasting hills" that is common property. It can never be bought or sold. Beauty and grandeur are above all price. ' Every appreciative mind claims them as its own. Bethel is rich in this kind of wealth, and this will always make your pleasant town a place of happy and restful resort for all lovers of the beautiful.
And now, in place of a speech, permit me to offer a responsive sentiment :
Bethel, the child of Massachusetts ! Though in the waywardness of her youth she did run away with the "Maine" branch of the family, taking with her a part of the old homestead ; still, she has done so well ever since that she has her mother's forgiveness and blessing. May her prosperity be as perennial as the beauty of her scenery, and in all coming celebrations may she be able, as to-day, to select from her own, a "True" man for her orator, a good "Chap" for her poet, and a rosy "Garland" for her chaplain.
"The Merchants of Bethel."
Responded to by Abner Davis, Esq., of Bethel.
"Our Native-born Citizens from other States: We honor them because they have honored their native home."
Responded to by Jacob Brown, Esq., of Illinois.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : My position here to-day is a strange and phenomenal one. Not to the Bethel manor born, nor yet an invited Bethel-born guest even. I am here by the pres- sure of Providence, or, peradventure, as the worldling would term it, by sheer accident. Born fifty years ago and more in the goodly town of Albany, an important adjunct to the town of Bethel in many respects, for the past week I have been treading my "native heath" again, and lingering around the half-forgotten scenes of my boyhood. A view of this dear old town awakens vivid recollections of other days.
"There I was birched, there I was bled, There like a little Adam fed From learning's woeful tree."
There my father lived, and there he loved, and there he labored, and there he died. And how he died, and how he labored, and how he loved, I can well imagine, but how in thunder he lived so long and so well in this quaint old town, amid the barren valleys and naked mountains, to me is a sealed book-the mystery of all mysteries.
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
The generation that knew me in boyhood has passed away. The present generation knows me not. Along the highways and by- ways of this rough old town, I passed and repassed without recog- nition from my fellowmen. The mountains bent their heads in greeting. The hills knew me well. The ponds and the pondlets caressed me. As I passed these old-time friends they turned up their sunny and familiar faces in hearty welcome and warm recogni- tion. I was glad to meet and greet these gray old sentinels of time, and gently put my hand upon their furrowed cheeks and wrinkled faces. and feel that no change can obliterate our early love. Never until the crack of doom shall these stupendous monumental piles crumble and lose their terrible grandeur and shivering sublimity. I looked around and noted all things else had changed. It was a sort of satisfaction to know I, too, had changed past recognition by the friends of my early years. I love the play-place of my early years. As the Esquimaux, who never feels the summer sun nor sees the flowers of spring-time, is inspired with patriotic love of country, so I can stand upon the hills of Albany, fold my arms around me, and complacently exclaim with the Esquimaux, this, my dear old native town, is the finest country the sun ever shown upon.
But what business has Albany, her living and her dead, in a cen- tennial celebration of Bethel? Modestly, I can only reply, because I am here. Not that I love Bethel less but Albany more. But in my present sunny mood I will sing my song of
PATTEE'S OLD MILL.
Of all the pictures in memory's hall, No one doth me so thrill; As pictures of boyhood days that were spent Down by Pattee's old mill.
There radiant morn, in her milk-white robes, Tripp'd o'er meadow and hill, Scattering light, and never so bright, as Down by Pattee's old mill.
And the brave old saw went up and went down, Through knot, splinter and frill ; And the well-worn wheel turned round and around Down by Pattee's old mill.
And the mist crept up from the old mill pond To pine trees on the hill ; The rainbow promise of youth gilded all Down by Pattee's old mill.
And, oh! how I panted and longed for fame- These longings trouble me still When I think of the boyhood days I spent Down by Pattee's old mill.
So oft as of life I'm sick-am aweary, Memory haunts me still ; Of young romance I skim'd in my youth, Down by Pattee's old mill.
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
The dear one I loved with a boyish love, Meets me in dreams at will, And hallows the scene that memory wakes Down by Pattee's old mill.
Along the wide ways of sin I may fall ; O God, be it Thy will ! If of Heaven I fail, to grant me rest Down by Pattee's old mill.
Bethel, dear old town! There is no town in the State which possesses so many and so fascinating attractions to the lover of nature in her beauty, grandeur and sublimity. Favored above all other towns in the State of Maine in the profuse distribution of nature's largesses, she has truly husbanded her resources. Her soil is tough and so are her people. Her soil has the true grit, and so has her people. The town was settled by a proud and heroic race of men. The tough soil and the rigorous climate have given well-knit muscle, strong arms and sturdy courage and fertile brains to her people. Bethel Hill, the center of the town, has been and will continue to be the center of learning and literature, the very Athens of Oxford county. Bethel Hill, picturesque and lovely beyond comparison, clings to the bold mountain sides in the back- ground, in shadow and sunshine, like the frighted babe to its mother's breast.
No outward-bound son of Bethel will ever forget to love and honor her. As long as the sun in his setting shall throw a flood of light and glory over the shivered peaks of New England mountain tops, lighting up the whole heavens as with molten gold, as long as the mists shall cling around the hill-tops, and the rivers seek the sea, so long, in the future as in the past, true as the needle to the pole, whether upon the land or upon the sea, upon the farm, or in the mines, at the bar, in the pulpit, or in the workshop, rich or poor, high or low, the true son of Bethel will love and honor her, and keep green her bays forever. I will now recite my poem, and bid you all hail and farewell forever, entitled :
BETHEL ACADEMY.
By barren rocks and deeply tangled wildwood, Mid valley, lake and glen ; Here babyhood was cradled into childhood, And boys grew up to men.
Anear the corner of this quaint old building, With the windows all arow ; That sturdy and that stately growing elm-tree Grew thirty years ago.
The Androscoggin still is flowing sea-ward, As thirty years ago ; Oft down whose gliding waters just at night-fall I've paddled my canoe.
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
Westward winds that little silvery brooklet, In tune to my poor rhyme ; Life's wreck-besprinkled waters still are surging, Against the shores of time.
I look adown the lane from this old building, Down to the dusty street ; But gone are all the bright, familiar faces Of those I used to meet.
And stricken dumb is my poor heart with sadness, Bright boyhood's dreams are fled, Flowers that bloomed by every humble wayside, All are withered and dead.
Poor, timid soul ! The dead may bury their dead, As soldier brave in fight ; Conquer the red-hot battles of life and learn To win and love the right.
"The Ladies of Bethel, celebrated alike in the present as in the past, for their untiring devotion to every noble enterprise, their intelligence, their beauty and their virtue."
Responded to by the band.
After the toasts and speeches, the audience, led by the Norway band joined in singing the centennial hymn, composed for the occasion by Geo. B. Farnsworth, Esq., to the tune of Old Hundred :
CENTENNIAL HYMN.
As-when to Jacob it was given To see, mid Eastern deserts lone, A ladder reaching up to heaven Along whose steps the angels shone-
He knew the Lord was surely there, And what had seemed but wilderness Now God's own dwelling did appear, And "Beth-el," thence he named the place.
So, when our fathers eastward led, Chanced to this lovely vale to roam, Seeing its emerald floor outspread And spanned by yonder crystal dome,
Into whose depths the mountains soared Like heavenly ladders angel-trod, They said, "Here, surely dwells the Lord !" And named their home the "House of God."
And here, from youth to age, they strove Their goodly heritage to keep For freedom, knowledge, virtue, love- Now in the dust, all silent sleep !
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
May we, their children, aye defend The heritage they loved so well ;
This heir-loom from the past descend To children's children, nobler still ;
A place for homliest labors meet, Ever of manly worth th' abode;
And aye, a place of worship sweet- A temple high-a "House of God !"
Dwell with us, Thou! And when the stone Shall be, at eve, our resting-place, Heaven's ladder be to us let down, And may we see Thee, face to face !
Secretary Richard A. Frye, Esq., read the following letters from gentlemen who could not be present :
AUGUSTA, ME., August 18, 1874. DR. N. T. TRUE, Chairman of Committee :
My Dear Sir :- I regret that a prior engagement to be present at the State Educational Convention at Rockland on the 26th inst., will prevent my acceptance of your kind invitation to participate in the exercises of your Centennial Celebration on the same day. I have no doubt that the exercises of the day will be such as to increase the love and veneration which every native of Bethel can but feel for a town which has so much to inspire regard, and at the same time to increase the reputation which your grand, natural scenery and health-inspiring air have so justly given you elsewhere. Accept my thanks for your courtesy, and believe me as ever the warm admirer and well-wisher of the goodly town which you have the honor to represent. NELSON DINGLEY, JR.
SALEM, OREGON, August 7, 1874.
R. A. FRYE, EsQ., Secretary of Centennial Committee :
Dear Sir :- In acknowledging the receipt of your invitation, extended to me on behalf of your fellow-townsmen, to be present at the approaching celebration of the centennial anniversary of the settlement of the town of Bethel, on the 26th instant, it is with more than ordinary regret that I am impelled by circumstances to forego the pleasure of compliance.
Wherever I have wandered in life, there has gone with me, next to the love and remembrance of parents, the love and remembrance of the hills and vales, the free air, the sparkling waters, the rugged and ever striking landscape, the summers and the winters of my birthplace.
The bold uplands of Oxford county, and the neighboring White Moun- tains of New Hampshire, have impressed their images upon my mind, and stand as emblematic monuments of a people, hardy, intelligent and honorable.
The first settlers of Bethel were remarkable for physical, mental and moral strength; and the hazards and hardships which they endured were well calculated to test these qualities.
Their success in subduing the wilderness and their savage foes, and in rearing school-houses, churches, and the higher institutions of learning, is the best evidence of the character and culture of our worthy ancestors.
May your celebration be alive with the spirit of the pioneers of Bethel and with the genius of a hundred years ago.
Most faithfully yours, LAFAYETTE GROVER.
·
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
BROOKLYN, N. Y., August 21, 1874.
R. A. FRYE, EsQ. :
My Dear Sir :- Your note of the 29th ult., informing me of the intended celebration by the citizens of Bethel of the one hundredth anniversary of the settlement of that town, was duly received, and, but for sickness, would have been earlier acknowledged.
I thank you very much for your kindly invitation to be present and take a part in the ceremonies on that occasion; an invitation I should most gladly accept but for ill health, which at present unfits me for any exer- tion whatever, either physical or mental, and confines me to the house nearly all the time.
As my years roll on to near "three-score and ten," each successive one brings more vividly to recollection my native town and its inhabitants, as they were in the days of my youth. In that homestead, beside its brook, and in its new cleared fields, I gamboled many a day with brothers who have long since passed away; there our father's quiet but impressive word was law, both indoors and out. Within its walls the echoes of our sainted mother's voice still lingers, and her loving presence yet casts its strengthening shadow within sight of that old house; all which was mortal of each of these dear parents has found its last earthly resting place, and memories such as these may well make Bethel the dearest spot on earth to me.
I grieve that I cannot personally join with you in the reminiscences and festivities that will mark your Centennial Celebration, but I shall be with you in spirit, and it is pleasant for me to know that others bearing the old, familiar name, and many of my kindred who still dwell among you, will represent (more fitly perhaps than I) the family, on that day.
In looking back over the history of the years that have resulted in such wholesome and steady growth to you as a community, I doubt not but you will realize that to the moral and truthful training of your people, is chiefly owing your prosperity. A lesson (it seems to me) that might at this time fitly be impressed on the minds of those who are to succeed you on life's battle-field.
But I must not weary you. In conclusion, I pray that God may bless you all, especially in your "assembling of yourselves together" on the day you will meet to celebrate, and that He will continue His mercy and loving kindness to your posterity for all time to come.
Yours, in the bonds of common sympathy,
LUTHER C. CARTER.
EARLVILLE, LA SALLE CO., ILL., August 23, 1874. R. A. FRYE, EsQ. :
Dear Sir :- I find it impossible to be with you on the 26th instant, to take a part in the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the settle- ment of my native town ; and on account of the pressure of business and professional engagements, which just at this time seem to be under the control of my evil genius, I am unable to prepare anything of value to be read on that interesting occasion.
I assure you that no one can be half so regretful and disappointed at this privation as I am. It would indeed have been a great happiness to me to meet and take by the hand my relatives, old school-mates and friends, and my honored and now venerable teacher, N. T. True, who is to be your orator on that occasion. I assure you that it is with the utmost self-denial that I am able to keep myself at home on duty under such circumstances. But if I could be present with you, or if I should attempt to write an ap- propriate letter, what should I say? Standing between the two centuries contemplating on the one hand the achievements of the past along the dim perspective of a hundred years, and on the other, the possibilities of the
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