Turner's Public Spirit, March 22, 1924
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
Center. The next meeting of the Tadmuck club will be held at the Congregational church instead of the Unitarian, as given in the club calendar, on Tuesday afternoon, March 25, at 2:45. The speaker of the afternoon, Mrs. Grace Morrison Poole, will take for her subject, “Around the world in sixty minutes.” The musical part of the program will be by Andrew A. McCorphy [sic], baritone. The club tea will be in charge of Mrs. Henry Prescott.
John G. Fletcher and Forrest White of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were in town over the weekend.
Miss Blanche Lawrence spent the weekend in Boston and vicinity and the greater part of this week in Worcester.
Master Roger Bosworth [age 6], son of Mrs. Hilda Bosworth, was operated upon last Sunday by Dr. Packard. The child had a cut on one finger which it is believed became infected from a skin disease which she [sic, he?] contracted, affecting the glands of the arm, necessitating the opening of the arm and the removal of a gland. At last reports the lad showed a slight improvement.
Miss Edith Wright has been the guest of relatives and friends in Newton and Waltham the past week, part of the time being spent in visiting the schools of those two places.
Miss Madeline Wayne of the state department of health will give a demonstration on “Child hygiene” at Sargent hall, Graniteville, on Thursday afternoon, March 27, at two o’clock. This will prove especially interesting to parents of children of pre-school age, and it is hoped that there will be a large attendance.
The Alliance of the Unitarian church held an interesting all-day meeting at the home of Miss Julia Fletcher on last week Thursday. The attendance was large, the morning being spent in finishing up the sewing, while in the afternoon the business meeting was held and an original paper on “Nature” was read by Miss Mary Balch. Miss Balch also read four of James Whitcomb Riley’s poems. Both the poems and paper were much enjoyed by those present. Further plans for the fair, which is to be held on April 17, were discussed.
Mr. and Mrs. Asa Robbins, of Littleton, recently observed their silver wedding anniversary [married March 15, 1899, in Westford]. Mrs. Robbins, before her marriage, was Miss Alice Blaisdell, of this town. Among those present from here were Mrs. A. J. [paper torn, about 3-4 words missing] Arthur and Chester Blaisdell, Mr. and Mrs. T. A. E. Wilson and four children, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Jarvis and son, and Mr. and Mrs. James O’Brien and daughter.
Cornelius Daley, who is employed at the Nashoba farm, met with a painful accident recently. While splitting wood the axe slipped, cutting three of the tendons in one arm. He was removed to the Lowell General hospital for the necessary treatment.
The Y.P.R.U. of the Unitarian church will hold an invitation dancing party in the town hall on Friday evening, March 28. The music will be furnished by an orchestra from Lowell.
On Monday evening a motion picture entitled “Lest we forget” was presented at the Congregational church under the auspices of the Massachusetts Anti-Saloon league.
Mrs. Charles Campbell, of Hudson, N.H., has been a recent visitor at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Knight.
At the Congregational church on Sunday morning Rev. Edward Disbrow will take for his subject “Paul’s cure for evil,” and in the evening the subject will be “Christ’s attraction to young men.”
Mrs. John Burbeck [nee Adeline Tower] observed her eighty-sixth birthday on last Saturday by a family gathering. She was generously remembered with flowers, potted plants, candy, cards and other gifts. Her host of friends wish her many more pleasant observances.
One of the children of Mrs. Mann is reported ill with scarlet fever.
Claude Wright, who has been ill with the scarlet fever, is able to be about again.
The “Westford Willing Workers,” Miss Ruth Tuttle, leader, met at the William E. Frost school on Thursday afternoon. The refreshments were in charge of the “Bread” and “Lunch Box” clubs. At the next meeting the “Sewing” club will be in charge. The combined clubs have a membership of nearly twenty-four.
The Legion Auxiliary will meet in the Cavalry [Association] building [20 Boston Road] on Monday, at which time three more members will be initiated.
The attendance at the dance given by the Legion on Monday evening was not as large as usual, owing to the bad traveling and similar affairs in nearby towns. The refreshments were in charge of the Auxiliary, Mrs. Arthur G. Hildreth, chairman, assisted by Mrs. Joseph Walker, Mrs. Alice Wells, Mrs. Joseph Wall, Mrs. Norman Young and Mrs. Harry Whiting.
About Town. The next meeting of the Dramatic Reading Circle connected with the Tadmuck club will be held at the home of Mrs. William C. Roudenbush on Wednesday afternoon, March 26, at 2:30. Anyone interested in the study of modern plays, whether a member of the Tadmuck club or not, will be cordially welcome. Come with your sewing and listen if you do not care to take part.
George E. Symmes, who died last week [March 9, of tuberculosis, at Worcester State Hospital per his death certificate], was one of three children of William E. and Laura (Noyes) Symmes, born in Westford and educated in the public schools of the town and Westford academy. The funeral was held from the home of his mother in Parkerville, Westford, Tuesday afternoon [March 12 per death certificate]. Rev. Edward Disbrow conducted the services, Mrs. Edith Blaney was soloist. The bearers were Paul and Fletcher Symmes and Dr. Charles Dudley of Boston. Interment was in the family lot in Fairview cemetery.
James Hunt died on Thursday of last week at his home in Nashua aged seventy-three years. He leaves two sons, William and Edward, of Forge Village, and three daughters, Mrs. Herbert Cockcroft of Ware, Mrs. Archie Wightman, of Barre, and Miss Sara Hunt, of Northampton.
With surprise and regret I learned of the illness from pneumonia of our former townsman, Emery J. Whitney, at Kissimmee, Fla.[1] It was even he that I referred to last week as sending me a postal from “Habana,” Cuba, as it is pronounced by the natives, but owing to some oversight or hindsight or blindsight of mental subconscious void the name of Emery J. Whitney was not included in the dialogue.
Although we had supposed that the last snowstorm was tied down beyond a possibility of blowing, yet we found that our judgment was warped and deluded by our hope, for on last Sunday the town tractor snowplow had to be commandeered to clear the roads of snowdrifts.
Asparagus, the luxury crop of Central California, is bringing war prices and better this year. The 1924 crop is expected to bring growers more than $5,000,000. These rich delta lands furnish the United States with 95% of all the asparagus marketed. The demand has become world-wide and something like 33,000 acres are planted each year. More asparagus and less meat would be a health treat.
Oliver Desjardens has sold his twelve-acre white pine lumber lot to Harry Parkhurst, of Chelmsford. This lot is located on the Plain road, near Grassy pond and is seventy-five years’ growth.
I have been asked, “Have you heard the frogs peep?” No, thank you, the frogs know more than some humans; they know enough to keep their mouth shut part of the time and not be peeping all of the time, day and night.
To those who think Sunday was not kept busy blocking the roads with snow I submit this as evidence: The rural delivery of the mail was unable to make a landing at the Westford postoffice from Chelmsford Center, a distance of only four miles. Where the poor fellow spent the night I do not know.
The funeral of James Hunt took place on last Saturday afternoon from the funeral parlors of David L. Greig & Son. Rev. Leslie Wallace of the Episcopal mission at Forge Village conducted the services. The usual contribution of flowers from friends and relatives were handsomely appropriate. The bearers were William and Edward Hunt, James Whitman and William Hunt, Jr. Interment was in the family lot in Fairview cemetery.
St. Patrick’s day reminded your correspondent that forty years ago he planted potatoes while the on-lookers said “they will all rot.” To this free advice he heeded naught, but went right ahead, let it be early or late, while his advisers, like the Millerites, found that they had made a mistake in the date. The harvested crop caused a laugh. Don’t be too precociously sure that the early bird will fail, for it’s generally the late bird that catches a whale of a wail.
A fine set of colored photographs taken in [the] Madeira Islands is now on display at the library, where it will remain until March 24. Those who cannot travel may in this way enjoy glimpses of the brilliant flowers, luxuriant vegetation and scenery of mountain and shore in these wonderful islands.
Some new and attractive books for children recently added to the library are the following: “Adventures of Robin Hood,” Pyle; “Legends of King Arthur and his court,” Greene; “Midsummer,” Adams; “Twins and Tabiffa,” Heward; “Ruthie,” Duganne; “Prince Jan, St. Bernard,” Hooker; “Land of mystery,” Moffett; “For the honor of the school,” Barbour; “Young Puritans in King Philip’s war,” Smith; “Story of Rolf and the Viking’s bow,” French.
“Slipping.” Was very much delighted to get a response from V. T. E., but my surprise exceeded my delight, for I expected that he would “smash my face” for the saucy way in which I wrote. Instead, he writes, “Very much to our surprise we find ourselves in substantial agreement with our Westford brother. This rather worries us, and if it happens often we shall be oppressed with the fear that we are slipping, for it is not a normal condition.”
Now a word, less or more, on the thought, “we are slipping.” I, of course, cannot fathom the depths of your mind, subconscious or unconscious, or any other kind of mind, but I have not got anything to slip from. I started with nothing and have got it all yet. Slipped nothing to it and am not conscious of having slipped something from nothing, and while I have not been able to declare a dividend I am so thankful that I have preserved the principle. Now if you think that “agreeing” is a sign that we are slipping you write another communication and I will agree not to agree with it before I know what you are going to say.
I try to read the hand of Providence into ex-President Wilson’s refusal to take anyone with him but himself overseas to plan the league of nations, for the chances are we would have been trapped into a hornet’s nest and slung and strangled out of our Fourth of July independence, unless America could have ordained the exclusive jury to sit in judgment and settle all the senseless, selfish wrangles that were then and now going on, for all hands are arming, including Ramsay MacDonald[2] and all that pacifist bunch saying “While we are for peace we are for the proper defense of England.” It looked promising to shout peace and without reservation, before he became premier, but now he adds, when the burden is on him, that “his England” must be prepared, and so they build airplanes for future emergencies and training a small army to man them. Before he was elevated to premier it was recognize the Soviet government of Russia; now it is “with reservations.” On the whole Ramsay MacDonald is a pretty safe man; at any rate he has not lost his head to the extent that he has forgotten what world he is in yet, like a lot of the pacifist bunch.
Of all the poppycock nonsense this disarmament limitation agreement by the league of nations takes the first premium for violation, including the Germans, who are so secretly in it that the reparation commission were refused to list an inventory of it. Hurrah for peace, of course, but not at the disarmament price of a possibility of being swallowed up by those who will not or dare not list an inventory of their fighting apparatus.
Anti-Force. I always read with much interest the thoughts of “The Man About Town” under Ayer news, and with this in view I wish to quote and elaborate just a little from his last communication. “When from any reason, lawyers, doctors, bankers, merchants, manufacturers and social leaders, both men and women, wink at crime and scoff at this or that law or any law, they are aiding the cause of anarchy and promoting violence. They are dragon teeth and they need not be surprised when they find that no judicial or police power can prevent them from reaping the harvest.” These words are so truthful and unanswerable that I have quoted them more for emphasis than for any expectation that I shall add to their emphasis by any suggestive thought of my own.
There is a small class of respectable men and women who shout themselves into a hoarse frenzy against national prohibition. Their two chief stock arguments, are first, “it is an attempt to make the world good by force.” Say, see here, would not you anti-prohibitioners look gay flying the colors of no force to make people good and someone should knock you down on the street and rob you of your earthly valuables; what are you going to do about it, read the Westminster catechism to him and trust that that will prevent an encore? Or would you prefer to violate your anti-force beatitude and have a policeman use force to arrest him, and the law use force and shut him up and all to make society both safe and good. We have stringent laws in this state and others against carrying “dangerous weapons” and all this to make society good and safe, and yet there is not a word of protest from the anti-force prohibition camp. But when an attempt is made to prohibit intoxicating liquors as a dangerous weapon this camp of anti-good by force doubles up in distress like unto cholera morbus at the very thought of trying to make society good by prohibiting a man from carrying a dangerous weapon concealed in his stomach that threatens civilization.
These anti-force darlings do not object to force to make society physically healthy. They are forced to use milk that contains a certain amount of butter fat, although I can bring a small army of doctors to testify that a less butter fat grade is far better for children. These dearly beloved who by their talk and conduct defy the constitution of the United States cannot eat a piece of veal unless the carcass weighs up to Massachusetts standard; an ounce less and you go without veal; and this attempt to force the community to be healthy by legislation is not defied or argued against by the anti-constitution booze crowd.
These self-appointed defenders of the “goodness without force,” always wind up with “I am making no pleas for booze.” That is just what S. B. Haywood on the Pacific coast, my new antagonist, says after pouring my ears full of bible in defense of wine. Now supposing I quote bible—“A man is known by the company he keeps,”[3] and if you are making “the plea for booze” you are in the booze crowd that are made up in a part of all the plug ugly criminals of resorts of debauchery, and for a man who quotes the bible so fluently you ought to be proud of the booze company you are in, and as you asked me to spread your arguments to others I am taking this public way in addition to circulating your five-minute sermons, and I will take this opportunity to disprove that any of your booze stuff is essential to life in all that makes life the ideal worth while. Pass on your arguments.
Unitarian Church Notes. Sunday service at four o’clock. Music, Lord’s prayer and versicles chanted by chorus choir; “Peace be unto you,” Miss Eleanor Colburn. Preacher, Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the minister; subject, “The crown jewels.” Church school at three o’clock.
The social rooms of the first floor are being renovated. The walls have been stripped of all old wallpaper and are being painted, together with the woodwork, to match in color the church upstairs. The floors are also to be painted. Several generous contributions have already been received by the parish committee, covering over two-thirds of the cost.
On Sunday the preacher will deal with the question of human estimates of value placed on various desirable things, pointing out how these estimates of value are bound up with misery and happiness in every-day life.
Ayer
Real Estate Transfers. The following real estate transfers have been recorded from this vicinity recently:
Westford. Antoine Milot to Emile Milot et ux., land on Maple street; Hammett D. Wright to Antoine Milot, land on Maple street. …
High School League Formed. It was voted at a meeting of representatives of high schools in this vicinity, held recently in Groton, to organize a baseball league for the season of 1924. The towns included are Ayer, Groton, Littleton, Lunenburg, Pepperell and Westford. Charles L. Curtis, superintendent of schools, of Groton, was elected president of the league, and Alfred P. Richardson, of Ayer, secretary. The schedule is as follows:
Apr. 30. Westford at Littleton.
May 5. Groton at Ayer.
May 5. Lunenburg at Pepperell.
May 9. Ayer at Westford.
May 9. Pepperell at Groton.
May 9. Littleton at Lunenburg.
May 12. Westford at Groton.
May 12. Littleton at Pepperell.
May 12. Lunenburg at Ayer.
May 16. Pepperell at Westford.
May 16. Groton at Lunenburg.
May 19. Westford at Lunenburg.
May 19. Ayer at Pepperell.
May 19. Littleton at Groton.
May 23. Littleton at Westford.
May 23. Pepperell at Lunenburg.
May 26. Westford at Ayer.
May 26. Groton at Pepperell.
May 26. Lunenburg at Littleton.
May 29. Groton at Westford.
May 29. Pepperell at Littleton.
May 29. Ayer at Lunenburg.
June 2. Littleton at Ayer.
June 2. Lunenburg at Groton.
June 6. Lunenburg at Westford.
June 6. Groton at Littleton.
June 6. Pepperell at Ayer.
[1] “About Town. I have received a letter from our townsman Emery J. Whitney, dated Kissimmee, Fla., March 18. He says ‘I have just been reading in the Wardsman that I am ill with pneumonia. There is no truth in the item whatever.’ Just how this story started I am unable to explains, as I was not the originator of it, but we will all back water on it.” The Westford Wardsman, March 29, 1924.
[2] “James Ramsay MacDonald FRS (né James McDonald Ramsay; 1866-1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months [22 Jan.-4 Nov.] in 1924 and again between 1929 and 1931. …” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsay_MacDonald#In_Opposition_(1924%E2%80%931929).
[3] This is actually a quote from Aesop’s Fables. In the Bible, Proverbs 13:20 comes closest to saying this: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” KJV