Turner's Public Spirit, December 22, 1923
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
Center. The Ladies’ Aid of the Congregational church held an enjoyable all-day meeting at the home of Mrs. George F. White [62 Main St.] on Tuesday of last week. Twenty-five were in attendance and dinner was served at noon. A large amount of sewing was done and in the afternoon the officers of next year were elected: Mrs. Meyer, pres.; Mrs. John Felch, vice pres.; Mrs. Roudenbush, sec.; Mrs. White, treas.; Mrs. Phonsie Isles and Mrs. S. B. Watson, Good Cheer committee, Mrs. Scott and Miss Green, directoresses [sic]. At the Christmas party, which was one of the features of the occasion, each lady brought a small gift; the name being drawn by members.
The Woman’s Alliance of the Unitarian church held a pleasant all-day meeting at the home of Mrs. Adeline Buckshorn on December 13 and the morning was spent in sewing with a lunch at noon. In the afternoon the regular business meeting was held after which Miss Mabel Drew gave an interesting paper on “What shall Unitarians teach their children?”
Mrs. Olive Dunn of Pembroke, Me., is spending the winter as the guest of her grandson, Robert Bosworth.
Mrs. Nancy Eastman [nee Nancy Jane Lary] passed way at her home on [Leland Road on] Monday after a long illness. The deceased was 81 years of age and had been a resident of this town for the past 33 years. She was a woman of many lovable traits and had a large circle of friends. She is survived by her husband, Asa B., and one son, Charles Eastman, also six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Funeral services attended by relatives and friends were held from her home on Wednesday afternoon. Rev. Edward Disbrow was the officiating clergyman. The bearers were Fred, Edward and Hawthorne Robey and Herbert Hodgson. Burial, which was private, was at Fairview cemetery.
Chief of Police Whiting assisted by special officers served a liquor search warrant at Graniteville on Wednesday afternoon, a copper still and liquors being the result of same.
Miss Ruth Tuttle, with the cooperation of the school nurse, is planning to modify the food habit score card so as to meet the needs of each individual girl. Many of the club members are underweight and it is hoped that some very good results will be obtained. Miss Tuttle, who has been a club member of all the clubs she has led, will continue that practice and she too will keep a food habit score card.
The electrical work on the town clock has been completed and the lighting is turned on each night.
Charles [paper torn, line missing] Lowell General Hospital on Monday, suffering from a bad case of blood poisoning. At last reports he was doing as well as could be expected.
Mrs. George Walker, who was operated on at the Lowell General Hospital last week, is improving.
Mrs. Sidney B. Wright, who is at the Lowell General Hospital, is improving after her recent operation.
Olive Hanscom, the young daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Hanscom, is reported ill with chicken-pox.
The schools closed on Thursday and will reopen on Wednesday, January 2.
Westford post, A.L., give a ball at the town hall on New Year’s eve. The price of admission will include a ticket on the Essex coach, which is to be drawn on Washington’s birthday.
A large number of citizens attended an interesting lecture on “Americanism” at the town hall on Tuesday evening. The speaker of the evening was a noted divine with a national reputation as a speaker who handled his subject in an able manner and held the attention of his audience throughout the evening.
Entertainment. The academy junior play, “Renting Jimmy,” [by Lillian Stoll] was presented at the town hall on Monday evening and the parts were well handled. The cast included the following pupils: Mary Wall, Hazel Sweetser, Grace Dane, Fisher Buckshorn, Evelyn Healy, Virginia Healy, Mary Dureault, Lillian Hosmer, Elizabeth Prinn and Lydia Griffin. The coach was Miss Laura Gothberg of the faculty to whom the credit is due for the success of the play. A pageant entitled, “The spirit of Christmas,” was also presented by pupils of the school as follows: Spirit of Christmas, Doris York; herald, William Watson; star maidens, girls’ glee club; revelers, boys of the school; earth maiden, Regina McLenna; angel of violin, Mildred Precious; King Wenceflau [sic, Wenceslas is probably meant], Fisher Buckshorn; page, Everett Millis; poor man, George Orr; singing, “Little town of Bethlehem” and “Silent night,” girls’ glee club; solos by Fisher Buckshorn and Everett Millis; reading by Regina McLenna, entitled “Legend beautiful,” by Longfellow. The girls were in costume and Miss Daisy Precious, the efficient teacher of music, was the accompanist of the evening. Those in charge of the pageant were William Roudenbush, principal, Miss Bashford and Miss Daisy Precious.
About Town. Henry A. Bunce, formerly of this town, is a candidate for school committee in Chelmsford at the annual meeting.
Fred Burnham is preparing to build a house for himself by himself on the Littleton-Chelmsford road, near the intersection of the Providence road.
The Farm Journal says “Frogs as large as oxen once existed in Oklahoma if the fossils recently found may be believed.” I am wondering if someone can give us the fossil-sized snake that could swallow one of these frogs? What a hallelujah chorus of music when they all tuned up to sing “Spring is here,” and thus notify the farmers that its time to get out that tractor plow and get ready to plant cucumbers.
“When you’re in Rome,” said the philosopher, “do as Rome does.” “Yes,” the wit replied, “when you’re in Turkey, gobble.”
Over fifty species of fish never before known to scientists were discovered by the United States fish commission steamer in the Hawaiian waters. Most of the specimens were hauled from depths in which the light of the sun can never penetrate. Still these fish were equipped with eyes, from which the scientists of the party infer that they see by phosphorescence.
The first Florida strawberries sold for $2.50 per quart this year, the first shipment containing 100 quarts. And here we are selling apples at twenty-five cents a bushel.
It is estimated that the race horse Zev earned for his owners the sum of $286,573.57 during the past season.
The recent Easter Fruit Growers’ exposition in New York city gave away of the exhibit 100 barrels of apples to charity and the deserving poor without regard to race, creed or color. This was a clear illustration of one of many antidotes to eliminate the spirit of war from our lives.
William Hunt has sold his farm on the Robinson road to Mr. Sundburg [sic], of Tewksbury, who has a family of five children. Kenneth, the oldest, is a graduate of Amherst Agricultural college, and it is expected that as all the rest of the family are “lifters” [sic] and require not to be propped up, that they will show some of us old-age moss-back hayseeds how it all happens. Let us all claim that we are from Missouri and desire to be shown. The Hunt family have moved to Forge Village.
Raising blueberries in Maine has developed into a large and profitable industry. In 1922 184,450 bushels were handled at the canning factories and the value of the canned product was estimated at $1,000,000. They are harvested with a berry rake similar to a cranberry rake and also winnowed again after arriving there.
The Old Oaken Bucket farm boy has received a Christmas card from his old-time neighbor and friend, Harper Bailey, of San Diego, Cal. Nearly a half a century has elapsed since the Bailey family removed from this town. When here they lived on Pigeon hill on the Stony Brook road, on the farm now owned by Bernard J. Flynn.
John A. Taylor writes from Ann Arbor, Mich., under date of December 16, “Winter has not struck us yet. No snow and no severe weather and it seems like a belated fall. Who is this clever fellow who writes under the name of ‘The Man About Town?’ Convey to him my desire to join his ‘Coolidge-for-keeping-your-mouth-shut club.’ But seriously I do admire Cal Coolidge for being discreet in his utterances and staying patiently in Washington on his job. ‘Greater is he who brideleth his own tongue than he who taketh a city’.”
Mrs. Nancy Jane Eastman died at her home on Leland road Monday evening at the age of eighty-one years. She had been a resident of this town for thirty-three years and endeared herself to the community for her quiet usefulness and service in the community, void of all semblance of ostentation. She was the quiet and efficient mother in her home of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She leaves besides her husband, Asa B. M. Eastman, a son Charles, Six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. The funeral was held from her home on Wednesday afternoon, Rev. Mr. Disbrow [of the First Parish Church (Unitarian)] conducting the service. The bearers were Edwin, Fred and Hawthorne Robey and Herbert Hodson. Mrs. Blaney sang in her most affective and effective manner. Interment was in the family lot in Fairview cemetery.
Ten lives were lost during the deer-hunting season in Maine which closed November 30. Three hunters were mistaken for deer, four lost their lives by the accidental discharge of their own guns, one was accidentally shot by his companion, a woman was killed by a stray bullet, one was stricken with heart trouble and died while hunting. Rather dear hunting deer for the pleasure it gives the hunter and the pain it gives the deer, and when it kicks back in pain and loss of life in this hunter the dearer is the deer.
Winter struck out Florida symptoms last week Friday morning at 10° above zero at the Old Oaken Bucket farm [paper torn, line missing] against plowing.
Rugnier [sic, Regnier?] Brothers have set up a portable stationary sawmill on the Plain road, all covered in and painted.
There is no danger that we shall forget that next Tuesday is Christmas. There is far more danger that we shall slip all the cogs in the wheel of love and charity in an excessive overdo effort for this one day and forget that there are 365 just such days to spread our efforts over.
There is nothing like a town having some popular notice, even if it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the taxpayer. Such is the case with our close-by Dracut, which has the second highest tax rate in the state, $43, and $50 in the water district. Paxton has the highest rate, $45, and Gay Head the lowest, $10. Let us all be gay and good and go to Gay Head and beat the head.
New Jersey had the first snowstorm of the season on last week Friday. Ours is yet to come; may it tarry on the road long enough to supply all who love snow. Personally I am willing to make a free assignment of all my natural rights, snow and all the love I ever had for those natural rights, past, present and future. Thus do I make this consignment as a Christmas present and free of all freight charges to all those who claim to love snow.
The United States crop report for the orange crop says, “The [Florida?] orange crop for November first was 94% of a full crop, comparing in this respect with 90 in 1922 and 77 in 1921. California’s orange crop was reported on November first to be 90% of a full crop, compared with 58 in 1922 and 88 in 1921.” And yet for all this showing of a nearly full crop, shall we get cheaper oranges than with a 58% crop? It is doubtful if we do, for we have grown into some needlessly extravagant ways of getting an orange to our mouth as well as nearly everything else. If a lot of needless combinations of men creatures could by law of congress be cared for at some public, charitable institution for life it would be the most economical way of supporting these fellows. They are as needless as Dr. Cook of north pole climbing and stocks in oil without any oil. It’s all one and the same piece of good with varying degrees of robbery and shame and sin.
As an encore, I repeat last week’s notice—the Unitarian Sunday school will hold their Christmas tree celebration on Monday afternoon and evening, December 24, commencing at four o’clock for the junior children, and supper, games and other childhood attractions at seven o’clock. Some playlets will be loosened up, “Spirit of Christmas” and “Here am I.” This entertainment is for everybody, junior and senior children and junior and senior grown-up adults, and it is hoped and expected that the children will be encouraged by a large attendance of us who were once children.
I find that I have been misinterpreted in my uttered thoughts on Christmas presents. “So he don’t believe in Christmas celebration or Christmas presents?” Nonsense; forty times forty nonsense; simply trying to plead any useless, extravagant overdo that would impoverish us so that if a poor fellow-sufferer should ask us December 27 for a T.D. pipe to smoke up his face with we should be so poor from unwise Christmas expenses that we should have to disappoint his face, and wouldn’t that be right down too blessed bad?
Here is President Coolidge’s salutation to the National Grange at its recent session in Pittsburgh, Pa.: “It seems to me that one of the reasons why the Grange has continued to flourish is that it has kept constantly in mind the thought of the farm as a home and is represented in its membership by the various members of that home. It has recognized the need of a home life and a wholesome rural life, and has never failed to present these as things most to be desired. At the same time it has recognized the fact that a satisfactory home life and rural life must be based upon reasonable reward for labor on the farm.”
I learned from Harvard Teacher No. 1, when he heard me recite last week, that Teacher No. 2 or 3 (I am not sure of his number I have so many teachers) stands skyward over six feet standing in his native feet without dress parade shoes and stockings, and worse and more of it “I never knew him to be floored but once and that by a fowl, and while I recognize you to be fairly glib with your tongue, you are only a standstill windmill beside of your to-be-introduced teacher.” Well, say, now see here, Senior Teacher, before you informationed [sic] me to this extent I had been carrying a chip on each shoulder and one on top of my “punkin,” but I have in this forewarning shaken them all off, for if I have got to meet Goliath it becomes me to arm myself with a mental sling shot and try and play David.
Annual Christmas dance by the Back-Log club, town hall, Littleton, Christmas evening, December 25.
Another Wheat Post. And now comes forward over-generous nature, so liberal with her wheat crop that we are starving to death financially and think that we are threatened with a postoffice address, “Almshouse, U.S.A.,” and adds another pest to diminish the crop. The pest is known as “cockle,” a highly prolific weed. The U.S. crop report says, “One half of the wheat acreage of Pennsylvania in 1921 was infested with cockle. In Maryland 47% and in Virginia 44%. The inquiry was confined to these three states on the Atlantic coast and to six north central states and Montana. In the latter group the percentages of wheat area infestation was lower. Minnesota 26, Montana 20, North Dakota and South Dakota 16 and 4% in Illinois. Inquiry was also made concerning the percentage of all wheat fields regardless of size, infested by this weed, and “the reports indicated much larger percentages than those representing wheat areas. They are as high as 69% in Maryland, 68 in Pennsylvania, 28 in South Dakota, and 4 in Illinois.” Perhaps after all, if nature keeps adding on wheat pests the government may escape the dangerous $1.85 per bushel to the farmer for his wheat and fix a liberal premium per acre to encourage him and her to increase the emergency acreage.
Peace Plans. Charles F. Thwing, president emeritus of Western Reserve university, winning the first prize from the Chicago News on “The way to peace,” for peace plans, makes these observations:
“The keynote among governments should be good will. Governments and people, no matter how individualized, must adjust themselves to other governments and people. Every nation must be allowed to keep its own integrity without infringing on the rights of another. Knowledge is the great peace bringer. People know each other through travel and exchanges of tracts, money, students, professors. All these should be furthered because knowledge brings tolerance. The great peril is national selfishness, or the willingness of one nation to develop at the expense of another. The proper mood for America to adopt is not America for Americans, but America for all the world.”
The comment by the editor of the Chicago News is: “Few Americans will quarrel with any part of this except possibly the last paragraph. And that seems in no way objectionable and truly American in spirit if taken as meaning that Americans should urge their free institutions as models for the rest of the world.”
Mr. Thwing is too good and great a man and is universally loved and looked up to as an educator morally and intellectually for any little hot air pop-gun to dissent from his splendid “peace plan.” Yet it seems much like the “golden rule”—it is splendid and much needed advice, but it is “casting pearls before the swine.” Until we develop an individuality that has itself controllable, that does not quit the service of the moral forces of the spirit and mortgage itself to the cheap and brainless allurements of the animal from which we have ascended, until we individually can train ourselves to a daily self-sacrifice of service for others for the universal good, even if nothing more than “a cup of sold water” which we too often refuse, being too busy in our little orbit, “me”; until we can at least partly shift revolving wholly in this modern orbit “materialism” and bring ourselves to realize that there is the orbit of the “ideal” that knows no Wall street or stocks or bonds or any of the “gold bricks” of modern materialism, until we get some of those hindrances inoculated out of us and others inoculated into it, we shall remain overcharged with the spirit of war.
The nations will be reformed from war when as individuals we eliminate the spirit of war out of our individual lives, until we develop a more ideal individuality and a more ideal standard of living.
Church Notes. First church (Unitarian) Sunday service at 4 p.m. Special Christmas music by chorus choir under the direction of Miss Eleanor Colburn, soprano: Processional, “O come, all ye faithful,” traditional, “Silent night,” traditional, chorus; “Sing we Noël” arr. by Manney, chorus; “Cantique de Noël,” Adam, Miss Colburn. Preacher, Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the minister. Subject, “The stories of the Nativity.” Church school at 2:30 p.m.
The choir will hold a special rehearsal of the Christmas music on Saturday evening at 7:30 at the church.
On Sunday the preacher will deal with the often perplexing question of how to understand the stories of the Nativity, contained in the gospel records He will point that they equally fail of true understanding, who call these stories fiction and those who hold that they are a bare, cold place of historical narrative. The radical and the conservative literalist alike fail of understanding, while the mystic discovers the precious truth of the well-beloved stories of the Nativity.
Graniteville. The food sale and dance held in Abbot hall, Forge Village, last week Friday evening in aid of St. Catherine’s church building fund, was largely attended and proved to be a very successful affair. During the sale of food and Christmas novelties, that was liberally patronized, excellent music was furnished by Venn’s orchestra, which also provided the music for the dance that followed.
Rev. James F. Kelly, pastor of the Lady of Lourdes church, Jamaica Plain, Boston, accompanied by Rev. James E. Walsh, supervisor of the Maryknoll missions in China, spent last week Friday afternoon and evening at St. Catherine’s rectory as guests of the pastor, Rev. A. S. Malone. Fr. Walsh has spent five years in China, and is home at this time to raise funds for a central house in China that will enable the Maryknoll people to meet from time to time for conference. He has some very interesting moving and still pictures of the missionary work in China, and has promised Fr. Malone to deliver an illustrated lecture on this subject in the very near future for the people of the parish.
The Abbot Worsted soccer team will journey to Holyoke this Saturday, where they will meet the Falco (Farr Alpaco [sic] Co.) club in the fourth round of the national cup series.
A very spirited bowling match was staged at the Richard bowling alleys here on Wednesday evening between teams representing Graniteville and North Chelmsford. After much exciting play the Graniteville team won by a margin of 42 points. On next Monday evening the big turkey roll off will take place at the Richard Alleys, when prizes of turkey, chicken and candy will be given to the highest scores.
The regular session of the night school was held here on Wednesday evening. As the night school will be discontinued until after the holidays, a little celebration was held at this time. During the evening some excellent readings were given by Miss Mary Profita, a monologue by William Robinson, vocal solos by some of the pupils and chorus singing by the entire company. Refreshments consisting of ice cream and cake were served. Mr. Deeming, who has been instrumental in forming the night school, was presented with a box of cigars. The whole affair proved to be very enjoyable.
The mill pond is now frozen over, but is not safe for skating yet. Skating is enjoyed on some of the smaller streams.
Ayer
Real Estate Transfers. The following real estate transfers have been recorded from this vicinity recently: …
Westford—Resimon Degagne to Kanstanty Lewkowicz, land on North street; Bradley V. Wright to Resimon Degagne, land on North street. …
News Items. A large number of young people are planning to attend an invitation dance to be given this Friday evening by the Westford Y.P.R.U. [Young People’s Religious Union, a Unitarian Church youth organization] at the Westford town hall.
Ayer Man Recovers Money. Through the assistance of Chief Beatty, Ernest L. Whitcomb, local provision dealer, has recovered a roll containing $40 in bills which he lost Monday after making a sale from his meat cart. He thrust the roll, which he supposed contained $45, in the direction of one of his trouser pockets, but evidently left it between his frock and trousers from where it fell to the ground as Mr. Whitcomb drove away, not knowing of his loss. The driver of a car, which came along soon afterwards, was seen by bystanders to stop and pick up what looked like a roll of money. They noted the number of the car and reported it to the police department. Later, when Mr. Whitcomb reported his loss of the money, Chief Beatty looked up the number of the car, which he found was registered to John Taudus of Graniteville.
Chief Beatty, accompanied by Officer Whiting of Westford, later called at the home of Mr. Taudus, who acknowledged finding the roll and stated that he was waiting for someone to advertise the loss. He stated that he found only $40, however, and was rewarded by Mr. Whitcomb for the recovery.
Notes:
This house was demolished in 2000 to make way for the Burnham Place shopping plaza at 142 Littleton Rd. Arthur H. Burnham’s (1857-1928) family and that of his son Frederick Wesley Burnham (1897-1963) both lived here. Fred was a well-known building contractor in Westford.
“Zev (1920–1943) was an American thoroughbred horse racing Champion and National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee.” As a two-year-old he was the 1922 Colt of the Year. In 1923 he won both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zev_(horse).
This quote is a corruption of Proverbs 16:32. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”
“Frederick Albert Cook (1865-1940) was an American explorer, physician and ethnographer, who is most known for allegedly being the first to reach the North Pole on April 21, 1908. A competing claim was made a year later by Robert Peary, though both men’s accounts have since been fiercely disputed; in December 1909, after reviewing Cook’s limited records, a commission of the University of Copenhagen ruled his claim unproven. Nonetheless, in 1911, Cook published a memoir of the expedition in which he maintained the veracity of his assertions. In addition, he also claimed to have been the first person to reach the summit of Denali (then known as Mount McKinley), the highest mountain in North America, a claim which has since been similarly discredited. Though he may not have achieved either Denali or the North Pole, his was the first and only expedition where a United States national discovered an Arctic island, Meighen Island.” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Cook.
“TD was the most popular pipe logo of the 19th Century. Initially manufactured in England in the 18th century by Thomas Dormer and possibly his son, TD pipes were widely copied by pipemakers throughout the 19th Century.” See https://archaeology.cityofnewyork.us/collection/search/stadt-huys-block-202782-td-smoking-pipe-bowl-and-stem