Turner's Public Spirit, May 2, 1925

A look back in time to a century ago

By Bob Oliphant

Center.  The Alliance of the Unitarian church will hold an all-day meeting at the church parlors on Thursday, May 7, at which time they will have as their guests the members of the Ladies’ Aid of the Congregational church.  The afternoon meeting is open to the public and the speaker will be Rev. Arthur McGiffert of All Souls’ church, Lowell.  The soloist will be Miss Leolyn Annis, of Nashua, N. H., with Mrs. Anna Melendy Sanderson, of Nashua, as accompanist.  Miss Julia Fletcher will be hostess.  This will be the last meeting of the season.

The Legion Auxiliary held their meeting on Monday evening and had as their guests members from the Ayer and Groton Auxiliaries.  A pleasing entertainment consisting of readings by Mrs. Alice L. Gage, of Lowell, and violin selections by Frank Charette, of Graniteville, was much enjoyed.  Refreshments of ice cream, cake and coffee were served.  Mrs. Margaret Banister was in charge of the refreshments, assisted by members of the Legion and Auxiliary.

Miss Karen G. Grant is the guest of her aunt, Mrs. Harry E. Whiting.

Ivan, the five-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Whitney, met with a painful accident this week.  A large splinter from one of the teeter boards at the William E. Frost school playground pierced his body just above the heart, being driven in to a depth of 2 ¾ inches.  Dr. Harry Coburn rendered medical aid and the little fellow is getting along nicely.

Miss Ruth McCoy is spending a few days as the guest of her sister, Mrs. Llewellyn Robbins, of Watertown.

Rev. Edward Disbrow and the Misses May E. Day, Mabel Prescott and Gladys Ingalls attended the monthly meeting of the Lowell C. E. Union held in Billerica on Monday evening.

Tadmuck Club Notes.  The Tadmuck club held their annual luncheon on Monday afternoon.  An excellent luncheon was served by Cole’s Inn, caterers, of Lowell, and an excellent program, in charge of Mrs. Warren Hanscom, consisting of harp solos, readings and vocal solos by Warren Hanscom, was much enjoyed.

The officers for next year will be as follows: Mrs. Arthur Whitfield, pres.; Mrs. Percy Wright, vice pres.; Mrs. Adeline Buckshorn, sec.; Mrs. John Feeney, Jr., cor. sec.; Mrs. Arthur Wilson, treas.; Miss Florence Wilson, doorkeeper; Mrs. Perry Shupe, press cor.; Mrs. Perley Wright, Mrs. John Feeney, Jr., Mrs. Henry Eastman, calendar com.; Mrs. A. A. Cameron, Mrs. H. V. Hildreth, Miss Alice Howard, ex. com.; Mrs. William Roudenbush, Mrs. Mark Palmer, Mrs. S. B. Watson, Mrs. Harry Ingalls, reception com.; Miss Julia Fletcher, flower com.; Mrs. Perley Wright, custodian; Mrs. Robert Prescott, Mrs. C. A. Blaney, Mrs. Arthur Whitley, Mrs. Henry Fletcher and Mrs. Charles Carter, ushers; Miss Emma Fletcher, pianist.  The several other committees remain much the same as last year.

About Town.  [paper torn, about 10 lines missing] Merritt, of Boston, … Marg[aret] … pneumonia … Trull, and a sister … funeral was held … from the home of her parents.  The services were conducted by Benjamin Gessner of the West Chelmsford church.  The bearers were Walter W. and Norman L. Edwards.  Burial was in the family lot in the West Chelmsford cemetery.[1]

Our old fellow citizen, Emery J. Whitney, and his housekeeper, Mrs. Bartlett, after spending the winter in Florida, returned to Westford Monday.

Mr. and Mrs. Oscar R. Spalding are among others who have returned from Florida, and with other returnable Floridians were at the Farm Bureau movies in the town hall on Monday evening, the hall being filled and an inspiring picture program given.  Aside from the picture program the school children gave an entertainment of reading and song, and an exhibition of the trained “skill of their hands,” accompanied by demonstrations of “lighting of the candles” in charge of a club leader, whose name we were unable to learn, but he was well equipped with the goods of efficiency.

This draw-back cold weather during the week is the result of summer trying to be too precocious in getting into the lap of winter in February and March, and that mild weather always means reaction, and now we have winter trying to recover being crowded out by kicking both spring and summer out of her lap.

The peach trees are all just one blaze of crimson glory beauty and even with all of this glorious attraction it is even nothing and less than nothing compared to their attractiveness next autumn, when loaded with peaches.

Mr. and Mrs. Horace E. Gould are among the home-comers from Florida.  I must see Horace and inquire about those forty-foot snakes.

The next meeting of the Grange will be held on Thursday evening, May 7—bird night; with speaker to be announced.  Let us contribute our individuality to the cause of the preservation of our lovely birds, lovely in song and plumage.

A trolley car on the Lakeview line at Collinsville, Dracut, was struck by lightning last Saturday evening, doing no damage other than delaying the car quite a little time.  We only observed one flash of lightning, but I suppose that is enough, if properly aimed, to stop transportation.

In the account last week of the newly-set apple orchard of Frank C. Drew it is all plainly true with the exception that it should have read two acres instead of twenty acres.

Present symptoms indicate a full peach blossom and this means that some of us who do not have peach blossoms will have peaches, which is less expensive than raising blossoms.

The treasurer of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company of Lowell, in an address before the Rotary Club, said Massachusetts labor laws are more threatening to prosperity than southern competition.  Even thus is it apparent to an unbiased mind, with fifty-four hours in New Hampshire and forty-eight hours weekly in Massachusetts.  And here is the vital part of its application to the wage earner.  “While we increased wages 12½% the wage-earners got less money than before the raise.” Isn’t this just splendidly wise labor leadership to strike for increased pay whose final terminal results in decreased total of money earned? Such wisdom ought to be preserved in a museum.

First church (Unitarian)–Sunday service at 4 p.m.  Preacher, Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the minister.  Subject, “The symbolism of flowers.” Church school at 3.  The Y.P.R.U. will meet in the vestry Sunday following the service.

Big Forest Fire.  The fire alarm sounded early last week Thursday forenoon which proved to be one of the worst forest fires in this section for several years, estimated to have burned over 2000 acres.  The fire started in the Oak hill section of the town not far from the H. E. Fletcher Company stone quarries in the Nabnasett section of Westford, and notwithstanding the patriotic rain and snow of April 19 the fire spread beyond the combined efforts of the Westford, West Chelmsford, North Chelmsford and Chelmsford Center fire companies, besides the usual number of volunteer firefighters, and was not under safe control until about ten o’clock in the evening.  Numerous houses in what is known as “Tar Paper Village” were in the direct path of the on-sweeping flames, and nothing but the quick and heroic efforts of the chemical fire companies prevented their destruction.  As it was, several houses were scorched.

Covering a wide swath, the fire swept along Dunstable road and into the section along the Groton road and along Fletcher’s quarry, over the wide expanse towards Crystal lake at North Chelmsford.  In this area many houses were entirely surrounded by fire, but all escaped by the special efforts of the chemical engines.  Notwithstanding the wide area of this fire only one valuable lot of standing timber was burned—that of Frank Ingalls on the Groton road.  The firefighters made a determined effort to hold the fire from this valuable lot, but the fire had gained such uncontrollable headway that they were unable to hold it in check.  About two years ago 800 acres was burned over in part of this same section, and a few more fires would seem to burn up about all that is burnable.

1. T. A. Entertainment. The Parent-Teachers’ association of West Chelmsford presented “The Beantown choir” at Abbot’s hall, Brookside, Tuesday evening, and faced an audience that filled the hall to the state fire limit capacity. It was an evening of continuous laughter and merry-making merriment as surely as the earth revolves on its axis.

In the play which “The Beantown choir” presented everybody was at their best, but like all plays some characters have a specialty feature which catches some extra applause.  Frank Lupien, in condensed comedy, especially in his solo, “How do, How do,” which brought forth eleventeen encores of applause.  Miss Lena Safford, as director of the choir, was another who appealed to the audience.  Those in the cast were Mrs. Suzanne Pevey, Miss Martha Reis, Frank Lupien, Mrs. Lena Safford, Miss Elizabeth Smith, Miss Florence Trull, Miss Margaret Reid, Miss Mary Dunn, Miss Edith Grant, Miss Bernice Brown, Miss Elna Reis, Oscar Reis, Lyman Pevey and Miss Bernice Brown [sic].

Graniteville.  All the schools in the town will resume sessions on Monday after a brief vacation period.

During the vacation period of Westford academy, Miss Regina McLenna of this village, a member of the Junior class, filled successful engagements as a reader at Somerville, Sharon and Wollaston.  She was well received and scored heavily in all those engagements, the affair in Wollaston being especially praiseworthy.

One candidate was initiated and several applications for membership were received at the meeting of Court Westford, M.C.O.F., held on last week Thursday night in Abbot hall.

The Abbot Worsted team will play the Checker Taxi team of Boston on the local grounds on Sunday, May 3.  The twilight league season will open on Monday evening, May 25.

[paper torn, words missing] Wall, who was taken sick … his work in Worcester recently, has returned to his home here … .

[paper torn, line missing] St. Catherine’s church on Friday evening.

The Abbot Worsted Junior baseball club were beaten by the Buckhorns of Lowell at the local grounds here last Sunday by the score of 9 to 5.  The Juniors will play a return game in Lowell in the near future.

Funeral.  The funeral of the late Mrs. Catherine Connell took place Tuesday morning from the house of her son, John R. Green, North street, and was largely attended by sorrowing relatives and friends.  The funeral cortege proceeded to St. Catherine’s church, where a solemn high funeral mass was celebrated by the pastor, Rev. A. S. Malone as celebrant, assisted by Rev. Fr. Kelly, of Roxbury, as deacon, and Rev. Emile Dupont as sub-deacon.  The choir, under the direction of Miss Mary L. Hanley, sang the Gregorian chant.  The soloists were Mrs. Arthur Charlton, soloist. Miss Laura McCarty and James May. Miss Mary L. Hanley was the organist.

Among those in attendance from out of town were the Misses Mary and Annie McCanna, Greenfield, N.H.; Mrs. Mabel Connolly, Groton; Misses Maude A., Eva and Christina Connell, Boston; Mrs. Carolina Leary, Medford; Mrs. Daniel Connell and Earl Connell, Tyngsboro; Mr. and Mrs. Richard Connell, Miss Catherine Connell, Mrs. Philip Reilly, Mrs. Minnie Keelan, Mrs. Minnie Hickey, Mrs. Margaret Nord, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Webb, Mrs. Madeline Dillon, Robert Morrissey, Mrs. Josephine Corcoran, Mrs. Belle McGuire, Miss Harriet McGuire, Charles Slattery, Lowell; Wilfred Blodgett, Lee Connell, Mrs. E. H. Gould, Mrs. H. E. Gould, Miss Bernice Gould, Miss Lillian Wright, Mrs. Charles Couture, Joseph Carpenter, Mrs. Alma Benson, Mrs. Eliza Raymond, Mrs. Sarah Denio, Mrs. Edward Pendlebury, Miss Catherine Appleby, Westford.

There was an abundance of beautiful flowers and artistic bouquets, showing the high esteem in which the deceased was held.  The bearers were Daniel Connell, Charles Blodgett, John Connell, Fred Blodgett, H. E. Gould and Charles Couture.  Interment was in the family lot in St. Patrick’s cemetery, where Rev. A. S. Malone read the committal prayers.  Arrangements were in charge of Regnier & Regnier.

Vaccination for Rabies.  I read with much interest the article on “Vaccination of dogs” for the rabies by W. R. Westcott, of Harvard.  As I read it, it seemed to be safe, sound common sense, or to use a familiar expression, “All wool and a yard wide.”  There are altogether too many loosely kept dogs who stray miles and miles from the home of the owner.  We have field drivers for other domestic animals who stray from the home of the owner, but it does not seem to include dogs.  They are apparently a privileged class to roam at large to kill sheep and devour laying hens, mixed with any old irresponsible lot of homeless dogs and get inoculated with the rabies by being bitten by these homely, homeless dogs, and in turn return the compliment by inoculating some other dog, and thus the blessed law of “safety first” is exemplified.  Our dog laws are altogether too loosely put together and still more loosely enforced.

Any person can get a license to keep a dog by paying the fee, and the dog can be kept anywhere in the universe, and this called keeping a dog.  This wide range of the universe for a home for the dog does not apply to any other domestic animal; if you think it does just let your horses and cows or your hens range in your neighbor’s garden, and if it is persisted in see how business will pick up at the district court.  The law recognizes that the dog is a natural menace, hence a license is necessary to keep a dog; and “keep” is only nominal (as at present enforced).  You are “keeping” a dog when you do not know where it is and haven’t seen it for weeks.  Dogs that cannot be controlled better than this wide range for “keeping” should be controlled by annihilation.

Read, ponder and practice Mr. Westcott’s advice in regard to vaccination.  It is the sound, sensible, condensed viewpoint of “safety first.” Compulsory vaccination is what we have got to come to.  If anyone is unwilling to submit to this, then let such submit to vaccination by the revolver.  Much of the present spread of rabies could be very much reduced if revolver vaccination was enforced more than it is on all dogs licensed “to be kept” that does not carry any more meaning than a lot of “whereas resolutions.”

Townsend

Weddings.  George A. Crowe of Waltham and Miss Harriet M. Miller of this town were married at the Congregational manse Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock by Rev. Sherman Goodwin, of which church the bride is a member.  The double ring service was used.  The couple were attended by the bride’s brother, Earle P. Miller, and Mrs. Miller of Montreal, Can., and the bride’s father, Henry J. Miller. ..,

Following the ceremony a reception was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Miller. Relatives only were present. ..

Mrs. Crowe was graduated from the Killingly, Conn., high school in 1902 and from the Fitchburg Normal School in 1906.  Following her graduation she taught for two years at Westford, and for fifteen years she had been a teacher in the school at Attleboro.

[1] The funeral of Margaret Trull took place from the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Trull, Main street, West Chelmsford, yesterday afternoon at 2 o’clock. The services were conducted by Rev. Benjamin A. Gessner, pastor of the West Chelmsford M.E. church. The floral offerings were beautiful. The bearers were Walter W. Edwards and Norman L. Edwards. Burial was in the family lot in the West Chelmsford cemetery. Arrangements were in the charge of Undertaker George W. Healey.

Lowell Courier-Citizen, Lowell, Mass., April 28, 1925, p. 8.