Turner's Public Spirit, November 3, 1923
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
The Good Old Academies Again. In my sketch published October 6 of the old academy at Westford it was necessary to omit many names on account of the space required in your publication of that date. The following trustees and teachers, now deceased, were prominent in the affairs of the town and in the community where they lived, and by their influence and foresight did much to make the old academy one of the standard of old New England.
Trustees
Abiel J. Abbot. Born in Westford in 1850, educated in Westford academy, Highland Military school of Worcester, Phillips Exeter academy and the [Massachusetts] Institute of Technology. He was treasurer of Abbot Worsted Co., chairman of the school committee, Westford, 6 years; chairman of the board of trustees Westford public library 3 years, elected trustee of Westford academy in 1879 and treasurer in 1885 and held this office until his death in 1921, a period of 36 years. He was for 13 years a member of the executive committee of the National Wool association.
Rev. Ephraim Abbot. Born in New Castle, Maine in 1779. Educated in Harvard university 1806, Andover Theological seminary 1810. Preceptor Brackett academy, Greenland, N.H., pastor of church 1813 to 1828, preceptor of Westford academy 1828 to 1837. Representative to state legislature 1838, pastor Unitarian church at various times from 1829 to 1845, chosen trustee 1840, president of the board 1854, member visiting committee many years.
John William Abbot. Born in Westford 1834. Educated at Westford academy and Philips Exeter academy. Chosen trustee 1873, trustee J. V. Fletcher library, member William North lodge of Masons, Union and Home Market clubs, Hull Yacht club, Troop F, cavalry, M.V.M. [Massachusetts Volunteer Militia], firm of Abbot & Co., mills at Forge Village and Graniteville.
Julian Abbot. Born in Westford 1806. Educated at Westford academy, Harvard university 1826, divinity school 1830, admitted to Middlesex county bar 1839, in Judge Hopkins’s office, Lowell, many years, later opened office for himself, chosen trustee 1842, director Lowell city library 1844.
Joel Adams. Born in Chelmsford 1783. Educated at Westford academy, Harvard university 1805 A.M., admitted to Middlesex county bar 1808, lawyer in Chelmsford, chosen trustee 1837, president Prescott National bank, Lowell, 1850. Postmaster Chelmsford 1826.
Rev. Moses Adams. Born in Framingham 1749. Educated at Harvard university 1771, chaplain, Col. Eleazer Brooks’ regt. at White Plains 1776, second minister in Acton, 1777 to 1819, chosen trustee 1792, resigned 1801.
Rev. Isaac Allen. Born in Weston 1771. Educated at Harvard university 1798, ordained 1804, pastor of church in Boston 40 years, chosen trustee 1814, president 1838, resigned 1841.
Rev. Wilkes Allen. Born in Shrewsbury. Educated at Harvard university 1801, ordained 1808, pastor of church in Chelmsford 33 years, chosen trustee 1820, resigned 1836, author of History of Chelmsford.
Joel Adams Bartlett. Born in Chelmsford in 1842, chosen trustee 1873, member Co. B, 6th Mass. Regt. in civil war, trustee of public library in Chelmsford, firm of Bartlett & Dow, hardware dealers, Lowell.
Asaph Byam, M.D. Born 1791. Physician in Westford, 1816. Chosen trustee 1825, secretary 1827, resigned 1838.
Jonathan Carver. Born in Westford 1751. One of the founders of Westford academy and social library, chosen trustee 1792, treasurer 1795, selectman 6 years, town treasurer 4 years, representative to state legislature 3 years.
Albert Leighton Coolidge. Born in Natick. Educated at Westford academy, chosen trustee 1878, director Central National Bank, American Loan and Trust Co. and Home Savings bank, Boston, vice president Y.M.C.A., director Shoe and Leather Bureau of Credit; president Para Rubber Co, South Framingham, firm of Houghton, Coolidge & Co., Boston.
Rev. Edmund Foster. Born in North Reading 1752. At Concord and Lexington, April 19, 1775. Educated at Yale college 1778, received degrees from Yale and Harvard, trustee 1794 to 1809, ordained at Littleton 1781, representative and senator about 1812, delegate to constitution convention 1820.
Rev. Barzillai [sic] Frost. Born in Effingham, N.H. Educated at Harvard university 1880 [sic, probably 1830 was meant], theological school 1835, ordained as colleague with Rev. Ezra Ripley, D.D., Concord 1837, where he remained 20 years, preceptor of Framingham academy 1847, resigned 1850, member of visiting committee.
Rev. Washington Gilbert. Born in Atkinson, N.H., 1800. Educated at Williams college 1826, Cambridge Divinity school 1829, ordained at Harvard 1831, pastor Unitarian society 24 years, trustee 1837, resigned 1857, member of visiting committee, pastor Unitarian society, West Newton, two years, Lincoln four years.
Capt. Imla Goodhue. Born in Westford 1776, member of 1st foot co. of militia 1796, captain of North co. of militia 1805 to 1811, selectman three years [1816, 1817, 1819], trustee 1811 to 1855.
Nahum Houghton Groce. Born in Sterling 1781. Educated at Harvard university 1808, trustee 1819, secretary of board 1820, resigned 1827, preceptor of Westford academy 1808 to 1822.
Hon. Silas Holman Bolton. Trustee Westford academy 1804 to 1824, member of governor’s council, member of state senate and house of representatives, civil engineer and member of commission to run boundary line between Massachusetts and the province of Maine, when latter admitted as a state [1820], general of state militia.
Benjamin Osgood, M.D. Born in Westford 1781. Attended Westford academy 1792, studied medicine with Amos Bancroft, Groton, member of Massachusetts Medical society, physician in Westford many years, trustee 1818.
Charles Proctor, M.D. Born in Westford 1755. Member of Massachusetts Medical society, physician in Westford 1784, one of the founders of Westford academy and the social library, trustee 1792.
Rev. William H. White. Born in Lancaster 1798. Educated at Brown university 1824, Cambridge Divinity school 1827, ordained 1828, founder of Littleton lyceum 1829 and its president 23 years, trustee of Westford academy 1826 to 1852, member of visiting committee.
Arthur Wright. Born in Westford 1837. Educated at Westford academy, trustee 1886 to 1900, selectman 7 years, member of school committee, representative to state legislature 1888, postmaster at Graniteville many years, merchant; [co-founder, superintendent of Sunday School, trustee 1869-1900, secretary and treasurer of Methodist Church at Graniteville].
Teachers
Catherine Abbot, Hampton Falls, N.H., preceptress 1829 to 1831. Married John W. P. Abbot, Westford. “The interests of the church, library and academy were identified with her life, and she extended to each valuable aid.”
Elizabeth D. Abbot, Hampton Falls, N.H., preceptress 1832. Married Rev. Abiel Abbot Livermore.
Lucy Eliot Abbot, Hampton Falls, N.H., student at Westford academy 1834, preceptress 1842-44. Married John Kebler, esq. [see below], Cincinnati, Ohio.
Albert Edwin Davis. Born in Westford. Educated at Harvard university 1862 and at Westford academy, preceptor 1863 to 1869.
James Dinsmore, Lowell, preceptor 1843 to 1845. Attended Lowell High school, Phillips Andover academy and Dartmouth college 1841, studied law with Hon. Thomas Hopkinson, Lowell, and admitted to the bar 1846. In partnership with Hon. Benj. Dean 10 years, member of city council, representative to general court 1850 to 1851, director Middlesex Mechanics’ association, moved to Sterling, Ill., and practiced law nearly 35 years, member of Illinois legislature 4 years, presidential elector.
Samuel Hilliard Folsom. Born in Hopkinton, N.H., lawyer, preceptor of Westford academy 1851-53, educated at Dartmouth college 1851, assistant register of probate and insolvency for Middlesex Co. 1874-92, register of probate and insolvency 1892 to 1904.
Amanda M. Hale, Westford, preceptress 1857 to 1859. Chicago, Ill., Ashville, N.C. Lecturer in the interest of the anti-vivisection society.
John Kebler. Born Sultz [sic, Sulz] on the Necker, [Baden-Württemberg,] Germany. Lawyer in Cincinnati, Ohio, educated at Harvard university 1839, LL.B., preceptor of Westford academy 1839 to 1841.
Olive A. Prescott, Forge Village, assistant 1859, educated at Westford academy, member of school committee 1875 to 1877.
Marietta Mills White, Littleton, Preceptress 1859 to 1861. Married Rev. Nathaniel Seaver, jr., East Boston, 1865. President of Worcester League of Unitarian women 2 years, member of school board, Melrose, member of hospital board Pittsfield, first president Scituate Woman’s club.
Sarah Foster White, Littleton, preceptress 1867 to 1873, attended Westford academy 1850 to 1851, librarian Reuben Hoar library, Littleton, teacher and writer.
Sherman H. Fletcher,
Secretary, Board of Trustees.
Center. The all-day meeting of the Ladies’ Aid of the Congregational church, which was to have been held at the home of the president, Mrs. Frederick Meyer, Thursday, November 8, has been postponed to November 15.
The Northwest Middlesex Teachers association held their twenty-ninth annual convention in Ayer on last week Friday. Fifteen nearby towns are represented in this organization. Among the officers chosen for the ensuing year was Principal William C. Roudenbush, of this town, as president.
William Sutherland, of Belmont, and Mr. and Mrs. Albert Wilkinson, of Methuen, were Sunday guests of Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Sutherland.
The annual banquet of the Congregational church was held at the town hall on Monday evening with an attendance of about 200. The menu consisted of roast pork, mashed potato, squash, apple sauce, cabbage salad, rolls, coffee and assorted pies. The decorations were appropriate to the Halloween season and the waitresses wore white with Halloween aprons and bandeaux. John P. Wright served very efficiently as toastmaster and the speakers of the evening included Rev. Frank B. Crandall of the Unitarian church, Rev. William Anderson of the Graniteville Methodist church, [and] Rev. Mr. [Edward] Disbrow, the new pastor of the Congregational church. There were also readings by Miss Blanche Lawrence and songs by Edson Boynton, with Mrs. Boynton as accompanist. The chairman of the supper committee was Mrs. George Walker, and Mrs. Clarence Hildreth was in charge of the dining-room. They were ably assisted by other ladies of the church and some of the young men.
- Herbert Fletcher spent the weekend in Jaffrey, N.H.
Miss Blanche Lawrence held her first class in dancing at the town hall on Tuesday afternoon, sixteen children being present.
The young people of the Congregational church held a Halloween social at the church vestry on Wednesday evening and the young folks about town were out in full force in their weird costumes and carrying Jack-o’-lanterns, enjoying themselves with the usual pranks.
Mrs. Sebastian Watson returned from the Lowell General hospital on Tuesday and is getting along nicely.
The Y.P.R.U. of the Unitarian church will hold a novelty dance at the town hall on November 16. The affair is an invitation party. There will be novelties, and refreshments will be served during the evening.
The Improvement society met on Thursday evening of last week at which time several matters were either discussed or left with committees for further reports, among them being one to beautify the various plots at the intersection of roads, signs of welcome for tourists and a war memorial for veterans of the world war.
The teachers of the William E. Frost school attended the Middlesex County convention in Boston on last week Friday and spent the weekend in that vicinity—Miss Blanche Lawrence, in Somerville; Miss Ruth Tuttle, Winthrop, and Miss Edith A. Wright, Somerville.
Miss Ellen F. O’Connor, who spoke at the town hall on last week Friday evening was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Taylor while in town.
Mrs. Mary A. Grant is the guest of relatives in Ballardvale [in Andover].
The members of Westford Auxiliary have been invited by the Middlesex-North Pomona Grange to attend a musicale at Odd Fellows’ hall, Lowell, this week Friday.
Tadmuck Club. A very interesting lecture, “Little known treasures of the Irish art,” was given by Miss Ellen F. O’Connor, of Boston, at the town hall on last week Friday evening under the auspices of the Tadmuck club. Miss O’Connor, who is a graduate of the Boston Normal Art school, is an instructor in art at the Jamaica Plain high school, and has traveled extensively in Ireland. She gave a short description of the country and her travels, which were illustrated by stereopticon views. She also gave a short paper on the art of the country and pictures on the early art. The musical program of the evening consisted of a solo, “Believe me, if all those endearing charms,” by Miss Eleanor Colburn, and piano solo, “Irish folk song,” Miss Daisy Precious, which were much enjoyed. Miss O’Connor’s gown was of real Irish poplin, embroidered by students in arts and crafts at Dublin, Ireland, the gown being made in the style of evening dress as adopted by the women of Ireland.
Members from several neighboring clubs were present, among whom were six member of the Ayer Woman’s club, including the president, Mrs. William Brown.
The affair, which proved a real treat, was in charge of the music committee, Mrs. W. R. Taylor, Miss Julia Fletcher and Mrs. Frederick Meyer. The stereopticon lantern was in charge of Clarence Burne, of West Chelmsford, assisted by his brother, Fred Burne.
About Town. For a change it is refreshing to read something different from apples, that the market is tied up and tired of, so here is James Phillips, of South Chelmsford, enjoying string beans, lima beans and green corn from his garden. He must have some eight-below-zero beans that the late Gilbert F. Wright recommended.
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Taft, of Ayer, attended the four o’clock service at the Unitarian church last Sunday afternoon.
Here is another testimonial about zero-frost-proof beans. Mr. and Mrs. William H. Pollock, of Swampscott, formerly of this town, were business visitors here on Monday. Mr. Pollock said, “I am still picking lima green beans. No frost here yet.” I have no reason to doubt it, but for all this and the ice Monday morning at the Old Oaken Bucket farm I felt like giving a word of warning against skating on ice yet where the water is over two or three inches deep.
The Fletcher Cold Spring farm have sold their milk to Mr. Cutter of Lowell and deliver it at the Savage farm in Chelmsford.
As a sample on a small scale of how apples overrun estimates this year, W. R. Taylor expected fifteen bushels of Ben Davis apples, and the picking proved forty bushels.
I was personally interested in reading last week under Townsend news of the marriage of Alfred Newton Fessenden. He was one of the bright and useful members of the legislature in 1913, and was on the committee of banks and banking and sat a few pews north by northwest from me. It was even him who introduced an amendment to the Merrimack river bill to make Squannacook river-brook and Townsend Harbor navigable for ocean steamers. I voted for the amendment for it was full [sic] as sensible as the Merrimack river bill and its sense would cost less in cents. I am informed that Squannacook is not yet navigable, that is, the work is not yet completed. I intend to slip up that way as soon as the wind gets through picking apples for me to pick up and see what the prospect is of taking the steamer from the Harbor to the Republic of Ireland.
I was saddened but not surprised to read under Townsend news last week that partridges are in greater numbers this year than for many years previously, and now that the hunting season is on they often become crazed by fright. This statement is true to facts and from it two conclusions must be deduced. First, that our civilization has not yet developed beyond its unjustifiable cruel stages when we have to resort to the needless cruelty of killing and crazing the innocent and harmless partridge for sporting pleasure. Second, all this hurrah boys about “the partridges are budding our apple trees and ruining our apple crop” is completely refuted by “greater numbers than for many years previously,” and by the largest apple crop for the unexpected year since partridges budded them out of bearing, so large that Nashoba shouts loudest and largest about “ruining our apple crop” they have been forced to take shelter under co-operative selling in order to live by the excessive apple crop.
A writer in the Rural New Yorker says, “There are a few of us who fully realize how this teaching of the ‘New nutrition’ is affecting the wheat market. It is astonishing to see how many people suddenly conclude that their diet has contained ‘too much starch’ and they proceed to cut out potatoes and white bread. So much of this is being done that there is actually some effect upon the market.” Yes, this is just where part of the trouble is and I want the incoming congress to pass a law the first act they do after organizing, compelling people to eat more potatoes and perhaps do a little similar work for apples. This and the government guarantee of $2.75 for potatoes and $3.75 for apples.
Mr. and Mrs. Seth W. Bannister, of Strafford, N.H., and baby boy were Sunday visitors at his home, the Frank W. Bannister place on the Lowell and Providence road. Seth, as we familiarly call him, is an instructor in the agricultural department of Strafford academy. Their baby boy is one of the handsomest and healthiest I have seen since nearly seventy-eight years ago.
Rev. William E. Anderson has sold his large crop of winter apples, all picked, to William E. Wright. It is reported that there are approximately 2000 boxes, but as there is an element of guess work in “approximately,” perhaps there are not more than 1999 boxes. As previously reported, Mr. Anderson and family will spend the winter in West Virginia [Rev. Anderson’s home state]. We shall miss his courageous, wholesome, healthy laugh which oft some of us have had occasion to come under its transforming influence and well diagnosed of old as “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” [Proverbs 17:22a]
Amos Polley has sold his apples to Walter Perham, delivered on the ground, hand-picked and Lord Picked. No one can tell the difference.
As bearing on the quantity of apples our uncle whose residence is all over the United States [i.e., Uncle Sam], reports from the apple sections of the Walla Walla district of Washington and the Milton-Freewater section of Oregon, “The apple crop is much larger than last year, when damage from frost was heavy and shipments from these districts totaled less than 400 cars; estimates made by local factors [sic] indicate that the carlot movement this season may be 2,500,300 cars. It is also predicted that the percentage of stock grading extra fancy will be larger because of the clean condition of the fruit. Size is good and some shippers report that they find it hard to fill their previously booked orders for five-tier stock from varieties moving at present. The varieties raised in these apple-growing sections are the Rome Beauty, Jonathan, Winesap, Delicious and Yellow Newton.” It will be observed from this that these varieties are largely the newer varieties of eating apples and do not seriously compete with our old standby, New England Baldwins.
Just one more left-over windfall thought on wind-fall apples. As the non-keeping qualities of wind-falls is always laid to its bruised condition I have been trying to charge it up to other conditions and here is one more left-over charge which I will try and shoot off. An apple that gravitates to the ground floor of affairs from whatever cause it lawfully gravitated, the whole tendency of its ground location is to prematurely ripen an apple. Compared with an apple that holds to its fastenings on the tree and refuses all gravitation inducements and an apple that ripens on the ground will not keep as long as an apple that is on the tree or hand-picked or shook-picked into a wooden box and its bruise hasn’t got anything to do with its premature ripening condition.
The lecture and views on Ireland last week Friday evening by Miss O’Connor of Boston, under the auspices of the Tadmuck club, was a delightful entertainment of education and inspiration to an appreciative audience. The opening song by Miss Eleanor Colburn was in the same line of catch the audience. Scotland was the nearest that I ever was before to Ireland that by proxy, so that the pictures and talk were all new and green to me as the Emerald Isle. It brought some of us close to the land of our fathers.
Children in passing Potash Corner in Hudson, N.H., Monday, discovered a rattlesnake and blacksnake locked in each other’s coils dead in a pasture. Both snakes were huge specimens of their kind the rattler being the biggest of the diamond variety ever seen by James Wentworth, of Hudson, a taxidermist, with a place of business in Boston, who will mount the skins. The rattler was 6 feet 1 inch long, with 12 rattles and a button; the blacksnake was 5 feet, 4 inches long. From books in the J. V. Fletcher library, purchased by the John M. Osgood fund, I read of the black diamond rattlesnake in the south that measures 40 feet long and will swallow a rabbit as easily and quickly as some of us will swallow a fly when we are in a dog-day sleeping mood.
- Arthur O’Brien is picking apples at the Old Oaken Bucket farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Carlos D. Cushing, who have been spending the summer at Framingham and Westford, have returned to Miami, Fla.
Ford Display Week at Nashoba garage, Littleton, Nov. 5 to 10 inclusive.
Church Notes. First church (Unitarian) Sunday service at 4 p.m. Music, “I come to Thee,” Roma, Miss Eleanor Colburn, contralto. Preacher, Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the minister. Subject, “Prayer and every day life.” Church school at 3.
The Wayside pulpit was erected on Saturday of last week by Homer S. Seavey, Morton Seavey, Gordon Seavey and the minister. Although the posts supporting the pulpit are set about three feet in the ground, the workmen did not dig any holes. About eight inches under the surface they struck a rock mine and made the holes by prying out cobble stones and rocks of a variety of shapes and sizes. The work was done with some muttering against the workmen of the past who put the biggest stones at the bottom when they filled in the church grounds.
The minister calls the attention of members of the parish to a pastoral letter elsewhere in the paper in the interest of the Christian Register.
The third annual Young People’s conference will be held at Chelmsford on Saturday November 3, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The program for the day includes a business meeting, devotional service, dinner, visit to the Chelmsford Ginger Ale Co.’s plant, entertainment and dancing. Those wishing to attend from this parish are asked to notify the minister who will endeavor to secure the necessary transportation.
Graniteville. The Young People’s Social club held an enjoyable Halloween party in the vestry of the Methodist church on last Saturday evening. The vestry was prettily decorated for the occasion, and as many attended in grotesque costume the scene presented was a merry one. Various games were played throughout the evening, and all entered into the spirit of the affair. Refreshments were served during the evening, after which a pleasing entertainment was given that consisted of piano solos by Miss Florence Caunter and Miss Hazel Thompson; violin solos, Albert Eaton; songs, Miss Rachel Wall, and reading by Master Edwin Packard.
The big banquet given by the Graniteville Brotherhood in the new supper room of the Methodist church on Thursday evening was very largely attended and proved to be a very enjoyable affair. A fine chicken supper was served at 6:45, after which there were some excellent addresses by Dr. Charles E. Spaulding, of Worcester; Rev. Alfred Woods, of Saugus; Rev. E. E. Jackman, of West Chelmsford; Rev. L. C. Bockes, of the Church of All Nations, Lowell, and Rev. Frank B. Crandall of the Unitarian church, Ayer. Rev. Alfred Woods and Rev. E. E. Jackman were also heard in pleasing vocal solos. The banquet was voted a great success. Many were present from out of town.
The Abbots and Shawsheen teams will meet for their re-play in the first round of the national cup soccer contest at Forge Village this Saturday. This game was supposed to be played last week but was held up on account of a protest.
The Halloween party held in Abbot’s hall, Forge Village, last week Friday evening, was largely attended and proved to be very successful. The proceeds were for the building fund of St. Catherine’s church.
The new St. Catherine’s church parsonage has recently been completed and entirely finished, and the pastor, Rev. A. S. Malone, is expected to move in next week.
The members of the Girls’ A.A. will hold a social dancing party in the town, Westford, this Friday evening.
The youngsters were out in force on Halloween night. They appeared to enjoy themselves and no serious mischief was reported.
Ayer
News Items. Rev. and Mrs. Frank B. Crandall attended the annual banquet of the Congregational church in Westford on Monday evening. Mr. Crandall was one of three speakers of the evening.
Teachers’ Convention. The twenty-ninth annual convention of the Northwest Middlesex Teachers’ association was held here on last week Friday, a large number being present.
The morning session began at nine o’clock in the Federated church. The devotional exercises were conducted by Rev. Alfred L. O’Brien, pastor of the Methodist church in Townsend. Chorus singing was led by Miss Caroline E. Precious of Forge Village, teacher of music in the Townsend schools.
The following officers were elected: William C. Roudenbush [principal of Westford Academy], Westford, pres.; Supt. Charles L. Curtis, Groton, vice pres.; Mrs. Abbie W. Greene, Harvard, sec. and treas.; Miss Ann L. Boynton, Pepperell, Ernest M. Gleason, Ayer, Miss Ruth Goodrich, Lunenburg, executive committee. …
Real Estate Transfers. The following real estate transfers have been recorded from this vicinity recently:
Westford—Matthew F. Downs to Axel G. Lundberg, land on Groton road; Wade V. Hitchcock to Annie Naliwaiko et al., land on Groton road. …
District Court. At the criminal session on Saturday John P. Tasey of North Chelmsford was found guilty of drunkenness and of disturbing the peace in Westford on the previous day. He was found guilty on both charges and was fined fifteen dollars for being drunk, the other charge being placed on file.
On Tuesday morning Joseph McDonald of Westford was before the court charged with assault and battery on [his wife] Josephine McDonald. He was found guilty and fined $20. Attorney John M. Maloney appeared for the government.
Pastoral Letter
To My People:
Dear Friends—The publishers of the Christian Register have requested that Unitarian ministers throughout the country observe November 1 as “Christian Register Sunday.” Believing that each church should keep in step in every good denomination work, the minister is glad to take part in the project of promoting the work of the oldest and best known of Unitarian publications.
It is hardly necessary to say why church periodicals need special support. There is nothing more dismal than some of the old-fashioned church papers and magazines. When the writer was a university teacher, he used to see the leading periodicals of all the churches prominently displayed for the reader on a rack in the university library. He used to sample them all. Some of them seemed to have two main objects, boasting of the perfections of the church of which they were the mouthpiece and abuse of every other church. The solemn conceit and crude bigotry of some of these denominational periodicals were enough to disgust and shock any ordinary heathen in a foreign land.
The Christian Register is not that kind of a paper. There is no trace in it of the know-it-all, holier-than-thou spirit. The writer has never read in it a word of abuse, scorn, contempt, or ill-will for any other body of Christians or any other religion. Unitarians may be proud of the Christian Register for not having some of the characteristics that make church papers a by-word.
Unitarians may be proud of the Christian Register also as realizing many of the ideals of journalism. First, it furnishes news of important events in the life of Unitarian churches throughout the United States and Canada as well as timely accounts of notable happenings in the life of other churches and religions. In its articles and editorials it aims to enlighten the public mind and touch the public conscience. It doesn’t speak as the mouth piece of any political or social propaganda, either capitalistic or radical. Its policy is to take up what is best out of conservative and liberal thought and blend them in a true, living progressive teaching.
The publishers of the Christian Register are out to gain many new subscribers and have reduced the price of the paper 25%. The necessities of life are not merely food, clothing and shelter, but, as the Book of Common Prayer says, “those things which are requisite and necessary as well for the body and the soul.” The necessities for the inner life of the intellect include, among many other things, metropolitan and local papers to keep one informed, and magazines like The Literary Digest and the Review of Reviews to help toward an understanding of events.
Unless the spirit is the least part of a man and religion of less importance than the ordinary affairs of business then every home needs a religious periodical as one of the necessities of civilized life.
Such a paper you have in the Christian Register. Under the editorship of Rev. Dr. Albert C. Dieffenbach the paper has had a veritable rebirth of energy, spirit and usefulness. The writer knows the editor personally. He is a good-fellow in the best sense of the word, a true journalist, a sane, keen, ardent churchman, keeping in view at the same time present tasks and future ideals. The minister and all other subscribers in this parish would like to see more Unitarian homes and the Christian Register in every home. – Frank B. Crandall
Additional Notes by Bob Oliphant Notes
Brackett Academy was housed in a large 2 ½ story building that was built about 1825 and burned to the ground in 1919. See https://www.weekslibrary.org/Memories.html.
Rev. O’Brien would become the pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Graniteville in April 1924, serving for four years.
The Christian Register magazine was published by the Unitarian Church in Boston from 1821 to 1957 when its name was changed to the Unitarian Register.