Turner's Public Spirit, March 14, 1925

A look back in time to a century ago

By Bob Oliphant

Center.  The Laymen’s League will hold a cafeteria lunch, social and entertainment in the town hall Tuesday evening, March 17.  Lunch will be served at 6:30 o’clock.  The affair promises variety and surprises to those who attend.  Capt. Sherman H. Fletcher will be the “leading lady” of the entertainment.

The next meeting of the Legion Auxiliary will be held on the fourth Monday in April, instead of on the second Monday, on account of the dance which the Legion is planning to give on the Monday following Easter.

The regular meeting of the Legion and Auxiliary was held on Monday evening.  After the business meeting an entertainment was given consisting of readings by Miss Doris York, of Graniteville, and solos by Master Malcolm Weaver, of Forge Village.  Refreshments of frankforts [sic], rolls, apple pie, cheese and coffee were served.  Another entertainment is being planned for the April meeting, the committee in charge being Miss Lena Wilson, Mrs. Elva Wright and Miss Lucinda Prescott.  It was voted to invite the Ayer and Groton auxiliaries to be the guests of the local unit at their next meeting.

Mrs. Gertrude Skidmore has returned to Daytona, Fla.

The selectmen have reappointed Austin Healey, of Graniteville, as superintendent of roads.

There was a good number in attendance at the meeting held under the auspices of the Extension Service in the town hall on Wednesday.

Obituary.  George A. Brigham, who passed away in Daytona, Fla., March 4, was born in Exeter, N.H., October 29, 1842.  He was one of a family of six children, five boys and a girl.  Two brothers survive him.  During his early life he followed a musical career and traveled for many years as the director of his own band.  In 1885 he entered the liquor business in Charlestown and developed it into one of the largest in Boston.

The deceased leaves two brother, W. H. B. Brigham, of Wakefield, O. S. Brigham, of Exeter, N.H.; two daughters, Florence Brigham and [step-daughter] Mrs. Gertrude C. Skidmore, and a [step-]son, William R. Carver.

Mr. Brigham was a veteran of the civil war, having enlisted in the service as a musician in the 11^th Regiment band, Massachusetts Infantry Volunteers, June 27, 1861, to serve three years.  He participated in the engagements at Bull Run, Va., July 21, 1861; Yorktown, April 5 and May 4, 1862; Williamsburg, May 5, 1862; Fair Oaks, May 31 and June 1, 1862; Savage Station, June 25, 1862; Glendale, Va., June 29, 1862; White Oak Swamp, June 30, 1862, and Malvern Hill, Va., July 1 to July 8, 1862.  He was honorably discharged on August 8, 1862 [at Harrison’s Landing, Va.; paper torn, line or two missing] with regimental band.

He enlisted in the U.S. navy as landsman on Receiving Ship Ohio, October 8, 1862, and served as musician and was honorably discharged on August 20, 1864, by reason of the expiration of his term.  He enlisted as musician in the 3d Division, 2d Army Corps on September 14, 1864, to serve one year.  He participated in the engagements at White Oak Road, March 31, 1865; Petersburg, April 2, 1865; High Bridge, April 6, 1865, and at Farmville on April 7, 1865.  He was honorably discharge on June 4, 1865, by reason of the close of the war.

Funeral services were held at the Kauler Funeral Home in Somerville on last Saturday afternoon at two o’clock, with prayers at the grave in Fairview cemetery, Westford.  Rev. Frank B. Crandall, of Ayer, officiating, and the Mendelssohn male quartet of Lowell sang.  Six of his former employees, some of whom had been in Mr. Brigham’s employ over thirty-five years, were the bearers.

Congregational Notes.  There will be a rehearsal at the Congregational church on Friday evening at seven o’clock for the Easter cantata.  It is hoped that all the singers will be out to this rehearsal.

Arthur Burnham has been laying a new hardwood floor at the parsonage.

The junior choir will sing at the evening service on Sunday at 7:15.

The Men’s club held an interesting meeting in the vestry on Tuesday evening.  The speakers of the evening were Senator Walter Perham, of Chelmsford, who narrated his experiences at President Coolidge’s inauguration [on March 4, 1925], and Rep. Langdon Prouty, of Littleton, who gave a talk on “What is going on in the house of representatives.”  The club holds meetings on the second Tuesday in each month and all men of the church are urged to attend.

About Town.  At a joint meeting of the school committee and board of health of the town of Chelmsford, it was decided to reconsider the closing of Chelmsford schools, including the West Chelmsford school, where scarlet fever broke out.  The barges carrying the children have all been fumigated and every scholar will be examined by local doctors as they enter the school for detection of scarlet fever symptoms.

Under Townsend Harbor news I read this: “The mud and ruts on Warren road have only to be seen to be appreciated.  One does not need to try to drive over, under or through them.”  Well, now, I want to make a proposition to you to come and see the Lowell road, that runs frontways past the Old Oaken Bucket farm [of Samuel L. Taylor who is writing this section] in the direction of Lowell, where the cotton mills once used to was [sic].  I will ordain you judge, jury and counsel for the plaintiff and defendant, and with all this long end of the advantage if you do not say that the Lowell road is as much worse than the Warren road is worse than a macadam road, then I will pay the freight both ways on your personality.

The Old Oaken Bucket farm is planning on sowing an acre of spring wheat this Saturday, and the across-the-wall-farm, the Morning Glory [farm of Amos B. Polley], is planning on planting an acre of potatoes next week, or just as soon as the mud has subsided half an inch from its present 11 ½ inches.  Thus it is evident that spring has arrived in some parts of the Stony Brook valley.

On last Saturday we counted 100 cars and two engines on a freight train on the Stony Brook road from Lowell to Ayer.

1. Austin Haley [sic, Healy], the re-appointed road superintendent, has got out the tractor and smoothing up the roads. I only regret that smoothing up the mud on the Lowell road will beat me on the mud test on the Warren road.

The West Chelmsford school has been ordered closed on account of scarlet fever, and all dogs in the town have been ordered muzzled or restrained for sixty days on account of rabies.

The fourth and last farmers’ institute of the season will be held on Saturday, March 21, at the Y.W.C.A. hall, John street, Lowell.

The legislature has repealed the hatpin bill passed in 1913 as the result of wearing long, protruding hatpins that were a menace to the eyesight and earsight and face sight generally, and many had narrow escapes in a hustling crowd and several were badly scratched.  The hatpin fashion has passed, but like the passing of senatorial dignity it is liable to return.  As it was no expense to retain the law, where does wisdom come in that makes it so urgently important to repeal it?

From the state legislature we read, “The house concurred with the senate in attaching an emergency preamble providing for the taking effect upon its passage of the bill to prevent the extinction of the May flowers.”  This legislation is imperatively wise and long overdue.  Unless something is done in the line of conservation the public would have neither birds, flowers nor forests.

Anyone who has a love of happy, good, smiling nature and coupled with it a sensible, workable optimism, must regret the resignation of C. B. Tillson, of the Middlesex County Extension Service after 5 ½ years of service.  Some of the outstanding pieces of work done under his direction have been the development of the poultry industry until Middlesex county has become one of the leading poultry sections of the United States.  Other phases of his work are greater interest in the use of lime, growing alfalfa and clover, increased use of chemical fertilizers, improved methods in the methods of producing and marketing apples.  Mr. Tillson resigns to go into business for himself as a practical farmer.  His successor is Ralph Donaldson, of Nova Scotia.  He is a graduate of Arcadia college [Wolfville, NS,] and Ontario Agricultural college [now part of the University of Guelph in Guelph, ON].

The Merry-go-Round Whist club met at the home of Mrs. Jennie Brown, West Chelmsford, on last week Wednesday afternoon.  Mrs. David L. Greig, of this town, won first prize and Mrs. A. P. Thomas second prize.  Not to be outdone by the women of the Merry-go-Round Whist club, who gave a men’s night, their husbands and friends entertained on last Saturday evening at “Idlewild,” Dunstable.  A turkey supper was served by the management, after which whist was served.  Mrs. Archie Cook won the prize for women, a seventeen-piece tea set, and Archie Cook won the men’s prize, a gold watch fob.  The rest of the evening was spent in the light fantastic toe movement, sometimes called dancing.

Harry L. Parkhurst, of Chelmsford, who bought the Oliver Desjardens lumber lot on Plain road, has commenced to cut it off, hauling the logs to the portable sawmill of Oscar R. Spalding, located on the Fletcher & Heywood lot, near Burgess [i.e., Burge’s] pond, about a mile away.

1. Willard Fletcher has planted peas, as has also the Old Oaken Bucket farm. Thus has the rush season in the Stony Brook valley started this early, and only several feet of water and mud prevent the dust from flying as the result of the speed of the rush.

Here is some more legislative conservation.  The establishment of Egg Rock, off Nahant, as a bird sanctuary to the memory of the late Henry Cabot Lodge.  The legislative committee on conservation has reported favorably on the bill.  This rock was used for years as a lighthouse, but has for some time been given up and has been a nesting place for wild birds.  It was decided to dedicate it to the memory of Senator Lodge because it was the recreation spot of the senator, whose residence was near the shore of Nahant, and who was a great lover of birds.

Pomona Meeting.  Forestry day was observed on last week Friday at the meeting of Middlesex-North Pomona Grange.  Charles O. Bailey, state director of forestry, spoke on “Forestry and all it involves.”  He said in part:

“It has been said that all this forestry and reforestry talk is sentiment.  That is true; it is the sort of sentiment which makes us tip our hat to the flag and commemorate the memory of our heroic dead.  It is the sort of sentiment which makes us eager to provide for those who are to come after us as citizens of the greatest country on earth.  God pity the city or individual devoid of sentiment.  It is essential that we conserve our resources—timber, minerals, water power and soils—to the end that their benefits may be shared equally by the people, and that they may be transmitted as practically undiminished capital to succeeding generations.  But we are not doing so.  Up to 1880 Massachusetts raised all the timber it used.  Now we import 80% of what we need.  Yet there is sufficient wild or waste land in the state to fulfill all our requirements in perpetuity.

“There were 4000 fires in this state in 1923, and the number is rapidly increasing: 95% of the fires were caused by carelessness—sparks from locomotives, cigar butts tossed into the woods by automobilists, and other causes.  The watchword in every citizen’s mouth ought to be ‘Be careful of fire.’  It is our duty as citizens.  The forests of the state still stand in great danger from the inroads of the gypsy moth, and that no precaution hitherto taken to combat this dangerous pest should be relaxed.”

This address shows our condition in a condensed way.  Buying 80% of our lumber and having an abundance of wild land that is waiting for the word to be said to grow this lumber.  This is a clear case of illustrating the effects of personal liberty as against public good, for everybody has been free to level our forests regardless of any future consequences.  That there was a dollar in it was all that gave concern, and what was that dollar is the poverty of today with lumber near the prohibitory price and a prospective lumber famine.

A campaign was started at this Pomona meeting tending to reforestization [sic] in the towns composing this Pomona district—Billerica, Burlington, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, West Chelmsford, Tyngsboro and Westford.

Reports from various members told of the action taken at the various town meetings to this Pomona district.  E. Clyde Prescott reported for Westford, Fred L. Fletcher for Chelmsford, Charles A. Wright for Burlington, E. F. Dickinson for Billerica, James J. McManmen for the Kenwood section of Dracut, Norman L. Peavey for Dracut, Walter Goldwaite for Dunstable, Chester F. K. Bancroft for Tyngsboro.

Dinner was served by Westford Grange by the following committee: E. Clyde Prescott, chairman, Mrs. Frank W. Banister, Mrs. Frank C. Miller, Mrs. Herbert Kendall, Mrs. Maria Wall, Mrs. Mabel Wright, Frank A. Wright, Frederick A. Hanscom, Miss Lucinda Prescott.

Nonsensical Nonsense.  Here is something else in dispute: “The hen has not been invented that can make eggs without shell material to work on.  Oyster shell or broken bits of limestone will supply the need.”  Nonsense, the very best scientific authority on poultry that writes for the Rural New Yorker says in substance: “Oyster shells are not necessary for the formation of egg shells.  Soft-shelled eggs are due to some physical defect of the hen, either permanent or temporary, and neither oyster shell nor limestone will remedy it.”  I have been fed up on this oyster shell nonsense which is a twin to the cud theory of cows that a cow can lose her cud and die as the result of it.  Nonsense, a cow stops chewing her cud when ill and starts to pump up her cud when she gets well, and yet this old-fashioned New England cud theory held sway everywhere, so much so that the Stony Brook valley had a cud doctor, who kept cuds ready made for emergency, which he frequently administered to cows at the Old Oaken Bucket farm, and all this before we caught on the oyster shell theory and side of this business.  It would have done just as much good to have given this cud to the cat, who hasn’t any cud.

But to get back to oyster shells.  We feed them daily and lots of them.  They are cheaper than grain and adds variety that the hen likes so well.  But oyster shells for egg shells, and cuds for cows are both in the same boat, and in this intelligent age of gold brick exposures you ought to rock the boat and lurch them overboard into the land of extinction.  As long as we are in search for something to disagree with, here is another: “A damp poultry house is an abomination and is just as certain to cause mischief as anything possibly can.”  Nonsense, I have had water a foot deep in late winter and early spring in the henhouse for several weeks and I have yet to learn of any physical ailment other than a slight falling off in egg production, and yet all the ills that it is possible for poultry to have, from rheumatism to the latest European plague, is charged up to “a damp poultry house.”  If you would discontinue feeding beef scraps made from diseased horses and dead animals generally it might do much to relieve your head of false accusation.  I am not a believer in a wet henhouse, and the hens are not believers in it, but when it comes to playing “abomination” spell it “diseased scraps” and diseased chicks raised in diseased incubators, and from infected stock.

I have had plenty of damp henhouses this winter with standing water several days at a time, and I have yet to learn of a hen dying or wanting to die from too much water.  I have known humans to die for refusing to use water, but poor creatures, they are excusable—they don’t know as much as a hen.

The North and South Question.  The city of Lowell is well wrought up over the prospect of some of its cotton mills going south.  As a result of this alarm a movement is on foot to hold a conference with cotton manufacturers.  The conference committee is to be composed of the Chamber of Commerce, city council, Textile Council and citizens at large.  John Hanley, president of the Lowell Textile Union, is reported to have said: “If Lowell corporations are pauperizing the city as the Lawrence mills have done in recent years, they’d better go south, anyway.  No corporation has the divine right to work a man as long as it likes for any amount it likes to pay him.”

In view of the danger of brain exhaustion from delivering a speech called from the heights and depths of human wisdom, let us see facts that make our northern cotton mills even contemplate going south, for facts are all that count.  Hot air butting against facts will avail nothing to prevent the transition southward.

First, the south has the raw cotton, which eliminates to a large extent the expense of freight.  Second, this cotton, as farm produce, is raised by cheaper labor than farm produce is raised in the north.  Third, the labor in the southern cotton mills work more hours for less pay than labor in the northern cotton mills.  Fourth, taxes on the cotton mills of the south are much lower than in the north.  Fifth, child labor laws in the south are either much more lenient towards mill work, or are [paper torn, line or two missing] in favor of southern cotton mills, it looks as if it would take something besides hot air misinformation and misrepresentation to butt in to prevent our northern cotton mills from going south.  The hot air statement, “divine right to work a man as long as it likes” is without even guesswork foundation.

Our present legislature gave “leave to withdraw” on the petition of our Massachusetts cotton mills to “increase the hours of labor,” and this in an effort to remove one of the advantages of the south.  While I believe eight hours a day is probably enough for mill work, until we can fetch ourselves to a national standard of hours of labor for mill operatives it seems unequal for Massachusetts mills to be compelled to compete at a loss with southern mills.  If sixty hours a week is not detrimental to health in the hot southern mills it ought not to be in the cooler and more healthful climate of the north, and New England in particular.

A step in the direction of equalizing hours of labor was the proposed amendment to the constitution of the United States, “Regulating the hours of labor for children under eighteen years of age,” and the overwhelming majority in Massachusetts got frightened out of their nightcaps and voted against this amendment on the argument “If this amendment passes a boy eighteen years old and under will not be allowed to milk a cow, or a girl allowed to wash a dish.”  Well, now, see here, anyone who would seriously take stock in the above argument, would it not be doing justice to the thinking capacity of ideals and yet the very cream of intelligence of Massachusetts voted against this amendment which in its influence is indirectly an effort in its effect to send our cotton mills south, where children pick cotton in some of the southern states in the broiling sun of unrestricted hours and in southern cotton mills?  How long can our northern cotton mills compete with these southern advantages is a question that has seriously come home to roost.

We shall have to avail ourselves of something more sensible than ignoring the proven facts or a lot of snapshot unbiased-like talk to keep them from transition.

Churchyard Chiselings.  We read with very much interest the recent article by Mrs. Alma T. Royal of Harvard, “Chiseled records of a country churchyard.”[1]  It was a scholarly presentation of a semi-serious subject, made less serious by its happy presentation and humorous incidents.  In a general way her reference to the inscriptions on the grave-stones of the early cemeteries in Harvard are very similar to the early burials in the cemeteries of Westford.  Not so very long ago it was the custom to not only specify the full name, when and where born, year, month and age, and an itemized bill of virtues the length of a sermonette.  Now, we have flopped to the other extreme, which is less respectful to the dead, and simply gives the year of birth and death, and you can figure out how old they were.

I have had more enjoyment and better lessons in studying modern arithmetic in a modern cemetery than I ever did in going to Stony Brook school.  Nor is this arithmetic phase of the modern grave-stone all of the modernism that abbreviates so apparently stingily.  They often fail to connect the departed with any human family or with any single individual, and you can do your own guessing.  For arithmetic and guessing the modern grave-stone cannot be beat—it’s just a splendid place to practice up on.

As between the old-fashioned sermonette grave-stone and the blank figures, and still more blank “Who is who” of many of the modern grave-stones, I much prefer the sermonette.  At least it is open to the possibility that the living are not ashamed to be related to the dead.

Mrs. Royal writes about family and neighborhood cemeteries, and how truthfully and pathetically she portrays this old-time custom in these words: “In some sections of New England we find family and neighborhood lots.  It, at the time, seems comforting to have departed ones placed near, but when homes and lands have passed into strangers’ hands they become pathetic reminders of the past in which the present has not interest.”  I recall two such instances in Westford at one time, and one still remains.  Somewhere about seventy years ago, there was a family cemetery on the Hildreth road at Westford Center, just west of the residence of Arthur G. Hildreth.  As we recall it now, it was the family burial place of several of the Abijah Hildreth family, of which George E. Burt married Harriet Susanna Hildreth, and moved to Harvard.  After moving to Harvard this family cemetery was discontinued and the bodies removed to Harvard or Westford cemeteries.

To most people of the town it is not probably known that there is still a small family cemetery in the south part of the town, more familiarly known as Parkerville.  Here at the corner of Carlisle and Vose [probably Old Lowell is meant] roads, in a small cemetery, walled in about a red square, repose the bodies of two children named Corey.  A family by that name once lived in Parkerville long, long before it was Parkerville.  Two small, dark, coarse marble stones about a foot high mark the graves that are covered with briars and wild grass.  I generally raise my hat to their memory as I pass by.  Although I never knew them I am willing to contribute so much to their neglected resting place.  I know whereof I speak in regard to this family lot, as children buried here have a near relative living in Worcester and I have had several friendly chats with him at lodge meetings, when he has been a visitor at Lowell lodges.

But to get back to dear old Harvard again.  Mention is made of the Hamlin family.  Allow me to quote a little from the Westford town history as bearing on Mrs. Royal’s statement: “In talking to the statistician I told him I had found Asia’s grave.”  He said, “I have found Africa’s.”  Here is the tracing of the Hamlin family as per history of Westford: “The first of this name in Westford was Eleazer, who came here from Harvard, but the family is said to have been early established in Plymouth county.  Eleazer married Lydia Bonney [probably in Bridgewater, Mass.].  They had fifteen children, whose names were Asia (died young), Betty, Alice, Africa, Europe, Asia, America, Lydia, Molly, Cyrus and Hannibal, twins, Sally, Isaac, Green and George.  Five of these graduated from Harvard college and of his descendants fourteen or fifteen have graduated from some college.  Cyrus was the father of ex-Vice Pres. Hamlin, and Hannibal was the father of Rev. Cyrus Hamlin, D.D., and former president of Middlebury college.  Eleazer married second [Mrs.] Hannah Fletcher, widow of Timothy Fletcher, Jr.”[2]

Asia, who lived in Westford, and of whom Westford people know most, married first, Susanna Read; children, Nathan Sumner, Susan, Hannibal, Cyrus, Sarah Dix, who married Ira G. Richardson, [and] Mary Antoinette—they were cousins to ex-Vice President Hamlin.  Of their children we can only mention a few.  Charles Sumner Hamlin, [grand]son of Nathan[3], was assistant secretary of the treasury [of the United States, 1893-1897 and 1913-1914] under President [Grover] Cleveland], and trustee of Westford academy.  Sarah Dix Hamlin [1844-1923], son [sic, daughter] of Cyrus, recently deceased, established a large and modern college for women in California, one of the best and most successful in the United States.  Of the four children of Cyrus Hamlin, all are laid to rest in Fairview cemetery, Westford.[4] [paper torn, line or two missing] wandered a long, long way from Mrs. Royal’s “Chiseled records of a country churchyard.”

Her humorous quotations were well worth while to alleviate the sadder phases of cemetery reminiscences.  I can recall but one: The wife died first; her name was Hannah; her husband’s name was John.  On her grave-stone it is chiseled “Come, John,” and when he died his obedience to her call is chiseled. “I’ve come, Hannah.

Clipping.  The following is taken from the Boston Herald of February 17, under “Whiting’s column” and is published by request:

The superior intelligence of the crow has again been manifested.  Two crows have been wintering in Boston.  They have haunted the block on Newbury street between Dartmouth and Exeter.  Maybe they live in the New Old South church tower.  When they might have been frequenting the delightful though expensive regions of Florida, they have preferred to linger in the neighborhood of a select and intellectual human society, and contiguous to the Boston Public Library.  While they might have partaken of the pleasure of Miami or Palm Beach, they have found greater satisfaction in the stimulating atmosphere of a literary and musical community, and amid surroundings of dentists’ offices.

What impulse drove these crows to the city of Boston?  There are no tall pine trees upon which they can perch to rend the air with raucous greeting.  They can “caw” as they will, but they will awake no answering call.  There is no scarecrow swinging from a Newbury street lamppost or a fence picket to amuse their sense of humor.  No resident of the discreet and worthy neighborhood will stalk them through the byways aiming a double-barreled shotgun at their sable feathers.

If anyone should appear with a gun in the Back Bay he would be no more than a tired business yegg going about his routine duty among corner stores nearby.

Yet, despite the apparent lack of incentive, these two crows have spent the winter here.  The adequate explanation is that their procedure is the fruit of their intelligence.  Here are two crows knocking at the gates of civilization.

Crows have always lived close to civilization; but yet apart.  They are not the loveliest of birds, either to look upon or to hear in voice.  They have no lilt of melody like the lark of the old world or the bluebird we know—that wondrous jewel of the skies, a fragment of their blue, and echo of celestial song, that at this time of the year come flying here to spend the summer in the north.

There is no proud red breast for the crow to flaunt about the suburban lawn—he has no evensong like that of the robin to call its mate, and get little answering chirps in the mating season, from tree to tree.

The crow swings no nest from the swaying limb of maple tree; he can flash no streak of orange and black through the morning sunshine, like the oriole.

He does not even perch on bush and fruit tree by the back door like the bluejay that is almost kin to him—that plump bird of tropical splendor, crested, saucy, sometimes quarrelsome but forever fascinating.

The crow is not a lawn bird, not a backyard bird; he is no denizen of neighborhood shade tree; yet of all the birds we know in this part of the world he is perhaps the most like man.  Maybe he knows the man mind too well to be bothered with daily proximity to it.

The beautiful birds of plumage and song are of their own world.  They think with the bird mind.  Their world is adjacent to man’s world, but not of it.  Were man suddenly to be erased from the earth the song birds would go on singing, they would flutter yet among the flowers, they would see no lessening of happiness in the branches of elm and maple, they would find the same food and the same matings.  The robin likes the proximity of human habitations; but were there none of mankind in them it would not matter much to the robin.  He has his own love of life.  Man is not involved.

It is different with the crow.  He thinks with the flavor of humankind in his brain.  If man should be wiped from the surface of the land the crows would go on and thrive as well; but for generations there would be a little teasing, haunting memory in the crow mind of the curious and interesting species that planted corn and blundered about with guns but couldn’t fly and was helpless and amusing.

There are many kinds of crow, as there are many kinds of man.  All over the world the genus flies.  The whole northern hemisphere is loved by them.  There is the great raven, sombre [sic], thoughtful, philosophical bird of legend and omen.  There are the rook and the jackdaw of England; and the chattering magpie; the fish crow of our coast and southern rivers; the jabbery crow of Jamaica, with voice almost like human speech.  The one we know in these parts chiefly is the American crow, sometimes awesomely labelled by those who like such technique the “corvus brachyrhynchos.”  All over the eastern United States he makes his home, and even westward; starting in these regions he followed the pioneers of civilization.

Our crow is a bird of impressive size.  He measure some 20 inches in length.  His wings measure about 12 inches.  There are just 12 feathers in his tail.  Like all the crows, he is of high intelligence.  He knows beyond most birds how to avoid harm.  It is asserted that he posts sentinels to warn of the approach of danger.  It is certain that he is gregarious, delights in crow society, that he communicates with his fellow crows.

The American crow is easily domesticated, but he does not forget.  We owned for a short time a tame crow, a wise and somewhat scornful fellow who perched in a door in the kitchen and viewed our small boyish stature with obvious amusement.

One spring day he flew through the open window and sailed majestically off into the sky with a flock of passing crows.  Whether we ever saw him again we are not sure.  The next year a great black crow came to the backyard and walked solemnly about all one afternoon; but would not be caught.  He went away again.  Was this the old friend come back for a call?  We have always liked to believe so.

Crows are omnivorous; another link with man.  The fiction still survives in some regions that he is a pest.  Those who have studied his case know that he repays the farmer a thousand-fold for every kernel of corn he steals.  He is a mighty [paper town, two lines missing].

The crow understands man.  Man ought to understand him.

Church Notes.  Unitarian—Sunday service at 4 p.m.  Preacher, Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the minister.  Subject, “Casting out devils or setting them to work.”  Church school at 3.

Last Sunday the Laymen’s League met with a large attendance of members.  Arthur Bartlett of Marblehead, field secretary of the League, spoke eloquently on the subject, “A great work.”  A roast beef supper was served at 7 by the hosts.

On Sunday the preacher, basing his discourse on the traditional gospel for the third Sunday in Lent[5], will deal with the modern way of treating evil tendencies whether in the individual or in society.

Graniteville.  At the morning service of the M.E. church on last Sunday there was special singing by a quartet composed of Mrs. Bertha Whitney, Miss Hilma Hanson, Stephen Gardell, [and] George D. Wilson.  Mr. Gardell was also heard in a pleasing solo.  At the evening service at 5:30 several pleasing duets were sung by Messrs. Gardell and Wilson.

The motion pictures were very largely attended here on Tuesday evening when Douglas McLean was seen in William Collier’s great comedy, “Never say die.”  This was followed by two lively comedies.

The members of the senior class of the Westford academy held a very successful cake sale here this week.

Edward Harrington, of St. John’s prep school, Danvers, was a weekend visitor here.

1. O. Hawkes, who has been on the sick list of a few days, is now feeling much improved.

Many local soccer fans attended the Abbot Worsted-Fore River game at the Walpole street grounds, last Saturday.  The game ended in a tie and will be replayed on the same ground this Saturday.

Ayer

News Items.  Rev. Frank B. Crandall was the speaker at the monthly meeting of the Westford Alliance on Thursday afternoon.

Out of one hundred and ninety-three members of George S. Boutwell post 48, G.A.R., the following remain: … Hiram Dane, Glendora Cal. [formerly of Westford] … Wesley O. Hawkes, Graniteville; … Everett Woods, Graniteville. … [plus 15 others from nearby towns].  This number compares favorably with other posts in similar localities, time having cut deep swaths in the ranks once so full.

Rev. Frank B. Crandall was called to Somerville last Saturday to officiate at the funeral of a Westford summer parishioner, Mr. [George A.] Brigham, who died at his winter home in Florida and was buried in Westford.

Bancroft Royal Arch chapter was represented at the high priests’ annual convention in Boston on Tuesday afternoon by A. Paul Fillebrown, Ernest M. Gleason, Ellis B. Harlow, Frank C. Johnson, Frank S. Pierce, Herbert H. Proctor and Dr. Ralph H. Wylie all of this town, and J. Willard Fletcher, of Westford, Leon M. Huntress, of Manchester, N.H., and Charles F. Watts, of Auburn, who are all members of the Order of High Priesthood.

Real Estate Transfers.  The following real estate transfers have been recorded from this vicinity recently:

Westford, Lillian M. Hunt to George A. Walker et ux. land on Main street; George A. Walker to Lillian M. Hunt land on Main street.

District Court.  On last Saturday morning … George Smith, of Westford, who was before the court charged with exposing and keeping liquor for sale in that town as the result of a recent raid, when a large quantity of cider was seized, was found guilty and fined $50.  On two other complaints for violations of the liquor laws he was found not guilty.  Atty. John D. Carney appeared for the government and Atty. George L. Wilson appeared for the defense.

On Monday morning Florence Woitowiz, of Westford, who was in court charged with operating an automobile in that town while under the influence of liquor, was found guilty and fined $100.  On a complaint of drunkenness he was found guilty and the case placed on file.

High School Notes.  Again the old A.H.S. [Ayer High School] is on the trail for the cup.  Our league baseball schedule for this season is … May 22, Ayer at Westford; … June 12, Westford at Ayer. …

Littleton

The Salary Grab.  The recent swift work by our able legislators at Washington by which they increased their compensation by thirty-three percent proved three things: First, that the American people are easy marks. …

The second point is that both houses can act swiftly; something we had come to think impossible. …

The third point established is that these wise men in Washington do not fail to appreciate the value of their service to the country. …

P.S.—We note that last week our Westford brother [i.e., Samuel L. Taylor] accuses us of telling the truth.  It is a long time since we have had to face an accusation of that sort, but owing to our disinclination for contests at law we shall not enter a suit for libel at this time.

 

[1] The article “Chiseled Records of a Country Churchyard” by Mrs. Alma T. Royal, Harvard, appeared on page 1 of Turner’s Public Spirit, Ayer, Mass., Saturday, February 28, 1925.

[2] This quote is taken from the genealogy section at the back of Rev. Edmund R. Hodgman’s History of the Town of Westford (1883), p. 451. In Hodgman’s original the second child named Asia was placed between Isaac and Green.

[3] This is an error. Charles Sumner Hamlin (1861-1938) was born in Boston the son of Edward Sumner and Anna Hamlin; Edward was the son of Nathan Sumner Hamlin.

[4] Catherine S. Hamlin, the last of the four children of Cyrus to die, did not die until 1937. She is buried in the same plot as her sister Sarah and her name was probably placed on the tombstone when Sarah died in 1923.

Corrections.  We wish to make some corrections in our cemetery [illegible word] of last week [“Churchyard Chiselings”].  We own up to all the errors but one.

First, as regards the private burial lot west of the house of Arthur G. Hildreth on Hildreth street, in conversation with the Hildreth family they informal me that instead of several of the Abijah Hildreth family being buried there, only one was buried there, Harriet Susanna Hildreth, wife of George E. Burt.  She was buried there at her own request and several years later the body was removed to Westlawn cemetery, Westford.  The town historian says that she died in Harvard in 1849.  Hildreth relatives in Westford inform me that she died in Westford, and the fact that she was buried in a lot close to the house would seem to substantiate that it was here that she died.

Error No. 2 was clearly mine in regard to the children of Asia Hamlin.  Evidently I used a punctuation mark between Nathan and Sumner, which made it appear as two separate persons.  It should have read Nathan Sumner, as Asia Hamlin had no child named Sumner.

The third and most serious error relates to the Cyrus Hamlin family, where it says that of the four children of Cyrus Hamlin all are laid to rest in Fairview cemetery, Westford, except Katherine, who is buried in California.  If that was my error I made it when in full knowledge of the act that she is still living in California.  But I will assume the responsibility for the error as they generally deal leniently at the printing end of my nonsense.

Westford Wardsman, March 21, 1925.

[5] Probably John 4:5-42: where Jesus met a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria. He asked her for water, leading to a conversation about “living water” offering eternal life. Jesus’s insight into her life convinced her of his prophetic nature.