USA > New York > Cortland County > Virgil > Festal gathering of the early settlers! and present inhabitants of the town of Virgil, Cortland County, N.Y., 1853 > Part 4
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I need not say that I arise to address you feeling much embar- rassed. I am almost a stranger in the arena of public speaking, and there are so many once familiar faces of my boyhood, brought as by magic before me, with all their stirring and animating recollec- tions, that I am aware the impressions made upon me by this meet- ing may be different from yours.
We who are your guests to-day are kneenly alive to the many ยท changes which have passed over our ancieut homes and family circles, and there are many tints of melancholy in the picture of the past not so obvious to you.
Your hospitality, too, mingled with the recollection of sweets that once clustered around the shrine of our homes, is such that language is feeble to describe these emotions, and rhetoric but childish prattle.
I could only give outward expression to these emotions by encir- cling you in my arms, and pressing you to my bosom with one loud, long hallelujah to Him whose kind providence has permitted this meeting.
Mr. President :- I have always had a strong desire to acquaint myself with the early history of the Town of Virgil; and the many facts presented in the able historic address to-day, have amply paid me for this visit. But the inquiry comes up, who were the primitive settlers of the Town of Virgil? What did they do; and what me- mento have they left behind them of their virtues and their worth ? They were distingnished men-men of rare integrity-men of emi- nent fortitude-men emphatically robed and redeemed in the love of country ! for they came here with their garments dripping with the blood of the Revolution. If we look at the physical obstacles which they had to overcome, and.the very unpropitious circumstances at- tendant on their removal, we cannot accord them too much fortitude. Integrity was a necessary element in their character; for without it this mighty work never could have been accomplished.
Mr. President :- To bring a family into an unbroken wilderness, as this was sixty years ago; and then be often without any means of subsistence, save what was furnished by nature, until the sturdy forest could be removed and the soil made to produce-required an energy, a fortitude, a power little short of omnipotence.
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May I not point you to your common school as one proud monu- ment of their wisdom and goodness ? These primary institutions of learning were fostered by them with great care,-may their children make a corresponding effort to improve them. Another institution you have among you of still higher claims, coming down from these puritan fathers, " with healing on its wings."
No theme commands so much of our admiration as the Religious devotion of these ancestors. The first altars here erected by our noble fathers to the eternal God, burned with sweet incense, and the voice of supplication went up to the unwearied ear of the Deity- calling down the blessings of heaven to aid, to comfort, and support them. And may not many of the blessings now enjoyed to-day be in answer to some of those fervent petitions ?
Ladies and gentlemen, have I not said enough ? But this occasion is one, not only for congratulation and joy, but one for our improve- ment. Indeed, it seems like a special providence that so many of us meet here on this oasis, midway between this life and the life to come! Let this hour then be one of reflection, one of noble resolve.
We are driven by the force of circumstances, by every considera- tion drawn from the past and present of the physical and moral world, to " go forward," to begirt ourselves with unceasing activity, for this is a progressive age.
Contemplating the wonderful and astonishing improvement of our times, discoverable in every possible direction, but least of all in the moral world, (for the selfish principles of man have found much en- couragement and development,) our minds naturally recur to Virgil; and we ask ourselves the question-has this place and this people kept pace with this mighty march of improvement ?
In that very interesting reception Address this morning, your im- provement in wealth and independence of thought has been dwelt upon, and afforded me much pleasure. The general thrift of your farmers, and the shrewdness of your speculators, I had heard of be- fore to-day; for your fame in this had gone abroad. Still there may be a question, whether in this strife to aggrandize self and build up individualism, you have not lost sight in some measure, of those great public interests which are essential to your real prosperity and happiness, and must be looked to, in order to advance with the age.
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The present appearance of your houses of public worship is not so favorable to your public spirit and your morality as I could wish it. It is to be hoped that the church planted. here by our venerable fathers has not lowered the standard of her faith or become insen- sible to her obligations. Otherwise the wealth that is here. acumu- lated will furnish but a meagre blessing to your children.
You have the means in your hands to establish such institutions among you, as shall be necessary to give your children ample edu- cation without sending them abroad.
Then let me say to you, to use this means in building up a home interest. Let this classic spot ever be sacred on account of the united interest and action of its inhabitants, in promoting mental and religious improvement. Let this home of my childhood, en- deared to me by a thousand fond recollections, be the spot where a united people, scorning to work for self alone, shall open their hearts to the great interests of humanity !
And, Mr. President, as the old Town of Virgil stands upon a physical elevation, overlooking vast slopes of country, so may the moral excellence of her citizens gleam from afar in resplendent beauty.
Mr. William E. Gee arose and said:
I expected, by attending this Jubilee, to see my old friends and hear from them, but not to speak myself; but the request of Dr. Benton and others, to hear from me, is such that I cannot refuse to express my gratification at meeting with them on this occasion. The Town of Virgil, its valleys and its hills, its woodlands, its cultivated fields and its inhabitants, are all dear to me,-with almost every farm, and almost every farm-house, are associated recollections to which my mind reverts with pleasure, and although not my birth- place, yet removed here in early infancy, it is endeared by all my earliest remembrances and childhood sports. I am proud to own it as such and to claim the inhabitants of this vicinity as my friends, and these guests assembled here as the acquaintances and associates of my youth. It was here amidst these scenes and associated with these friends that I resided till I arrived at the meridian of life, and since my removal I have never returned without stopping involun- tarily upon the summit near the north line of Harford, which over-
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looks a large portion of this Town, to trace out the residences of my friends and recall the past. How prolific is thought on such an occasion !- the sports of childhood, the recreations of youth, and the more grave concerns of mature manhood, all crowd upon the mind in quick succession. As I reviewed the scene this morning and noticed the different localities that were of particular interest to me- their pleasant condition and the vast amount of human happiness which the imagination would conceive might be enjoyed in such fa- vorable situations, there was brought to my mind as being peculiarly appropriate, the words of a former resident of this Town, who pos- sessed a spark of poetic genius, and wrote after a short absence, for one of the famous periodicals to which Dr. Hyde has alluded :
Oh, Virgil! sacred thou to scenes gone by, When childish fancy viewed a cloudless sky ; When naught but joy re-echoed o'er thy plain. And naught but pleasure saw the youthful train,- Thou art.still the same.
I perceive by the ardent salutations here exhibited, that although the lapse of time has changed the ruddy brow of youth into the grave and sage-like appearance of meridian manhood, and besprink- led our locks with occasional indications of decline, yet, we are still the same,-the same warm hand of friendship is presented, the same generous feeling of interest in each other's condition manifested, the same forms seen, and the same voices heard as of yore, and I per- ceive by the general bouyancy of feeling here displayed, that our assembling in view of these scenes in front of the Village Green, the grand arena of our youthful recreations, has, by a kind of magical influence, made us feel like boys again.
The situation of this Town, remote from the great thoroughfares of the State, and its inhabitants in a great measure exempt from their vices, have enjoyed a favorable opportunity for the cultivation of those virtues which render life pleasant and society agreeable ; and it is gratifying to know that emigrants from this Town, have, in almost every instance, exerted their influence to promote a sound and healthful morality in the communities where they reside.
Some have entered the field of politics, and have been elevated to positions of honor, realizing their fondest aspirations-some by a quiet application to professional employment, a strict observance of
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domestic duties, and the dissemination of moral and religious prin- ciple, have rendered themselves beloved. Some have engaged in mercantile employment, and become useful and influential members of society ; while others in the agricultural department of industry, have become respected for intelligence, enterprise and unyielding integrity. All these considerations combine to make the Town of Virgil respectable abroad. I have observed with pleasure for several years, that whenever I have heard it spoken of by people at a dis- tance, it has been in terms of the highest respect.
We hope, therefore, that those who still reside here will exert themselves to perpetuate the good name of the place; that while laboring to cultivate and enrich the soil, that they may receive a bountiful harvest, they will not neglect the intelligent and moral cultivation of those more delicate plants, which the God of nature has placed in their care; and greatly dependent upon parental train- ing for future happiness and prosperity in life.
It is with pleasure that I take this opportunity to give more ex- tended publicity to one fact, to which a brief allusion was made this morning, which should be published as an important item in the history of the State; and fully proves that the early settlers of this Town, though situated at a distance from the original public works, were fully competent to appreciate the advantages which they would derive from them, and entered with spirit into the public improve- ment policy which has since so checkered the country that the means of speedy and cheap conveyance are furnished to almost every por- tion of it.
After the Erie canal was finished there arose a discussion in the public mind concerning the respective merits'of canals and railroads as a means of public conveyance,-one consideration in favor of the latter was, that many places were accessible by railroads where canals could not be made; this was the case of the southern tier of counties in this State.
The mind of Nathaniel Bouton, one of the early settlers of this Town, known to us all as an energetic farmer and worthy citizen, became interested in this subject,-he conceived the idea of construct- ing a railroad from the city of New York to Lake Erie, direct through the then secluded southern tier; and in the year 1828 he examined a route through sufficiently well to know that it was a
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feasible one, and with the aid of the speaker of to-day, he prepared . and published the outlines of his plan in the Cortland Observer, a paper then issued in Homer Village.
His plan was copied in several periodicals along the line of the proposed road; and from that time the subject of a New York and Erie railroad continued to occupy the public mind until the grand project was completed. The decease of DeWitt Clinton, whose death was announced in the same sheet that published Mr. Bouton's plan, was a cause of discouragement to him, for he had fondly hoped that his favorite project would receive the approbation and aid of that distinguished statesman ; but the nucleus was formed, the project was originated, and the work advanced. Mr. Bouton was anxious that it should be a State work; he argued that it would be good policy for the state to engage in it,-that it would annually yield a revenue which might be advantageously expended for the support of schools.
A few months previous to the final completion of the road, its worthy projector died at his residence in this Town, where he had lived forty-five years. He had lived to see the place of his adoption transformed from a wild and howling wilderness into a delightful and well cultivated country, inhabited by a moral, intelligent and industrious people. He had lived too, to see the distance between his residence and the Atlantic changed from a dreary journey of two weeks into a pleasant ride of only a few hours, and this Town en- joying all the privileges, and possessed of all the elements which are necessary to promote the happiness of a people.
Dr. John Frank, in responding to the call of his name, gave the following toast:
Virgil, the land of nativity to many of us now present :
Whenever we tread or our thoughts revert to these hills and val- leys, we remember that here is the revered spot where our earthly journey was commenced. Although many of our friends and neigh- bors have gone to the spirit land, not to return,-peace be to their ashes,-and many of us live in different parts of the country, we can never forget the land of early days and of our birth.
Hon. J. Reynolds being called upon by the President, replied that he had been for a long period a resident of Virgil, that the present occasion was one of intense interest to him, he having ob-
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served and been a participator in so much of the eventful history of the Town; but was obliged to decline any extended remarks in con- sequence of ill health.
Wm. Woodard, Esq., spoke as follows:
It gives me much satisfaction to meet so many of my friends in this happy gathering, who with myself can boast an early home in this good " Old Virgil." Both childhood and youth were spent among these hills and valleys; having been familiar for years, with the social and civil condition of the people, he was delighted after years of absence to discover that the changes in the whole phase of things had been in obedience to the great law of progress, and that the home of his dearest and earliest associations had improved its intellectual and moral condition. The allusion to the present con- dition of the schools and churches of the Town made by one of the speakers who had preceded him, reminded him of a time when there were six distilleries in successful operation and not a finished church edifice in the whole Town. He said he took great pride in finding on his present visit, that his beloved Town had entirely abandoned the alcoholic manufacture; and in place of her distilleries he con- gratulated his kindred and other friends, that they could now enu- merate eight buildings erected and dedicated to the worship of the living God. So too had the common school house become the com- mon property of every neighborhood in Town. A subversion, said he, of the liquor manufacture, for improvements of this character, was cause for the highest gratification to him, and only endeared to him the more the home of early years.
Col. M. Frank, of Wisconsin, being called upon by the President, spoke in substance as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :- This social gathering is a time of es- pecial interest to those who claim this Town as the place of their nativity. I can truthfully say that this is the place of my birth, and here were the scenes of my childhood and youth. The hills that rise in the distance were the first that ever greeted my vision; the streams that wind their way through this valley were the first I ever looked upon. Here were the beginnings of life, where were received those early impressions of thought that gave direction in after years. To many of the associates of my youth in this Town,
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I owe much. There were among them those whose firm resolve was to make their mark high. The early educational advantages and facilities for intellectual improvement were comparatively limited,- hence a greater amount of effort was required to make advances. Schools for acquiring anything beyond the most ordinary branches of education, there were none; consequently the young men of Virgil twenty years ago, were forced to rely upon such resources as they could best command, to improve their minds and prepare them for the theatre of human action. I am happy to know that not a few of the young men at the period of which I speak made good use of their time; they appropriated every instrumentality within their reach to the acquirement of useful knowledge.
Since the long absence from my native Town, I find the aspect of much that I see greatly changed,-the woods have diminished, farms . enlarged and improved, the agricultural prosperity of the people has been largely advanced. This is well, it is indeed gratifying. But during the period that has intervened since my residence here, I have always been less anxious to learn of your success in the enhancement of your prosperity and the accumulation of wealth, than to hear of your intellectual and moral condition -of the progress of your schools and your success in whatever pertains to the true elevation of the people and the more substantial interests of society. My anxious inquiries in this behalf have not always received satisfactory answers. I fear the intellectual, moral and religious interests of the people have not always kept pace with their pecuniary advancement.
Those who are now the young men of Virgil have a high mission before them. We live in an age of unusual intellectual activity- the time for ignorant and unlettered men to attain to an honorable distinction is soon to pass away. No young man can now reason- ably expect to reach a high position of public or private trust with- out an education. The posts of honor and true respectability are not attainable by those who make money, or low amusement the only object of pursuit. Besides the improvement of their minds, the times demand of the young men of Virgil active service in be- half of the cause of humanity. And among the calls to duty, upon every young man and every lover of his country is the cry of suffer- ing millions for the suppression of intemperance. This Town, this county, the State and the world have been long enough cursed with
-
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the traffic in intoxicating drinks, and the friends of freedom and humanity should rise in their strength for its overthrow and effectual legal prohibition.
Judge Edwards arose and said, that he would not occupy the time of the meeting with many remaks, but would say that he was deeply interested with the incidents of the day, and sympathized with the feelings of the friends who addressed the meeting. The scenes of the day and the remarks made, naturally led his mind back to events long since passed. Allusion has been made to the appearance of houses for religious worship as not being what it should be. He said, that though he might not be inclined to deny the fact, he felt it would be unjust to apply any discredit arising from this cause indiscriminately, as from what he knew of the history of the place, he could say that numerous individuals had made large sacrifices to promote its religious interests. He would refer to one incident to illustrate this remark. Mrs. Roe, mother of S. M. Roe, President of the day, was an early and ardent friend to the interests of relig- ion. At a certain time her friends at the East sent a small amount of dried apples. Did she call her friends and feast them and her children on those ? Not at all. When her children began to con- gratulate themselves upon the acquisition, she told them that they might restrain their feelings, for she had a use to which she should devote them. She sold them and applied the proceeds to the pur- chase of a cloth for the communion table-the same that is now used in the church to which she belonged.
The President, Dea. S. M. Roe, remarked that the incidents of the day had brought to his mind many of the most important events of his life, spent mainly in this Town.
It had revived more particularly the history of his early years, while the country around was almost an unbroken wilderness, the undisputed abode of panthers, bears and wolves. He said the privi- lege of seeing so large a group of his old friends once more, under so favorable circumstances, had made him over-full of joy.
The associations of the day had reminded him of some of his early luxuries, such as being cradled in a sap-trough by his kind parents, amid the sweet melody of nightly serenades by wolves. He could never forget among the later delicacies of that tender period the ex-
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quisite flavor of the brown johnny-cake, made of the pounded corn, as his frugal mother parcelled it out to the eager apetites of her little flock.
He further remarked that he was confident, when his friends rec- ollected his early advantages, and how much of his life had been shaded by the native forests of by-gone days, they would not expect him to be now a long-speech-making man.
Hon. M. Frank, of Wisconsin, being called upon for a toast, gave the following sentiment :
"The Ladies of our native Town :
Never surpassed in beauty and virtue. The time has now arrived when they also take rank with the foremost in accomplishments, re- finement and taste."
R. O. Reynolds, Esq., being called upon to respond, said :
MR. CHAIRMAN :- The time has been when no happier, and as I then thought, no more appropriate duty could be imposed upon me than a full and heart-felt response to the truthful and well applied sentiment of my friend from the West. But those days, alas, have flitted away upon the swift wing of time. It was when in the full freshness of vigor and youthful manhood, my heart was filled with the mysterious romance and gallantry of that sunlit period of my life, when everything wore a rosy tint, when the future was undark- ened by the sombre clouds of real life, and the beautiful and fascin- ating sisterhood with which I was surrounded, possessed a weird and mystic charm that placed them almost upon a level with angels in disguise.
Now the enchantments of love and ambition are in a measure dis- solved, and I stand advanced beyond the threshold of struggling, fighting life, and have begun to learn how little of fruition there is in the bright visions and promises held out to us by the deceiving mirror of romance and anticipation. The silver thread meandering and multiplying among my locks betoken the effect of years and labor, and when I seek for rest and quiet recreation to recruit my wearied energies, I find them no longer in the gay circles of the rosy and young, but by the retired domestic hearth-stone where I begin to see those surrounding my own fire-side who are already preparing to take the place I have made vacant among the youthful and the gay. Yet, aside from all the romance and unreality with
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which youthful inexperience may surround the female character, there is a valuable truthfulness in the sentiment of my friend which will be felt and appreciated by all, and should be the cause of the highest exultation and congratulation amongst us.
The qualities, characteristics and endowments which combine to make up the perfect female character, and bestow upon her those charming graces and attractions which make her the lovely compan- ion of man's prosperity and the sweet solace of his adversity, are of a two-fold character and origin. Some, and those indispensable ones that form the foundation of all human attraction and worth, are con- ferred by the great Master alone. Others, the mere accessories, and still no less desirable and captivating, are added by cultivation and improvement. Thus beauty of person, virtue and goodness of heart and character, and strength of intellect, can be acquired only from the great source of all beauty, goodness and mental power, whilst that beauty may be improved and rendered more attractive, that virtue and goodness may be increased and refined, and extended in its usefulness, and that intellect may be improved, enlarged and strengthened, almost to infinity, by those embellishments and accom- plishments, by that refinement and taste which are acquired by the cultivation and the teachings of society.
Thus my friend has well said of the ladies of the Town of his nativity, that the time has never been when they were surpassed by their sisters in any neighboring country in virtue and beauty, in those qualities which God bestows to form the perfect woman; and although it is equally true that the time has been when our young ladies lacked many of the advantages for the improvement of the mind and the cultivation of the graces and adornments of manner possessed by some of their neighboring sisters; yet, my friend may well say, and we may all congratulate you, young ladies, "that the time has now arrived when you may also take rank with the fore- most, in accomplishments, refinement and taste. "
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