Turner's Public Spirit, February 24, 1923
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
Center. This has been a hard winter on the birds and many people have been feeding them during the cold weather. Seven pheasants are at present visiting the Nashoba Farm [on Concord Road] twice daily in order to obtain food.
Genevieve Blaney, the young daughter of Dr. and Mrs. C. A. Blaney, has been ill with the grippe. Master Cyril Blaney is also on the sick list.
There was no school on Thursday and Friday of last week owing to the extreme cold and bad traveling.
William Hackett, of the state police, was in town over Sunday, making investigation on existing conditions for the state. He accompanied Chief Whiting on his Saturday night work, which included among other things the quelling of a family disturbance and expressed approval of the manner in which the police work was handled. After visiting the various sections of the town he expressed the opinion that at least one more uniformed officer was needed on duty daily to overcome some of the existing conditions.
The box party which was to have been held by the Grange on Thursday evening of last week was postponed owing to the bad traveling and great amount of sickness among the members.
Miss Marjorie Seavey, of the Swampscott high school, is spending the week in town.
At the next meeting of the Tadmuck club on Tuesday afternoon the speaker who is named on the program will not appear, owing to traveling conditions. Instead, a business meeting will be held at which time the question of raising the dues, naming a nominating committee and other important business will be discussed, after which there will be a short entertainment.
The motion pictures which were to have been given at the town hall on last Saturday evening by the Middlesex Farm Bureau were postponed.
The academy basketball team suffered defeat at the hands of the Ayer high school team on last week Thursday, the score being 38 to 23.
The seniors and some of the juniors at the academy are planning to give a play later in the season, “The importance of being earnest.”
Bids have been called for on several of the town jobs, such as sealer of weights and measures, fish and game warden, police and highway superintendent, the article calling for [torn paper, line or two missing] secretary, John B. Gray.
Grace Hildreth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Hildreth, who was at the Lowell General hospital for four days, has returned to her home.
The missionary meeting, which was to have been held at the home of Mrs. Clarence Hildreth on Wednesday of this week, has been postponed until Wednesday of next week.
William R. Carver has returned to his home from the Somerville hospital where he has been undergoing treatment.
About Town. John Savage, who died in Connecticut last week [Feb. 18 in Norwich], was born in Graniteville and there are those now living in Graniteville, who knew him well. We were unable to get any further particulars. He was a brother to Patrick Savage, of Chelmsford, and for many years a well-known resident of this town.
The burning of the Uncanoonuc hotel on the summit of the Uncanoonuc mountain [Goffstown, N.H.] last week Friday evening removes one of the best known recently built hotels in southern New England. It was built about twenty years ago, about the time of building the [Uncanoonuc] incline railway [in 1905], and has been visited by thousands of Massachusetts people. The Uncanoonuc mountain is quite visible from Westford Center and many Westford people have wended their way thither. The fire was a showy affair for hundreds of miles around. The origin of the blaze is unknown; the estimated loss about $13,000.
We were pleased to observe that our old friend former townsman, Edson G. Boynton, has been elected as one of the overseers of the poor in Harvard. We congratulate Harvard.
The towns of Westford, Chelmsford and Billerica have held unofficial meetings of officials in authority in these towns relative to cheaper lighting rates from the Lowell Electric Light Corporation. Unless this corporation comes forward with cheaper rates it is proposed to go before the committee of public utilities in Boston and ask for relief. It seems too bad that modern methods of business have drifted into such selfish greedy methods that nothing but severe competition or a severe spanking from authority higher up will prevent being saluted with “Hands Up.”
A forestry expert says, “This country faces a timber shortage that is really a serious menace. East of the Rocky Mountains there are 81,000,000 acres of idle, unproductive land that ought to be scientifically reforested.” Annihilation is the thoughtless and greedy, wasteful pass-word for trees, birds and wild flowers.
Joseph M. Spurr died last week Friday at his home at 370 Westford street, Lowell. He was a member of the Highland Union Methodist church before its union with the Highland church. He was also a member of Post 185, G.A.R. He leaves a brother, C. P. Spurr, of Southbridge, Me., and a half-brother, Edwin Lamb, of Oxford, Me., and his wife, Mrs. Lomie M. Spurr, who will be remembered by Westford people as Miss Lomie M. Blodgett, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Josiah W. Blodgett, living on Millstone hill, where now reside her mother and two brothers, Charles A. and Fred R. Blodgett. Mr. Spurr will be remembered by many as the proprietor of a custom-made shirt establishment in Lowell, from which business he retired twenty years ago. He was one of the most likely and lovable of men, of a genial, affable and tolerant spirit.
Amos Polley saw a large reindeer crossing the Lowell road on Wednesday morning of last week at the Westford-Chelmsford line. It had large, branching, sprangling horns like unto an umbrella with the cover tipped off. It was heading towards the south pole.
The free delivery mail was held up on Thursday and Friday of last week by snowdrifts in Chelmsford, from the town line to the residence of Fred C. Fletcher. At this point the mail carrier was compelled to carry the mail back to the point of starting in Chelmsford Center and not try it out again until last Saturday morning.
The recent annual town meeting, with its fifty-two articles, was compelled to hold into the evening and light up, which is probably the first annual town meeting to do so since the town was incorporated on September 29, 1729. Wait until the warrant grows up to Article 100 and then what will we do without eating or sleeping? In view of the past recent meeting and prospective future ones, would it not be well to consider voting for and electing town officers by precinct voting at a separate meeting from the annual business meeting? Several articles were not sent in; they will keep until we light up again. It is clear that we shall be compelled to hold a special town meeting before long for building an addition to the Sargent school in Graniteville, for which $300 was appropriated for plans, and then it is for the town to decide whether it will build or come the Forge Village act [i.e., enlarge the existing building].
Oh, thank you, thank you, Littleton, over and over again. Thank you for crediting the Old Oaken Bucket farm with being so precious early in planting as to be “hoeing his 1923 peas by this late date.” That’s just what we should be up to if the town would break the impassable snowdrifts on the Stony Brook road so that the Old Oaken Bucket farm could get into the field where the early peas are planted. Here we have one of the earliest pieces of land this side of the north pole close to the Stony Brook railroad, whose hot rails and gravel draw the sun and still more “het up” for a slope to the south. Here we plant St. Patrick potatoes St. Patrick’s day in the morning.
Middlesex-North held the third farmers’ institute last week Wednesday in Lowell. Alfred C. Cutting, chairman of the county commissioners, was the principal speaker, “County government” being his subject. Our expenses now amount to $1,300,000 annually, the budget system being used. There is the maintenance of civil and criminal superior courts, twelve district courts and salaries of officers. All jails have been closed except East Cambridge at a great saving. The training and boarding school at North Chelmsford is doing a great and good work of character development. James McManmon spoke on the forestry question and the ethical effects of well-kept lawns and evergreen shade trees. George W. Trull and others seconded the motion. The institute adjourned to meet in Westford on Wednesday March 28
We are delighted to note receiving from our townsman, Emory J. Whitney [paper torn, line or two missing] copy of the Kissimmee Valley Gazette, and refresh ourselves reading that they are almost free from malaria, chills and fever and mosquitoes. With these pests nearly eliminated the land is beginning to flow with honey and milk, strawberries and cream. How we do wish that we could exchange a portion of the three feet of snow on the Old Oaken Bucket farm for this Kissimmee honey diet! The exchange would be a luxury to both.
The Grange will hold its next meeting on Thursday evening, March 1. A splendid speaker has been secured, who will talk on a subject which is of vital interest to this section. There ought to be a good audience. Prof. Frank Waugh of the Massachusetts Agricultural college at Amherst will speak on “Apples.”
Reports from Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Spalding, who are in Florida, show that they are having a pleasant time.
The next meeting of the Pomona Grange will be held on Friday, March 2, in Odd Fellows’ hall, Lowell. It is called farmers’ day on the program. In the morning there will be community singing, current events by F. A. Hanscom, “Middlesex county large farms,” Charles Wright of Burlington; paper, “The kitchen garden—its worth to the hoe,” S. L. Taylor; paper, “What vegetables should be grown in home gardens,” Mrs. Francena Sherburne of Tyngsboro. In the afternoon Prof. Frank Waugh of the M.A.C. will talk on “Pomology.” This is just a special word for the science of fruits, or the art of raising fruits. As Prof. Waugh is an authority we shall have a treat in hearing him. The miscellaneous program is in charge of Mrs. Austin Fletcher, lecturer of Westford Grange.
David Sherman and family, on the Cold Spring road, have the grippe.
The Ladies’ Aid of the Congregational church recently had an all-day session at the home of Mrs. David Greig. A good number were present. At the noon hour the hostess served escalloped oysters, and other good things. It was an enjoyable occasion.
Some Percentages. Gov. Walter M. Pierce, of Oregon, as a farmer, in his inaugural address, took up an unusual line of thought, a few extracts from which are given here:
“A few days ago I was on my farm. I watched a beautiful pen of steers grain fed ready for market. You are worth about fifty dollars each in the present market. If I were to count the taxes on the land from which you have eaten the grass, and the taxes on land from which you have eaten the hay, and the taxes upon yourselves and mother, then there is a standing against each of you [of] $15 taxes. Each steer has actually cost this farm $75. When your hide is cut up and made into harness and shoes, and you are cut up into steaks and roast, then you will cost those who consume you about $500 each. The railroad that takes you to market fixes the freight rate and makes a profit; the packer that prepares you for market fixes the price and makes a profit; the retailer fixes the price and makes a profit; the hotel-keeper, the harness-maker and shoe-maker all fix the price and make a profit. The farmer is the only one in the long, long line from producer to consumer who asks the world to fix a price on his product, and he is the only one who fails to make a legitimate profit.
“Only ten percent is allowed in this instance to the one who produces, and ninety percent taken by those who can and do dictate the price. Slowly in place, rapidly in other places, the producers are being financially ruined by the present marketing system. I do not even want to think of state-owned packing plants and warehouses for distribution of farm products, but I do want to warn the business world that the producers must have better treatment.”
If this picture was as bad and threatening, as set forth, the farmers would be under the wing of our new public charity commissioners, and this would keep them busy earning their ten dollars a year salary. But there is enough in the picture true to life to keep us at “attention.” There is too great a chasm between ten percent to the producer and ninety percent when it reaches the consumer. But this does not exist all along the line; if it did we should be too poor to furnish lead pencils to write about it There are two ways and some others proposed to shortening the chasm.
One is the Lenroot-Anderson cheap money bill which many think would lengthen the chasm, and make the remedy worse than the disease. Senator McCumber comes much nearer to hewing to the line of the remedy than the cheap money proposal. “A nation-wide law to stimulate cooperative selling of farm produce is the first need of agriculturists,” said Senator McCumber of North Dakota, in a speech in the senate. “The Lenroot-Anderson farm credits bill will do no good because the farmers are now so deeply in debt they can borrow no deeper. The farmer should be given a general law to organize property so that he will have the right to strike against low prices. I believe no legislation except to stimulate cooperative selling will meet the situation.”
Pray tell, what hinders cooperative selling now except disagreeing, fractional, sectional, jealous farmers? A good business text to meditate on and build on is the old familiar and neglected one, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” If we cannot get together and do business together according to modern together methods, because of our individual disagreements and jealousies, what is the use of calling on the Lord and the United States government to do for us what we already have the power to do now, except for our unwillingness to use what little we have of the spirit of cooperation? Do we expect that the Lord and the United States government are going to make us over so that we shall love a national cooperative law when we cannot even love and use an individual law?
No, let us continue our little one-horse extravagant performance, and out of joint with all modern methods of economical business. Let us continue to revolve in our little individual orbit and gather the penury that it comes to, rather than in the larger orbit for all and the wealth of all. “Can the hand say I have no need of the foot, or the eye that I have no need of the ear?” The farmers are the only class of people who beat Paul along this line of reasoning. No, as farmers, we can beat Paul’s true to life illustration, and if one suffers the other does not, and they correctly represent individual farming. Let us take our own prescription.
Library Notes. The report of the work carried on at the library during 1922 is contained in the town reports recently issued. The list of new books added during the past years is included, so that it may be easily consulted by all. An endeavor is made to provide a variety to choose from, so that everyone may find some books for his needs. For those who do not receive the town report a copy of the library report is provided at the library.
The library has received contributions for the work of rebuilding the library of the University of Louvain [in Belgium, destroyed by the Germans in 1914] as a memorial to those Americans who gave their lives in the great war. This means that the name of the J. V. Fletcher library will be inserted in some part of the building.
A few new books have been added this year, among them the following: “The blood ship,” a thrilling story of the sea by N. Springer; “Just nerves,” by Riggs, a small book giving practical rules for those afflicted with “nerves”; “Wise men from the east and from the west,” by Ribbany interpreting the spirit of the east by a comparison of its mental and moral attitudes with those of the west; “Greensea Island, a mystery of the Essex coast,” by Bridges. For the children, “The Herford Æsop,” fifty fables in verse with attractive illustrations, and “East of the sun and west of the moon,” fairy tales by Thorne Thomsen.
Graniteville. The members of Court Graniteville, F. of A., had a largely attended and interesting meeting at their rooms on last Thursday evening. Much business of importance was transacted and at the close of the session an enjoyable smoker was held. The smoker was in charge of Edward and Richard Healy and much credit is due them for the able manner in which this affair was conducted.
Edward M. Abbot, agent of the Abbot Worsted Co., was presented a beautiful mahogany clock in honor of his approaching marriage by the employees of the Graniteville mill at the noon hour on last week Friday. Alvin Nelson and C. M. Sawyer had charge of arrangements and the presentation was made by Bert Wall. The gift came as a great surprise to Mr. Abbot, who thanked the employees not only for the gift, but the fine feeling that prompted it. Hearty cheers were given to Mr. Abbot after his speech of acceptance, and also for the prospective bride. It was really a very happy occasion.
Miss Ruby Willey, teacher of the second grade at the Sargent school here, entertained the Little Needle Workers’ class at the rooms of the Y.W.C.A. in Lowell on last Saturday afternoon. The time was spent very pleasantly playing various games that proved to be very enjoyable. Refreshments were served during the afternoon and the children returned home in the early evening, highly pleased with the kind hospitality of Miss Willey.
Both masses in St. Catherine’s church last Sunday morning were celebrated by the pastor, Rev. A. S. Malone. Sunday school was held in the afternoon at two o’clock, followed by the stations of the cross. The services closed with benediction of the blessed sacrament.
The usual Lenten services are now being held here in St. Catherine’s church on Wednesday and Friday evening.
Prayer meeting will be held in the vestry of the M.E. church on Friday evening at 7:30. After the prayer meeting there will be a meeting of the official board and the trustees. A full attendance is expected.
The members of the Epworth League enjoyed a very pleasant sleigh ride to the Alabama farm [145 Littleton Road] on last Saturday evening. About 28 were in the party and after enjoying an excellent supper at the farm and spending a pleasant evening the homeward trip was taken. The sleigh-ride party was voted a great success.
The members of the M.E. church choir held a rehearsal at the home of Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Sawyer on Wednesday evening.
The Sewing class met at the Abbot hall here on Tuesday evening.
Harold Harrington, who has been ill at St. John’s hospital, Lowell, for the past few weeks has recently returned to his home here.
Littleton
Death. Mrs. Georgianna Smith, widow of the late Allen Smith, and a resident of this town for more than twenty years, entered into the larger life on Monday morning. Mrs. Smith had reached the ripe age of 72 years, 1 month, 27 days and although not old, she had been subject to frequent illness that made life with its limitations and restraint less attractive here than over there.
The deceased was a woman of beautiful character, devoted to her home and friends, and her passing will cause regret to the community in which she lived, as well as to her many other friends.
She is survived by four sons and two daughters, Clarence B., of Cambridge, George A., of Acton, Irving E. and Water E. of this town, and the Misses Harriet and Augusta W. Smith, also of this town.
Funeral services were held from Mrs. Smith’s late home at Littleton Common on Wednesday afternoon, Rev. Mr. Anderson, of Westford, officiating, and the interment was in Westford on the eighty-second anniversary of Mr. Smith’s birth. [Actually, Allen Griffin Smith, who died in 1920, was born Feb. 20, 1841, per the Chelmsford vital records, so his wife’s burial was the day after his 82nd birthday.]
Ayer
News Items. The following real estate transfers have been recorded from this vicinity recently: … Westford, James J. Benoit estate by ex. et al. to Fred A. Sweatt, land on Central street; Maud J. Foster et al. to Christopher W. Balsor, land on Lowell road; Fred A. Sweatt to Abbot Worsted Company, land on Central street.
Townsend
Wedding. On Monday evening, February 19, Cornelius Percival Keefe and Esther Brooks Bagley were united in marriage at the bride’s home. The house was handsomely decorated with green and clusters of red berries. At eight o’clock the wedding march was played by the Misses Precious orchestra, violin, cornet and piano. The misses Precious are relatives of the groom from Forge Village. …
