USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Peterborough > Historical sketches of Peterborough, New Hampshire : portraying events and data contributing to the history of the town > Part 39
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"Today we have in place in the library her legacy to the society of the valuable and unusual collection of ancient pewter, treasured for many years in the home at Orchard Hill. Its lustre and enduring qualities are certainly symbolic: people will come and go; and while outward mani- festations may change, history is assurance that in every generation there will always abide veneration for the past, sentiment for home and kin, and somewhere the spirit of altruistic service.
"This beautiful building will stand for all time as an exemplification of such service. And while the deed of gift states that as a trust it is primarily for the use and benefit of the Peter- borough Historical Society and his- torical interests and activities in the town of Peterborough, it may be employed for the use and benefit of other civic, community, educational and charitable organizations. It is the outward manifestation of the inward beauty of a consecrated life."
Dr. Brackett then presented Mrs. George E. Clement, a beloved niece of Mrs. Bass, who read the following letter which she received from one of Mrs. Bass' oldest friends, Mrs. Julia B. Bradt, of Boston, a lady over 90 years of age who had been Mrs. Bass' friend for more than 70 years. Mrs. Bradt is a cousin of the late Perkins Bass. The letter follows:
"Boston, Sept. 10, 1933.
"Dear Margaret:
"As a friend thro' seventy years of unbroken intimacy, I want to say something of your dear Aunt as she was known to her friends-admired and loved: First of that great stability of character so uncompromising in fidelity to its convictions. One always knew where she stood. Then of her
absolute sincerity in thought, word and in act.
"I believe she never said an in- sincere word in her life. She never wished to deceive herself or anybody else. Many knew of her readiness to help persons or causes, always in the most unobtrusive way possible, but few knew what she did for those, whose need was their only claim on her for aid.
"Her interests of mind and heart were continually widening, to include fresh aspects of life and knowledge. Loving kindness was strong in her reticent nature and her loyalty was unfailing.
"Surely it was true of her, as was said of another: 'Multiply such char- acters by tens and you save a City; multiply them by hundreds and you save the nation; multiply them by thousands and you save the world.'
"I am very sorry I cannot come to Peterborough on Monday.
Affectionately yours, Julia B. Bradt"
After Mrs. Edward MacDowell had paid her tribute to Mrs. Bass in a few informal remarks, Jeffrey R. Brackett, Ph. D., first vice-president of the Peterborough Historical society, de- livered the following eulogy:
"For the invitation to address this meeting, I am deeply grateful.
"In speaking of Mrs. Bass, we shall not use those words so often spoken of men when they die, 'that we have lost her.' For she cannot be lost to us, nor to our immediate successors here. Generations of Peterborough men and women will meet, we hope, in this hall, will look at the memorials of earlier years which are treasured in these ample rooms. Visitors from far and near, just passing through this street, will know that somebody cared enough for this honorable town to beautify it with this building.
"So, as we look at the portrait of Mrs. Bass, which is to hang here, and which is thoughtfully given to the society by her family, we first express our lasting gratitude to her, for her great generosity, her large and wise leadership, for expressing in such a practical way her love for Peter- borough, the home of her fathers.
"But Mrs. Bass did what she did because she was what she was. Her acts were naturally the expression of her personality.
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"To talk with her, in her ripe maturity, was indeed a privilege. Her eyes were luminous; her words were well chosen; her thoughts were whole- some; she had humor; she was young in spirit.
"With such a heritage as hers and such a personality, no wonder that Mrs. Bass came back for long sum- mers in this community, and pro- moted this Historical society in the hope that it would help to make the community still fairer and finer!
"In the endless puzzle of guaging the comparative influences of heredity on the one hand, and of nurture on the other, we can happily believe that nurture ordinarily will outweigh in- heritance. But the influence of an- cestry must count for much. The qualities which stood out in Mrs. Bass were notably those of the leaders among our New England settlers- public spirit, high purpose, continuing courage. Do we today, in our life of ease and opportunities, begin to real- ize to ourselves the hardships and dangers of life on the frontier, when Mrs. Bass' great-great grandfather, Robert Smith, came here 180 or so years ago? And he and his children had fresh in their minds the memories of racial and religious struggles across the sea, of times which brought out some of the worst in men as well as much of the very best in them. If you walk over the old roads of this township, some of them now little used, you will find traces of many old homes only in the open cellars, and the roses now growing wild, and the aged, unkempt lilac bushes. Walk in the woods and you will find many stone walls which were once the bounds of pastures and gardens which were laid with great labor but have long been useless. But those labors of the grandfathers were not thrown away. You recall how, when a carp- ing critic asked what crops much of New England was good for, the answer was thoughtfully given in one word: 'Men!'
"Read in the History of Peter- borough by Albert Smith, the 29 pages on the Peterborough Smith family, and the centennial address of 1839, and then look through the Life of Jeremiah Smith, all three written by the late John Holmes Morison, and then look through the writings of Mrs. Bass' cousin, the late Jonathan Smith, and you will agree that, while
the name was very common-place, this particular line of Smiths was a notable family indeed! John Holmes Morison could not be called a writer wholly without partiality, for these Smiths and the Morisons had early intermarried; and this very Morison, when a Peterborough youth, strug- gling for education, had become by invitation a member for a year of the family of the distinguished Jeremiah Smith, then living in Exeter. But Mr. Morison, when he wrote of the Smiths, had become a leading Uni- tarian clergyman in New Bedford and Milton, Mass., had traveled, and knew many men.
"From these annals of the past, which are interesting and instructive, we get not only a clear picture of a notable family, but we read clearly one of the chief lessons of history- that times may change tremendously in surface things but that the ele- mental qualities of men are being moulded very slowly. The youth of Peterborough today, who dash about the countryside in automobiles, and go endlessly to movies, and who may occasionally read, in an easy chair, from many varied books, by a luminous electric light, seem indeed very far away from the slow trans- portation, the long dark evenings in meagre homes, of only a century ago. That distinguished jurist and public officer of whom we have spoken, Jeremiah Smith, who died in 1842, aged 82, first read a few books while lying on the floor of a log cabin, on the Peterborough clearing, by the light of an open fire, before even tallow candles became generally used. The present luxuries, the new freedom, do make that earlier life here seem narrow and hard, almost like another world. But many changes are merely like the clothes we wear-the men themselves are not so different. A century is but the twinkling of an eye in the human progress which is funda- mental.
"Whatever may be said of the Puritans generally, we know from the records that these Scotch-Irish set- tlers of Peterborough were not only serious-minded and just,but that they had their joyous side.
"Judge Jeremiah Smith, the dis- tinguished jurist and public officer" so wrote Rev. Dr. Morison in mature life, 'would have been recognized as a leading man anywhere. As a wit or a
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scholar, as a statesman or a jurist, as an advocate at the bar or a judge on the bench, as a genial companion or a brilliant talker * * * ' And this same Judge Smith was called by a learned Harvard professor not only 'the handsomest old man' but 'the wit- tiest wise man, and the wisest witty man that I ever knew.'
"Another of Mrs. Bass' great uncles, Squire John Smith, was said to be very able and also a man of boundless wit and humor, usually overflowing with mirth; and that he was of generous impulses, of tender heart and loved children!
"Another of this notable group of seven Smith brothers was Samuel, the youngest. If Jeremiah served the state and nation, Samuel was a leader in the local community, in both politics and industry. He served part of a term in Congress but resigned because of press of duties at home. He was a promotor of a large mill here, built when he was 29 years young. He was moderator at town meetings for 17 years. He had stu- died at Exeter and Andover academ- ies. He is called a man of much in- tellect and character.
"The father of this group, William Smith, had been a Justice of Peace for 27 years, having to handle many law cases among neighbors, in his office in his house. He was also a deacon for years in the first church here, as the tablet in the present church edifice tells, and held many town offices, besides being a delegate to the Pro- vincial Congress of 1774. His father was Robert, the first Smith settler here, who married Elizabeth Morison. She it was who was said to have pur- chased in Fitchburg, Mass., by sale of her home-made linen, an eight-day clock, which she brought home to Elm Hill with her on horseback, guided by a line of marked trees!
"One of those seven notable Smith brothers, sons of William, was Mrs. Bass' grandfather, Jonathan Smith. He began life in a log cabin, on the home farm, the Elm Hill of today. He saw the cabin replaced by a one- story frame house and then by a two-story house. The children and youth were brought up, amid the accomplishment of progress, by high thinking and hard work. This son of the seven was chosen to carry out the old New England filial piety of keep- ing up the home place and caring for
the parents in their old age. He was a selectman for six years, was a mem- ber of the legislature for nine terms. He was deacon for 43 years. He was prominent in the establishment of the now famous Public Library here; and naturally, for he loved books and there was reading aloud at home. Some of the books read were classics, including the Waverly Novels. He sent his oldest son to Exeter Academy and Harvard. He had served on the school committee and as a school visitor. In the legislature he took interest in advancing the education of the deaf and dumb. His speeches in the Legislature were brief and sensible. His address as presiding officer at the centennial dinner of 1839 was good, largely because it was brief, a real accomplishment for a man of 76 years, on such an occasion. The statement of him in the Peter- borough History ends with these words: 'He was a good man-good without ostentation and without pretension. * * He lived and died on the same spot on which he was born. He went down to his grave like a shock of corn fully ripe, with so pure and upright a character as falls to the lot of but few mortals here below.'
"This Jonathan Smith had married a second cousin. She was a communi- cant of their church for 50 years. From this union of two of these sub- stantial Smiths of Peterborough were born 11 children, eight of whom sur- vived the parents.
"Mrs. Bass' mother was Nancy, the eighth child. She went to school at Groton, Mass., and taught inDub- lin. She married a physician, Dr. John H. Foster, of Hillsboro. They ventured West and made their home in the fast-growing city of Chicago. They were charter members of Unity church there, Robert Collyer pastor. She lived to her 94th year. She be- came interested in the higher educa- tion of women. A few years before her death, she built a dormitory for women at the University of Chicago; and it is named after her. She es- tablished a fund for the prevention of cruelty to animals. Her interest in public affairs was keen. She loved the beauty of nature. And she ever thought much of Peterborough, the old home.
"I have dwelt on Mrs. Bass' imme- diate ancestry, for it shows the stuff
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of which she was made-New Eng- land at its best! It also seems to me to illustrate well the essential element in any form of good government by the people-the will of intelligent and purposeful persons to serve the local community.
"Of such stuff, a fine inheritance, was Mrs. Bass, one of seven children. She then had the many helps that came from her marriage to Mr. Per- kins Bass, a teacher, a friend of Abraham Lincoln; and from life in Chicago, Boston, Paris; and from intimacy with her sister, Mrs. George Adams, who loved to collect antiques at Elm Hill which she had brought back to the family. Happily, these sisters could live side by side, during long summers, for many years, in old Smith houses in their beloved Peter- borough.
"Very proud must Mrs. Bass have been of the careers of her sons, John Foster, and Robert Perkins, both graduates of Harvard; the former a leading correspondent abroad of lead- ing American newspapers, in thrilling times, a man of wide acquaintance and vision; the second a member of the New Hampshire Legislature and Governor during years which were marked in American public life by idealism and courage.
"How much pleasure she must have taken in the unusual career of her daughter, Mrs. Gertrude Bass War- ner, whose splendid gift, representing years of study and travel, was formal- ly presented in June to the Univer- sity of Oregon, to be known as the Murray Warner Collection of Oriental Art!
"Summer after summer, Mrs. Bass came to our annual meetings here. And she modestly sat among the listeners. How happy it has been for her and for us that her son, Governor Bass, could usually be our presiding officer. We feel today that she is with us indeed, through the strong ties of the spirit!
"I cannot close without asking and trying to answer one question. What message would Mrs. Bass give us were she speaking here, today?
"One earnest word Mrs. Bass would now say, I believe: 'This useful and dignified building will last long, we trust, with usefulness. But it will be like a wornout garment, a mere shell, unless it houses a live, wide-awake, forward-looking historical society.
We must interpret the past in use- fulness for the present. In six quick passing years, Peterborough will cele- brate its bi-centennial. This society should develop a program so as to make an appeal of real vitality to the young men and women, to many of the youth, of this community!'
"And one other word, I believe she would speak: 'That we all, her family, friends and neighbors, try to under- stand better the meaning of history, and then try to carry out that under- standing in our works and ways.' For to use history rightly is not merely to be interested in antiquities, nor merely to gather names and dates and the surface data about events. All that is useful, but history is some- thing more. An eminent student has said that history is past politics, while current politics is history in the mak- ing. Using the word 'politics' in its large and best meaning, as effort for community progress, that definition of history is helpful. But human nature still tends to linger too long over spectacular events. Such used to be battles and dynasties. Today, there are, for instance, the conquests of wealth, of big business. So let us today think more of history in the things not so spectacular, as the study of human development in the fine art of helpful association. It comes close to religion, to spiritual development!
"The greatest leaders and events, by that conception of history, have sometimes been the least notorious at the time. There is a legend that Pontius Pilate when an old man, was spoken to at a Roman health resort by an elderly man who, when young, had traveled through Jerusalem, on his way East. 'Will you kindly tell me,' said he to Pilate, 'the real facts about the doings and trial of a young man who was causing some stir in Jeru- salem when you were Governor there about the year 33?' And Pilate answered: 'I have forgotten the incident!'
"We all are apt to have our interest caught by large and picturesque events in history, and to overlook the smaller events nearer home. For in- stance, I have always been thrilled by thinking of that famous scene in the English House of Commons, when Charles the First ordered the House, which was becoming rebellious to him, to dissolve forthwith. The formality of ending the session was for the
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speaker to rise and leave the chair. On this particular occasion, two mem- bers of the House held the speaker down in the chair until the House had accomplished its immediate desires and was ready itself to adjourn. That was picturesque indeed. But here in the Province of New Hampshire in 1774, when the assembly of the Pro- vince chose a committee of safety, against Governor Wentworth's pro- test, and the Governor at once dis- solved the assembly, it thereupon summoned its members to meet. The Governor sent the sheriff to command the assembly to disperse, but it de- clined to obey, and arranged for a Provincial Congress, and chose dele- gates to the general Congress. Wil- liam Smith of Peterborough was prob- ably present in that Provincial Con- gress, the great grandfather of Mrs. Bass. We can see this pioneer, a local leader voting in that assembly courageously !
'We are thrilled beyond words at the story of the two bishops burned at the stake in England only some 400 years ago, who, in the flames, could say to each other - 'Be of good cheer and play the man, for we are lighting a candle this day which shall never be put out.' But of the same stuff exact- ly was made the Peterborough woman, a cousin of Mrs. Bass' mother, who used to walk from her home in Rindge on Saturdays in order, on Sundays, to take charge of two Sunday schools, in Peterborough, one in the center, the other in the south of the township; who burned, within herself, to spread the good news of Christianity; who later took up abolition of slavery,
ardently, and at her death at 78 years, before the Civil war, provided that one side of the obelisk to be put on her grave should be 'dedicated to the glorious cause of emancipation.'
"History is made in the small communities, in modest offices, as in the large. The welfare of the state and the nation depends much on the constant development of honest and intelligent and perservering local
leaders. The gleanings which we have gathered from the records and doings of this Smith family of Peter- borough illustrate well that important truth, that eternal lesson of history. May we all learn it and follow it!"
Among members of the Bass family and intimate friends who were present at the services Monday afternoon were Hon. Robert P. Bass and his children, Perkins, Joanne, Robert and Jerry Bass; Mr. and Mrs. John Bass, Mrs. Gertrude Bass Warner; Mrs. Charles Sumner Bird and sister, Miss Childs of East Walpole, Mass .; Mr. and Mrs. George E. Clement and children, Adele, Everett and Theo- dore; Mrs. Maurice Casalis; Misses Louise and Margaret Pierson; Mrs. H. B. Kendall, Elliot Jones and Mr. and Mrs. Kennard, Boston; Mr. and Mrs. Philip H. Faulkner, Keene; Wil- liam Savacool, Manchester; Congress- man Charles W. Tobey, Temple.
Probably none who paid their tri- butes to Mrs. Bass Monday did so with a more sincere affection than Miss Mary Kane who came from Boston, especially to attend the serv- ice. Miss Kane had been a loyal worker in the Bass family home since Robert P. Bass was a boy.
[Published in The Peterborough TRANSCRIPT, September 14, 1933]
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