The Westford Wardsman, April 20, 1918
Center. New subscribers to the telephone list are John Feeney, Jr., 57-3, and H. A. Ferguson, 8-12. W. R. Carver has been changed to a private line—28; also G. A. Walker to a private line—73.
Mrs. Annie Campbell, who has been spending the winter with Mrs. Augusta Prescott, is very seriously ill with pneumonia. Two trained nurses are in attendance.
“Stop thief” is the name of the play to be presented at the town hall on Friday evening, April 26, under the auspices of the home guard. This is given by the Boston University Dramatic club, with fifteen members in the cast.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Wright, of Quincy, are in town for over the holiday.
Alfred W. Tuttle has been confined to his home with the gripe [sic], and later George Sullivan has been at home with a hard cold, and the branch line electrics have had to have help substituted from the main line employees.
A second group of Camp Fire Girls, these being academy students, has been formed. Mrs. Fred Meyer is the guardian and Miss Marjorie Seavey the assistant guardian. This is known as the Mattawaukee [sic] Camp Fire circle and the members are Alice Wright, Edna Sargent, Gladys Ingalls, Marion Woodbury, Rachael Kimball, Ruth Sargent, Frances Farr and Hattie Simpson.
Miss Frances Wright is having Liberty measles.
Rev. and Mrs. Howard A. Lincoln and Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Wheeler were in attendance at the spring meeting of the Middlesex Association of Churches on Wednesday in West Groton.
Figures are not all tabulated at this time, but Westford is leading with one other town (Bedford) as one of the honor towns in the raising of its quota for the third liberty loan. Its quota is $75,000 and it already stands at $103,150 with 144 subscribers. Westford has already received its honor flag for already securing more than fifty percent of its required amount. Splendid work by the committee, John C. Abbot, chairman, and earnest response by the townspeople, have characterized the work, more detailed account of which will be given next week.
A patriotic mass meeting was held at the First parish church on Sunday evening with Rev. L. H. Buckshorn as its enthusiastic leader. Because of the fact that next winter New England will face a serious food supply shortage, Mrs. Buckshorn arranged the following speakers and subjects: Rev. Howard A. Lincoln spoke on liberty bonds for the children; Robert R. Thomas, grand knight, of Lowell, spoke most interestingly on war work of the Knights of Columbus; Mrs. L. H. Buckshorn, on “A southern mammy’s corn kitchen,” and Oscar R. Spalding on “Home-grown meats.”
Company L, M.S.G. [Massachusetts State Guard], held its weekly drill with a good attendance on Tuesday evening with drilling out of doors. Eight members are going to Lowell later in the week to qualify in target practice.
The food administrator for Westford is James W. Rafter; department of food production, Frank C. Wright; department of food conservation, Mrs. John P. Wright; department of food control and distribution, Frederic A. Hanscomb; department of retail merchants, Howard L. Wright; department of supervision of hotels, clubs, restaurants and boarding houses, Frank L. Furbush.
The Men’s class of the Congregational Sunday school are to have a supper and entertainment this week Friday evening in the vestry.
Tadmuck Club. The Tadmuck club held one of its last meetings for the season on Tuesday afternoon at the Congregational vestry. It was the annual children’s afternoon, Mrs. Buckshorn, Mrs. Loveless and Miss Snow being the committee.
Charles K. Putney, superintendent of schools of Chelmsford, was the speaker of the afternoon for the children and gave a talk on “Birds.” He was a close student of his subject, giving many anecdotes, legends, etc. of bird life. At the close of the program the children were treated to ice cream cones.
At the business meeting Miss Howard appointed the following nominating committee: Mrs. Loveless, Mrs. Wheeler, Mrs. Wells, Mrs. Sherman and Mrs. Feeney, Sr.
The next and closing meeting for the season will be the annual luncheon at the Unitarian church on Tuesday afternoon, April 30, at 1:30 o’clock. Mrs. F. A Meyer is the chairman of the committee, with Mrs. W. E. Wright and Mrs. A. W. Hartford. The latter kindly takes Mrs. Clarence Hildreth’s place in her absence from town. Members will please notify Miss Meyers at once if they wish tickets that she may notify the caterer, who will be the same and with the same rate as last year.
Prize Speaking. The prize speaking contest of the academy students at the town hall last week Friday evening was most enjoyable. Much favorable comment was heard of the way the young people acquitted themselves, of the wise selections for the speaking and the careful training given the young people. The only unfortunate happening was the weather, making it hard for those in attendance to get there and necessarily keeping many at home. Six inches of damp, soft snow in April can always seem worse than earlier in the season.
The judges, a teacher from the Lowell Normal school, and one from the Chelmsford high school, and Rev. Oliver J. Fairfield of Littleton, awarded the first prize of ten dollars in gold to Miss Carolyn Edith Precious; subject, “The cremation of Sam McGee.” The second prize of five dollars was awarded Miss Ruth Merle Sargent; subject, “Spartacus to the gladiators.” Stanley Smith, the only contestant for the boys, was given honorable mention, his subject being “Abraham Lincoln.” The prizes in gold will be given at the June commencement.
Musical numbers were a violin solo, Mildred Precious; vocal solo, Elinor Colburn, and a selection by the girls’ chorus. The other contestants were Julia Donnelly, A. Pamelia Precious, Alice P. Wright, Frances E. Wright and Edna M. Sargent.
The judges rendered their decisions on the following basis: Enunciation 40 percent, interpretation 40 percent, poise and gesture 10 percent, and memory and preparation 10 percent.
The stage was handsomely framed with hemlock. Preceding the program principal Roudenbush read a most interesting letter he had received that day from Edward T. Blodgett, now in the front line trenches in France.
About Town. The Middlesex County W.C.T.U. has begun a war-welfare drive for $50,000. They are maintaining a home in Ayer which has proved very useful and fills a need in the camp. A committee has been appointed in this town to take subscriptions for this work—Mrs. Fred Meyer, Miss Marjorie Seavey, Mrs. Houghton Osgood, Mrs. Labouteley, Mrs. Arthur Day, Mrs. Charles H. Wright.
Miss Ella Gale, of Lowell, gave a recital of the work of her pupils in organ and piano recently. Miss Eleanor Colburn played twice, one a duet with her teacher. Miss Colburn shows decided musical talent.
A good audience came out last Sunday evening to attend a patriotic mass meeting at the First Parish church. New England has been warned by the government that we must be self-supporting this year and raise all the food we need and the grain for the animals. Rev. Louis Buckshorn planned this meeting and the following gave most interesting and practical talks: Rev. H. A. Lincoln on liberty bonds; Oscar R. Spalding, “Homegrown meats”; Mrs. Labouteley, “Seed corn testing”; Mrs. Buckshorn, “A southern mammy’s corn kitchen”; Mr. Buckshorn, “Car service and maintenance”; Grant Knight and Robert R. Thomas, of Lowell, told of the war work of the Knights of Columbus.
Hon. Edward Fisher, who served in the constitutional convention with Ex-Gov. John Q. A. Brackett, was an usher at his funeral which took place from the Unitarian church in Arlington last week Tuesday afternoon.
The recent snowstorm seems to indicate that spring still lingers in the lap of winter, and is unable to spring out and stay sprung.
The government has asked us to raise more hogs. In showing the decline of the hog industry, there was one hog for every person in the United States in 1880; in 1900 there was only four-fifths of a hog for each person; in 1910 there was two-thirds, and in 1917 only three-fifths. Now if anyone would be willing to make the motion that the less hog the more health, the writer would be willing to second the motion. As a people we are the greatest meat-eaters on earth, and the death rate is greater than any other nation in proportion to the population. The writer will not be disloyal to food production, but can’t quite believe in the hog, not while the birds sing and the flowers bloom, and appeal to the higher senses of man to awake to unused ideals, and the voice of the prophet calls, “Hitch your wagon to a star.” but it carried its blessing and cheer to those who received it and surely those who gave are happy in the thought that they could help.
Westford Wins Honor Flag. Westford has certainly gone “over the top” in raising its quota for the third liberty loan. Already the honor flag has come because we have oversubscribed. Our quota was $75,000, and on Monday $103,150 had been subscribed by 144 persons, and there is more to follow. Two subscriptions running into five figures have come from two patriotic citizens, and $20,000 from Julian A. Cameron and $10,000 from John C. Abbot. The liberty loan committee has had several meetings and are now making a house-to-house canvass.
John C. Abbot is chairman of the committee; William R. Taylor, secretary, and Harwood L. Wright, treas. The following are on the committee with the sections assigned them; Westford center, Edward M. Abbot, Harwood L. Wright; Lowell road and Brookside district, William R. Taylor; east, south and west part of the town, Alfred W. Hartford; Forge Village, Edward T. Hanley; Graniteville, Dr. W. H. Sherman and Arthur E. Day.
Let everyone who can do his share. The government has made provision for oversubscription. Let us help all we can!
A Memorable Service. The Congregationalist of April 11 contained a picture of the church of the Pilgrimage in Plymouth, where Rev. C. P. Marshall preaches, a former pastor here [1905-1910], and there is a description of a “notable communion service.” At the church of the Pilgrimage on Thursday of holy week, five denominations met for a communion service—Baptist, Methodist, Unitarian, Universalist and Congregational—nearly 300 members in all. Dr. Emrich, of Boston, preached the sermon, and the pastors served the sacrament. Silver tankards and cups presented to the First Parish in 1737 were used. Mr. Marshall writes, “Even though we may be several bodies now, we have come a long way toward one church again. The Pilgrim ideal of unity in the spirit with diversity of thought was well illustrated in the service, and as one minister truly said, ‘It is indeed an epoch worthy of memorial record that at Plymouth, where the inestimable boon of religious liberty was given to America, real Christian unity has had its noblest demonstration as prophetic of the world brotherhood of man’.”
Graniteville. In spite of the fact that Westford has oversubscribed its quota for liberty bonds the Graniteville people are still buying them. Up to Tuesday the employees of the Abbot Worsted Company here had bought up to $3900 and will no doubt purchase to the amount of $5000 before the campaign is ended. The employees of Sargents have done well also.
Mrs. Henry Charlton, who has been ill for the last few weeks, was taken to the Lowell General hospital on last Sunday.
Graniteville will be represented by a baseball team this coming summer. The team will be composed mostly of local players and will play clubs whose average age is 16 or 17 years. It is thought in this way that a good club will be developed and in a year or two will be ready for all comers. The team will have new uniforms and equipment. This was made possible in a great measure by the generous checks donated by the Abbot Worsted Company and the C. G. Sargents’ Sons’ Corporation. As soon as the necessary arrangements are made a series of games will be played with the Red Sox of Forge Village and the Westford club.
Owing to the epidemic of measles here the Sargent school was closed this week, but will start up at the usual hour on Monday.
Business continues to be good in the mills, shops and foundry, but aside from the work on Palmer’s quarry there is not much stone work being done here at present.
The electric wiring has been completed in the local Red Cross rooms, and the lights can be used at any time
Forge Village. The last meeting of the Girl Scouts was held on Tuesday evening with Mrs. Jonathan Harwood, Miss Margaret Eaglesfield in charge, and Mrs. Crane and daughter, of New Bedford, as visitors. The first of the evening was spent in practicing the Scout songs, which they will sing at the rally in Boston April 27. The main part of the evening, however, was spent on the rehearsal of the cantata which they have planned to be given on May 10. Miss Eaglesfield accompanied in the songs with her violin. Mrs. Harwood brought with her the ranks of the girls in the tenderfoot examination taken a few weeks ago. An excellent standard was made by the scouts, several of the marks being nearly perfect.
The Forge Village Red Sox have accepted the challenge of the Middlesex A.C., formerly the Glendales of Lowell. The game is to be played on the Red Sox ground, April 19. All Red Sox players are requested to report for practice on Friday, April 19.
The house on Pleasant street, until recently occupied by Mrs. Margaret Wilson and family, is being remodeled by the Abbot Worsted Co. Other improvements are also noted.
Miss Edith M. Foster, of Medford, visited in town on Wednesday. Her many friends will be pleased to know that she has been appointed supervisor of all the war gardens in Medford, besides her school duties.
The third liberty loan is progressing favorably here. The employees of the Abbot Worsted Company have subscribed over $8000 and the canvass is not yet completed. Nearly every Russian resident here has taken a bond.
Miss Mary H. Cherry, of Somerville, is spending this week with her grandmother, Mrs. Mary A. Lowther.
The Junior Scouts here will be the guests of Mrs. Bruce Elwell on Friday afternoon, when they will journey to Camp Devens in an automobile and witness retreat at sunset.
The liberty loan committee for Forge Village is composed of Miles Collins, Joseph Leclair, William Kelley, Samuel Dugdale, Mike Sudac, Edward T. Hanley. In the $8000 mentioned previously, is included a $2000 subscription from the Odd Fellows.
There will be a concert and dance in Abbot hall on Thursday evening, April 18, under the auspices of the 301st Ammunition Train of Camp Devens. The affair is given for the benefit of the local branch of the Westford Red Cross society. Miss Eva F. Pyne is general manager. Refreshments will be served, those on the committee being Mrs. John Edwards, Mrs. William Baker, Mrs. James Kelley and a number of assistants.
Rev. Angus Dun preached an inspiring sermon last Sunday at St. Andrew’s mission to a large congregation. He announced that the Girl Scouts would meet Tuesday evening; also, the Forge Service Unit.
Miss Helen F. Childs, of Dorchester and Medford, is the guest of Miss Mildred V. Precious this week.
The members of the Jolly club held a social dance in Abbot hall on last week Friday evening. Owing to the disagreeable weather the crowd was not as large as it would otherwise have been, but all present had an enjoyable time. The club has run several successful dances before and all their money returns have been turned into the Red Cross, making a total of seventy-five dollars.
Joseph Cantarra, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cantarra, of Bradford street, died at his home on Monday afternoon after a lingering illness. Besides his wife, he leaves his parents, five brothers and two sisters. The funeral took place at his home at 8:30 o’clock Wednesday morning, and a funeral mass was said at nine o’clock at St. Catherine’s church. Burial took place at St. Catherine’s cemetery.
Mrs. W. H. P. Harty [nee Martha S. Twiss] and niece, Mrs. F. A. Emerson, of Concord, came to town Wednesday. Mrs. Harty came especially to make arrangements for the lot in the cemetery for Memorial day. [William H. P. Harty died Feb. 5, 1916, and is buried in Westlawn Cem.] While here she called on neighbors and friends. Mrs. Harty is in fine health.
The Abbot Worsted mill was in operation on Friday; all public schools were closed.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Naylor and family have moved into one of the new houses on Union [now E. Prescott] street. Mr. and Mrs. James Whigham are moving into the house formerly occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Naylor.
Mr. and Mrs. Percy Hargreaves and baby, of Somerville, are to spend the weekend and holiday with their grandmother, Mrs. Mary A. Lowther.
Albert Collins, who went to Camp Devens from here with the last draft quota, has been rejected as physically unfit and is at his home here.
Miss Violet Collins, of Providence, R.I., is spending a few days at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miles Collins.
Letter of Thanks. Mrs. William Burnett, of this village, has recently received an interesting postcard from France, with regard to the Red Cross work done over here, which was as follows, under date of March 16:
Dear Mrs. Burnett—In putting on a pair of nice woolen socks this morning I found a small slip of paper with your address on it. They came, I believe, through my aunt, Mrs. Hartford, of Westford from the Red Cross. It is needless to say that that society is doing wonderful work, which I am sure is fully appreciated by the boys in the service. I am afraid many of us would have been pretty cold and shy of extra socks, etc., but for our Red Cross workers at home. Thanking you kindly for knitting these nice warm socks, I remain,
Yours truly,
Prv. Wesley E. Hawkes, Co. B, 101st U.S. Engineers, A.E.F.
Ayer
News Items. A soldier at Camp Devens, evidently of French extraction, feels a little lonely by the tone of his letter sent to this office, dated April 15, which is as follows: “Dear Sir—I would like to get acquainted with your fine looking girls. You have got some fine looking girls in your town, so I want you to put my name in your paper. My name is David R. Barks, Camp Devens, Mass., Co. D, 33rd Engineers.”
A memorial monument, to be composed of field stones gathered by the soldiers at Camp Devens, is to be erected in Ayer to commemorate the establishment of the cantonment and in honor of the war service of the men who receive their training here, by the Massachusetts Art Commission. Designs will be submitted to the camp authorities and their selection submitted to the commission. This was decided upon at a conference at the State House recently between Capt. Thomas P. Lindsey, national army, representing the camp, and Chairman Charles D. Maginnis, Secretary Charles R. Greco and Cyrus E. Dallin of the art commission.
District Court. Andrew Kimball, who claims to be an Austrian, was arraigned in court on Thursday morning on a complaint for larceny. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced by Judge Atwood to one year in the house of correction. In accordance with the law covering sentences of six months or over, the defendant was committed to the local police station until this Saturday morning in order to give him time to appeal his case to a higher court if he so desired. The complainant in the case was Mike Briscoe, a Polander in Forge Village, where the robbery was committed. It appeared from the evidence extracted through the aid of an interpreter that the defendant was given shelter for the night by Briscoe, and rewarded his benefactor by stealing $110 from him.
Kimball frankly confessed that he took seventy-five dollars from Briscoe and no more. This amount, plus one dollar, which he claimed was his own, was found on the defendant’s person when arrested.
There was great excitement at Forge Village when the robbery was discovered. A large, angry crowd gathered about Kimball and threatened to do him bodily injury. A hurry up call was sent to Chief Beatty of Ayer for police protection, the chief and Frank G. Hale, state police officer, making a hurried automobile trip to the scene of hostilities at midnight Monday night, and restored order.
Ministers Hear Camp Preacher. Rev. John Barlow, D.D., of Brooklyn, N.Y., who has spent the winter in Camp Devens, spoke to the Presbyterian ministers at the Bible House Monday morning on the heartening work of ministers and Y.M.C.A. secretaries among the young soldiers. Dr. Barlow represented the National Service Commission and has conducted as many as thirty different services on a single Sunday in different huts. He has also worked vigorously with the young men. He says the men are anxious to go over-seas and are eager to try their mettle with the Huns since reading of the heroic attitude of British and French during the present battles.
Dr. Barlow declares that Camp Devens is a safer place for young men than most American cities. Young soldiers have said to him: “I have had more religion in the camp than I had at home.” Dr. Barlow thinks that the negroes from the south will be much benefitted in the atmosphere of the camp.
The Federated church, he says, has been placed in a fortunate location and is doing a fine work. More men in uniform go there than to any other place outside of the Y.M.C.A. huts. Denominationalism is taboo at the camp. The men will not be labelled as of any sect and the doctor emphasized the opinion that when the war is over these men will come back to their churches insistent that the church people must do Christian work faithfully or the men will flock to the Y.M.C.A.
Dr. Barrell, a prominent clergyman of Brooklyn, N.Y., will take the place Dr. Barlow has occupied as soon as he returns to Brooklyn.
Clippings. The following clippings have been taken from recent editions of the Fitchburg Sentinel:
Human nature is a constant and important factor in legislation. Ayer town officials are likely to find it out, if reports are true regarding the impression which they made on the legislative committee on public health on the occasion of the visit of the committee to the town to gather facts about the sewerage system. The effort of the town officials to throw off the legitimate expense which some people hold should be assumed cheerfully and rightfully by the town did not make a good impression on some of the committee. Of course, intelligent town officials ought to realize that legislators are human, the same as other folks, and that if they get an impression that the officials or the town as a whole, is not standing up to the rack and trying to do its full duty honorably and squarely, then the legislation is liable to be made all the harder for those officials or for that town. No report has been made yet, but if it seems hard to the officials, or to the people of Ayer, they may guess what is the reason. If they are spoiling for a fight for the sake of carrying out their view, it is quite probable that they will be accommodated.
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The legislative committee on public health went to Ayer Thursday afternoon to investigate the inadequate sewerage system in that town. An inspection was made and a conference with town officials and public health experts held.
The town has steadfastly refused to cooperate with the state in building a system, as recommended by the state department of health, and it is probable that action will be taken by the state to force the town to eliminate the nuisance now declared by the lack of sanitary disposal.
The town officials did not have any love feast with the visitors, several of whom were emphatic in adversely criticizing Ayer for its attitude in trying to evade the expense. Town officials said the demand for improved sewer facilities would not have been made had not Camp Devens been established.
The system recommended will cost $60,000 it was said during the conference. The sewage from fifteen or twenty families runs through an open brook to a tributary of the Nashua river.
The legislative committee, public health experts, Ayer officials and Maj. E. K. Sprague of the United States public health service conferred at the town hall to discuss ways by which the proposed new system could be installed. All suggestions that the town of Ayer contribute to the expense of installing the proposed new system met with cold reserve and indifference.
The town report for the year 1908 recommended that the town appropriate money for a new system of sewerage disposal. This showed that the Ayer contention that the town is being forced to treat its sewage is not correct, state officials said.
It is probable that the legislative committee in its report will censure the town for side-stepping its share of the expense of the project. Dr. F. A. Finnegan of Fitchburg was one of the health experts at the conference.