Turner's Public Spirit, May 16, 1925

A look back in time to a century ago

By Bob Oliphant

Center. Field day will be observed by the schools of the town at the Whitney playground on Saturday afternoon, May 23. Folk dances, May pole dance, pageant and exercises of various kinds will be given. The Abbot Worsted Company band will furnish music. The affair should bring out a large attendance of parents and friends to show appreciation for the efforts of both teachers and pupils. Any having cars which they are willing to use to transport the children from the various sections of the town will please notify Supt. Charles G. Carter as soon as possible.

A teachers’ meeting was held at the Brookside school on last week Tuesday. The speaker was Mr. Clark, from the state board of education, and his topic was “Americanization.”

A recent marriage of interest to local people was that of Miss Harriet M. Miller, of Townsend, to George A. Crowe, of Waltham. Miss Miller will be pleasantly remembered as a teacher in the grammar school building on the Boston road, now known as the Cavalry building [now the house at 20 Boston Road].

Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Sutherland, of San Jose, Cal., are the guests of the former’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Sutherland. Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland held a family reunion on Sunday in honor of their guests. Other members of the family present were David Olsson, of West Chelmsford; Miss Lillian Sutherland, of Billerica; and Alfred Sutherland, of Boston.

George A. Walker, who has been ill for some time, suffered a shock the latter part of last week and passed away on Tuesday morning. Mr. Walker, who had been a resident of this town for several years, was sixty-two years of age. Besides a host of friends in this town he leaves many friends in Waltham, where he was employed many years as a watchmaker. He is survived by his wife, Sarah Walker, and two sons, Henry B., of Marblehead, and Arthur G., of this town.

Next week Thursday will be Pomona night at the meeting of Westford Grange. The entertainment of the evening will be in charge of the lecturer of the Middlesex-North Pomona Grange. A supper will be served.

Miss Lucinda Prescott, who has been employed in Framingham, has returned to the home of her parents [now 181 Main Street], Mr. and Mrs. Eben Prescott, where she expects to remain during the summer months.

The Alliance of the Unitarian church entertained the ladies of the Congregational church last week Thursday at an all-day meeting. At noon a dainty luncheon was served, and in the afternoon Rev. Mr. McGiffert, of All Souls church, Lowell, was the speaker. Miss Annis, of Nashua, N. H., was the soloist, accompanied by Mrs. Anna M. Sanderson, also of Nashua, both of whom [paper torn, line missing].

The members of the Auxiliary are requested to be at the Congregational church at 10.30 on Sunday morning, May 24, to attend the union services in a body.

A quota of $500 has been assigned to Westford post, A.L., for the A.L. endowment fund, whereby $5,000,000 will be raised during the early part of 1925, the money to be used for disabled men and the orphans of veterans. President Calvin Coolidge is chairman of the national honorary committee, and James A. Drain, national commander of the A.L., is chairman of the endowment executive committee.

The A.L. Auxiliary will conduct a food sale in the lower town hall on Friday afternoon, June 5.

Death. Lawrence Ingalls [Westford Academy Class of 1922], son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Ingalls, Main street, who accidentally shot himself on Thursday of last week, passed away at the Lowell General hospital on last week Friday, following the amputation of his leg. His sudden death, which was a great shock to all who knew him, took from the community a young man of sterling character. He was twenty years of age, and besides his parents is survived by two sisters, the Misses Gladys and Ethel Ingalls.

Funeral services were held from the Congregational church on Monday afternoon and were largely attended. The services were conducted by Rev. Edward Disbrow of the Congregational church, Rev. Frank B. Crandall, of the Unitarian church, and Rev. Arthur O’Brien of the Graniteville M.E. church. The choir sang “Safe in the arms of Jesus,” “Beautiful isle of somewhere” and “Go bury thy sorrow.” The bearers were John Kimball, Leo McDonald, Orrin Treat, Raymond Shea, Willard Moore and Fred Robinson. Burial was in Hillside cemetery, where Mr. Crandall and Mr. Disbrow read the committal prayers.

The floral tributes were beautiful, showing the esteem of many relatives and friends.

Mr. and Mrs. Ingalls and family have the sincere sympathy of the community in their great bereavement.

About Town. The next meeting of the Grange will be held on Thursday evening, May 21, and will be known as Pomona night. Middlesex-North Pomona Grange will visit and furnish the entertainment. Refreshments by Westford Grange.

Amos Polley, on the Morning Glory farm, who has already planted three acres of sweet corn, is rushing the ploughing on four acres more. How close together the telephone poles look.

1. Arthur O’Brien has been working overtime sawing crooked apple tree wood and other crookedness kinds for W. R. Taylor. This light-up nights to saw cordwood makes the telephone poles so close that they are invisible, such is the pressure of the rush.

The frost last Friday and Saturday mornings left its trade mark on a few potatoes at the Old Oaken Bucket farm that were early risers, and at the adjoining Morning Glory farm on some sweet corn.

Mrs. Alma Estella Prudenhome has so far recovered from her broken leg as to be able to keep house for her brother, Guy R. Decatur, at the Capt. Peletiah Fletcher place on the Lowell road [No. 54].

The brightest blossom orchard that we have observed is the Gravestein [sic, Gravenstein] orchard of Frank C. Drew on the northerly slope of Little Tadmuck hill. Of course, it is probable that there are some green leaves on the trees, but the blossoms are the only showing that shows.

Frederick W. Edwards, son of the well-known contractor [William C. Edwards] of the firm of Edwards & Monahan, is confined to his home by illness.

The sum of $85 was realized from the May day breakfast at the vestry of the M.E. church in West Chelmsford, May first. Besides the cash value here were the greater and unaudited values of breakfasting under the environment of inspiring May flowers, and the greater inspirations of new fellowships and individualities.

1. L. Taylor has quieted down to hoeing peas and potatoes. He is out of the present rush crowd and all by his lonesome, for the rush crowd haven’t arrived at “Point Hoeing” yet.

The prospect for Baldwin apples is improving. They are late in showing their colors. The Old Oaken Bucket farm estimates that he will have half a peck more than first estimated. The Tadmuck farm estimates that it will have as many Baldwins as last year. Of course this may be saying a considerable lot or it may be saying a considerable little.

63. T. A. The recent comedy given by the West Chelmsford Parent-Teacher association at Abbot’s hall, Brookside, netted $63.02. It was voted to accept the invitation of the Bartlett School Parent-Teacher association of Lowell to attend a general meeting of similar organizations to be held there in November. The officers are Mrs. Luzerne Safford, pres.; Mrs. Frank Lupien, vice pres.; Miss Mary Dunn, sec.-treas. After the business meeting the Boys’ Poultry club gave a sketch, “The Junior Club Poultry Show,” the following taking part: Theodore Ducharme, Carl Johnson, Francis Safford, George Reis, Paul Vinson, Clarence and Leonard Leedburg. In addition there was an exhibition of eggs from the Boys’ Poultry club and prizes were awarded to those having the largest and best colored eggs. George Reis received first prize, Theodore Ducharme, second, and Paul Peterson third. The Girls’ Sewing club also presented a sketch, “Who made the garments?” with the following in the cast: Dorothy Taylor, Janet Levasseur, Alice Leedburg, Genevieve Dean and Edna Palm. Prizes for sewing were awarded Dorothy Taylor first, Alice Leedburg second. George Erickson, county agent, was present and gave an encouraging talk, after which refreshments were served by Mrs. John C. Pevey and Mrs. Elderess Brown.

Co-operative Farming. As a bearing upon the question of raising less and getting more, ex-Governor Frank O. Lowden, of Illinois, speaking before the American Newspaper association last week, said:

“Now I produce both corn and milk upon my farm. I feed the larger part of my corn in the form of silage to my cows. I sell it, therefore, in the form of milk. I receive considerably less for it than I did a year ago. And so these glowing figures of the increased value of the corn crop over which the financial writers of the great metropolitan dailies gloat do not comfort me much. I am indeed puzzled to know what to do. I have been taught that to produce sixty bushels of corn to the acre is a finer achievement than to produce forty-five. I like to see the milk pail brimming full with sweet, pure milk. But when I see forty-five bushels of corn worth more than sixty bushels of corn, and with the milk pail but two-thirds full worth more than the brimming pail of another year, I become confused and hardly know what to do.”

Well, well, well. I should say you were badly confused, if not hopelessly confused. In calling earless ensilage corn a corn crop, why not call a huckleberry bush huckleberries, or apple tree leaves apples? Haven’t you found out yet that this [page torn, line or two missing] dollars a ton after you have sweated yourself into a “red face” getting it into a silo, while the corn that would have grown on these corn stalks is worth around $50 per ton and that silos are being abandoned much faster that they are being built. My dear, why continue to exude so much valuable sweat and redden up your face like unto Indian war paint to raise a mis-named crop called corn crop, or in the words of the late Major Henry Emory, of Lowell, who was a large farmer and milk raiser, “It’s a very expensive way of watering stock.” The Rural New Yorker, in reply to Mr. Lowden, says:

“Mr. Lowden’s great remedy for this trouble is co-operating [sic] marketing. He did not attempt to prove that in localities where this form of marketing is supposed to prevail the milk question is any easier than in Illinois, because, of course, he knows that it is not true. Our agricultural educators have led in the work of improving our dairy cattle, growing and handling fodder crops and in making up dairy rations. All this has tended to increase the supply of milk, but as matters now stand an overproduction of milk means less than a living wage to the producers, but greater profits to the distributors, since they are able to control the market. At the same time the retail price is put so high that consumers cannot or will not buy the milk that they need. Co-operative marketing has been tried over and over, usually with more or less expensive failure.”

Selfish human nature, grasping for the last penny’s worth to come its way, regardless of its effect on the other fellow, is clearly illustrated in not only the milk business, but in modern life generally. If the manufacturers of footwear from the hides of milk cows curtail the output, which results in higher footwear prices, we complain of the price. Farmers, as milk manufacturers, cooperate to control the output of milk from the cows whose hides will go to make the high-priced footwear then the footwear people and others complain of the high price of milk. The selfish principle involved is one and the same, whether it is milk as milk or milk as footwear—each thinks the other is wrong in its attempts and they are both right in thinking so. Shift the milk farmer to the footwear manufacturer and he will reverse his opinion on milk; ditto the footwear manufacturer, but the principle involved remains the same. Our trouble is with our selfish viewpoint. Until we can rid ourselves of this excessive selfishness that will enable us to see that the other fellow is involved, we shall have to continue to diet on our selfish troubles. Let no one think that ex-Governor Lowden is not one bright, competent, self-made man, for he is all that, and that he is not the only bright man who has been mistaken in the milk pail definition of ensilage. As candidate for president some of us kept open mouth for him and it’s open yet.

Reforestation. As a bearing on the cash viewpoint of life exclusively, here is something in the Rural New Yorker as it relates to forestry:

“The arguments for planting young forest trees on farm land now of little value are plausible, but we should have both or all sides of the question. Here is a statement made by a farmer of Tompkins county, N.Y. that is worth considering. What have you to say about it—you foresters?

“‘Occasionally I see something in the R. N. Y. about reforestation of waste land, and recently the statement that the idea of planting waste lands in forest trees is slowly gaining ground. I have about fifty acres of woods which contain some small timber from which I am expecting to remove all the trees that I can in any way market at a profit above labor, and then make the state a present of the land—let it go for taxes. If any of your readers can tell me how I can retain ownership of the land and not suffer an annual loss I should like to know it. This land is assessed at $10 per acre, which I believe is the minimum. Taxes at four percent on $500 would be $20 per year. In forty years this would be $800. Supposing that there was no cost of maintaining except taxes and no fires. I cannot see how at the present price of labor and at the price our local dealers would pay for the lumber I could at the end of forty years harvest timber that would net me $800. This is allowing nothing for interest on the taxes that I would have paid, and nothing for interest on the $500 investment that the assessors say the land is worth, and besides all this I shall probably have been dead some twenty or thirty years by the time the forty-year harvest is due. With the above view I certainly am not one of those who have an idea of maintaining land in forest. If any of your readers can tell me how I can retain the land without an annual loss I should like to have them do so. I. D.”

As he has invited opinions on his figures and on “How can I maintain this land a forest without an annual loss?” I will volunteer the humblest of humble opinions of one who knows but little about the lumber business.

First, it must be a poor soil and other adverse conditions that would not measure out 10,000 feet of lumber per acre in forty years’ growth—and as lumber is growing scarcer and dearer every year it must be poor boxboard lumber that would not bring $20 per thousand, or $200 per acre. But aside from all financial considerations and granting that his figures are right, the exclusive cash view that he takes of forestry, if true and right for him, is true and right for all who own forest land, and if universally correct, it would leave not one forested acre in this, “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” We should cash in on all of our forests, turn the land over to the government, which from the barren cash view of life would not pay the government, which is we all of us, any more than it would pay “I. D.,” as per his own figures, and forestry with all that is involved in it comes suddenly to its cash terminal, and all of this government forest reservations of White Mountains and Franconia Notches are a misuse of non-cash-paying public funds. Let us sell all this reservation for cash— yes, cash is the modern word, and if we keep on it will be the only word necessary in the English language. Yes, sell all of the government forest reservations for cash and invest in the modern golden calf, and spend the worship of eternities in worshiping it, and set up life in a forestless, birdless Sahara Desert.

All of us have inherited values that we did not contribute to, “reaping where we have not sown, and gathering where we have not strewn,” [Matthew 25:24] and it is the condensed essence of the beatitudes of the hog that will cash in all that we have received and leave not even a forest tree for shelter and nesting, mating sanctuary for the birds and material for a shelter of beauty, for the habitation of man. “No man liveth unto himself and no man dieth unto himself,” and every person who lives the reverse of this ancient thought will not leave valuable memory enough to be worth the while for a spiritualist medium to open up communication with them, for they would have nothing to add to our humanities except the golden calf, and we are overcharged with that now.

An Inspiring Program. Here is something inspiringly new in its appeal to the higher realms of life that we too rarely ascend to: Field day program given by schools of Westford, Whitney playground, Saturday [paper torn, line or two missing] first and fourth verses of “America,” band concert by Abbot Worsted Company band, pageant by Cameron school, calisthenics by schools, May pole dance by Frost school, exercises by Nabnassett and Parkerville schools, folk dancing by Sargent School, schlaug [sic] ball[1] by all the schools, baseball, Sargent vs. Frost schools, winning team vs. Cameron school, relay races by all the schools, ensemble, “Star Spangled Banner,” first verse. “We wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have helped to make this field day a success.” The following is the account up to date of the amount of money raised by the several schools from the sale of cake, candy, etc. Nabnassett school $30.54, Frost school $22, Cameron school $15. Cameron school is still selling candy and the account is not yet returnable.

This program is not only new and varied enough to appeal to all shades of taste, but it is in the “open,” close to nature, the birds, the forests, the flowers, the sunshine of life. Our school teaching could be much inspired by closer and more frequent contact with open nature. We build expensive buildings and equipments [sic] but they lack and always will, the inspiring appeal of our song birds, the flowers, mountains, rivers and babbling trout streams. Let us show by our attendance our appreciation of the generosity of Abbot Worsted Company band who give their services free. As one who lives in the Nabnassett school district I feel imbued with congratulations for Mr. Perry, the principal of the school, and Miss Wren, the assistant teacher, for their part of this program. Accept my thanks.

A Tribute. The entire town of Westford has been shocked by the sudden and tragic death of Lawrence A. Ingalls. It is one of the times when we cannot understand why such a young man so full of life and enthusiasm should be taken from our midst. It is especially sad, for just at this time he had all plans made for his new home and a business of his own.

Lawrence’s life was a splendid example of Christian young manhood, as the fact that he was ready to go when the Master called proves. His was a sunny disposition and he was the life of social gatherings. Among the young people he was an especial favorite. He will be greatly missed in the Congregational church, where he was a member and a faithful and willing worker. He was also an active member of the Y.P.S.C.E.

The large attendance at the funeral and such an abundance of beautiful flowers showed the high esteem in which he was held. Widespread sympathy is felt for the bereaved parents, sisters and the young lady whom he was so soon to marry.  A Friend.

Graniteville. Many from here attended the funeral of Lawrence A. Ingalls, which was held from the Congregational church in Westford Center on last Monday afternoon.

Miss Emma Wood, a popular young woman of this village, was tendered a miscellaneous shower at the home of Miss Emily Hanson in West Graniteville on last Tuesday evening in honor of her approaching marriage to Frederick Ambrose of Camp Devens, Ayer. The affair was largely attended and Miss Wood received many pretty gifts. The evening was passed very pleasantly and a fine entertainment was given that consisted of songs by Miss Rebecca LeDuc and Miss Laura McCarthy, and some excellent readings by Miss Hilma Hanson. Dainty refreshments were served during the evening and the whole affair proved to be a great social success. The Misses Emily and Hilma Hanson had charge of the affair.

The sympathy of Graniteville people is extended to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Ingalls, of Westford, in the loss of their son Lawrence, who died at the Lowell General hospital last week Friday. Young Mr. Ingalls was an exemplary youth, whose genial manner and pleasing personality endeared him to all with whom he came in contact. He enjoyed a wide circle of friends who will sincerely regret his untimely passing away.

Ayer

News Items. Rev. Frank B. Crandall with Rev. Edward Disbrow of Westford and Rev. A. L. O’Brien of Graniteville, officiated on Monday at the funeral of Lawrence Ingalls of Westford.

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

Westford, John L. Hildreth et al. to Robert H. Elliott.

De Molay Installation. The officers of the Ayer chapter of the order of De Molay were installed with public ceremonial on Thursday evening in Masonic hall. George S. Boutwell W.R.C. and Ida McKinley chapter, O. E. S. were guests. The members, visitors and guests filled the hall. The ceremonies were conducted by Frank C. Harmon, retiring master councilor, assisted by Ralph Scruton as marshal.

The following were inducted into office: … Clarence Mann and J. Gustav Peterson, Westford, …

Obituaries. … Justin Spaulding, born in Shirley on August 21, 1849, the son of Hezekiah and Lucy Ann (Hartwell), passed away last Saturday evening about 10:30. He attended the public schools of his native town. Early in life he learned the trade of a brick mason, which he followed successfully all of his life.

On April 6, 1882, he married Miss Lizzie I. Hammond, of Fitchburg, in that city, the officiating clergyman being Rev. Mr. Scott of the Rollstone Congregational church. Their only daughter, Mary, wife of Austin Lawrence, of Westford, and Mrs. Spaulding survive him. There are also two grandchildren, Miss Mildred Healey and Miss Hazel Lawrence, of Westford; a sister, Miss Catherine L. Spaulding, of Townsend, a former teacher at the East Main street school, and two brothers, John E. Spaulding, of Townsend, and Hezzie Spaulding of Wellsburg, W. Va.

Mr. Spaulding’s death came as a shock to his many acquaintances in town, his illness of bronchial asthma being of but a few days’ duration.

Funeral services were held at his late home on Fletcher street Tuesday afternoon at 1:30. Interment was in Evergreen cemetery in Leominster, Rev. Earle R. Steeves, pastor of the Federated church being the officiating clergyman. The bearers were Austin Lawrence, George Adams, Oscar E. Carlson and Erastus B. Lewis. There was a profusion of beautiful flowers.

The deceased was well known and respected here, where the greater part of his life was spent. In his chosen calling he was a workman worthy of his craft, and specimens of his handiwork in this and other communities will long endure.

 

[1] “Schlagball is a German bat-and-ball game that was popular up until the 1950s in Germany.” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlagball.