Turner's Public Spirit, October 4, 1924
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
Center. The first meeting of the Alliance and Sewing society will be held on next week Thursday at the home of Mrs. L. H. Buckshorn. In the afternoon Miss Alice Howard will read a paper. It is hoped that the attendance of members and those interested in the Alliance will be large.
Samuel Balch, who has given such faithful service as mail messenger between the postoffice and Westford depot for so many years[1], has resigned, and as this vacancy will have to be filled any citizen is eligible to put in a bid for the same. These should be sent to the postmaster, J. Herbert Fletcher.
- Herbert Fletcher is improving from his recent illness.
Miss Maude E. Robinson left on Monday night for Washington, D.C., to resume her position as teacher in Miss Tompkins’ school for little children.
Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Knight, who have been residents of this town for many years, removed from here this week. They will make their home with Mr. Knight’s daughter, Mrs. C. E. Campbell, of Hudson, N.H. Both Mr. and Mrs. Knight have a host of friends who will miss them. The house which they have been occupying on [No. 4] Lincoln street, owned by the J. B. Fletcher heirs, has been sold to Mr. Eastman, of Lowell.
Robert Abbot gave a dinner for fourteen at the Lowell Country club on last Saturday evening, the guests being the members of the Johnson-Seavey wedding party. Mrs. Julia Cameron entertained the wedding party at tea on Sunday.
Frederick Meyer has resigned his office as town treasurer, and Warren K. Hanscom has been appointed to fill out Mr. Meyer’s unexpired term. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer leave next week for Florida, where they will spend the winter.
Miss Mattie A. Crocker, of Brockton, who has been visiting in town, is now the guest of her niece in Swampscott.
The children’s club had a small exhibit at the Groton fair and succeeded in capturing some of the prizes, which was not unexpected, considering the fine work done by the young members of these clubs. Alice Heywood received second prize on peas, plums 3rd, raspberries 2nd, beets 2nd, second prize on her third year work; Angie Parfitt, third prize on third year exhibit; Helen Gallagher third on second year exhibit; Helen Desmond, first prize on dress; Donald Wright, bread, 3rd, George Wilder, third on garden collection. An interesting fact is that every child who was in this summer club work has exhibited at some fair. At the canning demonstration and exhibition to be held at the town hall this Saturday Miss Bishop, county club leader, will be present to make the state awards and will also give a short talk on “How the canned goods [paper torn, 3 or 4 words missing]. Miss Ruth Tuttle, the local director, has every reason to feel proud of her club members.
The pupils of Principal Percy Rowe’s room at the William E. Frost school held an enjoyable corn roast on Thursday of last week.
Miss Emeline Cann is the guest of her sister, Mrs. Fred L. McCoy. Miss Cann has recently returned from a vacation spent in the middle west.
About twenty-five members of the Sigma Kappa society of Boston university attended the Johnson-Seavey wedding, the bride, who is a graduate of Boston university, being a member of the society.
Mrs. Alma Richardson, who has been ill, is improving.
A daughter [Natalie Baron Abbot] was born to Mr. and Mrs. Edward M. Abbot at the Lowell General hospital on Sunday, September 28.
Miss Elizabeth Carver, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William R. Carver, is attending Rogers Hall school in Lowell.
Mrs. Gertrude Evelyn Rode died on September 24 at her home in Beaumont, Texas, aged twenty-seven years. She is survived by her husband, Louis Rode; a daughter, Gertrude Evelyn, aged one day; her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Lehman of Westford, and a sister, Mrs. Frank Herbert, of Missouri. The body arrived here on Monday and was taken to the home of her parents.
A meeting of the W.C.T.U. was held at the home of Mrs. George Walker on Wednesday afternoon, at which time the following officers were elected: Mrs. Janet Wright, pres.; Mrs. Alice Lambert, vice pres.; Mrs. Edith Blaney sec.; Mrs. George Walker, treas. The reports for the year were given and the local organization is in fine condition. At the Congregational church on Sunday evening at 7:30 o’clock, Mrs. Ella A. Gleason, honorary state vice president, will speak on “Law enforcement.” Mrs. Grace Hamilton, of Winchester, county president, will also be in attendance. It is hoped that there will be a large attendance.
About Town. The Groton fair was all that could be wished for in vegetables, eatables and fruits, with large backing and banking of roots, and the poultry exhibit appealed to everybody. The Junior display, so hopeful and helpful, made us all give out an invisible hurrah. Led by the Groton Cornet band, the parade of cattle, boys, calves and men caught some of us in delights as never before since a long time. The horse racing program no doubt was good, but we did not take it in, as perhaps we should. The chin-chatting social time of our lives, questions and answers without speed limit restrictions or emergency brakes suited us fine. With smiling weather and smiling crowds it made us feel in many ways as rich as Farmers’ row in unanimous praise that this was the best show.
On all land not favored by nature with a high elevation was favored with the first frost of the season on last week Thursday morning. Favored? Yes favored, for frost is a sure antidote against yellow fever. What have you got to say about that?
Westford was well represented at the Groton fair in attendance and as exhibitors. Here are a few of the exhibitors and what they exhibited: Mrs. McDougall, apples; Juniors, under the supervision of Miss Ruth Tuttle, all kinds of canned goods, fruit and vegetables, and they made a delightful display. Most people thought it was just “Magnolia.” W. R. Taylor, a variety of apples; S. L. Taylor, field corn, rice, popcorn, potatoes, apples, crabapples, quince apples, cucumbers and other encumbrances. As to premiums, we do not feel safe in quoting, as some of the premium cards had been disturbed in their bearings, but as some of us did not enter for premium voters but for the best, jolly social time, we feel in this line of goods we drew first premium and we hope that the crowd felt individually the same about themselves. If they did, never mind the premiums on your punkins, cucumbers, etc.
- L. Taylor, on the Old Oaken Bucket farm, has sold 99 of every 100 Baldwin apples to W. R. Taylor. Of course they have got to be counted and carefully, correctly counted before they are picked and after they are picked, and the two counts audited to a balance. This includes Lord picked by a hurricane or any other breezy shaking method, but it does not include Walter Perham’s apples.
Samuel H. Balch has resigned as mail carrier between Westford station and Westford Center, and the United States is about to call for carrying bids.
The infirmities of advancing years have induced Mr. and Mrs. Joseph E. Knight to move to Hudson, N.H., to live with his daughter, Mrs. Campbell. They have been residents of this town for twenty-five years. Mr. Knight is eighty-six years of age. Both have been active in church, Grange and town.
Conservation. We dislike very much to keep up a constant shooting off of our little personal fireworks apparatus on the conservation of our forests, birds and fisheries, and I only feel justified in doing it on the ground of the ancient story of the unjust judge and the widow woman, “Because her importunity be this thing done unto thee” [a reference to Luke 18:1-8]—that is keep up a constant agitation and the desired end may be accomplished. But here is testimony from an individual who holds an important position in the United States government. Addressing the sixth annual convention of the United States Fisheries association, held at Atlantic City, N.J., September 5, Secretary [of Commerce (1921-1928)] Herbert Hoover strongly urged concentrated action to stop what he termed “blind and reckless” destruction of fish and shell fish in bays, estuaries and other coastal and inland waters. The littoral fisheries, he said should be one of the most precious of the nation’s primary food supplies and will become increasingly valuable as the population doubles and agricultural products approach [their] limits. But already the great runs of salmon, shad, sturgeon and mullet have almost disappeared from our coast and the huge stocks of lobsters, crabs, oysters and clams are seriously depleted. Pollution and over-fishing without regard for the propagation of useful species are the two chief factors in the loss.
Now if we do not conserve our fisheries and we get out of fish, what are our brains going to do for sustaining food? That’s what’s worrying some of us little folks who haven’t got a great deal, and by many we mean brains, not fish, you stupid.
“Blushing in Shame.” Under the Ayer column last week we were lovingly at home in reading again the short jolts from “The Man About Town,” until we read this: “On the subject of taxation in this epistle Mr. Davis branded the Fordney-Cumber tariff[2] as immoral.” We would hardly call it that, John, but nevertheless the republican party should blush in shame through responsibility for such a law.
I had always supposed the John W. Davis [the 1924 Democratic candidate for President] had a more cultured personality and brains than to use such a word as immoral in connection with anybody’s tariff, a word that hasn’t got even the semblance of fact to rest on, and any man who makes such a foundationless statement as that who is a candidate for president, shows his unfitness to start off with, and ought not to get any votes but his own and Charles. But then, perhaps it is excusable, for we are informed that he lacks an issue to talk on. Personally I should say he lacked everyday common sense more than he lacked an issue, if he has not more judgment than to use the word immoral in connection with any tariff, ancient or modern, and his apologizing disciple who comes to his rescue isn’t much of an improvement when he connects up the tariff with “blush in shame.”
We had a Wilson tariff with the Wilson administration which was framed up to stop this blooming “blushing in shame” tariff, but the world war prevented its getting into gear. But listen, beloved, here is a sample copy of what was going to happen. Agents of foreign manufactures were here taking orders for manufactured goods right from the town where some of us love to say we were born and brought up, or in other words, under the Wilson non-blushing shame tariff we could not compete with the above free trade, non-blushing, shame tariff, but the world war came to its rescue and all foreign orders were cancelled. If the Lord appeared in the “burning bush” of old, let us consider the Lord was in the world war and upset this free trade nonsense tariff and thus prevented us going into bankruptcy and the almshouse.
And say, hasn’t President Coolidge advanced the tariff on wheat to prevent the wheat farmers from an unequal competition with foreign wheat? And say again, did not our own beloved Congressman [John Jacob] Rogers from this district address congress, which in substance was, “Something must be done and done quickly to prevent flooding our markets with foreign goods if we are to save our New England manufacturers”? And all this and much more under the high tariff wall Fordney-McCumber bill which we all ought to “blush in shame” for not being high enough to protect from the cheap slum labor of foreign lands. If we can believe the statistics of our savings banks, more money has been deposited under this “blush in shame” tariff than under any squinting free trade tariff, for the most we have ever got out of free trade tariff is a red face, and while we “blushed in shame” for those who saddled us with it, our blushing was not noticeable because we were as red as we could be, playing with idleness.
It would seem from the facts of the tariff that the beloved apologizing disciple of John is the one to start the blushing.
State Rights. How many of us know anything about the new child labor amendment to the constitution[3], on which we are to pass judgment in referendum at the presidential election on November 4? For one I do not profess to know little or nothing about it, with the emphasis on nothing, and that is why I am barking so much about it. Surface information as regards the opposition appears to be a duplicate of the opposition to all progressive reforms. Abolition, woman suffrage, national prohibition, state and national highways, abolition of the little red schoolhouse and the absurd nothingness of the old highway district system—all were fought to their last terminal right here in my beloved native town. Of these various progressive movements, take the elimination of the school district system. All sorts of ills were prophesied if they were abolished, and not one of these ills has ever come to pass, but in our fright we went on and built ten new schoolhouses because our fathers and mothers had ten. So in our haste and waste and fright we built ten because pa and ma had ten. After we had gotten over our groundless fright and recovered our senses we discovered that we had made a mistake in building so many schoolhouses and the paint was hardly dry on the last built schoolhouse before we began to sell the first built schoolhouse, and of the ten built we have sold five; and of the five that [were] not sold, two were so badly located and unsuitable otherwise that we had to abandon them and start all over again new.
I recall the school district incident as though it was a yesterday affair. I also recall that Rev. George H. Young, of the First Parish church, and William Taylor were the minority of the school committee who persistently stood out for elimination of the district system and for the larger and more efficient concentrated town system, which is now the universal system of the state.
Has anyone heard of any increased illness of school children caused by transportation, which was prophesied would increase the business of the undertaker? Has anyone heard of noticeable decline in farm property because we have eliminated the little red schoolhouse and substituted better roads and automobile transportation?
Thus backward, oh, cling to the backward past, does much of foundless fright and opposition appear against this child-labor law amendment. Let us remember it’s an innovation, and like all innovations since man emerged from the frogpondism it is fought and fraught with fright, with all sorts of evil predictions, none of which have ever become true, including modern, up-to-date woman suffrage in which we were all going to the dogs, and the dogs were all going to have hydrophobia. Where are all these prophets now? Not one to be found. All are on the band wagon, playing the glorious jingles of universal sisterhood and brotherhood.
Thus is the proposed child law an innovation on state rights, say the opponents of this constitutional amendment. Why, say, beloved opponents, state rights is as old as Washington. We are a part of this union as long as it is for our interest—when it is not, we leave. Thus was Washington face to face with secession in its incipient stages. Secession was the product of state’s rights and it cost us 600,000 lives to have it exemplified. State rights are annihilating our forests, our birds, our fisheries. State rights restricts labor to forty-eight hours a week in some states, and up to sixty hours in other states. State rights prevents the inauguration of a universal, ideal education system. State rights continue the demoralizing brutality of prize fights. State rights prevent the enactment of an ideal national divorce law, and our present looseness is not in many respects creditable to the domestic animal world. But keep up your hurrahing and insistence for state rights—it’s only the old school district and road district system on a larger scale.
Had we the moral and intellectual culture that our opportunity has offered, but which we have trampled in the mud of low type living, we could long before this have spelled the United States out of state rights and into the unhampered and larger realm of the United States.
Church Notes. First church (Unitarian)—Sunday service at 4 p.m. Preacher, Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the minister. Subject “A secret for the churches.”
The church school will reopen on Sunday at 3 p.m. Parents are urged to assist in having pupils report promptly.
On Sunday the preacher will reply to some facts in the history of Christendom and indicate what they suggest for the future.
Wedding. One of the most beautiful and impressive weddings of recent years was solemnized at the First church on Monday afternoon at four when Frederick Knowlton Johnson of Ayer and Miss Marjorie Mitchell Seavey were united in marriage. The church was artistically adorned for the occasion in a decorative scheme of green and white. Cedars, cedar boughs, white hydrangeas and white asters were used. The pew-ends were decorated with white asters and dahlias.
Miss Caroline Precious, organist, and Miss Mildred Precious, violinist, gave a prelude as the congregation was gathering. At the opening bars of the Bridal chorus from “Lohengrin,” Rev. Frank B. Crandall, the officiating clergyman, entered from within the chancel followed immediately by the groom and his best man, Durward Austin Newman of Danvers, a fraternity brother and college classmate of the groom.
A moment later the bridal procession entered at the west door led by the ushers, Robert F. Abbot and Morton R. Seavey, brother of the bride, of Westford, Fred Jahn of Ayer, and Winthrop Kelley of Littleton. They were followed by the flower girl, Miss Elizabeth Bosworth, the bridesmaid, Miss Maude E. Robinson, and the bride on the arm of her father, Homer M. Seavey.
The officiating minister read the traditional marriage service, using two rings. At the conclusion of the service he presented to the bride the service book, bound in white leather, which contained the liturgy used on the occasion. The procession left to the joyous strains of Mendelssohn’s “Wedding march.”
The bride was gowned in white satin dress with court train and veil with head-dress of orange blossoms. She carried a shower bouquet of bride’s roses. The bridesmaid was gowned in pale blue georgette trimmed with silver with picture hat to match. She carried pink roses. The flower girl wore tea rose crêpe de chine trimmed with silver and hat to match. She carried a basket of sweetheart roses.
A reception in the vestry followed the ceremony. The rooms had been beautifully decorated with greenery, white hydrangeas, and a wealth of cut flowers. The receiving line included the father of the bride, the bride and groom, bridesmaid, flower girl and the mother of the groom, Mrs. Minnie B. Johnson of Littleton and Winthrop. D. L. Page of Lowell catered.
The bride is a graduate of Boston University, College of Liberal Arts ’19 and a member of Sigma Kappa sorority. The groom is a graduate of New Hampshire State University ’22 and a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
The bride received a wealth of beautiful gifts including silver, china, glassware, art objects and gold. The presents were on view following the reception.
The bride and groom left on their wedding journey by motor about 5:20 p.m. They will be at home after November 1 at 53 East Main street, Ayer, where the groom is a prominent business man.
Graniteville. The Abbot Worsted soccer team visited Holyoke on last Saturday when they defeated the Falco club in a national league game 3 to 1. It is expected that the Abbots will play at the home ground in Forge Village Saturday.
Mrs. Emma Wright, who has been ill with pneumonia, is now showing signs of improvement.
The Ladies’ Aid society of the M. E. church [paper torn, two lines missing] church vestry on Wednesday evening. The supper was all that could be desired, after which a fine entertainment was given that consisted of many fine readings of Miss Agnes Chapman of Lowell, songs by Frank Lupien of West Chelmsford, songs and musical act by the O’Reilly sisters of Lowell, assisted by local talent. The whole affair was a great success.
Mrs. A. R. Wall [nee Julia B. Dunn] has recently returned from an automobile trip to New York, accompanied by her two sisters, Mrs. Catherine George and Mrs. Margaret Horan, and a nephew, Charles George, all of Boston.
The mills of the Abbot Worsted Co. and C. G. Sargent’s shop are now running on a full week basis.
Many people from here attended the Grange dance that was held in Dunstable on last Friday evening.
Groton
Groton Fair. The favorable weather during the three days of the fair, September 25-27, brought out a large attendance every day to enjoy the various attractions afforded by the program of the fair. …
Saturday, the last day of the fair, brought out the largest crowd. The annual high school athletic meet, in which teams from eight schools in neighboring towns participated, attracted many sightseers in the morning. The track meet opened the day’s exercises at 9:30. Townsend high school, which won the meet last year, was again victorious. … Following is a summary of the results: …
50-yard dash, girls, … 2nd, Hosmer, Westford, …
Standing high jump, … Sinkerwic [sic], tied for 4th [sic, but listed third] …
Ayer
News Items. Among those from this town who attended the Johnson-Seavey wedding in Westford on Monday were Mrs. Frank B. Crandall, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dodge, Fred Jahn, Mrs. Harriet T. Savage, Miss Helen Savage and Mrs. Helen M. Turner. …
Rev. Frank B. Crandall officiated at the wedding of Frederick K. Johnson of this town and Miss Marjorie M. Seavey, of Westford at the Unitarian church in Westford on Monday afternoon at four o’clock. …
Rev. Frank B. Crandall officiated on Wednesday afternoon at the funeral of Mrs. Louis Rode [nee Gertrude E. Lehman, born Jan. 21, 1897, Mass., died Sept. 24, 1924, per her Texas death certificate] of Beaumont, Texas, whose body was brought on to Westford for the funeral at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. [Ernest T. and Sophia Huvenell] Lehman, near Minot’s corner.
Mrs. Rebecca Webber was called to Westford last Monday by the illness of her sister.
Church Notes. The Alliance held a meeting at the home of Mrs. D. W. Fletcher Thursday afternoon. The speaker was Miss Mary Balch, authoress and reader, of Westford, a member of the alliance in Westford. Her address gave great delight to her hearers. The hostesses were Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. F. B. Crandall, Mrs. Mary J. Harlow and Mrs. C. H. Ware. Refreshments were served.
District Court. On last Friday morning … George J. Passidy, of Lowell, was before the court, charged with manslaughter. It appeared that Passidy was driving a truck out of one of the quarries in Westford on last week Thursday when he struck Wilfred Mailleaux, who died as a result of the injuries he received. It appeared from the evidence that as Passidy drove out of the quarry his view was obstructed by a cloud of steam from an engine he had to pass, and because of this he did not see Mailleaux. Passidy, himself, testified that he did not know that he had struck Mailleaux until his attention was called to it by a companion who was on the seat of the truck with him and who heard the cries of the injured man. Passidy went to the Lowell police and gave himself up as soon as he learned that Mailleaux was dead. After hearing the evidence the court found that there was no negligence on the part of Passidy and ordered his discharge from custody.
The continued case of Firmmin Dupree, of Westford, charged with exposing and keeping liquor for sale in that town, was also before the court on last Saturday morning. This case was the result of a recent raid made by the Westford police, assisted by Ayer and Shirley officers at a camp occupied by Dupree, where about a dozen cases of beer were seized, together with a small quantity of alcohol. The court found Dupree guilty and imposed a fine of $10, which was paid. Atty. John D. Carney appeared for the government and Atty. E. J. Tierney, of Lowell, appeared for the defense.
Real Estate Transfers. The following real estate transfers have been recorded from this vicinity recently:
Westford, Andrew Anderson to Lafayette Overlock et ux.; Clarence E. Hildreth to Joseph G. Walker et ux., land on Hildreth street; George L. Lawson to Charles Dancause, land at Nabnasset Lake.
The Man About Town. … The Man About Town refuses to be drawn into any discussion of politics during the coming campaign. … However, the Man About Town will pause for a moment to call attention to the digression on the tariff by the bard of Westford in another column of this edition. His objections to the note in this column of last week are interesting, but he never can convince the holders of American Woolen common, or the workers of Manchester, N.H., with his system of logic. If the high protective tariff is supposed to guarantee prosperity to our manufacturers, why is it that the employees in the big New Hampshire city had to voluntarily accept a 10% decrease in pay in order to get work? Thursday morning’s press contained a report from the offices of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, addressed to the stockholders and consequently assumed to be the truth, that there is no end in sight to the period of unprofitable business, and that the company’s assets have enjoyed (?) a net decrease of about $1,000,000 during the past fiscal year.
The logic from the Old Oaken Bucket farm is beautiful in its theory, but woefully weak in operation. Let him then turn aside from his discussion of the tariff, which generations of republicans and democrats have argued without reaching the millennium. Let us hear what the Westford correspondent thinks about the way the republican nomination for state senator in that district was handled.
[1] In the early 1900s the U.S. mail arrived in Westford daily by train from Lowell. The mail was unloaded at Westford depot and carried by horse and buggy (or wagon), and later by car or truck, from there to the post office at one of the two general stores in Westford Center, depending on whether the President was a Democrat or a Republican.
[2] “To provide protection for American farmers, whose wartime markets in Europe were disappearing with the recovery of European agricultural production, as well as U.S. industries that had been stimulated by the war, Congress passed the temporary Emergency Tariff Act in 1921, followed a year later by the Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act of 1922. The Fordney-McCumber Tariff Act raised tariffs above the level set in 1913; it also authorized the president to raise or lower a given tariff rate by 50% in order to even out foreign and domestic production costs. One unintended consequence of the Fordney-McCumber tariff was that it made it more difficult for European nations to export to the United States and so earn dollars to service their war debts.” Copied from “Protectionism in the Interwar Years” at https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/protectionism.
[3] “The Child Labor Amendment is a proposed and still-pending amendment to the United States Constitution that would specifically authorize Congress to regulate ‘labor of persons under eighteen years of age’. The amendment was proposed on June 2, 1924, following Supreme Court rulings in 1918 and 1922 that federal laws regulating and taxing goods produced by employees under the ages of 14 and 16 were unconstitutional.” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Labor_Amendment.