CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FROM Cornell University Library F 74F8 F75 Memorial of the bi-centennial celebratio olin 3 1924 028 820 419 Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028820419 MEMORIAL OF THB Bi-CentenniaIv CeivBbration OP THE TOWN OF FRAMINGHAM 1900 MEMORIAL OF THE BI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OP THE INCORPORATION OF THE To wn Of Framingham MASSACHUSETTS JUNE, 1900 "A New England town, a Massachusetts town, a Middlesex town, is the work of almost every man and woman within its borders.'" Address of Senator Hoar Printtrg of CSsn. E. (Illatip South Framingham, Mass. COMMITTEE ON MEMORIAI. VOLUME JOHN H. TEMPIvE, Chairman CONSTANTINE C. ESTY FRANKLIN HUTCHINSON JOHN M. MERRIAM JAMES E. McGRATH INTRODUCTORY NOTE TN presenting the Memorial Volume of our Town's Bi- centennial Celebration your Committee desire to offer a few words of explanation to its interested readers. It is true that the completion of the work of publication has been delayed, but this fact has not arisen from idleness or lack of interest in its preparation on the part of those who have had this work in hand. For some months after the celebration and until all details of expense incurred had been adjusted and paid, it was a matter of uncertainty whether sufficient funds would be left in the Treasurer's hands to warrant the publication of any Memorial Volume, and the amount which finally re- mained available was small. Notwithstanding this lack of funds however, we have constantly aimed to prepare and publish a Memorial which should be worthy of the delight- ful and successful series of events and scenes, which it is intended to describe and illustrate and so make them more real to a later generation than ours, and we trust that the book will prove to have been worth waiting for. We have also felt that the volume would have greater interest and value for many of its readers, if some historical notes prepared by our Bi-Centennial Historian, suggested by, but not strictly relating to, events of the celebration, were inserted, together with the portraits of some of the distin- guished and noble citizens of former years, whose life work has helped to sustain the fair name and fame of ' ' Old Framingham." viii IN TROD UCTOR Y NO TE We are under special obligation to our printer, Mr. Geo. I<. Clapp, for constant assistance in our endeavor to obtain accurate details of information and the best quality of illus- trations, and also to the "Evening News" for its courtesy in loaning some of the cuts which were used in the prep- aration of its valuable ' ' Bi-Centennial Souvenir Edition. ' ' CONTENTS CHAPTER I. ACTION BY THE TOWN, AND WORK OF PREPARATION. ' Page First Action by the Town 3 Report of Committee op Eight .... 4 Appointment op Committee of Thirty-Three 5 Organization of Bi-Centenniai, Committee . 6 Report of Committee, and Appropriation by the Town 6 I/isT OP Gbnerai, Committee and Sub-Commit- tees 8 List of Invited Guests 14 CHAPTER II. EXERCISES OF SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 1900. Action of First Parish 19 Order of Service at First Parish ... 20 Sermon by Rev. Calvin Stebbins ... 22 Ministers of First Parish .... 41 Sermon by Rev. Franki . . . 89 Fire Department Exhibition .... 89 Canoe Float 90 CONTENTS xi CHAPTER IV. EVENTS OF TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 1900. CHILDREN'S DAY. Page Exercises in the Schooi Bethany Universalist Church | Plymouth Congregational Church Former Distinguished Citizens of Fram INGHAM Former Distinguished Citizens of Fram INGHAM Edwards Congregational Church -j Saxonville Methodist Episcopal Church j Grace Congregational Church . St. John's Episcopal Church ) St. Andrew's Episcopal Chapel J Former Distinguished Citizens of Fram INGHAM ...... Frontispiece facing 2 4 10 12 14 16 22 36 42 46 50 54 62 66 68 70 74 78 xvi ILL USTRA TIONS St. George's CathoIvIC Church ■» St. Bridget's Cathoi,ic Church J South Framingham Methodist Church St. Stephen's Cathowc Church . Arch Erected in 1898 to Honor Massachu- setts Volunteers for the Spanish War Framingham Hotei, ■> South Framingham Hotel, f Old State Normal School l High School and Old Academy J Views of the Children's Procession Military, Civic and Trades Procession, No. 1 Military, Civic and Trades Procession, No. 2 Framingham Hospital and Training School Military, Civic and Trades Procession, No. 3 Military, Civic and Trades Procession, No. 4 Military, Civic and Trades Procession, No. 5 Military, Civic and Trades Procession, No. 6 Speakers at I,iterary Exercises Former Distinguished Citizens of Fram INGHAM Old Town House, Erected 1808 Menu of Bi-Centennial Banquet Speakers at Banquet .... Memorial I^ibrary i Framingham Common and Town Hall J Banquet Souvenir Plate Historical Exhibit at Y.M.C.A. Hall D.A.R. Exhibit at Old Academy Building Views in Edgell Grove Cemetery The Rice House on Rice Hill | The Old Red House on Union Avenue ) Pagb facing 80 82 84 88 96 104 112 122 128 130 132 134 136 138 146 148 168 178 184 200 218 224 230 232 244 ACTION BY THE TOWN AND WORK OF PREPARATION i > THE CELEBRATION OP THB BI-CENTENNIAL OF THE INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF FrAMINGHAM CHAPTER I. ACTION BY THE TOWN AND WORK OF c PREPARATION. The first action taken by the Town of Framingham in regard to the celebration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of its Incorporation as a Town in 1700, was a vote passed at its Annual Meeting held March 5, 1897. Under Article 26 of the Warrant for this meeting which read : — ' ' To see if the Town will appoint a committee to take into consideration the celebration of the two hundredth anniver- sary of the incorporation of the town and report at a future meeting, pass any vote or take any action relative thereto." It was Voted, that a Committee of seven be appointed by the Chair to report at a future meeting. The Chair appointed Edgar Potter, John H. Goodell, Willard Howe, Charles J. Frost, Francis C. Stearns, C. C. Esty, Chas. W. Coolidge. Voted, that the Moderator be added to the committee. Previous to this action by the Town, however, the matter had for some time been under consideration by the Framing- ham Historical Society and it was at the suggestion of mem- bers of this organization and the result of action taken by its Board of Managers at a meeting held December 7, 1896, that the above Article was inserted. The Committee appointed as 4 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY above stated lield several meetings during 1897-8, and at the Annual Town Meeting held March 7, 1898, under Article 17 of the Warrant, reported as follows, their report being accept- ed and adopted by the Town : — REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON CELEBRATION OF THE TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN. The Committee appointed under Article 26 of the Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting held March 5, 1897, "to take into consideration the celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town," would submit the following report : — It has been the custom for centuries for nations, states and municipalities to celebrate great events in their history. Your committee believes this to be wise. It stimulates a love of home and promotes a patriotic feeling. If done in a becoming manner, it brings vividly before the mind the labor and toil and perhaps the privations of our ancestors in laying the foundation upon which the superstructure of nation, state or town has been built. Entertaining these views, the government of the Common- wealth has, wisely we believe, encouraged these celebrations by providing by statute that cities and towns may raise money by taxation for this purpose. Many towns and cities have already availed themselves of these privileges and had celebrations that were creditable to them and to our civilization. The bi-centennial of a town of th^ importance and dignity of Framingham should not be allowed to pass without a prop- er observance, but should be made an occasion to stir the warm impulses of the heart of every man, woman and child within its borders. The celebration should be one in which all may participate, and calculated to increase in every one a love for the good old town and its institutions. In view of these considerations, your committee recommend that the Town celebrate the Two Hundredth Anniversary of its Incorporation in June, 1900, and that the Selectmen ap- point a Committee of not less than twenty-five or more than John M. Merriam, Vice Chairman Samuel B. Bird, Chairman John H. Temple, Treasurer Officers of General Committee Peter N. Everett, Secretary REPOR T OF THE COMMITTEE 5 thirty-three, to arrange for such celebration, prepare and sub- mit to the Town estimates of the cost of such celebration, fill any vacancies in their number and do all things necessary to make such celebration worthy of the Town and the occasion. Respectfully submitted, EDGAR POTTER, JOHN H. GOODEIvIv, WILIvARD HOWE, C. J. FROST, F. C. STEARNS, C. C. ESTY, CHAS. W. COOLIDGE, SAMUEIv B. BIRD, Committee. In fulfilment of the duty thus imposed upon them, the Board of Selectmen, which for 1898 consisted of Willis M. Ranney, Harry C. Rice and Melville E. Hamilton, after giving the matter careful consideration, selected as the Com- mittee of Thirty-three on the Celebration of the Town's Bi- centennial Anniversary the following : — Samuei< B. Bird, Comer A. Belknap, Charles H. Fuller, Ends H. Bigelow, John H. Goodell, Nathaniel I. Bowditch, Patrick Hayes, Thomas L. Barber, Willard Howe, Clarence T. Boynton, Franklin Hutchinson, Joseph C. Cloyes, John F. Heffernan, Charles W. Coolidge, Augustus M. I^ang, Charles L. Curtis, John M. Merriam, John M. Curry, Lewis M. Palmer, CONSTANTINE C. ESTY, SiDNEY A. PhILLIPS, James R. Entwistle, Phineas G. Rice, Richard L. Everit, George A. Reed, Alfred M. Eames, Edward J. Slattery, Peter N. Everett, Frank C. Stearns, Luther F. Puller, John H. Temple, Charles J. Frost, William H. Walsh. 6 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY This ' ' Committee of Thirty-three ' ' met by invitation of the Selectmen at the Municipal Rooms, Monday evening, October 3, 1898, twenty-two members being present, and was called to order by Charles J. Frost, its oldest member. Tem- porary organization was effected by the choice of Samuel B. Bird as Chairman, and Peter N. Everett, Secretary. At a meeting two weeks later the same officers were permanently chosen and John H. Temple was made Treasurer. John M. Merriam was afterwards elected as Vice-Chairman. It is worthy of note that only two changes in the original mem- bership of the Committee of Thirty-three took place until their work was completed. C. C. Esty, Esq., having been early selected as the Historian for the Bi-Centennial exercises declined his appointment as a member of the Committee and Frederick M. Esty was elected in his father's place, and E. H. Bigelow resigned February 1, 1900, on account of absence in Europe, his place being assigned to Edward J. Brown. The j&rst important duties before the Committee were to decide upon a general outline of the prominent features of the proposed celebration, appoint sub-committees of citizens to carry out the details of the different events, and obtain an appropriation from the Town for the necessary expenses. The Town at its Annual Meeting, March 8, 1899, accepted and adopted the following : — REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON THE BI-CENTEN- NIAE CELEBRATION. The Town at its last annual meeting voted to celebrate its Bi-Centennial, and instructed its Selectmen to appoint a committee to make the necessary arrangements therefor. The Committee have had several meetings for conference, have appointed sub-committees, and have partially decided on a program for a two day's celebration, the first day to be largely for the children, with exercises in the schools, a procession, and entertainment ; the exercises for the second day will consist principally of a military, civic and trades' procession, historical addresses, oration, poem and music. A banquet and ball, ringing of bells, salute and fire- works. Phlneas G. Rice John M. Curry Francis C. Stearns Older Members of General Committee Luther F. Fuller Charles J. Frost REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE 7 The Committee hope and expect to have every person in the Town take an interest and an active part in the celebra- tion. By Section 11 of Chapter 27 of the Public Statutes, a town may raise by taxation an amount of money not exceeding one tenth of one per cent of its valuation for the purpose of celebrating its centennial. Framingham may raise about eight thousand three hun- dred dollars ($8,300) for that purpose. Your committee, after a careful estimate of the probable expense, respectfully recommend the Town to raise, by tax- ation the present year, the sum of six thousand dollars ($6,000) to be expended under their direction in celebrating the Bi-Centennial of the Town, in June, 1900. Respectfully submitted by the Committee, SAMUEL B. BIRD, Chairman. Accepted and adopted by vote of the Town, March 8, 1899. FRANK E. HEMENWAY, Town Clerk. The list of Sub-Committees will be given on another page. The success of the various features and events of our celebra- tion was largely the result of the earnest efforts put forth by these Committees, all working in harmony with and under the direction of the General Committee. The program for a two day's celebration as originally presented in the General Committee was substantially carried out, though many of its details were revised and new features added at subsequent meetings. Each part of the program as finally decided upon will have its appropriate place of recognition in the different chapters of this volume. The choice of the second week in June as the date when all the work of preparation should culminate in the celebra- tion itself, proved a most fortunate one, for the weather, on which so much of the pleasure of such an occasion depends, was perfect. It is also reason for sincere gratitude that no accident which proved at all serious occurred at any time. 8 TIVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y LIST OF COMMITTEES. GENERAL COMMITTEE. Samuel B. Bird, Chairman, John M. Merriam, Vice-Chairman, Peter N. Everett, Secretary, John H. Temple, Treasurer. Comer A. Belknap, Charles J. Frost, Ends H. Bigelow, Charles H. Fuller, Edward J. Brown, John H. Goodell, Nathaniel I. Bowditch, Patrick Hayes, Thomas I<. Barber, Willard Howe, Clarence T. Boynton, Rev.FranklinHutchinson, Joseph C. Cloyes, Rev. John F. Heffernan, Charles W. Coolidge, Augustus M. I__ ,. ) Members of Governor' s Staff . Ma]. P. E. Hawkins, ( ' ^ Maj. J. E. Lancaster, Edmund Dowse, D.D., Chaplain Massachusetts Senate. Albert H. Ray, Senator First Middlesex District. MIDDLESEX COUNTY OFFICERS. Charles J. Mclntire, /««^f of Probate Court. George F. 'Lia.wton, Judge of Probate Court. Levi S. Gould, County Commissioner. Samuel O. Upham, County Commissioner. Francis Bigelow, County Commissioner. John R. Fairbairn, Sheriff. Samuel H. Folsom, Register of Probate. Edwin O. Childs, Register of Deeds. Theodore C. Hurd, Clerk of Courts. Joseph O. Hayderi, Treasurer. Fred. N. Weir, District Attorney. OFFICERS OF NEIGHBORING TOWNS. J. E. Woods, \ Granville C. Fiske, >■ Selectmen of Ashland. Albert H. Eames, 2d, J George N. Cobb, ^ F. Dana Muzzey, J- Selectmen of Natick. Frank N. Shattuck, J 16 TWO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y Charles H. Dowse, ^ Henry A. Dearth, \ Selectmen of Sherborn. Frederick W. Gushing, j Frank W. Goodnow, ^ George A. Haynes, \ Selecttnen of Sudbury . Waldo I,. Stone, J Ex-Governor William Claflin, Newton, Mass. Hon. Charles Q. Tirrell, Natick, Mass. Hon. George A. Marden, Lowell, Mass. Rev. J. Holmes Pilkington, Framlingham, Suffolk Co., Eng. Rev. Charles H. Parkhurst, D.D., New York City. Rev. Addison Ballard, D.D., New York City. Rev. Frederick L. Hosmer, D.D., Berkeley, Cal. Rev. Samuel W. Eaton, D.D., Roscoe, 111. Rev. Edward D. Eaton, D.D., Beloit, 111. Rev. John K. McLean, D.D., Oakland, Cal. Rev. Minot J. Savage, D.D., New York City. Rev. Henry G. Spaulding, D.D., Boston, Mass. Rev. John S. Cullen, Watertown, Mass. Rev. Charles A. Humphreys, Watertown, Mass. Rev. George J. Sanger, Danvers, Mass. Rev. Joseph C. Bodwell, Lyndonville, Vt. Miss Edna Dean Proctor, South Framingham, Mass. Mrs. Frances A. Morton, South Framingham, Mass. Mrs. David Nevins, Methuen, Mass. Hon. James W. McDonald, Marlboro, Mass. Hon. William N. Davenport, Marlboro, Mass. Hon. Wellington E. Parkhurst, Clinton, Mass. Byron B. Johnson, Esq., Waltham, Mass. John S. Keyes, Esq., Concord, Mass. Samuel J. Elder, Esq., Boston, Mass. William B. Buckminster, Esq., Maiden, Mass. Alfred E. Cox, Esq., Maiden, Mass. Alphonso A. Rice, Esq., Washington, D. C. John Edmunds, Esq., Philadelphia, Pa. Charles F. Cutler, Esq., New York City. John P. Brophy, L.L.D., New York City. Joseph P. Warren, Ph.D., Boston, Mass. ^ jp^ Maj. Isaac N. Marshall, Commanding Military )e A. Reed, Children's Procession Charles J. McPherson, Representative 1900 Chairmen of Sub-Committees Edward J. Slattery, Printing PROGRAM SUNDAY, JUNE 10, 1900 10.30 A.M. Commemorative Services at the severai. Churches. 3.00 P.M. Union Service in Plymouth Church, Fram- INGHAM. Union Service op the Sunday Schools of South Framingham in Grace Church. 7.00 P.M. Union Service of the Churches of South Framingham in Grace Church. CHAPTER II. EXERCISES OF SUNDAY. As the first important combined action of the settlers of the ' ' Plantation ' ' was to raise their ' ' Meeting house' ' in 1698, and as their prescribed action under the ' ' Order ' ' of the General Court for the establishment of the Town was to convene in such " Meeting house " to organize by the selection of their first Town Officers, so it was eminently fitting that the first assemblies and exercises of the Bi-Centennial week should be in the ' ' Meeting houses ' ' of the present day, in which as well as in the churches of the Town generally, appro- priate references were made to the coming events. Programs of the exercises are now presented, with various sermons and addresses. FIRST PARISH. Rev. Calvin Stebbins, Pastor. FORE-WORD. At a meeting of the members of the First Parish Church in Framingham held on April 8th, 1900, in consideration of the fact that the efforts for the incorporation of the town and the organization of the church were simulta- neous movements, it was voted to celebrate in some appro- priate manner the inception of the latter. A committee was appointed consisting of S. B. Bird, Franklin E. Gregory, William F. Gregory, Sidney A. Phillips, Joseph C. Cloyes, S. S. Woodbury, W. I. Brigham and Edward W. Kingsbury to make suitable arrangements. The committee invited the Rev. Calvin Stebbins to prepare an address for the occasion. The invitation was accepted and the address was spoken at the church on Sunday, June 10th. 20 riVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y ORDER OF SERVICE. I. Organ Voi. , ^ ?• ci <: '^ 3: t <3 Uj S "=!; Q ,^ o FIRST PARISH 37 whicli was looked upon as ' ' unedifying ' ' in tlie cliurches of New England, and the town granted eight dollars to purchase a Bible for the pulpit. He was also instrumental in inducing the people to use Watts's Hymns and Psalms. This church as an organization, like many others at that time, was steadily declining in numbers and power, owing to a very gradual and silent change that was taking place in the minds of men. During Mr. Bridge's administration, extend- ing over twenty- nine years, from 1746 to 1775, eighty-one men had joined the church on confession of faith. During the administration of Dr. Kellogg, extending over forty-eight years, from 1781 to 1829, there were only sixty-nine. A crisis was approaching and its coming was accelerated by a meeting held on the 24th of April, 1826, at which a parish was duly organized according to law. From this time all connection between the town and the parish ceased, and the church became independent of civil authorities. This movement opened the way for the parish to take a hand in the management of affairs and have a voice in the proceed- ings, and the need of an assistant to the now aged Dr. Kel- logg afforded an occasion. It was, however, soon apparent that the church and the parish were not likely to agree in the selection. They sought to bridge over the difficulty by employing preachers of the old and the new school to occupy the pulpit alternately. But the experiment was a failure, and nothing remained but a trial of strength, and the parish was victorious. The minority seceded. This was the third secession from the church in its history. The first two were failures, but the third was a success. It took the name of the " Hollis Evangelical Society" — a name sacred to Unitarians, and we have to thank them for educating the Rev. Minot J. Savage for our ranks. The people of the First Parish immediately erased the names of the second and third persons of the Trinity from their covenant and called a minister. Their intelligence and their theological position is clearly indicated by the character of the men they invited to take part in the ordination of their new minister. They named for the sermon Dr. Channing or 38 TWO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y the Rev. James Walker, for the ordaining prayer Dr. lyowell, and for the concluding prayer the Rev. Ralph Waldo Emer- son. Now that the noise of the controversy has died away it is pleasant to note the undertones of kindly feeling that have come down to us. The First Parish put on record an express- ion of their sorrow that so many of their fellow-worshippers and their old minister had left them. Dr. Kellogg was invited to sit with the council at the ordination of his success- or, but declined on account of the infirmities of old age. He was invited to occupy his old pulpit afterwards and did. At his funeral the minister of this church, the Rev. William Barry, the conscientious and graceful historian of the town, took part in the services. It had been decided by the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth that a church separa- ting for any cause from a parish loses its existence in the eye of the law, and, therefore, that the seceding body could have no right to either the name, furniture, records or property of the church. The First Parish appointed a committee to confer with a committee of the new church and instructed them to make this proposal : — That the records go to the First Parish and the communion service to the new church ; it was accepted. The time is coming when the proud and opinionated with their egotism will vanish and only the bright side of these old stories will find a place in our remembrance. It would be pleasant, did time permit, to look in upon the charities of the church, — and there are plenty of illustrations of the great human heart that was in it, — and to speak of private generosity that with wise foresight has blessed the present and the future. It would be pleasant to speak of those men of culture and deep moral convictions who have stood in this place and spoken for God and duty, and to remind you of those brave men whose hearts "on war's red touchstone rung true metal," — and among them stand two of your own ministers, Matthew Bridge and Charles A. Humph- reys, who ventured their lives, one to throw off the yoke of an English king, the other to redeem the land from the more odious t3Tanny of a slave- holding oligarchy; it would be FIRST PARISH 39 pleasant to speak of those men of affairs who have taken no unimportant part in the great business of the world, and of those who have been interested in the world of letters, one of whom, I,orenzo Sabine, has become the conscientious and painstaking historian of an unpopular cause, — the lyoyalists of the Revolution. It is a pleasant duty to pause in the rush of affairs and commemorate the heroic virtues of the men and women who toiled in the past and made the summits of the present accessible to their children ; summits where the air is invigorating and bracing, and the outlook is wide, and where the native spiritual instincts of the soul, those " High instincts, before which our mortal nature Did tremble like a guilty thing surprised ; Which be they what they may, are yet the fountain Ivight of all our day ; the master light of all our seeing," can act with greater freedom and power. It is indeed a blessed privilege, as well as a duty, to give thanks for the organization through which the fathers wrought with such beneficent results for us and those who come after us. We celebrate today the formation of that Organization two hundred years ago. What are its relations to us now ? Is it like ' ' a Pine-tree Shilling, ' ' valuable chiefly on account of its age, or is it about to enter upon a larger field of action and exert a greater influence than ever before with the coming in of another century ? It has helped the fathers to deliyer themselves and their children forever from the thrall of cruel creeds, and from those grim idols "graven by art and Man's device," called theological dogmas, some of which had a striking resemblance to Moloch, " horrid king," who "made his grove " The pleasant valley of Hinnon, Tophet thence And black Gehenna called, the type of Hell." Their efforts have left us an atmosphere unpointed by brim- stone-fumes, and a sky without a trace of apocalyptical phan- tasmagoria. It was, indeed, a great work, but a greater 40 7 WO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y remains to be done, and it is a work in sweet accord with the spirit of a Christian church ; a work not of destruction or of theological controversy, but of discussion and education, peace and union. Human nature, as we have come to see it, is not a devilish anarchy, but a hierarchy of powers, rising one above another until the highest brings the human into communion with the divine. Each has rights in its own sphere, but the lower has no rights except to serve when the higher makes its demands. It is the high function of the Church today to remind us of the great possibilities of our nature, to encourage us to trust our spiritual intuitions as we trust the revelations of our sense ; to show us that ' ' the perennial fountains of religion lie in the primal essence of the reason and the moral con- scientiousness," and that there we find "a Spirit that beareth witness with our spirit that we are children of God ; ' ' to so cultivate the devout trusts and habits of the soul as to enable us to read aright the moral significance of the past and separate with unerring instinct the truth of God from the egotism of man ; to so nourish the spirit of humility that we may ever be seekers and learners ; to so inspire our minds with the spirit of reverence that we may walk with uncovered heads, not only in the presence of the sublime manifestations of nature, but in the presence of sobbing grief and kneeling penitence ; to so emphasize the power of the conscience as to make us sure ' ' our sins will find us out ; " to so encourage us to believe in the good and its final triumph over evil, that the night will shine as the day, while we work or wait for the dawn ; and to impress upon us the all-consoling fact that, whatever may happen, the infinite lyove and Care is so great that even "the hairs of the head are all numbered." On these grounds and for these causes the Church makes today its appeal to you all, both young and old. It is the noblest appeal that was ever made to man, for it makes possible a glorious state of society based on a reasonable and consecrated obedience of the two great commandments of the law, — love to God, and love to man. FIRST PARISH 41 ministers. John Swift. Settled Oct. 8th, 1701 — Died April 24tli, 1745. Matthbw Bridgb. Settled Feb. 19tli, 1745-46 — Died Sept. 2, 1775. David Kellogg. Settled Jan. 10th, 1781 to Jan. 20th, 1830. A. B. MuzzEY. Settled June 10th, 1830 to May 18th, 1833. George Chapman. Settled Nov. 6, 1833 — Died June 2, 1834. William Barry. Settled Dec. 16, 1835 to Dec. 16, 1845. John N. Bellows. Settled April 15, 1846, to Oct. 16, 1847. Joseph H. Phipps. Settled Nov. 16, 1848 to 1853, Samuel D. Robbins. Settled 1854 to 1867. Henry G. Spaulding. Settled Feb. 19, 1868 to June 15, 1873. Charles A. Humphreys. Settled Nov. 2, 1873 to Nov. 1, 1891. Ernest C. Smith. Settled Jan. 21, 1892 to Oct. 1, 1899. Calvin Stebbins. Sept. 2, 1900 42 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. Rbv. Franklin Hutchinson, Pastor. Remember the days of old. Deuteronomy xxxii-j. We find these words in tlie beautiful ode composed by Moses at tbe close of his long and illustrious life. He desired that the people so dear to him, and whom he had served so faithfully should be firmly established upon that foundation of truth and righteousness, which as he knew, would alone enable them to grow and prosper, and abide unto all genera- tions. So he urges them to look back over the years, to " Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations," that they may realize in the clear light of God's love and faithfulness, as manifested in all their history, the great value and importance of such foundation. So we, today, as we celebrate the two hundredth anniver- sary of the incorporation of our Town should remember the days of old, and consider the years of many generations, that we may learn the lessons the past can teach us, and above all the great lesson that a nation's greatness and permanency is conditioned, not so much by wealth or power, as by character. " Happy are the people," says John Fiske " that can look back upon the work of their fathers and in their heart of hearts pronounce it good." This, as a Town, we can do. For as the events of the years of the past unfold before us we certainly can rejoice over the character and work of those who founded and built up our Town. And this is saying a great deal, for it is not every state, city or town that can recall the past without keen regret. In too many cases there is a sad record of injustice, oppression and persecution in some form or other. It is not so with us. In our history we find no such injustice to the Indian as characterized so many settlements in colonial days. Every foot of land occupied was bought and paid for and the Indian was ever treated kindly. We find no oppression of any persons on account of First Baptist Cfiurch. Erected 1826 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 43 race or condition. Slavery indeed existed as a national institution, and a difference was made between the races even in tlie house of God, as the two pews especially constructed for them in our own church strikingly evidence, but there was no cruel treatment of the negro. Again, here we find no persecution on account of religious belief, or even any intol- erance manifested, and that at a time when intolerance was still thought a virtue. In fact the people as a whole must have been kind-hearted and charitable, for we find that a number of those who had so severely sufiered in the witch- craft delusion in Salem, and elsewhere, found a hospitable welcome in our borders, and settled in that part of our Town which is still called Salem End. In thus acting they most consistently lived up to that which the name of our Town signifies, for the old English name Framlingham or Friendlingham means a house or habitation of strangers. Friendling is an old Saxon word and means a stranger, and Ham, a dwelling or house. And let us rejoice at this time of the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the Town, that from the earliest days to the present — from the small beginnings, to our town now of 11,000 or more — a cordial and hearty welcome has been extended to all. But let us remember that if we are to prosper and be strong, and abide unto future generations we must have those same elements of strength which were possessed by the early settlers. They were men, true, noble, conscientious, courageous men. This week we shall see many things to remind us of those days long ago — as in the Historic Exhibit — things which will vividly recall the manners and customs of those times, but they will not, cannot show us the real men and women of those days. To see them, we must study their times, their character ; then we shall see their strong faith, their sincerity, their devotion to duty, their loyalty to truth and righteous- ness, their deep convictions, their consecration to the highest ideals, and all the other grand and noble traits which charac- terized them. They were not ordinary men. I^et us remember that they did not come from the slums of the great cities of Europe, but that they were among the best citizens of England and the other countries from which they came. 44 TWO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y They were owners of farms, thrifty, prosperous, who left their homes simply because of their true and heartfelt de- votion to the idea of religious freedom, which dominated their thought and lives. They dared to oppose an oppressive government ; they dared to protest against all unrighteous- ness; they dared to believe in, and proclaim freedom of conscience ; they dared to be pure, true, sincere, just, pious men. They were indeed the choice ones of the countries from which they came, as the poet sings: " God had sifted three kingdoms to find the wheat for this planting, Then had sifted the wheat as the living seed of a nation. So say the chronicles old, and such is the faith of the people." Truly they were not ordinary men. Think of what they accomplished in settling the country, even in the face of the greatest difficulties. It was a long, hard contest with the forces of nature, and the hostile savages, but they triumphed, and triumphed gloriously. Think of what they did in the way of education. A schoolhouse was always built as soon after the erection of the church as possible, and generally close by the church, as if realizing the dependence of the one on the other. In our Town the first meeting-house stood at one end of what is now the old cemetery, and the school- house at the other end. Higher education was not neglected. Harvard College was founded in 1639, and Yale College in 1701. Think of what they accomplished in the moral and spirit- ual training of the young. Ah ! dearer to them than all else was such training. When the men of Framingham went before the General Court to ask to be incorporated as a town, they said, "We petition neither for silver and gold, nor any such worldly interest but that we may have the worship of God upheld among us and our children, for the enlargement of the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ : for the good of souls and the souls of our children that they may not be like the heathen." Can we read such a petition without emotion, and without having the greatest respect and admiration for such men ? They sought not gold but they brought golden threads to the warp and woof of our FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 45 national character and life. They have been charged with being hard, narrow, bigoted and hypocritical. Some among them were of such a character, but not all of them by any means, and they have the right to be judged by the best among them and not by the worst. They were not perfect. They made many mistakes. But have we profited by their mistakes? Are we on a higher moral and spiritual plane than they were ? Is our government less corrupt ? Have we more reverence for sacred things ? Have we a purer home- life ? Have we a truer regard for the Sabbath ? The late Prof. Phelps once said : " It is popular to look down from a serene altitude upon the ' Sabbatarian bigotry ' of the Pil- grims. Be it so, if so it must be. Their fame can bear it if our morals can. But one thing is certain, they knew what they believed and the reasons why. They built their theory of the lyord's day upon nothing less dignified than the Decalogue. Mount Sinai towered before them. Their con- victions had the strength of the hills. They never drifted on popular tides. They were not accustomed to ask the world's opinion before forming their own. More than all they never acted first and settled the account with conscience afterwards. Think what we may of their scruples about disembarking at Plymouth on the IvOrd's day morning, they did not go on shore and make themselves comfortable, leaving their Bibles in the cabin of the Mayflower. A little infusion of their sylvan strength into our easy-going faith would not harm us. It would not make bigots of us if it should stiffen the back- bone of our convictions and make our ideal of the I/ord's day more worthy of the world's respect. Men of robust beliefs, who ' know the reason why ; ' men who are not afraid to make motions which nobody seconds ; men who do not blush for the nicknames with which the world labels them, are the men, who in the long run command the moral homage of mankind. ' They have great allies.' Time and God are on the side of such men." I/Ct us not, then hold in a sort of good-natured contempt their love for sacred things, their knowledge of the Bible, their reverence for the church, their holy keeping of the Sabbath day, their convictions and their consecration, but 46 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY seek to emulate them. And if we have somewhat of the "more truth from God's word" which John Robinson said would break forth, may it be manifested by a faith and life, which shall reveal the indwelling Christ, as the shining face of Moses revealed that he had been with God. ' ' Pilgrims over the ocean ! In Iviberty's name We cherish the flower of your fame. Our song, our speech, our thought, our life, Are the gold from the fire of your trial and strife. Our peace ye gave. And still where it's green forests wave. Our altar's flame Is the light of your old devotion." And now, friends, such was the character of the early Bap- tists in our Town and State. They were true, noble men, with whom duty was a very sacred word. It saddens one to read how they were treated in Boston and other places, fined again and again, publicly whipped, thrown into prison and there held despite their pleadings for freedom — freedom not simply of the body, but of the soul — freedom to worship God in accordance with the dictates of their conscience, — freedom to do the very things which the Pilgrims and Puritans had left their homes in the mother-country in order to secure. But we must not dwell on the persecution of our Baptist forefathers, upon the scenes of their sufferings, but rather on such a scene as Dr. N. E. Wood describes in his history of the First Baptist Church in Boston, in 1718, on the occasion of the ordination of Elisha Callendar as pastor of that church. Dr. Increase Mather, his son. Dr. Cotton Mather and Mr. Webb, all Congregationalists, conducted the service. Dr. Cotton Mather preached the ordination sermon on "Good men united, ' ' in the course of which he said, ' ' New England also has, in some former times done something of this aspect, which would not be so well approved of ; in which, if the brethren in whose house we are now convened, met with anything too unbrotherly, they now with satisfac- tion hear us expressing our dislike of everything that has looked like persecution in the days that have passed over us." Park Street Baptist Church. Erected 1855 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 4,7 That was well said, and reveals the true manliness of Cotton Mather. Let us recall such scenes, so prophetic of what was to come to pass more perfectly in our own time, and also recall the fact, as I have mentioned, that in our own Town there never was any intolerance manifested towards those who conscientiously differed from .the belief or practice of the standing order. Baptists began work in the Town about 1756. In 1757 Whitman Jacobs and Noah Adams of Connecticut preached here. In 1762 Mr. Jacobs baptized four persons. In 1763 six were baptized, and in 1764 he and Elder Green baptized seven. In the March warrant for 1763 was an article : " To see if the Town will abate the ministerial rates to a number of persons of this Town who pretend (profess) to be of the per- suasion of the Anabaptists and have sent in their names to the Selectmen." And a year later March 12, 1764, the Town voted ' ' that the ministerial rates for 1763 of Joseph Byxbe and eleven others be abated. ' ' As far as we know no one objected. A Baptist Society was organized about that time, and it is thought that Mr. Joseph Byxbe, Jr., was the first stated preacher. The society was received into the member- ship of the Warren Association in 1778. The successors of Mr. Byxbe from this time to 1780, — preaching occasionally — were Nathaniel Green, Simon Snow, Noah Alden and a Mr. Lampson. Then Elisha Rich became pastor, but the exact date is not known. In 1781 Mr. Edward Clark came to Framingham and remained here until 1790 when he removed to Medfield. He afterwards returned to Framingham and preached from 1801-1811. Between 1763-1790 about thirty were baptized. From 1790 to 1809 nothing seems to have been accomplished and the number of Baptists steadily declined, so when the Rev. Charles Train began his labors here there were but four ac- knowledged Baptists in Town. The number, however, soon increased, slowly at first, but afterwards with greater rapidity. August 4, 1811 a church was organized under the name of the Baptist Church of Weston and Framingham. In 1814- 1815 a work of grace commenced in this church which spread throughout the Town. As a result of it fifty were added to 48 TWO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y the church. On May 3, 1826 the connection with the Weston Church was dissolved, and the First Baptist Church of Framingham was organized with 119 members. For many years after the beginning of their work in the Town the Baptists had no place of worship. They in all probability met first at Mr. Joseph Byxbe's. Then in 1772 in the upper part of the house (tavern) of Ebenezer Marshall, afterwards occupied by a Mr. John Park, at what is now called Park's Corner, called at that time " the Corner." A few years later the Society purchased the building that had been used by the Second Congregational Society, and removed it to " the Comer ' ' and ' ' placed it on a ledge of rocks where the railroad track now runs. ' ' It was originally located on the north side of the road to Marlborough (now Pleasant street,) about two miles from the village, on the farm known in later years, and until recently, as the John Johnson place. Sub- sequently it was taken down and rebuilt at a point on the west side of the road to Hopkinton (now Winter street,) and north of and between the Dr. Timothy Merriam homestead and Sudbury river. That building repaired and altered somewhat, at two different times, served the Society until the present church building was erected, which was in 1826. At the time of the independent organization of the church, Rev. Charles Train was chosen pastor and he served the church until 1839. He was a true, earnest, faithful minister of the I^ord — a fitting representative of the period we are recalling during these Bi- centennial days. He was a man of great force of character, of deep and strong convictions, and like the Pilgrims, with the courage of his convictions. He was a Baptist from prin- ciple, and at all times and in everyplace was loyal and true to the teachings of Scripture as he understood them. But his townsmen, irrespective of church or party recognized his sterling worth and honored him in many ways. He was for five consecutive years, 1822-1826, the representative of Framingham at our General Court. In 1827 he was not elected because of two sermons he preached on the subject of temperance. The effect of these was such that several went out of the church feeling very angry towards the pastor. But he could not do otherwise, for becoming convinced that intem- FIRS7 BAPTIST CHURCH 41 perance was an evil, his devotion to duty was such that he had to speak out against it even though he made political enemies. The year following, however, he was sent again as the representative of the Town. In 1829 he was chosen by the two branches of the lyCgislature to fill a vacancy in the Senate, and in 1830 he was chosen Senator by the people. "He had the honor," says Mr. Temple, "of being the first to move in the plan of forming a legislative library, as well as the yet more important matter of a revision of the laws relat- ing to common schools. He had much to do also in obtaining the charter of Amherst College. ' ' He was a member of the School Committee of the Town for over thirty years. His picture hangs in our Public I^ibrary over the entrance door. I trust that our young people will now and then look upon the kindly, earnest face and remember him and those other faithful men of the days of old, and emulate in their lives the noble deeds of the fathers. What shall be the future of Framingham ? What do we hope it will be ? Better in every way ? More firmly estab- lished on truth and righteousness ? Dedicated to all that is noblest, highest and best ? Then we, each one, should be thus dedicated, be thus established, and may we realize our re- sponsibility, as on this occasion we remember the days of old, and resolve in our heart of hearts that we shall do our part well — that Framingham may be the better for our having lived in it, and that the future may be more glorious than the past. So may the Past influence us, and we the Future. " Love thou thy land with love far brought From out the storied Past, and used Within the Present, but transfused Through future time by power of thought." ministers. Rev. Charles Train, Ordained Jan. 30, 1811— Aug. 29, 1839. Rev. Enoch Hutchinson, Aug. 21, 1840 — June 3, 1841. 4 50 TfVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y Rbv. James Johnston, June 29, 1841 — Aug. 10, 1845. Rbv. Jonathan Aldrich, Sept. 20, 1846 — April 3, 1851. Rbv. Wilwam C. Chii^d, D.D., May 1, 1851 — April 1, 1859. Rbv. Joseph A. Goodhue, July 1, 1859 — July 31, 1862. Rev. a. W. Carr, Jan. 1, 1863— Nov. 1, 1865. Rev. Arthur S. Train, D.D., Oct. 21, 1866 — Died Jan. 2, 1872. Rbv. Wili^ard p. Upham, Oct. 1, 1872 — June 29, 1876. Rev. George K. I,eeson, Ordained June 29, 1877 — Died Aug. 20, 1881. Rev. Frankwn Hutchinson, Ordained June 28, 1882— Church edifice erected in 1826. The oldest meeting-house in Town. PARK STREET BAPTIST CHURCH. Rev. F. T. Whitman, Pastor. The pastor spoke upon ' ' The influences of the Baptist Church in the last seventy-five years in this community." BETHANY UNIVERSAWST CHURCH. Rev. George E. Hunti,ey, Pastor. The pastor had for his theme ' ' Inheritance and Steward- ship." HOPE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. Rev. Wiiear of its existence, and thereby gave good and extended reputation and impetus to South Framingham. In 1847, Mr. Lothrop Wight, a Boston merchant retiring from business because of impaired health, changed his residence to Framingham Centre where he purchased various valuable real estates, and made large improvements upon them, with much good taste and public benefit. Up to that time, at least, no one there had surpassed him in those particulars. In 1851 he purchased from Adam Hemenway the Daniel Sanger farm in South Framingham, on which the famous tavern stood, near where the Pearl Street Grammar Schoolhouse now stands, and through which farm, in 1842, the highway now Union Avenue was constructed. To that part of the lands so obtained, on the west side of the highway, he added adjacent lands purchased by him from Abel Fames and Edwin Fames. This combination made a tract of about fifteen acres of open land and woodland, that extended from the Avenue to Farm Pond. The grove was opened to the public, with ceremony, on the tenth day of June, 1852, by the proprietor who, at his personal expense, brought in a special train from Boston a party of 400 of his business acquaintances and others invited, who together with his townsmen were generously entertained by him, with the best musicians of Boston in attendance. The Hon. AmaSa Walker, then Secretary of the Common- wealth, presided over the festivities, which were graced by the presence and the speeches of Gov. George S. Boutwell, then the youngest as he is now the oldest living governor of the State, Lieut. Gov. Cushman, members of the Executive Council, Father Edward T. Taylor the famous preacher of the Seamen's Bethel, Dr. Charles T. Jackson the distin- guished chemist and many others. HARMONY GROVE 139 From that date and for twenty years the place was noted for pleasure parties from near and remote places, church, school, anti-slavery and temperance gatherings. Many political meetings were held there, of which the most conspicuous was that of the Republicans in the Lincoln presidential campaign of 1860 over which Charles R. Train presided. Among the speakers were John A. Goodwin, at one time Speaker of the House of Representatives of this State, John A. Andrew, who was elected Governor in that year. United States Senators John P. Hale of New Hampshire, Charles Sumner and Henry Wilson of Massachusetts, the latter afterwards Vice President of the United States. Another famous meeting was that of 1872 when prohibition temperance men invited Gen. B. F. Butler, then a candidate for Governor, to address them. He was chosen in a later year. A Rhode Island clam bake on one occasion was the singular feature of the year, gotten up by some of the enterprising and hospitable men of the Town ; and it was as real a clam bake as could be had outside of Rhode Island. A memorable event was the ' ' Howe Family ' ' gathering and celebration on August 31, 1871, when some thirty-five hundred of the descendants of the earliest settlers of that name in this State, came from all over and beyond our national limits, and were addressed by Col. Frank E. Howe of New York, President of the Day, Hon. Joseph Howe, Secretary of State of the New Dominion, Hon. William Wirt Howe of New Orleans, and by Mrs. Julia Ward Howe of Boston, who also wrote the " Song of Welcome." But the best remembered purpose for which the grove was used was that of the Abolitionists under the guidance of William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips, and others who constituted the American Anti-Slavery Society. Their eloquent oratory, and bitter invective against churches and ministers and against the national government and its Constitution, were exceedingly impressive, oftentimes start- ling, and never to be forgotten. During a decade they drew great crowds of people from within and without the State, and though many in their audiences were unfriendly, 140 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY yet their words were taken as coming from sincere men. On a Fourth of July the culmination was reached when Mr. Garrison, dramatically and angrily, as if to defy public sentiment, denounced the Constitution, and applying a match to a copy of it, held it high in air and exclaimed : " I now consign to the flames this instrument conceived in sin, brought forth in iniquity, a league with Satan and a covenant with Hell." A small coterie of his adherents applauded the act, but the great mass of the audience denounced it with patriotic indignation. When a few years later the Civil War broke out, followed by President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, Mr. Garrison and his associates bade good bye to the grove and its well remembered amphitheatre, made famous by them. The acres of the grove have been divided into dwelling lots and appropriated for streets, and nothing now remains of it but its name, memories and associations, and also the few surviving graceful and stately trees that shaded its first dwelling, and that now ornament the new home which they surround, attracting by their beauty the notice and the pleasant words of the strangers passing on this busy Avenue. Though Harmony Grove was not available, yet as we look from it across the little lake we see the conical miniature mountain rising before us and seeming to extend an invita- tion, which we welcome, to make our assemblage there, and accordingly Mount Wayte becomes the scene of the latest great event in the history of the Town, and most appropri- ately, because right here on its southeasterly slope nearly two centuries and a generation ago the very first important event in the history of the " Plantation," preceding the town, was the wiping out by the red man of the first white man's abode with fire and blood. From that day till within less than a generation no other home succeeded. But now this so long deserted woodland has thrown off its somberness, and in recent years become a hamlet of a hun- dred summer cottages that encircle a spacious canopied auditorium, and halls of Christian churches dedicated to things sacred and to the highest secular concerns, and the popular study of Scripture and general literature, and to MOUNT WAYTE 141 history, science, art and music, as presented in the genial weeks of each summer by eminent lecturers, instructors and public speakers to the thousands who frequent this grove, to many of whom the Hall of Philosophy, in its robes of Grecian architecture, on the summit of the hill is the goal of the ambitious Chautauquans. For here was established in 1880 the "New England Chautauqua," on the grounds of the South Framingham Camp Meeting Association — whose annual ten days' sessions have attracted multitudes hither, and whose influence for good, through the variety of its exercises, in promoting high intellectual improvement and recreation has been wide spread and lasting. To our own Town it is, and we trust will continue to be, invaluable and attractive. The enterprise merits the hearty and most gen- erous support of our citizens. " The groves were God's first temples. Be it ours to meditate. In these calm shades, thy milder majesty, And, to the beautiful order of thy works, Learn to conform the order of our lives." While Mount Wayte is a little remote from our present villages it is itself the site of an ancient one, for at its base and in its immediate vicinity was one of the principal homes and haunts of the Indians, long before the English settlements were made. How long, there is no record nor evidence to tell, but probably centuries. The other two chief villages in this Town were at the outlet of lyake Cochituate and at the Falls, in Saxonville. That of Mount Wayte, it is probable, was a part of a cluster of Indian homes extending from the river to and around Farm, Waushakum, and lycarned's ponds. The more marked evidences of its existence were from the earliest period of Colonial history to be found directly at the foot of the mountain, on the shore of the pond, and at its out- let to the river. Nothing can be added to, but almost every thing relative to the Indian occupancy of the Town is to be gained from that chapter of the late Josiah H. Temple's History of Framingham which is devoted to that subject. It is at once comprehensive, minute, instructive and of great 142 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY interest. And there is not in existence a larger or more rare collection of the Indian relics of the Town than that which he gathered and possessed, and which happily, has been pre- served and is now owned by our Historical Society, and which as time passes on, becomes more valuable and curious, as the only visible relics of an extinct race, of whose origin we know nothing, and whose history in New England is limited to less than three centuries. Our Indians were of the Nipmuck — i. e. "Fresh Water Country," — tribe whose territory extended in a northeasterly course from the northeast comer of Connecticut. The pro- prietorship of one of them, John Awassamog, born, probably about 1614, on the now R. L. Day place, extended from the Blackstone river through Mendon along the Charles and Sudbury rivers up to the old northerly Marlborough line, where it joined the domains of Yawata, a squaw sachem of the Pawtucket tribe, which extended from Winnisimet, now Chelsea, through Concord to the Pawtucket Falls, now Lowell. They were married to each other about 1635. Here, around our ponds, the patient and faithful women labored upon the cornfields with implements of stone, perform- ing the work of planting, cultivating and gathering, while the men spent their time largely and lazily in hunting game on the hills, or fishing in the ponds and rivers, and at the proper seasons of the year, in watching the coming up the river of salmon, shad and alewives, from the distant seashore at, now, Newburyport and their return after the spawning season. These with the fish from our ponds and the ' ' eel fishing" places between Farm and Waushakum ponds, and the products of the plantations supplied the wigwam homes with ample food for most of the year. Iviving thus, the clan here diminished rapidly after the English settlements were made, and decayed and gradually disappeared. Nothing visible of their history is left with us, except the relics before named and the undefined localities of their two principal burial places ; the one designated as ' ' The Indian Graves ' ' on the bluffs on the east side of the river, in the northeast part of our town ; and the other ' ' The Old Field " in our south village, being the " Common " with MOUNT WA YTE 143 contiguous lands extending westerly from Concord street, upon which Nobscot Block, Manson Building, the Baptist church and other buildings stand. The multitudes who daily pass over these spots, trample unconsciously upon the unknown and unmarked graves of the red men. The simple mounds over those of their chiefs have long since been levelled. The Sabbath morning bell in the church tower summoning to worship, the music of song, the peal of the organ and the preacher's voice, all reach the last resting places of these sleeping dead, but are unheard by the red men, though some of them had listened to the words of the Apostle Eliot in these former woodlands. But most of them had never heard of the white man's God, but were, as pictured in verse nearly two hundred years ago, " The poor Indian, whose untutored mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind: His soul proud Science never taught to stray Far as the solar walk or milky way. Yet simple nature to his hope has given. Behind the cloud-topped hill an humbler heaven : Some safer world in depths of wood embraced. Some happier island in the watery waste. To be, contents his natural desire. He asks no angels' wing, no Seraph's fire ; But thinks, admitted to that equal sky, His faithful dog shall bear him company." We are not aware that there was any Indian family in this town at the commencement of the present century, though there were some in the nearby places. But at about that time an Indian girl, some ten years old, then called I/izzie, but in later years known as I^izzie Brown, was brought by some one of the neighboring clans to the house of Major I/awson Nurse in Salem End, and left as a waif with them for their kindly care. Some time later they transferred her to Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Maynard, whose house was on what is now Pleasant street, by whom she was brought up and with whom she lived as a domestic but almost as one of the family, for some thirty-five years, during their lives. Why Mr. Maynard, who was afterward a prominent citizen 144 TIVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y of the town, should have taken the little girl into his family is not apparent, but partly, it is probable, thiough some senti- ment of gratitude to the Indian race arising from the fact that when as a young Lieutenant from this town, in cur Revolu- tionary army, being captured by the Indian allies of the British in New York, he was saved from death by their chieftain, the famous Brant, and though taken to Canada by the British, was generally kindly treated by the Indians during his captivity. He thus had an opportunity to partially repay their kindness by bestowing life long benefits upon one of their nation, though of a different and remote tribe. It is recorded in our town history that she was ' ' highly esteemed as a nurse of the sick." In fact she was for years the nurse of the village, and of the more than two hundred children here, who with their mothers were the recipients of her nurture and delicate attention, in the critical days of their lives, those who remain love to recall and speak gratefully of her as their benefactress. She was a good natured and kindhearted woman, respected, popular and welcomed in the homes of the town. When, twenty-four years ago, as the solitary one of her Indian blood, she was placed in the Old Burial Ground, with those who had been her benefactors and friends in the past years, the grave closed over one of lowly origin but of a useful life ; and at her death the last page in the history of her race in this town was written, and its record is now closed. UTERARY EXERCISES AT MOUNT WAYTE. ORDER OF EXERCISES. Overture, "Jubel," Weber BATTERY B. BAND OF WORCBSTER. Music. "America." BI-CBNTENNIAI, CHORUS. Prayer. REV. LUCIUS R. BASTMAN. Remarks by the President of the Day. •samdei, b. bird, esq. EXERCISES A T MOUNT WA YTE 145 Historical Address. HON. CONSTANTINB C. BSTY. Music. " Damascus Triumphal March," bi-centenniai< chorus. Poem. EDNA DBAN PROCTOR. Music. Bi-Centenuial Hymn, Costa Dr. Jules Jordan Oration. Words by Rev. Frederick L. Hosmer. Uplifted be the voice of praise, As, far and near, beloved Town, Thy children throng from many ways Thy fourfold jubilee to crown ! Still echoed in thy history We catch the high heroic strain. The Pilgrim faith that crossed the sea For Truth and Right and Freedom's gain. And worthy sons of noble sires Have passed the torch of knowledge on ; Thro' paths of peace and battle-fires. Have to the old new triumphs won. We reap the fields the fathers cleared. The harvest of their toil and tears ; The ampler life by them upreared, The heritage of all the years. O Thou, by whom our fathers wrought Our strength thro' all the ages down. Still make us worthy of our lot, Still guard and bless our ancient Town. BI-CENTBNNIAL CHORUS. HON. THEODORE C. HURD. Remarks by Hon. George F. Hoar, United States Senator from Massachusetts. Music. " Auld I^ang Syne." BI-CENTENNIAI, CHORUS. Benediction. REV. JOHN P. HEFFKRNAN. 146 TIVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y ADDRESS OF SAMUEL B. BIRD, ESQ. Friends, hivited Guests and Fellow Citizens : — On this closing year of the nineteenth century, we meet to celebrate our Bi-Centennial, and in behalf of the committee of arrange- ments selected by act of the Town and representing for a brief time the Town, in their behalf I extend to you a cordial welcome. Two hundred years ago a few scattered families, for their better protection, and their more convenient service of worship, were incorporated under a town government. Today instead of the few scattered families we have a population of nearly or quite twelve thousand. Instead of one rude uncomfort- able house of worship we have fifteen churches, some of them large, elegant and expensive, and some of the parishes largely endowed. Instead of the few pounds sterling expended by the fathers in the employment of a schoolmaster to teach school a few weeks in the year, in different sections of the Town, we employ fifty-nine teachers, and have more than two thousand pupils, and for support of schools we pay more than fifty thousand dollars a year, beside the thousands invested in schoolhouses, school furniture and apparatus. And it is a credit alike to both town and teachers that there are so many of the teachers in the past and present, who have been in constant service from twelve to twenty-seven years. Instead of the bridle paths and fording places indicated by here and there a blazed tree, we have a hundred and twenty miles of highways, equal to those of any town in the Commonwealth ; we have electric and steam railways, electric lights, water works, a system of sewage, the first of its kind to be constructed in this Commonwealth, and the second of its kind on this continent. We have an efficient Fire Department, and a model Police Force. With all these improvements and conveniences we are already considering the plan of giving up our town government and joining the cities of the Commonwealth, and we hope before long His Excellency will place his oflScial signature to an act incorpora- ting the City of Framingham. The past is secure, — Not a stain, blot or blemish mars its record of two hundred years. It is clean, pure, bright. A C. C. Esty, Historian George F. Hoar, U. S. Senator Rev. L. R. Eastman Speakers at Literary Exercises Theodore C. Hurd, Orator EXER CISES AT MOUNT WA YTE 147 record of which every citizen may well be proud. And the present, — with its educated, intelligent, middle aged and young men, with its able, experienced, honest and honorable corps of Town officers, there are no fears for the present ; And the future will be largely what the young men and the young women of today, what the two thousand school children assembled yesterday shall make it. But whatever the future may have in store for us, may this Town, in the future as in the past, be the home of a happy, prosperous, intelligent, lawabiding, liberty loving, God fearing people for generations yet to come. The President. — In selecting the Historian we were fortunate in having a lifelong resident of the Town, one who has been familiar with its history, and with the history of many of its families, one who has been identified with its interests and has taken an active part in its affairs, and has held many important offices. I have the pleasure of intro- ducing as the Historian of the day the Honorable C. C. Esty. ADDRESS OF HON. C. C. ESTY. On this week, and especially in the delightful hours of this bright day we celebrate the settlement and incorporation of our town, which has ever had the respect of the general community and the warm affection of all born within its limits. From its earliest period it has held a position of influence and distinction throughout our ancient County of Middlesex ; it can ask for no higher honor. To me has been assigned the pleasant duty of preparing a paper appropriate to the occasion ; which, however, is too extended for presentation at this present hour and is placed at the disposal of the town for publication if desired. It treats chiefly, of course, of events since the establishment of the Town in June, 1700, but independently of that paper I purpose this afternoon, having due regard to the limitation of time, to speak especially of prior events and of some representative citizens of each century. In this now beautiful grove there occurred on the 1st day of February, 1676, with its snows and biting winds, a great tragedy. Within the sound of my voice stood the home of 148 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Thomas Eames. In the morning there was a happy family of at least tefa people ; at night six had been slain by the Indians, and the remainder carried into captivity. King Philip had, in the previous year, committed hostili- ties in the southeastern part of the State, and the dread fear of danger was in the atmosphere here. The father was away on a journey to Boston, whither he had gone a few days before to obtain a guard and ammunition. As he returned by the "Old Connecticut Path," when this side of I^ake Cochituate, he doubtless stopped at the house of his friend Henry Rice, his nearest neighbor, though two miles from his home ; fearing, but not receiving bad news, he continued on hopefully. Leaving the "Path" and coming by the north side of I/carned's Pond, through the woods to a cornfield on a little height near the present railroad bridge, he saw by the smoke and the slumbering fire and the perfect silence of death, that a terrible fate had come to his family ; the lifeless bodies of six and the absence of the rest, told the entire story. The house was fired by hay taken from the barn upon a rack, and the condition of the snow all about was evidence of the fearful struggle for life and attempts to escape which had been made. One of the Indians had been on guard to give warning in case of the return of the father. The children were scattered in their captivity, being carried to the regions in the vicinity of Concord, N.H., Albany, the Conn- ecticut River and Canada. They had been taught in case of attempt to escape from captivity, to go towards the rising jun. It is strange that no important traditions as to the particulars of this slaughter have been preserved. And passing strange that this event, more tragic in extent than any other recorded of any one family in Massachusetts, is never mentioned in school histories, although earlier than the attacks on Medfield, Marlborough, Sudbury or Lancaster. It would seem that the taste of blood here created the appetite, which was so soon to feed itself elsewhere. From the conflicting accounts there must always be great uncertainty as to the number killed and taken captive. Some returned and one or more willingly remained in Canada. A list of the Indians who committed the outrage is to be seen Benjamin Wheeler Hon. Josiah Adams Hon. Charles R. Train William Buckminster Former Distinguished Citizens of Framingham HISTORICAL ADDRESS 149 in the archives of the State in the handwriting of Deputy Governor Danforth. He issued warrants for the arrest of some of them, and took confessions. Three were executed in September. Netus, the leader, was killed at Marlborough in March by English soldiers. In the present month, the Eames family in this town have caused a large granite boulder, having a suitable inscription thereon, to be placed here upon the site of the destroyed home of their ancestor, and today we dedicate it as a memorial of the fore-runner of the Indian atrocities in King Philip's War in this part of Massachusetts. NOTED CITIZENS. Of the able and useful citizens of the past since 1700 the names of three stand out conspicuously as representative of their periods : Edward Goddard : — Of the first half of the last cen- tury, an educated man, Teacher, Selectman, Treasurer, Town Clerk, Representative eight years, member of the King's Council, a leader in church affairs and a writer of power. His official records as Town Clerk for eighteen years are models and unsurpassed. Jonathan Maynard : — I/caving Harvard College to participate in Bunker Hill battle, he afterwards had an eventful and romantic army career, and for many years was our first citizen in civil life, as is fully set forth in the paper referred to. Charles R. Train: — Pramingham born, with father and brother of high rank as clergymen and citizens. He was the favorite son of Framingham and everywhere popular. Of bright talents, and a leader in town improve- ment and general public affairs, high honors were placed upon him. He was early a Representative in the Legisla- ture from this town and later from Boston, member of the State Constitutional Convention, District Attorney in Middlesex County, a member of the Governor's Council, Representative in Congress, on the Stafi of his friend and our townsman. General Gordon, at the Battle of Antie- tam, and Attorney General of the State. He was offered by 150 riVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y Pres. Fillmore the U. S. District Judgeship for Oregon, and if lie had been willing to be untrue to his political principles and friends about forty-five years ago, and have made even a bow of allegiance to the then all powerful political organiza- tion, he could have been Governor of this State. He was a brilliant lawyer and successful advocate. How sweet a thing it were to have had him here today. He would have been foremost and efficient in all the pro- ceedings. "One blast upon his bugle horn were worth a thousand men. " There would have been combined in him, if his three friends, the Orator, Toastmaster and Historian, could so direct, all the duties assigned to them, and their parts would have been simply to lead in the applause for him. But they can only yearn for one hour with Charles R. Train, and with all his townsmen and troops of friends throughout the State cherish his memory. SALEM END. That beautiful part of the Danforth Plantation, which for more than 200 years has borne the name of Salem End, is closely connected with the witchcraft delusion of 1692 at Salem Village, now Danvers. Among the victims were three sisters, Rebecca (Towne) Nurse, Mary Esty, who were executed, and Sarah Cloyes who, after many months' imprisonment, escaped by night to this place, as tradition says. The purity and nobility of their lives are fully attested in Bancroffs History of the United States, and Upham's History of Witchcraft and Salem End. Precisely when Sarah Cloyes, accompanied by her husband and children, by the name of Bridges by a former marriage, and Benjamin Nurse, a son of Rebecca Nurse, came hither is not known, except that it was probably in the Winter of 1692-3. There is nothing on record to indicate why their choice of the new home was made, but it is a pleasant and probable thought that Mr. Danforth who had been connected with and a close observer of the persecutions and knew these families well, feeling the great and tragic wrong that had HISTORICAL ADDRESS 161 been done, though in accordance with public sentiment, desired to provide a future home for their broken hearted and suffering families, and therefore arranged with them that they should spend the remainder of their lives in his own loved Framingham, "the home of the stranger," and named for his own native castled home of Framlingham, in England. The particular route from Ipswich Jail, where Peter Cloyes for weary months had attended upon his wife, to where they struck the Old Connecticut Path, is wholly unknown, but was probably near Weston, when, passing by the "Devils Den," they followed the "Path" by Lake Cochituate leaving it near the present State Muster Field and passing through Mount Wayte close by the scene of the Eames tragedy of 1676, and crossing the Sudbury river at the fording place west of Mount Wayte, thence to the great boulder on the heights which was to them literally a " shadow of a great rock in a weary land," they came to their promised land which proved to be a home to them and their descendants to the present day. Immediately on the organization of the Town in 1700, different members of the family were made prominent in all town matters. At the first meeting Peter Cloyes, husband of Sarah Cloyes, and John Towne, her nephew, were chosen Selectmen ; Benjamin Bridges, son by a former marriage, was elected an Assessor, and Peter Cloyes, Jr., her son, the Highway Surveyor. In the second year Mr. Cloyes, the father, was elected Treasurer and Grand Juryman. He was also the Chairman of the Committee on the building of the first Meeting House, and Chairman of the Committee, of which Benjamin Bridges was also a member, to get the opinion of three ordained ministers as to the qualification of John Swift to be minister, and Peter Cloyes, John Towne and Benjamin Bridges were selected to extend the call to Mr. Swift. Later on Mr. Bridges and Peter Cloyes, Jr., were a Com- mittee to arrange with the first school master of the town, and Benjamin Nurse was one of the Selectmen. These actions of the town indicate that these were of the best of its people. 152 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Centuries ago it was said that ' ' the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the church," and certain it is that the blood of these Salem martyrs was the seed of the Framingham church. The late Hon. and Rev. Peter Parker, M.D. was a de- scendant of Rebecca Nurse, and through him Salem End has the distinction of being the birthplace of one who was for thirteen years in the service of the United States in China, and who in 1857 closed a highly useful and distinguished official career as Commissioner and Minister Plenipotentiary in negotiating that treaty with the Chinese government under which, for the first time, the United States was accorded the privilege of a Resident Minister at the Imperial Court of Pekin, and which contained, through his foresight and in- sistency, the following clause: " The principles of the Christian Religion as expressed by the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches, are recognized as teaching men to do good, and to do to others as they would have others do to them. Hereafter those who quietly profess and teach these doctrines shall not be harrassed or persecuted on account of their faith. Any person, whether citizen of the United States or Chinese convert, who, accord- ing to these tenets, shall peaceably teach and practice the principles of Christianity, shall in no case be interfered with or molested." We read this with peculiar interest today, because the exigency provided for in the treaty has now arisen and our military forces are on Chinese soil and at this very hour are pressing their way to Pekin for the preservation of the lives of " citizens of the United States and Chinese converts." Framingham may justly take pride in the fact that the benign influence of its once farmer boy, by his missionary, medical and diplomatic services, extends throughout the empire of China. THOMAS DANFORTH. Above all the names to be considered today is that of Thomas Danforth, son of Rev. Nicholas Danforth, a dis- tinguished English Puritan who came to this country in 1634. HISTORICAL ADDRESS 153 Most of those familiar with the name think of him only as a person occupying some public position, but especially noted " as the proprietor of 16,000 acres of land called the Danforth Plantation and Farms," extending from the Sudbury lines southerly into Sherborn, as it anciently was, crossing the river at Ashland, embracing nearly all of that village, thence on the northerly side of the river through Cordaville, Southville and into the lines of Westboro. His possessions were made up, chiefly, of grants from the General Court, and from a deed of land where we now stand, from Richard Wayte and one from Thomas Russell. These two purchases adjoined each other, and extended southerly from the river. The area of his ownership was about equal to that of Fram- ingham as it now is, though the boundary lines are different. Governor Danforth was the founder of this town, to which he gave the name about twenty-five years before his death, in 1699, and also, in fact, one of the leading founders of the Massachusetts Colony. He was Treasurer of Harvard College, Magistrate, member of the General Court, Assistant for twenty years, Clerk of the County of Middlesex, Deputy Governor of the Colony under its two charters for ten years, and one of the two Commissioners of Massachusetts of ' ' The United Colonies " of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Haven for seventeen years. During a part of that period he was President of the Board, which had the fullest authority in the joint interest of the Colonies, especially in the management of Indian affairs and wars. At one time he was President of the Province of Maine, having with him six assistants as his Council. As a magistrate he partici- pated in the prosecutions for witchcraft at Salem, but was not a Judge on the special court that tried any of those who were convicted, but was appointed Judge of the new Superior Court in December, 1692, by which convictions were made but no executions followed ; and it is written of him that ' ' to his credit be it spoken, his influence was entirely in opposi- tion to the melancholy witchcraft delusion." Chief Justice Sewall wrote that " he had as Judge of the [new] Court, a chief hand, under God, in putting an end to the troubles under which the country groaned in 1692." His public life 154 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY extended over more than forty years, during which period he was brought into close intimacy with the public men from Maine to New Haven and many of the ablest of Colonial State papers were prepared by him. The Hon. John G. Palfry, in his History, in speaking upon a report upon Colonial affairs made in 1661 says, that it was "probably from the pen of Thomas Danforth, who had now become one of the most important men of the Colony ; ' ' also that in 1679, when the Colonial Charter was in danger, ' ' the administration acquired character and strength by the election of Danforth' ' as I/ieutenant Governor ; again, that in 1682, " Danforth who had come from his government in Maine to take his place in General Court, was now chairman of the committee for special instructions," for the representa- tives of the Colony addressing the King in England, and that in the same year, " of the popular party, Danforth, the Deputy Governor, a man of excellent abilities and virtues, was the acknowledged head." Another writer says, " in the troublous times which preceded the subversion of the Charter (1688) , Mr. Danforth ever stood forth as the unflinch- ing advocate of popular freedom ; the fearless denouncer and opponent of ministerial despotism." In truth what Samuel Adams was in our Revolutionary period, such was Thomas Danforth in his day in defense of chartered rights and op- position to the tyranny of the brother kings, Charles the Second and James the Second. Governor Danforth was a man of broad views and fore- sight in pratical private life, as is shown by his setting apart several thousand acres of land, including Salem End, west of Sudbury River and south of Stoney brook as the "Common" lands for the free and perpetual use of the purchasers of his other lands, for pasturing, timber and wood. That he was fearless appears by his protection of friendly or ' ' praying ' ' Indians after the Eames massacre, regardless of the threats of his assassination therefor, contained in placards posted up in Boston. "As Christians we warn them [Danforth and Gookin] to prepare for death, for they will deservedly die, yet we wish them the health of their souls," "By the new Society A. B.C." HISTORICAL ADDRESS 155 Within a few weeks later when the tidings of the Sudbury fight reached Danforth while attending the Thursday lecture at Charlestown, an organized company of friendly Indians at once answered his call and marched to the relief of Sudbury settlers. He was bold in public life in his defiance of the threats of the Royal Governor Andros, and in resistance to the op- pressive acts of the Kings. His devise of lands in Framingham to Harvard College indicates his generous spirit. Considering the large number and the important character of the various offices held by him, and the extended period of his services we can justly claim that no one was more useful or distinguished in the Colony of Massachusetts. This town should have borne his name if he had not given to it that of his English home, and when Framingham as a city shall out of its own treasury erect its stately edifice for public purposes, let it bear the name of the Thomas Danforth Hall. Without Governor Danforth to participate in the cere- monies of this occasion, is to omit Hamlet from the play. Some believe in visions and we will indulge in that illusion at this hour. We present Governor Danforth. He speaks : " I need no introduction to this place. You are the stranger. I stood on the top of this mountain 230 years ago with my friend, Richard Wayte, and looked down upon the quiet stream flowing at its base, upon the meadows near by and the distant hills, and I then became the purchaser of these woodlands. I came with Thomas Fames who, through our friendship, planted his home here, and a few years later I consoled with him here because of the tragedy of King Philip's Indians. I knew Philip well. We had met in the little meeting house in Taunton in council, with his men on the one side, and myself as the Colonial Commissioner, and the men of Plymouth on the other. Philip had feared treachery before coming and required hostages : — and well he might, for some of the Plymouth men were faithless and would have attacked him even then had I not personally prevented them, lyater on he came to meet me in Boston ; and again for the last time, we held council in Plymouth. ' ' I stood this morning on the top of Bare Hill where I once saw the lonely sentinel stand as he looked about and 156 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY guarded the little Meeting-House in the now ancient burial ground, where the emigrants from Salem and others of " ' The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep.' ' ' I gazed on Nobscot with its grand outline rising above all the hills of Middlesex, and in imagination saw Tantamous, 'Old Jethro,' the famous ' medicine-man' with whom I once strolled through his ancient apple orchard on the southern slope of the mountain, and with whom I walked upon its summit to view our neighboring domains. He was after- wards basely induced to go to Cocheco and there, with other Indians, by strategem, made prisoner, taken to Boston and hanged. And from Nobscot I could have looked down upon the scene of the Sudbury fight, where Captain Wadsworth and his brave ambushed soldiers fell, to which place I sent a company of friendly Indians. I looked upon the hill-top home of ' Captain Tom,' the Indian, east of the muster field, who also was unjustly executed. My eyes rested on the scene of the Apostle Eliot's labors, and then in another direction on the delightful homes of the descendants of the Salem refugees. "I looked upon the rivers, and the natural and artificial lakes beautifying the landscape and pouring their waters into thirsty Boston, and I recalled the words of the favorite son of my and his Fair Harvard : ' ' ' Framingham ; fair cupbearer, leaf cinctured Hebe of the deep bosomed Queen sitting by the Seaside on the throne of the Six Nations.' — O. W. Holmes. ' ' I have not been unobservant of events both great and small in this my loved town. I have seen the Framingham soldiers of the Revolutionary War in the 6th Regiment, from Bunker Hill to Saratoga ; and the 6th Regiment from Middle- sex County, in the War of the Rebellion, as it passed through in April, 1861, taking from you a national flag which it carried through Baltimore to the senate chamber at Washing- ton and again to Federal Hill in Baltimore where it waved triumphantly over the rebellious city ; and again, two years ago I saw your company of brave youths of the 6th Regi- ment going forth to a foreign soil to fight for humanity under the command of that gallant colonel who bears the name which has descended from generation to generation of my ancient friend and co-laborer, Edmund Rice, who was promi- nent in the history of three towns. " In the grove across the Lake thirty-eight years ago, I witnessed the citizens' presentation, through the hands of the Historian of this occasion, of a sword to a young lieutenant, who with nearly fifty comrades, was leaving home for THE POEM 157 service in a Southern state ; and Lieutenant Kurd is today an honored citizen of the County, holding an office once held by me, and is on this platform as the Orator of this occasion. I salute him. ' ' Three days since in the Sabbath afternoon I heard the voice of that noble woman participating in the earliest exercises of this eventful week in one of your churches, whose magnificent Battle Hymn of the Republic, I listened to blending with the praises of Washington, when it was for the first time presented in song in public in another of your churches.* ' ' The ' Wilderness ' that I possessed has been made to ' bud and blossom as the rose.' Having named the town I trusted to have lived to see its legal establishment. I made plans and hopeful prophecies. Through the wisdom of your ancestors they have been carried out and realized. As I wit- ness your thrift, prosperity and progress, and see your well tilled farms and well ordered homes, your shadowy streets and parks, your Public Library, — emblem both of patriotism and learning, — your schools and the churches of various creeds but of one great purpose, and when I view the pioneer noble State institution of instruction, in queenly beauty over- looking the town, and listen today to the joyous ringing of the morning bells in all your churches, my heart in exultant gratitude exclaims : " 'Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord ! ' " Hail ! and for a half century, Farewell ! " The President. — The author of the Poem needs no intro- duction to this audience. Her reputation as an authoress is not confined by town or state lines, but is national. It gives me pleasure to present to you Miss Edna Dean Proctor. FRAMINGHAM. EDNA DEAN PROCTOR. Fair, to the Red Man, was Framingham When deer were plenty, and salmon swam By Merrimack west to Sudbury river And the brooks that wind where the tall reeds quiver, — • Plymouth Church, February 22, 1862, on the occasion of the celebration of Washington's Birthday by the citizens of the town. The hymn was first published in the A tlantic Monthly for that month. 158 TWO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y Up from the sea to the lakes that lie Pleasant and cool the pine woods by ; When the bowery streams were the beaver's right, And the blue was the eagle's sunward flight, And only the wind, or the wolf, or the loon, Broke the silence at night or noon. Ah well! nor hunter, nor chief, nor maid, Is left by the falls or the forest glade ; Their weirs, their cornfields, their paths, their graves, Are gone from the meadows the river laves. Yet Waushakum, Cochituate, Nobscot hill. Speak of their old dominion still ! A resolute, reverent race were they Who up from the coast-line made their way To the woods and meads of Cochituate — Strong of purpose and stern as fate. For present good and for future bliss — An eye to both worlds — they wrought in this, Building the meeting-house, bridging the ford. Fighting the Indians and fearing the Lord. And bitter the deeps they sometimes crossed : " Imprimis — a wife and nine children lost. Murdered and captured," the record ran Of Thomas Fames when the town began. And fair Mount Wayte, with its Christian fame. Heard the war-whoop and saw the flame. Yet the hamlets here in the wilderness Were a refuge to those in storm and stress. Rough was the road to Salem then. But hunted women and helpless men Fled through the forest's darksome door From the witchcraft horror that swayed the shore. And Salem End was a nook of peace Where from courts and prisons they found release. Good Parson Swift, on the sunny swell Where stood his meeting-house, slumbers well ; Yet they say, at midnight who ventures there May hear his voice, in appeal or prayer. THE POEM 159 Ring out as it rang when the dead and he Were parish and preacher, anciently, And a psalm iloat by ; — but the sounds they hear Are the sighs of the wind in a dreaming ear. For pastor and flock, on the sunny swell Where stood the first meeting-house, slumber well. And now two hundred years have fled ; But the men of Framingham, living and dead. Have been true to country, and state and town, Winning, in war and peace, renown ; And her sons in Manila and Cuba, still Are brave as the soldiers of Bunker Hill ; And her daughters as loyal, through weal and woe. As the wives and mothers of long ago. Fairer and nobler is Framingham Than in far-off days when the salmon swam Up from the sea to the lakes that lie Pleasant and cool the pine woods by ; For the toil of two centuries makes, at their close. The wilderness bloom and rejoice as the rose ! With the fortunate ' ' South " to a city growing. And traffic and Uf e through its highways flowing ; With the ' ' Centre ' ' charming for lawns and leas. For homes and river and stately trees ; With busy, beautiful Saxonville, Queen of the falls, the lake, the mill, — A region of loveliness, thrift and cheer. Is the town in its bright two hundredth year ! And while Cochituate mirrors the sky And over Waushakum the west winds sigh, — While her churches rise and her hearth-fires glow, In strength and honor may Framingham grow. And forever, the Bay State's diadem. With virtue, and valor, and beauty, gem ! The President. — We selected for the Orator of the Day one who in his younger days was a pupil in our common schools, a graduate of the Framingham Academy and High 160 7 WO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y School, who commenced the practice of his profession with one of the leading lawyers of the town, was an officer of the town, a member of the General Court, an officer in the War of the Rebellion, elected to an important office in the County of Middlesex, and although compelled by his official duties to reside in another part of the Commonwealth has always retained his interest in this town. I have the honor to present to you as the Orator of the Day the Honorable Theodore C. Hurd, a resident of Winchester, but a citizen of Framingham. ADDRESS OF HON. THEODORE C. HURD. I preface my address with a brief reference to the settle- ment in America under the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. I do this with a purpose. Any study of the lives and characters of our ancestors would be incomplete which did not include the history of the years from 1629 to 1640, which was the period of the making of New England and the foundation of the highest civilization of America. From 1602 to 1629 several attempts at settlement had been made under as many patents or grants. The Plymouth settlement in 1620 was made under a charter from James I., but in 1629 the Pilgrims numbered only about 400. The revised charter of ' ' the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay in New England ' ' was attested by the King on the fourth day of March, 1629. It was purchased from Charles I., for 2000 pounds sterling and a fifth part of the gold and silver ore which might be mined. In terms providing for the business of a corporation for trade and profit, it developed in operation a unique, civil, religious and political life. It was the germ of an empire of American freemen. The officers of the corporation were to consist of a Gov- ernor, Deputy Governor, and eighteen assistants, to be chosen annually at a " General Court " of the freemen, to be held on the last Wednesday of Easter term. THE ORATION 161 It was expected that the corporation was to exist in Eng- land, and the first meetings of the General Court were held in London. It meets now on Beacon Hill, Boston. To this ' ' General Court ' ' was delegated power ' ' to estab- lish all manner of wholesome orders, laws, statutes, and ordinances settling the forms and ceremonies of government and magistracy fit and necessary for the plantation." These powers were conferred in order ' ' that the inhabitants therein may be so religiously, peaceably, and civilly governed as their good life and orderly conversation may win and incite the natives of the country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Saviour of mankind and the Christian faith which in our royal attention and the adventurers free profession is the principal end of this plantation." Now mark the outcome : The very week in which Charles granted this charter he dissolved his parliament, and for eleven years there was no parliament in England. His father, James, true to his pro- mise, had "harried the non-conforming pilgrims out of his realm" and founded the Plymouth Colony. Charles, by his cruel enforcement of the Act of 35 Eliza- beth, forced the best blood of England's yeomanry to the wilderness beyond the sea, and planted the stout-hearted Puritans in Massachusetts Bay with a charter he was never to recall and which was to develop the United States of America. John Winthrop, who had been elected Governor, arrived in Salem harbor June 12, 1630, with the charter in his possession. Here he was greeted by Endicott and the sur- vivors of his colon}- of 1629. Then began the wonderful exodus of the Puritans from the east counties of England. Knight and peasant, scholar, yeoman and artisan came to the New World in such numbers that, in 1640, when Charles was forced to call the long parlia- ment, the 22,000 Englishmen in Massachusetts Bay and 3,000 in Plymouth Colony had become 25,000 American citizens. Said William Stoughton in 1688: "God sifted a whole nation that he might send choice grain into the wilderness." From this seed how splendid a harvest ! 162 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Immigration almost entirely ceased in 1640. The independents were too busy in their great struggle for independence at home. Perchance the Stuart king builded better than he knew when he let them go, for Winthrop, and Endicott, and Saltonstall, and Dudley, and Vasall, and Harry Vane would have ridden with Cromwell at Edgehill, and Naseby, and Marston Moor. For the next 130 years, till near the period of the Revolu- tion, immigration to New England did not amount to 1,000, and it is estimated by the best authority that the 25,000 New Englanders of 1640 have increased to over 15,000,000, a large fraction of the population of America. Under this charter, within the measure of a score of years, these plain English emigrants, unlearned in the law, without pattern or precedent, formulated the New England idea of a state. This idea insured the highest intelligent independence of the individual consistent with highest social and civil rights of every other member. The development of this idea created through the sover- eignty of the state delegated to the towns the best system of local self-government ever devised or administered, and the existence and extent of error and corruption in state or municipal government today is measured by the lines of departure from this idea. They paid 2000 pounds sterling for their charter of in- corporation, and could say who should be stockholders. Whoever came to dwell with them must submit to the same rule and law which they imposed on themselves. If their ideas were high, they were their own. If their visions were prophetic, they were the prophets. They were hot singing their songs in a strange land, they were tuning their harps on their own new Jordan. They were building a democracy, and took good care to leave no foothold for aristocracy. They chose their parsons and their representatives to the General Court at the same town meeting, and reserved the right to criticise the theology of the one and the politics of the other. THE ORATION 163 Their entliusiasm was not formative; it was born of an insistent personal independence in religion, and, by force of this rule, the theory of intolerance of the seventeenth century worked out the condition of liberality in the eighteenth. Intolerant New England? I commend the men and women who delight in this criticism to a study of the history of the closing years of the seventeenth century. Is the standard of comparison to be found in Old Eng- land under the ' ' Merry Monarch ' ' Charles, or the bigoted James, whose vicious Chief Justice Jeffreys was holding blood assize, enforcing cruel laws against non-conformists, sending men to be hanged, drowned, and quartered at his pleasure, smothering a whisper of criticism in flames at the stake ? Two thousand dissenting ministers, under the Conventicle Act, in one year driven from their pulpits and homes, ban- ished from the realm, or languishing in prison. Russell, Essex, Howard, Hampden, Sydney brought to the cruel block as martyrs to liberty of conscience. Claver- house and his dragoons dying red the heaths and moors of Scotland with the blood of brave men, saintly women, and innocent children at the bidding of a cruel archbishop. Shall we cross the British Channel to Prance, where Louis XIV. was devastating his fair domain with fire and sword at the cruel behests of Jesuit priests, exterminating whole provinces in a fanatic war against Protestantism ? Or shall I turn the pages of the history of Spain in these years for records of acts of toleration, where another Charles II. was wielding a brutal sword under the shadow of the standard of the church ? The world's story of crime cannot parallel the atrocities of Spain in the whole course of her efforts in establishing colonies in America. Her lust for gold shamed manhood, disgraced religion, and scarred the very face of Nature on island and shore. Thanks be to God, the day of retribution has dawned ! In the first years of the nineteenth century Spain was the mistress of more than a half of the present area of the United States, but today the stars and stripes float over every foot 164 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY of her soil on this continent, and with that flag comes the promise of peace and content, reviving industry, aspiring life, and a blessed hope for civil and religious freedom. How splendid a vindication of the American idea, the New England idea, the Puritan idea, — that one Harvard graduate is the governor of Cuba, another the superintendent of her public schools, an Amherst graduate and Middlesex boy chief magistrate of Porto Rico ; and this month the gates of every hall in the University of Cambridge, a college which was founded by vote and grant of the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636, are thrown wide open for the free support and education of fifteen hundred teachers from the island which, two years ago, never knew a public school. Try our forefathers by the crucial test of a judgment upon their works. Know them by their fruits. Do bigots and intolerants build schools and churches, set type and print Bibles ? The first legislation of the Bay Colony established schools and churches in every village ; and the colony, the province, and the Commonwealth has ever since, in all matters of education, been a light to lighten the nations. She has opened wide the door of common, high, normal, industrial, and technical schools to all her children, and com- manded them to enter therein. The first to establish a system of free public libraries and free school-books, she has banished illiteracy, and made her suffrage dependent on ability to read and write. She is foremost in legislation for the protection of civil and industrial life. While restraining vice, she strives to uplift the vicious. She tenderly shelters the unfortunate poor and insane. Her laws are a shield of protection to the children of toil. While her sons and daughters have peopled a great belt of our country, stretching to the very western limit, building new towns, and cities, and states, she has received into her fold an immigrant population of every race and creed, who now yield to the same old traditions and conditions of respect and obedience to the rule of her law. THE ORATION 165 Tlie grand old Commonwealth, ridiculed in the same breath as the home of intolerance and heresy and the school of ism and theory, the country, in every emergency, calls on her for men of action and measures of relief, and her sons and daughters are now, as ever, in the ' ' color guard ' ' of the army of national progress. And now, forgetting ourselves — forgetting the Framing- ham of today, I ask you to come with me for an afternoon stroll in the Framingham of June, 1700. Cochituate, Wau- shakum, Farm and Learned's Ponds lie glistening in the sunlight ; Stoney Brook and Singletary, unvexed by dam or wheel, flow their clear waters into the Sudbury or Hopkin- ton river, which winds through untilled meadow and virgin forest at the foot of Bare Hill, which rises from a wooded plain, without a habitation in view, where now clusters the goodly village of Framingham Centre. No stately spire rises from this plain, — no vision of mansion or cultured field, — only God's sunshine, the sweet scent of pines and the swaying of great trees in the summer wind. No man dwells on the scene to which so many of us come home today to the dear old hearthstone of our childhood. Visit with me the falls of the river and shores of Cochit- uate, and greet the Stones, and Bents, and Rices, and Drurys, and Walkers, and Haynes, and others of the "Sudbury farmers," or, as they call themselves, the " out- dwellers from Sudbury." Follow along the old Connecticut Path, and find Eames, Pratt, Gleason, Haven, I/Carned, and the dwellers on Sherborn road. Take the path on the west side of Farm Pond, over Mellen's Neck, and there is the little settlement of eight families who came from Watertown with Mellen and Whitney. The Nurse, Clayes, Bridges, Elliott, and Parker families are at Salem End. They preferred the perils of the western wilderness to the dangers of witchcraft trials in old Essex. The Pikes, Winches, Eatons, Frosts, Hemenways, Walkups, Jennings, and a few others on the "Marlbury" road and the slopes of Nobscot and Doeskin. 166 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY We have seen them all ; some sixty families of good Eng- lish stock born on American soil. They are the children of the immigrants of 1630-1641. I find only five of the early settlers from 1646-1676 who were bom across the sea. What manner of man do we meet? Stern of visage, but kindly of heart ; formal of speech and of dignified mien ; thrifty without meanness, just if not generous ; honest with- out policy and of splendid courage ; sparing not the rod of discipline, yet shrinking from no self-sacrifice ; affectionate in deed rather than in word ; loyal to the core, but a rebel on just provocation ; intolerant, perchance, because he had not been tolerated ; God fearing, yet fearing God ; exultant in self-degradation ; a sinner by conviction, while a saint in daily life. But who shall say that this man when he walked alone through the perils of the forest or bared his head with reverence under the stars of his lonely night did not feel and know that he was near his God and that God was very near to him. And the modest wife of our friend, sharer of his toil and privation ; a cheery partner in his solitary life ; anxiety her daily companion ; fear of beast or savage haunting her sleeping and waking hours. Far from neighbor or friend, her life to bake and brew, to weave the cloth, and fashion the garment. How fervent the devotion that suffered her to forget the comforts of her old home ; how splendid the faith that con- quered regrets for the pleasant paths her feet had trod, and gave her visions of the free and happy homes they were building for their children and their children's children. In the wilderness came their cry : " O God we have heard with our ears and our fathers have declared unto us the noble works that thou didst in their days and in the old time before them," and truly did their Lord "arise, help and deliver them." The Framingham of today is the fruit of their labor and the fruition of their hope. Our friends were matter-of-fact people, by force of circum- stances and situation. The stress and surge of life left its mark on face and character. They were plain of speech and THE ORATION 167 practical of thought. There was scant food for poetry in their life, when their primer of imagination was the match- less rhythms of the book of Job or the exultant psalms that David sang to the Hebrews, and their sole taste of fiction the great allegories which Bunyan penned in Bedford jail. There was not probably a volume of Shakespeare in the settlement, and they would not have read it if there had been. Addison had not penned the " Spectator," Emanuel Sweden- borg, a boy of twelve, had not dreamed of the New Jeru- salem. Jonathan Swift had not written those tales which are at once nursery classics and masterful satires. Pope was a schoolboy. Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards were in their cradles. They had never heard of the "Vicar of Wakefield"; for them "no curfew bell had tolled the knell of parting day." But Martha Hemenway was keeping a dame school at her house, and teaching the boys and girls to read and write. They had not Stern, or Sheridan, or Burke, or Sam Johnson for models, but I commend you to read their several petitions for acts of incorporation, which you will find in Mr. Temple's History of Framingham, for samples of good English. They were Puritans, and were working out the vital principle of Puritanism, the right of every man to stand face to face with God, and to be judged only by him. Their fathers had fled from Presbytery and bishop. They sought liberty in civil as well as religious life. Liberty to think, liberty to speak, liberty to read, liberty to interpret, liberty to dissent, liberty to rebel. Their independence worked out a strength and sturdiness of character which begot a race of strong-minded, resolute men. Consider their surroundings. They were the frontier settlement on the west, nothing beyond them but the lodge- ment in the Connecticut Valley. The strife with the Indians had only ended with the death of King Philip in 1676. The time was too short to have effaced the vivid memory of, the massacre of the Eames family on the slope of Mount Wayte, within a stone's throw of the spot on which we stand today. 108 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY The farmer went afield or the family ventured from home only under the protection of the musket. With danger lurking in the shade of every wood, was there occasion for merry-making and jollity ? They were pioneers — each house erected by the owner, with help of neighbor, from the logs hewn by his own axe. The field for grain was to be redeemed from the forest. Was there time for recreation and social pleasure ? Their Lord's day service was held in the plain, bare meet- ing-house, without the inspiration of lengthening nave and aisle, the shadow of fretted column, or the softened light through cathedral glass. No solemn organ's peal to lift the soul from self. They sang the paraphrased psalm or a hymn from the Bay psalm book as lined out by the deacon. They were not saints, and did not claim to be. Neither did they admit the claim of others to canonization. They acknowledged themselves sinners, and sometimes appeared to be proud of it, but they would insist on the right to work out their own salvation in their own way; though slow, perchance, to accord the like privilege to others. William Blackstone, the first settler of Boston, said, with a good round oath, that he would as soon be ruled by Lords Bishops as by Lords Brethren. We must remember that their spiritual ancestors when banished from England found refuge at Geneva and sat at the feet of John Calvin. Here is the covenant of their first church : " We do, under a soul-humbling and abasing sense of our utter unworthiness of so great a privilege, accept of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost for our God in covenant with us, promising that we will walk together in a Church State, as becomes saints, according to the rules of his holy word, submitting ourselves and our seed unto the government of the Lord Jesus Christ, as king of his Church." These are the freemen whom the General Court of the province incorporated in June, 1700, as the " Inhabitants of the Town of Framingham," to establish on the southern frontier of Middlesex county a town which shall work out in X c 5 THE ORATION 169 a body politic, in the spirit of the Bay Colony Charter of 1629 and under the lines of the Body of Liberties of 1641, the development of the " New England idea." Let us see how they did it. At their first town meeting, August 5, 1700, they chose the necessary town officers and voted money to build a meeting-house. At the second town meeting they appointed a committee to see if Mr. John Swift would abide as their minister, and he did abide for forty-four years. March 31, 1701, they voted to gather ten pounds in money, by way of rate, for furnishing the meeting-house. In 1702 they built a pound for wayward cattle. In 1703 they built stocks for wayward men, and, as was the custom, they set them before the meeting-house. In 1706 they voted that Deacon Joshua Hemenway should be their schoolmaster for the year ensuing. They established " dame schools," and these dames in the quiet of their own homes gathered the young children of their respective neighborhoods for instruction in ' ' reading, writing and sewing." Primitive kindergartens at Salem End and Stone's Mills and on the sunny slope of Nobscot fourscore and two years "before Froebel was born. Upon the breaking out of Queen Anne's War in 1702, they built four garrison houses, and a sentinel was posted on Bare Hill during the time of public worship on the Sabbath, to give alarm in case of the appearance of savages. In the early years they had laid out many roads, most of them leading to the meeting-house. I cannot resist a quaint quotation from Temple's History: ' ' The record of its highways is the history of the material growth, public spirit, and the relative importance of a town. When its roads radiate from a common centre, and that centre is the meeting-house, you will commonly find an intelligent, moral and religious as well as thriving com- munity. Where the roads mainly lead through or out of town, they give sufficient warning to strangers to continue their journey." 170 7 WO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y In 1735 the new meeting-house was built on the north- east side of the Centre common. A committee of seven was appointed to provide for the raising. A part of this provision was "one barrell of rum, three barrells of cyder, and six barrells of beer, for such only as labor in the raising." The town was called upon for its quota of soldiers in the several French and Indian wars, and the response was always prompt. I cannot detail the active part the citizens took in the approaching struggle of the American Revolution. The town records are full of patriotic sentiment and action. One hundred and fifty-three minutemen and militia marched to Concord and Cambridge on April 19, 1775. In 1792 the Framingham Academy was established. I could not excuse to this audience a neglect to refer to this, one of the first in time and reputation of the older system of schools for higher education. It became the centre of educational life for this section of the state. It was a helpful inspiration to the social and literary life of the town in all the years of its existence. A host of grateful pupils still live to acknowledge their debt of gratitude, and we may be pardoned if we indulge in the privilege of age, and insist that modern schools have made but questionable advance upon the methods of the academies of earlier generations. As early as 1785 steps were taken to establish a public library. The last acres of the " common lands" were sold, and the proceeds were invested in books ; another instance of ini- tiative, rather than imitative, municipal action, which helped to make our town an acknowledged leader in the last century in the higher development of town life. From this humble beginning, supplemented through these later years by private gifts and public appropriations, flows now the stream of daily beneficence to every household from the open doors of your free public library. The town was early divided into districts, and provision made in each for a grammar school. THE ORATION 171 I know tliere are many in this audience, either home- dwellers, or men and women who have gathered at our jubilee from their new home in other states, whose memory goes back to these district schools with appreciative gratitude. If there was time I should welcome the opportunity to recall reminiscences of old No. 4 and No. 5, and bring back to you the days when the rivalry between these schools was an added incentive to the best development of our study. We went out from their plainly furnished rooms boys and girls well instructed in the scope of the education of those days, — an education whose limitations were more than corrected by the thoroughness attained in practical lines. I could give you names of scores of these boys and girls, and show you, in the sterling record of their industrious, pros- perous, and honored lives, the "hall mark" of their school days in Framingham. The result is the orderly, respectable, progressive com- munity that is the Framingham of today. A town which through all its industrial and business development has maintained the character of its dignified past and well preserved the traditions of the older time. You have largely developed from within by the prudent ventures of your own town folk. Few communities have so distinctly preserved old family names in the front of business and municipal life. Read the names of the men who were incorporated in 1700, and you are calling the roll of Thomas Drury's Company at Bunker Hill. The sergeant's call of Framingham boys on every field from Bull Run to Petersburg is but an echo of the muster roll of the town in Queen Anne's War or the names on the registers of those district schools. There were Rices, and Clayes, and Hemenways as select- men, and deacons, and town clerk in 1700, and you choose Rices, and Clayes, (now Cloyes) and Hemenways for select- men, and deacons, and town clerk in 1900. I am embarassed with a rush of tender memories of the men and women of the generation I have known. 172 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY I would like to take you into tlie town meetings of fifty years ago, and paint you pictures of Warren Nixon, and Joel Edmunds, and Swift Bennett, and Henry Richardson, and Joseph Fuller, and John Wenzell, and Charles Capen, and Jonathan Greenwood, and Moses Edgell, and George Phipps, and William Hastings, and Ebenezer Stone, and James W. Brown, men as prudent, as faithful, as honest in the manage- ment of municipal affairs as of their own business. They accepted public trusts for the public good and the duties modestly assumed were faithfully performed. I would like to tell of the women of Framingham whose lives were a benediction to their generation. Goodly matrons who were the helpful leaders and gracious conservers of society, queens of hospitable homes, but earnest workers in deeds of mercy and charity. Their advice and co-operation was an inspiration and aid in all that made for the interest and improvement of the community. Many of them sleep in the "God's Acre,'' their labors adorned, but their works do follow them, graven deep in the social and religious life of the town. I could tell you of godly ministers who led their flocks with dignity and holy zeal ; of physicians as tender-hearted as they were skillful ; of lawyers of ready wit and eminent learning ; of soldiers who brought laurels home, or sleep on the fields of honor ; of men and women who have borne the Word of God to the islands of the east and west ; of a Christ- ian gentleman who opened the gates of China and ministered to sick body and sick soul ; of architects whose structures are models from Massachusetts to the Rockies ; of engineers who have constructed railroads and bridges from ocean to ocean ; of business men whose enterprise brought wealth with honors ; of farmers whose well-tilled fields were models in the school of agriculture ; of teachers, and scholars, and statesmen, and skilled artisans. Men and women of today, you have beautified and adorned your ancient town. On every hand are monuments of your thrift and enterprise. You have appropriated to your use and comfort the appliances of modern art and science. You have opened wide the doors of schools of every grade. You have ADDRESS OF SENATOR HOAR 173 gathered a treasury of books on tlie shelves of your free library. You are liberal in deeds of mercy and charity. You minister through skilled physician and gentle-handed nurse to the sick within the cheerful walls of your hospital. Peace is at thy wall and prosperity within thy gates. But across the chasm of two hundred years comes the call of brave men in the wilderness of your heritage for still higher and nobler works in the vindication of the old idea, the triumph of which shall weave the gospel of faith in God and lyove to man into the warp and woof of the life of Framingham. Just as Mr. Hurd was introduced by the President of the Day, and was making some introductory remarks welcoming old friends and old faces, he noticed Senator George F. Hoar upon the platform, and said : " It is my pleasure and I know the pleasure of all to see with us today the Senior Senator of Massachusetts. He is always welcome in Framingham, and we welcome him at this time, as a Concord boy. Concord is the elder sister of Framingham and we have always been proud to keep up the relationship. I know that you will be glad if I abbreviate my address so that we may have the opportunity to hear from Senator Hoar." At the conclusion of Mr. Kurd's address, the President of the Day presented the Senator to the audience, by whom he was received with great enthusiasm. The President. — We have as one of our guests today the Senior Senator of this Commonwealth in Congress and I know that all present will be pleased to hear from him, and I have the pleasure of introducing as our next speaker the Hon. George F. Hoar of Worcester. ADDRESS BY HON. GEORGE F. HOAR. I had congratulated myself on my own shrewdness in selecting for my visit to Framingham an hour when I could safely listen to other men and escape any demand on myself. 174 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY But I am glad, and feel highly honored by your cordial salu- tation. Certainly, there is no other more interesting occasion than this ; there is nothing like it on the face of the earth, — the celebration of the birthday of a New England town. Other lands have fair cities and ancient towns, each with its own honorable history. But the towns and cities of other lands are the work, the product, of but a few hands and a few brains. A New England town, a Massachusetts town, a Middlesex town, is the work of almost every man and woman within its borders. As you recall the wonderful growth of Framing- ham, as you recall her honorable and stainless history, each of you has a right to say when you think of yourself and your ancestry. It is I, it is I, who have helped to build up this fair structure. Now, fellow-citizens, the keynote of this occasion is not, after all, memory or retrospect ; it is hope. Our friend, the Orator of the Day, wisely and wittily told you what had been wrought by 22,500 Englishmen and women "at compound interest," as he expressed it. What do you think is to be wrought for humanity, righteousness, liberty and America in the next 200 years by the 12,000 men and women of beautiful Framingham, when they are put out at compound interest ? I am an old man : my life, short as it seems when I look over it, extends over considerably more than a third of the life of this ancient town. Yet, if I know myself, the one single passion which dwells in my bosom is the great Christian virtue of Hope, which includes Charity and Faith, which the great Apostle places as the centre of that great triumvirate, that mighty group which are forever to aVjide. I am full of hope for America, Massachusetts and humanity. It is sometimes said — I heard it said at a gathering only the other day — that the peculiarity of old men is that they dwell in the past, and that the peculiarity of young men is that they dwell in the future. I do not think so. It is perhaps the peculiarity of manhood — of healthy manhood everywhere and always — to dwell on the things which belong A THLE TIC E VENTS 1Y5 alike to the past, present and the future. If you will read the lives and sayings of the Puritans, of the men of the Revolution, of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Adams, you will be struck, if you read with that point in view, to see how absolutely they seem to contain nothing which speaks only to the generation to which they are addressed. Wash- ington's Farewell Address, the letters of Jefferson and Adams, the opening sentences of the Declaration of Independence, the wisdom of Franklin, seem as fresh, as sound today as on the day when they were uttered. They would have done as well for Athens or Rome as for America, and they will do as well today as then, and as well a thousand centuries hence as today. The opening sentences of the Declaration, the great maxims of Washington's address, the sermon that was uttered at Delft Haven, are all as young as the great doctrines they inculcate. They speak to us of two things — speak to old men and young men — to old countries and young countries — to the past and the future — two things that are to live in the life of a country or a city, or it can bear no life — RIGHTEOUSNESS AND LIBERTY. They were true at Delft Haven, they were true at Ply- mouth Rock, they were true at Concord, at Yorktown, at Appomattox — they were true at Santiago, and as sure as God liveth, they shall yet be true at Manila. At the conclusion of Senator Hoar's address, which was received with great enthusiasm, the entire audience, esti- mated at 5,000 people, rose and joined with the Bi-Centennial Chorus and Band in the familiar strains of " Auld Lang Syne." Following this the benediction was pronounced by the Rev. John F. Heffernan. ATHLETIC EVENTS. In the prize contest for silver cups at the links of the Framingham Golf Club on Pincushion Hill on Wednesday afternoon, there were eighteen contestants in the gentlemen's 176 TWO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y class and five in that of the ladies. First prizes were respect- ively won by Howard K. Brown, Esq., and Miss Margaret Kennard. At Wayside Park, Saxonville; there were several closely contested Bicycle Races. Local interest was mostly centred on the race for the one mile town championship which was won by Chas. N. Hargraves, F. G. Foster being second, and John Lavelle, third. Time 2 min. 41 3-5 sec. THE BANQUET. As the last and crowning event of Wednesday came the Bi-Centennial Banquet at the Armory. Under the efficient leadership of Chas. L. Curtis, the Committee on Banquet began its duties months before the event by selecting a handsome design for a souvenir plate to be used on this occasion. The design had for its centre piece a photo- gravure reproduction of the beautiful ivy covered Memorial Library at Framingham Centre, with its bronze statue of the " Minute Man " in the foreground. On either side of its rim, set in a floral wreath, were the town seal and a small cut of the stone building formerly occupied by the Framingham Academy. The order for fifteen hundred of these plates was placed with Jones, McDuffee & Stratton of Boston, English Wedgwood ware being selected. Each purchaser of a banquet ticket was entitled to a souvenir plate and those remaining were all sold for a like purpose. The decorations of the Armory were the same as had been put in place for the ball of the evening before, with the addition of bouquets of cut flowers which adorned the tables, and boutonnieres of roses for each participant. The arrangement of tables in the hall and the seating of guests was under the direction of Chief Usher Walter S. Leland. Seats were reserved for guests of the town, and tickets for the remaining capacity of the tables were early disposed of, the only vacant places being those assigned to guests who were not present. THE BANQUET 177 The following list does not repeat the names of invited guests, which have been already given, but is thought to be a correct list of townspeople who participated in the enjoy- able occasion. Mr. Samuel B. Bird, President of the Day. Mr. Walter Adams, Toastmaster . Mrs. Walter Adams. Mrs. H. C. Bachelder. Dr. S. O. Baldwin. Mr. Geo. A. Barrett. Dr. and Mrs. Geo. F. Beard. Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Belknap. Mr. and Mrs. S. F. Blodgett. Mrs. J. J. Boynton. Mr. and Mrs. C. T. Boynton. Mr. and Mrs. Luther Bridges. Miss Lillian Bridges. Miss E. M. W. Bridges. Dr. and Mrs. W. I. Brigham. Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Brophy. Mr. Melbert C. Brown. Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Brown. Mr. and Mrs. Mark J. Brown. Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Butter- worth. Mr. and Mrs. C. E. B. Chase. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. L- Clapp. Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Cloyes. Col. Albert Clark. Mr. Samuel Cochran. Dr. O. W. Collins. Mr. Andrew Coolidge. Mr. L. E. Coolidge. Mr. and Mrs. R. T. Cronin. Mr. Chas. L. Curtis. Mr. Jesse Curtis. Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Cutting. Mr. and Mrs. Jas. Daisley. Miss Louise C. Daisley. Miss Alice E. Daisley. Miss Mary Daisley. Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Daven- port. Mr. and Mrs. O. O. Davis. Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Davis. Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Eanies. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. H. Fames. Mr. and Mrs. C. Sidney Fames. Mr. E. L- Fames. Rev. L. R. Eastman. Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Eber. Rev. and Mrs. F. E. Emrich. Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Entwistle. Miss Rebecca Ephlin. Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Esty. Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Everit. Mr. Frank H. Fales. Miss Ella W. Fisk. Mr. and Mrs. A. H.' Fiske. Mrs. J. M. Fiske. Mr. and Mrs. A.M. Fitts. Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald. Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Folger. Mr. and Mrs. M. E. French. Mr. and Mrs. Chas. H. Fuller. Mrs. C. U. Fuller. Mrs. L. F. Fuller. 178 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Mr.and Mrs. JohnH. Goodell. Miss Florence Goodell. Mr. Wm. F. Gregory. Mr. and Mrs . C . E . Haberstroh . Mr. M. E. Hamilton. Mr. Jas. E. Hall. Mr. Chas. R. Harding. Mr. Edward C. Hardy. Mr. and Mrs. A. V. Harring- ton. Mr. J. Minot Harrington. Mr.andMrs.Wm. H.Hastings. Mr. Patrick Hayes. Dr. and Mrs. J. A. Hayes. Mrs. Wm. Hayward. Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Heath. Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Hearn. Rev. J. F. Heffernan. Mr. A. J. Hemenway. Mr. and Mrs. F. E. Hemen- way. Mr. C. A. Hemenway. Miss Helen M. Hills. Mr. and Mrs. J. S. M. Holly. Miss H. B. Hodge. Mr. and Mrs. F. B. Home. Mr. H. M. Howe. Mr. and Mrs. Willard Howe. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Hoyt. Mr. and Mrs. O. W. Humes. Rev. and Mrs. Geo. E. Hunt- ley. Rev. and Mrs. Franklin Hutchinson. Miss Florence Hutchinson. Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Johnson. Mr. Abner Jones. Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Jones. Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Kingman. Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Kings- bury. Mr. and Mrs. A. D. Leland. Mr. Ira L. Lewis. Mr. and Mrs. J. A. lyightbody. Mr. H. J. Lucas. Mr. Chas. P. Mason. Mrs. A. F. Mason. Maj. and Mrs. I. N. Marshall. Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Martin. Mr. Jas. E. McGrath. Capt.and Mrs.J. S. McNeilly. Mr. and Mrs. C.J.McPherson. Miss Lucy McPherson. Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Merriam. Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Merriam. Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Merrill. Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Meserve. Mrs. A. T. Metcalf. Miss Irene Metcalf. Mr. J. R. H. Moore. Dr. and Mrs. W. R. Morrow. Mr. Wm. Nicholson. Rev. and Mrs. L. A. Nies. Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Oaks. Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Overhiser. Dr. and Mrs. L. M. Palmer. Miss Gertrude Palmer. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Parker. Mr. W. D. Parlin. Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Pease. Mr. Sidney A. Phillips. Miss Mary E. Phillips. Mr. J. S. Phillips. Mrs. F. E. Phinney. Mr. F. E. Porter. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Potter. Dr. Frances W. Potter. Mr. W. H. Pratt. ^^^mi FRAMmCHAn-BICEiniEmiAL !i JVNE-XIIIS • A-D-nDCCCC P ^ ^^ COVER OF BANQUET MENU FRONT COVER OF BANQUET MENU BACK •snopBJlsniiT sb aaAiS aq ni*^ pn^ uo^sog jo nasqi S SjApnl Xq uMBjp aja^ pjBO nn3K aqi Jo j3aoo aq; joj suSisap araospnBq aqj, ■Ij/Uvj -jjio 'CBA^nn-ji — •HD'HVH ■jpztff • nam JB3 — "NOiioalSS ■s44ns -atloiaJlsnaixpn-Ea — -axni^aAO ■p3;D3I3S — •aixaiJstmQ onisxS ■^gpuvjSug- -sjapnno-a aqx — NOiXDaiag ■pounoQ ,,-isnBi[,, niojj — -oisriH xallvg ■ssnvufs •spooAY ^nnajA mojj sax^x — "zxlVAV. x-aaoNOO ■jA9qA9jj • jaamv aqx — •KOioraaias ■vpa vp^ -pid^sni atjosiJBSan. — •H'aax'aaAO ■fj.3qj.9H 'X-^TO SniSnig — -HD-avw •WVHGOHd ■joionpnoo 'sjaMoa: pjbmoh 'H 'noisog jo Bj^saqojQ .SJ3MOJ Xq paqsiujnj sbav noiSBooo aqi joj oisn]?t •suiBiitt^ -y -Q -sjj^ pnB upi •Ainqpoo_^-S'S -sJHPnB uh •qonxAi "H "H 'S-iH pn^ "-tH •UBTUiiqTv^ -j^ -J -Aa-a ■qspm 'd sauiBf UK •q^jOM. -spB^ "V 'O^O 'S^H pnB uj^ •qsiBW^ "H -m -SJH Pn^ •JR •o;apxA -H 'X 'S-iH P«b ■-iW •oiapjA 'D "M 'S^H pnB ui^[ ■qSinqnaJi^BA hba 'i'i '-tK •jCiqraoAix 'I'd 'SIM •X^quiOMx-a'H 'S-iH pnB uh ■aSpiiqAiojx-O"0'SJH pnBUH •SIABJX XBXinj\[ -Q 'sjj^ puB uj^ •jaMOx -H -m •SJM ■jaXBqx "a: "D "S-iW pnB uh •a^dtnajL 'H nqof -sjh P^^ 'JH •nBAt^ng aoBjQ ssijii •uBAinng -1^ "o '^nail ■nBMg -Q -y -sjj^ puB -jj^ •suaAajs'J, 'oao 'S-iK pnB -jj^ •snjBa;s "a "V '^Yi •SUJB31S "O "a '-iH •sa^dBis 'O 'S 'S-iH P^b uh ■Xdb;s "i -pi -JH •anSBjdg -3 um •anSBjdg -g; -^ -sjh puB um •anSBjdg "h 'a '^K ■q;xnis "H 'niM. "Ji^ •llBins -y -oao -Aa-g •uosdinis -3 -g: uj^ ■nonuBqs 'f -j^; -jj^ •paa^ -y -oaQ -sjh puB -jj^ ■uosvraqo-a piabq'sjh puBuj^ •^aiPra 'O -H -XH •MBJJ -K -^ •SJI\[ puB -XYl MBij "H -JH 6ix xsrnd/\fvs 3hx 180 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Messrs. T. D. Cook & Co. of Boston, caterers, served the following menu : CONSOMME RADISHES BRBADSTICKS LOBSTER A LA NKWBURG CUCUMBERS ROAST FILLET OF BBEF, MUSHROOM SAUCE STRING BEANS POTATO DELMONICO APRICOT FRITTERS TOMATO AND LETTUCE SALAD OLIVES SALTED ALMONDS ASSORTED FANCY CAKE FROZEN PUDDING BISCUIT GLACE SMALL FANCY ICES STRAWBERRIES CRACKERS SWISS CHBESB COFFEE NOBSCOT SPRING WATER The divine blessing was invoked by Frederick E. Emrich, D.D. After an hour or more had been given to the enjoyment of the viands and the music, the company was called to order by the President of the Day, who briefly introduced Walter Adams Esq., as Toastmaster, and the latter assumed charge of further proceedings. THE LITERARY EXERCISES. The Presidbnt. — As we are nearing the close of our Bi-Centennial I wish to thank the members of the Committee, and all others who have helped to make it a success, and I now have the most pleasant part of my duties, to turn over the exercises to the toastmaster of the evening ; and it gives me pleasure to introduce to you as toastmaster our fellow- citizen, ex-representative Walter Adams, Esq. WALTER ADAMS, TOASTMASTER. Mr. President, Reverend Clergy, and Ladies and Gentlemen : I thank you for this very kind reception. Of the many honors THE BANQUET 181 heretofore conferred upon me, by the Town of Framingham, none has touched me more deeply or awakened in me a more profound sense of gratitude than the honor you have con- ferred upon me by making me, through your Committee the toastmaster of your Bi-Centennial Banquet — an honor which you can confer but once, and upon but one. I do not propose to trouble you with any speech now. There is a long list of gentlemen here to whom it will be your privilege to listen, and to whom such time as can be given to speaking tonight belongs. I^et me only say this, — that in the course of forty-five years' residence here it has been my privilege sooner or later to come in contact with almost every member of this community. Those with whom I have not come in contact are very few. If there is any one in the whole Town of Framingham tonight with whom for any reason, and to whom for any reason or for any cause I heretofore have been a stranger, or who has heretofore been a Stranger to me, I beg that hereafter we be strangers no longer. Mr. Chairman, I^adies and Gentlemen, again I thank you. The first toast of the evening is the " United States of America." As is proper and befitting, the exercises of this evening have been opened with an expression of our devotion and our loyalty to almighty God. Next to our devotion and our loyalty to almighty God should come our devotion and our loyalt3' to our common country ; a country great, rich, free, prosperous, happy and reunited, the beacon light of the world, and the guiding star of the nations. That great ship of State in which are embarked the hopes of humanity, for the enlightenment, the civilization and the freedom of the world. And so I give you all — " The ship of State ; Freedom's great venture is her precious freight ; God speed her, keep her, bless her as she steers Amidst the breakers of the coming years. Lead her through dangerous seas with even keel, And ever guide the hand that holds the wheel." It was expected by your committee that Col. Charles K. Darling of the 6th Mass. Regt. and United States Marshal 182 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY for the District of Massachusetts would be here to respond to this toast, but at the last moment this telegram has been received : " Have found it impossible to get away and think better not now to come at the eleventh hour. Therefore thanks for kind invitation." As we are disappointed in any response to this toast, I will ask the band to play " America " and the audience to rise. "America " played by the orchestra, the audience standing. The next toast in the order of the evening is the Common- wealth of Massachusetts — pledged to religion, liberty, and law, and ever in the front rank of progress and enterprise ; may her sons, wherever their abiding place, give her their constant, earnest support, and thereby endeavor to prove that love of country and devotion to the cause of truth and liberty are characteristic of those whose homes and hearts are in the old Bay State. It was expected that the Governor of the Commonwealth would respond to this toast, and that the Speaker of the House of Representatives would respond to the toast of ' ' The Great and General Court ; ' ' but unfortunately the Governor of the Commonwealth is absent tonight, and therefore I shall ask the Speaker of the House of Representatives to respond to the toast — The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I have the honor and pleasure of introducing to you the Honorable James J. Myers, Speaker of the House of Repre- sentatives of Massachusetts. SPEECH OF HON. JAMES J. MYERS. Mr. Myers said in part : Mr. Toastmaster and Ladies and Gentlemen of Framing ham, and Invited Guests : A man needs a gifted tongue on any occasion, and with the most elaborate preparation, to speak for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A man who should undertake to sum up in a ten-minute speech, which my friend tells me is the utmost limit I can THE BANQUET 183 have, — who should undertake to sum up in a sentence or two that wealth of proud and historic memories that makes the history of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without even speaking of her glorious present or her wonderfully promising future, would indeed have a theme which no tongue could equal. He would have to begin way back where my friend Olin is going to begin, in the colonial days and times, and tell the proud history of the heroic deeds of the early founders ; he would go back some seventy or eighty years beyond the incorporation of your town, which is two hundred years old, and he would tell of the struggles and sacrifices that attended those early days in the wilderness, and that attended all those earlier years of the Commonwealth. He would see those men and those women whose lives so well illustrate what was written, as I remember it, upon the entablature of that beautiful peristyle there at Chicago, in the "White City"— " But bolder they who first off-cast their mooring from the habitable path, and ventured chartless on a sea of storm." Those were the leaders who brought to these shores the first chart — the first charter, the seed, the beginning of so much the world has reason to be proud of, and for which it has reason to be so thankful. He is an American with dull imagination, and with little fervor of patriotism, who can even think of those days without being filled with a wealth of imagination as he thinks of those struggles, and of that striving and effort to plant what they planted — he is, I say, a dull man who is not fired with such a thought. But he is a prosy man indeed who looks at Massachusetts as she is today, and thinks she is made up merely of a set of money-making and hard working citizens. The man who sees her as she is sees so much more. He sees her growing wealth and prosperity, her happy citizens in cities and villages ; and he sees that bound up in her is the promise of the future. He knows, if he knows the history of his country, that Massachusetts has led from the first ; that she has been in the van of states in everything that made for human uplifting and human progress. He knows that her 184 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY General Court — and I venture to touch upon that for a moment — that her General Court, after all criticisms have been uttered, after all jokes have been made, is still the body that passes more legislation that becomes real leading legis- lation — a guide and landmark for other states — than any other legislature in this country. Massachusetts with her many children, one of whom is two hundred years old today — Framingham — is proud and happy. She sits here today, as she has ever since her government was founded, looking upon a past of which she gradually grows more and more proud as the years go by ; looking at the present with a calm, determined view ; looking into the future with her eyes lifted high, her face lighted by the sun of a bright and a prosperous and a glowing future ; and believing that the best that can come to Americans citizens comes to those who dwell within the borders of the old Commonwealth . I should prefer to have confined myself to my own topic ; — my duty fell along other lines ; I have dealt with it as I could ; — but one thing I know we are all sure of — that we believe in Massachusetts, we have every confidence, and we have every hope in her future ; and we believe when another century shall have rolled over Massachusetts and Fram- ingham the people will gather as they gather today in far greater numbers, and perhaps in a more prosperous and happy condition, to look back to this day and forward to another two hundred years of prosperity under the flag we see everywhere about, still singing the old hymn that has been sung so many years "America — my country 'tis of thee." The Toastmaster. — The United States Navy has given to the nation the names of Paul Jones, Bainbridge, Decatur, Preble, Porter, Dupont, Farragut, Balch, Sampson, Schley and Dewey. There is no prouder name in the annals of Framingham than the name of Train, and the Town of Framingham has given to the United States Navy the name of Train. It was hoped that Captain Charles J. Train of the battleship Frederick E. Emrich, D.D. Walter Adams, Toast Master Rev. John F. Heffernan John P. Brophv THE BANQUET 185 Massachusetts," of the United States Navy, would be here tonight to respond to the toast — " The Navy of the United states," but he is unavoidably absent in obedience to orders from the Navy Department; and I shall ask Mr. John M. Merriam to read his letter to you. (t,etter from Capt. Train.) League Island Navy Yard. Phii^adelphia, May 9th, 1900. My dear Sir : I have to thank you for your kind invitation to the banquet on the 13th of June. If I can possibly be present, I will, but of course I am always subject to orders from the Navy Department, so that I cannot promise to be anywhere a month ahead. I consider it a great compliment to be asked and I hope you will thank the members of the Committee for so kindly remembering me. Yours truly, C. J. TRAIN. (The Toastmaster continues.) We have heard from the Orator of the Day and the Historian of the Day of the Fram- ingham of the past. Of the Framingham which beginning with a handful of pioneer settlers, grew gradually into, and was for nearly a whole century mostly an agricultural community, with a population of purely New England nativity, one meeting-house sufficing for the whole town. Wondrous changes have come over the Town of Framing- ham in the recollection of many not yet to be called old. Agricultural pursuits have given place to trade and manu- facture, and the names and faces of many foreign-born have become familiar in our streets, and in our schools and homes. But with all this diversity of occupation there has come to us a fuller, richer, more varied and diversified life than our fathers ever knew. " We are proud of our town and her fast growing figure, The warp and the woof of her brain and her hands, But we 're proudest of all that her heart has grown bigger. And warin.s with fresh blood as her girdle expands." 186 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY There is no man who knows the present Town of Fram- ingham better, or who can tell us more about it than the present chairman of the Selectmen, and I ask John H. Goodell, Esq., Chairman of the Selectmen, to respond for — "The Framingham of Today." SPEECH OF MR. GOODELL. Mr. Toastmaster ^ Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen : — I consider it a very high honor to have the privilege, as chairman of the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Fram- ingham, of bidding you welcome to this banquet and to our Bi-centennial celebration, and such welcome in behalf of this town I most heartily extend to you, one and all. I am asked to speak on " Framingham of Today." Let us first take a glance at the Framingham of seventy-five years ago, when the town began to be a business centre and seemed to her citizens of those days to be entering upon a remarkable period of growth and activity. The first historian of Framingham writing in 1827, says, "The ad- ditions of buildings and increase of business in the Centre of the town ' ' — there was no South Framingham then — ' ' must be highly gratifying to all well-wishers of our improvement." He also wrote "Thirty years ago (1797), a barn-like meeting-house designated the Center in comparative solitude, having no other associate, for nearly half a mile in every direction, than an old hatter's shop of coeval date. Now that old, ugly building is replaced by a modern fabric. The number of dwelling houses in this half mile radius is now thirty-two, and the houses of entertainment two, and if we may believe travelers, quite accommodating and highly respectable." " With nine commodious buildings, mostly two story, which can accommodate about three times the number of mechanics." The buildings thus described, with the outlying farms and homesteads of the town, a small woolen factory at Saxonville, and a few grist mills and saw mills made up the Framingham of seventy-five years ago. The same historian says : — " The number of inhabitants here for a long series of THE BANQUET 187 years was somewhat more than a thousand, but within a short period has risen to about two thousand, five hundred." Now compare this with the Framingham of today. At this period, Framingham has a population of nearly twelve thousand souls, and an assessed valuation of nearly ten million dollars. In point of health, statistics prove Fram- ingham to be one of the healthiest towns in the state. No town affords better educational advantages than Fram- ingham. The State Normal school is located here and we maintain an admirable high school with a large corps of able and eflScient teachers ; also 50 graded and 5 ungraded schools, employing 60 teachers. We also maintain a free public library of over 22,000 volumes. The town is noted for its roads and drives, with beautiful scenery and landscapes of hill and dale, forest and plain, through which course winding streams and rivers. As a railway centre, Framingham has unsurpassed facili- ties. Steam and electric roads all converge here from the north and south, and east and west. Of the two ' ' public houses ' ' of seventy-five years ago, one still exists and is still a prosperous hostelry, while we have now in addition four large hotels, with several smaller ones. The manufacturing industries of Framingham are nu- merous, varied and substantial. Of these the Dennison Manufacturing Company may be called the "backbone," being known the world over and furnishing employment at its plant in this town alone to 1400 operatives. Our other principal industries are the Gregory-Shaw Co., employing at present about 600 hands and the Saxonville Mills at Saxon- ville, where toil nearly 500 persons. We have two factories for the production of straw goods and numerous smaller industries manufacturing goods of various kinds, which swell the general volume of business, and give employment to our citizens. We have five post-ofiices, one national and two savings banks. The news of the day is disseminated in the columns of one daily and two weekly newspapers. Our streets are well lighted with electricity, and the Fram- ingham Electric Co., and the Framingham Gas, Fuel and 188 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Power Co., furnish excellent lighting service in our public buildings and homes. One feature of our town deserving special mention is its extensive and thoroughly equipped fire-alarm system and fire department. I venture to assert that no town in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts can show a better dis- ciplined, more efficient, or braver body of firemen than Framingham's finest. No words can express the thanks due the firemen from the town for the skill and daring shown by them on several occasions in the extinguishing of fires which threatened to prove disastrous to our community. I ought not to omit to mention our water supply, which is pure and wholesome. It has, since its introduction in 1885, proven to be an important factor in the growth and develop- ment of the town. But, perhaps, the one thing which has contributed most to our present prosperity is our sewage disposal system, con- structed in 1888. In spite of the forebodings and predictions to the contrary, the system has proved a perfect success, and has been pronounced the model system of its kind in the world, by prominent engineers and by the State Board of Health. To this system alone is due the fact that South Framingham today can show so many large and successful business enter- prises. This system, too, has been largely instrumental in improving the health conditions of the town, not only by re- moving all sewage contamination from our sources of water supply, but also by means of its underdrains reducing the general water level, and rendering localities dry and healthful, which were before wet and unwholesome. I believe that not even yet have our citizens arrived at that stage of apprecia- tion of the benefits and importance of these underdrains. The Town of Framingham denied the advantage of a common business centre, is today a healthy, happy and prosperous community, in which the different villages are as children of one family, differing in temperament and dis- position, but bound each to the other by a strong fraternal tie. Framingham Centre is like the eldest child, staid, dignified and secure in all substantial matters. Saxonville, the youngster, who started out in life healthy, met with ad- THE BANQUET 189 versity that for a time stunted growth and threatened its life, yet today finds itself regaining its strength and with new vigor bids fair to become a strong athlete. South Fram- ingham, a feeble child at birth, but basking in the sunshine of advantages denied the others, has outstripped them in growth, which as a result creates necessities, that in order to maintain self-respect, foster ambition and stimulate the power of-the-man-to-be, must not be denied. This, Mr. Toastmaster, is the unity of Framingham today, and we are proud of this unity, and proud of the high moral tone and standing of our town ; proud of our many churches, of our hospital and other charities ; proud of our material and business advantages; proud of the peace and good order which prevail within our borders ; proud of the reputation for high character and integrity of our business and professional men ; proud of the devotion and patriotism of the sons of Framing- ham as manifested in the Revolution, in the Civil War and in the War with Spain ; proud of the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of our town ; and proud that we have in our town such a goodly heritage to be transmitted to our children. At no time in a man's life does he feel more satisfaction in reviewing the past than when after years of toil, he finds himself enjoying moderate prosperity and feels the strength and knowledge born of experience that seems to assure further success. The Town of Framingham stands today on the selfsame plane. We remember with satisfaction the 200 years of steady growth, and realize today that the struggles of the early settlers, and the courage and unity of our citizens in all the past, together with the progressive spirit that dominates the town as a whole, places us where we must go forward and never go back. We may turn the leaves of past history for help and inspiration, but the word of the present must be "forward." The sentiment of Edward Everett Hale should be our own : — To look up, and not down, To look forward, and not back, To look out, and not in — and To lend a hand. 1 90 TIVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y The Toastmaster. — The next toast is — ' ' The Blessings our Fathers have bequeathed, and the Duties they have enjoined." In the midst of the enjoyment of our many blessings and privileges as the citizens of the Town of Framingham, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the United States of America, we should not forget that for those blessings and privileges we are indebted to our fathers, who have gone before us, and that they have been bequeathed with the sacred injunction that they be preserved and transmitted intact to' those who shall come after us. May the sacred trust never be betrayed, and in the future may our children's children look back to us with the same gratitude that we render to those who have gone before us. Let us ever remember our obligations to our fathers for the blessings they have bequeathed, " lest we forget " the duties they have therewith enjoined. I ask a son of Framingham, a citizen of the Empire State, the Honorable John P. Brophy, to respond to this toast. ADDRESS BY HON. JOHN P. BROPHY. Mr. Toastmaster and Ladies and Gentlemen : Standing in this distinguished presence, and on this grand commemora- tive celebration, my first impulse is to express the gratitude that wells from my heart to you, Mr. Toastmaster, and to you, my old fellow-townsmen and friends, who, by your gracious invitation, have made it my happy privilege, as one of Framingham's truant sons, to behold once more the hallowed scenes of my boyhood days, to tread once more these familiar streets, to greet once more these green-clad hills, to listen with rapture once again to the sweet bells that, from yonder church towers, ring out their melody upon the throbbing air, to join with you one and all in giving joyful utterance to the sentiments of pride, of praise and of exulta- tion with which every heart in Framingham is jubilant today. To give fitting response to ' ' The Blessings our Fathers have bequeathed and the Duties they have enjoined," even had I the ability, were an impossible task within the few moments the proprieties of this festivity prescribe. No THE BANQUET 191 words of man could suitably portray the enterprise, the courage, the heroism, the sacrifice of the fair women and brave men, who, more than two centuries ago, sundered the sacred ties that had bound them to their ancestral homes, endured the agony of embittered exile, braved the dangers of ocean's depths, faced the rigors of inhospitable shores and the priva- tions of the primeval forest, to the end that then and forever- more might be enjoyed that most inestimable of Heaven's gifts — freedom to worship God. Through toil, through hardship, through sacrifice, your fathers established here a community in which were realized the glorious dreams of law, of order, of justice, of civil and religious liberty, that had inspired the noble signers of the immortal covenant of the Mayflower. In leveling the forest and making the fields to smile, your fathers gave dignity to labor. In conferring the sufirage upon every man worthy of its exercise, they gave dignity to manhood. In making religion the corner-stone of the little red schoolhouse on the hill, they consecrated and sanctified education. In sending from every valley a spire heaven- ward from a house of prayer, they emphasized their first great public declaration : ' ' We will in all things wait upon God." Your fathers trusted in Providence, they confided in humanity, they believed in the home and in the virtues that make and adorn the fireside, they gave proclamation to truths eternal, they erected here the temple of hereditary liberty upon the ruins of hereditary rule. We read in Proverbs that " The glory of children is their fathers," and if ever the words of the sacred text were duly exemplified, surely they were so exemplified in the lives and in the deeds of the founders of this grand old town. Blessings manifold have they bequeathed to their posterity ; but what- ever the measure of the material inheritance may be — even though it equal the fabled magnificence of Ormus and of Ind — yet not upon it rests their title-deed to glory, but rather does it rest upon the three great principles they established and sustained — the equality of right, the unity of interests, the brotherhood of duty. 182 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Differ as we may, and differ in details as some of us do, yet, in the great fundamentals we are all one ; and, true to the duty and to the inspiration of the hour, we are all here, from near and from far, heart vibrating to heart and hand clasping hand, all united in paying to the great men and noble women who founded this town the unbounded homage of our gratitude, of our admiration and of our love. Today, citizens, perhaps more than ever before, have we imperative need to recall and to enforce the great fundamental truths so ardently cherished by those who have consecrated to conscience this great Commonwealth. "The American system," says Rousseau," is a government for gods and not for men." In this there is a measure of truth and a note of warning. Hence the vital importance of holding fast to the principles your fathers so much prized : for the blending of individual consciences forms the public conscience, public conscience makes our laws, and the laws control. Take con- science from the ballot-box, let the people forget country, for- get citizenship in blind adherence and blind obedience to party and to party rule, let votes have their price, and legis- lation its market value, then our government — the grandest and best under heaven when enlightened conscience directs — will become at once the unbridled instrument of selfish wrong, of lawless licentiousness, of oligarchical rule. In striking antithesis to the manly humility, the austere simplicity, and the unpurchasable integrity of your fathers, the fabulous growth of fortunes, the prevalence of luxury, the ostentation of display, the power of privilege, the com- bination in a handful of men of the enormous material forces and resources of the country, constitute, in our day, a grave peril, a standing and ever-growing menace to the freedom, to the happiness, to the integrity of the people. Now, the one great central truth to which your fathers ever tenaciously clung, and upon which we must insist, is, that Manhood and not Mammon, constitutes the wealth and the strength of the Republic. Not Mammon but Manhood conceived and wrote the immortal covenant of the Mayflower ; not Mammon but Manhood met kingly power at Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill ; not Mammon but Manhood gave heart of hope THE BANQUET 193 to the freezing and starving patriots of Valley Forge, and smote tyranny's pretentious hosts upon the field of historic Yorktown; not Mammon but Manhood swept the seas in 1812 ; not Mammon but Manhood struck the chains from four million slaves in '63; and in '98, not Mammon but Manhood, through the fire and smoke and hail of hostile hosts, charged fearlessly up the heights of El Caney and San Juan and planted ' ' Old Glory ' ' in triumph on the Cuban hills. Under the Asiatic despotisms and the turbulent democ- racies of the olden days, there were rights of the State, rights of the citizen, but never the rights of man. So, to the materialism of our day Manhood has no ethical significance. But your glorious ancestors taught the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, the immeasurable value of the human soul ; and to their high ideal must we ascend if we are to properly cherish and to properly guard the priceless heritage they have bequeathed. Against the standard of deadly materialism we must raise high the standard of the Decalogue and the Sermon on the Mount. The great task before the world today, the great duty en- joined, is the re-organization of industrial economy upon an ethical basis, even as, two centuries ago, your fathers re- organized upon an ethical basis the rights, the duties, the prerogatives of the civil power. To the absurd claims of Mammon must we give the crushing blow given by your fathers to the equally absurd claims of kings and dynasties to rule by " right divine," if, in this fair land, freedom is to be preserved, if the dignity of manhood is to be maintained, if the sacred ties of family life are to be perpetuated, if justice is to prevail in public as in private life, if the flag of our country is to continue to wave over a people free, indepen- dent, prosperous, virtuous and happy ; and not over a multitude of embruted, embittered, despairing and desperate industrial slaves. And now, sons of Framingham, one last word, mayhap the last my lips shall ever publicly utter in this illustrious town : As we now close the door upon the centuries past, and turn to face the duties of the century to come, let this solemn occasion be, to one and all, an hour sacred to memory and to hope. 13 194 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Oh, sons of Framingham, cherish, I adjure you, the sacred memories of the past, hold fast to the manifold blessings your fathers have bequeathed, be true to the duties they have enjoined, transmit to the generations to come the words of wisdom, the examples of virtue, the supremacy of con- science, that constitute your invaluable inheritance ; and when it shall come your time to join the great spirits who have gone before, you may depart, rejoicing in the blessed assurance that, in the grand constellation of towns that bedeck the Massachusetts sky, dear old Framingham shall forever shine, radiant as the evening star, resplendent as the joyous sunrise of an Easter morning. The Toastmaster. — We had hoped that the Rev. Frederick L. Hosmer, the Poet of the Day, might be present here this evening, but he is unable to be present, and has written a letter of regret which I will ask the Vice-Presi- dent of the Committee of Thirty- three, John M. Merriam, to read. 2427 Channing Way, Berkley, Cal., May 29, 1900. Mr. Sidney A. Phillips, Chairman of Committee on Invita- tions, Bi-Centennial Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of Framingham.. My Dear Sir : This morning's mail brings me the invitation of your Committee to be present, as guest of the Town, at the commemorative festival to be held on the thirteenth day of June. I much appreciate the honor thus shown me, and I heartily wish that it were in my power to accept the invitation ; but this pleasure I must forego. I was born in the town, and there I passed a happy boyhood and youth. I knew well its roads and by-ways. I have followed its streams and roamed over its hills. I learned where and when the wild flowers blossomed. In the crisp October air I have nutted in its woods and, if confessions be in order, in its open pastures of more private preserve. I attended its schools, from the old-time "District" school to the High THE BANQUET 195 School, and can count one term at the old Academy, before it was merged in the High School. From this last I entered Harvard College. I feel that I owe my native town much in many ways. Like other old " Academy " towns of Mass- achusetts it was a town of exceptional culture. I recall its sturdy and intelligent citizenship — in the professions, so call- ed, in business, on the well-kept farms, and in various handi- crafts. I recall those earlier town-meetings, types of genuine democracy, wherein mother-wit and practical judgment found expression alike tinder broadcloth and the long blue frock. I recall noble and gracious women, not a few, of my child- hood and youth. I recall the varied educational features of the town, and the interest taken in them ; its churches, its " lyceum," its winter-courses of public lectures, its "dis- trict" libraries, leading to its present excellent Public I/ibrary. All these things witnessed to the stock whence the citizenship was descended, and maintained the worthy traditions of earlier days. These traditions and this inheritance are surely worthy of grateful commemoration. I rejoice with you all in this com- memorative festival. At that time I shall be one of a camping party in the Yosemite valley ; but amid the grandeur of those cleft domes and peaks my thought will turn with yours in commemoration of the moral grandeur that went to the making of our historic New England communities ; for may we not all say with Emerson, " Well I know, no mountain can measure with a perfect man." With sincere thanks for the very kind remembrance shown me by your Committee, and with regret that I cannot be present with you to share in this Bi-Centennial of my native Town, I am Yours very truly, FREDERICK L. HOSMER. The Toastmaster. — The next toast is "The Judiciary of Massachusetts." This celebration would be entirely in- complete without some tribute to the legal profession, to which Framingham has contributed able men and honorable names. It is suflScient to mention only the names of Charles 196 Tff^O HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY R. Train, lawyer and legislator, George H. Gordon, lawyer and soldier, Franklin Fisk Hurd, whose legal works are regarded as classics on both sides of the Atlantic, and the Orator of the Day, for twenty-nine years Clerk of Courts for this County. Framingham has never given a Judge to our Supreme or to our Superior Court, but the County of Middlesex has given many able men to both those Courts. One of the Judges of the Supreme Judical Court honors us by his presence here tonight, and I ask the Honorable Mr. Justice Hammond to respond to the toast — "The Judiciary of Massachusetts." ADDRESS OF HON. JOHN W. HAMMOND. Mr. Toastmaster , Ladies and Gentlemen : — When I was asked to appear here and make some remarks — for I do not pretend that what I say I have not thought about — I was reminded of the story of a Methodist minister up in New Hampshire. Now I never knew why it is that all these singular stories about ministers are confined to that de- nomination, but they seem to be almost entirely. He was endeavoring to show his congregation that it was important for them to prepare for that great judgment scene, which he had so often described to them, and in trying to impress it upon their minds that it was important to seek in this world by their good acts and deeds to propitiate the judge who was to pass the sentence ; and coming a little closer to his argument, and making a little closer application, he said, "My friends, do as you would if you were to have a case tried in this world. What would you do if you had such a case? You would make friends with the Judge." And that was what I supposed it was likely this town might do. I knew of no present event in its history which would be likely to suggest that idea, but I run over the history of the town the other day, and I found one or two entries in it which satisfied me that this Committee has been examining history also. In 1733 — I hate to speak of these things — but with that degree of impartiality which is expected of those who stand THE BANQUET 197 in places similar to that in which I stand, having heard so much in praise of the ancestry of this town, I think it is well to mention one or two entries I found in history which satisfied me that you have a long-headed Committee of preparation. In 1733 this town was indicted for not having a decent house of public worship. The trouble was not because they were so irreligious, but because they were so anxious about it that they could not agree where to put it. In 1748 or 1750 this town was indicted for not having a suitable grammer school, and paid a fine of eleven pounds seven shillings ; and thereafter the records are full of votes to build schoolhouses. A year or two after this indictment for not having a house of public worship I read in the town records that seven persons were appointed a committee to prepare suitable things for the raising of a meeting-house, and among those suitable things were three barrels of rum, three barrels of cider, five barrels of beer, and such meat and other articles as were needed ; and then follows a sentence which shows the shrewdness of our ancestors, as well, perhaps, as some of the customs of the times — when they say that the committee are to see to it that nobody partakes of these things at the raising except those who help do the raising. When I look at the ancestry of New England I prefer to look at them as they are, with all their peculiarities, with all their faults, if you please, for they had them ; and I always delight in picturing before me that life which was lived in New England by the yeomanry of that New England two hundred years ago. And the life was the same, whether you were the celebrated town of Ipswich in the County of Essex, Rochester in the County of Plymouth, or Fram- ingham in the County of Middlesex. What manner of men were they that got up in the morning here and went to bed at night ? They would all have been asleep at this time two hundred years ago. Have you ever tried to picture it ? What time did they get up in the morn- ing ; what did they have for breakfast ; and how in the world did the good house-wife cook it ; what did they have 1 98 riVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y on the table for dishes ; how did they light the fire ; how did they keep it in cold weather ; and what did they do when it went out ? What time in the day did the man and his family go to work ; what time did they sit down to breakfast ; and you may be sure there was a large table there, and well surrounded with children. If he ploughed where did he get his plough? If he hoed, where did he get his hoe? If he raked where did he get his rake ? How did he tell what time it was ; and when he got through with his work what in the world did he find to amuse himself with ? I never feel satisfied to know any man or woman until I find out how they pass the time when not at work — I want to find what their recreations are. What were the recreations of our ancestors? I never tire of asking these questions, and I wonder why it is that somebody, in all the town histories of the Commonwealth, has not reproduced in its minutest detail the actual life — not the figurative life we get so much excited over — but the actual life which was led by the men and women of those times in its minutest detail. He who could write that up and put it before us in all its vividness would write a book which would be read by all. As Rufus Choate said more than sixty years ago — "What we want is a corps of novelists who in their stories drawn from the pictures of that time will show us, and bring to us, all the life which those men and women led." They were wonderful men and women — wonderful when you come to take their faults into consideration. They were earnest men ; the peculiarity of the period was earnestness. There was not much time for anything else. The woman was occupied in the duties of the household ; frequently she had a large number of children, and undoubtedly had to make whatever bread they had to eat with a child under the left arm, supported by the hip. The men — many of them — had no time as we have for recreation : it was an earnest life, hard to live. They also had the sense to see that it was important to know how to read, write, and cipher. I doubt if they ever reflected much upon the consequences of their act ; they were content to lead their simple lives in their simple way, THE BANQUET 199 and let the consequences take care of themselves. They builded better than they knew. And they were a God-fearing race. I do not know but that we are just as good as they were in that respect, but I sometimes have my doubts ; and I am inclined to think that if one of them was to live in these present times he would consider the race degenerated. They were a law-abiding race, as every race is which is intelligent and which is religious. If one of our ancestors had seen in the street a police officer — no, they didn't have them ; it was the constable or something like that — if he had seen one of them in conflict with a man, instinctively, without asking a question, he would have gone to the assistance of the officer ; and that, ladies and gentlemen, that little incident would indicate the law-abiding nature of the community. I often think I should like to see the old church, the old church in this town, or any other town, that was indicative of the period, with the men and women ranged on one side and the other ; with the slaves — or a place for them if there were slaves ; for in this town, as in many of the Commonwealth, the place for the slaves was in the gallery. And the old tithing-man looking at every boy and girl, to see that not a smile came on their faces whatever happened. And your records will show a vote by this town that if an unruly boy or girl in church did not respond quickly to one stamp by the tithing-man (the clap of the foot upon the floor) then his name was to be called. Why, those old and curious incidents, gentlemen — I always take up too much time when I get to talking on them. (A voice — " Go on, go on ") No — I won't go on. I only want to say that if two hundred years from now our de- scendents can say so much in praise of us, and so little in adverse criticism, as we can say of our ancestors of two hundred years ago — safe will be our memory. The Toastmaster. — The next toast is — "Colonial Days and Times. " It is very difficult for us to realize the condition of our Town in the days of its early history ; 200 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY its trackless forests, impassable swamps, and unbridged streams; its few dwellings widely scattered and rude in construction ; the primitive, monotonous mode of life, the con- stant dread of wild beasts and Indians, the incessant vigilance which was the price of life. As time went on the wild beasts and Indians disappeared, but it was long before life became what we should term worth living. There is present with us tonight an honored official of Massachusetts who has spent much time in the study of the records of the past, and I ask the Honorable William M. Olin, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to, respond to the toast — "Colonial Days and Times." ADDRESS OP WILUAM M. OLIN. Mr. Toastmasier, Ladies and Gentlemen : — You have wit- nessed one of the most remarkable pageants of the year. You have come here and listened to the oratory of my friend, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and others, and of course you are tired. Now, I do not want to inflict myself upon you at any length ; I am not going to tell you about Colonial times and days to any extent. His honor, Mr. Justice Hammond, has covered that, but he did not say a word about the judiciary. He pitched into Framingham a little, and told you how your town was twice fined, but he did n't tell you how one of the the magistrates in those days was fined for non-attendance at court; and how another, Sir Richard Saltonstall. was cen- sured for whipping a man without due authority from the Court. Now, that is the sort of thing which the judicial mind can overlook while it sees all the faults in the Town of Framingham. As I have said, I do not propose to occupy a great deal of time with my subject. It is altogether too large. I am some- what in the position of the very small tenor in an opera company, whose part required him to carry off bodily from the stage the prima-donna, a lady who weighed 250 pounds. After exerting all his strength in vain he heard a voice in the gallery say, "Take what you can, old man, and come Memorial Library Framingham Common and Town Hall THE BANQUET 201 back for the rest." I propose to touch a little on my subject and come back a hundred years from tonight — as Secretary of the Commonwealth — and I expect to find here on that occasion our venerable friend Mr. Bird still presiding over your town meeting ; I expect to see my honored friend still presiding over the House, though they will be tired of him before that time. I shall expect to see my friend Elder, fresh from inspecting the Yale football team, and I am sure he will have one eye way back in Boston, fixed on the Westminster Chambers, and that you will hear him softly singing : — " All I want is a little bit off the top." I am not going to eulogize the people who lived in the old days. I cannot do it conscientiously, and I am going to show you why. I have a very formidable mass of manuscript here, but there goes two pages (throwing paper on the table), and there goes two more; and that brings me down to a little extract from the archives showing how dearly our ancestors loved the Indian, and how gently they treated him. This is a proclamation by his Excellency William Shirley, Captain-General and Governor- in-Chief, etc. It is entitled — A Proclamation for the Encouragement of Volunteers, to prosecute the War against the St. John and Cape Sable Indians. That sounds well — "for the encouragement of volunteers," and the way they encouraged volunteers in those days was to offer out of the public treasury to ' ' any company, party or person singly of His Majesty's subjects, belonging to or residing in this province, who shall volun- teer, and at their own proper cost and charge go out and kill a male Indian of the age of twelve years or upwards," of certain tribes, after the 28th of October and before the last day of June, (you will notice there was a close season on Indians) in any place eastward of a line to be fixed by the Governor and His Majesty's Council, and produce his scalp in evidence of his death, the sum of one hundred pounds — in bills-of-credit of this province ; and the sum of a hundred and five pounds in said bills for any male of like age who shall be taken captive, and delivered to the Captain-General ; and the sum of fifty pounds for what ? — for women, and a 202 riVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y like sum for children under the age of twelve years, killed in fight ; and fifty-two pounds for such of them as shall be taken prisoner. Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, what would be thought of the United States Government today making such a procla- mation as that, and offering a bounty for scalps of women and children ? Here is something which I think will appeal to the ladies : here is a petition : — these are all copied direct from the original documents in the State House — here is something dated the 28th of May, 1653 ; it is a petition addressed to the Honorable Deputy-Governor and the magistrates. It comes from William Thompson, and he says that — "Whereas your petitioner being a stranger to the laws of this government did make a motion of marriage to Sarah Coyen, and was ignorant that he might not lawfully have done so without first acquainting her friends therewith, not knowing any friend she then had, but as soon as he understood thereof he repaired unto them to acquaint them thereon and gain their consent and approbatum therein ; notwithstanding your pris- oner is presented for so speaking to her, and is to pay a fine of five pounds, the which your petitioner beseeches may be remitted, it being done through ignorance, and far from thought of offence therein to any — and he shall humbly pray for your happiness long to continue." What did the magistrates do ? They abated fifty shillings of his fine, with the gallant Deputy's consent ; and so it cost this honest fellow only $17.00 to make an honorable proposal of marriage to a girl. Here is something the ladies may be interested in : they undertook to regulate the dress of men and of women. In the records of the General Court held at Newtown, September 3, 1664, it is set down that the Court, taking into consideration the great, superfluous and unnecessary expense occasioned by some new and immodest fashion, as also the ordinary wearing of silver, gold, silk, laces, hat-bands, etc., hath therefore ordered that no person shall make or buy any garment, either woolen, silk, linen, with any lace on or silver, gold, silk, or either, under penalty of forfeiture of such THE BANQUET 203 clothes. Also that no person, either man or woman, shall make or buy any slashed clothes, other than one slash in each sleeve and another in the back. Now I am not going to weary you further. There is the record. I do not mean to say it is a complete picture of that day. I revere the character of those men ; we all honor that sturdy virtue and those magnificent lives that set an example for us today. I read these records to show you there are some advantages of living now. I shall not occupy your time in any attempt to make comparisons. I would only, if I made such an attempt, try to say something to the effect that while we study those old times with veneration, we should not feel that all the virtue existed then and not now ; we should think that while we may emulate their virtues — we should avoid the absurdities into which they fell ; that we should look forward rather than back ; — that we should remember — and it seems to me that this is the whole lesson, that the life of today is of chief importance and that " They indeed are blest Who strive to make for others the present days the best." Mr. Chairman : — It is my pleasant duty to present to the Town of Framingham this copy, engrossed upon parchment, of the original order of the General Court, establishing the Township of Framingham from the Plantation of the same name. I tender it to you, sir, in the name of the Common- wealth of Massachusetts. The copy of the Act of Incorporation of Framingham as a Town, here referred to by Secretary Olin, has been framed and hung in one of our Town Offices. It is reproduced upon the following page, as nearly as can be done in type. RESPONSE OF CHAIRMAN GOODEtl.. Mr. Secretary: — In behalf of the Town of Framingham I beg to accept this record copy of the incorporated be- ginning of the Town; I extend the thanks of the Town, assuring you it will always be kept in the archives to commemorate this action, and your kindness and generosity. 204 TWO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y At a Great and General Court or Assembly for his Ma'v* Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England begun and held at Boston upon Wednesday the Twenty ninth of May 1 700 In the twelfth year of his Ma*!'' Reign being convened by his Ma^y^ Writts. In Council June zi^t 1700 Upon a full hearing of the matters in diiFerence between the Town of Sherborn and the inhabitants of the Plantation of Framingham containing all that Tract of Land formerly granted to Thomas Danforth Esq' next adjoyning to Sher- born upon the North & Northerly. — Ordered, That the said Plantation called Framingham be from henceforth a Township, retaining the name of Framing- ham and have and Enjoy all priviledges of a Town according to Law. Saveing unto Sherborn all their rights of Land granted by the General Court to the first Inhabitants and those since purchased by Exchange with the Indians of Natick or otherwise. And all the Farmes lying within the said Township according to former Grants of the General Court. ISA ADDINGTON Secr'y. Sent down for concurrence. June 22* 1700 In the House of Representatives. Read. June 24'*' Read, and Voted a Concurrence. JOHN LEVERETT Speaker. [Consented to by the Governor June 25, 1700.] Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Secretary. Boston, June 8, 1900. A true copy. Witness the Seal of the Commonwealth WM. M. OLIN (j^^^Ag Secretary of the Commonwealth. THE BANQUET 206 The Toastmaster. — With the founders of New Eng- land the interest of education came next after the interests of religion and civil government and the public school soon became a factor in every community. This was the case in Framingham. We read in the Town records under date of Sept. 3, 1706, as follows : ' ' Voted that Deacon Joshua Hemenway should be our school master for the year ensuing and that Benjamin Bridges and Peter Clayes, Jr. should agree with him what he should have for his pains." Nothing is recorded as to what the Deacon's pupils should have for their "pains." This is the first record relative to public school instruction in this Town, but the good cause went on here, as throughout New England, and today we point with pride to the amount of money we annually expend for educational purposes. The free public school is a New England institution and should receive recognition here tonight, and I ask the Rev. Henry G. Spaulding to respond to the toast, "The New England School." REV. HENRY G. SPAULDING. Mr. Toastmaster : — I am very sure if you had lived in those days we are thankful we did not live in, (after hearing the last speaker) you certainly would have been punished for one thing you have done tonight ; being so late in coming to school this evening. In rising to speak for the ' ' Framingham Schools ' ' I am reminded of the small scholar who on being asked to define sins of omission said, " They're the sins you ought to have committed and haven't." Among the sins I ought to have committed and haven't is going to school in this grand old town. To make up for this deficiency I once gave to the good people of the First Parish, when I was their pastor, such corrective influences as I could bring from having received my early education in the schools and academies of Vermont. In these delightful anniversaries we are facing backward in order to look forward. We are asking the 18th and the 19th centuries to give their message to the 20th century. Here 208 TWO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y in Framingham the schoolboy with his satchel and his shining morning face has crept unwillingly or hastened gladly to the schoolhouse for nearly 200 years. I say for nearly this period; for the first schoolhouse was not built until 16 years after the Town was incorporated ; although before this, in 1706, Deacon Joshua Hemenway began to receive the scholars into his own house and was paid a small sum for his pains. By 1750 the district school system was fully established. This was looked upon at the time as a great improvement upon the previous system of the moving school ; that is, of school sessions held during different parts of the year in different sections of the Town ; the solitary school-building being only one of those numerous places where the school was kept. At the beginning of the present century an important step forward was taken for the better schooling of the young, the establishing of the Framingham Academy. Finally, about the year 1850 the mixed system of the Academy and the District Schools gave place to the present system of graded schools, the Academy becoming in the new order the High School of the Town. This is the merest outline sketch of an institution which has done more than any other except its parent, the Church, to mould the character of the people of Framingham. How shall I give color to this outline and make of it a glowing picture ? Let me, for a moment, decline into rhyme, and set before you the New England Schoolhouse as I knew it half a century ago. Why it was usually set upon a slight elevation above the road and why the ridiculously small building, hardly ever more than 25 feet square, with its four little windows and its two fire-places or air-tight stoves, was generally painted red, are among the mysteries of the Past, which are past our finding out. My verses bear the title THE LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE. How plainly I see, through the vista extended From manhood's clear heights to the mystical rill Whence the river of childhood its channel descended, The little red schoolhouse that stood on the hill ! THE BANQUET 207 Within, the rude desks and the benches still ruder, The platform on which stood the throne of our queen : No view were complete that did not include her. That gentlest of tyrants the world has e'er seen. How she loved us, and how, when she pleased, she would scold us ; With our blunders and follies she patiently bore ; In our griefs, to her heart she would fondly enfold us. And, again, use the rod till we (silently) swore ! She taught us arithmetic, reading and writing, And hardest of all, tried to teach us to spell ; Promotions and merits she made all inviting. And spurred our ambitions in deeds to excel. But the little red schoolhouse we went to in childhood Had attractions surpassing all those the books gave ; We remember our playmates, the walks through the wildwood With the girl that we loved, who made us her slave ! What fun we all had, on the cold winter mornings. When booted and muffled, we started for school ; And hitched our small sleds, unmindful of warnings, To the swift gliding sleighs — disobeying the rule ! And how joyous we were, when the springtide returning Brought the songs of the birds, with the blossoms of May, And the out-of-door sports, which, all weariness spurning, We played after school, till the night caught the day. Oh visions of joy unshadowed by sorrows — Of lyove, that knew nothing save Love's fair young dream — Of Hope, that saw only the gladsome tomorrows — And Faith, that believed things are what they seem ; — Ye gladdened our hearts, the old trust renewing. As again with the raptures of boyhood they thrill ; E'en as when, in life's morning, our tasks still pursuing, We were happy and free, at the school on the hill ! 208 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY The American public school is one of the safeguards of the republic. We justify our system of taxing everybody to pay for the elementary education of everybody's children on the ground that this is required for the security of the state and the nation. But what the public school has accom- plished in the past two centuries shows, I think, that it makes for progress as well as for safety. Indeed, if we follow its development in this single New England town we can see how it has kept pace with the general advance of the people in knowledge and in culture, an advance which the school itself has done much to promote.. Your school- teacher today may be no sturdier in physique, no stronger in character and no more painstaking in service than was the good Deacon Hemenway of two hundred years ago. But he or she (and usually she) knows a vast deal more about the universe and about the human mind and the human body and is far more sensitive to the beauty and the power which God's great world reveals. Indeed, of such a teacher we may say, in Goldsmith's familiar lines : — " And still the wonder grows, That one small head can carry all she knows." In looking at the records of the Framingham schools I am gratified to find that the common school has kept well in touch with the higher seats of learning, — the Academy, the Normal School and the University. In the early days many of the teachers of the district schools were graduates of Harvard College. Later on several of the most prominent men and women in the town were educated at the Academy ; while the Academy, and afterward the Normal School, fur- nished the Town with a goodly succession of well-trained teachers. Let us remember that it is always from these seats of the higher learning that the common school receives not only its best teachers, but also educational impulse and guidance. Security and progress I have said are the ends which the American school promotes — the security of the nation against ignorance and vice and the progress of the nation toward a higher average of trained intelligence. If the THE BANQUET 209 spectacle were not so familiar as to pass unnoticed, tlie swift transformation of the raw material of the foreign elements of our population into respectable American citizens would almost seem to be a modem miracle. The process is like the culture of the orange crop in southern California. By a wise system of irrigation the water is brought from the mountain springs to the roots of thousands of trees and then all the water comes out orange juice. So, we irrigate the children of our immigrants with the knowledge that flows from our common schools and the product is good citizenship. As a result the Republic is safeguarded and ' ' government of the people by the people and for the people " is preserved. But, Mr. Chairman, we cannot stop here. A nation is never safe that is standing still. The twentieth century will not be as good as the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries have been unless it is a good deal better than either of them. Not security alone but progress also must be an end and aim ; and we are to seek this progress by every means whereby we can level mankind upward. There must be a fuller and richer development of every man in his intellectual and his moral character. Now the distinctive note of modern civilization is the greater intensity and complexity of human life. A man is related to more facts today than he ever was before ; and men are finding themselves bound up with their fellowmen in more ways than they ever imagined before. To meet the duties of the coming age our children must be given an all- round education. We must send the whole boy, the whole girl to school. In days when life was simple and the range of human activities comparatively narrow our fathers did well to ground their children thoroughly in a few branches of study. Today the field of action is an ever widening field and new horizons of learning stretch invitingly before us. The common school must open paths to these ' ' fresh woods and pastures new ! ' ' The hand must be trained no less than the head. The child must learn something of the wonderful laws of the universe, so simple yet so grand, which Science discloses and illustrates. Art, too, must have a place in the broadening curriculum and the youthful mind be taught 210 rWO H UNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y that, in this world as God has made it, the Beautiful is as much a part of the divine whole as is the True or the Good. And finally, we must discover the way whereby to cultivate in these young, impressible hearts the love of goodness, the enthusiasm of humanity, the passion for righteous living. Through the example and wise persuasion of their teachers and by a constant use for this purpose of the world's best literature the minds of our youth must be touched by the inspirations of a sound morality and a pure religion. To save our American schools from the corrupting influences of degrading politics and from the insidious spirit of worldly greed we must pay the price of " Eternal vigi- lance." Let us then be watchful, let us be public-spirited, let us be high minded and devoted citizens that the new Century may be more glorious than the past, even as morn- ing drinks the morning stars, or as the gray dawn of a June day is swallowed up in the refulgent summer noon. The Toastmaster. — The subject of our next toast is one which I approach with the utmost deference and it is a subject which every man claiming the title of gentleman should ever approach with the utmost deference and respect. The subject of this toast is "The Ladies," and by the ladies we mean tonight the wives, the mothers, the daughters and sisters of Framingham. We are more than proud of them. It has been well said, that "if you would look for sympathy turn to your sister ; if for unselfish devotion, turn to your daughter ; if for fidelity and assistance in afflictiou and trouble, turn to your wife ; — and if you want to read the whole divine plan of salvation, look into your mother's eyes." There is one gentleman here pre-eminently qualified to respond to this toast, and I ask Samuel J. Elder, Esq., of Winchester, to respond for " The Ladies." SPEECH OF SAMUEL J. ELDER, ESQ. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : — I am not going to take very much of your time. As I see the dwindling audience, and realize the kindliness of those who have remained and are remaining, — I call to mind that old THE BANQUET 211 Methodist who was preaching to a protracted meeting tip in Vermont, and was called upon very late in the service for a few appropriate and closing remarks ; and, as he arose, the great audience arose too, and started for the exits of the tent. He called out, " Brethen, I have been a travelling preacher all my days, but this is the first time I was ever called upon to preach to a travelling congregation." In response to the toast of " The Ladies," I am not going to say very much. In the first place the ladies don't require it. As a rule, they are far more able to say what is necessary for themselves. In the second place, my friend Mr. Olin has come here from the State House, bringing all the archives with him, and everything there was about women's dress, and the regulations of the early Colonies with regard to the ladies, and has addressed his whole speech to them, so that I am am completely anticipated. I only want to say that I have been delighted to be here, and as I heard Mr. Olin's speech and some of the other speakers here tonight, I realize the abandon (Have I the French of it right?) which called to mind a Summer I passed outside of San Francisco. The President of the Union League Club of San Francisco telegraphed down to one of those small cities on the seashore, saying that seventy members of the Union League Club were coming down to spend Sunday there ; and the town of Framingham calls it to my mind as I have seen it during the day. The Mayor telegraphed back "Bring your paint, brushes, and buckets, and I'll provide the town." There has been one delightful thing I have observed. I never was at all clear about the geography of this place, and I have not been at all clear since I have been here. Friend Adams met me in South Framingham, takes me in a carriage over to Framingham, and there I hear Brother Hurd talking a great deal about the different parts of Framingham, but there seems to be perfect unity here today ; there may not have been all these two hundred years, but now you are absolutely united. You know I thought there would be some sign of a row, and I took from my top shelf a story — a pretty old story — that I thought would be appropriate to 212 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY the situation ; but, though I find there has been no kicking, I am going to tell the story just the same. A musician was employed to present some music at a lady's house, and as it grew very late, he finally desisted from his attack on the piano. And the lady said," My dear Professor, why do 3'ou stop?" "Well," he said, "I thought I might disturb the neighbors. " " Oh ' ' she replied "They poisoned our dog last week, and we do not care what happens to them. ' ' As we stop to think of it, Mr. President, — and I do not mean that you or I can remember back through these two hundred years, but what we know of history is what we have read, or have heard today, the thing that strikes one's mind is that you constantly hear stories of the past told in the names of the men. We start with Gov. Winthrop, and we hear the story of the early settlers, the men who first came to the different towns, the men who taught the schools, the men who held the offices, the men who went out to fight the Indians, who went to the State House, the men who dictated the policy, and very little of our story, very little of our history tells the story of what the women did during those times. And yet I believe that when you stop to think of it carefully, you will believe not only that the women bore the harder share in those early Colonial days, but they did more for the gpreat development of this country and its principles than did the men. Someone has said, speaking of the Pilgrim Fathers, that somebody ought to speak of the Pilgrim Mothers, and to say in the first place that they had to live with the Pilgrim Fathers ; and when I heard those things read by Mr. Olin, I thought of this. But when it comes to courage, where has there been in the whole history of the world, courage brighter, finer, clearer, truer than that which the early settlers' wives and daughters showed all through those terrible times. The man takes his gun and goes out to fight ; he has the excitement of the going, he has the pursuit, he has all the scheming there is to it. He joins his troops and goes forward with them, and the woman sits at home in those THE BANQUET 213 lonely log houses, or brought together in a desolate company into the log block forts, all those desolate days, waiting hour after hour, day after day, week after week, doing nothing but listening for the news of the life or death or captivity of husband or lover. Is not that the greater of the two hardships ? Col. Higginson, you will remember, speaking of the courage of woman, tells of the sea captain, after a disaster, who had told him the story of a mother with three children. Everything was in confusion on deck ; everybody was running about wildly, and the Captain said to her " Sit in the cabin with your children, and I will tell you when it is time to come to the boat." He didn't believe she could do it; but when the time came, and they were ready, rushing back to the cabin, there he found the mother with the three children about her, telling them stories in low, soothing tones, every child dressed in its warmest, little provisions made for the days they might be in the boat; revealing, I think you will agree with me, all that Kipling said of the ' ' Soldier and Sailor too ' ' where he tells us " They stood, an' was still at the Birkenhead drill. But they done it, the Jollies, 'er Majesty's Jollies, Soldier and Sailor too." The Poet of the Empire could find nothing to write about women, and yet that has been the standard of courage which women have held during two hundred years of your life. And haven't they done work besides ? What has there been done by the men in your community or any community that has not had back of it the inspiration of women ? The early praise of the mother, the early words of encouragement as the child toddled to school and came back proud of the credit that it got ; for the praise and helpfulness the boy got from the sister, when the girl said the boy should go to college while the woman worked. That was the sacrifice that carried him through and finally was the stimulus of his work in those rough times, as it would be of the more complex days of the present time. S14 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY You remember what Dr. Holmes said — ' ' That love is not easily soluble in the words of a man, and for that reason, a man uses more words of love." But a single word of a woman will dissolve more than a man's heart can stand in a lifetime. That, my friends, is true of women everywhere, and of women in all times, and under all conditions. The worship we pay to the times that are past is never half paid until we have paid the obligations we owe to the wives and sisters and daughters of the settlers and the residents of this and every town of this country. The Toastmaster. — The last toast of the evening is "The Spirit of Religious Liberty." It has been truly said of the founders of New England that ' ' they left unstained what here they found, — Freedom to worship God." That religious liberty which they sought for themselves has been freely accorded to all others so fully and so absolutely that different forms and phases of religious belief and practice prevail to an extent almost confusing ; yet, this is but the result of that consummate loyalty to conscience and honest conviction which characterized our ancestors. Walk through our streets on a Sunday, and listen to the bells of the many churches, each calling to our respective places of worship, and you are perhaps led to think of them as indications of vain differences and dissensions, and to feel that in religions as elsewhere there are ever wars and rumors of wars. But on reflection, you will, perhaps, feel that these very conditions and distinctions are part and parcel of a divine plan, and that the poet of New England is right when he says : — " While yet I muse, the bells clash out Upon the Sabbath air, Each seems a hostile faith to shout, A selfish form of prayer. It may be so, and yet who knows But in that heaven so near, These discords find harmonious close, In God's attuning ear." THE BANQUET 216 The Chairman of the Selectmen has spoken of the barn-like structure which constituted the meeting house of the first settlers of this town. Cold and barren and bleak, forbidding and uncomfortable it must have been ; for the first minister of this town in his diary, still extant, says that " by reason of the cold on Communion Sundays the bread froze and rattled in the plate." Yet it is the logical result of the development of the doctrines there preached, although they seem hard and narrow to us, that tonight as we listen here to the revered and beloved Pastor of Grace Church asking the Divine blessing upon this assembly, we hear also from the neighboring spire of St. Stephen's mingling with the accents of his voice, the tones of the evening Angelus of that mighty and sublime church whose daily devotions, " following the Sun and keep- ing company with the hours, circle the earth with one continuous and unbroken strain of prayer and praise ' ' — the prayers of the Saints and Martyrs, and the songs and praises of the Apostles and Prophets and all the glorious company of Heaven. It was hoped by your committee that the Rev. John S. CuUen formerly Rector of St. Stephen's Church in this place, might be here to respond to this toast, but, unfortunately, he is not able to be present this evening. Now you all know him ; you know his eighteen years of work in this place ; you know his interest in all that was for the benefit and good of this town ; you know his service to the Hospital, on the board of trustees of the Town Library, and as Chairman of the School Committee. You are all familiar with his face, and his figure on the streets ; you know his learning, his ability, and his perfect charity for all men. Those of us who were admitted to his personal friendship know that that friendship was a blessing and that his presence was ever and always a benediction ; and it is greatly to be regretted that he is not here to speak tonight. I do not propose to let this toast go without a response, and as his successor, the present Rector of St. Stephen's is here, I ask the Rev. John F. Heffernan to respond for " Religious Liberty transmitted to us by our ancestors — may it ever be transmitted unimpaired to our posterity." 216 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS OF REV. J. F. HEFFERNAN. Mr. Toastmaster, Ladies and Gentlemen : — I feel very much as if I were in the boy's place of whom the Hon. Secretary spoke — that I would take the licking ; because at this late hour it must be tedious to listen to such a trite subject as Religious Liberty. I wish the gentleman were here to whom this toast was assigned ; his voice would be certainly familiar to many of those who can trace back their ancestry to the founders pf this community ; at least, he would be very familiar to those identified with the growth and progress of South Framingham. At the same time, I am quite sure that this spectacle that has been referred to by the Toastmaster of the evening is one of peculiar significance. I do not think there can be a town in all New England where the spirit of Religious Liberty so exemplifies itself as here in our town. I think the sentiment of this toast is much in evidence here, and has been for a long time. So much the better, then, for the community itself, and so much the better for the progress of Religious lyiberty everywhere. Notwithstanding what we say of the sentiments we hear expressed, we know that sometimes there exists that spirit of opposition and criticism of people's opinions, and that there are those sometimes among us who would not tolerate any change of opinion other than that which they lay down for themselves. Their code and their gospel is not always that of the Master but of themselves. That opposition of opinion is sometimes of a serious character, and reflects seriously upon those among whom we live. That spirit sometimes gets abroad which would not allow us to believe differently from other people, but we believe now and we realize it, that the old sentiment of absolutism is dying out, if not already dead ; that there are times when we can lay aside our peculiar opinions and individual ideas and mingle together at the social board in independence and in good cheer; that there is a social life, that there is a citizen's life as well as a religious life ; that while religion is the foundation and basis of all morality, virtue and goodness, THE BANQUET 217 at the same time there is another life which we can enjoy together. This, then, is the manifest spirit of this occasion, as it strikes me, and as the sentiment has been expressed so frequently, and has been so much amplified in our services during this jubilee week. It certainly is a pleasure to me to feel that I, although in a humble position, have been chosen as a substitute for Father Cullen whose face was so familiar to the citizens of Framingham for many years. He was not identified with the foundation of the town, but with the building up of the parish of which I am the Rector today. He was my predecessor in this beautiful work, and as you know, he builded well; he laid well the foundation of that church which is now so progressive, strong and flourishing. That work which he did has made itself felt undoubtedly in the homes of many people of Framingham besides those of the faith I represent, and in all our walks of life, in all our business pursuits, in all our social relations, I find but one common accord, one welcoming word, one in- spiring, encouraging thought from all classes of people in this town. And that is one reason, I say, that perhaps the expression of opinion, and the manifestation of good will that is so general here in our community today is peculiar, and it is so on account of the varying conditions exhibited here in all the duties of life. Take it in this community, the people I represent and the race from which I have the pride and honor to descend, that people, denied freedom of worship in their own land, their conscience restricted in every way, fleeing by thousands to these hospitable shores, have come here to mingle with the religious and civil life and have done much to build up our institutions ; and in all our strifes and struggles their life blood has been freely given. For what ? — for the freedom of this Grand Republic. And today we know no nationalism. We have but one flag. We have but one aspiration, and that is the aspiration of freemen. We are united for the purpose of preserving and of saving this Country. 218 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY We have today a united country, and liberty everywhere extended, and all we ask is the birthright of freemen — liberty of conscience. The Toastmaster. — I would ask the audience to kindly rise while the Rev. Franklin Hutchinson pronounces a word of prayer and asks for benediction. PRAYER AND BENEDICTION. Our heavenly Father we thank thee and bless thy holy name for all the joy and blessing and inspiration that has come to us during these days of celebration. The backward look through our history reveals in clearest light thy gracious care, thy loving protection, and thy guidance all the way. O, thou God of our fathers, be thou with us, we beseech thee, in the future ; with our children, and our children's children unto the latest gen- eration ; and may the grace of our I4/tV BUILDING, KNOWN AS MCMOniAL h TO COHMEMOHATC TME SOlD'CtIS WHO DIED IN THE VtAd OF 1681-06 WAS tmcTED IN laia rRAMINGHAM ACADEMY Built in tesT SOUVENIR PLATE THE BANQUET 219 In closing the chapter on the events of Wednesday, it IS due to the Committee on Literary Exercises, that special recognition be made of the long continued and arduous services rendered by Chairman Rev. Franklin Hutchinson, Secretary Fred Iv. Oaks and other members of the Committee, who by faithful work contributed to the success of the Lit- erary Exercises, both at Mount Wayte in the afternoon and at the Banquet in the evening. To serve successfully on such a committee, one needs to be more than a prophet and mind reader. He must not only foresee what topics will be timely and appropriate and select those whom he thinks best adapted to speak acceptably on these lines of thought, but he must have an infinite amount of patience and tact, to accept the failure of the most carefully laid plans cheerfully, and try to harmonize varying opinions about matters of detail. This is in a measure true of all the more important Committee work, but more especially so of a committee whose duty it is to arrange two programs of public events for the same day. This our Committee did and did admirably, as must appear to the careful readers of this volume. MISCELLANEOUS Historical Exhibit. Reception and Exhibit by Framingham Chapter of THE Daughters of the American Revolution. Bi-Centennial Music. Fireworks at Saxonville. Hospitality. New Town Seal. Treasurer's Report. CHAPTER VI. MISCELLANEOUS. HISTORICAL EXHIBIT. The Historical Exhibit was one of the most successful features of the Bi-Centennial celebration. Here were gath- ered the relics of the past, portraits of the fathers and mothers, the handiwork of those who had laid the foundation of the superstructure of our liberties, the utensils with which they labored, the evidence of that thrift that characterized them. Here, at a glance, the visitor could see the marvel- lous strides that had been made in the last two hundred years in lightening the burdens of the housewife and the husbandman. Here, too, could be seen the changes that fickle fashion had wrought in the costumes of men as well as women. Many of the improvements were a revelation to a large body of the visitors who had never realized that men and women could successfully labor with such crude implements, or feed and clothe themselves with such scanty means. The committee having this department of the celebration in charge were peculiarly fortunate in securing, for a month, the large gymnasium hall of the Young Men's Christian Association, which proved none too large for the exhibit. The nearly one hundred linear feet of show cases and sixty feet of tables were crowded, while the walls were well covered with articles that could best be displayed there. Six months before the celebration, the committee met and organized with Charles W. Coolidge as chairman and Edgar Potter as secretary and treasurer. From that time until the last article had been returned to its owner, these two gentle- men were indefatigable in their efforts to gather a collection 224 rH^O HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y worthy of the occasion and see that every article loaned was returned to its rightful owner. In this work they were loyally supported by a part of their associates on the Com- mittee, especially George H. Eames, Charles A. Eames, Frank G. Stearns and John F. Videto. As the Bi-Centennial celebration had its inception in the Framingham Historical and Natural History Society, so was this exhibit largely the work of this organization. The active members of the committee were all members of the Society and its collection of relics of by-gone days was largely drawn upon for filling the cases and tables of the exhibit. We would not, however, fail to acknowledge the deep obligation of the committee to Mr. and Mr. F. X. Bardwell of Sherborn, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Parker, Mr. and Mrs. Comer A. Belknap, Mr. and Mrs. Francis Hosmer, Mr. H. W. Gardner of Sherborn and many others who so generously contributed of their fine collections and many of whom aided so materially in arranging things to the best advantage. The generous enthusiasm manifested by the many contrib- utors materially diminished the labor of the committee. At the beginning of their work the committee resolved to exclude from their exhibit all mere curiosities and confine it exclusively to articles of historic merit. This idea was strictly adhered to and while it disappointed a few who had much prized curiosities they would have been glad to exhibit and which in their place would have been of much interest, yet not being what was desired in an exhibit of this kind their absence gave much needed room for other and more appropriate articles. One of the most interesting features of the exhibit was the manufacture of cloth from wool as it was done by our grand- mothers a hundred and more years ago. A loom more than one hundred years old was obtained in Vermont and a lady, (Mrs. Maria C. Davis) who had many years since passed her teens, came from the same state to operate it. Fortunately she was able not only to weave but to card and spin the wool and to spin flax on the little flax wheel, and for six days she interested the crowds in this old-time industry, at intervals p ^'^^ ( X /• r 1 i j ^^■iv%«.-^— ^^^^^ ^H ' "^"i*-"^-^'^; • .1 ^■1 i^ ^ in^ • : 5 rs^te |:^ '^^ 5^ J ^Ktm' Views of the Historical Exhibit at Y. M. C. A. Hall HISTORICAL EXHIBIT 225 carding the wool into rolls, spinning these into yarn, and then weaving the same into cloth. The warp for the web was kindly furnished by the Saxonville Mills, through the courtesy of Superintendent Robert Dawson. The spinning wheel was furnished by Mr. C. A. Belknap, the flax wheel by Miss Elizabeth Warren, and the quill wheel by the Historical Society. Another article that attracted much attention was a flight of stairs taken from a house built in Sherborn in 1664. The steps were made of logs hewn in triangular shape and spiked upon inclined timbers with hand-wrought spikes. During all these more than two hundred years these stairs had been used as the ' ' attic stairs ' ' and seemed to be good for as many years more. That the exhibit was appreciated was manifest by the constant large attendance, the many words of praise given the committee and the earnest request that the rooms be kept open after the celebration was over that others might enjoy the educational advantages the exhibit afiorded. These requests were complied with as far as the committee felt that their tired bodies would permit, and after eight days the exhibit was closed, much to the regret of hundreds. The following list, while by no means complete, shows something of the scope of the exhibit. We have refrained from giving the date of most of the articles for the very good reason that it was not known. However, but few, except some relics of the civil war, were less than one hundred years old, and many of them date back to the seventeenth century. FRAMINGHAM HISTORICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. Carbine shell and otlier relics from Battlefield of Chickamauga. Carbine found on Battlefield in South Carolina. Curd Grinder for Making Cheese. Hatchel. Musket carried at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Revolutionary Cartridge Box and Bayonet. Hay Hook. Hand Reel. Snow-shoes made and worn by Noah Eaton 1708-1791. Saddle-bags used by Thomas Damon. Fire Shovel. South African Spear used by the Zulus. Spit and Skewers. Tin L,anterns. Beef- steak Tongs. War Implements used by the South African Negroes. 220 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY Cradle in which five generations have been rocked. Cake Dish. Hat Band. Picture, Birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. Old Gun-lock. Mexican Spurs. Piece of First Cloth vroven by water-power, 1808. Seal of Framingham Academy. Indian Jars from Arkansas. Fossil Shark's Tooth. Revolutionary Button. Lead Pencil. Silk produced in Framingham. Revolutionary Buttons and Belt Plates. Indian Money. Pickle Dish. Tobacco Box of Thomas Hastings, 1780-1864. Tricolor of Louis Philippe. Mourning Badges of Zachary Taylor and Andrew Jackson. Pewter Porringer. Wooden Plate. Portrait, Sylvanus Phipps, 1785-1870. Chips from Waltham Oak. Pocket- book. Continental Money. Confederate Money. State Bank Notes. Script of 1862. Fiat Money. Picture, Washington's Entry into New York. Two Swiugeling Knives. Sausage Filler. Bayonet. Assegai Cutlass and Two Bayonets. Britannia Plate. Fluid Lamp. Con- federate Bridle Bits. Cartridge Box. Knife, Fork and Spoon. Keyhole Saw. Two Busks. Knife and Fork, 1817. Hand made Spikes. Britannia Pitcher. Slung Shot. Britannia Sugar Bowl. Boot-jack used by Noah Eaton. Cider Pitcher of Thomas Hastings. Foot Stove. Fry Skillet. Britannia Pitcher, 1756. Gourd Shell. Candle Globe used on pulpit of Baptist Church at Parks Corner. Powder Horn, 1750. Powder Horn, 1707. Mastodon's Tooth. Razor and Razor Case used by Jonathan Maynard in Revolutionary War. Spectacle Case. Pulps made from U. S. Money. Axe. Brick taken from house built in 1690. Two Lances. Pair of Andirons. Lock. Griddle Pan. Sixty-four Indian Relics. Indian Water Jar. PETER PARKER. Washington's Account Book. Historical Gleanings. Piece of Washington's Coffin. Cup and Saucer. Cameo. Pieces of Line and Cable. "Practice of Piety." Picture, Parker Homestead. Key and Handmade Nails. Three Coins. " Remarks on the Earth- quake." New England Primer. Candle Sticks. Pig Sticker. Sampler. Two Pictures, Peter Parker. Spectacles. Purse. Fac- simile of Carver Chair. Hammer Head. Toy Spinning Wheel. Snuffers. Two Bayonets. Two Platters. Silver Cream Pitcher, Sugar Bowl and Two Spoons. Miscellaneous Documents. Napkin and Towel. Picture, Sally Brewer and George Nourse. Harpoon. Bullets, Balls, etc. Drinking Cup. F. X. BARDWELL. Cut Glass Decanter and three Glasses. Pewter Porringer. Docu- ment. Three Cups and Saucers. Pewter Plate, Tankard and Mug. Two Stamps, British Stamp Act, 1765. Mustard Pot. Two Glasses. Canary Glass. Five Photographs. Pewter Writing Case. Colonial Mustard Cup. Shoe Buckles. Candle-sticks, Snuffers and Tray. Half-hour Glass. Old Blue Colonial Bowl and Cup. Creamer. HISTORICAL EXHIBIT 227 Sugar Bowl, Creamer, Cup and Saucer. Two Canton Dishes, 1830. China Mug, 1834. Opera Cape made of Feathers, in China. China Custard Cup. Vase. H. W. GARDNER. Three China Plates, three Saucers, two Cups, two Butter Plates. Teapot. Milk and Water Pitchers. Pickle Dish. Tea Caddy. Candlestick. Glass Tankard. Quart Glass. Sugar Bowl and Creamer. Fluid Lamp. Pewter Tankard and Dish. Two Brass Candlesticks. Two pieces Linen. Picture. Flax raised in Sherborn. Pitcher. Iron Bread Pan. MRS. REGINALD FOSTER. Picture, Pike-Haven Homestead. Steak Broiler. Knee Buckles. Franklin Medal. Old English Handkerchief. Painted Hand Bag. Two Pictures of Old Homestead. Foster Coat of Arms. Family Christening Blanket. Pair of Slippers. Wedding Dress, 1824. Silk Dress. Table-cloth woven in 1745. Crash woven on Haven Farm. Portrait, Aunt Chloe Haven, 1793-1882. Commission of Sidney Haven. C. A. BELKNAP. Graduating Dress of Rebecca Hosmer, 1823. Wedding Dress of Rebecca Hosmer. Wedding Articles of Nathan Hosmer. Lace Em- broidery by Rebecca Hosmer. Silk and Silk Worms raised by Rebecca Hosmer. Military Equipments of Lieut. Nathan Hosmer. Account Book. Pillow Case. Cane owned by Capt. John Look. Spoon owned by Ruth Sheffield Weaver. Wayside Inn Plate, 1800. Netting Needles. FRANCIS HOSMER. Rock. Powder Horn and Bullet Mould. Gill Cup and Toddy Stick. Bit Stock and Bit. Pod-Auger. Bellows. Revolutionary Hat. Birch Broom. Hay Fork. Straw Machine. ARTHUR HILL. Water Barrel. Pair Duelling Pistols. Pair Pug Nose Pistols. Indian Moccasins. Knife. Dagger. Pitcher. Spanish Flag. Indian Arrow and Pipe. MARCELLUS NIXON. Two Ladles. Chair, 1780. Writing Book. Pocket Inkstand. Powder Horn. Knee Buckles. Picture, Nixon Homestead. Fife played at Concord Fight by Capt. Thomas Nixon, then 18 years old. 228 7 IVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y C. C. STEVENS. Wine Glass. Two Pictures. Door Knocker. Chinese-carved Card Case. Candle Moulds. Whalebone Busk. Clothes Pins. H. C. BOWERS. Two Fire-Buckets. Door Latch. Wedding Waist. Hand Bag. Bowl. Teapot. Candlestick. C. J. FROST. Umbrella. Lantern. Small Iron Kettle. Rolls, Yarn and Flax. China Plate. Two Pewter Plates and Pewter Dish. Wooden Plate. MRS. L. M. PALMER. Thirteen Coins. Brewer Plate. Linen. Six Pieces of Tea Set. Cup and Saucer. Teapot. CHANNING GROUT. Picture, "We are One." Portrait, Elias Grout. Portrait, Mrs. Elias Grout. Portrait, Betsey Lamprey Lowell. Bunker Hill Sword. MISS NASH. Continental Money and Pocket Book. Spanish Silver Dollar. Japanese Calendar. Snuffers and Tray. Indian Toy Duck. C. W. COOLIDGE. Two Arrow Heads. Washington Button. Sampler. Three Old Books and three Anti-Slavery Documents. Table. Chair. Portrait, Francis Coolidge, 1794-1864. Portrait, Mrs. Francis Coolidge, 1806- 1889. SAMUEL WILSON. Pewter Pitcher. Shell. Small China Pitcher. Glass Salt Cellar. Pewter Teapot. MRS. FRANCIS H. BRIGGS. Slippers. Portrait, James C. Odiorne, 1802-1879. Portrait, Mrs. James C. Odiorne. Portrait, Rev. James Creighton. C. P. HASKELL. Four Copper Coins. Powder Horn and Bullet Mould. Knee Breeches. Washington Souvenir. HISTORICAL EXHIBIT. 229 MR. AND MRS. JOHN H. TBMPtE. Indian deed of land near the Falls at Saxonville, given to John Stone, dated May 15, 1656 and signed by William Boman, Capt. Josiah, Roger, James and Keaquisan. Flint took Pistol carried by Capt. John Temple. Two Pewter Platters, one of which belonged in the family of Colonial Governor Wentworth of New Hamshire. Blanket imported from Scotland before the beginning of American blanket manufacture. EDGAR HEMENWAY. Portrait, Warren Nixon, 1793-1872. Portrait. Mrs. Warren Nixon, 1787-1872, Picture, Col. Hemenway Residence. MRS. JAMES W. PARKER. Mt. Vernon Teapot. Teapot and Sugar Bowl. Calash, 1815. GEORGE ODIORNE. Wax Head. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Odiorne. Slippers, 1800. MISS JENNIE EAMES. Tinder Box. Two Flint Lock Pistols. Dress, Calash, Gloves, Shawl and Bag. MRS. A. M. PAY. Cup and Saucer. Teapot. Two Silver Spoons. MISS K. I. SLACK. Portrait, Mrs. Park, 1769-1849. Portrait, Jason Hall, 1785-1868. Picture, Deacon Henry H. Hyde and wife, 1796-1878. JASON LELAND. Cranberry Rake. Stairs taken from house built in 1664. Cheese Basket. AivANSON B. Stearns. Cheese Press. Dash Churn. Hay Knife. Mrs. F. C. Brown. Pair Horse Pistols. Gold Plated Gorget. Sword. Mrs. Frank Coi,umbia. Chopping Bowl. Mug. Sugar Bowl. Georgb C. Ci,ark. Teapot. Two Sugar Bowls. F. I. Ordway. Deed of land of Nourse Place. Two Old Knives. Mrs. Evelyn O. Nichols. China Bowl. Cup and two Saucers. Miss S. J. Russei,!,. Mahogany Tray. Mahogany Chair. Mrs. Hemenway. Epaulets. Chair. Frankwn Grout. Canopy. Bag. Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Bullard. Corn Popper. Sword. 230 TWO HUNDRED TH A NNIVERSAR Y George H. EamES. Lantern. Door Latch. Miss Elizabeth Warren. Warming Pan. Flax Wheel. George Gaudig. Plumb-bob and Stone. Sixteen Coins and Five Pieces Paper Money. Miss Elizabeth Eames. Portrait, Lovell Eames, 1785-1865. Por- trait, Mrs. Lovell Eames. Mrs. E. L. Maynard. Picture, three English Lords. Sampler. George F. and Frederick Billings. Note signed by Peter Salem. ' Wm. Coolidge's Diploma. Mrs. Ellen a. Haynes. Bread Toaster. Charles Trowbridge. Handmade Goose. Mrs. Edgar Potter. Pewter Creamer. Mrs. Chas. A. Potter. Linen woven from Flax raised on Abel Eames estate. Mrs. Marshall Manson. Cup and Saucer. Mrs. Jennie A. Sherman. Sampler. Mrs. C. a. Parkhurst. Pewter Plate. Mrs. Fleda Stacy. Chopping Tray. Andrew Coolidge. Cane. Mrs. George Twite. Teapot, 1648. Homer R. Miller. Peat Knife. Mrs. Levi Leland. Camlet Cloak. Wm. a. Rice. Two Aprons. Mrs. Francis C. Stearns. Specimens from Saxonville Mills. Mrs. F. W. Gray. Pewter Porringer. J. J. Van Valkenburg. Portrait, Albert Pike. Miss Marietta Hemenway. Chair. Miss Josephine Clark. Collection of Old China. Henry S. Hilton. Collection of Old China. Robert Dawson. Portriat, Michael H. Simpson, 1809-1884. RECEPTION AND HISTORICAL EXHIBIT OF THE FRAMINGHAM D. A. R. In response to the invitation of the Town's " Committee of Thirty-three, ' ' the Framingham Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution ably assumed their share in mak- ing the celebration of the Bi-Centennial a success. To Mrs. George A. Reed of Saxonville belongs the credit of the Views of the D. A. R. Exhibit at Old Academy Building ■ D. A. R. RECEPTION 231 suggestion that some historic building be secured, and head- quarters established, where the Chapter could receive visiting friends. The Regent, Mrs. Willard Howe being too busily engaged in entertaining at South Framingham, the Vice Regent, Mrs. 1,. R. Eastman, was requested to take charge of the arrangements. A committee consisting of Mrs. E. M. White, Misses Marcella and Clara Daviis, Mrs. J. C. Cloves, Mrs. Angle Gage, Mrs. John Fiske and Mrs. David F. Fiske were appointed to assist the Vice Regent in carrying out the plans. The historic Old Stone Academy building was secitred, it being one of the older buildings of the Town, having been erected in 1837 for the use of the Framingham Academy, which had previously occupied a brick building standing on the same spot since the incorporation of the Academy in 1799. The Academy building had many pleasant associations for the older inhabitants and visitors. By the efforts of Mrs. White and the Misses Davis it was transformed into a veritable Colonial Home of "ye olden time." The main hall was fitted with furnishings of ancient days and was used as a Reception Room. Here the Officers of the Chapter received His Excellency, Governor W. Murray Crane, with the members of his official staff, Hon. George W. Weymouth, Member of Congress, Hon. John R. Fairbairn, Sheriff of Middlesex County, besides other State and County officials. Over one thousand people called to extend their congratulations to the "Daughters" and to enjoy their hospitality, a long list of over a thousand autographs being recorded in the register in charge of Miss Fairbank. In the rear of the reception room were the parlor and guest chamber, each appropriately furnished with very rare and ancient articles, from the treasures of some historic families. On the right as one entered, the eye rested on an old New England kitchen, which proved of great interest to all, with its huge old fashioned fire-place and many other articles unfamiliar to the present generation. That the D. A. R. might feel safe from all attacks from without, two Revolu- tionary soldiers, represented by David F. Fiske of Wayland and E. Scott Trask of Framingham, did guard duty, patrol- ing the lawn in front of the building, dressed in old colonial 2S2 TWO HUNDRED TH ANN/VERSA R Y uniform and carrying flint lock muskets which had seen service in the War of the Revolution. The exterior of the building was beautifully decorated with the State and National flags. A fine bronze tablet had been placed upon the front of the building in time for the celebration, by a Committee of the Framingham Academy and High School Alumni Association, with the following inscription : ON THIS SPOT STOOD THE BUILDING ERECTED IN 1792 BY THE PROPRIETORS OF THE BRICK SCHOOL HOUSE IN FRAMINGHAM OCCUPIED LATER BY THE FRAMINGHAM ACADEMY INCORPORATED IN I 799. IN 1837 THE ACADEMY BUILT THIS SCHOOLHOUSE ITS HOME UNTIL 185I, WHEN THE FRAMINGHAM ACADEMY AND HIGH SCHOOL WAS ORGANIZED AND REMAINED HERE UNTIL 1857. BI-CENTENNIAL MUSIC. On October 24, 1898, in response to an invitation extended by Dr. Ivcwis M. Palmer — who had been the last President of the Framingham Choral Union, a musical organization which had a flourishing existence in Town from 1883 to 1888 — a company of eighteen people of musical taste and ability met at his home to consider the advisability of again forming a Musical Society. Dr. Palmer in explaining the purpose of the meeting gave three special reasons for renew- ing such a musical organization. First, the cultivation of the musical taste of its members ; second, the assistance that could be given to the Assembly Chorus at Mount Wayte ; third, and chiefly, that there might be a strong well trained chorus ready for service at the Bi-Centennial celebration of the Town in 1900. These suggestions met with such favorable response that after some furthur preliminary meetings the Framingham Musical Association was organized with a charter membership of 243. Dr. 1,. M. Palmer was chosen President, Mrs. F. H. Hotaling Vice President, Whittle Poor Rustic Bridge Gateway ■ " Grove Cemetery MUSIC 233 Secretary and Bernard F. Merriam Treasurer. Dr. Jules Jordan of Providence R. I. a talented composer of music and conductor of tlie Arion Club of that city for many years, was secured as Instructor, and weekly rehearsals commenced December 2, 1898. These rehearsals have been continued and two successful Concerts have been given by the Association Chorus, assisted by talented soloists and conducted by Dr. Jules Jordan, during each Winter season since its organization. By its grand work during the Bi-Centennial celebration, the Association nobly fulfilled the expectations of its founder. Dr. Palmer, who had been made Chairman of the Committee on Music. At the Union Services at Grace Church on Sunday evening, June 10, 1900, the chorus filled the choir seats and large platform and splendidly rendered Dudley Buck's Festival Hymn and Kipling's Recessional as set to music by Dr. Jordan, assisted by Fred I/. Martin of Boston as Soloist. At the lyiterary Exercises held at Mount Wayte, on Wed- nesday, June 13, the Association Chorus of 200 voices again did excellent work in the rendering of our " National Hymn," Costa's "Damascus Triumphal March" and the Bi-Centennial Hymn written by Rev. Frederick L,. Hosmer, with music by Dr. Jordan. Instrumental music for this occasion was rendered by Battery B. Band of Worcester. For the parade of Wednesday forenoon the above named band, together with the American Watch Company Band of Waltham, Dennison Manufacturing Company Band of South Framingham and the Marlboro Brass Band of Marlboro were engaged and gave excellent satisfaction. Good music both instrumental and vocal is universally recognized as being a most acceptable feature of any celebration of this kind and ours was certainly no exception to this rule. Though Framingham does not claim any special fame in the science of music still there are past incidents which are worthy of record. When Rev. H. G. Spaulding on Sunday afternoon in the Plymouth Church exercises gave his ' ' Recollections of some prominent men " and named James O. Freeman as having 234 TIVO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y ' ' won distinction in the musical profession ' ' there was among his listeners the writer of this paragraph whose far earlier recollections carried him and with great pleasure to a well remembered day at our Academy, more than sixty years ago, when it was noised about among the scholars that our young mate, James Freeman, had bought a violin, or, more literally, that " Jimmie Freeman has got a fiddle," and that his father didn't like it because he was afraid that a good farmer-boy would be spoiled by a poor fiddler. But he was mistaken. The boy stuck to the farm, and to his parents, and after they had passed away, he remained upon the place for years. And he also stuck to his violin, and soon fell in love with the piano, and became, in his early manhood, a proficient both as player and teacher of both instruments. In different years, also, he presided at the three earliest church organs in the centre village. He devoted himself during his life to instrumental music and his acquaintance and association with lovers of that art were extensive, and productive of mutual pleasure. At an early period in his professional career he became intimate with German musicians in Boston, then few in number, from whom was formed the noted Mendelssohn Quintette Club, afterwards well known throughout a large part of our country. The farm home of Mr. Freeman on the road to Marlborough was an attractive place not only for his nearby neighbors but was particularly so for his musical friends in this Town and its vicinity. For them it was a magnetic point, but not for them alone. The Mendelssohn Club and his other German friends many a time found his Yankee farm a pleasant vacation resort with their instruments, which doubtless some- what reminded them of the Fatherland and which they, with their melodies, made a musical oasis. Rev. Josiah H. Temple who was a neighbor farmer-boy of Mr. Freeman, in his " History of Framingham " designates him as " a distinguished Musician." Mr. Temple was a scholar in the old brick Academy building, and Mr. Freeman in the new stone one, and the writer of this page was a schoolmate of each of them. MUSIC 235 It is a singular and unforeseen but an agreeable happening of events that it falls to his lot as the survivor of those three Academy boys to record, in this public form, that Mr. Temple was not only the writer of a very valuable history of this, his native town, but was the author and compiler of the annals of various other towns in the central part of the State and the Connecticut River Valley and was recognized as a distinguished town historian and also that he was warranted in describing his friend Mr. Freeman as " a dis- tinguished musician." This is but one of numerous pleasant memories that cluster around the old Academy, which for the nearly sixty years of its distinctive existence was the gem and pride of Framingham. It was most appropriately said by Rev. H. G. Spaulding, that for Mr. Freeman's friends " the melodies of his deeds of kindness and his acts of thoughtful love, were sweeter than any which he drew from the instruments he played so well." Instrumental classical music and vocal music of a high order were especially introduced here about forty years ago under the inspiration of the Mendelssohn Club and through the efiorts of such lovers of music as Charles R. Train, James O. Freeman, Theodore C. Hurd and W. Frank Hurd, the last named being alluded to in Mr. Spaulding's paper. CENTENNIAL MUSIC. Conceding to our Musical Association and its predecessor the Choral Union, the agreeable fact of their superiority over any previous similar organization wholly of this town, as to membership numbers and the elaborateness and skill of their performances, it would be unfair to our plain ancestry of a hundred years ago to ignore its musical taste and efforts, and the existence, a few years later of what was a distinguished association embracing a cluster of towns with Framingham as its centre. We can appropriately introduce here a page from Mr. Temple's History. " Singing. — This part of religious worship had an impor- tant place in the Sabbath services, in our fathers' time. In Mr. Swift's day, few, except the pastor and deacons, had psalm-books ; and it was customary for the minister to read 236 TU'O HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY the psalm in full, when the senior deacon would rise, face the audience, and repeat the first line, which would be sung by the congregation ; and so on to the end of the six or eight stanzas. Before Mr. Bridge's day, an edition of the Psalms and Hymns was printed, containing a collection of thirty- seven tunes inserted at the end. Mr. Bridge was a good singer, and was accustomed to meet such of his people as chose to come for instruction and practice in music. July, 1754, a vote was passed by the church, ' desiring seven brethren, viz., John Cloyes, Benjamin Pepper, John Farrar, Bezaleel and David Rice, Samuel Dedman and Daniel Adams, together with Mr. Ebenezer Marshall to take im- mediate care to qualify themselves to set the psalm in public ; and as soon as they are properly qualified, to lead the assembly in that part of Divine Worship.' " The first attempt to form a choir was made in 1768, when a number of singers petitioned the Town ' to appropriate the front seat in the upper gallery for their use, that they might sit together. ' "Soon after the formation of the choir, stringed instru- ments were introduced, to set the tune, and lead the voices. But it gave great offense to older people. On one occasion, when the violin was disabled, an old man, in terms more forcible than polite, gave thanks aloud that the Lord' s fiddle was broken ! Some years later, when Billings' Collection was introduced, and the choir for the first time sang the tune of ' David the King,' an aged man cried out, ' hold, hold ! ' and seizing his hat left the meeting-house.' " The custom of ' lining the psalm' continued for a long time after the organization of the choir; but it was very annoying to them. It ceased about 1785, and on this wise : Old Deacon Brown, who as senior deacon had the right to perform the service, was rather slow in his movements, and had the habit of adjusting his glasses and clearing his throat before beginning to read. At the date in question, Col. David Brewer was chosen chorister. Taking advantage of the Deacon's well known habit, on the first Sabbath of his leadership, the Colonel (acting no doubt on a previous understanding with his choir) struck in singing so quick MUSIC 237 after Mr. Kellogg had finished reading, that the Deacon had no chance to begin his work. He looked up in amazement — and so did a great many others in the congregation. After that there was no more attempt to ' deacon the hymn.' " In 1798, the Town granted $30 to hire a singing master. For several years, the annual proceeds of the alewive fishery in Cochituate brook were given to the singers, and hence received the name of the singers fish privilege. The Town was accustomed to choose annually a committee ' to regulate the singing.' In 1805, the Town 'voted, that the singers shall regulate themselves, so long as they shall continue to fill the seats assigned them, and behave with decency and order.' " It is evident that ' ' Young America ' ' was active in pro- ducing this revolution which changed a very ancient custom and resulted in a musical evolution of magnitude. It is not improbable that a leader was Daniel Belknap, a native farmer- boy, and as Mr. Temple says, " a noted singing master and composer." Of the, at least, three books published by him we present the title and preface of the first, in full : — THE larmonift'fif Companion^ CCNTAiNING A Number of AIRS fuitable for Divine Worship TOGETHER WITH An ANTHEM for Easter, aijcl a MASONIC ODE. NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED. Composed "b y^'dAN Te L B EL K.N A P. TEACHER OF MUSIC, IN J^JlAAJTNGH.iM. Praire yc Ac Lorf. Sing -unto Ae Lord a new fong, and'his jjraifc'in the' congregation of faiins:— PsAi,. cxiix. t. pufililben accorHing to aa of (ZLongreCe;. Pkinted, r/lagrapl-lcalli; a; BOSTON, By ISAIAH THOMAS and EBENEZER T. ANDREWS. Faust's Statue, No. 45, Ncuilury-Strcet.' Oct. i;?;.' 238 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY PREFACE. X HE defign of the following Publication, is to furnidi Schools and IMufical Societies wiih i ftumba of. original Airs fuited to Divine Worfliip; two pieces only, except thofe which are e^ecially adapted lo that fiiiportant purpofe, are therefore inferted. A'ViEW of the Temple, a Mafonic Ode, which appears in this Work, was fet to muflck by particular dclirt and performed by the Author with fevcral Brethren of the Fraternity, at the Inftallation of IVIiddlesex LouoecI' Free and Accepted Mafons, in Framingham, in 1 795. Books of this kind are commonly prefented to tlie Public with a very concife Introduction ; which may apolo. ?ize for the omillion here. Should the prefent Publication meet the approbation of a generous community, fome fur- iner attempii of the kind, both to pleafe and improve, may be expefted from their moll obedient and very humble Servant, The author. FftivmCHAii. Sept. II, 179;. That publication evidetitly did ' ' meet the approbation of a generous community ' ' and the ' ' author ' ' made a further attempt, and in 1800 published " the Evangelical Harmony " which was followed by ' ' the Village Compilation of Sacred Musick " the second edition of which was issued in 1806. It was printed by Joseph T. Buckingham, who in after years was an able and influential editor of newspapers and at one time a member of our State Senate. It contained ' ' upwards of one hundred and forty pieces of music." More than fifty were of Mr. Belknap's composition. He taught singing schools for probably twenty years in the towns of Middlesex and adjoining counties, and more remote places, and gave their names to many of his pieces. One he called Carlisle where he married a young lady, who perhaps was in his school, and to this tune he set these appropriate lines : "Now shall my inward joys arise And burst into a song Almighty love inspires my heart And pleasure tunes my tongue." In 1813 an association was formed here named the " St. David Musical Society, ' ' comprising in its limits fifteen towns. MUSIC 239 of which Framingham was the central and largest. They were " Bolton, Stow, Sudbury, East Sudbury, Weston, Marl- borough, Southborough, Framingham, Hopkinton, HoUiston, Sherburne, Dover, Natick, Needham and Newton." Time has effaced all recollection of the Society and even of tradition there has not a shred come to us. The only know- ledge of its former existence is derived from a printed leaflet of eight small pages, giving the constitution and having written upon it simply "Mary Rice, 1814." Its title page was " Constitution of the St. David Musical Society , organized September 6, i8i^. Cambridge : printed by Milliard and Met- calf, iSij." From this Constitution and the articles of Association we can learn the high aims and purposes of the associates, and their personal refinement, good taste, both literary and musical, and devoted love of "genuine, classical Church Musick." We give brief selections from the Constitution : — ' ' Strongly impressed with a sense of the importance of sacred Musick as an interesting part of religious worship; deeply lamenting the want of musical taste and knowledge in most parts of our country ; and anxious to contribute our best efforts towards a reformation so desirable both to the lovers of harmony and the friends of religion, we, whose names are subjoined, are induced to associate, under the name of the St. David Musical Society, for the cultivation and promotion of genuine, classical Church Musick ; such as is calculated to move the heart, to exalt the affections and to answer the purposes of devotion. And in order to carry this design into effect, we adopt and hold ourselves subject to the following "Articles of Association. 1. The special and im- mediate object of this society is, to revive a taste for ancient psalmody, or musick of a correct, scientific, solemn and im- pressive style ; of which the Middlesex and Lock Hospital Collections shall be the standards. No work which does not, in its general character, correspond with these, shall ever be introduced into the use of the society. 240 TIVO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY "2. No person shall become a member of the society, unless he possesses a just musical taste, and be able, at least, correctly to perform the simple airs in ordinary use in churches ; except Clergymen, who shall be eligible, though they may be unacquainted with the art of singing. Nor shall any person be admitted, who does not sustain a good moral reputation." The ofiBcers were a President, two Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and a Standing Committee of five. The President was to "lead the singing," and the Standing Committee to ' ' select suitable pieces of musick to be sung at the Anniver- sary of the Society : a list of which they shall cause to be transmitted to the members sixty days at least previous to that meeting." The Anniversary meeting was to be held in each town by rotation, upon thirty days notice in two Boston newspapers, and at such meeting the prescribed public exercises were "prayers, musical performances, and an oration, sermon or dissertation on musick." " There shall be three other stated meetings for ordinary exercise or practice in Musick," " at Framingham, on the first Mondays in December, February and June, at two o'clock in the after- noon." Special meetings may be called at Framingham, and no meeting shall be protracted to a later hour than six o'clock." " Females shall not become regular members of the Society, but those who have the moral and musical qualifications specified in the second article may be invited to attend the meetings and take part in the musical performances : and all so invited shall, for distinctions sake, be denominated Assistant Members, and shall be liable to be dismissed for the same misdemeanors that require the expulsion of male or regular members." The Constitution was signed by thirty-three members on the date of its adoption, and on December 6, next, " nineteen gentlemen were proposed for membership." For the history of the Society after the adoption of its Constitution, we must rely upon imagination. Mr. Daniel Belknap was, doubtless, its originator and first President. MUSIC 241 in He had capable co-operators among his fellow citizens i Town, of a population of about 1,800. Among them were Rev. David Kellogg and Rev. Charles Train, the only ministers here. Dr. John B. Kittredge and Eli Bullard and Josiah Adams, Esquires, all college graduates in active pro- fessional life, representing Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale. Mr. Train and Mr. Adams were both fond of sacred music even to their last years. Mr. Train was pastor of the Baptist churches in Framingham and Weston, and would naturally desire that Weston should be in the Musical Society. He was the chorister in his little meeting-house at Park's corner, and was Mr. Belknap's co-efficient and might properly have succeeded him when he passed away in 1815. Possibly, and in fact, probably, Mr. Train who had been the preceptor of the Academy and who was an accomplished writer drew the main portions of the Constitution and was selected to deliver the ' ' oration, sermon, or dissertation on musick ' ' at the Anniversary of September, 1814. We wish that a picture of the gathering of that day had been preserved. In those years there were no public holidays except Independence and Thanksgiving. Fast day was a holy sombre holiday. Good ndtured 'I,ection day and occasional military musters drew people from their homes now and then. Therefore the forma- tion of this Society was a stirring and gratifying event for our rural village. The gathering must have been in the then new meeting-house . The old Town House was too small . The Com- mon had not then been laid out, but the forest trees upon that spot furnished pleasant shade for the strangers' horses fastened to them on that day. Probably most in attendance came on foot, others in chaises — four wheel carriages being very rare — some on horse back with saddle and its pillion. They of New- ton and Needham were especially favored because they could take the public stage coaches over the new turnpike between the towns of Boston and Worcester, with Framingham as the half-way place, with its Hotel and Tavern of good cheer and gentlemanly landlords, whose dinner and supper tables on that day were filled with the musical stranger guests. We may believe that promptly at two o'clock, upon the ringing of the meeting-house bell, the services began with 242 TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY the opening prayer by Rev. Mr. Kellogg and that they promptly closed at six with a benediction by some minister of a nearby town. Between those hours the meeting-house — the memory of which even now is dear to all, though far scattered, who in their younger years worshipped within its walls — was crowded by the singers aad listeners in its old fashioned and quaint pews, and in all the galleries on its sides and resounded with a volume of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and anthems of praise never before nor since heard therein. That was the last Anniversary here. The Society did not survive Mr. Belknap many years. We can easily con- jecture which of our old families were represented by the singers, though the names of the individuals are unknown. But the names of the players upon instruments are beyond our surmise. Perhaps somebody has, somewhere, records regarding this assembly. If so, it is hoped that they may be disclosed. That day and its evening must have been given to hospi- tality to the visiting strangers. If any readers of these last pages have derived any pleasure from them let it be ascribed to the carefulness of the young woman who alone preserved the leaflet and so rescued from oblivion the fact of the existence and the name of the Association. Though permitted for "distinction's" sake to be an "Assistant," it could not have been foreseen by her that in remote years something like distinction might come to her name because of such carefulness ; nor that nearly ninety years later, the writing of these lines should fall to one most closely related to her, and impressed with filial regard for her memory. FIREWORKS AT SAXONVILI^E. One of the features of the general program of the cele- bration which was earliest decided upon by the General Committee was to have as fine a display of Fireworks as could be afforded. At a meeting of the Committee held in March, 1900, Chairman James R. Entwistle of the Sub- FIREWORKS 243 committee on Fireworks asked for a decision of the question where and when the display should take place, and incidentally called attention to the added beauty of such display when given on the banks of a sheet of water like the Saxonville Mill Pond. A motion was made at this meeting, and after being laid on the table for further consideration was unani- mously adopted two weeks later, that the display of fireworks should be held at Saxonville Mill Pond on the evening of Friday, June fifteenth. It was felt that not only was the particular spot selected a most attractive and suitable location, but that in this way the merits of Saxonville as the earliest settled portion of Framingham and one which has always contributed its full share of thrifty and intelligent men and women to maintain the Town's honorable position, would receive recognition by having the last and crowning event of the celebration within its borders. The choice of Friday evening was made partly to avoid competition with the events already scheduled for other evenings of the week, but principally because a full moon occurring on Tuesday, the earlier evenings of the week would be rendered too light for an advantageous display of fireworks. The event fully justified the wisdom of the Committee in their selection of time and place. The same delightful weather prevailed which had favored the previous events of the celebration and as the brilliant color of a lovely summer sunset gradually faded into softer twilight thousands of spectators gathered from all directions, carriages filled with people occupied all available spaces along the highways and some twenty extra electric cars were utilized to bring those who came on the Framingham Union Street Railway from South Fram- ingham and other villages. It is estimated that at eight o'clock at least 10,000 people had gathered near the shores of the Mill Pond, but all found a place from which to get a satisfactory view. Through the kindness of Mr. Frank E. Simpson, the portion of his spacious grounds which sloped toward the Pond was freely opened, and other nearby res- idents made generous provision for a cordial welcome to friends and strangers. The whole village was in holiday attire. All the public buildings and many private ones were 244 TWO HUNDRED TH ANNIVERSAR Y artistically decorated with bunting, flags and Chinese lan- terns, while on the pond were numerous canoes, some of which had been brought from neighboring towns, which added to the brilliancy of the scene by their luminous dec- orations. Music was furnished at intervals throughout the evening by the Marlboro Brass Band of twenty-four pieces. The display of fireworks which was obtained by the Committee from H. H. Tilton & Co. of Boston was enthusi- astically received. Stands were erected near the westerly shore of the pond from which the various features were set off and the fine scenic effect was greatly heightened by the graceful shade trees outlined in the background, as well as by the water in the foreground of the picturesque scene. There were two principal set pieces, one, representing the "Olympia," Admiral Dewey's flagship at the battle of Manila Bay, being a very realistic representation of a modern warship " under fire." The other as the closing feature was designed for the occasion to represent Framingham's Bi- centennial Celebration, and bore in the centre the monogram, " Framingham 1700 — 1900," while on one side was a like- ness of Col. Moses Edgell, to whom the whole town is indebted for his generous gifts of the Edgell Grove Cemetery and the Edgell I,ibrary Funds, and on the other a picture of Michael H. Simpson, to whom in a large degree Saxonville owes its industrial prosperity. It is worthy of mention as showing the orderliness and careful handling of the crowds, that although most of the scores of vehicles and thousands of spectators in dispersing at the close of the entertainment converged at the corner of Central and Water streets, yet all went safely and quietly away and the closing event of our Bi-Centennial, like nearly all those which had preceded it, was wholly free from accident and an occasion long to be held in grateful re- membrance by all who participated in it. HOSPITAUTY. Allusion has already been made in the Chapter on the events of Wednesday to the entertainment provided for the Town's Invited Guests at Mr. Merriam's house, during the The Rice House on Rice Hill The Manufacture of Straw Bonnets, in the United States, was begun here Oot. 2, 1800, and continued for nearly 50 years, by IVIrs. Mary Rice The "Old Red House," Union Avenue TOWN SEAL 245 interval between the Parade and the I