USA > Vermont > Rutland County > Wallingford > History of Wallingford, Vermont > Part 10
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But it was in the last scene of all that the audi- ences had opportunity to judge of the great num- ber of participants, each marching in to the strains of stirring music. What a picture it made, of early settlers and Indians, British Regulars and Green Mountain Boys, colonial aristocrats in silks and satins, others dressed in homespun.
The first presentation of the Pageant was given on the Tuesday afternoon and the weather at first seeming propitious, changed shortly after the per- formance started. A large crowd had assembled and although the heavens darkened and the thun- der rolled yet a good number retained their seats throughout the program.
In the evening the streets of the town were electrically illuminated in red, white and blue. A banquet was served in the Town Hall at which a large number was present. The decorations were in pink and green and the upper hall had been entirely transformed. It was a scene of beauty. Here and there the electrical effect enhanced the combination of colors. The Governor was present with his staff and after the eatables had been removed he gave a splendid address on "The Spirit of Vermont." The Rev. William A. Ballon, of Ludlow acted as toastmaster and called upon his brother Rev. Henry Ballon, of Chester, the
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HISTORY OF WALLINGFORD.
Rev. W. A. Melntire, of Danby, George H. Staf- ford and A. G. Stone to express words of greeting. It had been expected that in addition to the Gov- ernor of the State, other notable public men would be present but owing to the fact that Congress had not adjourned and some State Legislatures were still in session several were obliged to absent them-
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Aurust 9, 1911
; nour .ir:
I hm our letter of August 5th, and rerret tat i shall not be a'lo to sceapt your kind tavi- tation to attend the banquet in celebration of the one hundred ml fiftieth a" iversary of the town of fallingford on Aur:ยป: 15tn. However, it affords ms pleasure to extend to the people of allingford,
warvugh. you,.my hearty congratulations on the attain-
imonte y jours,
Rev. Walter Thorne, tallin ford, Vermont.
PRESIDENT TAFT'S LETTER.
selves. The Rev. Walter Thorpe had received greetings from several eminent men which were read at the close.
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THE PAGEANT.
President Taft sent the following: "The White House, Washington. August 8, 1911.
My dear Sir:
I have your letter of August 5th and regret that I shall not be able to accept your kind invitation to attend the banquet in celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the town of Wallingford on August 15th. However, it affords me pleasure to extend to the people of Wallingford through you, my hearty congratulations on the attainment of this anniversary and my best wishes for a most successful celebration.
Sincerely yours, WM. H. TAFT.
Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt was invited to be present and he wrote saying that he wished he could accept but it was simply impossible.
Sir Wilfred Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada, expressed his regret owing to political engage- ments due to the general election in that country.
Admiral Dewey sent the following letter: My dear Sir:
I appreciate fully the honor done me in asking for a message to my fellow Vermonters who are celebrating the one hundred and fiftieth anniver- sary of Wallingford's charter rights.
Our state pride is more than justified.
Vermont has marked out a course of courage, work, hope and loyalty that all the world might copy.
The only difficulty about our ancestors is that they have made it hard for us poor descendants to keep up the tradition.
With all good wishes, I am very truly,
GEORGE DEWEY, Admiral of the Navy.
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HISTORY OF WALLINGFORD.
An interesting letter was received from Sir James Bryce, British Ambassador to Washington.
British Embassy, Washington, August 12, 1911.
My dear Sir:
It is very good of you and your fellow citizens to have let me learn of the celebration you are to hold on August 15th of the 150th Anniversary of the granting of the charter rights to the town of Wallingford. The granting took place in the old days before political connection between Eng- land and her North American Colonies had been broken. The breaking of that connection did not dissever the historic bonds which unite the Eng- lish and American peoples of today, who are alike the children of those far off ancestors of ours who laid the foundations of local self government in Old England and gave to both peoples the love of liberty and the habit of using it wisely and temperately.
I will venture on behalf of the citizens of Wal- lingford in England, a quaint old town which was inhabited eight and a half centuries ago when William the Conqueror crossed the Thames there on his march to London, to send you their greet- ings with my own on this auspicious anniversary, and to express the hope that the fraternal affection which now unites the two branches of the old stock and which is warmer today that it has been ever before, may go on always strengthing in the cen- turies to come.
Believe me to be, Very Faithfully Yours, JAMES BRYCE.
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THE PAGEANT.
Governor Robert P. Bass, of New Hampshire, wrote:
My dear Mr. Thorpe:
I should like to express through you to the town of Wallingford my regret at not being able to be present at the 150th Anniversary of the granting of the charter rights.
I know this occasion marks an epoch in the his- tory of Wallingford. We should now look back to the conditions at the time the Charter Rights were granted and compare them with what they are to- day. We should note the progress that has been made in our government, in our educational sys- tem and in our every day life. We should be guided by the mistakes and experiences of those who have gone before us and resolve that Walling- ford shall continue to prosper in the future faster even than in the past. All should work together to this end so that future generations can look back with pride on the movement started at this 150th Anniversary. I extend to the town my heartiest well-wishes for the health, happiness and prosperity of her citizens.
Sincerely yours, R. P. BASS.
As Wallingford was first settled by the people from Connecticut it was especially fitting that the Governor of that State should be invited and the Hon. Simeon L. Baldwin wrote with regret of his inability to be present. "It would otherwise give me pleasure to participate in so interesting an occasion.
Connecticut considers Vermont as one of her daughters, and I recall hearing from Chief Justice Polland of your State many years ago that there was a tradition that at one of the early sessions
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HISTORY OF WALLINGFORD.
of the Vermont Legislature a vote was passed adopting all the laws passed at the preceding ses- sions of the Connecticut General Assembly, so far as they seemed not unadapted to the settlements west of New Hampshire.
Yours Sincerely,
SIMEON E. BALDWIN.
Senator William P. Dillingham sent a night letter by telegraph:
"I regret that public duties will not permit me to have part in Wallingford's anniversary cele- bration but that the occasion may exceed your fondest anticipations and become a red letter day in the history of the town.
Congratulations upon past achievements, good wishes for still greater ones in the future.
W. P. DILLINGHAM.
United States Congressmen David J. Foster and Frank Plumley would have been present if Congress had not been convened in extra session. Many former residents were there and greatly added to the enjoyableness of the evening for
"A wonderful stream is the river Time As it runs through the realm of tears! With a faultless rhythm, and a musical rhyme, And a broader sweep and a surge sublime, As it bends in the ocean of years."
Mention should be made of the parade given on the Wednesday morning. By general consent it was conceded to be the best ever seen in the town. Many of the participants in the Pageant marched in groups or companies, and some of "the get ups" were certainly ludicrous if not lovely. A wealth of imagination was displayed
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THE PAGEANT.
in the "antique and horrible" section, and a sunny morning stimulated the prevailing spirit of good cheer. The Pageant was reproduced afternoon and evening. In the latter performance, splendid effects were attained by the use of colored lights Many in the audience could have said "How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here we will sit and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears; soft stillness and the night Become the touches of sweet harmony."
There was no question in the minds of all who saw it, as to the value of such a celebration. To many it will ever be a pleasant memory. It entailed hard work but it was willingly given, and the strong spirit of co-operation was the reason for the Pageant's success. Time was given by many even when a financial loss, the use of teams willingly furnished, and one man brought over his yoke of oxen from Chippenhook, caring for them between performances without charging the town a penny.
It is the public spirit in its best forms for which the town should stand, and anything that calls forth the manifestation of unselfish interests and the development of public good, should receive the commendation of all. It was this spirit ex- pressed in prophecy that inspired the song: "I sing New England, as she lights her fire In every Prairie's midst; and where the bright Enchanting stars shine pure through Southern night,
She still is there, the guardian on the Tower, To open for the world a purer hour."
HISTORY OF WALLINGFORD.
REV. WALTER THORPE.
The years will come and go and each generation will add its quota to the preceding one, but only as there is shown a true respect for the noble and pure, an exal- tation of that which is just and right, will there come an abiding satis- faction to in- dividual or national life. This is the les- son of history, it is the result of experience, so " Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low vaulted past! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thon at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea."
MEMORANDA
MEMORANDA
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