A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
“Center. The academy was closed last week Friday and the teachers had a day for visiting other schools. Mrs. Harold W. Hildreth and Miss Libby J. Cohen visited the Lowell Normal school and Principal Roudenbush went to Boston, Friday and Saturday, to the State High Schoolmasters club, going Friday to the gathering at Harvard college, and the meeting Saturday at the state house in Boston.
“A good number of music-lovers attended the concert by the Boston Symphony orchestra, with Lambert Murphy as soloist, at the Strand theatre in Lowell on Tuesday evening. Among those who went were Mrs. O. R. Spalding, Mrs. W. C. Roudenbush, Mrs. H. V. Hildreth, Mrs. W. R. Carver, Mrs. H. W. Hildreth, Mrs. H. M. Bartlett, Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Hartford, Misses Gertrude and Julia Fletcher and Robert Prescott.
“Arthur Walker, who has driven Alec Fisher’s truck for the past two years, has given up this work, and Austin Fletcher takes his place.
“Perley E. Wright has practically carried the last of the apple crop to Boston. Many thousands of boxes have been carried over the road.
“Tadmuck Club. The annual afternoon in charge of the music committee of the Tadmuck club was held on Tuesday afternoon at the Congregational church and was most successful…. Mrs. Buckshorn presided and introduced Mrs. Minna G. DelCastello, who gave a lecture-recital on music and its relation to moving pictures. Madam DelCastello endorsed this modern invention as instructive and enlightening with the better class of pictures. Like all thoughtful people she much deplored many of the pictures used, from the trained musician’s viewpoint the right music accompanying the right pictures was convincingly advocated and illustrated at the piano. The lecture closed with a clever musical monologue…
“At the business session after the program the question that has been under consideration for some time of increasing the annual dues was presented and was well and intelligently discussed. By written ballots it was voted to increase the annual dues from $1.00 to $1.50.
“About Town. The cold which has been tracking windward towards zero for nearly a week, got within 12 degrees of it on Wednesday morning at the Old Oaken Bucket farm. This sudden drop sent all the March butterflies and their warm weather relatives to cover.
“Charles A. Blodgett has been appointed cattle inspector at a salary of $175 [per year], and Emory J. Whitney as meat inspector.
“There will be an unusually heavy peach blossoming this spring; at least that is what the trees testify to on examination. How the buds have withstood the recent cold weather is another question. Authority says peach buds, well advanced, will stand eight above. We have had many years’ experience in raising a peck of peaches, or rather it took many years to raise a peck, and we feel that this experience entitles us to enter a minority opinion on eight above.
“Now that the sun is an hour behind correct time in the name of daylight saving, we give the testimony of one balance sheet as one of many: ‘I have a large stock of cows. Under the new push timetable I have to begin milking at three o’clock in the morning. My hired man is a nine-hour regulator, so as he begins work at three in the morning and several hours before sunlight is awake, he finishes his day’s work at one o’clock in the afternoon. He remains idle several hours of the best sunlight.’ …
“An owl of unusual size was recently seen on an old apple tree at the F. W. Banister farm [Lowell Road].
“Graniteville. The Ladies’ Aid society of the M.E. church held a baked bean and salad supper in the church vestry on last week Thursday night that was well attended. The entertainment consisted of readings by Mrs. Belle Harrington Hall of Lowell, also xylophone solos by an out of town performer, assisted by local talent. The supper was up to the usual high standard of the Ladies’ Aid and was thoroughly enjoyed.
“Word has been recently received here from Private Alfred Heroux, a Graniteville boy, now with the A.E.F., and he is now stationed in the same town in Germany with Private William F. Buckingham.
“Many people from this village will attend the meeting in Abbot’s hall next Sunday for the purpose of forming a brass band, composed of young men both here and in Forge Village. There is considerable musical talent here and it is hoped that the band will be a success.
“Forge Village. Will the party who used the cymbals in the peace parade held here last November return them at once to John Edwards.”