Turner's Public Spirit, January 6, 1923

The Westford Wardsman, A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant.

About Town.  On Christmas Sunday Rev. E. E. Jackman preached a splendid sermon in the West Chelmsford Methodist church on “A Christ-like Christmas.”  At the close of the service sixteen were received into full membership in the church.  In the evening a very fine cantata was given under the direction of Rev. E. E. Jackman.  Later, a group of young people, with the minister as their leader, went through the village and sang Christmas carols which were much enjoyed.  On Friday evening of last week the members of the cantata chorus met in the church vestry and had a banquet and a social time.  Several made remarks and Stanley Snow [son of Fred & Esther (Taylor) Snow and grandson of Samuel L. Taylor) entertained with readings.

The Men’s club in West Chelmsford met on last week Thursday evening and listened to a fine talk by Mr. Mackay, of Boston university.

Among those who took the oath of office in Lowell on New Year’s day was Donald M. Cameron as councilman.

Nearly all the members of the household at Quincy Day’s have been on the list of those having the grippe.  Herbert and Raymond Shay [sic, Shea] have been taking care of the thousand or more hens which Otis Day keeps.

Frederick Hanscombe [sic] and Leonard Wheeler were among those attending the second farmers’ institute in Billerica on Tuesday.  They report a splendid meeting with many in attendance.  We understand that Mr. Hanscombe made a few well chosen remarks. In March the institute will meet here.

On New Year’s day West Chelmsford and Brookside were surprised to receive word of the passing on of Miss Lillian Robarge at her home in Malden, early Monday morning.  Only a month before she and her mother had moved from West Chelmsford to Malden.  She was 29 years, 8 months and 22 days old.  Although she had been an invalid all her life she had seemed remarkable to others.  Everybody loved to go and visit her and do things for her, she was so cheerful and appreciative.  She was talented with her needle and did exquisite sewing and embroidery with her deft fingers.  She was a member of the Methodist church in West Chelmsford and belonged to all the societies and did all that she could to help.  She leaves her mother, Mrs. Alice Robarge, who had devotedly cared for her; a sister, Miss Alyse Robarge, who is secretary to Dr. Crane, a prominent minister of Malden, and a brother, Theodore C. Robarge, who is a world war veteran.  Funeral services were held at her late home in Malden on Wednesday afternoon at 1:30, and at the Methodist church in West Chelmsford at 3:15.  The interment was in West Chelmsford.

The moon this week has been unusually beautiful, so beautiful that our friends have been calling us on the phone to tell us to look at it, for fear we might miss the transcendent beauty of it.  With so much ice on the ground the effect of it all has been to remind us of “moonlight on the Hudson.”  On Tuesday night, for a while there was the appearance of several rainbow-colored rings about the moon which was unusual.  Of course the benefit of this full moon has been shared by all the readers in this section of our “hydra-headed paper,” and not just by Westford alone. But they do say that those living on Westford hilltop had a memorable view of the moon coming up and lighting up the belfry of the Unitarian church in a wonderful way.  Our young folks call this a “sliding moon” and they have taken advantage of it to go coasting on double-runners.

Christmas and New Year’s have come and gone once more.  We find that one quiet farmhouse [probably that of the “About Town” correspondent, Samuel L. Taylor] had greetings from many parts of the country – from California, Indiana, Ohio, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Utah, Illinois, Florida and North Dakota—not one, but several from different parts of these same states, and hosts of greetings from this state.  Thus we keep in touch with different sections of our beloved country, even though we ourselves may “stay put.”

First Parish church (Unitarian) Sunday service at four p.m.  Preacher Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the minister.  Subject, “The star of Epiphany time.”

The town hall has been engaged for the evening of Thursday, January 25, for the presentation of the “Cassilis engagement,” by the Ayer players, under the auspices of the Westford Women’s Alliance.

Center.  The many friends of Warren Wright [aged 35], of South Chelmsford, youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank C. Wright, will regret to learn of the serious accident with which he met last Sunday.  He was using a wood saw and in stooping in some manner slipped, his arm being caught and so badly torn that the arm had to be amputated above the elbow by Dr. Gardner, of Lowell, at the Lowell Corporation hospital, where at last reports he was resting as comfortably as could be expected.

Charles L. Hildreth, town clerk, had the honor of receiving an invitation to the inauguration of Governor [Channing H.] Cox in Boston on January 4.  The governor and Mr. Hildreth were classmates at Dartmouth.

The play to be given at the town hall on Thursday evening, January 25, for the Unitarian church, promises to bring out a good attendance, as dramatics are popular in town, and this is the first one to be presented this season.

Capt. Roland Fenton, formerly of Camp Devens, has the congratulations of his Westford friends and acquaintances on his marriage in Allston recently.  Rev. F. B. Crandall of Ayer performed the ceremony.

James D. Wilson and daughter Florence had a narrow escape in Littleton recently, when the horses Mr. Wilson was driving became frightened at one of the large state snow plows and ran away.  Mr. Wilson injured his arm and broke a finger.

The W.C.T.U. met with Mrs. George Walker on Wednesday afternoon.  A perusal of the work of the State W.C.T.U., taken from the minutes of the meetings, proved very interesting and a New Year’s letter from the new state president, Mrs. Ropes, was read by Mrs. Meyer.  At a recent meeting of the organization the sum of ten dollars was donated for state work and four new members were added.

Chief of Police Whiting went to Hartford, Conn., last Saturday night to get Albert Momenney of Forge Village, wanted for non-support of wife and two small children.  This is Momenney’s second offence, as he was brought from Bridgeport Conn., last year, taken before the district court in Ayer and ordered to pay costs and a weekly sum for the support of his family.  He disappeared shortly afterwards and was recently located in Hartford, Conn.  At the hearing in the district court on Tuesday morning his case was continued until next week, being held in $500 bonds, which he was unable to obtain, so was removed to East Cambridge jail to await the next hearing, which will be on Monday.

Mrs. Augusta Babbitt Prescott died on Wednesday night of last week at her home after a short illness in the ninety-second year of her life.  She was one of the oldest residents of the town.  Mrs. Prescott was born in Boston in 1831, but had lived here for the past seventy-one years.  She was [the widow of Edward Prescott and] the daughter of Cyrus Babbitt and Betsy Lord and is survived by two sons, Charles O, with whom she made her home, and Albert E. of Boston.  In her younger days she was an active worker in the Unitarian church.  Funeral services for the deceased were held from the home at the Center on last Saturday, Rev F. B. Crandall, pastor of the Unitarian church, officiating.  The bearers were Charles O. and Albert E. Prescott, Sebastian B. Watson and William C. Roudenbush, and burial was in the family lot at Fairview cemetery.  Mrs. Prescott’s sons have the sympathy of the community in the loss of their mother, to whom they were very devoted.

Watch night services were held at the Congregational church last Sunday night and the new year was ushered in by ringing the bell.  A basket lunch was partaken of [at] 10:30.

The Tadmuck club will hold their annual guest night on Tuesday evening at eight o’clock.  The speaker of the evening, Arthur Prince, of Lowell, will speak on his trip to Japan.  Mrs. Nettie Roberts, of Lowell, will be the soloist, and the Precious orchestra will furnish music.  The entertainment committee consists of Mrs. Herbert E. Fletcher, Mrs. Fred Snow and Mrs. H. V. Hildreth, while Mrs. Robert Prescott will be in charge of the refreshments.

About Town

Harry L. Parkhurst, of Chelmsford, has bought the chestnut woodlot owned by Edwards & Monahan of Westford Corner and West Chelmsford.  David Sherman has the contract for cutting and hauling, much of which is expected to be hauled to Pine Ridge station and loaded on the cars.  This lot is located near Westford Center on the westerly slope of Kennedy hill between the residences of Hugh A. Ferguson and Mrs. Charles D. Colburn and was on the valuation books of the town in 1915 as thirty-four acres, $1600.  On this lot are some of the largest and tallest chestnuts to be found in this age of chestnut blight.

Frank W. Bannister is substituting this winter for Samuel H. Balch in carrying the mail from Westford station to Westford Center, making the return trips daily.

Mr. Holmes, the box manufacturer of Arlington, is the long lost missing link that connects the portable saw mill on the Graves woodlot off the Cold Spring road with the purchaser.  When seasoned out this lumber will be transported to Arlington and manufactured into boxes.

Dr. Towle, of Carlisle, while driving to Boston recently, run [sic] over and killed a 200-pound deer near the Concord river.  The accident was unavoidable, the deer bounding from the woods directly in front of the auto without a second to apply the emergency brakes.

Mr. Mellinger, of Boston University, was a guest of Mrs. Abbie Snow during the vacation season.

On Saturday evening, December 23, the West Chelmsford Methodist church had its Christmas entertainment.  There was a Christmas tree which was brilliantly lighted and was the admiration of every child present.  There was a splendid program of songs and recitations and a playlet, and then Mr. Mellinger, from Boston university, entertained to the delight of all as a ventriloquist and an acrobat.  Santa Claus appeared with many gifts from the tree.  Through the courtesy of the Abbot Worsted Company each child received a box of candy and a well-chosen gift.  The committee in charge consisted of Misses Lottie L. Snow, Ebba Haberman, Madeline Lupien and Grace Ellinwood.

Rev. David Wallace, of Worcester, formerly of Lunenburg and this town, has received a unanimous call to the pastorate of the church in Middleton, which is in the southwesterly part of Essex county with Andover northwest.

A recent investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the labor income of farmers having a college education is $495 per year greater than that of farmers having only a common school education.  Please, sirs in authority, does this deprive us of the right to kick against college education?  We have gotten so used to the kick habit that it is impossible to stop even when the emergency brakes of facts call upon us to “stop, look and listen.”

The chimney at the new Nabnassett school has not been drawing its proper smoke from the furnace to the open.  During the Christmas vacation an investigation was started on last week Wednesday, which showed that the chimney was filled with soot.  The burning out process was applied, which proved more than was expected, which resulted in calling the Edward M. Abbot fire company of Westford Center.

Houghton G. Osgood, who has been seriously ill for several weeks, was able to sit up Sunday for the first time since his illness.  It looks now as though he would gradually and safely get back onto the business and social map of Chamberlin’s Corner.

Mark Jenkins is in the employ of the Read Drew farm [164 Main St.], assisting in boxing apples for Boston market, of which they have several thousand bushels.

After all our shouting ourselves hoarse and voting ourselves into a frenzy over the “rich man’s tariff and the poor man’s burden,” because of our Chinese wall tariff, it seems that American merchants are buying foreign goods right over this “rich man’s tariff” that we gnashed our teeth over and battered the countenance of all its originators and defenders.  When shall we get advanced enough even in kindergarten political wisdom to remember that for every dollar’s worth of goods brought in here from foreign countries that could be made here, somebody’s got to lie idle a dollar’s worth?  If you prefer idleness to industry vote for free trade and all its low tariff cousins.

New Year’s day is considered the proper time to set up new resolutions for better living.  It is wise to do so if you can’t do better.  But we prefer to take our resolutions in smaller and shorter classes, calling every day a New Year’s day with wiser resolutions framed from the experiences of the past day.  Too oft our resolutions are 365 ½ days long and before the first sunset we are morally bankrupt for lack of power or willingness to hold onto so long a resolution.  Let us be true to facts of nature and remember that there are 365 New Year’s days in 1923 that we have just commenced and so many new chances to live down the follies of yesterdays.

Early New Year’s morning Sammy Bluejay appeared on our nearest apple tree and sounded his peculiar note.  To our happy imagination it seemed very much like a “Happy new year greeting” to us from all the feathered folk.

Since the last snowstorm we have seen very many tracks in the snow of the beautiful pheasants.  We would not mention this if the hunting season were on.

Toezo, the beautiful yellow cat belonging to the W. R. Taylors, is missing.  The handsomest cat in town we thought him and an ornament to the neighborhood which he frequented.  He may have got caught by a sly fox or he may have been seized by the great horned owl which so recently did the Houdini act and broke the iron bars of his cage and escaped in this section.  It may have gotten shut up in some barn; however we reason about it, it has been gone for some time.  We are still hoping someone will find it.  We miss its sunny color as it walked carefully along on our gray walls in the winter time.

Miss Ruth Sargent, who spent New Year’s with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Sargent, at Chamberlin’s Corner, has returned to her position in Framingham.

Miss Lucinda Prescott has accepted a position in Framingham.  Two good workers in our Grange are now in Framingham.

Miss Luanna Decatur has returned to New Rochelle, N.Y.

The Latin club of the College of Liberal Arts, Boston university, has elected its officers for the coming year.  We notice that Morton Seavey was elected treasurer.

George Henry Cadman, owner of the place known as “The Old Homestead,” sailed recently on the Carmania to spend the winter in England.  Mr. Cadman is a very delightful Englishman, who has lived with us for some time.  He is a nephew of Sir Robert Christison, baronet.

Norman Phillips is logging for the lumber firm who bought the standing lumber on the Graves farm.  We have inquired north, south, east and west and all their sub-divisions what the name of this lumber is and so far all we could learn was to guess ourselves out in ignorance.

Mr. and Mrs. Knights, of Brookside, have been receiving congratulations on the birth of their seventeenth child, weighting 11 ½ pounds, last week.

Two Lectures Planned.  We have received the following announcement from the fish and Game association of Lowell:

“At the November meeting it was voted we secure talent and pictures for a big get-together at the auditorium at Lowell on the evening of Tuesday, January 9.  The committee to arrange all matters were as follows: President Dr. Charles B. Livingston, Secretary Willis S. Holt and Brothers Hon. Edward Fisher, Arnold A. Byam and Walter R. Jeyes.  They make the following report:

“The auditorium has been secured for Tuesday evening, January 9, and the following speakers of national note have been engaged for the evening, who will each put on their favorite illustrated lecture: L. O. Armstrong of the Bureau of Commercial Economics of Washington, D.C., giving us “The lure of the north,” of Labrador to Alaska in motion and slide pictures that are said to be the finest ever shown in this country. Mr. Armstrong will cover not only the fishing and hunting possibilities in this far-away country, but will also show his lumbering and Indian pictures that are so interesting to all.  Daniel A. McKay of the celebrated French river district of Ontario, who is manager of the International sportsmen camps in that district, will also cover in motion pictures, slides and story a vacation spent in the wonderful fishing and hunting country.  Just what you would see in the Indian reservations and in Algonquin Park if you were to visit there will be shown you also.  Kindly remember that we must start promptly at 7:45.  All lights out at 7:50.  Doors open at seven.  All seats free.  Come and bring the family next door.”

Thus does the Lowell Fish and Game Association propose to live by service and not by self-centered selfishness.

Need of Forests.  It was said of old of the unjust judge, “Because of her importunities be this thing done unto thee.”  And so we wish to start out 1923 by quoting a little on New England’s thinning forests, and perhaps because our importunities and others we may be able to apply the emergency brakes.  It was stated at the recent congress of foresters in Boston that in the course of the last three centuries the virgin forests which once covered ninety-five percent of the total area of New England have been reduced until they now cover but five percent of that area.  That in brief is the record of a single section.  This condition is duplicated in the once richly wooded areas of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.  All has been taken and nothing put in its place.  Clearly it is too late to talk of conservation.  The damage has been done.  All that remains is to restore by process of reforestization [sic] the land which in many parts of the country is adaptable only to the growing of timber.  It is not convincing to insist that the forests have yielded only their proper tribute to the progress of an industrious and ambitious people.  The fact has been established and cannot be denied that prodigal waste has been indulged in for many years in the utilization of our great natural resources.

Forestry associations are doing much in the east as well as elsewhere to insure the protection of wooded areas, where a so-called second growth of timber stands, from further waste and destruction.  But the great need is apparent for the systematic planting of saplings readily produced from seeds in the vast sections where pine and spruce once stood.  Strangely enough it seems difficult to impress this need upon the people or upon those who are looked to to initiate such an undertaking.  It is shown in New England that there is being supported a permanent investment of $200,000,000 if transportation costs are capitalized at five percent per year.  This sum, devoted to reforestation would restore trees to an area of 5,500,000 acres if continued for a period of twelve years.  It should not be difficult to prove that such an investment would be the right step in the direction of intelligent and practical conservation.

We only add to the above unanswerable quotations, an emergency of our forests, that what is true of our forests is more alarmingly true of wild life generally.  We threaten to shoot and trap it into annihilation and leave us nothing to feed our unnatural lives on except the dollar view of life and which we have been fed upon to the excess of bankruptcy in the realms of inspiring and ideal individuality.  We are borrowers and beggars at the back door of a past that had less opportunity but a larger inlet into the great first original fountain of inspiration and individuality.

Plans European Trip.  John A. Taylor, associate professor of English and public speaking at the University of North Dakota, has accepted an offer from the Temple Tours Company of Boston to conduct a small party on an European trip this summer.  The countries to be visited are England, Scotland, France, Belgium and Switzerland.

One of the features of the tour in the British Isles will be a motor trip through the beautiful lake country, a region superb in scenery and rich in literary and historical lore.  Other literary pilgrimages will include visits to Eton, Oxford, Stoke-Pogis and Stratford-on-Avon. A week will be spent in London and several days in “Bonnie” Scotland among the shrines of Scott, Burns and Stevenson.

The itinerary on the continent includes visits to such art centers as Brussels, Antwerp, Strasbourg and Paris, excursions to Mt. Blanc and the Alpine scenery in Switzerland, and motor trips to Rheims, Chateau-Thierry and other battlefields of France.

The party will sail from Montreal on June 29 and on return is due to arrive at New York September first.  The temple Tours attends to all business and executive details and assigns to each party a conductor familiar with European travel.  Last year this company employed ten native guides at special points of interest, maintained an European staff of forty-eight person, who gave their entire time to Temple party arrangements, and in addition sent over from America eighty-three party conductors in groups totaling 1120 tourists.

These parties are necessarily small and selective, but the Temple Tours has offered Professor Taylor the privilege of including a limited number of personal friends in his party.

Death.  The death last week of Mrs. Augusta Babbitt Prescott, widow of Edward Prescott, at the advanced age of nearly ninety-two years, recalls to memory several interesting facts.  Mrs. Prescott, born in Boston, daughter of Cyrus and Betsey (Lord) Babbitt, passed part of her early life on a farm in Groton, it being the second farm in Groton over the town line at Forge Village.  The first farm was known as the Nathan Brown farm (buildings burned several years ago).  The second farm beyond was the Babbitt farm and close by a small brick schoolhouse (since torn down).  After her marriage to Edward Prescott her early married life was passed at the old Prescott farm at Forge Village, it being the last farm in Forge Village before crossing the line to Groton.  The buildings were typical of early New England life—large and plainly substantial and giving the impression of thrifty farming.

At this old homestead much of the early history of the Prescotts of Forge Village was lived and written into history.  The buildings many years ago were destroyed by fire and the farm is now owned by the Abbot Worsted Company.  While living in Forge Village Mr. and Mrs. Prescott were regular attendants at the Old First Parish Unitarian church, a distance of over four miles.  Those were days of strenuous church-going and rarely did they miss a Sunday.  It was an inspiring example to see them in the family carriage drive up to church so in striking contrast with the present age, which has willingly lost the habit.

Many years ago Mr. and Mrs. Prescott moved to Westford Center, where they both retained their old-time interest in the welfare of the town and their inspiring and loyal interest in the Unitarian church until called to the invisible scenes and labors of service in harmony with their individuality.

Graniteville.  A very pleasing watchnight service was held at the Methodist church on Sunday night, and at the midnight hour the church bell was rung, ushering in the new year.

The members of the Brotherhood held their regular monthly meeting in the vestry of the Methodist church on Wednesday evening with a good attendance.

The Methodist church cottage prayer meeting will be held this week at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Carr this Friday evening at seven o’clock.

On New Year’s day three masses were celebrated in St. Catherine’s church.  The masses at five and 8:45 o’clock were celebrated by the pastor, Rev. and Mrs. S. Malone, and high mass at 10:30 was celebrated by Rev. J. Emile Dupont, of North Chelmsford.  All the services were largely attended.

During the month of January the Abbot Worsted Company band will rehearse here on every Wednesday evening.

Miss Alice C. Sheahan [sic], of Lowell, has been visiting relatives here this week.

New Year’s day was certainly a very wet one, and those who were planning to enjoy winter sports on that day were sadly disappointed.

Many from here attended the New Year’s dancing party given by the senior class of Westford academy at the town hall, Monday evening.  Although the traveling was rather bad a fine time was enjoyed at the dance.  The Chase Players, of Salem, furnished the music for dancing and the affair proved to be a great success.

A very enjoyable whist party in aid of St. Catherine’s church building fund was held in Abbot’s hall on Tuesday evening with a large number in attendance.  Mrs. Elizabeth Harrington and Mrs. Catherine Daley had charge of the affair.

All the schools in town resumed sessions on Tuesday morning following the Christmas vacation.

The young blizzard of last week was the most severe storm of the winter.  In spite of the bad weather the cars on the Lowell and Fitchburg street railway kept very near to schedule all the time.  The city railway has certainly nothing on our local line in regards to service.

Ayer

News Items.  The following real estate transfers have been recorded from this vicinity recently: Westford—Mary E. Defoe et al. to Willard W. Cherry, land on Dell road; Mary Rafferty et al. to Julian Dymrowicz, land on North street; Rachel W. Reed to Sophia M. Hanson, land on Main street. …

Devens Builders Sued.  The United States government on Wednesday instituted court proceedings against Fred T. Ley & Co., Inc., of Springfield for alleged breach of contract in connection with the construction of the army cantonment at Camp Devens.  A writ for $8,000,000 was placed in the hands of the United States marshal for service, but the declaration, which will not be officially filed until a return is made on the writ, will ask recovery of only $5,000,000.

Proceedings were begun late Wednesday by U.S. District Attorney Robert O. Harris, acting in behalf of Attorney General [Harry M.] Daugherty, after the declaration containing charges of gross waste of material supplied by the government in “utter disregard of the terms of the agreement” had been brought to Boston by special Assistant Attorney General William T. Chantland.  It was signed by the attorney general, Chantland and another assistant attorney general, Roscoe C. McCulloch.

The writ is returnable on the third Tuesday in March and it was believed in Boston that the suit would not come to trial before next fall.

Charges that there was “great and unconscionable waste” of materials purchased or supplied for use in the cantonment; that unskilled workmen received the same wages as skilled and in most instances were paid wages greatly in excess of the customary wages in that locality; that large amounts of unnecessary work was permitted to be done; that loafing was permitted as well as sabotage on the part of workmen and laborers” were contained in the papers which were placed in the keeping of James S. Allen, clerk of the United States District court, to be ethnically [sic] placed on file when the return will have been made on the writ.

The contract in question, the government claimed, was entered into June 11, 1917, between the company, represented by Harold A. Ley, president, and Maj. N. A. Dempsey, representing the United States, and was declared to be the first of the “cost-plus” awards made during the war.

In the declaration the government called attention to the fact that owing to the state of war existing and the need for haste in the construction at the time of the signing of the contract, it was impossible and impracticable for the United States to exercise the customary supervision and inspection which it would carry out in peace times.  It was pointed out that it became necessary to rely largely upon the good faith and patriotism of the persons engaged with the performance of the emergency work in carrying it to completion under the terms of the contract.

Allegations that Ley & Co. represented that they had had experience in the execution of similar work and had an organization suitable to carry it on were made in the declaration and it was further alleged that “to the extent that the defendant was so experienced, had such an organization and was so well equipped, it failed to use the same in the manner provided by the contract and its true spirit and tenor in the interest of the plaintiff.”

“The Fred T. Ley Co.,” according to the declaration, “counselled, advised, permitted, aided and connived in the carrying out of the work in a grossly negligent and wasteful manner in utter disregard of the terms of the contract.”
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Footnotes  

The Cassilis Engagement, A Comedy in Four Acts was written by the English playwright and essayist St. John Hankin (1869-1909) and was published in 1907

 There is an article, with a photograph of the couple, about this wedding in the “Ayer” section of Turner’s Public Spirit of Jan. 6, 1923, p. 5.

 The RMS Carmania was a Cunard Line transatlantic steam turbine ocean liner. She was launched in 1905 and scrapped in 1932. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Carmania_(1905)

 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Christison.