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ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


3  1833  01742  4380 


GENEALOGY 

974.2 

G7659 

1922 

JAN-JUN 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/granitemonthlymav54p1conc 


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Granite   Monthly 


ISew  Hampshire  Slate  Magazine 


VOLUME   LIV. 
1.Q99 

_1-   ^/  iwvi  ,?.««!• 


PUBLISHERS 

HARLAN  C.  PEARSON 

JANUARY-SEPTEMBER 

THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY  COMPANY 

FROM     OCTOBER 

CONCORD,  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


CONTENTS 


X  698881 


Pag< 


Abbott   H.  Thayer  Memorial  Exhibition,  Alice  Dinsmoor , 

A.    D.    H523,    Khvin    L.    Page 

Arthur    G.    Whittemore     •  * 

A-Warbleririg   on    the    Marsh,    Katherine    Upham    Hunter    

Harrington    Celebrates,    Morton    Hayes    Wiggin     

Bath :   a   Town    That   Was,    Kate   J.    Kimball    

Berlin,    a    City   of   Opportunities.    O.   W.   Female!    

Book   Reviews    : 34.  64.   100,   134.   186,  218.  255,  301.  344,  3SS,  431 

Brookes    More    Prize    Award    

By    the    Veery's    Xest,    Caroline    Stetson    Allen    


Chester's    Bicentennial 


Danger     Facing    New     England,     The.     Ervin     \V.     Hodsdon 

Daniel    Webster.    New    Hampshire's    Giant,    Roland    D.    Sawyer     

Daniel    Webster    Highway,    The    

Date  of  the    First   Permanent   Settlement  in    New   Hampshire,   The,  John   Scales 

Editorials   32.  62,  99.   133,  184,  217,  254,  300,  343,  3Z7,  434, 

Franklin    B.    Sanborn,   an    Appreciation,    Harold    D.    Carew    

Gasoline    Tax    for    New    Hampshire.    A.    Winthrop    Wadleigh 

Hampton    Falls    Bicentennial,    Frances    Healey 

Highways   of   Proven    Merit   in   Nashua,   George   P.  Winn    

Historical    Notes    on    Chester •  • 

History      of    Street    Railways      and    Power    Development      in    New      Plampshire, 

Frederick    E.    Webster    

Home   Spun   Yarns  from  the   Red   Barn   Farm,  Zilla   George   Dexter    49,   77, 

How   New   Hampsire    Raised    Her   Armies    for    the    Revolution,    Jonathan    Smith 

Indian    Stream    War,   The,    Mary    R.    P.    Hatch    

In    Praise  of    Brooks.    Katherine    Upham    Hunter    


Lake   Winnipesaukee,    Mary    Blake    Benson    

Metalak.   a   True   Story,    Gertrude    Weeks    Marshal 
Mv   Pine   Tree.   Mary    Blake    Benson    


N 


New   England's    Industrial   Future,   Robert   P.  Bass 

New  Hampshire  Day  by  Day   ....3,  59,  95,   131,   172,  212,  250,  296,  341,  385,  426, 
New    Hampshire    in    History    and    Story    for    Children,    Grace    Edith    Kingsland 
Hampshire   Necrology: 

John  Quincy  Adams.  259;  Edwin  G.  Annable,  475;  Jeremiah  E.  Ayers, 
261:  Joseph  G.  Avers.  303:  Chas.  U.  Bell,  476;  Walter  Irving  Blanchard, 
475;  Madame  Bouguereau,  103;  Charles  C.  Buffum,  435;  J.  Milnor  Coif, 
69.;  Ja^.  L.  Colby,  102;  Edmund  C.  Cole,  140;  Otis  Cole,  104;  Geo.  Cook, 
391;  Frank  D.  Currier,  36;  Dennis  Donovan,  104;  Irving  W.  Drew,  189; 
Thomas  Entwistle,  3"3:  Henry  Farrar.  36;  L.  M.  Farrington,  36;  Oscar 
F.  Fellows,  69;  Frank  P.  Fisk,  36;  William  W.  Flanders,  303;  Rqei  H, 
Fletcher,  69;  George  C.  Hazelton,  391;  Samuel  W.  Holman,  104;  Will 
B.  Howe,  188;  Harriet  E.  Huntress,  345;  Joseph  H.  Killourhy,  435; 
Joseph  VV.  Fund.  220;  Joseph  Madden,  391;  William  H.  Manahan,  259; 
Luther  F.  McKinney.  345;  Charles  R.  Miller,  345;  John  B.  Mills,  70; 
William  Nelson  140;  Eugene  P.  Nute,  261;  John  C.  O'Connor,  69;  Flosea 
W.  Parkei,  389;  Mary  R.  Pike,  303;  Samuel  E.  Pingree,  259;  Henry  Cole 


395 
205 
193 
323 

411 
453 
167 
472 
57 
22 

351 

244 
215 
22$ 
269 

472 

397 

465 

403 
124 
357 

281 
115 

7 

441 
152 

289 

439 

93 

374 
468 
431 


CONTENT 


Quiriby,  -j75;  Charles  B.  Rogers,  140;  Mary  C.  Rotofson,  345;  Erison 
D.  Sanborn.  140;  Burton  T.  Scales.  103;  James  C.  Simpson.  2n0; 
William  E.  Spanieling  261;  William  L.  Sutherland,  104;  David  A.  Tag- 
gart,  101;  Levi  C.  Taylor,  103;  John  M.  Thompson,  220;  Charles  R, 
Walker.  220;  Reuben  E.  Walker.,  68;  Moses  J.  Wentworth,  140;  William 
A.  Whitney,   476;    Richard   Wh'oriskey,   103;.Fiank    G.   Wilkins,   303. 

New   Wiiley    House    Cabins.    The,    John    H.    Foster    379 

North    Parish    Church.    North    Haverhill,    Katherine    C.    Meader 330 

Nottingham's    200th    Anniversary.    Harold    H.    Niks 369 

Old    Dover    Handing.    The,    John    B.    Stevens 448 

Oldest    Church   in    New   Hampshire,    The,    George    B.    Upham    39 

Outdoor   Sports   in    Colonial   Times,    Samuel    Copp   Worthen 450 

Parker   Pillsbury,   Albert    E.    Pillsbury    73 

Pascataquack  and   Kenebeck,    Elvvin    L.    Page 292 

Pictorial  Wealth  of  New  Hampshire,  The,  A.  H.  Beardsley    317 

Poetry: 

A  Bit  of  Color,  Laura  Garland  Carr,  384;  A  Brook  in  the  Woods, 
Charles  Wharton  Stork,  452;  A  Degenerate  of  the  Pink  Family,  Mary  E. 
Hough,  383;  A  Dream  of  Mount  Kearsarge,  Alice  Sargent  Krikorian, 
66;  A  Song  of  Hope.  Lyman  S.  Herrick.  471;  A  Song  to  Pass  Away  the 
Evening,  Helene  Mullins  388.;  A  Winter's  Night  Storm,  Perley  R.  Bug- 
bee,  106;  An  August  Picture  Alice  Sargent  Krikorian,  342;  Anodyne, 
Francis  Wayne  MacVeagh,  4/4;  Alone,  Marie  Wilson,  436;  Arbutus, 
Edna  Logan  Hummel,  185;  As  a  Tie!  Tree  and  an  Oak,  Eleanor  Kenly 
Bacon.  238;  Awakenings.  Alice  M.  Sbepard.  92. 
Baby's  Puff,  Ruth  Bassett,  382:  Bitie,  Walter  B.  Wolfe,  221.  ' 
Celia   Thaxter,   Reign  old   Kent   Marvin.   304. 

Day  Dreams,  Sarah  Jackson.  256;  Dear  Echoes,  Katharine  Sawin 
Oakes,  172:  Dilemma,  Cora  S.  Day,  216;  Dreamers,  Cora  S.  Day,  299; 
Dreams,.   Lihan    Sn-    Keech,   $<*.  '■■ 

Enchantment,    J.    Roy    Zeiss,    2;  4;    Eventide,    Edward    H.    Richards,   304; 
Extinctus  Amabitur   Idem,   Helen   Adams   Parker,  424. 
Fantasy,   L.  Adelaide   Sherman,  378. 

God — Thanks,  Ruth  Bassett,  151;  Gone,  Harold  Vinal,  136;  Grosbeaks, 
Wralter   B.  Wolfe,    139. 

His  Little  Flock  Are  We,  Elias  H.  Cheney,  348;  Homesick,  Cora  S. 
Day,    296. 

Indian  Summer,  Laura  Garland  Carr,  425;  Inspiration,  Eleanor  W. 
Vinton,    198;    In   the    Garden,   Alice    Leigh,   449. 

Jack  Frost,  Walter  B.  Wolfe,  94;  Just  Dreaming,  Frederick  Wr.  Fowler, 
420. 

Last  Days,  Harold  Vinal.  135;  Lart  Death.  Harold  Vinal,  280;  Last  of 
April,  Harold  Vinal,  136;  Late  November.  George  Quinter,  425;  Life's 
Eventide,  Aiida  Cogswell  True,  436;  Lilac  Shadows,  Louise  Piper 
Wemple,   21;    Lodestars,    Fanny    Runnells    Poole,    237. 

March,  Helen  Adams  Parker,  93;  Mary,  Mother,  Helen  Adams  Parker, 
471;  Memories,  Katharine  Sawin  Oakes.  446;  Monadnock,  J.  L.  McLane, 
Jr.,  461;  Morning  in  the  Valley  of  the  Mad  River,  Adaline  Holton  Smith, 
66;  My  A  ready,  Eugene  IL  Musgrove,  31;  My  Chester,  Isabelie  H. 
Fitz,  362;  My  Song  That  Was  a  Sword,  Hazel  Hall,  58. 
New  Houses,  Cora  S.  Day,  137. 
Oh,  Come  and  Walk  With  Me,  Mabel  Cornelia  Matsom  187;  Old  Home 


• 


* 


CONTEXTS  Page 

Flowers.   Alice  L.  Martin,  268;   On   the   Road    From   Cormicy,    Mary   E. 
Hougfc,   3-17;   Opulence,  Alice   Sargent   Krikorian,  301. 
Pine-Tree    Song,    Helen    Adams    Parker,    340;    Prometheus,    Walter    B. 
Wolfe,  402. 

Ragged  Mountain,  M.  White  Sawyer,  343;  Real  Royalty,  Edward  H. 
Richards,  35;  Rebirth,  Nellie  Dodge  Free,  90;  Reflets  Dans  L'  Infinite, 
Walter  B.  Wolfe,  63;  Resurrection  of  the  Ships,  Reignold  Kent  Marvin, 
33;  Retrospection.  Ethel  Davis  Nelson,  392;  Return,  Harold  Vina),  137. 
Sails,  Alice  Leigh,  36S;  Search,  John  Rollin  Stuart.  288;  Separation, 
Helene  Mullins.  425;  Solitude.  Helene  Mullins,  387;  Songs,  Letitia  M. 
Adams,  138;  Sonnet.  Louise  Patterson  Guyol,  430;  South  of  Magadore, 
E.  F.  Keene,  382;  Spring  and  Dawn.  Adeline  Holton  Smith,  123;  Spring 
Flame,  Harold  Vinal,  136;  Spring  Mist,  Eleanor  Vinton,  138;  Spring 
Promise,  M.  White  Sawyer,  221;  Storms,  Ruth  Bassett,  257;  Substitute, 
Helene  Mullins,  434;  Summer  Time.  Mary  E.  Partridge,  258;  Sunapee 
Lake,  Mary  E.  Partridge,  316;  Sunset  on  Lake  Winnepesaukee,  Mattie 
Bennett    Mcader,   327. 

To  a  Hamadryad,  Walter  B.  Wolfe,  258;  To  an  Icicle,  F.  R.  Bagley,  67; 
To  Monadnockr,  H.  F.  Ammidown,  105;  To  Those  Who  Come  After,  A. 
A.  D.,  473;  Travel  With  a  Smile,  Eleanor  Kenley  Bacon,  166;  Treason, 
Helen  Frazee-Bower,  190;  The  Alien,  Lilian  Sue  Keech,  440;  The 
Bird's  Message,  Helen  Adams  Parker,  135;  The.  Black  Rock  of  Nan- 
tasket,  Alice  Sargent  Krikorian,  410;  The  Color  of  Happiness,  Louise 
Patterson  Guyol,  368;  The  Hampshire's,  Mary  E.  Plough,  302;  The 
'Haven  of  Lost  Ships,  E.  F.  Keene,  338;  The  Hermit  Thrush,  Laura  Gar- 
land Carr,  382;  The  Living  Dark,  Claribel  Weeks  Avery,  70;  The 
Oriole,  Ellen  Lucy  Brown.  329;  The  Pilgrim  Woman,  Mary  Richard- 
son, 48;  The  Poet,  John  Rollin  Stuart,  114;  The  Road,  L.  Adelaide  Sher- 
man, 277;  The  Tear  That  Says  Good-By,  Frank  R.  Bagley,  257;  The 
Tree,  T.  P.  White.  219;  The  Turning  of  the  Tide,  Helen  Mowe  Phil- 
brook,  88;  The  White  Flower,  Alice  Sargent  Krikorian,  253;  The  Wind- 
ing Road,  Nellie  Dodge  Frye,  183;  The  Woodsey  Trail,  Adeline  Hol- 
ton  Smith,  216. 

LHysses,  Returned.  Carolyn  Williams,  19;  Urania:  Muse  of  Astronomy, 
Louise    Patterson    Guyol,    410. 

Water    Lilies,    Plelen    Frazee-Bower,    304;    When    the    Birds    Fly    North, 
Althine    Sholes    Lear,    76;    When    the    Summer    Days    Flave    Fled,    Alice 
Sargent    Krikorian.    381;    Willow    Tree,    Alice    Leigh,    467. 
Pre-Revolurionary   Life  and   Thought   in   a   Western    New  Hampshire    Town, 

George    B.    Upham 109,    143,    199,    238 

Procession   of   Discontent,   The,    William    M.    Stuart    421 

Putting  New   Hampshire   on   the   Toboggan,    George   B.   Upham    278 

Remarkable    Family,    A     ••...... 339 

Resistless   Appeal  of   New   Hampshire,   The,   Charles    S.   Tapley    249 

Settlement   of   New    Hampshire,    The,    Paul    Edward    Moyer    153 

Snow,     Charles     Nevers      Holmes     ( 462 

Spence    House,    The,    Joseph    Foster     466 

Three    Boys    of    Cornish,    Samuel    L.    Powers 89 

Timothy    P.    Sullivan    , •  • . .     307 

Tragedies   in    My   Ancestry,    Roland    D.    Sawyer    409 


CONTENTS  Page 

Unchanging    The,    Winnifred    Janette    Kittredge     91 

Vendue  at  Valley   Farm,  The,  Emma   Warne   265 

What  of  New  England's   Future?   Ervin   W.   Hodsdon    127 

Who    Planted    New   Hampshire?   Charles    Thornton    Libby    364 

Widest  Paved  Street  in  New  England,  The,  Wirtneid  M.  Chaplin 85 

ERRATA 

Page  103,  lor  ""May,"  read  "June." 

Page    360,   insert   after   sixth    line,    ''R.    French    and    the    mother    of." 

Page  390,  eighth  line  from  last,  read   "Lovisa"  for   "Louisa." 


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Jud<:;:  George   F.   Morris. 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Vol.  LIV 


JANUARY,  1922 


No.   1 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  DAY  BY  DAY 


George  Franklin  Morris  of  Lan- 
caster, the  new  judge  of  the  United 
States  District  Court  tor  the  District 
■of  New  Hampshire,  is  seventh  in  the 
line  of  that  honorable  and  distin- 
guished succession,  the  office  having 
but  four  occupants  between  1804  and 
1921.  The  first  judge,  appointed  by 
President  Washington  September  26. 
1789,  was  General  John  Sullivan  of 
Durham,  hero  of  the  Revolution  and 
one  of  the  most  interesting  figures  in 
the  early  history  of  New  Hampshire. 
He  was  a  brilliant  lawyer,  as  well  as 
a  gallant  soldier  and  courtly  gentleman, 
and  was  attorney  general  of  the  state 
before  accepting  the  place  on  the  bench 
which  he  filled  until  his  death January 
23,  1795. 

His  successor  was  John  Pickering 
■of  Portsmouth,  whose  life  story  is  one 
of  the  tragic  pages  in  the  history  of 
the  New  Hampshire  bench  and  bar. 
Native  of  Newington,  Harvard  grad- 
uate, eminent  lawyer,  useful  patriot, 
one  of  the  framers  of  the  state  con- 
stitution, chief  justice  of  the  supreme 
-court,  attorney  general,  he  was  in 
failing  health  when  he  received  his 
appointment  to  trie  federal  court  and 
a  few  years  later  became  insane.  His 
removal  from  office,  effected  by  the 
harsh  expedient  of  his  impeachment 
for  "high  crimes  and  misdemeanors," 
"became  not  only  a  celebrated  case,  but 
a  national  political  issue. 

In  his  place  was  appointed  John 
Samuel  Sherburne  of  Portsmouth, 
who  had  been  the  first  United  States 
district  attorney  for  this  district. 
He  was  a  preacher  turned  lawyer, 
Revolutionary  soldier,  legislative  lead- 
er   and    congressman,    and    served    as 


judge  until  1830.  After  him  came 
-Matthew  Harvey,  the  only  man  who 
ever  resigned  the  office  of  governor  of 
New  Hampshire ;  which  he  did  to  ac- 
cept the  appointment  to  the  federal 
bench.  Born  in  Sutton,  educated  at 
Dartmouth,  he  was  a  lawyer  in  Hop- 
kinton  until  his  removal  to  Concord  in 
1850,  where  he  died  in  1866,  having 
held  office,  state  or  federal,  continu- 
ously for  52  years.  His  name  appears 
in  the  list  of  our  executive  coun- 
cilors, speakers  of  the  House,  presi- 
dents of  the  Senate  and  United  States 
Senators,  as  well  as  in  those  of  gov- 
ernors  and    judges. 

Daniel  Clark  of  Manchester,  the 
next  district  judge,  also  resigned  what 
some  might  consider  a  more  important 
office  to  go  upon  the  bench ;  for  he 
was  United  States  Senator  when  he 
accepted  the  judicial  appointment  and 
qualified  July  27,  1866.  This  action, 
however,  was  not  unique,  like  that  of 
Governor  Harvey,  for  in  the  early 
days  of  the  Republic  Samuel  Liver- 
more,  James  Sheafe  and  Nahurn  Par- 
ker resigned  the  office  of  United  States 
Senator  from  New  Hampshire,  as  did, 
somewhat  later,  those  more  famous 
sons  of  the  state,  Levi  Woodbury  and 
Franklin  Pierce. 

Judge  Clark  was  a  native  of 
Stratham,  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
and  for  two  years  during  his  service 
in  the  Senate  president  of  that  body. 
Upon  his  death  in  1891  the  choice 
for  his  successor  fell  upon  Edgar 
Aldrich  of  Littleton,  native  of  Pitts- 
burg, graduate  of  the  University 
of  Michigan,  speaker  of  the  New- 
Hampshire  House,  whose  distin- 
guished career  as   lawyer     and     jur- 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


ist  and  eminent  public  services  are 
:still  fresh  in  the  public  mind.  It 
was  his  lamented  death  on  Sept,  15. 
1921,  which  caused  the  vacancy 
now  so  well  filled  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  Judge  Morris. 

George  F.  Morris  was  born  in 
Vershire,  Yt.,  April  13,  1866,  the 
son  of  Josiah  S.  and  Lucina  C. 
(Merrill)  Morris,  and  attended  the 
schools  of  Corinth  and  Randolph, 
Yt.  For  some  years  he  was  a  suc- 
cessful school  teacher,  at  the  same 
time  reading  law.  and  was  admitted 


resentatives  of  1905,  when  the  im- 
portant standing  committee  on  ways 
and  means  was  first  appointed,  he 
was  made  its  chairman,  although  a 
new  member,  and  in  that  capacity 
rendered  valuable  service.  Both 
at  Lisbon  and  Lancaster  he  served 
on  the  school  board.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  state  board  of  bar 
examiners  since  1914  and  in  1917 
was  president  of  the  state  bar  as- 
sociation. Despite  his  devotion  to 
his  profession  he  has  many  outside 
interests,     including     an     extensive 


Federal  Building,  Concord,  N.  H. 


to  the  bar  in  1891.  He  practised 
at  Lisbon  until  19G6,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Lancaster  and  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Drew.  Jordan 
Shurtleff  &  Morris,  headed  by  U.  S. 
Senator  Irving  \Y.  Drew  and  the 
late  Governor  Chester  B.  Jordan, 
the  most  important  law  partnership 
in  Northern  New  Hampshire.  In 
this  connection  he  has  had  a  very 
wide  and  successful  professional  ex- 
perience. While  at  Lisbon  he  rep- 
resented the  town  in  the  legislature 
and  constitutional  convention  and 
was  for  four  years  solicitor  of  Graf- 
ton county.     In  the  House  of  Rep- 


farm,  and  has  been  president  of  the 
Coos  County  Farm  Bureau.  He  is 
an  authority  on  the  early  history  of 
Northern  New  England  as  well  as 
upon  its  flora,  of  which  he  has  a 
large  collection.  Judge  Morris 
married  May  16,  1894,  Lula  J. 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Persis 
(Hall)  Aldrich,  of  Lisbon,  widely 
known  as  a  clubwoman  and  as  past 
grand  matron  of  the  Eastern  Star. 
They  have  one  son,  Robert  Hall 
Morris. 

Judge  Morris  counts  himself  fort- 
unate in  having  the  experienced 
and    expert    assistance      in      his    new 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  DAY  BY  DAY 


duties  of  another  North  Country 
lawyer.  Burns  P.  Hodgman,  for- 
merly of  Littleton,  who  has  been  clerk 
of  the  district  court  since  August 
1,  1900.  He  is  the  12th  occupant 
of  the  position,  his  predecessors  hav- 
ing beenjonathan  Steele  of  Durham, 
1/59  —  1804;  Richard  Cults  Shannon 
of  Portsmouth.  1804— IS  14;  George 
Washington  Prescott  of  Portsmouth, 
1814—1817;  Pen  ton  Randolph  Free- 


Mayor  Fred  H.  Brown  of  Somers- 
svorth  has  been  United  States  dis- 
trict attorney  since  1914,  being  the 
26th  in  a  distinguished  succession 
which;  includes  such  names  as  Jere- 
miah Smith,  John  P.  Hale  and 
Franklin  Pierce.  Thomas  B.  Don- 
nelly of  Manchester  took  office  this 
year  as  United  States  marshal  in 
this  district,  an  office  in  which  he 
has  had  21   predecessors. 


Hon.  George  E.  Truoel. 
Mayor  of  Manchester. 


man  of  Portsmouth,  1817 — 1820; 
William  Claggett  of  Portsmouth, 
1820 — 1825 ;  Samuel  Cushman  of 
Portsmouth.  1825—1826 ;  Charles 
W.  Cutter  of  Portsmouth,  1826 — 
1841  ;  John  L.  Hayes  of  Portsmouth. 
1841  —  1847;  Charles  H.  Bartlett  of 
Manchester,  1847—1883;  Benjamin 
F.  Clark  of  Manchester,  1883—1891  ; 
Fremont  E.  Shurtleti  of  Concord, 
1891—1900. 


Sessions  of  the  district  "court  are 
held  in  Portsmouth  and  Littleton 
as  well  as  in  Concord,  but  the  per- 
manent offices  of  the  clerk  arid  mar- 
shal are  in  the  federal  building  at 
Concord. 

While  1921  was  the  "off  year"  in 
Xew  Hampshire  as  regards  state 
elections,  the  people. of  several  cities 
went  to  the  polls  in  November  and 


6  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

December     to   choose     members     of  It  was  a   somewhat   singular  cir- 

their  city  governments,  and  some  cufrfstance  that  in  every  case  where 
interesting  contests  resulted.  This  a  mayor  was  a  candidate  for  reelec- 
\yas  particularly  the  case  in  our  me-  tion  lie  was  successful.  Major  Or- 
tropolis,  Manchester,  where  Hon.  ville  E.  Cain,  mayor  of  Keenc,  and 
George  E.  Trudel.  Republican,  William  K.  Kimball,  mayor  of 
member  of  Governor  Albert  O.  Rochester,  had  no  opposition.  In 
Brown's  executive  council  from  the  Concord,  Mayor  Henry  E.  Chamber- 
third  district,  defeated  John  L.  Bar-  lin  was  given  a  second  term  over 
ry,  Democrat,  president  of  the  State  Alderman  Arthur  F.  Sturtevant. 
Federation  of  Labor.  Mayor  Tru-  At  Portsmouth.  Major  Fernando 
del  is  a  native  of  Canada,  of  French  \Y.  Hartford,  editor  and  publicist, 
descent,  but  has  lived  in  Manches-  was  elected  for  a  second  term,  his 
ter  since  childhood.  Throughout  opponent  being  ex-Mayor  Daniel 
the  State  he  has  a  wide  circle  of  W.  Badger,  member  of  Governor 
friends,  gained  during  many  years  Samuel  D.  Felker's  executive  coun- 
_    _        -   ....-,-,---     .  =  -  ,  cil.     Henri  A.  Biirque  was  re-elect- 

ed mayor  of  Nashua  by  4,343  votes 
to  1,873  for  Alderman  John  W.  Bro- 
derick.  The  chief  election  day  sur- 
prises were  in  Dover  and  Franklin. 
In  the  former  city,  Charles  G.  Wal- 
dron,  Democrat,  defeated  Alonzo 
1  G.    Willand,    Republican,    for    mayor, 

I  although    the    latter    party    carried 

four  of  the  five  wards  for  other 
offices.  Mayor-elect  Waldron  has 
chosen  a  "cabinet,"  or  board  of  ad- 
visors, of  eight  Republicans  and 
four  Democrats  with  whom  he  says 
he  will  take  counsel  as  to  the  finan- 
cial and  other  policies  of  the  city. 
In  Franklin  the  strike  of  paper  mill 
workers  was  made  an  issue  in  the 
election  and  the  labor  candidate- 
L,  ,-  Louis    H.     Douphinette,   Democrat, 

beat   Clarence   P.    Stevens,   Republi- 
Hon.  F.   W.   Hartford.  can.     Mr.     Douphinette,     like      Mr. 

Mayor   of    Portsmouth.  Waldron.  was  a  member  of  the  leg- 

"on  the  road"  as  a  commercial  trav-  islature  of  1919  and  is  president  of 
eller  and  is  now  prosperously  en-  the  Central  Labor  Union  of  his  city, 
gaged  in  business  for  himself-     His  Several    women    were    elected    to 

candidacy  for  the  council  was  his  the  school  boards  of  their  respec- 
first  political  experience,  but  he  now  tive  cities,  Mrs.  Ida  Benheld  in 
holds  the  record  of  having,  within  Portsmouth;  Mrs.  Delia  Alton  in 
thirteen  months,  "redeemed"  both  Nashua;  Miss  Annie  Wallace  and 
his  city  and  his  councilor  district  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Kendall  in  Rochester ; 
from  the  opposing  part)'.  An  is-  while  in  Keene  one  woman  council- 
sue  in  this  election  was  the  legisla-  man  was  chosen  from  each  of  the 
tion  regarding  Manchester  enacted  five  wards:  Mr.s.  Maude  S.  Puthey, 
by  the  general  court  of  V)2\ .  which  Miss  Grace  A.  Richardson,  Mrs. 
was  favored  by  Councilor  Trude!  Annie-  L.  Holbrook,  Mrs.  Katherine 
and  his  supporters  and  denounced  E.  Faulkner  and  Mrs.  Lulu  F. 
by  their  opponents.  Lesure. 


HOW  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  RAISED  HER 
ARMIES  FOR  THE  REVOLUTION. 


By  Jonathan  Sm 


In  the  three  great  Wars  which 
this  country  has  waged,  namely,  the 
Revolution,  the  Civil  and  the  World 
War.  the  nation  has  raised  its 
armies  in  three  different  ways:  by 
the  militia  system,  the  volunteer 
method  and  by  conscription.  In 
the  Revolutionary  struggle,  under 
the  so-called  militia  system,  the  men 
were  drawn  from  State  Militia  reg- 
iments already  organized,  through 
voluntary  enlistment  or  by  draft. 
Its  distinguishing  feature  was  a 
short  term  of  service,  and  was  the 
sole  method  of  raising  the  armies  in 
the  war  for  independence.  Under 
the  volunteer  plan  the  men  are  re- 
cruited from  civil  life,  and  are  us- 
ually enlisted  for  one,  two  or  three 
years,  as  may  be  named  in  the  call 
for  men.  This  was  the  leading 
method  of  raising  the  armies  dur- 
ing the  Rebellion,  although  during 
the  last  three  years  a  conscription 
law  was  in  force.  In  the  World 
War  the  reliance  was  on  the  draft- 
Still  a  large  number  also  volunteered 
for  service.  Each  plan  has  its  ad- 
vantages and  its  disadvantages. 

The  Legislation  of  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Massachusetts  was  gener- 
ally alike  in  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  in  its  details  varied  only  in 
minor  particular.-,.  The  two  States 
often  consulted  together  through 
Committees,  not  only  in  answering 
the  calls  for  men,  but  also  in  gen- 
eral war  legislation.  Both  met 
with  the  same  difficulties  in  filling 
their  quotas.  The  men  were  called 
for  substantially  the  same  length  of 
time,  given  about  the  same  pay,  and 
each  state  was  compelled  to  fix  pen- 
alties on  both  officers  and  civil 
authorities  for  negligence  in  per- 
formance of  their  duties  imposed 
under  many  of  the  calls.     The  meth- 


ods pursued  by  both.,  and  their  ex- 
periences in  recruiting  men  for  the 
armies,  were  probably  similar  to 
those  of  every  other  colony. 

There  was  no  standing  army  when 
the  conflict  opened,  but  all  men 
were  already  enrolled  in  companies 
and  regiments.  New  Hampshire 
had  twelve,  and  when  it  re-organized 
its  militia  in  May.  1775,  created  the 
same  number.  When  it  again  re- 
organized its  militia  in  1777,  it 
made  eighteen  regiments.  The  size 
of  these  regiments  varied  from  two 
or  three  hundred  to  seven  hundred 
and  rift)'  men  each.  All  male  in- 
habitants were  divided  into  two 
classes,  one  called  the  active  list, 
which  included  those  between  the 
ages  of  sixteen  and  fifty,  and  the 
alarm  list,  embracing  all  between 
sixteen  and  sixty-five,  not  enrolled 
in  the  active  list.  Many  of  the  offi- 
cial classes  were  exempted  from 
both  groups.  The  State  appointed 
the  general  officers  of  Divisions 
and  Brigades,  and  also  the  Colonels 
and  Field  officers  of  the  several 
regiments.  Each  Company  elected 
its  own  officers.  The  men  on  the 
active  list  were  required  to  meet 
for  drill  and  instruction  eight  times 
a  year,  and  those  on  the  alarm  list, 
twice  a  year.  These  encampments 
lasted  from  three  days  to  a  week 
each.  They  were  scenes  of  hilarity 
and  dissipation,  and  were  nothing 
but  picnics  on  a  large  scale.  As 
schools  for  instruction  in  the  serious 
duties  of  the  soldier,  they  were  of 
no  account.  Each  man  had  to  fur- 
nish his  own  gun,  accoutrements, 
and  ammunition  while  serving  in 
the  militia.  There  was  no  pre- 
scribed uniform.  If  a  man  was 
unable  to  provide  himself  with  liis 
arm-s  and  other  military  implements, 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


the  selectmen  or  State  furnished 
them  for  him.  In  the  fust  years  of 
the  war  the  calls  were  from  the 
active  list,  but  later  the  alarm  list 
was  also  included  and  no  distinc- 
tion was  made  between  the  two. 
It  was  from  this  force,  so  organized, 
that  the  armies  of  the  Revolution 
were  drawn. 

The  men  were  called  for  service 
in  this  way.  If  they  were  wanted 
to  protect  the  sea  coast  or  critical 
points    within    the    State,    the    demand 


originated 


in 


tin 


Legfislatur 


Council  or  Committee  of  Safety. 
which  passed  Acts  or  issued  or- 
ders to  raise  so  many  men  to  guard 
certain  points  named  in  the  Law, 
and  the  Colonels  of  the  militia 
regiments  were  ordered  to  recruit 
them  out  of  their  cummands.  The 
men  called  for  State  service  were  en- 
listed generally  for  longer  terms, 
varying  from  three  months  to  a 
year;  while  if  they  were  to  serve 
without  the  State,  the  Governors 
of  neighboring  commonwealths. 
General  Washington,  or  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,  would  call  upon 
the  Governor  or  Legislature  to  fur- 
nish so  many  men  for  such  and  such 
a  duty.  The  Legislature  would 
forthwith  enact  a  law,  or  the  Coun- 
cil or  Committee  of  Safety  issue 
orders,  addressed  to  the  General 
commanding  the  militia  or  to  the 
Regimental  Colonels  to  recruit  the 
number  of  men  required.  The 
General  would  divide  the  quota 
among  the  State  regiments,  and 
direct  the  Colonels  commanding  to 
recruit  or  draft  the  men  called  for. 
1  ne  Colonels  would  apportion  the 
men  among  the  towns  represented 
in  his  command,  and  order  his 
Captains  to  execute  the  law.  No 
town  was  required  to  furnish  more 
than  its  proportionate  share  under  a 
call.  The  orders  were  given  more 
frequently  direct  to  the  Colonels  of 
the  regiments.  The  law  enforcing 
the  call  frequently  stated  the  number 


of  men  each  town  was  to  furnish  as 
its  quota. 

Officers  to  command  the  men  thus 
called  out  were  not  the  same  as  those 
of  the  original  militia  regiments,  but 
were  specially  appointed  by  the  State 
for  each  battalion,  and  company  of- 
ficers were,  selected  by  the  companies. 
The  Field  officers  were  often  drawn 
from  the  primitive  organizations,  but 
not  always,  while  the  companies  elect- 
ed entirely  new  officers.  They  were 
original  organizations,  except  that  the 
men  were  taken  out  of  the  old  order. 

An  enumeration  of  the  laws  passed 
for  filling  the  armies,  and  a  brief  out- 
line in  some  detail  of  the  terms  and 
conditions  under  which  the  men 
served,  is  necessary  to  appreciate  fully 
how  the  system  worked  as  a  way  of 
recruiting  for  the  army.  It  is  briefly 
sketched  in  the  following  pages,  and 
explains,  in  part,  why  the  struggle 
was  so  long,  and  makes  plain  in  its 
results  some  of  the  reasons  why  the 
people  suffered  so  intensely  dur- 
ing the  struggle.  It  will  be  appreciat- 
ed by  those  who  are  familiar  with  the 
methods  of  raising  armies- 

The  armies  of  1775  were  entirely 
volunteers,  and  were  recruited  in  part 
out  of  the  men  who  went  to  Cam- 
bridge, after  the  Lexington  alarm. 
They  came  from  all  sections  of  Mas- 
sachusetts and  central  and  southern 
New  Hampshire.  The  historian  of 
a  New  Hampshire  town  has  left  on 
record  a  description  of  how  they 
started  for  Cambridge.  The  alarm 
reached  the  Captain  of  the  militia 
company  of  the  place  about  daylight 
on  April  19th.  He  immediately 
sent  out  his  hired  man  to  notify  the 
members,  and  by  ten  o'clock  all  had 
assembled.  "We  all  set  out."  to 
quote  the  words  of  an  actor  in  the 
drama,  "with  such  weapons  as  we 
could  get.  going  like  a  flock  of  wild 
geese  we  hardly  knew  why  or  whither" 
and  in  two  hours  from  the  time  of 
getting  notice  he  was  on  his  way 
to   the   place  of  assembly  with   his 


ARMIES   FOR  THE  REVOLUTION 


son  and  hired  man,  they  on  foot  and 
he  on  horseback,  carrying  a  bag 
with  pork  in  one  end  of  it  and  a 
large  baking  pan  of  bread  just  taken 


rroin  tne  oven,  in  ti 


ler 


Thee 


urn- 


pan  v  was  ready  to  march  at  10  o'clock; 
some  had  fire  arms  with  a  meager 
supply  of  powder  and  ball;  some  of 
the  guns  were  the  old  heavy,  clumsy 
Queen's  arm ;  some  were  light 
French  pieces  called  fusees.  Many 
of  the  guns  had  seen  hard  usage  in 
the  French  war.  Some  of  the  men 
had  pitchforks-  some  shillelahs  and 
one  ardent  patriot  was  armed  with 
his  grain  flail.  The  men  were  of  all 
ages,  untrained  in  the  soldier's  art. 
and  their  uniforms  of  homespun 
were  as  various  in  cut  and  color  as 
the  personality  of  the  wearers. 
This  would  be  a  fair  description  of 
many  of  the  men  when  they  got 
to  Cambridge.  This  company 
started  for  Cambridge  and  li?.d  got 
as  far  as  Groton  when  they  heard 
the  result  of  the  Concord  fight, 
and  half  of  them,  including  their 
Captain,  turned  back  home.  The 
rest  kept  on  to  their  destination. 
At  Cambridge,  all  was  confusion 
and  chaos ;  some  of  the  men  were 
under  their  regular  officers;  many  of 
them  were  mere  detachments  of 
their  companies,  while  a  large  por- 
tion were  without  any  officers  or 
semblance  of  a  Commander  or  or- 
ganization. 

But  the  authorities  of  Massachu- 
setts immediately  set  themselves 
to  work  to  bring  order  out  of  this 
confusion. 

Boston  of  course  was  the  center 
of  military  operations,  and  the  peo- 
ple of  Massachusetts  felt  the  crisis 
more  keenly  than  those  of  any  other 
State,  but  New  Hampshire  was  not 
idle.  In  May,  1775,  the  Fourth 
Provincial  Congress  voted  to  raise 
two  thousand  men  for  the  cause, 
dividing  them  into  three  regiments. 
The  regiments  under  Stark  and 
Reed    were    largely    recruited    from 


tlie  New  Hampshire  men  present  at 
Cambridge  between  April  20th  and 
June  1st.  The  third  regiment, 
under  Colonel  Poor,  was  first  de- 
signed tor  the  protection  of  the  New 
Hampshire  sea  coast,  but  after  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  also  or- 
dered to  Cambridge  and  there  re- 
mained until  the  following  January. 
These  men  were  enlisted  to  serve 
until  the  last  day  of  the  next  De- 
cember, and  their  pay  was  forty 
shillings   a   month. 

They  were  volunteers  and  there 
was  no  suggestion  of  a  draft  by 
either  State.  The  men  were  to  fur- 
nish their  arms  and  equipment,  the 
same  as  in  the  original  militia.  An 
allowance  of  a  penny  a  mile  was 
made  for  travel  and  four  dollars 
was  allowed  for  an  over-coat. 

September  1st,  1775,  the  Fourth 
Provincial  Congress  voted  to  raise 
four  regiments  of  Minute  ?vlen  out 
of  the  Militia  regiments  to  be  ready 
for  immediate  duty  on  call ;  to  serve 
for  four  months  and  at  the  end  of 
that  time  to  be  re-enlisted  and 
keep  being  re-enlisted  until  further 
orders.  When  called  to  duty  they 
were  to  be  allowed  the  same  pay 
and  emoluments  as  the  men  in  ac- 
tive service.  How  many  of  these 
Minute  Men  actually  entered  active 
service  afterwards  does  not  appear, 
but  probably  most,  .if  not  all,  of 
them  did.  Aside  from  these  men 
there  came  a  call  the  first  of  Decem- 
ber from  Generals  Washington  and 
Sullivan  upon  the  two  States  for  five 
thousand  men  to  take  the  place  of 
the  Connecticut  militia,  which  had 
taken  a  miff  at  some  fancied  griev- 
ance, and  refusing  to  serve  longer, 
had  marched  off  home.  New 
Hampshire  recruited  thirty-one 
companies,  eighteen  hundred  men, 
and  Massachusetts  contributed  the 
balance.  These  men  were  to  serve 
six  weeks,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  were  discharged.  Besides  the 
men   so   furnished    New   Hampshire 


10 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


also  raised  three  companies  for 
serviee  in  Canada,  and  one  or  two 
companies  to  guard  the  coast  about 
Portsmouth. 

The  year  ]776  was  a  busy  one 
in  raising  men  for  the  army.  The 
colonies  had  come  to  realize  the 
character  of  the  struggle  before 
them.  The  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence gave  them  a  new  incen- 
tive and  had  also  emphasized  the  in- 
tensity of  the  war  on  the  part  of 
Great  Britain.  On  January  20th, 
1776,  the  Legislature  voted  to  raise 
two  regiments  of  780  men  each  tor 
two  months.  One  of  these  was  in- 
tended for  CTeneral  Schuyler  and  its 
term  of  service  was  later  extended 
to  ore  year.  The/other  was  to  rein- 
force General  Sullivan  and  its  term 
was  two  months.  Two  months' 
pay  m  advance  was  offered.  in 
March  of  this  year  New  Hampshire 
voted  to  raise  a  regiment  of  seven 
hundred  and  twenty-five  men,  be- 
sides three  hundred  additional,  to 
serve  for  nine  months,  as  a  guard 
for  the  sea  coast,  and  seven  hundred 
and  sixty  men  for  service  in  the 
Continental  arm}-  in  Canada.  Their 
pay  was  to  be  the  same  as  in  the 
preceding  year.  Again  in  Jul}-  the 
State  decided  to  raise  seven  hunt 
dred  and  lift}'  more  men  for  ser- 
vice until  the  1st  of  the  next  De- 
cember to  serve  in  Canada.  The 
Colonels  of  the  several  militia  regi- 
ments were  to  recruit  the  men  out 
of  their  commands,  A  bounty  of 
seven  pounds  for  equipment  and  one 
month's  pay  of  40  shillings  in  ad- 
vance was  offered,  while  their  regu- 
lar pav  was  the  same  a.s  formerly. 
After  "the  defeat  at  Long  Island  in 
August,  in  response  to  urgent  calls 
from  General  Washington  and  the 
Continental  Congress,  it  was  decided 
to  raise  one  thousand  men  for  duty 
in  Newr  York  to  serve  until  Decem- 
ber 1st.  offering  a  bounty  of  .six 
pounds  and  advanced  pay.  as  in  the 
preceding  case.  All  these  men  were 
to  be  raised  bv  voltmtarv  enlistment 


- — but  in  December  the  State  ordered 
a  draft  of  five  hundred  men  out  of 
the  militia  for  service  in  northern 
New  York  to  serve  until  the  first 
of  the  next  March.  Their  pay  was 
three  pounds  a  month.  General 
Carleton  had  invaded  that  State  and 
captured  Crown  Point,  thus  creat- 
ing an  emergency  which  required 
prompt  action.  The  fore  part  of 
the  year  it  was  determined  to  raise 
eight  companies  to  reinforce  Gener- 
al Schuyler,  and  to  serve  in  Canada 
until  the  first  of  the  following 
January.  These  companies  were  a 
part  of  the  one  thousand  men  called 
in  July.  Two  months'  wages  in  ad- 
vance wras  offered.  In  September  a 
regiment  of  militia  was  raised  to  serve 
for   four   months  at    Portsmouth. 

P.y  the  Act  of  September  12th  of 
th. is  year,  ever}'  soldier  was  to  fur- 
nish his  own  gun.  ramrod,  worm, 
procuring  wire  and  brush,  a  bayonet, 
cutting  sword,  or  tomahawk  or 
hatchet,  a  pouch  containing  a  car- 
tridge box  holding  fifteen  rounds. 
one  hundred  buck  shot,  a  jackknife, 
tow  for  wadding,  six  flints,  one 
pound  of  powder  and  forty  balls.  It 
unable  to  supply  them  the  Selectmen 
were  to  furnish  them  for  him.  Men 
refusing  to  obey  the  call  were  to  be 
fined  not  less  than  20  shillings  nor 
more  than  three  pounds.  In  all 
subsequent  calls  the  men  were  re- 
quired to  furnish  these  equipments. 
This  year,  the  State,  besides  the 
three  regimerits  in  the  American 
army,  had  one  in  Canada,  another  in 
Portsmouth,  and  had  also  furnished 
five  regiments  of  militia  besides 
several  companies  recruited  to  guard 
certain  points  within  the  State. 

By  the  middle  of  the  year,  the 
colonial  leaders  had  seen  the  folly 
of  trying  to  carry  on  the  war  under 
the  methods  hitherto  employed. 
Washington  had  denounced  the  mil- 
itia as  unreliable  and  that  the  short 
terms  of  its  enlistment  made  it  a 
"worthless  force  with  which  to  op- 
pose  the   trained      veterans      of    Eng- 


ARMIES   FOR  THE  REVOLUTION 


11 


* 


land.  In  September,  1776.  Con- 
gress voted  to  raise  about  sixty- 
six  thousand  men — the  men  to  be 
enlisted  for  the  war.  This  was  mod- 
ified later  to  make  the  term  three 
years  or  during  the  war.  These 
battalions  were  apportioned  to  the 
several  States,  three  being  assigned 
to  Xew  Hampshire.  Congress  of- 
fered a  bounty  of  twenty  pounds, 
a  suit  o\  clothes,  consisting  of  two 
linen  hunting  shirts,  two  pairs  of 
overalls,  a  leathern  or  woolen  waist- 
coat with  sleeves,  a  pair  of 
breeches,  a  hat  or  leathern  cap.  two 
shirts,   two   pairs   of   hose,   and   two 


\ 


/ 


\ 


Judge   Joxathax    Smith. 

pairs  of  .shoes,  all  of  the  value  of 
twenty  dollars,  and  one  hundred 
acres   of  land   to   each   man. 

The  States  agreed  to  pay  twenty 
shillings  a  month,  wages  ;  the  soldier 
was  to  be  .  allowed  a  blanket  and 
one  penny  a  mile  for  travel.  When 
the  request '  for  the  battalions  came, 
the  Assemblies  appointed  Commis- 
sioners to  go  to  the  armies  and  en- 
list out  of  the  militia  of  their  own 
State  there  serving,  as  many  men  as 
possible  into  the  battalions.  The  State 
offered  a  bounty  of  twenty  pounds 


in  addition  to  that  of  Congress,  and 
in  \77\\  increased  the  travel  to  six 
shillings  a  mile,  and  the  bounty  to 
three  hundred  dollars.  On  March 
20th.  1777,  a  peremptory  order  was 
issued  to  General  Folsom,  Comman- 
der of  the  State  Militia,  directing  him 
to  order  the  Colonels  of  the  regi- 
ments to  command  the  Captains  of 
their  companies  to  raise  the  required 
number  of  men  for  the  battalions 
forthwith  and  to  recruit  these  from 
both  the  active  and  alarm  lists. 
In  1778,  it  was  voted  to  appoint  a 
suitable  person  in  each  militia  regi- 
ment to  enlist  700  men  to  fill  up 
the  three  battalions  on  or  before 
March  18.  The  cost  for  getting  the 
men  was  to  be  assessed  upon  the 
towns  short  on  their  quotas  and  the 
militia  officers  and  others  of  the  de- 
linquent places  were  admonished  in 
the  strongest  terms  to  complete 
their  number,  and  they  were  author-  * 
ized  to  hire  the  men  anywhere 
within    the    State.        In    November. 

1779,  the  Council  and  Committees  of 
Safety  voted  that  the  3  battalions  be 
filled  up;  that  a  committee  of  two 
be  sent  to  headquarters  to  re-enlist 
the  men  whose  terms  were  expiring 
and  to  offer  them  instead  of  a  boun- 
ty, 100  acres  of  land  or  such  sum 
of  money  as  may  be  given  by  Massa- 
chusetts and  other  States.  The 
men  re-enlisting  were  also  to  be  as- 
sured that  they  should  be  paid  the 
same  for  depreciation  of  money  as 
those  enlisting  were  entitled  to  be 
paid  tinder  existing  laws.  In  De- 
cember. 1779,  General  Folsom  was 
ordered  to  fill  up  three  battalions 
immediately.  On  March  3rd,  1780. 
recruiting  officers  for  the  three 
battalions  were  allowed  30  pounds 
for  each  man  they  secured.  On 
June  8th,  it  was  voted  to  draft,  for 
service  until  the  last  day  of  the 
next  December,  to  fill  up  the  bat- 
talions.      By  the  act  of   March   19th. 

1780,  the  State  amended  its  militia 
laws    providing    that    the   Colonels 


12 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


and  subordinate  officers  neglecting 
or  refusing"  to  enlist  or  draft  men 
called    for,    were    to    be    cashiered; 

and  the  law  gave  the  Colonels  pow- 
er to  draft  the  men.  If  the  conscript 
did  not  go  he  was  ordered  to 
be  fined  15  pounds  to  be  collected 
by  a  warrant  of  distress;  in  case  of 
no  goods  his  body  was  to  be  taken. 
If  he  failed  to  appear  when  ordered 
and  did  not  furnish  a  reasonable  ex- 
cuse or  furnish  a  substitute  he  was 
fined  150  pounds;  and  officers  re- 
fusing" or  neglecting  to  collect  fines 
from  the  delinquents  were  assessed 
250  pounds.  On  June  16th,  1780,  the 
militia  officers  were  ordered  to  enlist 
or  draft  six  hundred  men  to  fill  up 
the  three  battalions  of  the  State. 
Every  conscript  was  made  subject 
to  a  fine  of  five  hundred  dollars  for 
failure  to  march  or  furnish  a  sub- 
stitute within  twenty-four  hours. 
*  The  pay  was  to  be  forty  shillings 
a  month,  reckoned  in  corn  at  four 
shillings  a  bushel,  sole  leather  at 
one  shilling,  six  pence  a  pound  and 
grassed  ,beef  at  three  pence  a 
pound.  If  the  man  served  until  the 
last  day  of  December,  1/81,  he  was 
to  have  one  suit  of  clothes  and  if 
he  served  until  the  last  day  of  De- 
cember, 1782.  he  was  to  be  entitled 
to  a  suit  of  clothes  annually.  In 
January.  1781.  thirteen  hundred  and 
fifty- four  men  were  called  for  to  fill 
the  State's  three  battalions.  The  terms 
of  the  men  enlisting  in  1776  and  1777, 
were  expiring-  and  these  men  were 
called  to  keep  the  battalions  full. 
The  towns  were  permitted  to  divide 
their  inhabitants  into  groups,  as 
many  groups  as  the  quota  called  for, 
each  group  to  be  responsible  for  one 
man.  Towns  were  allowed  to  of- 
fer a  bounty  of  twenty  pounds, 
reckoned  in  corn,  etc  .  at  the  above 
prices.  Classes  were  to  furnish 
their  men  for  three  years  before 
February  20th.  If  they  (the  class- 
es) refused  or  neglected  to  do  so 
then  the  town  was  to  furnish  them 
and  assess  the  cost  upon  the  classes 


or  individuals  responsible  for  the 
failure,  li  the  towns  themselves 
failed  to  make  the  assessments  then 
the  towns  were  to  be  penalized  to 
double  the  amount  it  cost  to  hire  a 
recruit,  if  the  men  were  not  fur- 
nished by  March  3rd.  Later  in 
June,  it  was  enacted  that  if  the 
towns  found  it  impracticable  to  raise 
the  men  under  the  January  law, 
then  they  were  to  recruit  them  to 
serve  till  the  31st  of  the  next  De- 
cember. If  the  towns  neglected 
or  refused  to  get  them,  the  men 
were  to  be  hired  and  the  cost  to 
be  assessed  on  the  delinquent  towns. 
In  March,  1782,  the  State  was  still 
short  in  its  quota  by  six  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  and  delinquent  towns 
were  peremptorily  ordered  to  com- 
plete their  quotas  before  the  15th 
of  May.  In  1781,  the  officers  were 
ordered  to  hire  men  wherever  they 
could  be  found,  but  these  measures 
did  not  hll  the  quota  for  at  the  end 
of  the  war  the  State  was  still  short 
by  more  than   550  men. 

This  recital  is  a  suggestive  de- 
scription of  the  difficulties  of  the 
colonies  in  getting  soldiers,  particu- 
larly for  the  88  battalions.  The  men 
were1,  loth  to  enlist^  for  anything 
but  short  terms.  A.s  the  war  went 
on  their  ardor  and  patriotism,  so 
manifest  in  1775  and  1776,  abated, 
and  ony  by  large  bounties,  increased 
pay  and  by  threats  of  conscription 
could  they  be  induced  to  enter  the 
servce  at  all,  and  even  by  draft 
with  heavy  penalties  upon  both 
men  and  civil  and  military  author- 
ties  for  negligence  or  disobedience, 
could  soldiers  be  obtained,  and  then 
in  insufficient  numbers. 

The  battalions  suffered  severely 
from  sickness,  deaths  and  desertion. 
During  the  last  years  of  the  strug- 
gle, as  in  the  case  of  the  Civil  war, 
towns  fell  into  the  habit  of  hiring 
men  to  fill  their  quotas,  paying 
what  was  necessary  for  the  purpose. 
These  hired  recruits  were  younger 
in  years  than  many  of  those  serving 


ARMIES   FOR  THE  REVOLUTION 


13 


i. 


in   the  earlier  part  of  the   struggle. 

General  Knox  reported  to  the 
First  Congress  in  1790  all  available 
data  for  the  men  furnished  by  the 
two  States  for  the  eighty-eight  bat- 
talions. According  to  tins  report 
New  Hampshire  never  had  more 
than  twelve  hundred  and  eighty-two 
men  in  the  Continental  line,  and  in 
1781  had  only  seven  hundred. 
Massachusetts'  highest  number 
was  se\aai  thousand,  eight  hundred 
and  sixteen  in  1777.  and  in  1781 
had  only  three  thousand,  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty-two.  The  total 
number  of  the  Continental  line  in 
Washington's  army  was  at  its  high- 
est in  Y/77,  when-  according  to 
Genera!  Knox,  it  numbered  thirty- 
four  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
twenty*  men,  which  in  1781  had 
-shrunken  to  thirteen  thousand, 
eight  hundred  and  ninety-two. 

The  year  1777  was  one  of  great 
anxiety  to  the  New  England  States. 
The  British  plan  was  for  General 
Burgoyne  to  invade  northern  Xew 
York  with  an  army  of  ten  thousand 
men ;  General  Elowe  to  march  up 
the  Hudson  nver  with  his  army 
from  Xew  Yurk  City  and  St.  Leger 
to  advance  down  the  Mohawk  val- 
ley from  Fort  Xiagara.  These  forces 
were  to  unite  at  Albany,  crush  Gen- 
eral Schuyler's  troops,  and  then  to 
invade,  over-run  and  subdue  the 
Eastern  States.  St.  LegeCs  army 
was  beaten  and  dispersed  at  Orisk- 
any;  General  Howe  went  off  on  a 
campaign  into  Pennsylvania,  but 
Burgoyne  faithfully  tried  to  carry 
out  his  part  of  the  plan  with  an 
army  of  seven  thousand  regulars 
and  a  large  force  of  Indians  and 
Tories.  Calls  upon  the  militia  of 
the  two  States  were  many  and  came 
often  to  resist  the  invasion.  Bur- 
goyne reached  northern  Xew  York 
early  in  the  season,  and  in  May,  on 
a  report  that  Ticonderoga  was  in 
danger,  the  Xew  Hampshire  Assem- 
bly ordered  the  militia  Colonels  to 
send  all  the  force  they  could  muster 


as  soon  as  possible,  to  the  point  of 
danger.  hour  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  men  were  called,  but  before 
the}"  reached  Ticonderoga,  word 
came  that  the  enemy  nad  fallen 
back,  and  the  men  were  ordered 
home  and  discharged,  after  a  little 
over  a  month's  service.  A  few  days 
later  another  alarm  came  that  Ti- 
conderoga was  again  in  danger,  and 
the  militia  were  once  more  sent  out, 
but  after  marching  part  way  it  was 
reported  that  the  iort  had  fallen  and 
the  men  returned  home  after  a 
service  ,'of  from  four  to  fourteen 
days. 

in  January  of  this  year  the  State 
enacted  a  law  that  when  an  order 
came  for  men  to  the  Generals  of  the 
militia,  the  Captains  were  to  call 
tneir  companies  together  and  if  a 
sufficient  number  did  not  volunteer, 
to  draft  the  balance  of  the  quota. 
If  the  conscript  failed  to  appear 
and  did  not  pay  a  hne  of  ten 
pounds,  afterwards  increased  to 
ni'ty,  he  was  then  to  be  held  and 
treated  as  a  soldier.  If  he  failed 
or  refused  to  march  when  ordered 
he  was  to  be  fined  twelve  pounds, 
which  was  later  increased  to  sixty 
pounds. 

On  June  5th.  a  regiment  of  720 
men  was  voted  to  be  raised  for  ser- 
vice in  Xew  England  for  a  term  of 
six  months.  i  hree  hundred  of 
these  men  were  sent  to  Rhode 
Island.  As  stated  before  the  men 
were  to  be  paid  a  bounty  of  thirty 
shillings  when  they  enlisted  and  a 
further  bounty  of  four  pounds,  ten 
shillings  when  the}"  were  accepted, 
with  the  same,  monthly  pay  as  the 
year  before.  Officers  were  allowed 
six  shillings  for  every  soldier  they 
obtained. 

On  July  18th,  the  State  Assembly 
reorganized  its  militia,  into  two  bri- 
gades of  nine  regiments  each,  ana 
on  the  same  day  ordered  a  draft  of 
one-fourth  of  the  militia  of  the  sec- 
ond brigade  and  three  regiments  of 
the  first  for  a  service  of  two  months. 


14 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Their  pa}-  was  four  pounds  and  ten 
shillings  a  month,  The. whole  draft 
was  placed  under  the  command  of 
General  Stark,  ft  was  there  troops. 
with  the  Massachusetts  militia  from 
Hampshire  and  Berkshire  counties. 
that  fought  the  battle  of  Bennington 
and  afterwards  joined  General  Gates 
at  Stillwater.  Their  term  expired 
on  the  very  da}'  of  the  battle  of 
Benlis  Heights  and  they  marched 
home  a  few   days  later. 

A  contemporary  has  left  on  rec- 
ord a  description  of  one  company 
of  these  men  that  marched  out  of 
New  Hampshire  on  the  19th  day  of 
lulv  to  join  General  Stark,  as  fol- 
lows; 

To  a  man  they  wore  small  clothes, 
coming  down  and  fastening  just  be- 
low the  knee,  and  long  stockings 
with  cow-hide  shoes  ornamented 
with  large  buckles,  while  not  a  pair 
of  boot?  graced  the  company.  The 
coats  and  waist-coats  were  loose 
and  of  huge  dimensions  with  colors 
as  various  as  the  barks  of  oak.  su- 
mack  and  other  trees  of  our  hills 
and  swamps  could  make  them,  and 
their  shirts  were  all  flax  and  like 
every  other  part  of  the  dress,  were 
homespun.  On  their  heads  was 
worn  a  large  round-top  and  broad- 
brimmed  hat.  Their  arms  were  as 
various  as  their  costumes;  here  an 
old  soldier  carried  a  heavy  King's- 
arm,  with  which  he  had  done  ser- 
vice at  the  conquest  of  Canada 
twenty  years  before;  while  at  his 
side  walked  a  stripling  boy  with  a 
Spanish  fusee  not  half  its  weight  or 
calibre,  which  his  grandfather  may 
have  taken  at  the  siege  of  Havana, 
while  not  a  few  had  old  French 
pieces  that  dated  back  to  the  reduc- 
tion of  Louisburg. 

Instead  of  a  cartridge  box  a  large 
powder  horn  was  slung  under  the 
arm,  and  occasionally  a  bayonet 
might  be  seen  bristling  in  the  ranks. 
Some  of  the  swords  of  the  officers 
had  been  made  by  province  black- 
smiths, perhaps  from  some  farming 


utensils.  They  looked  serviceable 
but  heavy  and  uncouth.  Such  was 
the  appearance  of  the  Continentals 
to  whom  a  well  appointed  army  was 

soon  to  lay  down  its  arms.  After 
a  little  exercising  on  the  Old  Com- 
mon, and  performing  the  then  pop- 
ular exploit  of  whipping  the  snake, 
they  briskly  riled  off  on  the  road  by 
the  foot  of  Kidder  Mountain  and 
through  the  Sport ord  gap  towards 
Peterborough;  to  the  tune  of  "Over 
the  Hills  and  Far  Away." 

Let  no  one  smile  at  this  descrip- 
tion. These  men  were  the  raw 
material  out  of  which  the  very  best 
soldiers  in  the  world  could  be  made 
by  training  and  discipline,  and  it  was 
their  descendants  that  eighty-seven 
years  later  crushed  the  charge  of 
Pickett  at  Gettysburg  and  in  1918 
cleared  the  Belleau  Wood  and  the 
Argonne  forest  of  the  German 
enemy. 

Early  in  September  the  State  or- 
dered one-sixth  of  the  militia  to  join 
General  Gates  at  Saratoga,  and  it  was 
in  service  for  only  a  month  or  six 
week.  On  the  17th  of  the  same 
month  a  large  number  of  volunteers 
out  of  the  militia  were  also  called 
and  sent  forward  to  the  army  at 
Saratoga.  How  man}'  men  were  fur- 
nished out  of  this  last  call  does  not 
appear  for  many  of  the  mili- 
tary rolls  are  missing.  Some  of 
them  were  in  service  six  weeks,  and 
some  served  as  long  as  two  months. 
Besides  these  men  sent  to  the  army 
in  Xew  York,  the  Asembly  in  June 
in  response  to  a  call  from  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Rhode  Island,  voted  to 
raise  a  force  of  three  hundred  men 
for  six  months  in  that  State  A 
bounty  of  six  pounds  was  offered 
them  and  their  pay  was  two  pounds 
a  month.  Four  companies  of  two 
hundred  men  were  also  raised  to 
guard  the  western  and  northern 
frontiers  to  serve  till  January  1st. 
They  were  to  be  paid  ten  dollars 
a  month  and  one  month's  pay  in 
advance.     Besides  these  troops  two 


ARMIES   FOR  THE  REVOLUTION 


15 


companies    were    also    recruited    foi 
guards  at  Portsmouth. 


1778. 


attention    of    both 


States  was  largely  directed  to  Rhode 
Island  and  most  of  the  men  re- 
cruited, except  for  local  service, 
were  sent  there.  Early  in  the  year 
New  Hampshire  voted  to  raise  two 
hundred  men  for  one  year,  and  later 
added  one  hundred  more,  for  duty  in 
Rhode  Island  or  elsewhere  in  New 
England  or  New  York.  They  were 
ottered  fifteen  dollars  a  month  with 
one  month's  pay  in  advance  and  a 
bounty  of  six  pounds.  The  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  afterwards  in- 
creased that  bounty  to  ten  pounds. 
Enlistments  for  this  service  were 
slow,  and  on  the  last  day  of  May 
the  Assembly  voted  to  draft  the 
men  necessary  to  fill  the  call,  who 
were  to  serve  until  the  end  of  the 
year.  The}-  were  offered  a  bounty 
of  six  pounds ;  and  four  pounds, 
ten  shilling's  a  month  for  pay.  In 
August  the  same  State  voted  to 
raise  a  brigade  of  five  regiments, 
two  thousand  men.  for  one  month's 
service  in  Rhode  Island.  They 
were  paid  five  pounds  a  month,  and 
were  in  service  less  than  thirty  days. 
The  State  also  raised  a  regiment  for 
the  defense  of  the  Connecticut  River 
and  offered  the  men  the  same 
wages,  namely  -six  pounds  a  month. 
Besides  these  calls  420  men  were 
ordered  to  be  drafted  ;  their  wages  to 
be  thirty  dollars  a  month,  for  one 
month's  service ;  to  guard  the  sea 
coast  and  different  points  within  the 
State.  Their  terms  were  to  expire 
the  first  of  the  following  January. 
In  1779,  the  State  voted  three  hun- 
dred men  for  the  defense  of  Rhode 
Island  to  serve  for  the  term  of  six 
months.  They  were  offered  a 
bounty  of  thirty  dollars  and  twelve 
pounds  a  month.  The  State  also 
raised  twelve  comp'anies  and  one 
regiment   for  local   defense. 

In  June  1780,  the  Assembly  voted 
to  enlist  or  draft  nine  hundred  and 
fortv-five  men  for  the  defense  of  the 


United  States  for  three  months' 
duty.  The  soldiers  were  to  be  paid 
forty  shillings  per  month,  and  said 
money  to  be  equalled  to  Indian  corn 
at  tour  shiillings  a  bushel,  sole 
leather  at  one  shilling,  six  pence 
per  pound,  and  grassed  beef  at  three 
pence  per  pound.  If  a  man  served 
until  the  last  day  of  December.  1781. 
he  was  to  receive  in  addition  a  suit 
of  clothes.  If  he  served  until  the 
last  day  of  December,  17S2,  he  was 
to  receive  an  additional  suit.  Under 
the  same  Statute  ISO  men  Avere 
called  for  three  months'  service  on 
the  frontier  and  at  Portsmouth  Har- 
bor. This  year  the  State  also 
raised  four  companies  of  rangers 
for  duty  on  the  northern  border, 
for  a  term  of  three  months,  and  two 
companies  to  guard  Portsmouth 
Harbor  for  nine  months.  In  No- 
vember it  was  enacted  that  all  men 
drafted  for  three  or  six  months  who 
did  not  march  or  pay  their  fine 
should  be  arrested  and  committed  to 
jail.  The  following  year.  1781,  two 
companies  were  raised  for  a  term  of 
six  months  for  local  defense.  In 
the  last  days  of  June  it  was  agreed 
to  raise  by  enlistment  or  draft,  a 
regiment  of  six  hundred  and  fifty 
men  for  the  Continental  army.  The 
number  of  men  each  militia  regi- 
ment was  to  furnish  under  this  call 
was  stated  in  the  Act.  If  the  draft- 
ed man  refused  to  march  at  once,  he 
was  to  be  fined  thirty  pounds.  In 
the  following  August  the  quota  not 
being  full,  the  towns  were  ordered 
to  hire  the  number  of  men  recptired 
to  fill  the  quota,  and  the  officers 
were  to  pay  them  in  specie  or  the 
equivalent  in  produce.  The  pay 
was  to  be  forty  shillings  per  month, 
and  the  cost  of  hiring  the  men  was  to 
be  assessed  proportionally  on  the 
towns   deficient  in   their  quota. 

The  number  of.  militia  furnished 
by  the  two  States  cannot  be  ac- 
curately stated,  owing  to  the  loss  of 
many  of  the  military  rolls.  During 
the  first  two  years,  up  to   1777,  the 


16 


the:  granite  monthly 


quotas  Galled  for  were,  in  all  proba- 
bility, substantially  filled,  but  after 
January  of  that  year,  many  were 
never  fully  answered.  \\  ith  one  or 
two  exceptions  and  excluding  men 
for  the  Continental  line,  the  militia 
officers  were,  up  to  that  dale,  direct- 
ed to  enlist  the  men  ;  later  they  were 
directed  to  enlist  or  draft;  and  in 
the  last  years  of  the  struggle  were 
ordered  peremptorily  to  draft  or  de- 
tach, which  is  the  same  thing.  In 
truth  the  men  were  beginning  to 
weary  of  the  war.  The  calls  for 
soldiers  came  every  month,  some- 
times three  or  four  in  a  month.  LTs- 
ually  the  demand  was  for  voluntary 
enlistment  but  after  the  beginning 
of  1777  a  threat  of  conscription  was 
attached  to  the  call  accompanied  by 
heavy  penalties,  not  only  upon  men 
disobeying  but  also  upon  officers, 
civil  authorities,  and  towns  for  neg- 
lect or  refusal  to  carry  out  the  law. 
The  effect  of  all  this  was  discour- 
aging. By  1778  most  of  the  men 
had  had  a  taste  of  military  service, 
and  many  of  them  did  not  like  it. 
Large  numbers  of  the  militia  were 
men  of  mature  years,  owning  farms 
and  having  dependent  families.  The 
calls  often  came  in  the  busiest  sea- 
son, planting  or  harvesting  time, 
when  their  presence  at  home  was 
absolutely  necessary  to  keep  their 
wives  and  children  from  want.  One 
of  General  Stark's  most  trusted  offi- 
cers and  one  who  commanded  the 
escort  of  the  Burgoyne  prisoners  to 
Boston,  was  obliged  to  go  without 
leave  to  New  Hampshire  to  save  his 
crops,  lie  states  in  his  excuse  to  the 
authorities  that  his  family  was  then 
sick;  that  his  fields  lay  exposed  to 
ruin;  and  that  it  was  impossible 
to  hire  a  person  capable  of  taking 
cafe  of  his  sick  family  and  crops, 
though  he  used  his  utmost  endeavor 
so  to  do.  This  is  probably  a  fair 
statement  of  the  situation  with  many 
of  the  men  called  to  service.  The 
laws,  especially  those  relating  to  the 
recruiting    of    the    eighty-eight    bat- 


talions, were  very  severe.  Every 
man  drafted  had  to  go  or  furnish  a 
substitute  within  twenty-four  hours, 
or  pay  a  penalty  of  ten  pounds  or 
more.  These  harsh  terms  did  nut 
increase  the  popularity  of  the  service. 

L  nder  ail  these  conditions  men  were 
slow  to  enlist  and  if  they  did  so,  it 
was  to  avoid  conscription.  When 
their  terms  were  out  they  insisted 
on  immediate  discharge,  regardless 
of  what  the  military  situation  was 
at  the  time.  "I  have  had  my  term," 
the  man  would  say.  "I  have  fought 
bravely.  Let  my  neighbor  do  like- 
wise." Perhaps  the  neighbor,  from 
patriotic  motives  and  anxious  for  a 
chance  to  fight  the  enemy,  enlisted, 
but  the  battle  he  enlisted  to  tight 
did  not  come  off  in  a  month,  two 
months,  or  three  months.  His  ardor 
cooled;  he  grew  homesick  to  see 
his  wife  and  children.  Then  he 
would  be  sent  to  the  hospital. 
From  this  the  road  to  desertion  was 
broad  and  straight,  and  he  often  took 
it. 

Washington  repeatedly  urged  up- 
on Congress  the  futility  of  relying 
on  the  militia.  "The  soldier  being 
told  of  the  greatness  of  the  cause  he 
was  engaged  in  replied  that  it  was 
of  no  more  importance  to  him  than 
to  others ;  that  his  pay  would  not 
support  him  and  he  could  not  ruin 
himself  and  his  family."  "Men," 
Washington  continued,  "just  drag- 
ged from  the  tender  scenes  of  do- 
mestic life,  were  not  accustomed  to 
the  din  of  arms  and  every  kind  of 
military  .skill.  When  opposed  by 
veteran  troops  they  were  ready  to 
fly  from  their  own  shadows.  The 
soldier's  change  in  manner  of  living 
and  bodging  brought  sickness  to 
many,  and  impatience  to  all,  and 
such  unconquerable  desires  as  .  to 
produce  shameful  and  scandalous 
desertion  among  themselves,  that  in- 
spired the  same  spirit  in  others. 
Men  accustomed  to  unbounded  free- 
dom and  no  control,  cannot  stand 
the  restraint  necessary  to  good  disci- 


ARMIES   FOR  THE  REVOLUTION 


plitie.  If  I  were  called  upon  to  de- 
clare on  oath  whether  the  militia 
had  been  most  serviceable  or  most 
.  harmful,  I  should  subscribe  to  the 
latter. " 

And  then  too,  both  militia  officers 
and  the  Selectmen  and  Committees 
of  towns  were  not  only  slbw  but 
negligent  in  filling  the  calls.  The 
State  passed  Statutes  remonstrating 
with  them,  and  demanding  that  they 
complete  tlfir  quotas  forthwith.  In 
some  cases  heavy  penalties  were  im- 
posed upon  towns  and  officers  if 
they  neglected  to  till  their  call  within 
a  certain  date,  and  lines  were  as- 
sessed upon  them  for  each  soldier 
deficient  in  the  number  required  to 
fill  the  quota.  Desertion  was  a  terri- 
ble evil  and  the  army  suffered  se- 
verely on  account  of  it.  The  mili- 
tia would  sometimes  march  off 
home  in  squads  and  companies  with- 
out leave  or  license. 

The  currency  condition  intensi- 
fied the  difficulty.  The  pay  of  the 
soldiers  was  originally  fixed  in  1775 
and  1776  when  paper  money  was  on 
v.  par  with  silver.  In  January. 
1777,  it  took  one  and  one-fourth  in 
bills  to  equal  one  in  silver.  Janu- 
ary, 1778.  the  ratio  was  four  to  one. 
It  steadily  declined  till  1780,  when- 
fur  a  few  months,  it  stood  sixty  to 
one,  and  in  November  of  the  same 
year,  one  hundred  to  one.  In  May, 
1781,  the  currency  had  become  en- 
tirely worthless  and  ceased  to  circu- 
late, h  is  hard  now  to  imagine  the 
chaos  which  ensued  and  the  dissatis- 
faction, varying  from  hitter  remon- 
strance to  open  mutiny,  which  this 
bred  in  the  army.  Men  who  had 
early  enlisted  into  the  Continental 
line,  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  war 
deserted  in  numbers  ;  went  home  and 
re-enlisted  on  the  quota  of  some 
other  town  for  the  sake  of  the  large 
bounties  offered.  From  the  close 
of  1778,  the  men  were  virtually  serv- 
ing without  pay  and  all  the  while 
as  they  well  knew,  their  families 
were  in  danger  of  destitution.   They 


were  compelled  to  run  heavily  in 
debt.  The  State  struggled  with  the 
problem  the  best  it  was  able,  but 
could  not  afford  much,  relief.  Things 
eventually  came  to  such  a  condi- 
tion in  consequence,  that  open  riots 
and  'blood-shed  occurred  in  New 
Hampshire:  and  in  Massachusetts 
the  troubles  developed  into  Shay's 
rebellion. 

During  the  last  years  of  the  war 
it  will  be  observed  the  State  heavily 
increased  the  pa}-  and  bounties  of- 
fered the  men.  While  in  part,  this 
was  due  to  the  depreciation  of  the 
currency,  still  in  part  the  increase 
was  ottered  to  stimulate  enlist- 
ments; yet  it  failed  to  bring  the 
hoped-for  results,  and  did  not  at- 
tract men  to  the  army.  These 
things,  well  known  to  everyone  fa- 
miliar with  the  history  of  the  war, 
bring  into  clear  relief  the  defects  of 
the  militia  system  as  a  method  to 
fight  a  great  war. 

The  weakness  of  the  militia  as  a 
fighting  force,  hardly  needs  restat- 
ing. It  will  fight  bravely  behind 
breastworks.  General  Putnam  said 
of  it  at  Bunker  Hill  that  "the  Ameri- 
cans are  not  afraid  of  their  heads 
but  only  think  of  their  legs."  It 
will  also  stand  for  a  time  against 
an  enemy  in  front,  but  it  cannot  be 
depended  upon  under  a  flank  or  rear 
movement  of  the  enemy.  When  it 
breaks  it  generally  throws  away  its 
arms  and  accoutrements  and' cannot 
be  relied  upon  to  take  further  part 
in  the  action.  While  a  well  disci- 
plined regiment  will  often  break  un- 
der a  prolonged  or  overwhelming 
front  fire,  or  by  an  attack  upon  its 
flank  or  rear,  yet  it  can  be  rallied 
again  and  brought  back  into  the  bat- 
tle ;  its  organization  is  never  lost. 
This  was  demonstrated  on  many 
fields  during  the  Revolutionary  and 
the  Civil  wars.  At  Bunker  Hill, 
Saratoga  and  Bennington  the  mili- 
tia fought  creditably,  but  it  was 
either  behind  breastworks  or  the  foe 
was  in   front  of   it.     Vet  at  Camden 


18 


1HE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


and  in  many  other  battles  it  broke  at 
the  first  fire  and  was  not  again  an 
.effective  force  on  that  field. 

Why  the  colonies  should  'nave 
continued  to  employ  such  a  feeble 
instrument  is  not  far  to  seek.  The 
dread  of  a  standing  army  was  in- 
grained in  the  very  nature  of  the 
people.  They  not  only  feared  it,  but 
would  not  adopt  any  policy  which 
looked  towards  its  establishment. 
The  Continental  Congress  had  no 
authority  over  the  States.  Each 
colony  was  not  only  independent 
hut  jealous  of  it.  While  Congress 
could  recommend  and  express  a  de- 
sire, the  States  would  fill  their  quota 
in  their  own  way  and  on  terms  of  pay 
and  length  of  service  to  suit  their 
own  convenience.  The  men  of  the 
Continental  line  which  was  enlisted 
for  three  years  or  the  war,  were  the 
backbone  of  the  army  and  Washing- 
ton's main  support  throughout  the 
conflict.  It  was  the  staying  force  in 
every  battle,  and  always  gave  a 
good  account  of  itself.  It  fought 
the  veteran  soldiers  of  England  as 
bravely  as  men  could,  and  showed  all 
the  courage  and  stubborn  qualities  of 
the  best  American  troops,  exemplified 
so  many  times  in  the  battles  of  the 
Civil  war,  and  in  the  recent  struggle 
in  France. 

In  the  Civil  war  the  main  reliance 
for  the  first  year  and  a  half  was  on 
the  volunteer  system,  but  after  the 
autumn  of  1862,  when  patriotic  en- 
thusiasm had  somewhat  cooled,  it 
was  found  necessary  that  a  resort 
should  be  had  to  some  other  meth- 
od. The  Conscription  Act  of  that 
year  was  designed  to  supplement 
the  volunteer  policy  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  while  it  was  vigorously  en- 
forced in  the  summer  of  1863,  in 
later  years  it  was  little  employed. 
When  calls  for  men  were  issued  and 
the  quotas  assigned  to  the  different 
towns,  men  were  hired  to  fill  the 
quotas.     Citizens,  both  those  liable 


to  draft  and  many  also  beyond  mili- 
tary age  would  engage  a.  substitute 
to  take  their  places  in  the  army.  If 
there  was  still  a  deficiency  the  towns 
would  hire  men  enough  to  complete 
their  quotas,  so  that  conscription 
was  not  necessary.  The  men  hired 
by  the  citizens  were  often  from  the 
vicinity,  but  usually  were  obtained 
through  bounty  brokers.  The  towns 
generally  went  to  these  brokers  for 
recruits.  These  so  furnished  were 
the  very  scum  and  off-scourings  of 
our     large     cities.  The     brokers 

would  hire  them  for  what  they  were 
willing  to  accept,  and  the  brokers 
got  the  bounty  offered  by  the  Na- 
tional Government,  by  the  State  and 
by  the  town.  The  substitutes  them- 
selves were  professional  bounty 
jumpers  and  usually  deserted  at  the 
first  opportunity.  As  soon  as  the}' 
could  get  away,  they  would  go  to 
some  other  town,  enlist  under 
another  name,  and  so  continue  to 
do  as  long  as  they  could  find  brok- 
ers to  hire  them,  until  the  war 
closed.  Very  few  of  them  ever  did 
any  military  duty,  and  the  custom 
was  the  great  scandal  and  disgrace 
of  the  war.  It  was  not  so  during 
the  Revolution  because  that  class  of 
men  did  not  exist ;  and  while  during 
the  last  years  of  the  conflict  the 
towns  rilled  their  quotas  by  hiring  re- 
cruits, they  were  men  from  the  vi- 
cinity, and  were  as  good  material 
for  soldiers  as  could  be  found.  The 
experience  of  the  United  States  in 
the  three  great  wars  in  which  it  has 
taken  part,  has  justified  the  policy 
adopted  in  the  World  war  of  raising 
men  by  draft  under  a  well-con- 
sidered and  carefully  guarded  con- 
scription act.  It  is  the  most  equita- 
ble and  most  democratic  method  to 
fill  the  armies  of  a  Republic.  It  is 
very  unlikely  that  in  any  future  war 
the  country  will  raise  its  armies  by 
anv    other   method. 


ULYSSES,  RETURNED 

ULYSSES,  RETURNED 

By   Carolyn  Hiliwah 

I,  Ulysses, 

have  finished  wandering. 

Nevermore,  ah  nevermore 

for  me 

the  bright  blue  of  the  waters, 

frothing  into  white  about  the  Islands. 

Nevermore  the  Islands, 

warm  and  brown, 

rising  like  sardonyx  stones 

from  the  turquoise   sea. 


19 


Nevermore  the  tawny  beaches, 

hot  in  the  noon  sunshine. 

where  the  traders  landed 

from  the  Tyrian  ships 

throw  down   long  bales 

which  loosed   from  their 

encircling  cords, 

spill  yellow  amber. 

ivories  and  sweet  smelling  musk, 

rich   silks   in    shimmering    folds 

of  violet  and  rose, 

of  saffron  and  pearl. 


Nevermore,   O   Iacchus 

to  grasp  thy  robe, 

as  through  the  dark  cedars 

thou  passest.   illusive,  alone. 

here  with  me  for  one 

mad    moment    divine, 

then  gone, 

lost  in  the  shadows. 


And  Thebes, 

seven-gated  Thebes! 

Nevermore  the  pale,  low -lying  moon 

will  light  for  me  the  dark  ways. 

the  throngs  tumultuous. 

the  faces  of  maidens, 

wan  in  the  torch  flare. 

Nevermore  Circe. 

to  drink  with   thee 

from  the  violet  veined  marble. 

the   dark    seeded    wine 

with  the  vine-h 

about  the  bowl's  brim. 


20  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

Nevermore  will  I.  Ulysses, 

drain  the  hot  wine  of  passion, 
of   love,   of   wandering. 
Now  for  me  the  tame  clays 
the  long  nights  unbroken 
except  by  the  cry 
of  the  lost  Philomela., 
whose  agony  rings 
again,   ah   ever   again, 
in  my  ears  ! 

Nevermore  on  Pelion 

to  see  the  centaurs 

race  madly ; 

gallop  on  swift  hooves 

with   necks  arched, 

cutting  the  wind 

like  ships  that  sail 

with  white  sheets 

and  snapping  halyards, 

sweeping  through  a  jacinth  sea. 

Nevermore  to  see  the  rocks  of  Delos 

nor   Daulis, 

where  the  mountain  ash 

trails  its  red  berries 

in   the  green   flowing  brook, 

flowing  forever  to  the  salt  seas. 

Nevermore,  ah  nevermore 
will  I.   Ulysses,  wander 
careless,  like  the  south  wind, 
by  waters  Aroanian, 
by   the   deep   streams, 
where   the   singing   fish  leap, 
where  the  lofty  .Cylene 
sleeps  in  deep  snows. 

The  Cods  will  see  me  no  more 
on  land  and  sea,  a  wanderer, 
Now  will  the  sweet  lavendar 
and  the  blossoming  oleander, 
the  yew  and  the  myrtle, 
the  white  and  purple  irises 
flower  and  fade, 
fade  and  flower 
while  I,   Ulysses, 
>  ■  keep  my  home, 

wither,  grow  old, 
"     and  at  last  lay  me  down  to  die. 
Then  the  Dark  River— 

I 


LILAC  SHADOW'S  21 

LILAC  SHADOWS 

By  Louise  Piper  Wemple 

I  wandered  thro  the  countryside 

One  sparkling  day  in  Spring, 

1    heard   the   robin's  early   call 

Blend  with  the  brook's  lew  murmuring; 

Pink  petals  drifted  down   from  flowering  trees, 

And  in   my  path,   dew  drenched  the  violets  lay, 

All  Xattire  to  triumphant  life  awoke 

Beneath  the  quickening  touch  of  early  May. 

At  last  beside  a  grassy,  wind  swept  knoll. 
Weary  I  sat  me  down  to  rest 
Upon   a   wide,   low  granite   stone, 
By  purple   lilac   blooms   caressed ; 
And  'mid     the  riot  of  growing  things, 
By  time,  its  edges  smoothed  away. 
I  The   rough   hewn   doorstep   only   now   remained. 

Of  the  old  home  of  earlier  dav. 

For  but  a  yawning  cavern  showed 
Where  once   had   stood  the  ancient   dwelling  place, 
And  here  and  there  a  few  rough  stones 
Of  the  strong   foundation  could   I   trace; 
Among  the  scattered  stones,  rank  weeds  and  grasses  grew, 
And   blue  green  sage  and  tawny  tansy  cast 
I  Dim  shadows,  where  a  sluggish  adder  slow  uncoiled, 


Rustling  the  grasses  as  he  passed. 
| 

Then  as  I  sat  there,  dreaming  in  the  sun. 

Vanished  all  signs  of  ruin  and  decay, 

I    saw  again    the   old   time   home   restored. 

With   time   just  tinting  it   to   mellow   gray; 

I    saw   the   spreading   eaves,   where   snowy   pigeons  cooed3 

The   latticed   stoop,    where   woodbine's   banners   hung, 

And  lilacs  bloomed  beside  the   wide  stone   step 

And   to  the  breeze  their   fragrance  flung. 

The  vision  passed,  but  in  its  sunken  bed. 
Half   hidden   'neath  the   riotous  bloom  of   May 
A  monument  to  days  well-nigh  forgot, 
The  time  worn  granite  door  stone  lay; 
Where  once  resounded  tread  of  eager   feet, 
And  where  had  echoed  lilting  voices  call, 
Where  past  the  stir  of   fervid  human  life, 
But  shadows  of  the  lilacs  fall. 


I 


^2 


BY  THE  VEERY'S  NEST 


By    Caroline    Stetson    Allen 


Continued    from    December    issue. 

Chapter  III. 

Louisa 

In  an  early  morning  of  February 
in  the  following  winter,  the  two  girls 
were  sitting  together  in  Alicia's 
room.  It  was  a  pretty  room,  the 
prevailing  color  primrose  yellow,  but 
Louisa  thought  that  the  brown  sweat- 
er thrown  over  a  chair  should  have 
been  in  a  drawer,  and  that  the  floor 
was  hardly  the  place  for  her  friend's 
work-basket. 

"I  wanted  to  bring  the  letter  over 
to  you  last  night,  it's  so  exciting," 
said  Alicia,  "but  I  couldn't  because 
some   boring   old   callers   came-" 

"Oh.  Alicia,"  said  Louisa  reprov- 
ingly.    "Wasn't  it  the  minister?" 

"Yes"  and  his  sister.  They  talked 
two  hours  about  Roman  excavations. 
I  saw  Father  yawn  three  times." 

Louisa  had  her  own  opinion  about 
that,  but  she  kept  silence. 

"Here's  the  letter. — at  least  I 
thought  it  was  here,"  said  Alicia,  rum- 
maging recklessly  in  her  top  drawer. 
"1  guess  I  left  it  downstairs.  Wait 
a  minute." 

She  soon  returned,  an  elegant  look- 
ing missive  in  her  hand-  The  paper 
was  thick  and  white,  with  monogram 
in  gold. 

"It's    from   Elsie  Redpath." 

Alicia  read  the  letter  aloud  rap- 
idly. It  contained  an  invitation  to 
both  girls  to  visit  Elsie  for  the  next 
fortnight  in  New  York,  and  Mr. 
Redpath  wished  to  make  all  ex- 
penses of  the  trip  his  care. 

"Oh,  won't  it  be  too  delicious!" 
cried    Alicia. 

'AYe  can't  decide  right  off  so,"  said 
Louisa.  "Perhaps  Mother  can't  spare 
me."  She  had,  however,  fully  de- 
termined to  go.     It  certainly  would  be 


the  height  of  folly  to  miss  such  an 
opportunity. 

"You  just  must  go!  It  won't  be 
for  long.  Mother  said  right  off  I 
could.  Can't  Miss  Hadley  come  over 
and  stay  with  your  mother?" 

"Perhaps  so,"  replied  Louisa.  I'll 
ask  her.     She  would  be  a  good  one." 

"Yes,  she  would.  She's  always  so 
careful  about  tilings-  Oh,  Louisa, 
we'll  have  the  time  of  our  lives!  If 
only  my  clothes  will  do!"  her  face  so- 
bering  suddenly. 

"I  shall  fix  over  my  best  green," 
said  Louisa  thoughtfully,  "and  it's 
time  1  had  a  new  hat  anyway.  I'll 
buy  it  in  New  York  as  soon  as  we're 
there.  My  old  dark  blue  will  do  to 
travel   in." 

"I  didn't  get  much  this  winter," 
said  Alicia,  "Father  seemed  so  hard 
up.  Anyway,  Elsie  won't  care  a  rap. 
Hurrah  for  New  York!"  And  she 
began  to  waltz  about  the  room. 

\\  hen  Louisa  reached  home  she 
joined  her  mother  to  talk  the  matter 
over.  Mrs.  Acton  at  once  saw  the  ad- 
vantages to  her  daughter  of  this  little 
peep  into  the  world,  and  agreed,  too, 
that  it  would  be  a  sensible  plan  to  ask 
M  iss  Had  ley  to  take  Louisa's  place 
during  the  visit.  As  Mrs.  Dale  was 
equally  alive  to  what  the  New  York 
stay  would  mean  for  Alicia,  the  girls 
entered  with  zest  into  their  prepara- 
tions, after  each  sending  an  enthusi- 
astic  acceptance   to    Elsie   Redpath. 

Then,  the  day  before  they  were  to 
start,  Mrs.  Gray  fell  severely  ill  with 
inflammatory  rheumatism.  Every  at- 
tempt to  secure  a  nurse  proved  una- 
vailing, and  Mr.  Gray,  in  his  alarm 
and  anxiety,  appealed  finally  to 
Louisa,  as  the  elder  of  the  two  girls. 
Louisa  saw  him  coming  up  the  path, 
and  went   to   the  door. 

"Good  morning,  Mr-  Gray,"  she 
said,  "i  hope  Aunt  Helen  is  better?" 


BY  THE  VEERY'S  NEST 


23 


"Xo.   Fm  a  Irak 
'--'   Mr.  Crav. 


died  high  and  low,"  said 
and    so    has    Dr.    Bond. 


1  she  isn't  so  well," 
:epiiea  my.  uray.  "J  can't  stop,  but 
I  wont  keep  you  in  the  cold."— and  he 
stepped  into  the  warm  hall.  Louisa 
brought  him  a  chair,  and  seated  her- 
self   near. 

"I've  scare 
Mr.  Gray 
Nurses  seem  to  have  slipped  out  of  ex- 
istence,—the  country  is  void  of  them. 
My  dear  Louisa5'— his  eyes  fixed 
auxiousl)  on  her  calm  and  pretty  face 
— "would  it  be  a  possible  thing — I 
know  all  I'm  asking — to  come  to  us. 
and  do  what  you  can  for  my  poor 
wife  for  a  week  ?  Dr.  Bond  has  got 
in  touch  with  a  Miss  Kent  who  may 
be  free  by  that  time."  He  hastily 
added,  as  he  saw  Louisa  was  about  to 
reply,  "You  won't  have  to  do  any  lift- 
ing,— I  can  do  that  myself.  And  it 
would  be  perfectly  possible,  if  you 
wished,    for  you   to  go  home  nights." 

Louisa's  face  expressed  the  sympa- 
thy and  regret  she  felt. 

"I'm  so  very  sorry,  Mr.  Gray,  I  have 
a  positive  engagement  in  Xew  York, 
beginning  tomorrow.  I  don't  believe 
you  knew  about,  though  I  think  Aunt 
Helen  did.  Alicia  and  I  are  going  to 
visit  the  Redpaths  there.  1  am  so 
very  sorry!  Do  let  me  know  if  there 
is  anything  I  can  get  for  Aunt  Helen, 
and  send  from  Xew  York." 

"I  don't  at  tins  moment  call  any- 
thing to  mind,"  said  Mr-  Grav,  in  a 
tune  of  deep  dejection,  and  rising, 
"Well  my  dear,  1  see  how  it  is.  I 
mustn't  stop." 

"lie  might  have  wished  me  a  good 
time,"  thought  Louisa,  as  she  watched 
him   walk  quickly  down   the   road. 

Mr.  Gray,  hurrying  to  rejoin  his 
wife,  took  the  short  cut  through  the 
little  patch  of  home  woods,  now 
lightly  covered  with  snow.  And  here, 
by  the  long-deserted  veery's  nest,  he 
came  upon  Alicia,  taking  an  idle 
stroll. 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Gray!"  said 
she.     "I    had   a   letter    from   Bob   this 


morning.  I'll  bring  it  over  to  Aunt 
Helen   by-and-by."  ' 

"I  fear  she  isn't  quite  able  today." 
said  Mr.  Gray.  "The  boy's  well,  L 
be?— She  became  much  worse  in  the 
night.      She's  in  great  pain." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Gray !  I  had  no  idea. 
Have  you  a  good  nurse?"  The  tears 
stood   in  Alicia's  eyes. 

"That's  the  trouble-  We  can't  find 
one." 

"Dear  Aunt  Helen !-- Could  I  be 
of  any  use?  1  helped  nurse  Father 
once,  when  he  had  sciatica.  He  was 
sick,  too !  Let  me  come  right  over 
and  try.  LI!  stay  till  you  get  some- 
body better.  Let  me!"  Pleaded 
Alicia. 

Her  old  friend  could  see  the  sin- 
cerity of  her  desire,  and  his  face 
brightened  a  little. 

"But  your  visit/'  he  said,  remem- 
bering. "Louisa  tells  me  you  leave 
tomorrow    for    X'ew    York." 

Alicia  placed  a  brown-mittened 
hand  upon  his  arm.  ''Little  Old  Xew 
York  may  be  a  cunning  little  town  in 
its  way."  said  she,  "but  it  isn't  Aunt 
Helen.  How  could  I  enjoy  frivoling 
around  if  I  knew  all  the  time  she 
was  suffering  so  here?  1  just. 
Ci^tkhi't!  So  don't  go  and  think  it 
any  sacrifice." 

"But,"  began  Mr.  Gray  in  perplex- 
ity.— "There  isn't  any  'but,' '  said 
Alicia.  "It's  all  settled,— that  is,  if 
you  like  to  have  me."  Alicia  surely 
knew  how  to  make  her  voice  irresis- 
tible. 

"It  would,  I  admit,  take  a  great 
load  off  my  mind,"  said  Mr-  Gray, 
"but  are  you  sure  your  mother  will 
deem  it  wise  ?" 

"Mummy?  Good  gracious!  do  you 
think  she  hasn't  a  heart  ?"said  Alicia. 
"Expect  me  in  an  hour."  And  she 
turned,  and  ran  back  through  the 
woods  toward  her  own  home,  un- 
heeding a  last  remonstrance  called 
after  her  by   Mr.   Gray. 

Alicia    was    as   good    as    her   word. 


24 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Her  little  straw  suitcase,  in  which 
she  tossed  the  few  necessary  changes 
would  riot  have  passed  an  examination 
on  skilful  jacking,  but  everything 
needful  was  there,  even  to  three  long- 
white  aprons. 

"I'll  send  Maggie  over-  excry  day. 
to  see  if  there's  anything  you  want," 
said  her  mother,  "and  you  can  send 
back  by  her  anything   for  the  wash." 

Louisa  didn't  accept  easily  bier 
friend's  decision,  and  was  astonished 
that  Alicia,  usually  so  ready  to  follow 
her  lead  could  be  so  "obstinate." 

''You're  acting  very  foolishly,"  she 
said.  "Rheumatism  isn't  a  dangerous 
thing.  And  of  course  a  doctor,  if  he 
is  any  good  at  all,  must  be  able  to 
find  a  nurse,  besides,"  as  Alicia 
was  about  to  speak,  "this  is  a  very 
unusual  opportunity  for  us.  It  is 
our  duty,  to  broaden  ourselves  when 
we    can." 

"I'd  rather  stay  narrow,  when  it's 
a  question  of  Aunt  Helen's  comfort," 
said  Alicia.  "Give  my  love  to  Elsie, 
and  tell  her   I'm   sorry." 

"She'll  think  it  queer,"  said  Louisa- 
"It  isn't  likely  she'll  invite  you  again." 

Alicia  looked  troubled.  She  was 
fond  of  Elsie.     But  she  didn't  waver. 

"Alicia's  changing,  I  think,"  said 
Louisa  later  to  her  mother.  She's' 
growing  self-willed  and  opinionated. 
I'm  sorry,  chief! v  for  her  own  sake." 


Chapter  IV 

Alicia 

Mrs.  Gray  knew  that  her  husband 
had  gone  to  get  Louisa  to  come,  if 
possible,  for  some  days.  No  sooner 
had  he  left  the  house,  however,  than 
she  began  nervously  to  wish  that  she 
had  not  consented  to  his  doing  so. 
An  exaggerated  vision  arose  in  her 
mind  of  the  kind  of  nurse  Louisa 
would  be.  "She'd  have  a  time  set  by 
the  clock  for  me  to  turn  over  in 
bed,"  she  said  to  herself,  "and  she'd 
put  rny  books  in  an  even  pile,  so  I'd 
want  to  fire  them  across  the   room." 


She  tossed  and  turned;  and  when,  at 
last.  Mr.  Gray  came  upstairs,  stepping 
with  gingerly  tread  lest  he  wake  her, 
she  could  hardly  wait  for  him  to  ap- 
pear  in   the  doorway. 

"Did  you  get  her?"  she  asked 
quickly.  "Yes,  my  dear,"  replied  her 
husband  in  a  satisfied  tone- '  "She  is 
more  than  willing  to  come. — more 
than    willing,"    he    repeated. 

Mrs.  Gray  half  groaned,  and  turned 
her  head  to  the  wall. 

"I   thought   it  was  your  own  wish,' 
said     Mr.    Gray,     slightly    crestfallen. 
"Alicia's  young  to  be  sure,  but, — " 
t  ."Alicia!"  came  in  a  different  voice 
from  the  bed  . 

"Yes,  Oh,  we  did  think  first  of 
Louisa,  I  know.  She  would  have  been 
glad  to  come,  but  she  goes  to  New 
York  just  at  this  time.  On  a  visit  to 
a  young  friend,  I  believe." 

"So  it's  Alicia!  Charles,  tell  Bridget 
to  get  out  the  new  quilt,  and  put  it  on 
the  blue-room  bed.  And  Charles," 
as  he  was  about  to  obey,  "take  the  little 
stand    from  the  corner  here,  and  put 

it  in  the  blue  room.     Let  me  see 

Well,  go  along,  and  I'll  think  what 
next." 

Charles  went  along.  He  was  ac- 
customed to  follow  any  suggestion  of 
his  wife's,  and  his  mind  was  im- 
mensely relieved  to  find  that  the 
younger  of  the  two  girls  was  evident- 
ly more  to  her  mind,  than  the  probably 
more  competent  elder. 

Alicia  came.  .  Why  she  was  just 
such  a  success  was  a  mystery  to  the 
doctor,  to  Aunt  Lizzie  (to  whom  they 
wrote  in  her  distant  home),  and  to 
the  neighbors  in  general-  She  made 
her  first  entrance  by  tripping  and  fall- 
ing into  the  invalid's  room.  She 
promptly  forgot  two  of  a  list  of  direc- 
tions given  her  by  the  doctor.  And  a 
curious  slow-passing  neighbor  dis- 
tinctly heard  her  laugh.  But  Mrs. 
Gray  declared  herself  perfectly  suited. 

"She's  good  and  wholesome  to 
look  at,"  she  said  to  her  husband. 
"And  she  isn't  nailed  to  her  own  way. 


iiY  THE  VEERY'S  NEST 


25 


She's  first-rate  company,  and  makes 
me  forget  my  pain  half  the  time. 
"i^es,  Charles,  whoever  asks,  you  tell 
them  Alicia's  a  nurse  worth  having/' 

"But  she  forgot  Dr.  Bond's  mix- 
ture."   said    Mr.    Gray. 

"Drat  the  mixture!"  said  his  wife. 
"It's  hitter  as  gall.  I'm  only  too 
thankful   1    missed  one  dose  of   it." 

Alicia  won  high  praise  from  Bridg- 
et. "She  never  asks  for  wan  thing 
for  herself,"  was  her  verdict.  "She'd 
take  her  coffee  cold,  and  any  scrap  I 
put  before  her.  But  she'll  not  take 
take  her  coffee  cold  !  It's  a  trate  to 
do  for  her,  if  'tis  only  to  see  the 
purty  smile  av  her!" 

If  Alieia  felt  a  little  disconsolate 
when  she  read  the  letters  that  came 
from  Louisa,  with  their  accounts  of 
gaieties  and  sight-seeing,  she  was  care- 
ful to  shake  off  any  least  trace  of 
such  regrets  before  she  regained  her 
charge.  It  was  always  a  bright- faced 
nurse  that  sat  beside  Mrs.  Gray,  and 
read  to  her  the  long  letters  from 
Robert  to  his  mother,  or  from  a 
magazine  or  book.  When  Airs. 
Gray's  pain  was  severe,  Alicia's  touch 
was  gentleness  itself,  and  before  long 
the  whole  household  relied  on  her  ex- 
plicit!} .  "Ask  Alicia,"  - —  —  "Alicia 
will  know,"  were  words  often  heard. 

When  the  girl  felt  sure  that  Mrs. 
Gray  was  asleep  and  free  from  pain, 
she  would  change  her  dress  of  white 
linen  for  one  of  dark  woolen,  get 
into  a  heavy  cloak,  slip  out  of 
the  house,  and  on  snowshoes  make 
her  way  to  the  veery's  nest- 
She  seldom  stayed  more  than  ten  or 
fifteen  minutes,  but  it  rested  her  to 
be  in  the  different  sort  of  quiet  one 
finds  in  the  woods, — a  quiet  thrilling 
with  strong  growing  life,  and  devoid 
of  fussy  insignificant  noises. 

Here  she  brought  her  own  letters 
from  Robert  to  read  over.  He  was  a 
faithful  correspondent,  and  in  the 
half-year's  letters  to  her  had  said  more 
of  his  serious  interests  than  he  ever 
had  when  thev  were  together-     Alicia 


thought  herself  a  poor  letter-writer, 
but  in  her  few  letters  she  accom- 
plished what  Louisa's  carefully  com- 
posed letters  did  not, — she  made  her- 
self present;  each  expression  was  her 
very  own.  The  brief  letter  might 
be  misspelled — it  often  was — but  it 
breathed  the  charm  of  naturalness 
ami  brought  to  a  rather  homesick 
you n<g  man  the.  very  air  of  his  native 
mountains. 

There  was  more  than  one  reason 
for  her  not  staying  long  by  the 
veery's  nest.  The  weather  was  now 
intensely  cold.  Louisa  had  barely 
left  for  New  York,  when  there  came  a 
sudden  drop  of  many  degrees  in  the 
mercury,  The  cold  relentlessly  in- 
creased, and  was  followed  by  a  heavy 
snow-fall.  Outlying  roads  became 
most  of  them,  impassable,  and  the 
nurse  finally  secured,  who  was  to 
take  Alicia's  place  that  the  girl  might 
have  the  tail-end  of  the  New  York 
visit,,  was  hopelessly  snowbound  in  a 
remote   town   still   further  north. 

Alicia's  disappointment  was  lessened 
by  the  evident  relief  of  Mrs.  Gray  in 
keeping  her  on.  Mr.  Gray,  too,  in 
somewhat  cumbersome  language,  ex- 
pressed   his    gratification. 

Alicia's  job  called  for  patience,  in 
spite  of  her  whole-hearted  gladness  to 
be  of  help.  Mrs.  Gray  had  hardly  in 
all  her  life  known  what  actual  ill- 
ness was,  and  the  pain  she  now  had 
to  endure — at  times  severe — made  her 
often  irritable  and  unlike  her  usually 
well-balanced  self.  Mr.  Gray  was 
kindness  itself,  but  his  efforts  were 
somewhat  clumsy  and  wanting  in 
tact-  He  was  apt  to  appear  at  inop- 
portune moments.  Alicia,— well,  as 
Bridget  put  it  to  Timothy,  the  man- 
of-all-work.  "  'Tis  the  swateness  of 
her!"  Alicia's  sunshine  held  out  for 
the  family  through  what  would  other- 
wise have  been  a  totally  dreary  period. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  second 
week,  Mrs.  Gray  began  to  gain  more 
decidedly.  The  pain  no  longer  was 
severe,   and    she   could    sleep   through 


26 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


the  night,  and  enjoy  Alicia's  com- 
panionship through  the  day.  So  fi- 
nally came  the  day  when  Louisa  was 
to  leave  New  York,  and  Alicia  return 
to  her  own  home. 

Alicia  woke  early  on  the  last  morn- 
ing, a  glow  of  happiness  at  her  heart. 
She  had  been  a  comfort.  Little  had. 
been  said,  but  there  was  something  in 
the  way  in  which  Airs.  Gray  had  last 
night  taken  the  girl's  two  hands  in 
hers,  and  held  them  close  for  one 
moment,   that  was  better  than  words. 

When  Alicia  parted  her  blue  cur- 
tains to  look  otit  on  an  early  morning 
world,  it  was  a  sort  of  fairyland  that 
met  her  eyes.  For  after  all  the  snow, 
the  weather  had  the  day  before  mod- 
erated, and  a  slight  rain  fallen, 
turning  before  morning  to  ice.  Every 
twig  on  every  branch  glittered  in  its 
bath  of  sunbeams.  Alicia  caught  her 
breath,  at   the   beaut}'  of   it. 

Across  the  tip  of  Moat  drifted  a 
fleecy  scarf  of  mist,  and  far  in  the 
distance  Washington  reared  majestic 
in  white  shining  robes.  The  air  was 
as  clear  as  a  bell,  and  again  penetra- 
tingly cold,  and  the  girl's  healthy 
young  blood  tingled  responsively  as 
she  took  her  icy  bath  and  got  quick- 
ly into  her  clothes-  Her  room  was 
unheated  except  by  the  warmth  that 
came  from  the  hall  when  she  left  her 
door   open. 

Peeping  into  Mrs.  Gray's  room  as 
she  passed  through  the  upper  hall,  and 
finding  her  sound  asleep,  Alicia  took 
a  hasty  bite  in  the  pantry,  and  was 
soon  outdoor  i>  and  had  strapped  on 
her   snowshoes. 

As  she  made  her  way  toward  the 
veery's  nest  through  the  gleaming 
pines  and  fir  balsams,  an  icy  twig 
snapped  here  and  there  with  a  tink- 
ling sound,  musical,  as  if  the  elves  of 
the  wood  were  playing  their  chimes 
to  greet  the  early  day.  And  here 
was  the  veery's  nest,  lined  with  silver, 
and  folded  about  with  a  napkin  of 
snow.  Alicia  knelt,  and  touched  her 
lips    to    the   cup's    rim   "To    Robert!" 


she  whispered,  as  if  the  elves  might 
hear.  "And  Aunt  Helen.  Let  her 
keep  well  for  him." 
-  She  started  at  a  sudden  sound.  It 
was  only  a  rabbit  within  a  stone's 
throw,  eyeing  her  alertly,  and  ready  to 
vanish  if  she  stirred.  He  made 
such  a  charming  picture  that  Alicia 
kept  as  still  as  she  could,  and  longed 
for  her  camera.  A  moment  or  two. 
audi  he  was  away.  She  must  go 
back.  But  first  she  drew  from  her 
pocket  a  letter  from  Robert  to  Louisa, 
which  the  latter  had  forwarded  with- 
in one  of  her  own.  "Dear  Louisa,'' 
it  ran.  "So  you  and  Alicia  are  going 
to  disport  yourselves  in  the  big  city- 
I  wouldn't  mind  very  much  being 
there  at  the  same  time.  It  seems 
about  two  years  since  I  saw  you  all. 
How  is  Alicia?  Tell  her  she  doesn't 
keep  up  her  end  of  correspondence. 
Does  she  seem  older,  or  changed  any  ? 
How  about  Hurry?  Of  course  Alicia 
can  ride  him  whenever  she  likes. 
What  have  you  both  been  up  to?***" 
An  account  of  his  own  doings  follow- 
ed, of  ranch  life  that  evidently  appeal- 
ed to  him  strongly,  and  then  he  wound 
up  his  letter  with  a  few  more  ques- 
tions. Alicia  was  all  right,  wasn't  she? 
She  must  be,  he  knew,  but  the  let- 
ters he  had  got  from  her  so  far 
wouldn't  fill  the  veery's  nest.  ****. 
Did  Alicia  play  on  his  piano?  He 
surely  hoped  so.  Tell  her  that  Dad 
and   Mother  would  like  it  if   she  did. 

"This  letter  seems  to  be  more  for 
you  than  me,"  Louisa  had  penciled 
on  the  margin.  "You  needn't  return 
it." 

Alicia's  cheeks  felt  burning.  She 
took  up  a  handful  of  snow  and 
rubbed  them  till  they  glowed  like 
wild    roses. 


Chapter  V 
Louisa. 
Xew    York,    February    14,1896 
Dear   Alicia, 
It      is     not   a     week   yet     since    I 


RV  Till-:  VEERY'S  NEST 


27 


left   North   Conway,   but   1    feel   as   if 

it  were  much  longer.  Not  that  the 
time  has  dragged  in  the  least,  but  it 
has  been  full  of  so  many  new  experi- 
ences. I  feel  myself  such  a  different: 
person,  and  would  not  for  the  world 
have  missed  this  broadening  and  en- 
larging experience.  I'm  afraid  Mrs. 
Redpath  won't  ask  you  next  year, 
as  you  thought  possible,  for  she 
seems  a  little  offended.  I  think,  at 
your  lightly  refusing  so  generous  an 
offer-  You  are  too  impulsive,  I  am 
afraid,  for  certainly  you  must  by  this 
time  be  regretting  your  mistake. 

Mr.  Redpath's  tastes  are  quite  lit- 
eral'}', and  many  most  interesting  peo- 
ple come  to  the  hottse.  Already  I 
have  met  and  talked  with  two  well- 
known  authors- -Mrs.  C — and  Mr.  R. 
I  have  been  twice  to  the  theatre,  and 
tonight   is   Grand   Opera. 

You  asked  if  Elsie  is  as  pretty  as 
ever.  How  much  you  always  think 
of  looks,  Alicia!  Yes,  I  believe  she 
is  called  very  pretty,  though  I  myself 
prefer  the  blonde  type.  She  has  a 
good  many  men  callers,  and  two  in 
particular  rather  haunt  the  house.  A 
Mr.  Islington,  said  to  be  fabulously 
rich,  is  bright,  tall,  and  I  must  admit 
the  finest  looking  man  I  have  ever 
seen.  He  sat  next  me  at  dinner  last 
night.  I  will  tell  you  more  about  him 
later,  for  I  saw  more  of  him  than 
of  anvone  else  during  the  evening- 
hie  wants  to  come  to  North  Conway 
next  summer,  for  he  has  never  seen 
the  White  Mountains.  The  other 
man  is  Mr.  Brown,  who  supports  two 
elderly  sisters,  and  has  hardly  a  penny 
to  his  name.     What  the  Redpaths  see 


him 


it   is 


hard    for   me   to   under- 


stand. He  has  nothing  to  say  for 
himself,  and  is  bald  and  very 
stout.  Yet  his  intimacy  with  Elsie 
seems  to  be  encouraged.  I  cannot 
understand  it. 

Well,  it  is  time  for  me  to  dress 
for  dinner  and  opera.  I  shall  wear 
light  green  and  rosebuds.  A  box  of 
them  has  just  come  from  Mr.   Isling- 


ton. How  charming  of  him!  I 
haven't  any  proper  opera  cloak,  but 
Elsie  lias  lent  me  one  of  hers,  a 
beauty*  of  dark  green  velvet  trimmed 
with   swans  down. 

1  thought  Elsie  seemed  a  little 
jealous  about  the  rosebuds.  She  has 
known  Mr.  Islington  a  long  time.  If 
there  is  one  fault  above  another  I  dis- 
like, and  have  always  tried  to  avoid, 
it  is  jealousy.  Now  I  think  of  it, 
Elsie  has  more  than  once  shown 
signs  of  it  since  I  came-  If  Mr. 
Islington  finds  it  interesting  to  sit  by 
me  and  talk  with  me  the  greater  part 
of  the  evening,  surely  he  has  a  right 
to  do  so,  since  he  and  Elsie  are  not 
engaged.  If  they  were,  that  would  be 
an  entirely  different  matter.  I  natur- 
ally took  an  interest  in  him,  as  she 
had  told  me  a  great  deal  about  his 
being  such  a  fine  character.  Now  I 
must  dress,  or  I  shall  be  late.  Love 
to  Aunt   Helen. 

Affectionately, 

"  LOUISA 

New   York,   February    18,    1896 
Dear    Alicia, 

What  a  difference  a  few  days 
can  make  in  one's  estimate  of  persons.! 
I  find  that  my  first  impressions  of 
Mr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Islington  were 
very  superficial.  On  closer  acquaint- 
ance I  find  Air.  Brown  possesses  a 
certain  stability  and  dignity  that  has 
won  my  high  esteem.  He  is  not  so 
very  bald,  and  his  eyes  are  a  beauti- 
ful shade  of  blue.  As  to  Mr.  Isling- 
ton.— it  was  unusually  stupid  of  me, — 
he  is  the  peYmiless  one  with  the  two 
old  sisters.  It  seems  to  me  that  he 
himself  might  have  made  that  clear 
to  me,  since  Elsie  did  not.  If  there 
is  one  fault  above  another  I  find  it 
hard  to  forgive,  it  is  duplicity.  On 
after  reflection  it  struck  me  as  in 
poor  taste,  Mr-  Islington's  sending  me 
the  rosebuds  There  were  at  least  two 
dozen  of  them,  and  he  is  far  from 
being  in  a  position  to  squander  money 
on  flowers,  or  on  anything  else.    Elsie 


28 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


quite  fired  up  when  I  said  so  to  her. 
and  implied,  quite  unjustly,  that  I  had 
"led    him   on." 

I  shall  certainly  not  encourage  that 

silly  notion  of  his  about  coming  to 
North  Conway.  It  would  look  very 
marked,  r.r.d  I  am  not  one  to  give 
encouragement  indiscreetly'.  For  that 
reason  I  think  I  shall,  from  now  on, 
not  write  so  frequently  to  Robert,  and 
I  would  advise  you  not  to.  Come  to 
think  of  it,  you  haven't  sent  him 
many  letters.  Probably  you  haven't 
thought  of  him  as  a  possible  lover 
for   either  of   us. 

You  don't  know  how  much  more 
able  I  feel,  from  this  visit  to  New 
York,  to  take  the  wide  view  of 
things.  One  admires  Robert  certain- 
ly, but  what  prospect  is  there  of 
his  ever  having  much  of  an  income? 
It  looks  to  me  as  if  he  meant  to 
settle  out  at  the  ends  of  the  earth 
on  one  of  those  ranches.  What 
sort  of  a  life  would  that  be  for 
either   of    us? 

They  say  Mr.  Brown  is  immense- 
ly rich.  He  inherited  two  enor- 
mous fortunes.  Yet  he  keeps  at  his 
business  all  the  time,  which  is  ad- 
mirable, I  think.  He  is  just  com- 
ing to  go  with  me  over  the  Metro,- 
politan  Museum,  so  good-bye  for 
now.  Love  to  Aunt  Helen. 
In    haste, 

LOUISA. 

New    York,    February    23,    1896 
Dear   Alicia, 

Mr.  Brown  took  me  to  see 
The  School  for  Scandal  last  evening, 
and  I  had  the  most  delightful  time! 
You  see  what  you  are  missing.  I 
could  stay  here  contentedly  for 
weeks,  but— this  is  private —  for 
some  utterly  incomprehensible  rea- 
son Mrs-  Redpath.  doesn't  seem 
quite  as  cordial  as  she  did  at  first. 
I  can't  think  of  any  possible  reason 
for  this,  unless  it  is,  what  friends 
of    Elsie   tell    me,    that    Mr.     Brown 


was  xery  attentive  to  her  before  I 
came.  1  suspect  that  all  Mrs.  Red- 
path  attaches  value  to  is  the  fact  of 
his  wealth,  for  it  is  perfectly  evi- 
dent that  Elsie  is  madly  in  love  with 
Mr.  Islington.  If  there  is  one  fault 
I  despise  more  than  another  it  is 
worklliness.  What  I  care  about 
myself  in  Mr.  Brown  is  his  dignity 
and    real    worth.. 

There  was  something  else  I  meant 
to  tell  you,  but  I  can't  now  recall 
what  it  was.  Mr.  Brown  is  coming 
to  call  at  five,  and  it  is  quarter  of 
now.  I  must  do  a  little  to  my  hair. 
He  says  it  is  the  prettiest  he  ever 
saw.  Love  to  Aunt  Helen-  I  shall 
be  home  soon,  and  then  she  will 
see  me  often.  New  York  is  al- 
together delightful,  but  nothing 
now  would  induce  me  to  prolong 
the  visit,  for  I  am  sure  Aunt  Helen 
needs  me.  This  is  the  important 
time  to  be  with  her,  when  she  is 
convalescing  and  really  able  to  care 
who   is   near   her. 

Affectionately, 

LOUISA. 

P.  S.  Mr.  Brown  has  offered 
himself,  and  I  have  accepted.  I  am 
coming  home  directly,  and  will  tell 
you  everything  then.  I  am  so  sor- 
ry I  haven't  had  time  to  buy  the 
scarf  you  wrote  about.  You  can 
see  how-  every  instant  of  my  time 
has  been  filled.  And  the  shopping 
district  is  so  far  down.  And  real- 
ly, Alicia,  those  scarfs  are  very  ex- 
pensive, and  if  I  were  you  I  should 
think  twice  before  deciding  to  buy. 
one.  You  may  have  my  last  year's 
gray  one  if  you  like.  We  shall  marry- 
in  May,  and  I  mean  to  come  on  in 
April  and  get  all  my  trousseau  in 
New    York. 


Chapter  VI 

Alicia. 

June!       And    Robert   was     coming 
tomorrow.     Alicia     wished     the     day 


HV  THE  VEERY'S  NEST 


29 


had  wings,  and  she  kept  restlessly 
busy  from  one  task  to  another  that 
the  hours  might  hurry  by.  Hut 
In-  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  there 
seemed  to  he  nothing'  left  undone  in 
the  little  house,  now  in  a  state  of 
unwonted  tidiness,  and  Alicia  de- 
cided to  canw  over  a  basket  of  wild 
strawberries  to  Mrs.  Gray.  She 
chose  a  pretty  Indian  basket,  and 
heaped  it  with  the  spicy  fruit,  which 
grew  near  by.  She  added  a  deep- 
piiik  wild  rose,  from  the  clusters 
that  peered  over  the  Dale's  green 
gate. 

Arrived  at  Tanglewild.  she  found 
Mrs.  Gray  putting  some  finishing 
touches  to  Robert's  room.  The 
green  and  white  curtains  had  been 
freshly  laundered,  and  a  vase  of 
mountain  laurel  stood  upon  the 
bureau- 

"I'm     so 


glad     you've     come    over, 
dear,"     said     Mrs.      Gray-        You've 
for  I   was  just 
i  f     you     would 
to   Stepping 
a   pair      of 


to   ge 
some 


eggs,      and 


man  is  to 
said  .Alicia, 
iust 


saved  me  some  steps 
going     over     to     see 
drive     with     me     over 
Stones.     I     want 
chickens.       and 
cream." 

"I      see   your     young 
have  a   royal    welcome!" 
"Yes,    I'd   just    love   to   go.     I'll 
run    back    for    my    jacket." 

"Oh,  don't  trouble  to  do  that. 
Take  my  plaid  shawl.  I  engaged 
the  carriage  for  four  o'clock,  and  it 
ought  to  be  here   soon." 

A  few  minutes  more,  and  it  came, 
and  Mrs.  Gray  and  Alicia  had  set- 
tled themselves  comfortably  on  the 
wide  seat,  and   were  on  their  way. 

Stepping  Stones  was  a  farm  on 
the  edge  of  Bartlett.  and  Alicia, 
who  had  always  delighted  in  any  ex- 
cursion to  this  region,  was  often 
Mrs.  Gray's  companion  thither.  Their 
way,  for  the  latter  part,  lay  beside 
the  Saco  River,  and  its  gleaming, 
rippling  waters  were  glimpsed  be- 
tween the  trees  that  grew  thickly 
along     its    banks.     The     river    wound 


about  with  a  leisurely  grace,  and  lay 
a  wide  blue  scarf  upon  the  dreaming 
light   green   meadows. 

"Do  let's  drive  very  slowly  for 
awhile."  said  Alicia-  "It  is  so 
lovely!" 

"Get  out  for  a  minute  or  two  if  you 
want  to.'  said  Mrs.  Gray.  "We've 
time  enough  for  that.  Run  down 
to  the  river."  She  checked  the 
horse   as   she    spoke. 

Alicia  made  her  way  to  the  shore. 
How  still  it  was,  except  for  the 
swaying  of  some  branches  of  weep- 
ing-willow !  As  she  stooped  and  made 
a  hollow  of  her  hand  to  drink  from 
the  clear  water,  she  saw,  close  to  her 
on  the  ground,  perhaps  thirty  butter- 
flies, with  folded  wings.  And  now 
they  rose,  and  fluttered  together  over 
the  river,  a  shining,  widening  golden 
cloud. 

"I  want  to  live  in  North  Conway," 
said  Alicia  as  she  stepped  back  into 
the  buggy,  "because  I  always  have 
lived  there,  and  I  love  it.  but  it  I  ever 
chose  to  move  it  would  be  to  Bart- 
lett. There  is  an  indescribable  charm 
about  the  place." 

"There  is,"  assented  Mrs.  Gray-  "I 
always  took  to  Bartlett." 

And  it  suddenly  entered  the  older 
woman's  mind  that  the  charm  of  that 
peaceful  village  was  not  unlike  that 
of  the  girl  herself  in  her  quieter 
moods.  Bartlett  was  unfinished,  it  had 
some  inharmonious  houses,  but  in  the 
main  there  was  about  it  a  natural 
restful  beauty,  with  unexpected  de- 
lights for  those  who  cared  to  wander 
among  its  fields  and  woods. 

They  reached  the  hospitable  farm, 
with  its  many  outlying  buildings,  and 
while  Mrs.  Gray  enjoyed  a  gossip  with 
the  farmer's  wife,  Mrs.  Deane,  Alicia 
strolled  about  and  went  finally  into  the 
great  fragrant  barn  to  watch  the 
milking  of  the  Jersey  cows. 

Edith  Dabney,  a  North  Conway 
child  visiting  at  the  farm,  ran  into  the 
barn,  and  came  to  a  stand  by  Alicia's 
side.        She     was     eleven    vears    old, 


30 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


strong  and  tall  for  her  age,  with  a 
piquant  face  and  curly  light  brown 
hair  winch  she  shook  about  a  good 
deal. 

"Why  is  this  place  named  'Stepping 
Stones'?  asked   Alicia. 

"You  see  that  brook  over  there. 
Stones'  "?  replied  the  little  girl  "No. 
I  guess  you  can't  see  it  from  here,  but 
you  can  hear  it.  It  makes  noise 
enough !  It  cuts  right  across  the 
farm-  And  in  the  widest  part  there's 
a  lot  of  stepping-stones!  We  chil- 
dren all  like  the.  brook  the  best  of 
any  part  of  the  farm,  'cause  we  like 
sailing  chips  there,  and  going  across 
the      stones.  It's      awful      tipply ! 

So  we  young  ones  got  to  saying,  when 
we  were  coming  here,  that  we  were 
coming  to  Stepping  Stones.  Then 
Mrs.  Deane's  folks  began  to  call  it 
that,  and  everybody  else." 

"Ir's  a  pretty  name,"  said  Alicia. 
Mrs.  Gray  and  Alicia  made  no  stop 
on  their  homeward  road.  Alicia 
hardly  spoke.  Her  thoughts  were  of 
tomorrow,  and  of  Robert  coming.  She 
wondered  if  he  would  be  changed. 
She  felt  a  queer  unfamiliar  shyness  at 
the  idea  of  meeting  him.  She  knew 
one  thing, — she  was  going  to  be  very 
dignified,  and  entirely  ■  grown-up.  If 
she  hadn't  been  quite  that  when  they 
parted  last  year,  she  certainly  was 
so  now.  Very  likely  he  had  thought 
her  a  silly  thing !  Oh,  she  would  be 
cordial  of  course,  but  reserved.  How 
she  lamented  her  former  childishness ! 

"You  must  go  to  bed  early,"  said 
Mrs.  Gray,  glancing  at  the  girl's 
dreamy  face-  "We  must  be  out- 
brightest   for  Robert  tomorrow.' 

"I  shan't  be  over  tomorrow.  Aunt 
Helen,  dear,"  said  Alicia,  rousing  her- 
self. "Robert  can  very  well  wait  till 
the  next  day  to  see  me." 

"You're  always  welcome,  Alicia," 
said  Mrs.  Gray.  "You  know  that,  I 
hope." 

"You  always  make  me  feel  so,  but 
I'll   come   the      next   day.      I'd    reallv 


rather.  Or  Robert  can  run  over  to 
see  us.  I've  got  some  sewing  for 
Mother   1    must  finish." 

Mrs.  Gray  dropped  Alicia  at  her 
own  house.  Supper  would  be  late  for 
them  both.  Alicia  was  very  hungry 
after  the  long  drive,  and  it  was 
nearly  eight  o'clock  when  she  had 
cleared  away  the  remnants  of  food 
and  washed  the  few  dishes.  She 
stepped  out  into  the  front  garden 
where  her  father  and  mother  were 
strolling. 

The  air  was  deliciously  cool  and 
fragrant  with  near-by  balsam  and  the 
roses  that  grew  in  profusion  and  were 
Alicia's  pride.  There  were  several 
varieties,  and  perhaps  the  kind  Alicia 
loved  best  was  the  bush  of  soft-pet- 
aied  old-fashioned  white  ones-  She 
took  one  of  these  from  the  bush,  and 
fastened  it  in  the  belt  of  her  blue 
gown. 

"I  think  I'll  go  and  look  at  the 
veery's  nest."  she  said,  "else  the 
mother- veery  will  think  I'm  offended, 
it's  so  long  since  I  made  her  a  real 
call." 

There  had  been  a  drenching  rain 
two  days  ago.  and  the  woods  were  at 
their  freshest.  Every  leaf  glistened, 
and  the  mosses  and  ferns  were  softly 
green  under  the  light  that  filtered 
through  the  branches.  A  patch  of 
wild  strawberries  busied  Alicia's  hands 
for  a  few  moments.  Seeing  a  strip 
of  birch  bark  that  lay  upon  the 
ground,  she  picked  it  up  and  formed 
it   into  a  little  basket  for  the  berries. 

Through  an  opening  among  the 
pines  she  could  just  make  out  the 
"white  horse"  upon  Humphrey's 
Ledge. 

In  all  Alicia's  after-life  the  recol- 
lection of  what  next  happened  had 
power  to  thrill  her  afresh.  She  had 
been  so  absorbed  in  her  own  thoughts 
that  she  did  not  hear  quick  steps 
coming  over  the  pine  carpet.  Then 
Robert  was  before  her.  Robert  more 
stalwart  than  ever,  and  deeply'tanned. 


BY  THE  VEERY'S  NEST  31 

Mis    face   wore   a   look   of   eager   joy,  At  that  moment,  clear  and  vibrating- 

and  he  opened  his  arms  wide.     Alicia  ly  sweet,    close   over    them,   came   the 

{lev/    into   them,   and   her   brown   head  matchless  song  of  the  veery. 
was  on  his  breast.  the  end. 


MY  ARCADY 

(To    former    pupils,    after    reading    Wordsworth's 
Ode   on   Immortality) 

By  Eugene   R.  Musgrove 

Again  I  take  the  great  Ode  from  its  place 
And  yield  myself  to  its  majestic  sway. 
Across  the  page  the  same  old  glories  play, 
-And  ''trailing*  clouds  of  glory"  1  retrace 
The  gifts  that  glorify  the  commonplace; 
For  tho  we  all  like  sheep  have  gone  astray. 
Still    Faith's   unerring   finger   points   the   way 
With  clearness  that  our  doubts  can  not  efface. 


But  lo!  today  new  "clouds  of  glory"  come. 

Transfigured   by   the   light  of   memory: 

In  letters  that  would  strike   Belshazzar  dumb 

Your  names  are  flashed — with  joy,  with  joy  I  see. 

And  in  my  Arcady  I  count  the  sum 

Of  all  the  nameless  things  you  are  to  me. 

■   1 

i 

I  i 
•;    E 


33L 


EDITORIALS 


The  editor  of  the  Granite  Monthly 

was  gratified  to  receive,  recently,  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Brookes  More  in 
which  the  generous  donor  of  the  $50 
prize  for  the  best  poem  published  in 
the  magazine  during  1921  expressed 
his  satisfaction  with  the  results  of 
the  contest;  said  that  his  check  was 
read_v  for  the  winner  when  an- 
nounced to  him  by  the  judges;  and 
expressed  his  willingness  to  con- 
tinue the  competition  through  1922 
under  slightly  changed  conditions. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  Granite 
Monthly  was  pleased  to  accept  Mr. 
More's  suggestions  and  is  glad  to 
announce  that  he  will  award  the 
same  sum.  $50,  to  the  author 
of  the  best  poena  printed  in  the 
Granite  Monthly  during  the  year  1922. 
It  is  Mr.  More's  opinion,  in  which  we 
coincide,  that  the  best  interests  of  the 
magazine  and  of  the  competition  will 
be  served  by  the  adoption  of  the  fol- 
lowing two  rules:  No  "free  verse"  will 
be  eligible  for  the  prize  and  those  who 
desire  to  enter  the  contest  must  be- 
come subscribers  for  the  Granite 
Monthly.  It  is  hoped  to  be  able  to 
secure  the  services  of  the  same,  board 
of  able  judges  as  for  1921  ;  and  it  is 
also  hoped  that  their  decision  of  the 
prize  winner  for  last  year  may  be 
announced    in   the    February   number. 


Kind  words  for  the  Granite  Month- 
ly in  the  state  press  arc  frequently 
seen  and  highly  appreciated.  Says  the 
Rochester  Courier  editorially :  "The 
literary  merit  of  the  magazine  has 
never  been  on  so  high  a  plane,  and, 
with  its  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
New  Hampshire,  it  is  a  distinct  asset 
to  the  state.  Long  may  it  continue 
to  flourish  and  prosper  under  its  pre- 
sent management."  The  Claremont 
Eagle  expresses  pleasure  that  the 
continuance  of  the  magazine  for  an- 
other year  is  assured  and  says  :"Since 


1S78  it  has  been  published  and  has 
never  failed  to  live  up  to  its  mission 
as  the  'New  Hampshire  State  Maga- 
zine.' It  should  have  a  more  generous 
support    with     its    advancing    years." 


In  accordance  with  the  terms  of  a 
concurrent  resolution  adopted  by  the 
legislature  of  1921  a  committee  com- 
posed of  former  State  Senator  Elmer 
E.  Woodbury  of  Woodstock,  Admiral 
Joseph  B.  Murdoch  of  Hill  and  Major 
John  G.  Winant  of  Concord  is  engaged 
in  securing  by  patriotic  contributions 
the  necessary  funds  for  placing  in  the 
New  Hampshire  capitol  a  worthy  por- 
trait in  oils  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 
An  appeal  will  be  made  especially  to 
the  school  children  of  the  state  during 
the  second  week  of  January  and  ten 
cents  from  each  child  would  provide 
the  sum  thought  necessary  for  the  pur- 
pose. Contributions  from  other  sour- 
ces will  be  welcome,  however. 


The  beautiful  classic  poem. 
''Ulysses."  in  this  issue,  is  contributed 
by  a  member  of  the  Boston  Tran- 
script's literary  department  whose 
reviews  over  the  signature  of  "C.  K. 
H."  have  been  widely  appreciated  and 
quoted.  Friendship  for  the  magazine, 
manifested  by  sending  us  so  brilliant 
a  poem  as  Mrs.  Hillman's,  is,  indeed, 
appreciated. 


Mr.  Charles  Knowles  Bolton,  libra- 
rian of  the  Boston  Athenaeum  and  a 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Histor- 
ical Society,  is  at  work  upon  a  third 
volume  of  his  "Portraits  of  the 
Founders."  He  would  like  to  hear 
of  portraits  of  persons  born  abroad 
who  came  to  the  American  colonies 
before  the  year   1701. 


EDITORIALS  33 

We  shall  begin  in  the  February  opinion.  The  author,  Mrs.  Zillah 
Granite  Monthly  the  publication  of  George  Dexter,  of  Franconia,  draws 
"Homespun  Yarns  from  the  Red  Barn  upon  the  experiences  of  her  own  girl- 
Farm"  partly  fact  and  partly  fiction,  hood  among  tire  mountains  for  much 
but  in  both  respects  giving  as  true  of  her  manuscript  and  the  results  seem 
a  picture  of  rural  New  Hampshire  70  to  us  most  interesting  and  enjoyable. 
■.ears  ago  as  ever  was  printed,  in  our 


THE  RESURRECTION  OF  THE  SHIPS 

By  Reignold  Kent  Marvin 

The  tides  of  Riverrnouth  at  God's  behest 

Sweep  clean   Xew  Hampshire's  seaport  day  by  day 

And   like   good   servants   let   no   refuse   stay. 

But  broom  it  far  to  sea,  now  east,  now  west. 

So  deep  the  thresh  of  tides,  there  is  no  rest 

For  sunken  skeletons  of  ships  and  men 

That  ever  grind  in  restless  graves  and  then 

Moan  low  for  quiet  beds  of  bones  more  blest. 

But  when  at  last  the  sea  gives  up  its  dead. — 

A  risen  fleet  well  manned  by  ghostly  crew. 

The  Spanish  galleon  and  East  Indian  bark. 

A  phantom  argosy  by  Nereus  led,— 

Will   set   worn   sails  the  voyage  to   renew 

To  sunset  harbors  gleaming  through  the  dark. 

I 

I  * 

1 


I 


3H 


BOOKS  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  INTEREST 


Anthol-ogTes 

of    Ma 

gasine    Verse 

for 

1921 

;  i  n  c 

921.      Edited 

by    Wi 

Iliajii    Stanley 

Br 

aiifci 

raite 

Joston  :    Small 

.    May 

lard    and    Co. 

These  two  years,  William  Stanley 
Braithwaite  ha"s  more  than  maintain- 
ed his  position  as  the  nation's  most 
brilliant  critic  of  poetry.  He  lias  "dis- 
covered" man}'  American  poets  that: 
otherwise  might  have  still  heen  sing- 
ing in  obscurity,  he  knows  the  field 
of  modern  poetical  endeavor  as  no 
other  man  on  this  side  of  the  water, 
his  appraisals  end  reviews  are  just. 
his  opinions  well  founded,  his  annual 
collections  of  magazine  verse'  quite 
unequalled  among  all  modern  antho- 
logies. And  in  making  these  selec- 
tions from  the  year's  output  of  per- 
iodical verse,  Mr.  Braithwaite  rend- 
ers double  service,  on  the  one  hand 
bringing  the  poets  to  the  public,  on  the 
other  bringing  the  public  to  the  poets. 
EI  is  selections  will  curry  favor  with  no 
particular  group  of  stylists,  will  please 
no  one  cult.  The  are,  in  their  way, 
well  nigh  universal.  Conceivably,  no 
one  will  enjoy  every  bit  of  verse  in 
the  anthology,  but  agree  or  disagree, 
it  must  be  admitted  that  rarely  have 
there  been  made  selections  so  excel- 
lently impartial.  To  collect  the  best 
in  magazine  verse  year  by  year  can 
be  no  small  task,  yet  for  his  part,  Mr. 
Braithwaite  is  quite  equal  to  it.  His 
former  anthologies  are  accurate  mir- 
rors of  the  poetic  trend  of  those  times, 
in  fact  the  student  of  American  poet- 
ical progress  in  the  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury can  do  no  better  than  read  them 
through.  They  will  teach  him  much 
that    the    ordinary   book    cannot. 

Even  two  such  closely  linked  years 
as  those  of  1920  and  1921  offer  in- 
teresting comparison.  Some  of  the 
voices  of  last  year  are  silent;  others 
take  their  place-  David  Morton  on 
the  one  hand  and  Edna  St.  Vincent 
Millay  on  the  other,  seem  the  two 
finest    youthful    lutanists    of    the    day, 


Hazel  Hall  continues  Iter  even  way, 
Elinor  Wylie  springs  from  nowhere 
to  add  no  small  bit  to  the  output  of 
'21.  Sara  Teasdale.  Katharine  Eee 
Bates,  John  Gould  Fletcher,  Mrs. 
Richard  Aldington,  Robert  Erost, 
John  Hall  Wheelock,  Edgar  Lee  Mas- 
ters, Amy  Lowell,  Scudder  Middle- 
ton,  Gamaliel  Bradford,  Edward  O* 
Brien,  Edwin  Arlington  Robinson. 
Clement  Wood,  Christopher  Morley 
and  Charles  Wharton  Stock  appear 
and  reappear  through  the  two  years. 
Amanda  Benjamin  Hall,  Agnes  Lee 
and  Djuna  Barnes,  all  promising 
figures  of  1920,  have  nearly  dropped 
from  sight ;  to  take  their  places  come 
Miss  Wylie,  John  V.  A.  W'eaver,  and 
Adul  Tima,  claiming  first  brilliance 
this  year,  perhaps  to  be  forgotten  the 
next. 

Moreover,  in  the  back  of  the  Antho- 
logy lurk  yet  new  poets  of  the  future, 
not  a  few  of  them  identified  with  the 
Granite  Monthly  prize  contest,  per- 
haps making  their  first  public  appear- 
ance therein.  Many  of  them,  it 
seems,  will  go  far.  Next  year  will 
undoubtedly  see  some  few  honored  on 
Mr.   Braithwaite's  pages. 

Oi  the  output  of  1920,  Mrs.  Ald- 
ington's "The  Islands,"  Miss  A.  B. 
Hall's  "EJancer,"  Mr.  Morton's  "Gar- 
den Wall,"  Louis  Ginsberg's  "April," 
Miss  Millay 's  lyrics  and  Sara  Teas- 
dale's,  Conrad  Aiken's  "Asphalt," 
Margaret  Adelaide  Wilson's  "Baby- 
lon." Mr.  Masters'  "A  Republic," 
Miss  Lee's  "Old  Lizette,"  Mr.  Unter- 
myer's  "Auction,"  and  Miss  Barnes 
"Dead  Favorite,"  seemed  the  best. 
The  pattern  of  1921  is  entirely  dif- 
ferent; of  them  all.  Miss  Millay,  Miss 
Teasdale.  Mr  Morton  alone  may 
match  their  excellences  of  the  former 
year.  The  pick  of  the  new  collection 
seems  Maxwell  Anderson's  "St  Agnes' 


Mornins 


Katharine      Lee      Bate: 


'Brief    Life,"    H.    D.'s    fragments   of 


•V  698881 

BOOK  OF  X.  II.  INTEREST  35 

Ancient  Greece.  Louise  Ayres  Gar-  Robert  Frost's  lour  poems  of  New 
nett's  dialect  verse,  Mr.  Morton's  Hampshire,  Winifred  Viginta  jack- 
two  new  sonnets.  Adul  Tinia's  "W  ild  son's  stern  picturings  of  Elaine,  E. 
Plum,"    Sara    Teasdale's    "The    Dark  A,   Robinson's   "Monadnoek   Through 

Cup,"  Elinor  Wylie's  "Bronze  Trum-  the      Trees"      and      Harold      Vinal's 

pets    and    Sea    Water."     Of    especial  sonnet. 

interest  to   New  Englanders  are    -Miss  _ 

Millav's  lyrics.  H.  C.  Gauss's  "Salem,'-'  eiORL,ox   Hillmax. 


I  REAL  ROYALTY 

\  By   Edivard  H.   Richards 

At  times  I   think  I'd   like  to  be 
§  A  king  or  some  celebrity ; 

A  jeweled  crown  I'd  like  to  wear 
A  bard  I'd  be  or  genius  rare; 
A  knight,  with  purpose  bold  and  high 
An   aviator   in   the   sky ; 
Such  men  as  these  appeal  to  me 
And  any  one   I'd   like  to  be 
|  Except  myself,  a  common  man, 

-  Who  has  to  work  and  save  and  plan. 
But  I  have  health  and  1   have  love ; 
The  sun  shines  gladly  up  above.; 
My  life  is  clean;  I   fear  no  foe, 
1  play  my  part  as  best  I  know, 
|  I  eat,  I  sleep.  1   smile.  I  sing; 

By  Jove,  why  am  I  not  a  King? 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  NECROLOGY 


son  and  one  of  fiv 
and  Emma  (Plastrit 
November  IS  at  his 


.  HON.  FRANK  D.  CURRIER 

Frank  Dunklee  Currier  was  born  at 
Canaan  Street.  October  30,  1853,  the  elder 
■  children  of  Horace 
s:e)  Currier,  and  died 
home  in  Canaan.  He 
had  been  an  invalid  since  stricken  with  a 
shock  of  paralysis  in  Washington  10 
years  ago. 

Air.  Currier  attended  as  a  boy  the 
Canaan  schools  and  later  the  Concord 
High  school,  Kimball  Union  academy  at 
Me'riden  and  Hixon  academy  at  Lowell, 
Mass.  Studying  law  with  the  late  U.  S. 
Senator  Austin  F.  Pike  at  Franklin,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1874  and 
opened  a  law  office   in  his  native  town. 

In  1879  he  represented  Canaan  in  the 
legislature;  was  clerk  of  the  state  senate  in 
1883  and  1885 ;  and  being  eleeted  a  mem- 
ber of  that  body  for  the  session  of  1*887, 
was  chosen  its  president.  From  1890  he 
was  for  four  years  naval  officer  of  the 
pert  of  Boston.  In  1899  he  returned  to 
the  state  house  of  representatives  and 
was   chosen   its   speaker. 

In  1900  he  received  his  first  election  to 
the  National  Llouse  from  the  Second  New 
Hampshire  District  and  there  served  for 
12  years,  making  a  brilliant  record  as  a 
parliamentarian,  committee  chairman  and 
party  leader.  His  close  friend,  Speaker 
Joseph  G.  Cannon,  frequently  called  upon 
hirn  to  preside  over  the  house ;  he  was  a 
member  of  its  all  important  committee 
on  rules;  and  was  chairman  of  the  Re-t 
publican  caucus.  As  chairman  of  the 
standing  committee  on  Patents  he  secured 
the  passage  in  1909  of  a  new  copyright 
law  which  was  characterized  by  President 
Roosevelt  as  the  session's  best  piece  of 
legislation  and  which  has  stood  admirably 
the  test  of  time.  To  his  patience,  watch- 
fulness, good  generalship  and  untiring 
labors  was  largely  due  the  establishment 
of    the    White    Mountain    Forest    Reserve. 

Congressman  Currier  was  an  ardent  and 
devoted  Republican  throughout  the  politi- 
cal career  which  occupied  so  great  a  part 
of  his  life.  In  addition  to  the  offices  pre- 
viously mentioned,  he  was  secretary  of 
the  Republican  state  committee  from  1882 
to  1890;  and  delegate  to  the  national 
convention  of  1884.  He  was  for  a  brief 
period  judge  of  the  Canaan  police  court 
and  for  many  year  moderator  of  its  town 
meeting,  never  failing  to  make  the  trip  from 
Washington  when  necessary  in  order  to 
discharge    the    duties    of    the    position. 

Mr.  Currier  received  the  honorary  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts  from  Dartmouth 
College  in  1901.     He  was  a  member  of  the 


Masonic  fraternity.  In  1890  he  married 
Adelaide  K.  Sargent  of  Grafton,  whose 
death  preceded  his  five  years  to  a  day. 
He  is  survived  by  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Jennie 
Pratt  of  Concord  and  Miss  Maud  Cur- 
rier. 

•  By  the  terms  of  his  will  the  town  of 
Canaan  receives  $25,000  for  the  construction 
of  the  Currier  Memorial  Library  and  $3,- 
000  lor  the  encouragement  of  public 
speaking  among  the  pupils  of  the   schools. 


REV.  HENRY  FARRAR. 

Rev.  Henry  Farrar,  born  in  Lancaster, 
November  20  1831,  died  upon  his  90th 
birthday  in  Yarmouth,  Me..  He  graduated 
fmm_  Bowdoin  College  in  1856  and  after 
teaching  for  a  few  years  entered  the  Ban- 
gor theological  seminary  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1862.  He  served  Congrega- 
tional parishes  in  Maine  and  New  Hamp- 
shire  until    1887,    when  he   retired. 


DR.  L.  M.  FARRINGTON. 

Leander  Morton  Farrington.  M.  D.,  born 
in  Conway.  Jan.  8.  1S72,  the  son  of  Jere- 
miah and  Ellen  (Morton)  Farrington, 
died  suddenly  in  his  office  at  Manchester. 
December  10.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Portsmouth  High  school  and  the  Harvard 
Medical  school,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1893,  the  youngest  man  in  his  class. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  practiced  in 
Boston  and  then  located  in  Manchester. 
where  he  served  on  the  medical  advisory 
board  during  the  recent  war;  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  staff  of  Notre  Dame  hospital, 
of  city,  county  and  state  medical  soci- 
eties, of  the  Masonic  order  and  of  the 
Calumet  club  and  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  He 
is  survived  by  his  widow,  two  daughters, 
a    brother    and    two    sisters. 


FRANK   P.   FISK. 

Frank  Parker  Fisk,  member  of  the  legis- 
lature of  1919  from  the  town  of  Miiford, 
died  there  suddenly  Dec.  2.  Fie  was  born 
in  Dublin,  May  31,  1858,  son  of  Levi  and 
Sarah  (White)  F"isk,  and  as  a  young  man 
was  a  school  teacher.  lie  was  prominent 
in  the  Grange,  having  been  master  of  both 
Cheshire  and  Hillsborough  Pomonas,  and 
in  the  1.  O.  O.  F.,  where  he  was  a  past 
district  deputy.  Fie  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  a  trustee  of  the  Unitarian 
church.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife,  who 
was  Hannah  SpofTord  of  Peterborough, 
and    by    one    son,    Charles. 


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No.  2 


Tke  Oldest  Ghurch  in  New  fiampsnire  and  a  Mascju; 

Por trailing  Its  JCarlij  liistonj. 
j-ebrge  B.  Upham 


By 

The  first  parish  of  the  Church  of 
England  in  western  New  Hampshire 
was  organized  in  Claremont  in  1771. 
Its  church  is  the  oldest  still  standing 
in  the  state.  It  was  built  in  1773,  on 
"the  Plain,"  within  the  shadow  of 
Twistback,  a  little  south  of  Sugar 
River,  and  a  tittle  more  than  a  mile 
from  the  Connecticut.  The  plans 
were  sent  from  Portsmouth  by  that 
gracious  Royal  Governor,  John  Went- 
worth.  It  is  designated  on  early  maps 
as    the    ''English    Church." 

More  than  a  century  ago  water 
power  on  Sugar  River,  two  miles  to 
the  eastward,  gradually  attracted  the 
settlers  away  from  this  vicinity.  Few 
of  the  old  houses  and  none  of  the 
workshops  that  formerly  clustered 
around  the  church  now  remain.  (1) 
Today  it  stands  almost  alone,  near  its 
old  burying  ground  under  the  pines. 
Services  are,  however,  held  here  every 
Sunday,  except  in  the  severest  months 
of  winter. 

Many  recollections  of  the  writer's 
childhood  center  around  this  church, 
especially  of  the  going  there  on  Christ- 
mas Eve ;  the  swift-moving  sleighs ; 
the  crunch  of  the  snow  under  the 
horses'  hoofs;  the  jingling  sleigh- 
bells;  the  snow- laden  pines.  The 
church  comes  into  view,  its  many 
paned   windows    brilliant   with    points 


of  light  from  row  upon  row  of  long, 
home-made  tallow  candles. 

Within  the  church  a  small  forest  of 
young  pines  and  hemlocks  line  the 
walls  and  mark  the  old  square  pews. 
Long  festoons  of  evergreen  cross  and 
recross  overhead.  The  candles  shin- 
ing through  the  green,  and  on  the 
wonderful  Christmas  tree  are  seem- 
ingly increased  a  hundredfold.  This 
fairyland,  with  the  peals  of  the  little 
wooden-piped  organ— it  was  hand- 
made within  a  stone's  throw  of  the 
church  door — (2)  the  Christmas 
carols,  and  the  beautiful  service  of  the 
Church  of  England  all  contribute  to 
a  child's  impressions  still  unfaded;  im- 
presssions  more  dear  and  lasting  than 
an}-  of  later  years,  even  those  of  really 
wonderful  Christmas  services  in  great 
cathedrals   many   centuries   old. 

An  affection  inspired  by  such 
memories  led  to  the  writing  of  a 
Masque,  portraying  something  of  the 
early  history  of  this  old  church,  so 
unique  a  monument  among  the  hills. 
The   characters   are   as    follows : 

Ranna  Cossit,  first  pastor  of  the 
parish,  born  in  Granby,  Connecticut, 
December  29,  1744.  He  was  educated 
for  his  profession  at  the  cost  of  the 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts,  ,3)  and  or- 
dained in  London  in  December   1772. 

(1)  The  last  of  these  was  a  wheelwright's  shop  which  stood  on  the  west  side  of  the  road 
and    north  of   the   burying   ground.      It   was    last    used    in   ihe    early   sixties. 

(2)  An  advertisement  appearing  in  the  Claremont  Spectator  of  September  19,  1823,  reads 
as  follows:  "Organs,  The  Subscriber  would  inform  the  publick  that  he  has  engaged  in  Manu- 
facturing- Organs,  a  few  rods  north  of  Union  Church  in  Claremont,  where  Church  and 
Chamber  Organs  will  be  furnished  on  as  gopd  terms  as  can  be  obtained  elsewhere,  and  as  short 
notice  as  the  complication  of  the  work  will  admit.  Will  soon  be  completed  an  Organ  well  cased 
with   It  ml  Gilt  Pipes  in   Front  adapted   to   the  use   of  a  Church    or   Meeting-home.      Stephen   Rice." 

The  "Subscriber"  was  the  son  of  Ebenezer  Rice.  Master  Carpenter  of  the  Church,  and  builder 
of  the  interesting  pre-Revolutionary  house  for  many  years  the  home  of  the  Rice  Family,  and 
later  that  of  the  Bancrofts.  It  was  probably  in  one  of  their  buildings,  now  used  as  a  barn,,  that 
the  organs   were  made.    No   power   was   available,    so-  the    work  must  have  been  done  wholly  by  hand. 

(3;  This  Society  was  founded  in  1701.  Under  the  great  seal  of  England  it  was  created  a 
corporation  with  this  name.  There  were  then  probably  not  twenty  clergymen  of  the  Cnurch 
of  England  in  foreign  parts.  Its  work,  educational  and  ecclesiastical,  in  "spiritually  waste 
Places"    of    the   earth    has    been   extensive    almost    beyond   belief,    and   still    continues. 


40 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Safety  restricted  his  movements  mere- 
ly to  the  Town  boundaries — unless  he 
should  he  called  beyond  them  "to  of- 
ficiate in  his  ministerial  office."  ""'' 

We  learn  from  his  letter  dated 
New  York,  January  6.  \77(K  that  he 
was  provided  with  "a  Hay,"  and  under 
its  protection  visited  loyalist  friends  in 
New  York  while  that  city  was  still 
in  the  possession  of  British  troops. 

It  appears,  on  the  whole,  that,  offi- 
cially at  least,  he  was  treated  with 
consideration,  and  that  his  "confine- 
ment," "trials"  and  "persecutions" 
have  been  grossly  exaggerated.   (7) 

In  1786.  at  the  instance  and  cost 
of  the  Society,  he  removed  to  Syd- 
ney. Cape  Breton  Island,  to  become 
rector  to  St.  George's  church,  also 
"Missionary  to  the  Island."  In  1788 
he  returned  to  Claremont  to  bring  his 
family  to  this  new  abode. 

Deprived  by  the  Revolution  of  as- 
sistance from  his  patron  Society — 
which  by  charter  was  restricted  to 
using  its  funds  in  British  Domin- 
ions—and with  a  large  family  to  sup- 
port, it  is  doubtful  whether  Cossit 
could  have  remained  in  Claremont 
had  he  desired  to  do  so.  He  died 
at  Yarmouth,  Nova  Scotia,  in  1815. 
A  few  of  his  letters  have  been  pre- 
served in  the  archives  of  the  Society 
in  London.  Some  of  their  language 
is  used   in   the   Masque. 

Asa  Jones  was  a  young  farmer, 
patriot    and    member    of    the    church. 

(1)  Cossit  was  appointed  by  the  Society  for  Cue"  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  a  missionary  to 
Haverhill,  New  Hampshire,  on  March  19,  177:3,  and  to  Claremont  at  about  the  same  time,  for 
he  arrived  there  sprrsf  v  eeks.  <>r  months,  before  July  o.  1773.  Until  1775  he  "officiated  at  Clare- 
mont half  this  time,  and  hilf  at  Haverhill."  See  Journal  of  the  Society,  Vol.  10.  pp.  3D9.  472. 
Vol.    20,    p.    12.J 

(5)  See  a  statement  to  this  effect  in  Cossit's  letter  to  the  Society  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel,  dated  New  York,  January  6.  1770,  hut  in  a  letter  dated  January  10.  1731,  as 
condensed  in  the  Society's  Journal.  Co.csit  reported  "That  he  is  sorry  to  acquaint  the  Society 
that,  upon  some  occasions,  when  his  church  has  been  frequented  by  people  from  the  Dissenting 
parishes  in  the  neighborhood,  who  have  been  very  inimical  and  have  threatened  his  life,  he  has 
been  necessitated  to  omit  the  prayers  fo-  the  King  in  the  Liturgy;  but  when  his  own  Parishioners 
only  are  present,  he  uses  the  whole  Liturgy.  He  hopes  the  Society  will  not  be  displeased  with 
this  prudential  step,  by  means  of  which  alone  he  apprehends  the  Church  of  England  has  any 
existence    in    New    England."      Journal    of    the    Society,    Vol.    22,    p.    260. 

(6)  On  December  2f>.  1774,  Cos-sit  wrote  to  the  Society  describing  "the  doings  of  the  Lib- 
erty Men  at  Haverhill — he  managed  to  escape  from  them  to  Claremont,  where  he  has 
been  ever  since,  'with  forty  armed  men'  "  Journal  of  the  Society,  Vol.  20,  pp.  310-351.  In 
his  letter  dated  New  York,  January  G.  1770.  Cossit  wrote,  "I  have  been  by  the  Committees 
confined  as  a  Prisoner  in  the  Town  of  Claremont  ever  since  the  12th  of  April,  1775";  a  day  Just 
one    week    before    the    fight    at    Concord    and     Lexington,    S.P.G.      M.S.?.     B.     3,    No.    352. 

(7)  Notably  in  the  letter  of  Col.  John  Peters  to  his  brother,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Peters,  in 
London,    dated    Quebec.    July    20,     1178.      .See     VVaite's    History    of    Claremont,    pp.    97,    98. 


He  came  to  Claremont  in  the  Spring 
of  1773  (4)  and  remained  until  1786. 
His  house,  which  within  the  writer's 
recollection  remained  standing,  was 
spacious  and  interesting;  its  second 
story  overhung  the  walls  below. 
Traces  of  the  cellar,  and  old  apple- 
trees  of  the  garden,  or  what  were 
sprouts  from  the  original  stock,  may 
still  be  seen  south  of  the  road  lead- 
ing to  the  Upham  homestead  on  Town 
Hill.  The  brook,  a  little  to  the  west, 
at  the  loot  of  the  terrace,  is  still 
called    Cossit    Brook. 

Raima  Cossit  was  a  strong  char- 
acter, a  persistent  Tory.  He  made  no 
effort  to  conceal  convictions,  on  the 
contrary  seized  every  opportunity  to 
make  them  known.  At  his  examina- 
tion by  the  Committee  of  Safety  he 
asserted  that  the  colonies  were  "al- 
together in  the  wrong;"  that  "the 
King  and  Parliament  have  a  right 
to  make  laws  and  lay  taxes  as  they 
please  on  America;"  and  that  "the 
British  troops  will  overcome  (the  re- 
bellion) by  the  greatness  of  their 
power  and  the  justice  of  their  cause.'' 
In  public  services  throughout  the  war 
he  read  the  prayer  for  the  safety  of 
the  King  and  Royal  Family,  also 
that  for  the  welfare  of  "the  High 
Court  of  Parliament."  (5)  Notwith- 
standing all  this,  and  the  fact  that 
Cossit's  preaching  and  influence  had 
held  several  prominent  parishioners 
loval  to  the  Crown,  the  Committee  of 


THE  OLDEST  CHURCH  IX  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


41 


As  one  of  the  Committee  of  Safety 
for  the  Town,  he  took  part  in  the. 
examination  of  Ranna  Cossit  and  of 
tfl'esred    Tories.     As   Lieutenant 


company 


Tousa.  Tradition  is  to  the  effect 
that  the  sole  Indian  living  in  Clare- 
mont when  the  settlers  arrived,  came 
to  the  raising  of  the  church,  and  ob- 
jected to  the  erection  of  so  large  a 
building  on  his  hunting  grounds.  Its 
size  certainly  presaged  the  coming  of 
many  more  white  men.  n0)  Tousa,  so 
named  by  the  settlers,  finished  with 
the  threat  that  be  would,  kill  any  white 


came   near   ins   wigwam 
side  of  Sugar  Rr 


otnes 

in  Captain  Oliver  Ashley 
he  marched  to  Tieonderoga  in  May. 
1777.  Most  of  the  men  in  this  com- 
pany— their  names  not  given — fought 
at  Saratoga  in  September  of  that 
year.  (S>  Jones'  farm  was  then  on 
Town  Hill,  the  place  known  from 
1784  to  1815  as  the  "Ralston  Tavern/' 
and  later  as  the  "Way  Place." 

Benjamin  Tyler  walked  from 
Farmington,  Connecticut,  to  Clare- 
mont in  1767.  1  he  next  year  he  built  a 
sawmill  on  Sugar  River  just  east  of 
the  northerly  end  of  the  present  West 
Claremont  highway  bridge ;  here  the 
boards  for  the  church  were  sawed. 
Tyler  also  built  a  forge  and  slitting- 
rnill  (ro  at  a  small  water  power  a 
few  rods  above  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent ''High  Bridge."  These  supplied 
the  iron  and  nails  used  in  building 
the  church.  The  iron  was  reduced 
from  bog  deposits  found  in  "Charles- 
town,  Number  Four."  The  frame  of 
the  forge  bunding  was  moved  to  the 
Upham  homestead,  nearly  a  century 
ago,  and  used  for  a  barn.  This  has 
ever  since  been  called  "the  forge 
barn." 

Between  1770  and  the  end  of  the 
century  Tyler  built  saw  and  grist 
mills  for  many  miles  around ;  he 
shaped  mill  stones  from  biotite- 
granite  which  he  quarried  on  the 
southeastern  slopes  of  Ascutney,  send- 
ing them  to  nearly  all  parts  of  New 
England,  New  York  and  Canada. 
He  invented  and  patented  improve- 
ments in  water-wheels,  also  a  process 
for  dressing  flax.  Fie  called  himself 
a  millwright.  He  was,  in  fact,  a  high- 
ly competent,  self-educated,  mechani- 
cal engineer. 

(Sj      See  Waite's   History   of  Claremont,   p.    231. 

(9)  A  mill  in  which  Iron  was  hammered  or  rolled  into  plates  and 
These  were  cut  into  desired  lengths,  headed  and  pointed,  by  hand  labor, 
was   commonly   winter's    evening    work    for    the    settlers. 

(10)  James  TrusJow  Adams  in  his  excellent  recent  work,  "The  Founding-  < 
Page  30,  estimates  th-.'t  one  Indian  required  to  sustain  his  life  approximately 
miles    as    the    English    settler,    with    his    domestic    animals,    needed    acres. 


on 

the  north  side  of  Sugar  River.  This 
challenge  was  accepted  by  one  Timo- 
thy Atkins,  hunter  and  trapper  of 
local  fame.  Tousa  was  seen  no  more. 
A  skeleton,  pronounced  to  he  that  of 
an  Indian,  was  dug  up  near  the  sup- 
posed site  of  his  wigwam  three  quar- 
ters of  a  century  later. 

Dr.  M-eiggs.  Aimer  Meiggs  was 
the  first  of  the  medical  profession  to 
come  to  Claremont.  This  was  in 
1773  or  earlier.  He  was  a  member 
of  this  church,  and  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  Claremont  for  more  than 
twenty  years. 

Goody  Cole  is  an  imaginary  char- 
acter, but  might  have  been  the  sister, 
cousin  or  aunt  of  Samuel  Cole,  the 
first   schoolmaster   in   the   town. 

The  Hermit  of  the  Mountain  is, 
manifestly,  an  imaginary  character, 
created  to  supplement  the  scant  drama- 
tic material  to  be  found  in  the  early 
years  of  a  sparsely  settled,  frontier 
town. 

In  1794  the  church  was  incorporat- 
ed with  the  name  "Union  Church." 
At  that  time  it  had  been  proposed  to 
form  a  union  with  the  Congregation^ 
alists,  the  pastor  of  that  church  re- 
ceiving Episcopal  ordination.  This 
proposal  came  to  nought,  but  the  name 
remained.  The  service  has  always 
been,  as  it  began,  that  of  the  Church 
of  England,  after  the  Revolution  call- 


then    slit    into    rodf< 
o    make    nails.      This 


New   England," 
is    many    square 


42 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


cd  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 
Some    difficulty    was    encountered    in 

spelling  the  new  name.  On  the  rec- 
ords of  a  Meeting"  of  the  Town  Pro- 
prietors held  in  May,  1784,  it  is  des- 
cribed as  "The  Apescopol  Church, 
Commonly  called  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land." 

Precursors   of   the   Revolution 
A   Historical    Masque 

Performed  at  the  Hundred  and  Fiftieth 

Anniversary  of  the   Parish  at  Claremont, 

New    Hampshire,    July    27,    192 1. 

The  People 

Ramia  Cossit,  pastor  of  the  parish, 

William  Augustus  Whitney 

Asa  Jones,  a  young  patriot   

William   Edwards   Kinney 

Benjamin   Tyler,  a  millwright    

Hiram  Patterson 

Tousa.  an  Indian.  Seth  Newton  Gage 

Timothy  Atkins,  a  hunter  and  trapper, 

Elmer  Ken  von 

Abner  Meiggs,  a  physician   

Leonard  Jarvis 

Goody  Cole,  given  to  interruption .... 

Mabel  Alvord  Freeman 

A  Hermit  of  the  Mountain   

George  Baxter  Upharh 

Children  of  the  Valley    

George   Upham   Sargent   and   Francis 

Porter  Sargent 
Parishioners 

The  Place 
On  the  Green  in  front  of  the  Church. 

The  Time 
Summer  of   1774. 

The  people,  come  out  of  the  church 
and  stand  talking  on  the  Green. 
They  are  soon  followed  by  their  pas- 
tor in  his  surplice,  who,  standing  on 
the  platform  at:  the  church  door,  ad- 
dresses his  parishioners  in  a  some- 
what pompous   manner. 

Ranna  Cossit:  Members  of  the 
Church  of  England  in  the  Parish  of 
Claremont    and    Royal      Province    of 


New  Hampshire.  I*  would  have  a 
word  with  you  pertaining  not  to 
things  spiritual,  but  to  affairs  of  state. 
Your  pastor  has  been  pained  to 
learn  that  some  of  his  parishioners 
have,  of  late,  spoken  disrespectfully 
of  our  Blessed  Sovereign.  King 
George  the  Third,  and  have  raised  ob- 
jections to  certain  laws  which  the 
Great    Parliament   in    London    has,   in 


William  Augustus  Whitney,  as  Ranna 
Cossit,    first    pastor    of    the    parish. 

its  wisdom,  seen  fit  to  promulgate  for 
the  regulation  and  welfare  of  these 
colonies. 

This  I  conceive  to  be  the  result  of 
ignorance,  not  of  malice,  for  it  is  in- 
conceivable that  any  of  you  could 
bear  malice  toward  your  King,  or.  in 
seriousness,  attempt  to  criticise  the 
Acts  of  Parliament,  or  the  British 
Constitution,  which  is  the  Wisdom  of 


THE  OLDEST  CHURCH  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


43 


God,   and    the   Glory     of   the      whole 
Earth. 

I  feel  it  to  be  my  duty  to  God,  and 
to  you,  to  warn  you  against  using' 
language  disrespectful  to  his  Ma- 
jesty, or  cavilling  at  the  wise  enact- 
ments of  Parliament;  for  whosoever 
so  offend  will  be  called  to  account  and 
made  to  suffer ;  unless,  forsooth,  they 
separate  themselves  from  their  mis- 
demeanors, and  henceforth  speak  lov- 
ing!}', yea.  reverentially  of  their  Sov- 
ereign, and  strictly  obey  every  letter 
of  the  laws  provided  fur  the  regula- 
tion   of    their    conduct    and    affairs. 

Asa  Jones:     Raima  Cossit — 

Cossit:  It  would  be  more  respect- 
ful. Asa  Jones,  were  you  to  address 
your    pastor    as    Reverend    Sir. 

Jones :  1  yield  to  no  man  in  res- 
pect for  the  clergy  when  it  speaks  of 
matters  spiritual  or  of  affairs  of  the 
church,  but  when  one  of  that  profes- 
sion attempts  to  meddle  with  affairs 
of  state  he  is  to  me  as  any  other  citi- 
zen of  the  colony. 

1  am  a  plain  fanner,  but  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  England  which  I 
love  and  revere.  That  being  as  I 
have  said,  is  it  any  reason  why  I 
should  love  and  respect  a  King  who 
has  done  us  grievous  harm,  or  a 
Parliament  which  has  done  us  griev- 
ous wrong?  Never  would  the  Stamp 
Act  have  been  repealed  had  we  failed 
to  make  it  clear  that  it  could  never 
be  enforced.  Other  laws  made  by 
Parliament  will  be  resisted.  For, 
Taxation    without      representation      is 


Tyranny 

Goody  Cole:  (interrupting)  What 
do  you  know  about  Taxation,  Asa 
Jones?  Much  as  you  know  'bout  the 
stars,  which  is  nothing.  But  /  know 
now  why  you  made  your  scarecrow 
look,  's  much  as  you  could,  like  Par- 
son Cossit— you  don't  like  him.  Well, 
I  must  say.  Fin  sometimes  skeered  of 
him  myself  when  he  tells  us  what's 
likely  to  be  coming  to  us  hereafter. 
Cossit:  Be  silent.  Goody  Cole. 
You  should  not  interrupt  your  betters. 


Goody  Cole :  He  ain't  no  better'n 
I  be. 

Benjamin  Tyler :  Now  to  my  way 
of  thinking,  Taxation  -  ain't  the  worst 
of  it 

Cossit :  And  you,  Benjamin  Tyler, 
Iron  Master,  you  too,  disloyal  to  the 
Crown?  I  mistrust  you  have  disobeyed 
the  law,  for,  as  you  know.  Parliament 
has  provided,  that  no  iron  is  to  be 
made,  forged  or  manufactured  in  the 
colonies,  but  all  is  to  be  brought  from 
England. 

Tyler:  Frn  no  Iron  Master;  I'm 
just  a  plain  millwright,  who  has  to 
make  his  own  iron  or  go  without. 
I'm  loyal  to  the  King  and  always  have 
been.  but.  in  truth.  F  can't  be  loyal  to 
his  fool   Parliament. 

You  say  I've  disobeyed  the  law. 
That's  right,  I  have,  but  if  I  hadn't 
whence  would  have  come  the  mill- 
cranks  and  saws  to  saw  the  boards 
for  this  church  building?  If  it 
weren't  for  my  slitting-rnill  whence 
would  have  come  the  nails  to  fasten 
those  boards  to  the  frame? 

Your  wise  Parliament  may  know 
much  about  some  things,  but  it  seems 
not  to  know  that  we,  here  in  America, 
have  few  roads,  except'n  horse  tracks, 
and  that  we  can't  pack  a  mill  crank 
or  a  barrel  of  nails  like  a  lady  on  a 
pillion. 

Those  gentlemen  of  England  don't 
k)io-u>  how  we  have  to  toil  in  the  bogs 
to  get  the  mud  for  our  iron  ore,  or 
how  it  often  takes  more'n  a  bushel  of 
burnt  mud  to  make  the  iron  for  three 
or  four  nails. 

There's  lots  of  things  those  gentle- 
men in  Parliament  don't  know;  and 
for  all  his  Harvard  College  education 
and  travels  over  seas,  there's  lots  of 
things  our  Governor,  John  Went- 
worth,   don't  know 

Goody  Cole:  (interrupting)  I  jes' 
won't  stan'  here  and  listen  to  no  slurs 
on  our  good  Governor,  John  Yvrent~ 
worth.  I  saw  him  when  I  was  down 
to  Portsmouth,  and  lie's  jes'  the  hand- 
somest man  I  ever  saw — not  except'n 


44 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


you, 


Ben  Tyler,     An'  I  heer'd  him  a 


speakin  to  the  peepul  an'  he  had  jes' 

the  nicest  voice  you  ever  heer'd — and 
he  says,  "Good  day"  to  me— to  me, 
Goody  Cole,  which  is  more'n  some 
folks  roun'  here  say.  that's  civil,  in  a 
whole   vear.       An'    I    saw    the      ships 


they're  ignorant,  just  ignorant  and 
don't  know  how  we.  over  here,  have 
to  struggle  for  -  everything  we  get. 
Why.  if  I'd  obeyed  the  law.  you 
wouldn't  have  had  even  a  pair  of 
hinges  to  hang  your  church  door. 
Goody  Cole:  Oh,  1  say,  Ben  Tyler, 


Seih  Newton  Gace,  as  Tousa. 


down  there  to  Portsmouth,  ship; 
had  sailed  all  the  wav  from  Em 


that 
^land, 

which  is  more'n  some  of  these  clod- 
hoppers standin'  roun'  here  have  ever 
seen. 

Tyler:  If  you've  finished,  Goody 
Cole,  I  will  say  a  few  words  more, 
which  is,  that  I  don't  blame  the  King; 
I   don't   much   blame   Parliament,    for 


what  do  you  know  about  hinges? 
Those  big  ones  you  hammered  out 
for  my  cabin  door  creak  like  an  ox- 
cart. 

Tyler:  They  wouldn't  if  they  were 
half  as  well  greased  as  your  tongue. 

Cossit:  Oh,  my  parishioners! 
Little  do  you  know  what  a  bitter 
draught  to  your  pastor  are  the  words 


THE  OLDEST  CHURCH  IX   NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


45 


he  has  heard  spoken  here  today,  but 
you  ought  to  know,  for  you  are 
aware  that  I  have  lived  long-  in  Eng- 
land; that  1  was  educated -and  took 
holy  orders  there,  in  beautiful,  glori- 
ous England,  the  garden  of  all  the 
earth.  You  know  that  my  education 
was  at  the  cos:  of  the  great  Society 
for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in 
Foreign  Parts,  which  Society  has 
been  so  greatly  aided  by  grants  from 
the  Parliament  you  so  glibly  decry; 
you  are  aware  that  this  very  parish 
was  organized,  and  that  its  pastor  is 
in  large  part  mid  by  the  munificence 
of  this  great  Society. 

Oh.  such  ingratitude  !  It's  sharper 
than  the  serpent's  tooth.  And  then — 
(Cossit  is  here  interrupted  by  the 
approach  in  from  of  Tousa,  an  In- 
dian, emitting  grunts  and  guttural 
sounds.) 

Cossit:  Good  day  to  you,  Tousa. 
We  hope  you  have  good  luck  hunting 
and  fishing  'these  beautiful  summer 
days.  (Tousa  emits  more  grunts 
and  guttural  sounds)  What  would 
you  say  to  us,  Tousa? 

Tousa:  Umph— Ugh— Heap  big 
wigwam,  white  man  make— Ugh— 
Umph — Manitou  wigwam — Umph— 
Great  Spirit  no  like  big  wigwam. 
Tousa  no  like—  Deer  no    like — Umph 

—  Ugh— Here  Tousa's  hunting-ground 

—  Ugh.  White  man  scare  deer,  kill 
beaver.  Tyler  make  big  mill,  make 
big  noise  at  fish  place. 

White  man  have  much  land  'cross 
big  water — Umph — wince  man  go 
'way— much  far  off— leave  Tousa 
lone — all  'lone.  Tousa  like  more  be 
'lone— Umph— Ugh.  Tousa  say, 
white  man  no  come  'cross  little  sweet- 
water  river.  Tousa  say,  white  man 
come,  Tousa  kill. 

Timothy  Atkins:  (interrupting) 
Don't  you,  Parson  Cossit,  be  wastin' 
none  o'  your  time  listen  in'  to  such  as 
him.  Leave  him  to  me.  I'll  take  care 
of  him,  an'  any  more  like  him  that 
come   loafin'    roun'   these   parts. 

Goody    Cole:    I     suspec'     Tousa's 


one  of  the  foxes  that  steals  my  chick- 
ens  

Cossit:  Timothy  Atkins,  this  In- 
dian is  entitled  to  the  full  protection 
of  the  law.  I  warn  you  against  any 
violence  not  compelled  in  self  de- 
fence. 

(Meanwhile  Tousa,  scowling  at 
Timothy  Atkins  and  Goody  Cole, 
slowly  withdraws,  disappearing  be- 
hind the  pines. 

An  old  man  with  long,  gray  hair 
and  beard,  a  child  on  one  shoulder, 
leading  another  by  the  hand,  is  seen 
approaching    from   the   background.) 

Cossit:  (addressing  his  parish- 
ioners) A  stranger  approaches — 
(turning  to  the  stranger)  What  is 
your  name,  good  stranger? 

Stranger :  I  have  no  name. 

Cossit:  Whence  do  you  come,  good 
stranger? 

Stranger:  From  yonder  mountain 
the  Indians  call  Ascutney. 

Cossit :    And  what  do  you  there  ? 

Stranger:  I  study  omens — I  study 
the  thunder  and  the  lightning,  the 
rains  and  mists.  I  study  beasts  and 
fowl  and  growing  things.  I  play 
with  little  children  of  the  valley  when 
the  sun  is  getting  low. 

Cossit:  What  more  do  you,  good 
stranger  ? 

Stranger:  I  ponder  upon  the  past 
and  look  far  into  the  future. 

Cossit:  (aside  to  his  parishioners) 
This  poor  man  must  be  demented, 
but  let  us  learn  what  weird  fancies 
fill  his  distraught  brain,  (turning  to 
the  stranger.)  The  past  we  know; 
what,  good  sir,  can  you  tell  us  of  the 
future  ? 

Stranger:  (shades  his  eyes  with 
uplifted  hand,  gazes  into  the  distance, 
tand  says,  very  slowly  at  first)  I  see 
great  wars — I  see  great  ships  come 
filled  with  fighting  men — I  see  great 
battles — I  see  this  land  made  free, 
free  to  make  its  own  laws,  good  or 
bad,  for  which  the  people  will  have 
only  themselves  to  praise  or  blame. 

I   see  these  people  spreading  from 


46 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


the  great  ocean     on  the  east     to  the  combat  with  the  people  of  the  South. 

greater     ocean     on      the   west — I    see  I    see   the    wound    healed;    and    many 

growth — growth — growth.  millions    of      people   united     into   the 

I  see  dissension,  rebellion  and  civil  greatest  nation   on   his    fair  earth, 
strife.     The   people   of    the    North    in  1    see   times   when    men   who   work 


The    Author,    as    the    Hermit    of:    the    Mountain, 
with  his  two  grandsons  as  Children  of  the  Valley. 


THE  OLDEST  CHURCH  IX  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


47 


and  save  and  use  their  brains  will 
prosper  as  men  had  never  done  be- 
fore,— knowing  comforts  that  even 
kings  now  know  not  <yi- 

Times  when  men  will  master  the 
very  elements,  make  tire  and  water 
do  the  work  now  done  by  toil  that 
draws  the  sweat  from  their  brows, 
Thev  will  harness  the  lightning  to 
light  great  cities,  unloosing  it  at  will. 
They  will  talk  long  distances  with 
those  who  are  many  miles  away,  and 
send  messages  across  broad  oceans 
with   lightning   speed. 

Goody  Cole:  He's  madder  than  a 
March  hare. 

Atkins:  lie's  crazier  than  any 
loon. 

Stranger:  In  the  far  distance  I  see 
a  tragedy  greater  than  any  this  world 
had  ever  seen  before.  A  great  war 
growing  out  of  lust  for  power,  into 
which  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
are  drawn.  A  war  in  which  millions 
of  men,  women  and  children  will 
perish.  A  war  fought  on  land  and 
sea,  under  the  sea.  and  in  the  air; 
for  men  will  then  build  great  ma- 
chines to  fly  higher  and  swifter  than 
the  swiftest  bird   can  fly. 

Gocdy  Cole:  Dr.  Meiggs,  Dr. 
Meiggs  !  Bleed  him — bleed  him.  Do 
something  to  relieve  the  pressure  on 
his  poor  brain. 

(Dr.  Meiggs  hastily  gets  his  in- 
struments, rusty  saws  and  knives  out 
of  a  clumsy  box  and  approaches  the 
stranger,  who,  with  folded  arms, 
looks  calmly  on.) 

Stranger:    Nay,  good  doctor — stay 


your  hand.  In  time  of  which  I  tell 
men  of  your  profession  will  do  all  to 
save  ever}-  drop  of  good  red  blood 
and   naught  to   spill   it. 

( Dr.  Meiggs  withdraws,  the  strang- 
er continues.) 

Beyond  ail  this  I  see  a  time  when 
the  British  Empire  and  the  Great  Re- 
public of  the  West  will  join  in  might 
invincible  to  make  peace,  justice  and 
good-will  prevail  throughout  the 
world. 

Of  that  which  I  foresee  no  man 
shapes  the  end,  but  a  Power  greater 
than  any  of  us  can  understand. 
Great  laws  of  growth  and  change 
will  work  as  they  have  ever  worked 
since  time  began. 

Man's  intellect  can  no  more  com- 
prehend than  can  the  meadow  mouse 
that  scampers  at  his  approach. 

Fare  thee  well.  Reverend  Sir — 

Fare  thee  well.  Good  People — I 
return  to  the  mountain  whence  I 
came,   (withdraws) 

Jones:  Of  the  far  future,  of  which 
the  stranger  tells,  I  know  not;  but 
this  I  know:  That  soon,  as  he  pre- 
dicts, this  country  will  be  free — our 
(9rc;2.  Not  by  merely  wishing  for  it, 
bait  by  fighting  for  it. 

It  will  be  long.  hard,  bloody  work, 
but  I,  for  one,  stand  ready. 

(A   stir  among  the  people) 

Voices:    And   I,  and  I,  and  I. 

Cossit:  (covers  his  eyes  with  his 
hand,  then  raises  his  arms  to  heaven, 
saving)  From  battle  and  murder,  and 
from  sudden  death,  Good  Lord,  de- 
liver us. 


48  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


THE  PILGRIM  WOMAN 

By  Mary  Richardson 

On  a  bleak,  rocky  hillside  of  New  England, 
1  stood,  beneath  gray  clouds,  and  listened,  lonely, 
To  the  deep  silence.     The  wind's  mournful  sighing, 
A  distant  wnippoorwilFs  sad  call,  these  only 
Broke  the  vast   stillness,  like  a   faint  voice  calling 
From   the   dim  past,   upon  my  spirit   falling. 

I   raised  my  eyes  and   saw  a  woman  standing, 
The  Mother  of  our  present,  strong  and  fair 
Gazing  before   her  with  undaunted  courage. 
She  turned  away  from  the  dear  past,  and  there 
She   faced  the  future,  dim  and  terrifying; 
The  toilsome   living  and  the  lonely  dying. 

But  with  the  eyes  of  faith  she  saw  the  future; 

A  race  of  freemen  rising  from  this  soil! 

She  turned  and  spoke  to  him  who  stood  beside  her : 

"Go,  fell  the  trees,  and  count  it  blessed  toil ; 

Give  me  four  walls,  a  hearthstone  and  a  door, 

And  I  will  make  a  home  in  this  new  shore." 

Surely  I  saw  her,  when  the  house  was  built, 

Lift  up  her  eyes  and  call  on  God  to  bless 

Her  new  made  home,  and  all  that  it   should  shelter; 

And  then  she  gathered,  in  the  wilderness, 

Fagots,  and,  kneeling,  to  give  God  the  praise, 

She  lit  the  fire  that  warms  us   with  its  rays. 

The   twilight   deepened   and   the   vision    faded ; 
Out  of  the  dusk  glimmered   the  evening  star; 
But  in  my  heart  I  heard  the  Pilgrim  Woman 
Speak  softly,  in  a  voice  faint  and  far; 
"Daughter,  this  fire  I  gave  so  much  to  light 
Must  never  fail,  for  you  must  keep  it  bright!" 


49 


HOME  SPUN  YARNS  FROM  THE 
RED  BARN  FARM 


By  Zillii  George  Dexter 


I 


An   All  Day  Visit. 

"Watch  the  risiu',  Liddy,  I 
wouldn't  have  that  bread  sour  in'  on 
liiv  hands  t'day  for  all  the  world, 
seem*  the  minister  and  his  new  wife 
is  comin'  to  help  eat  it.  I  like  dread- 
ful well  to  show  the  Elder  that  Man- 
dy  Bowles  can  cook,  if  she  can't  talk 
in  prayer-meetin'   like   some   folks." 

It  was  Mother's  anxious  voice  pene- 
trating to  the  big,  sunny  kitchen  from 
the  cool  depths  of  the  summer  dairy. 

"Don't  worry  no  more  about  the 
bread,  Mother,  it's  all  in  the  tins  and 
set  to  risin'  ag'in ;  about  as  harnsum 
a  batch  as  you  ever  see."  Liddy  ap- 
peared at  the  open  door.  Softly 
closing  it  behind  her,  she  came  down 
the  worn  steps  and  stood  with  her 
mother  upon  the  cool  flag-stones  that 
paved  tlie  milk-room  floor. 

"'What  under  the  sun's  the  marter 
now?  Y\ "hat's  come  over  ye  to  make 
ye  look  and  act  so  worrittid,  child?" 
gasped  the  house-wife,  startled  by 
her  daughter's  unusual  air  of  mystery. 

"I  wanted  to  ask  you  somethin'  I 
didn't  want  sister  Ploomy  to  be 
hearin',"  whispered  Liddy. 

"Well/'  in  a  tone  of  relief,  "you  no 
need  to  sca't  me  so.  But  fust,  let 
me  git  this  cream  inter  the  churn  so'st 
I  can  be  churnin'  whil'st  you'r  talkin' ; 
it's  took  so  everlastin'  long  this 
mornin'  to  git  that  cheese  out  o'  press 
and  set  up  another  curd." 

"O  Mother,  don't  touch  that  now 
for  I  want  you  to  be  hstenin'  to  me." 
Liddy  had  laid  a  restraining  hand  on 
her  mother's  arm,  already  outstretch- 
ed to  lift  the  jar  of  cream  from  off 
its  shelf. 

The  woman  turned  with  a  rebuke 
upon  her  lips  but  meeting  the  eyes  of 


her  daughter,  always  somber,  now 
both  determined  and  appealing,  she 
snapped  tartly.  "Well,  why  don't  ye 
talk  then.  I'm  listenin'  ain't  I?  Be 
spry  though,  for  the  square-room 
ain't  dustid  yit." 

"I've  rolled  up  the  curt'ins  in  the 
square-room  and  h'isted  all  the  win- 
ders and  shook  all  the  rugs  and  laid 
'em,  and  now  I  thought  perhaps,"  the 
girl's  voice  faltered  slightly,  "I 
thought  perhaps,  maybe  you'd  let 
Ploomy  do  the  rest  of  the  dustin'. 
I've  did  all  the  heft  of  it  and  jest  left 
them  pretty  things  on  the  mantletree 
and  round ;  such  things  as  she  used  to 
love  to  take  care  on.  'Twill  do  her 
sights  o'  good  and  can't  noways  hurt 
her.  It's  goin'  to  be  such  a  day  o' 
happeniivs,  too.  You  know  Ploomy 
hain't  never  seen  the  minister's  wife, 
yit." 

The  mother's  face  paled  and  her 
voice  shook  as  she  answered  the  eager 
petitioner.  "I'll  finish  the  dustin'  and 
do  all  the  rest  what's  got  to  be  done, 
amd  sha'n't  call  on  my  sick  and  dyin' 
daughter  to  help  me  nuther.  And 
you,  Liddy  Bowdes,  layin'  your  im- 
pudent hands  on  your  mother  and 
tellin'  her  what  not  to  do,  you  stiver 
right  up  charmber  and  stay  there.  I 
don't   need   ve.     I'm   shamed   on   veV 


Witl 


face  even  whiter  than  her 


mother's,  the  girl  started  to  obey,  but 
stopped  and  steadily  confronted  that 
already  relenting  parent.  "I'm  goin' 
to  mind  you  Mother,"  she  said, 
"same  as  I've  always  did  and  I'm 
sorry  if  I  sassed  ye.  But  it's  sufferin' 
cruel  to  talk  as  tho'f  I  ain't  bein' 
lovin'  to  my  sister  Ploomy.  Nobuddy 
could  love  her  more  than  me,  ever 
sence  you  put  her  in  my  arms,  a 
warm,  cudTin'  little  tiling.  And  that's 
how   I   dar'st  to  hinder     you     today. 


50 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


I've  got  somcthin'  to  say  and  I'm 
goin'  to  say  it  before  I  go,  I  seem 
to  have  to." 

Her  mother  making  no  remon- 
strance, Liddy  continued,  "I'm  cer- 
tain, Maim,  that  our  Ploomy  don't 
need  to  fade  away  and  die  as  she  is 
doin,  seein'  she  ha:n't  got  none  of 
them  symtu-ms,  Prissy  Emmons  died 
of.  Our  Ploomy  begun  to  fail  right 
arfter  you  sent  Alic  Stinson  off,  no- 
buddy  knows  where.'' 

"Liddy  Bowles,  you'r  going'  too  fur 
now,"  her  mother  interrupted  sharply. 

"1  didn't  exact1}-  want  to  speak  his 
name,''  stammered  the  girl,  "but  it 
was  then  that  Ploomy  used  to  wake 
me  up,  cryin'  in  the  night.  Some- 
times she'd  say  it  was  about  Prissy's 
layin'  all  alone  up  there  in  the  old 
grave-yard,  and  tell  me  she  was 
growin'  cold  just  like  her.  Then  I'd 
cuddle  her  up  to  me,  her  the  hull  time 
shakin  like  a  popple  leaf.  Xow  you 
are  givin'  'er  lotions  and  'arb-drinks' 
she  is  more  quieter  but  she  don't  git 
no  better.  It  seems  as  tho'f  we  was 
lettin'  her  go  on  dyiii'  of  somethin' 
she  hain't  got.  Stop  it,  Marm,  do. 
You  can  do  most  anythin'  you  set 
out  to."  dry  sobs  choked  the  pleading 
voice. 

"Be  ye  through  talkin',  Liddy?" 
asked  her  mother,  "cause  if  you  be,  I 
want  to  say  somethin'.  I'm  sorry  I 
was  so  hash  to  ye.  I  ought  not  to 
ben.  I'm  mindid,  myself,  how'st  I 
felt  jest  so  about  your  aunt  Ploomy, 
she  that  our  Ploomy  was  named  arf- 
ter, when  site  was  took  the  same  way, 
she  died." 

"Liddy,  Liddy  Bowles,  where  be 
you?  Where's  Mother?"  Janey's 
bird-like  voice  (a  blessed  interrup- 
tion) rang  through  kitchen  and  pan- 
try. The  child  swung  wide  the  milk- 
room  door  and  stood  perilously  swing- 
ing a  basket  heaped  with  fresh-laid 
eggs.  "See,"  she  shouted,  "I  found 
two  new  nests,  and  where  old  Spot 
hid  her  kittens.  Now  I'm  going 
blackber'in'    with    the    Bean    children, 


over   round      Birch     Knoll ;      I   may, 

mayn't  I,  Mother?  Yon  said  I 
might,  some  day.  And,  Liddy,  put  a 
lot  of  bread  and  butter  in  my  pail; 
I  am  hungry  now." 

"Liddy,  do  go  'long  and  take  care 
of  them  aigs  'fore  that  young-one 
smashes  'em."  Mrs.  Bowles'  voice 
had  regained  its  usual  brisk  and  pleas- 
ant tone.  "I'm  thinkin,  Janey,  you'll 
find  slim  pickin',  it's  ben  so  dreadful 
droughty  all  summer;  but  I  should 
love  to  s 'prise  the  Elder  with  one  of 
my  blackb'ry  short-cakes  for  supper. 
Git  the  child  a  pail,  Liddy,  and  put 
'no  ugh  o'  your  good  cookies  in  it  for 
the  Bean  children,  too.  They'll  like 
'em ;  their  own  mother  was  a  marster 
good  cook."  With  squeals  of  delight 
Janey  tied  the  kitchen,  leaving  sun- 
shine behind   her. 

When  at  last  the  hour  approached 
for  the  expected  guests  to  arrive, 
there  was  nothing  left  to  betray  the 
morning's  unusual  activities  save  the 
spicy  aroma  of  plum-cake  and  cara- 
way cookies  that  still  pervaded  the 
pantry.  Even  the  shining  kitchen 
stove  looked  cool  and  innocent  of  un- 
duly heated  transactions. 

No  less  guiltless  of  bustling  anx- 
iety looked  good  Mrs.  Bowles  and 
her  daughter  Liddy.  when,  dressed 
in  their  seven-breadth  ginghams  and 
snowy  aprons,  they  met  their  visitors 
under  a  canopy  of  woodbine  that  riot- 
ed lawlessly  over  the  front  door  of 
the  farm-house.  Mrs.  Bowles'  greet- 
ing was  noisy  and  voluble;  no  other 
would  she  have  deemed  sufficiently 
cordial. 

"Good  mornin',  good  mornin', 
Brother'n  Sister  Norris.  We  are 
dreadful  glad  to  see  ye.  Looked  for 
ye  more'n  an  hour  ago.  That's 
right,  Elder,  take  your  little  wife 
right  out  the  waggin  and  we'll  see  to 
her  whilst  you  put  up  your  hoss. 
She's  a  harnsom  critter  ain't  she? 
Your  hoss  I  mean.  But  you'll  have  to 
unhitch,  yourself,  Elder,  for  the  men- 
folks  is  all  down  in  the  field  reapiu' 


ROME    SPUN    YARNS 


51 


or  pretend  in'  to.  Tin's  terrible  dront 
has  about  sp'iled  the  harvist.  But  the 
Lord'll  take  care  on  us,  as  Siah  says." 
Here  the  good  Woman  indulged  in  aii 
audible  sigh  of  which  the  minister 
took  speedy  advantage. 

"Good  morning,  Sister  Bowles,  and 
Liddy,  too,"  he  ^.id  in  a  pleasant  and 
rather  boyish  voice,  extending  a  hand 
to  each  in  turn.  "I'm  glad  to  leave 
Mrs.  Xorris  in  excellent  hands  while 
1  care  lor  my  horse  and  with  your 
permission,  Mrs.  Bowles,  look  for 
those  busy  men  in  the  field." 

After  lifting  his  wife  from  the  car- 
riage to  the  door-stone,  he  turned  to 
lead  his  impatient  horse  to  the  shelter 
of  the  hospitable  old  Red  Barn;  not, 
however,  before  catching  a  humorous 
gleam  of  protest  from  a  pair  of  very 
blue  eyes,  together  with  a  last  word 
from  Man&y,  "Be  sure  you  don't 
hinder  them  men -folks.  Elder,  if  you 
should  chance  to   find   'em   workin'." 

With  a  chuckle  the  hostess  turned 
to  her  remaining  guest.  After  a 
feeble  hand-shake  Liddy  had  vanish- 
ed, leaving  Mrs.  Xorris  to  be  volubly 
ushered  by  Mrs.  Bowles,  into  the 
square-room,  there  to  be  breezily 
stripped  of  bonnet  and  shawl,  thrust 
into  a  white-cushioned  rocking-chair,. 
a  big  fan  of  turkey- feathers  pressed 
into   her   hand,   all   in   a   twinkling. 

"Now  you  set  right  there  by  that 
north  winder  and  cool  oft."  com- 
manded Mrs.  Bowles,  not  unpleasant- 
ly, "Your  pretty  face  is  most  as 
pink  as  our  Ploomy's  hollyhocks. 
Per'aps  she'll  feel  like  comin'  in  to 
set  with  ye,  whilst  I  and  Liddy's  git- 
tin'  the  dinner  on.  With  company 
and  two  extry  hired  men  in  the  field 
t'day  I  can't  spare  a  minute  to  set. 
'Twould  gin  me  conniption  fits,  to 
have  my  dinner  laggin'.  Mandy 
Bowies'  dinner  horn  blows  reg'lar  the 
year  round  ;  folks  sets  their  clocks  by 
it,  so  they  say." 

The  minister's  wife  might  as  well 
have  been  dumb,  for  as  yet  she  had 
not  been  able  to  complete  a   full  sen- 


tence. Now  she  looked  up,  surprised 
at  the  sudden  silence,  and  started 
by  the  changed  expression  on  the 
face  before  her.  Its  features  were 
working  convulsively  to  repress  emo- 
tion that  threatened  tears. 

"Don't  be  sca't,  Miss  Xorris,  'taint 
nuthm\"  the  unsteady  lips  replied  to 
her  frightened  exclamation.  "I  stood 
lookin'  at  ye  and  it  'minded  me  that 
only  last  spring  our  Ploomy  had  as 
red  cheeks  and  dancin'  eyes  as  you've 
got  t'day,  every  bit ;  if  anything, 
Ploomy's  eves  was  the  harnsumist ; 
the  reg'lar  Bowles  eye,  grey  with  the 
blue  in  'em.  Ploomy  was  the  light 
of  the  house, — the  light  of  my  life, 
but  she's  goin'  out.  Don't  open  yer 
lips!  Don't  pity  me!  for  I  jest  couldn't 
stan'  it."  The  woman  had  lifted  a 
bony  hand  as  in  protest.  "'Twould 
break  me  all  up  if  ye  talked  to  me; 
and  I've  got  to  be  the  head  for  the 
hull  of  'em.  Land  sakes  alive!  What 
am  I  thinkin'  on?  Liddy  out  there 
all    alone,    tewin'   over   the   dinner.'''' 

Mandy  was  herself  again,  and. 
Mrs.  Morris,  watched  her  through 
the  narrow  hall,  where  the  kitchen 
door  closed  on  her. 

"Dear  me,  what  a  strange  person," 
thought  the  young  wife,  "I  never  of- 
fered a  word.  My  eyes  were  filled 
with  tears,  but  not  one  pious  thing  had 
I  to  say ;  not  even  a  bit  of  comforting 
Scripture.  O  Sally  Morris,"  she 
whispered,  "what  a  fraud  for  a  mini- 
ster's wife!  Mother  dear,  you  were 
not  far  wrong  when  you  warned 
Charley  that  J  was  no  more  fitted  for 
the  position  than  a  blind  kitten.  You 
might  have  spared  the  adjective, 
though;  and  Charley  seems  to  dote 
on  kittens.  But  what  a  dear,  sweet 
room  this  is  with  'Ploomy's  holly- 
hocks' peeping  in!  It  makes  me 
think  of  home." 

The  green  paper  curtains  were 
rolled  high,  the  windows  opened  wide. 
Outside,  swayed  by  a  gentle  wind, 
slender  spires  of  hollyhocks  seemed 
to  be  peering  within,  their   fair  bios- 


52 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


soms  pink  with  amazement  at  their 
own  audacity.  Between  these  Mower 
bedecked  windows  stood  a  narrow, 
fall-leaf  table,  covered  with  a  snowy 
cloth  of  home-made  linen,  deeply 
fringed  with  netting  and  tassels. 
Here  reposed  the  big  Bible  sacred  to 
family  records.  Hanked  by  an  order- 
ly array  of  daguerreotypes,  a  Gift 
Book  and  a  Daily  Food.  Opposite 
the  windows,  on  the  far  side  of  the. 
room  wis  the  never  absent  ''square- 
room"  bed,  high-piled  with  the 
downiest  of  "live-geese"  feathers  and 
covered  with  marvels  of  loom  and 
needle  work.  This  slender-posted, 
high-canopied  bed.  the  heavy  bureau 
of  many  drawers,  together  with-  the 
gem  of  a  small  table  now  attracting 
the  admiring  gaze  of  Mrs.  Xorris. 
were  deservedly  the  pride  of  trie  mis- 
tress of  Red  Barn  Farm.  She  never 
wearied  of  repeating  this  formula, 
"My  greatmother  was  a  Marsh;  one 
of  them  Marshes,  they  say.  that  was 
distant  kin  of  old  Gov'ner  Marsh  of 
Yarrnount.  This  'ere  bedstid  and  the 
hull  set  was  her'n,  and  it  fell  on  me. 
The  old  Gov'ner  was  a  smart  man  in 
his  day." 

There  was  scarce  opportunity  to 
wince  at  the  atrocious  plaster  o' 
paris  "ornamints"  ranged  on  the 
mantle,  or  to  shake  a  wrathful,  small 
first  toward  the  wall  where  hung  the 
ubiquitous  memorial  picture,  (a  very- 
weeping  willow,  and  a  very  drooping 
lady  with  classical  features  cheerfully 
resigned)  ;  certainly  there  was  no 
time  to  examine  the  finely  braided 
and  "drawn-in"  rugs  that  so  plenti- 
fully covered  the  stainless  floor,  be- 
fore the  kitchen  door  softly  opened 
and  closed. 

Ploomy  stood  within  the  small  en- 
try, swaying  and  slender,  like  a  young 
birch  of  the  forest.  Her  cheeks  were 
flushed  with  expectancy  and  her  really 
beautiful  eyes  appealed  for  compan- 
ionship. At  least  so  interpreted  the 
girl-wife,  prompted  by  hidden  pangs 
of   homesickness.     Without   ceremony 


she  met  the  frail,  hesitating  young 
thing  with  a  loving  embrace  and  drew 
her  gently  to  the  one  rocking-chair  by 
the  cool  north  window,  saying  with  a 
tuneful  chuckle, 

"With  those  wonderful  eyes,  you 
must  be  Ploomy,  and  1  am  Sally 
Xorris.  Now  that  we  are  quite  pro- 
perly introduced  I  will  bring  my 
chair  and  sit  close  by  you  if  I  may. 
J  have  a  sister  about  your  age  and 
those  lovely  hollyhocks  at  the  windows 
reminded  me  of  her  and  home.  Did 
you  plant  them?  Your  mother  call- 
ed them  yours." 

"Yes.  they  and  the  grass  pinks  were 
mine  but  sister  Liddy  has  took  the 
hull  care  of  'em  this  summer.  It's 
ben  a  sight  of  work  for  there  haint 
ben  a  drop  of  rain,  scurcely." 

Ploomy  ls  voice  was  disappointing, 
hopeless,  lifeless,  save  its  bit  of  whin- 
ing drawl.  Mrs.  Norris  in  her  frank- 
ly convincing  way  disarmed  the  girl's 
shyness  and  incited  her  interest.  With 
even  a  faint  show  of  eagerness,  she 
was  soon  asking  and  answering  ques- 
tions. 

After  a  silence  consumed  by  Sally 
in  looking  at  family  daguerreotypes 
Pioonry  said  softly,  "Your  sister  is 
nineteen  years  old  and  past,  if  she  is 
my  age,  and  she  has  never  had  no 
trouble  nor  any  sorrow  has  she?" 

Not  waiting  for  an  answer  to  so 
dazing  a  question,  she  went  on, 
"There  hain't  nobuddy  told  you  how 
much  I  thought  of  Prissy.  I  loved 
her  more'n  I  did  my  sister  Liddy. 
We  was  nigher  of  age  and  said  our  a, 
b,  abs,  and  worked  our  samplers  to- 
gether and  always  set  with  one  'nuther 
to   school." 

"Who  is  Prissy?  asked  Mrs.  Nor- 
ris. 

"Prissy  Emmons.  She  was  the 
harnsomist  girl  in  these  parts,  folks 
all  said,  and  I  know  she  was  the 
sweetiest." 

"Has  she  gone  far  away?"  still 
questioned    Mrs.    Norris. 

"Prissy  died,  and     they've     buried 


HOME   SPUN   YARNS 


her,  up  in  the  old  grave-yard  tinder 
the  shadder  of  the  mountain ;  when 
she  was  always  so  tender  and  timid 
like,  "  I  wish  grave-yards  was  nigher 
home."  Ploomy's  voice  had  again 
trailed  off  into  hopeless  depths,  her 
face,  pallid,  her  eyes  dilated  with  vague 
terror. 

Mrs.  Norris,  bending"  forward,  laid 
her  own  warm,  pulsing  hand  upon 
Ploomy's  folded  cold  and  still  on  the 
girl's  lap.  "Nov/  my  little  friend/' 
she  said  brightly,  "we  are  not  to  talk 
of  sad  things  today.  My  own  heart 
is  heavy  too,  with  homesickness. 
Your  big.  solemn,  old  mountains 
glooming  over  US,  are  behaving  horri- 
bly, covered  with  haze  or  smoke ;  the 
air  is  fairly  stifling  in  the  valley.  It  did 
seem  so  good  to  come  up  here  on  the 
hills  where  one  can  breathe."  Here 
Ploomy,  in  turn,  lifted  her  hand  and 
laid  it  in  shy  sympathy  upon   Sally's. 

Acute  illness  or  distress  never  fail- 
ed to  claim  Mrs.  X orris'  quick  pity, 
while  she  had  small  patience  with 
seemingly  minor  ills.  .  She  had  much 
to  learn.  Here  is  a  confession  made 
later    to    her    husband. 

"Ploomy  captured  me  with  her 
lovely  eyes  and  her  exquisite  figure, 
and  something  more  that  I  cannot  ex- 
press; like  the  cling  and  curl  of  baby 
fingers  around  one  of  your  own.  You 
can't  let  go  and  baby  won't.  At  the 
same  time  .1  fairly  ached,  at  first,  to 
treat  her  as  I  used  to  treat  my  dolls 
when  they  got  limp  and  flabby,  chuck 
in  the  saw-dust." 

Indeed,  Ploomy  was  not  easily  re- 
pulsed. With  a  new-found  friend 
she  was  like  a  brook  bursting  icy  bar- 
riers under  melting  sunbeams.  With 
new  color  and  livelier  tone  she  stam- 
mered, "Now  certain,  Miss  Norris, 
certain,  I  didn't  set  out  for  to  make 
you  feel  bad,  I  didn't.  But.  Oh,  I 
do  want  somebuddy  to  talk  to 
and  somebuddy  to  talk  with  me! 
Liddy  can't  think  of  things  to  say 
much,  and  Mother  says  talk  is  weak- 
ening    Ther's    nothin'    to    do   but   be 


thinkin*.     Nothin'  like  it  was  before." 

The  minister's  wife  might  now  have 
been  grateful  for  an  excellent  mem- 
ory and  easy  conscience  that  permit- 
ted her  to  repeat  choice  thoughts  and 
passages  to  the  eagerly  listening  girl, 
nearly  ail  filched  from  Mr.  Norris' 
latest  sermons.  "Anything,"  she 
thought,  "if  I  may  only  keep  her 
mind  away  from  the  grave-yard  until 
'Maridy  Bowles'  dinner  horn'  blows. 
Of  course  the  child  can  not  appreciate 
all  these  fine  thoughts,  but  she  does 
listen,  and  that  is  better  than  half  of 
Charley's  audience'  does,     poor     boy." 

But  at  last  in  a  voice  more  tuneful 
and  vibrant  than  had  seemed  possible 
for  Ploomy,  she  interrupted  with, 
"I  thank  you.  Mis'  Norris,  for  all 
them  wonderful  words  you've  ben 
speakin'  to  me.  I've  read  em  in  my 
Bible,  some  of  'em,  but  I  never 
thought  they  were  writ  to  be  lived 
by  every  day.  easy  and  comfortable. 
Father  has  come  the  nighest,  but  it 
has  took  a  sight  of  goin'  to  prayer- 
meetin'.  Two  things  you  said  I  aint 
never  goin'  to  forgit.  You  said  hate 
is  poison;  and  that  it  works  just  like 
poison  in  our  blood.  A  little  makes 
us  uncomfortable,  and  any  more  is 
dangerous,  and  all  the  biggest  doctors 
know  it.  They  must  have  a  lot  of 
cases.  I  suppose  they  call  it  by  some 
other  name  more  satisfyin'.  And 
you  said  too,  Mis'  Norris,  that  loving 
was  living;  that  love  was  all  around 
us  and  in  us  all,  even  when  we  mayn't 
be  noticin',  for  God  is  Love.  You 
said,  that  love  shows  up  dif'runt  in 
dif'runt  folks.  And  there  are  so 
many  dif'runt   folks  that  ain't  alike." 

In  the  short  silence,  Mrs.  Norris, 
looking  into  Ploomy's  eyes,  lighted 
from  within,  could,  for  the  first  time, 
imagine  this  frail,  wilted  little  body, 
as  having  once  been  "the  light  o'  the 
house." 

"I  can't  say  them  words  as  beautiful 
as  you  said  them  to  me,  Mis'  Norris," 
resumed  the  girl."  but  I  can  see  them 
beautiful,    and    shinin'.       You      said, 


54 


THE  GKAXiTE  MONTHLY 


some  love  was  like  a  spring  a-vvellin' 
up.  That  'minded  me  of  Prissy's 
love  bubbhV  and  sparklin'  like  the 
spring  down  by  the  big  ledge,  where 
we  used  to  make  our  play-house  when 
the  bluets  were  in.  blossom.  Then 
when  you  told  about  a  deep  well  with 
a  star  shinin'  in  it.  I  thought  of  sister 
Liddy's  love.  Only  I  had  never 
called  it  love  before;  just  called  it 
'doiu  things,"  such  as  I  expected. 
But  I  see  now,  doiiv  is  the  deepist 
kind  of  lovin.'  But  the  best  was, 
when  you  said  that  some  foikses  love 
might  be  deep  and  hotlist  but  mis- 
taken ;  and  they'd  likely  act  ha'sh  and 
cruel,  thinkiu'  all  the  time  it  was  for 
your  good.  Then  maybe  you  would 
git  all  r'iled  up  and  forgit  the  years 
of  lovin'  that  lias  gone  before  and  git 
to  hatin'  and  perhaps  dym'  afore  you 
know  it.  That  made  me  think  of-of- 
someone  else.  But  I  can  see  now.  it 
was  her  way  of  lovin*.  I  sha'n't  hate 
her  no  more,  never.     I  am  so  glad/' 

After  another  short  pause,  Ploomy 
added,  "O,  Mis'  Norris,  your  words 
are  wonderful  to  me;  like  after  a  long 
spell,  everything  dryiir  up,  you  lay 
in  the  hot  night  pantin'  for  your 
breath,  and  all  at  once,  feel  a  cool 
wind  liftin'  the  heavy  hair  oft'n  your 
for'ed.  like  your  mother's  hand  use 
to,  and  you  go  to  sleep,  listenin'  to 
the  rain." 

The  eyes  of  the  young  wife  brim- 
med with  sudden  tears.  Ploomy, 
drawing  the  sweet  face  nearer  to  her 
own,  caressed  with  shy  fingers  the 
sunny  curls  on  Sally's  forehead.  "I 
have  never  seen  a  minister's  wife  like 
you  before,"  she  said,  with  the  dear- 
est smile.  "Why,  you  are  just  like 
other  girls,'  only  nicer  of  course.  I 
must  have  thought  you  was  all  born 
with  hair  smooth  and  shiny,  and 
linin  collars  on."  The  girl  ended  with 
a  genuine  giggle  and  was  rewarded 
by  an  approving  pat  and  a  ripple  of 
laughter. 

"Now  you  see,  Mis'  Ploomy,"  still 
laughed  the  little  woman,  "I  am  not 
a    regular    born,    parson's    wife.     My 


hair  will  curl  and  I  abhor  linen  col- 
lars. The  minister  business  I  have 
to  learn  from  a  to  z.  Really  those 
fine  thoughts  that  proved  angel  wing- 
to  you,  were  none  of  them  mine. 
They  were  stolen  from  Mr.  Norris' 
sermons.  And  I  have  it  all  to  con- 
fess to   hint  before  I   sleep  tonight." 

"They  was  all  true  thoughts,"  as- 
serted Ploomy,  the  inner  light  deep- 
ening in  her  eyes,  "and  seein'  you 
stole  our  Elder's  heart,  he  shouldn't 
be  put  out  if  you  steal  more  that's 
good  and  true,  of  his'n." 

"1  will  remember  that.  Little  Girl, 
when  I  make  my  confession,"  said 
Sally,  laughing  again  merrily,  then, — 
"But  how  your  'Elder'  loves  these 
mountains,  his  work,  and  his  people; 
the  brawny-armed,  sooty-faced  miners 
and  all !  A  few  may  be  slow  of 
speech,  and  like  their  valleys,  narrow 
and  confined  in  their  ideas,  but  they 
are  honest  thinkers  and  their  valleys 
are  on  a  high  level.  These  last  words 
are  his,  Deary.  1  repeat  them  when- 
ever I  need  bracing.  But  between  you 
and  me.  Ploomy,  J  don't  like  these 
mountains.  They  have  sulked  be- 
hind a  dismal  haze  ever  since  I  came, 
which  is  a  very  impolite  way  to  treat 
a  bride,  to  say  the  least.  Your  people 
are,  no  doubt,  excellent,  so  are  butter- 
nuts, and  Eve  only  my  two  small  fists 
to  smite  with.  Charley  has  the  ad- 
vantage, for  lie  can  lay  them  on  the 
anvil  Sundays  and  make  sparks  fly. 
O  Sally  Xorris,  what  an  unguarded 
speech  !" 

While  she  had  been  talking,  Sally 
had  slipped  from  her  uncomfortable, 
straight  backed  chair,  to  the  velvety 
"drawn  in"  rug,  flaunting  its  gay 
medley  of  bright  colors  in  front  of 
Ploomy's  rocking-chair.  While  re- 
clining there,  and  tracing  with  her 
dainty  finger  around  the  intricate 
scrolls  and  amazing  roses,  she  was 
chatting  idly  and  busily  on,  but  keep- 
ing an  ear  alert,  to  catch  the  first 
blast  of  the  long  delayed  dinner-horn. 

"Now  you  see,"  she  exclaimed, 
while    lifting      her    bonny    face,    and 


HOME   SPUN   YARNS 


55 


shaking  that  dainty  linger  to  Ploorny. 
"You  see,  Ploorny,  Mr.  Norris,  even 
for  rile,  would  not  leave  bis  work 
here  and  his  people,  as-  he  loves  to 
call  them;  yet  he  did  ask  me  to  leave 
the  dearest,  sunniest  home  and  come 
to  him." 

"What  made  you  listen  to  him? 
What  made  yon  come?"  Ploorny 
questioned  with  eager  interest, ' 

"Oh,  perhaps  1  admired  him  the 
more,  for  not  betraying;  his  man- 
hood ;  for  not  letting  anything  beguile 
him  from  his  chosen  work.  He 
would  not  make  an  idol  of  me,  so  I 
am  proud  to  be  his  wife.  Proud.'' 
with  a  brave  tilt  of  the  curly  head, 
"to  find  that  I  have  it  within  me,  to 
"endure  things,  (even  desperate  home- 
sickness, just  now,)  for  one  whom  I 
love.  Can  you  understand  that, 
Girlie?" 

"Yis,  oh  vis.  Mis'  Norris ;  the  more 
my  Alic  had  to  bear,  the  more  I  want- 
ed, to  stand  by  him.  But  Mother  said 
I  couldn't  never  be  his  wife;  she'd 
see  me  laid  in  the  grave-yard  first, 
'side  of  Prissy."  Ploomy's  reply  had 
been  hurried,  and  shrill  with  emotion. 
After  an  abrupt  pause,  she  resumed 
in  an  even  and  decided  tone,  "But, 
Mis'  Norris,  as  1  said  to  you,  I  won't 
never  hold  it  no  more  against  my 
mother,  for  you've  made  me  see  so 
plain,  it's  her  way  of  lovin'  me,  and 
a  sufterin'  way  too ;  like  a  wild  ana- 
mile  when  somethin's  threatenin'  its 
young-ones." 

"But,  who  is  Alic?"  asked  Mrs. 
Norris,  a  new  note  of  sympathetic  in- 
terest in  her  voice. 

"He  was  Father's  bound  boy,  took 
when  he  was  ten  year  old,  to  work 
for  his  keep  an'  schoolin'  and  three- 
hundred  dollars  when  he  got  to  be 
one-an'-twenty."  Plomy's  voice  was 
trailing  oft  again,  and  Sally  deplored 
asking  that  last,  unfortunate  question. 

"I  was  eight  year  old,"  P|loomy 
rallying,  continued,  "when  Alic  first 
come.  We  all  growed  tip  together 
like  one  fam'ly,  and  did'nt  see  no 
dif'runce;  1  didn't  till  he  was  twenty, 


past.     When   Alic   spoke   about   it   to 
Father,    he    was    glad,    and    said    Alic 


was  j 
'twas 
said  ; 
mick 
good, 
tell  in' 


*e  his  own  boy.  With  Mother 
dif'runt.  She  liked  Alic,  she 
rut,  she  said,  she  'couldn't  stum- 
them  Stinsons.'  They  was 
respectable  folks.  Father  kept 
her.  Though  they  did  have  a 
big  fam'ly,  always  cornin',  and  piles 
of  docter's  bills.  Mother  tried  to  be 
happy,  because  I  was,  and  we  had  got 
my  chist  most  full,  when  something 
happened  among  his  family ;  'something 
he  couldn't  be  blamed  for,  more'n  the 
angels  in  heaven.  Then  mother  up 
and  talked  to  Alic  and  me.  But  I 
won't  think  of  them  cruel  words  no 
more. 

"The  next  mornin'  Father  found  a 
writin'  left  on  Alic's  chist  when  he'd 
gone  and  went  off  in  the  night.  I 
can  say  it  by  heart.  It  reads  like 
this, — 'Dear  Uncle  Siah,  I  thank  you 
for  bein'  a  father  to  me,  and  for 
the  prayers  I  have  heard  you  putting 
up  for  me  in  the  old  barn  chamber, 
many  a  time,  when  you  didn't  know 
I  was  nigh.  I  shall  never  forget 
Red  Barn  Farm,  I  would  like  to 
say  more,  but  I  am  forbid,  and  I 
have  promised.  Give  my  three  hun- 
dred dollars  to  Father,  to  help  on 
the   mortgage.     Good  bye.     Alic'  ' 

"Was  that  all?"  asked  Mrs.  Nor- 
ris. very  softly.  "Have  you  never 
heard  from  him  since?" 

"Nobuddy  has,"  sighed  Ploorny, 
"But  I  could  have  stood  it  all,  and 
not  give  up  and  die,  like  I  am  doin'  ': 
she  still  continued,  "for  Alic  wouldn't 
never  forgit  me,  and  I  could  be  wait- 
in' ;  and  I  dreamed  such  a  comfortin' 
dream    about    Prissy.  I    saw    her 

standin'  by  the  old  spring,  her  white 
feet  shinin'  among  the  bluets,  and  she 
was  laughin'  and  holdin'  up  a  drip- 
pin'  cup  of  water  to  me,  when  a 
white  veil,  like  a  thin  mountain  show- 
er, only  brighter,  come  sweepin'  be- 
tween us.  I  know  now  she  is  some- 
where among  flowers  and  sparklin' 
waters.  But  with  mother  it  was 
dif'runt.     There   I    have   ben   all   the 


56 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


time  pilyin'  myself  to  death  and 
lav  in'  it  all  on  her.  arid  most  hatin' 
her  because  1  thought  she  was  hat  in' 
Alic  and  me.  All  the  time  she  is 
lovin'  and  pfotectiiT  me  die  best  she 
knows  how;  like  an  anamile  that  don't 
sense  but  one  kind  of  lovin', — the 
fear  kind.  My  pyes  is  opened  now, 
and  MotherTl  see  dit'runt,  give  her 
time.  Kittens  is  wiser  than  folks. 
They  cuddle  down  together,  patient 
and  lovin',  and  let  one  'nuther's  eves 
alone.' 

"Thank  you,  Ploomy,  that  counts 
one  for  kittens.  The  minister  will 
enjoy   that   too." 

The  little  wile,  still  half  reclining 
upon  the  rug.  moved  closer  and 
throwing  her  arm  across  the  girl's 
lap  laid  her  head  upon  it.  Ploomy's 
face  flushed  with  pleasure,  and  again 
her  light  fingers  touched  and  toyed 
with  those  rings  of  sunny  hair. 

"Oh.  what  a  day  o'  happenm's,"  she 
breathed,  scarcely  above  a  whisper ; 
then  aloud,  "why  this  mornm'  I  didn't 
have  nothin'  else  to  do.  or  think  on 
but  dyin'.  I  know,  of  course,  1  can't 
never  git  well  again,  for  Mother 
keps  saying  so;  and  she's  always  did 
all  the  plaunin'.  But  I  heard  Pris- 
sy''s  mother  tellin'  her  that  I  ain't  a 
mite  like  Prissy  was,  and  if  she  was 
her,  she'd  have  Dr.  Colby  come  right 
up  and  see  me.  Mother  told  her  that 
I  was  jest  like  my  aunt  Ploomy,  and 
old  Dr.  Richardson  had  always  ben 
the  fam'ly  doctor,  and  she  didn't  be- 


lieve  in 
died." 

After 
with  her 
of    holy 

"But  i 


•ham 


Mo 


aunt 


P3 


oom\ 


a  moment's  silent  -•  struggle 
self,  the  girl  went  on.  a  strair 

purpose  livening  her  tones, 
ain't    goiu'    to    feel   bound    to 


put  nr 

ben 


hull 


d  on  dyin'  as  I  have 
doin'.  I'd  mostly  forgot  about 
lovin'  and.  that's  no  way  to  die  happy, 
is  it?.  I'm  gohT  /right  to  lovin". 
speshTy  them  that's  makiu'  mistakes 
and  don't  sense  it."  Xow  bending 
low  until  a  tear  fell  among  the  bright 
curls,    she   said,    "You   told   me.    Mis' 

a 


Xorris.  that  you  was  no  kind  o; 
minister's  wife.  You  have  ben  to 
me  like  Prissy  at  the  spring;  and  I'm 
diinkin',  oh!  how  I'm  drinkin',  at  the 
cup  you've  ben  holdin'  to  my  lips." 

Sally,  now  half-kneeling  before 
Ploomy,  took  her  wasted  hands  in 
icr  own  savins:  softly,  "Listen,  Little 


h&, 


One,  I  am.  learning  of  you,  here  at 
your  blessed  feet.  Learning  to  sep- 
arate souls  from  their  mistakes ; 
learning  how  mean  and  ill-natured 
self-pity  is.  For  instance,  blaming 
my  natural  homesickness  to  your 
noble  old  mountains,  who  seem  just 
now  to  be  having  troubles  of  their 
own ;  and  to  Charley's  dear  people, 
who  are  far  too  wise  to  accept  me  at 
my  own  valuation.  But,  do  we  hear 
mien's  voices?  Is  that  your  mother's 
step  in  the  kitchen  ?  Why  have  we 
not    heard    the    dinner-horn    blow?"' 

{To   be  continued) 


Tl 


THE  BROOKES  MORE  PRIZE  AWARD 


Harold  Vinal,  a.  teacher  oi  music 
at  Steinert  Hall.  Boston,  but  also 
the  editor  and  publisher  of  Voices,  a 
quarterly  journal  of  verse,  is  the  win- 
ner of  the  $50  prize  offered  by  Air. 
Brookes  More  for  the  best  poem  pub- 
lished in  the  Grauite  Monthly  during 
the  year  1921.  The  distinguished 
judges.  Professor  Katharine  Lee 
Bates  of  the  department  of  English 
at  Wellesley  College.  William  Stanley 
Braithwaite,  critic  and  anthologist, 
and  former  Governor  John  H.  Bart- 
lett  of   New   Hampshire,   were  unani- 


s' 


x 

! 
j 

■ 

u 

9 

i 

1 

.- 

..J 

HaKOLL'    \'lN'AL. 

mous  in  making  the  award  to  Mr. 
Vinal,  though  they  were  not  so  agreed 
as  to  which  was  the  best  of  his  sev- 
eral contributions  to  the  magazine 
during  the  year.  One  of  the  judges 
preferred  his  Sonnet,  published  in  the 
May  issue;  but  the  other  two  gave 
the  honor  to  "Alien,"  printed  on  page 
35  of. the  January,  1921,  issue  as 
f ollows : 


The  gorse  grass  waves  in  Ireland, 
Far  on   the   windless   hills; 
In    France    dark   poppies    glimmer — 
Sunenps    and    daffodils. 

The    heather    seas    are    crying — 
And    deep    on    English    lanes 
Blown    roses    spill    their    color 
In    the    soft,    grey    rains. 

My    heart    alone    is   broken 
For   things   1   may   not  see — 
New    England's    shaken    gardens, 
Beside    a    dreaming    sea. 


Mr.  Brookes  More 

We  also  reprint  the  Sonnet,  as  fol- 
lows : 

I    have    touched    hands    with    peace    and 

loveliness, 
When    the    first      breath    of    May      crept 

through    the    trees; 
Watched    lyric    flowers    tremble    in    the 

breeze — 
I  cannot  say  I  have  been  comfortless. 
Often    the    nights   have    whispered   words 

to   me; 
With  wonder  I  have  watched  a  new  day 

break, 
Shaking  its  veils  across  the  windy  lake- — ■ 
The  wind  that  stirred  them,  brought  me 

ecstasy. 


o8 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


My  heart  can  know  no  pain  while  beauty 

weaves 
Quaint      patterns    in    the      corridors      of 

thought, 
Patterns    of    curving    cloud    and  ^  waving 

leaves: 
All     the     indifference     that       time      has 

wrought 
Will  softly  pas?,  when   I  behold  afar — 
The   lovely   beauty   of  an    evening   star. 

Mr.  Vinal  is  a  contributor  of  verse, 
to  many  magazines  besides  the  Gran- 
ite Monthly,  the  list  including  The 
Atlantic  Monthly-,  Pearson's.  The 
Smart  Set,  The  Bookman,  The  Son- 
net, Poetry,  Contemporary  Verse,  The 
Lyric,  The  Lyric  West,  The  Liberator, 
etc.  His  first  volume  of  verse,  "White 
April."  will  be  brought  out  by  the 
Yale  University  Tress  in  the  spring  in 
their   Yale   Series   of   Younger   Poets. 

Readers  of  the  Granite  Monthly 
who  were  asked  by  the  editor  to  in- 
dicate their  individual  choices  for  the 
prize  awards  made  these  interesting 
suggestions :  "Snow  Trail,"  by  Ber- 
nice  Lesbia  Kenyon;  "Au  Soleil,"  by 
Walter  B.  Wolfe;  "Spring,"  by  Mar- 
tha S.  Baker;  "The  Angel  of  the  Hid- 
den Face."     by  Helen     L.  Newman; 


"My    Baby,"    by   George    A.    Foster; 
?  Cora  S.  Day  ;  "Home/f 


"Memorv,' 
by  W.  B.  France;  "The  Blind/'. by 
Edwin  Carlile  Litsey;  "Roses."  by 
Frances  Parkinson  Keyes ;  "After- 
math," by  Alice  D.  O.  Greenwood; 
"A  Christmas  Wish,"  by  George 
Henry  Hubbard;  "O  Little  Breeze," 
by  George  I.  Putnam;  "Nothing  Com- 
mon or  Unclean/'  by  Claribel  Weeks 
Avery;  "Day  Time,"  by  Mary  E. 
Hough;  "In  Violet  Time,"  by  L. 
Adelaide  Sherman ;  "Sonnet,"  by 
Louise  Patterson  Guyol ;  "Camilla 
Sings,"  by  Shirley  Harvey. 

As  we  have  said  before  the  1921 
competition  was  of  a  character  which 
gave  real  pleasure  to  the  management 
of  the  Granite  Monthly  and  which  so 
impressed  Mr.  More  with  the  value 
of  his  gift  in  creating  and  increasing 
interest  in  poetry  that  he  has  kindly 
offered  to  renew  the  award  for  the 
present  year,  1922.  By  the  terms  of 
his  gift  this  year,  $50  will  be  award- 
ed in  January,  1923.  to  the  author 
of  the  best  poem  not  in  free  verse 
and  written  by  a  subscriber  to  the 
Granite  Monthly  which  is  printed  in 
that  magazine  during  1922. 


MY  SONG  THAT  WAS  A  SWORD 

By  Hazel  Hall 


My  song  that  was  a  sword  is  still. 

Like  a   scabbard  I   have  made 

A  covering  with  my  will 

To  sheathe  its  blade. 

It  had  a  flashing  tongue  of  steel 

That  made  old  shadows  start; 

It  would  not  let  the  darkness  heal 

About   mv   heart. 


r» 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  DAY  BY  DAY 


January  20,  1922,  Professor  George 
H,  Whkcher,  formerly  deputy  state 
superintendent  of  schools,  was  suc- 
ceeded as  federal  director  of  prohibi- 
tion law  enforcement  for  the  state 
of  New  Hampshire  by  Rev.  Jonathan 
Snow  Lewis,  since  1918  state  commis- 
missioner   of    law   enforcement   under 


Mr.  Lewis  was  born  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  November  14,  1864,  the  son  of 
Luther  and  Almira  Horton  (Smith) 
Lewis.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Boston.  Everett  and  East- 
ham,  Mass.,  and,  after  engaging  in 
business  life  for  a  time,  the  theologi- 
cal   institution    at      Newton      Center, 


^.i 


Rev.  Jonathan  S.  Lewis 


the  New  Hampshire  prohibitory 
statute.  On  the  same  day  Ralph  W. 
Caswell  of  Dover,  who  had  been  Com- 
missioner Lewis's  deputy,  was  pro- 
moted to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  higher 
place.  These  appointments  were 
asked  for  by  friends  of  Prohibition 
as  a  government  policy,  headed  by 
the  Anti-Saloon  League. 


Mass.,  where  he  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  B.  D.  in  1911,  being  class 
president.  He  was  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church  in  Amherst  from  1908 
to  1918  and  while  holding  this  posi- 
tion was  chosen  to  represent  the  town 
in  the  state  legislatures  of  1915  and 
1917. 
At  both  sessions  he  was  in  the  fore- 


60 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


front  of  those  who  were  fighting  tor 
the  repeal  of  the  stale  local-option 
liquor  law  and  a  return  to  state-wide 
prohibition  and  in  1917  he  and  his 
fellow-workers  were  successful  hi 
bringing  about  this  result,  Several 
measures  designed  to  put  new  "teeth" 
in  the  prohibition  law  accompanied 
t'lie  overtoil  of  the  license  system  and 
among  them  was  the  establishment  of 
the  office  of  commissioner  of  law  en- 
forcement- For  this  place  Mr,  Lewis 
was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the 
temperance  workers  inside  and  outside 
of  the  legislature  and  Governor 
Henry  W.  Keyes  at  once  .gave  him 
the  appointment.  His  administration 
of  the  office  has  not  been  spectacular, 
but  steady,  just  and  efficient  to  a  de- 
gree which  made  him  the  logical  can- 
didate for  the  federal  place  if  a 
change  in  the  latter  were  to  be  made. 

While  a  lesident  of  Massachusetts 
Mr.  Lewis  was  a  Prohibitionist  in 
politics,  being  chairman  of  that  party's 
state  committee,  its  candidate  for 
lieutenant  governor  and  for  secretary 
of  state  and  a  delegate  to  its  national 
convention ;  but  since  locating  in  New 
Hampshire  he  has  acted  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  is  president  of 
the  Xew  Hampshire  Anti-Salooa 
League  and  a  director  of  the  National 
Anti-Saloon  League;  also,  of  the  New 
Hampshire  United  Baptist  conven- 
tion. Since  his  appointment  as  law 
enforcement  officer  he  has  made  his 
residence  in  Concord. 

In  recent  newspaper  interviews  Mr. 
Lewis  is  quoted  as  taking  an  op- 
timistic view  of  the  situation  as  to  law 
enforcement  in  this  state,  in  which  he 
is  supported  by  public  utterances  of 
Governor  Brown  and  other  high  of- 
ficials. Mr.  Lewis  says  with  pride 
that  men  who  have  taken  a  country- 
wide view  of  the  conditions,  place 
New  Hampshire  among  the  three  or 
four  states  in  which  the  prohibitory 
liquor  laws  are  best  enforced;  and 
he  is  confident  that  this  good  record 


will  Jbe  maintained  and  improved  by  a 
continuance  of  the  excellent  co-opera- 
tion among  law  enforcing  officials  and 
of  the  public  sentiment  in  support  of 
the   law. 

For  almost  eighty  years  laws  pro- 
hibiting the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquor 
have  been  on  the  statute  books  of  New 
Hampshire.  Even  during  the  decade 
of  local  option  prohibition  was  the  law 
in  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  state. 
While  it  is  true  that  at  times  the 
people  have  semed  to  be  "for  the  law. 
but  agin  its  enforcement,"  this  is  not 
to-day  the  fact.  It  seems  safe  to  say 
that  New  Hampshire  has  seen  its  last 
open  saloon  and  that  while  the  laws 
against  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
alcoholic  beverages  will  be  violated  in 
the  future,  as  are  all  laws  of  God  and 
man,  there  will  be  less  of  such  viola- 
tion than  at  any  time  in  the  past. 


In  New  Flampshire  history  1922 
will  be  remembered,  among  other 
reasons,  as  the  year  in  which  Dart- 
mouth College  was  forced  to  adopt 
an  unique  and  highly  selective  pro- 
cess for  admission  to  its  courses. 
For  several  years  the  College,  has  been 
able  to  accept  but  a  limited  portion 
of  the  number  of  candidates  who  have 
applied  for  admission,  and  this  pres- 
sure, far  from  abating,  has  shown 
every  sign  of  increasing  until  an 
army  of  5,000  boys  would  be  march- 
ing on  Hanover  where  accommoda- 
tions for  only  500  would  be  available. 

The  solution  which  the  Dartmouth 
authorities  have  worked  out  for  their 
problem  is  very  interesting  and  will 
be  watched  intently  by  other  institu- 
tions of  learning  in  a  somewhat  simi- 
lar predicament.  It  seeks  to  secure 
for  its  student  body  young  men  of  in- 
tellectual capacity,  character  and 
promise,  coming  from  homes  of  a 
variety  of  types  and  having  a 
certain  geographical  distribution. 
"Lest  the  old  traditions  fail"  and  in 
order  that     the  indefinable,  but     cer- 


XEYV  HAMPSHIRE  DAY  BY  DAY 


61 


tainly  existent  "Dartmouth  spirit" 
shall  be  handed  clown  from  genera- 
tion to  generation,  all  properly  quali- 
fied sons  of  alumni  and  of  Dartmouth 
college  officers  will  be.  accepted. 

We  are  very  glad  that  under  "geo- 
graphical distribution"  all  residents  of 
the  state  of  Xew  Hampshire  will  be 
admitted.       All    residents   of   districts 


and.  School  Activities  shall  be  used 
supplementary  to  scholastic  records. 
and  those  which  indicate  men  who  are 
plainly  possessed  with  qualities  of 
leadership  or  qualities  of  outstanding 
promise  shall  be  given  particular  con- 
sideration as  compared  with  the  rec- 
ords of  those  otherwise  qualified  by 
high,   scholarship   ranks   with  no     evi- 


Presidext  Ernest  M.  Hopkixs,  of  Dartmouth  College 


west  of  the  Mississippi  and  south  of 
the  Potomac  and  Ohio  rivers  also 
will  be  admitted  with  the  end  in  view 
of  making  Dartmouth  a  truly  national 
institution. 

This  frank  paragraph  from  the  of- 
ficial statement  of  the  plan  has  rous- 
ed much  comment  pro  and  con 
among  educators,  but  seems  well 
adapted  to  assist  in  producing 
what  has  become  known  as  the  typical 
Dartmouth     man :   "Personal   Ratings 


deuce  of  positive  qualities  otherwise." 
Meanwhile  if  Daniel  Webster  had 
to  deliver  his  Dartmouth  College  ora- 
tion to-day  he  could  not  move  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
to  tears  by  his  declaration  "It  is  a 
small  college  but  there  are  those  who 
love  it."  He  might,  however,  say 
with  truth  "It  is  a  great  college  and 
there  are  many  who  would  like  to 
love  it." 


fe2 


EDITORIAL 


More  than  once,  in  the  past,  the 
Granite  Monthly  has  pointed  out  the 
opportunity  of  New  Hampshire  to 
become  the  winter  resort  and  winter 
sport  state  par  excellence  of  the  East, 
and  it  is  good  to  hole  that  real  pro- 
gress in  this  direction  has  been  made 


during   the 


th 


the   capital      city. 


present  season.  in 
nineties,  Concord 
several  times  entertained  its  legisla- 
tive visitors  and  thousands  of  other 
guests  with  winter  carnivals  that 
were  most  elaborate  and  enjoyable 
events,  especially  featuring  long  and 
beautiful  parades  of  horse,  drawn 
sleighs  and  tloats. 

.After  an  interval,  Dartmouth  Col- 
ege,  thanks  to  an  undergraduate.  Fred 
H.  Harris  of  Brattleboro,  Vt.,  sud- 
denly awoke  to  a  realization  of  the 
fact  that  its  isolation  among  the  snow- 
clad  hills  was  an  asset  instead  of  the 
curse  it  always  had  been  considered. 
In  due  time  the  first  winter  carnival 
at  Hanover  was  held  and  in  each  suc- 
ceeding year  has  increased  in  suc- 
cess and  popularity.  Of  greater  im- 
portance, of  course,  is  the  fact  that 
a  large  part  of  the  student  body  has 
been  outfitted  with  skiis  and  snow- 
shoes  and  drawn  out  into  Richard' 
Hovey's  "great  white  cold"  for  the 
most  healthful  and  exhilarating  of 
recreation. 

A  few  years  since  Newport,  with 
the  owners  of  Blue  Mountain  For- 
est, co-operating,  opened  a  series  of 
successful  carnivals.  Then  Gorham 
got  in  line  with  a  fine  entertainment. 
This  winter  Berlin,  Bristol  and  Con- 
way have  joined  the  list  and  doubt- 
less others  will  have  been  heard  from 
before  these  words  appear  in  print. 
Cities  and  towns  which  have  not  held 
carnivals  have  made  arrangements 
for  various  branches  of  winter  sport, 
by  giving  official  sanction  to  coasting, 
by  building  toboggan  slides,  by  main- 
taining rinks  for  ice  skating  and  in 
other  ways.  On  Wednesday  and 
Saturday   afternoons   the     people     of 


Concord,  old  and  young,  have  joined 
in  ''community  hikes"  on  snowshoes 
and  skiis  under  the  direction  of  the 
winter  sports  committee  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Xew  Hampshire  has  had  more 
winter  guests  from  abroad,  our  old 
friends  of  the  Appalachian  Mountain 
Club  and  many  others,  this  year  than 
ever  before.  Of  that  we  are  glad. 
More  Xew  Hampshire  people  have 
availed  themselves  of  their  home  op- 
portunities for  winter  sport ;  and  that 
gives  us  even  greater  pleasure.  The 
opportunities  for  future  development 
on  these  good  lines  are  practically  un- 
limited and  that  is  the  best  of  all. 
Xew  Hampshire's  supply  of  hills  and 
lakes  is  sufficient  to  meet  any  demand 
that  may  be  made  upon  her.  Usual- 
ly, the  supply  of  snow  and  ice  is 
equally  adequate.  So  let  snowshoes, 
skiis,  skates,  sleds  and  toboggans  be 
counted  among  household  necessities 
in  the  Granite  State.  Jingle  bells  on 
the  one-horse  sleighs  and  the  six- 
horse  sleighs.  Put  on  your  mittens, 
pull  your  cap  down  over  your  ears 
and  get  out  into  the  air — and  into  the 
snow  if  you  are  a  novice  at  the  win- 
ter-games. It  will  make  you  health}' ; 
you  will  know  you  are  wise  and  you 
won't  care  whether  you  are  wealthy 
or  not. 


As  we  were  thinking,  on  a  recent 
day.  that  it  was  time  to  write  an  edi- 
torial boosting  the  Granite  Monthly 
advertising  pages,  the  holder  of  an 
annual  contract  for  one  of  those 
pages  came  into  our  ofhee  and  renew- 
ed the  contract.  That  gave  us  a  pleas- 
ant sensation  which  was  intensified 
when  the  gentleman  in  question  re- 
marked: "I  have  just  made  a  sale 
which  I  can  trace  directly  to  my  ad- 
vertising in  the  Granite  Monthly,  the 
profit  on  which  will  more  than  pay 
your  bill  to  me  for  a  year."  Xo 
lengthy  sermon  on  that  text  seems  to 
be  necessarv. 


1 

EDITORIAL  63 

In  to-day's  mail  we  find  a  letter  see  how  any  son  or  daughter  of  New 
from  a  well  known  New  Hampshire  Hampshire  can  fail  to  find  much  more 
woman  now  resident  in  another  state,  than  two  dollars'  worth  of  interest- 
enclosing  her  check  for  renewal  of  ing  matter  in  the  twelve  issues  of 
subscription    and    saying:    "I    do    not  your  magazine/' 


REFLETS  DANS  L'INFINITE 

By   Walter  B.   Wolfe 

Last   night    I    fell    from  the   vermeil   bourne 
Where    dwell    the    dreams ; 
Fell    from    the    mirrored    splendors 
Of  lustrous  palaces  in  lapis-lazuli 
And  chrysoberyl  wrought. 
Where  vetiver  and  sandalwood 
And  scent  of  aloes  rose  in  heavy  incense 
'And  the  fragrance  of  neroli  wafted  thru  the  halls 


Last  night  I   fell  in  a  spray  of  star-dust 
From  the  tinted  palaces  of  dreams 
Thru   clouds  of   radiant   whiteness 
Down    ....    down    .... 
All  thru  the   dream-bourne   of   infinity 
And   wakening,    dream    melodies 
Still  lingered  ethereal  in  my  ears 
And   scent   of   ylang-ylang   blossoms 
Weighed  on  my  senses   .... 

I  " 

1    found  you.  soft  against  me; 
Your  hair  and  amber  halo  all  about  your   face, 
And  playing  round  you,  the  dream-incense 
|  Of  your  loveliness  and   melodies 

Strayed  from  the  stars 
Piaimting   your    sweet   presence- 
Late  revellers  these,  that  strayed  with  me 
From  the  vermeil   bourne  where  dwell   the  dreams 


UH 


A  BOOR  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  INTEREST 


A    stalwart   and    handsome    volume, 
a?   stately   as   "The    Frierate   Medusa" 


and  as  trim 


last  moving  as 


lie 


Speedwell  Privateer.'*  is  the  412  page 
book  written  by  Ralph  D.  Paine  of 
Durham  and  published  by  the  Cen- 
tury Company.  New  York,  under  the 
title,  "Lost  Ships  and  Lonely  Seas." 
The  17  illustrations,  from  paintings 
by  Waugh  and  others,  and  from  old 
prints,  add  to  its  interest,  but  give  no 
better  pictures  of  sailors,  seas  and 
ships  than  are  drawn  in  easy  prose 
by  Mr.  Paine,  who  writes  of  such 
things  with  an  understanding  equal- 
led  by    few   Americans. 

In  other  books  Mr.  Paine  has  told 
of  the  boxes  of  iron  and  steel  in  which 
men  go  over  and  under  the  sea  to- 
day. In  reports  of  facts  and  in  crea- 
tions of  fiction  lie  has  given  us  the 
most  appreciative  accounts  of  what 
was  dared  and  endured  and  won  by 
the  boys  who  manned  our  submarines 
in  the  world  war.  From  his  own  ex- 
perience he  has  told  the  sea  side  of 
the  Spanish  War  and  has  put  on  paper 
the  reactions  of  a  man  in  a  Yale  shell 
as  Harvard  changes  defeat  to  vic- 
tory on  the  Thames. 

But  this  volume  is  of  different 
type.  In  it  he  goes  back  a  couple 
of  centuries  to  the  days  when  sailor- 
men  still  wooed  the  winds,  and  mast 
and  spar  bloomed  for  the  breezes 
with  great  clouds  of  canvas;  to  "the 
roaring  days  of  piracy;"  to  the  days 
when  the  Sargasso  Sea  was  still  a 
mystery  and  the  South  Seas  had  been 
violated  by  no  passionate  press  agent; 


when  there  were  mutineers  and  casta- 
ways, with  new  lands  to  find  and  new 
peoples  to  see. 

Mr.  Paine,  like  the  good  newspaper 
man.  he  u^d  to  be.  headlines  his  17 
tales  attractively  from  "The  Singular 
Fate  of  the  Brig  Polly"  to  "The  Noble 
King  of  the  Pelew  Islands."  First 
choice  for  us  must  go  to  "Captain 
Paddock  on  the  Coast  of  Barbary" 
because  it  is  introduced  with  a  refer- 
ence to  the  "frigate,  the  Crescent, 
which  sailed  from  the  New  England 
harbor  of  Portsmouth,  whose  free 
tides  had  borne  a  few  years  earlier 
the  brave  keels  of  John  Paul  Jones's 
Ranger  and  America,"  .  a  gift  from 
this  government  to  the  Bey  of  Algiers 
as  part  of  a  "humble  tribute  to  this 
bloody  heathen  pirate  in  the  hope 
of   softening  his  heart/' 

But.  as  Mr.  Paine  says,  a  little 
later,  "while  Europe  cynically  looked 
on  and  forebore  to  lend  a  hand. 
Commodore  Preble  steered  the  Con- 
stitution and  the  other  ships  of  his 
squadron  into  the  harbor  of  Tripoli, 
smashed  its  defenses  and  compelled 
an  honorable  treaty  of  peace.  Of  all 
the  wars  in  which  the  American  Navy 
has  won  high  distinction  there  is  none 
whose  episodes  are  more  brilliant 
than  those  of  the  bold  adventure  on 
the  coast  of  Barbary." 

And  with  those  episodes,  also, 
Portsmouth  had  a  connection  which 
we  recall  through  the  fact  that  one 
of  her  most  gallant  and  brilliant  sons 
bore  the  name  of  Admiral  Tunis 
Craven. 


POEMS  65 


.      AT  TWILIGHT 


By  Lucy  W.  Perkins 

The  twilight  softly  fall's; 
A  lone  thrush  calls 

Divinely  sweet. 
As    though    in    rarer    sphere 
Some  spirit  dear 

Love  longs  to  greet. 

Such  call  my  heart  would  send, 
O  sweetest   friend, 

Through  space  unknown,- — 
Your  waiting  soul  to  find 
And  closer  bind 

Unto  mine  own. 


WHAT  WOULD  I  MORE? 

1  Ux  Elias  H.   Cheney. 

| 

(On    His    90th    Birthday,    Jan.   28,    1922) 
Thou,   who  e'er  thy  flock  defendest; 
Who  each  added  blessing  sendest ; 
Thou  who  borrowed  time  extendest ; 
What  thou  wiliest  that  I  borrow ; 
One  year  more  or  but  tomorrow. — 
Fill   with  jov,  and  spare  me  sorrow. 

- 

lhou,  almighty  to  deliver. 
Gracious,   loving   sin-forgiver ; 
When  1   fathom  Jordan's  river. 
With  thy  banner  waving  o'er  me, 
Roll  the  waters  back  before  me; 
If  my  Faith  grow  weak,  restore  roe. 


&j 


Where  God's  sun  is  ever  shining ; 
Where  each  cloud  has  silver  lining; 
Quite  completed  soul  refining ; 
Where  those  lost  a  while  will  meet  me 
Kindly  welcome,   sweetly  greet  me — 
In   thy   presence,    Father,    seat   me. 

There'll  be  no  goodbyes  up  yonder ; 
Friendships  sweeter,  purer,  fonder, 
And  sincerer !  O,  what  wonder  1 
Nothing    from    God's   love   can   sever 
Those  who  enter  there ;  no,  never. 
With  the  Lord ;  at  home ;   Forever ! 


66  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

MORNING  IS  THE  VALLEY  OF 
THE  MAD  RIVER 

by   Adclcnc    Holt  on   Smith 

Aurora   the   maid   of   the  dawn 

Peeps  over  the  rim  of  the  world. 
The  maid  of  the  mist  is   fast  asleep 

In   her  gossamer   draperies  curled. 
The  maid  of  the  mist  is  a  lily  maid, 

A   lily  white  and  cold 
But  the  maid  of  the  dawn  is  a  golden  rose 

Most   glorious   to   behold. 
The  maid  of  the  dawn  slips  over  the  rim 

She  kneels  by  the  maid  of  the  mist 
The  eyelids     flutter,  the  draperies  stir 

The  sisters  have  clasped  and  kissed. 


A  DREAM  OF  MT.  KEARSARGE 

By    Alice    Sargent    Krikoridn. 

Thou   member   of    a   mighty   Titan  brood 
Of    giants,    whose   cloud-wreathed    summits    lure 
Our  pilgrim   feet    from  meadows  safe  and   sure 
To  woodsy  paths   the   Red   Men  understood, 
O'er   rocky  cliff,   and   up  thy  granite  side, 
Until   we   gain   the   peak,    the   longed    for   prize. 
There,  bathed  in  silver  sheen,  afar  off  lies 
The  lake  of  Maine,  and  proudly,  as  a  bride 
Is  followed  from  the  altar  to  the  door, 
So  mountain  follows  mountain,  crest  on  crest ; 
Webster,    Franklin,   Washington, — the   rest 
Of  that  Great  Galaxy,  that  pour 
Their  glory,  till  our  very  senses  reel ; 
We  gaze  in  wonder,  glad  that  we  can  feel 
New  Hampshire's  earth,  and  if  we  nevermore 
Dear  Kearsarge,  breathe  thy  winds  that  sing 
Of   Presidential  Range  and  Carter's  Dome, 
In  wintry  nights,  when  winds  are  whistling, 
My  happy  heart,  remembering,  will  stray 
To  those  sweet  summer  hours,  when  alone 
Upon  thy  breast  I  dreamed  the  time  away. 


POEMS  67 

TO  AN  ICICLE 

/A<  F.  R.  Bagley 

O  thou  most  wonderfully  constructed  mass 
Of  ordered  matter,  destined  soon  to  pass. 
Colder    than    crocodilian    tears — aye,  .  colder 

I  Than   the   proverbial    feminine   cold   shoulder, 

Pellucid  as  a  drop  of  virgin  (\?v: 

Distilled   from   vapor  chastened   through  and  through. 
Brittle  as  glass,  and  compact  as  the  dome 
Of  surly  Ajax ;  whiter  than  the  foam 
Cast   up  by  mounting   tides   upon   the   sands. 

I  Brilliant  as  gems  upon  my  lady's  hands, — 

Pendant    from   shelving  eaves    or   drooping  bough. 
Thou  art  a  first-class  bunch  of  beauty  now. 

I  But   hold,    don't   get   conceited  !    There's   no    doubt 

[  That  thou  art  destined  soon  to  peter  out. 

Thy  charms— thy  very  life — hangs  on  the  weather, 
More  fickle  far  than  all  tilings  else  together. 

f.  .  Thy    fragile    figure    fashioned    without    flaw — 

Wait   'till  the  the  weather  man  declares  a  thaw! 
A    few   strong,    searching   calorific   rays. 
Shot  by  Old  Sol.  will  surely  end  thy  days, — 
Loosen  thy  frostbound  particles,  and  so 
Detach  thy  grip   and   lay   thee,   sprawling,   low. 
Alas !  that  beauty  such  as  thine  should  hold 
So  little  natural  warmth  and  so  much  cold. 


fe<? 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  NECROLOGY 


JUDGE  REUBEN   E.  WALKER 


Judge    Reuben      Eu 


te    Walker 


born  in  Lowell;  Mass..  February  15,  1851, 
the  son  of  Abial  and  Mary  (Powers) 
Walker,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Con- 
cord, January  1,  1922.  He  was  educated 
in  ihe  public  schools  of  Warner,  where 
he  removed,  with  his  parents,  when  a 
child;  at  Colby  Academy,  New  London; 
and    at    Brown      University,      where      he 


Walker  &  Hollis.  Appointed  associate 
justice  of  the  New  Hampshire  supreme 
court  March  2$.  1901.  he  served  with 
the  utmost  usefulness  and  honor  until 
retired  by  age  limitation  on  reaching  the 
age  of  70.  While  a  young  man  Judge 
Walker  served  on  the  Warner  school 
committee.  He  was  solicitor  of  Merri- 
mack county,  1889-1891,  representative 
in  the  legislature,  1895,  and  a  dele- 
gate     to      the      Constitutional      Conven- 


The  Late  Judge  Reuben   E.  Waekei 


graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in 
1875,  subsequently  receiving  the  hon- 
orary degree  of  LL.  D.,  which  also  was 
conferred  upon  him  by  Dartmouth.  He 
studied  law  with  Sargent  &  Chase  of 
Concord  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1878.  He  was  for  a  time  a  partner  of 
the  late  Judge  Robert  A.  Ray,  with 
whom  he  co-operated  in  writing  and 
publishing  a  volume  of  New  Hampshire 
Citations,  and  from  1891  to  1901  was  a 
member    of    the      law    firm      of    Streeter, 


tion,  1902.  He  had  been  a  trustee 
of  the  Concord  city  library  since  1901 
and  the  president  of  the  board  since 
1903.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
president  of  the  New  Hampshire  Bar 
Association  and  had  served  as  vice- 
president  for  New  Hampshire  of  the 
American  Bar  Association.  Judge  Walk- 
er was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a 
Unitarian  in  religious  belief.  He  mar- 
ried June  8.  1875,  Mary  E.  Brown,  who 
died    Julv    21,    1903.     Their      one      chili 


N  EW  If  AMP  S  H I R  E  X  EGRO  LOGY 


69 


;,    survives 
service    as 

knowiedg 

a   lawver. 


ilCl 

in 
his 

:•    of 
and 


Miss    Bertha    May    Walke 
father,    whom    she    great  I; 

his     work    by     competent 
secretary. 

One  who  had  intimate 
Judge  Walker  as  a  man, 
a    jurist,    says    of   him: 

''Before  going  upon  the  bench  he  so 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the  court 
and  had  such,  aptitude  for  such  judi- 
cial work  that  he  had  been  entrusted 
hv  the  court  with,  the  responsible  duty 
of  editing  many  of  their  unpublished 
opinions  which  later  appeared  in  per 
curiam  form.  He  was  a  most  able 
and  upright  judge.  His  service  upon 
the  bench  was  of  the  highest  order. 
His  opinions  will  raid:  among"  the  best 
for  learning,  diction,  clarity,  brevity 
and  soundness.  While  his  chief  dis- 
tinction is  as  a  judge,  the  confidence 
and  respect  in  which  he  was  held  is 
otherwise  and  variously  attested/  *  *  * 
The  many  and  various  honors  which 
came  to  him  are  the  more  significant 
because  the}'  all  came  in  recognition  of 
modest  worth — never  through  self-seek- 
ing." 


DR.  J.   MILNOR   COIT. 

Dr.  James  Milnor  Coit,  formerly  for 
30  years  connected  with  St  Paul's  School, 
Concord,  died  January  5  in  Munich. 
Germany',  where  he  had  resided  since 
1906.  He  was  born  in  Harrisburg,  Pa., 
January  31,  1845,  the  son  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Joseph  Howland  Coit,  founder  of  St. 
Paul's,  and  younger  brother  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Henry  A.  Coit,  who  succeeded  his  father 
as  second  rector  of  the  school.  Milnor 
Coit  was  educated  at  St.  Paul's  and  at 
Hobart  College  and  after  a  few  years 
of  business  life  in  the  West  joined  the 
staff  at  the  school.  Dartmouth  College 
gave  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Ph.  D. 
Mrs.  Coit,  who  was  Miss  Eliza  Josephine 
Wheeler  of  Cleveland.  Ohio,  died  two 
years  ago  in  Munich,  where  Doctor 
Coit  conducted  a  school  for  American 
boys  for  a  number  of  years.  They  had 
no  children.  Doctor  Coit  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  various  Masonic  bodies  in 
Concord,  where  he  is  widely  and  kindly 
remembered. 


HON.   OSCAR   F.    FELLOWS 

Oscar  Fowler  Fellows  was  born  in 
Bristol,  Sept.  10,  1857,  one  of  the  seven 
children  of  Milo  and  Susan  (Locke) 
Fellows,  and  died  at  Bucksport,  Me., 
Dec.  28,  1921.     He  was  educated  at  New 


Hampton  Literary  Institution  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1881.  practising 
at  Bucksport  until  1905  and  subsequently 
in  Bangor.  He  was  president  of  the 
Maine  Bar  Association.  1911-1913.  Mr. 
Fellows  was  a  member  of  the  Maine 
House  of  Representatives  in  1901  and 
1903  and  its  speaker  in  the  latter  year. 
He  had  served  as  collector  of  customs  at 
Bucksport  and  as  attorney  or  Hancock 
county,  and  in  1909  was  appointed  by 
President  Roosevelt  counsel  on  behalf 
of  the  United  States  before  the  inter- 
national commission  in  the  matter  ol 
St.  John  River.  He  was  a  32nd  degree 
Mason  and  belonged  to  the  I.  O.  O.  F.. 
A.  O.  U.  W..  Modern  Woodmen  and 
Bangor  Historical  Society.  He  was  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church.  May  2-1,  1883,  he 
married  Eva  M.  Fling  of  Bristol,  daugh- 
ter of  Hon.  Lewis  W.  Fling.  She  sur- 
vives him  with  two  sons,  Raymond  and 
Frank,  both  of  whom  were  associated 
with   their   father   in    the   practise    of  law. 


RUEL    H.    FLETCHER 

Rtiel  H.  Fletcher,  born  at  Cornish, 
May  16.  1829,  died  January  14  at  his 
home  in  Cambridge,  Mass.  He  attend- 
ed Kimball  Union  Academy  at  Meriden 
and  at  the  age  of  20  began  a  career  as 
teacher  which  extended  oxer  60  years. 
being  connected  with  the  schools  of 
Cambridge  for  half  a  century.  The 
Fletcher  School  in  that  city  is  named  in 
his  honor.  Fie  is  survived  by  four  sons 
and  a  daughter,  Miss  Caroline  R.  Flet- 
cher," of   the    Welle'sley   college   faculty. 


DR.   JOFIX    C.   O'CONNOR 

John  Christopher  O'Connor,  1M.  I)., 
born  at  Bradford,  Mass..  Dec.  21,  1878, 
the  son  of  James  F.  and  Helena  M. 
O'Connor,  died  suddenly  January  5'  at 
Manchester,  where  he  was  a  member 
of  the  staffs  of  the  Eliot  and  Balch  hos- 
pitals and  a  trustee  of  the  state  indus- 
trial school.  He  graduated  from  the 
Haverhill.  Mass.  High  School  in  1898, 
from  Dartmouth  in  1902  and  from  the 
Bowdoin  Medical  School  in  1905.  lie 
was  one  of  the  finest  football  players  in 
Dartmouth's  athletic  history  being  cap- 
tain of  the  eleven  in  his  senior  year. 
After  graduation  he  was  equally  sue-' 
cessful  as  coach,  at  Bowdoin,  Phillips 
Andover  and  Dartmouth.  During  the 
world  war  he  was  a  major  in  the  Ameri- 
can Expeditionary  Force  in  France  and 
made  a  splendid  record  there,  as  in  all 
his   undertakings.     He  is   survived  by  his 


70  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

parents,  his  widow,  Mrs.  Helen  Ray-  ter,  being  admitted  to  the  liar  in  1 875. 
mond  O'Connor,  and  two  sons,  Marshall  A  Democrat  in  polities  he  was  clerk  of 
and    Raymond.  the    New    Hampshire    house    of   represen- 

tatives  in    1873.     He   took   up   journalism 
instead    of    the    law    and    worked    on    the 
TORN    B.    MILLS  Manchester    Union,    later    in    New    York 

and  nnallv  tor  2b  years  on  the  Grand 
John  Bailey  Mills,  horn  in  Dunbarton.  Rapids,  Mich.,  Herald.  His  wife,  who 
September  J.  1S48,  died  In  Washington,  died  a  few  years  ago,  was  Miss  Emma 
D.  C,  January  7.  He  graduated  from  Hammond,  a  fellow  employee  of  the 
Dartmouth  college  in  1S72,  president  of  Union.  Mr.  Mills  gave  the  historical 
his  class  in  his  senior  year,  and  studied  address  at  the  150th  anniversary  cele- 
law    with    Briggs    &    Huse    in    Manches-       bration   of  his   native  town. 


THE  LIVING  DARK 

By  Claribcl  Weeks  Avery 

We  were  sitting  by  the  grapevines  where  the  clustered 

globes   hung;  blue. 
And  the  air  was  filled  with  sweetness  such  as  summer 

never  knew, 
And  a  wind  that  slept  by  daylight  and  had  now  come 

out  to  play. 
Shook    the    empty    nest    above    us    whence    the    birds 

had   flown   away. 

We  were  not  alone  together.,  for  the  night  was  there, 
Shaking      out      the     sable      splendor      of     her      star- 

bejeweled  hair, 
And  the  moon  stole  through  the  tangles  like  a  roguish 

queen  of  thieves 
Poking   with    her    golden    fingers     at   the     dark     and 

dewy  leaves. 

Then  the  insects  ceased  their  humming  and  the  waters 

ceased   their   play ; 
Nature    held    her    breath    to    listen   to    the   things    we 

had  to   say ; 
So   we  wem   in    from   the  darkness  that  was   full  of 

prying  eyes, 
Lit   the   lamp   and   drew   the   curtains   in    the    parlor 

safe  from  spies. 


. 


-  ■'  I  •'  ,     - 

.....        :  .     .  - 


e  Maga 


■.  . 


■US: 


■  SIS 

PI]  iLSBUBY 

By  .-  Ifteri  E  bury 

HARLAN  C.  PEARSON,  Publish 

CONCORD,  K.  K. 


|]    'it- 13  IS 

I    : 


0  i  i  v    . 


Concord, 


econd  cias 


7<~?~2 


Photo  by   K.   D.    Smiti 


Courtesy   of  Photo   Era    Magazine 


Winter  ix  the  Flume. 


?3 


NTHLY 


Vol;  LIV 


MARCH,  1922 


No.  3. 


PARKER  PILLSBURY 

By  Albert  E.  Piilsburv 


(At  the  99th  annual  meeting  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Historical  Society. 
held  at  its  beautiful  home  in  Concord 
on  January  26,  1922,  a  bronze  bust  of 
the*  late  Parker  Piilsburv,  by  J.  F. 
Paramino.  was  presented  to  the  socie- 
ty by  his  nephew,  Hon.  Albert  E. 
Pillsbury  of  Boston,  native  of  Mil- 
ford  and  former  attorney  general  of 
the  state  of  Massachusetts,  whose  in- 
teresting remarks  on  the  occasion  are 
published    herewith,. — Editor.) 

I  feel  that  my  first  duty  here  is  to 
acknowledge  my  obligations  to  the 
artist  whose  genius  lias  created,  out  of 
the  scant  material  supplied  by  a  cou- 
ple of  photographs,  a  living  likeness 
in  bronze  of  Parker  Pillsbury.  Ex- 
cept for  the  peculiar  gift  of  what  may- 
be called  posthumous  sculpture, 
which  is  one  of  Mr.  Paramino's  pos- 
sessions, making  the  dead  live  again, 
probably  my  purpose  could  rot  have 
been  realized,  for  I  know  no  other 
follower  of  his  art  who  has  at  once 
the  eye  to  see  so  clearly  the  man  he 
never  saw  and  the  hand  so  cunningly 
skilled  to  reproduce  him. 

Jn  offering  the  Society  this  memo- 
rial of  the  abolition  movement,  and 
of  New  Hampshire's  part  in  it,  I 
did  not  expect  to  make  it  the  subject 
of  any  public  comment,  but  your  in- 
vitation has  suggested  to  me  the  ques- 
tion whether  it  may  not  be  necessary 
to  say  something  by  way  of  explana- 
tion, or  of  reminder,  if  for  no  other 
reason.  The  present  generation  never 
stood  face  to  face  with  slavery.  It 
has  no  adequate  conception  of  the 
barbarism  so  deeply  rooted  in  the  so- 
cial   system   where    slavery   prevailed, 


that  Congress  is  struggling  at  this 
very  hour,  more  than  half  a  century 
after  the  legal  extinction  of  slavery, 
with  one  of  the  direct  survivals  of 
it.  The  satanic  orgies  of  Southern 
mobs  in  burning  negroes  at  the  stake 
have  made  us  a  name  of  reproach 
around  the  world.  The  people  of  to- 
day have  forgotten  the  abolitionists 
and  have  no  realizing  sense  of  what 
they  were  or  what  they  did  or  suf- 
fered. Parker  Pillsbury 's  home  was 
in  this  town  and  city  of  Concord  for 
half  a  century  or  more,  and  he  was 
for  many  years  as  well  known  a 
figure,  almost,  as  any  in  this  corner  of 
the  country,  yet  it  would  not  surprise 
me  to  know  that  there  are  but  few 
people  living  in  Concord  or  in  New 
Hampshire  to-day  who  would  recog- 
nize his  name  if  they  heard  it,  or 
know  anything  of  the  part  he  bore  in 
the  moral  warfare  that  led  up  to  the 
abolition  of  slavery.  In  his  later 
years  he  published  a  book,  under  the 
characteristic  title  "Acts  of  the  An- 
ti-Slavery Apostles,"  in  which  he 
records  his  concurrence  in  Cato's 
caustic  remark  upon  statues  that 
have  to  be  accounted  for,  in  which  I 
agree,  and  while  I  think  he  would 
have  disclaimed  any  such  distinction, 
if  I  felt  that  reasons  need  be  given 
for  remembering  him  in  a  perma- 
nent memorial  I  should  not  be  here 
on  this  errand. 

The  relation  of  the  abolitionists  to 
the  social  order  of  their  time  was 
much  like  that  of  the  early  Christians. 
whose  experiences  they  shared,  even 
to  a  martyrdom  hardly  less  cruel,  if 
less  bloody,  than  that  of  the  Roman 


7- 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


amphitheatre.  The  slave-power,  ag- 
gressive and  defiant,  dominated  the 
country  and  was  advancing"  with 
startling  strides  toward  making  slav- 
ery universal.  To  attack  it  in  its  en- 
trenchments called  for  moral  heroism 
of  a  high  order.  The  men  who  first 
rose  to  that  duty  became  the  leaders 
of  the  abolition  movement.  Their 
part  in  the  destruction  of  slavery 
has  been  questioned  by  some  who  see 
history  as  they  would  have  preferred 
to  have  it,  but  I  think  the  final  judg- 
ment   must  be    that    the  abolitionists 


Parker  Pillsbury 

were  the  pioneers  who  cleared  the 
ground  for  the  march  of  our  vic- 
torious armies.  Every  man  who  fell 
on  the  battlefields  of  the  Rebellion 
died  in  the  cause  for  which  they 
wrought.  The  war,  though  called  a 
war  for  the  Union,  was  in  truth  a 
war  about  slavery,  and  about  nothing 
else.  Their  appeal  was  only  to  con- 
science; they  could  not  gather  in  bal- 
lots the  harvest  they  had  sown,  but 
at  the  opportune  moment  appeared  the 
great  last  prophet  of  the  cause,  who 
denounced  the  house  divided  against 


itself  and  coupled  the  moral  forces 
of  abolition  to  the  train  of  events 
that  brought  in  Emancipation  and  a 
Union  without  slavery,  trie  only  thing 
that  ever  threatened  the  Union. 

I  cannot  take  the  time  of  this 
meeting  to  enlarge  upon  the  epic  of 
abolition  or  to  say  more  of  Parker 
Pillsbury  than  to  sketch  in  the  brief- 
est outline  enough  of  him.  to  give  this 
audience  a  background  for  the  im- 
agination. Pie  whs  brought  from 
his  birthplace  in  Hamilton,  Massa- 
chusetts, as  a  child  in  arms,  and 
grew  up  on  his  father's  farm  in  Hen- 
niker,  early  developing  qualities  that 
led  his  pious  parents  to  devote  him 
to  the  Congregational  ministry.  For 
this  he  took  the  training  of  the  short- 
lived Gilmanton  seminary,  and  a  sea- 
son at  Andover.  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and  undertook  the  supply  of 
a  little  church  in  Loudon.  Even  then 
he  had  heard  and  answered  the  call 
of  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  from 
that  time  until  the  final  overthrow  of 
slavery  he  was  at  the  forefront  of 
battle  in  the  abolition  cause,  aban- 
doning the  church  for  its  guilty  fel- 
lowship as  he  called  it,  truly  enough, 
with  the  slaveholder.  To  the  sum- 
mons of  the  church  and  conference 
for  expulsion  he  replied  "I  have  al- 
ready excommunicated  you,  for  your 
complicity   in  the   sins   of   slavery." 

In  leaving  the  pulpit  to  follow 
Garrison  he.  of  course,  exchanged  at 
the  outset  all  his  worldly  prospects 
for  social  ostracism,  broken  friend- 
ships, public  and  private  contumely, 
mob  violence,  of  which  he  was  more 
than  once  the  object  if  not  the  vic- 
tim, threats  of  indictment,  and  offers 
in  Southern  newspapers  of  a  price  for 
his  head,  all  of  which  were  part  of 
his  reward.  The  very  name  of  abo- 
litionist not  only  closed  every  door 
of  preferment  but  went  far  to  out- 
law the  bearer  from  respectable  so- 
ciety. 

As  a  platform  orator  in  the  anti- 
slavery     field,    the     press     and    other 


PARKER    PILLSBURY 


75 


chronicles  of  his  time  appear  to  re- 
gard him  as  second  only  to  Garrison 
and  Phillips.  In  the  force  of  his 
blow  I  think  some  of  those  on  whom 
it  fell  might  not  regard  him  as  sec- 
ond to  any.  Honeyed  words  were  no 
part  of  any  abolitionist's  equipment, 
but  Parker  Pillsbtiry's  were  likened 
to  "red-hot  iron  searers."A  contempo- 
rary said  that  while  other  abolition 
orators  spoke.  Pillsbury  lightened,  and 
thundered.  He  never  hesitated  to 
startle  or  even  to  shock  his  hearers, 
believing  that  by  no  other  means 
could  they  be  brought  to  a 
realizing  sense  of  the  all-embracing 
iniquities  of  slavery,  and  in  this  be- 
lief he  poured  out  upon  their  frozen 
apathy  the  fiercest  heat  of  the  invec- 
tive of  which  he  was  master,  until  he 
became,  perhaps,  the  best-hated  and 
reviled  of  all  the  reviled  and  hated 
tribe  of  abojition  agitators.  He 
seems  to  have  had  the  spirit  of  pro- 
phecy upon  him,  and  it  was  his  con- 
stant prediction  from  the  beginning 
that  American  slavery  was  destined 
to  go  down  in  blood. 

It  would  not  become  me,  and  I 
have  no  purpose  or  desire,  to  mag- 
nify his  service  or  his  merits.  I  pre- 
fer to  leave  him  as  the  men  of  his 
own  time  saw  him,  the  men  who  knew 
him  best — a  striking  figure,  evident- 
ly, upon  which  many  writers  were 
tempted  to  try  their  hand.  Among 
the  pen-portraits  of  Parker  Pillsbury 
which  have  come  down  in  the  litera- 
ture of  that  period  are  two,  each 
drawn  from  life  by  the  hand  of  a 
master,  so  vigorous  and  yivid  that: 
they  ought  to  be  left  here  with  the 
sculptured    image. 

In  James  Russell  Lowell's  works 
will  be  found  a  series  of  sketches, 
struck  off  with  mingled  sympathy  and 
humor,  of  the  leading  figures  in 
anti-slavery  convention  at  Boston  in 
1846,  where  Parker  Pillsbury  appears 
in  action  in  these  lines: — 

"Beyond,   a   crater   in   each   eye, 
Sways     brown,     broad-shouldered     Pills- 
bury, 


Who   tears   up    words,   like   trees,   by   the 
roots, 

A   Theseus   in    stout   cowhide   boots; 
The    wager    of   eternal    war 
Against   that   loathsome    Minotaur 
To   which   we    sacrifice   each   year 
The   best   blood  of  our  Athens  here. 

A    terrible    denouncer    he. 
Old   Sinai   burns  unquenchably 
Upon    his    lips;    he    well    might   be   a 
Hot-blazing  soul  from   fierce  Jud'ea, 
Habakuk,    Ezra,    or    Hosea." 

So  he  appeared  to  Lowell,  who 
was  not  alone  in  likening  him  to  the 
fiery   souls  of   Hebrew   scripture. 

One  of  Emerson's  essays  on  Elo- 
quence has  a  passage  which  I  always 
believed  to  have  been  written  with 
Parker  Pillsbury  in  mind,  but  ■  was 
never  assured  of  this  until  his  Jour- 
nals were  published  by  his  son  a  few 
years  ago,  when  the  fact  stood  con- 
fessed. I  give  it  as  it  appears  in  the 
Journal,  fresh  from  the  occasion, 
from  which  it  was  transcribed  into 
the  essay  with  little  change. 

"We  go  to  the  bar,  the  senate,  the 
shop,  the  study,  as  peaceful  professions, 
but  you  cannot  escape  the  demands  for 
courage,  no,  not  in  the  shrine  of  Peace 
itself.  Pillsbury,  whom  I  heard  last 
night,  is  the  very  gift  from  New  Hamp- 
shire which  we  have  long  expected,  a 
tough  oak-stick  of  a  man,  not  to  be 
silenced  or  insulted  or  intimidated  by  a 
mo!),  because  he  is  more  mob  than  they; 
he^  mobs  the  mob.  John  Knox  is  come 
at  last  on  whom  neither  money,  nor  po- 
liteness, nor  hard  words,  nor  rotten 
eggs,  nor  blows,  nor  brickbats,  make 
the  slightest  impression.  He  is  fit  to 
meet  the  bar-room  wits  and  bullies;  he 
is  a  wit  and  a  bully  himself,  and  some- 
thing more:  he  is  a  graduate  of  the 
plough  and  the  cedar  swamp  and  the 
snow-bank,  and  has  nothing  to  learn 
of  labor  or  poverty  or  the  rough  farm. 
His  hard  head,  too,  has  gone  through 
in  boyhood  all  the  drill  of  Calvinism, 
with  text  and  mortification,  so  that  he- 
stands  in  the  New  England  assembly 
a  purer  bit  of  New  England  than  any 
ancl  flings  his  sarcasms  right  and  left, 
sparing  no  name  or  person  or  party  or 
presence.  He  has  not  only  the  docu- 
ments in  his  pocket  to  answer  all  cavils, 
and  to  prove  all  his  positions,  but  he 
has   the  eternal   reason   in    his   head."' 

With  this  I  leave  him  to  a  place 
hi  your  gallery  of  New  Hampshire 


.76  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

worthies.  I  believe  it  was  Andrew  thought,  Of  these  Parker  Pills- 
Fletcher  of  Saltoun  who  said  that  bury  in  his  degree  was  one,  at  a 
one  need  not  care  who  makes  the  time  when  the  fate  of  the  country. 
laws  of  a  nation  if  he  can  make  its  a  country  worth  saving  and  desper- 
ballads.  The  meaning"  of  this  is  ately  needing  to  be  saved  from  the 
that  the  men  of  real  influence  in  the  sin  which  he  denounced,  was  trem- 
world,  the  men  wlio  control  events,  bling  in  the  balance,  and  to  this  he 
are  not  the  titled  puppets  that  mas-  gave  all  that  he  was.  all  that  he  had, 
querade  in  the  places  of  power  but  and  all  that  he  could  expect  in  this 
the  men  who  stir  the  public  feeling  world,  without  fear  or  hope  of  re- 
and    shape      the      course      of      public  ward. 


WHEN  THE  BIRDS  FLY  NORTH 

By  AltJiinc  S holes  Lear 

They  have  spread  their  dainty  pinions  — 

Little,   feathered   friends  of  ours — 
They  have  flirted  to  the  Southland, 

With  its  sunshine  and  its  flowers. 
And   we   miss   their   merry   music 

From  the  hillside  and  the  glen. 
But  when  wintry  days  are  over. 

Then  the  birds  will  come  again. 


If  our  courage  sometimes  falters 

When   the   days   are   dark   and   cold, 
And  the  burden  seems  too  heavy 

For  our  tired   hands  to  hold ; 
'Tis  a  glad   thing   to   remember 

That  these  days  will  pass,  and   then 
There  will  come  a  happy  spring-time. 

And  the  birds  fly  North  again. 

There  are  warm,  red  rosebuds  sleeping 

Underneath  the  ice  and  snow; 
There  are  days  of  rest  and  gladness 

That   our   happy   hearts    shall   know. 
'Tis  the  very  sweetest  message. 

And  it  cheers  the  hearts  of  men. 
There   will  come  a  brighter   morrow 

When  the  birds  fly  North  again. 


-7? 


HOME  SPUN  YARNS  FROM  THE 
RED    BARN   FARM 


Bv  Zilla  G conic  Dcx 


I. 


An   All  Day  Visit 
(Continued) 

Springing  to  her  feet,  the  little 
lad}'  shook  out  the  crushed  folds  of 
her  pretty  muslin,  and  was  standing 
before  the  quaint  mirror  patting 
here  and  there  her  tousled  head 
when  the  kitchen  door  opened  with 
a  bang.  Mrs.  Bowles,  blowsy  and 
heated  and  swinging  a  Shaker  sun- 
bonnet  by  the  'string,  entered  the 
square-room  and  threw  herself 
down  upon  one  of  the  straight- 
backed  chairs. 

"Wal,'  if  this  ain't  a  day  to  be 
remembud,''  she.  ejaculated,  going 
on  as  usual,  unmindful  of  all  voices 
save  her  own.  "Ain't  you  most 
starved,  Mis'  Ndrris?  I  worried 
about  ye,  but  I  hadn't  no  time  to 
waste  on  ye.  Sich  a  thing  never's 
happened  to  me  before.  Prob'ly 
ev'rybuddy  down  t'  the  Works  is 
wonderin'  what  under  the  sun  has 
come  across  Mandy  Bowles'  cause 
'er  diner-horn  hain't  blowed.  But 
if  1  can't  blow  on  time  I  don't  blow. 
Catch  me  advertisim  ray  own  shif- 
lisniss.  But  as  I  wras  savin',  this 
day'll  be  remembud." 

The  woman  paused  to  indulge  in 
a  prolonged  breath,  when  Ploomy 's 
voice  joined  with  Mrs.  Xorris, 
"Mother,  do  tell  us  what  has  hap- 
pened. Stop  your  talkin'  and  tell 
us." 

Mandy  turned  sharply  on  her 
daughter,  "Ploomy  Bowles,"  she 
exclaimed,  "I'd  clean  forgot  ye. 
O  Lord !  how  red  your  cheeks  is. 
And  your  eyes  is  brighter'n  they 
ought  t'be.  You  go  right  up  stairs 
and  lay  down  this  minute.  Go  I 
tell  ye.     Mother  doesn't  like  to  see 


you  lookin'  so  all  flushed  up  and 
worrited." 

Ploomy,  casting  a  bright  glance 
on  her  new-found  friend,  arose 
quietly  and  left  the  jloom,  while 
her  mother  began  her  tardy  ex- 
planations. 

"Wal,'  she  commenced,  "I  was  jest 
goin'  to  blow,  right  on  tick  as  usual, 
when  Phibby  come  tumblin'  over 
the  garden  wall  hollerin,'  'Marm, 
Father  says,  you'n  Liddy  git  a 
couple  long-necked  bottles  and  a 
kittle  o'b'iliir  water  an'  stiver  for 
the  field.'  I  knew  what  that 
meant.  Old  Suke,  our  best  hoss, 
was  havin'  nuther  one  of  her 
spells  of  colic.  She  likes  to  die 
with  'em  sometimes.  But  it's  all 
over  now,  and  Suke's  in  the 
barn  right  as  a  trivit,  thanks  to 
the  Elder.  He  had  a  parcil  of 
hoss-medicine  in  his  buggy.  That 
saved  the  day,  or  the  hoss.  He's 
a  sight  better  hoss-cloctor  than  he'll 
ever  be  a  preacher  in  my  opinion. 
Now  don't  flare  up,  little  woman, 
he  wras  our  'boy  minister'  afore  he 
was  your'n ;  and  there  ain't  a  house 
in  the  hull  town  where  the  Elder 
ain't  counted  one  of  the  fam'ly; 
nor  Priest  Burt  nuther.  He's  the 
Congregationlist  preacher,  and  he 
can  preach  too ;  but  of  course  he  is 
older  and  a  sight  more  ministerfied." 

"Why  do  you  call  Mr.  Burt, 
Priest?"  choked  the  brave  little 
woman,  eager  to  change  the 
subject. 

"Same  as  we  Baptists  call  our 
man,  Elder;  so'st  not  to  git  'em 
mixed  s'pose.  I  should  like  to 
know  what  they  all  are  savin' 
though,  down  to  the  works  'cause 
my  dinner-horn  didn't  blow.  Le's 
go  out  in  the  kitchen  now,  the  men- 


78 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


folks  will  be  right  in,  and  Liddy's 
got  the  dinner  on  by  this  time. 
Tain't  sp'iled  nuth'er,  for  baked 
beans  and  Injun  puddin*  Is  all  the 
better   for   standin'   a   spell." 

Mandy's  kitchen,  where  the  din- 
ner-table was  spread,  looked  whole- 
some and  homelike,  from  it.-  shin- 
ing spruce-yellow  floor  to  the  Mon- 
day's wash,  faultlessly  laundered 
and  hung  high  overhead  to  air,  on 
slender  bars  suspended  from  the 
ceiling. 

The  wide-open  South  door,  with 
casings  slightly  sagging,  framed  a 
rare  picture,  blurred  today  by  a  smoky 
atmosphere  and  the  scorched  effects 
of  a  summer's  drought.  A  picture 
of  bare  and  lofty  peaks,  near  and 
distant,  with  a  deep  and  narrow 
valley  winding  southward  its  pano- 
ramic way  among  bold  foothills ;  here 
a  miniature  canyon,  there  broaden- 
ing into  sunny  meadows  and  every- 
where watched  by  close-peeping 
summits. 

Within  this  valley,  overlooked  from 
the  high  ridge  of  the  Red  Barn 
Farm,  a  small  village  or  hamlet,  was 
slowly  building,  along  the  narrow 
meadows  that  fringed  two  moun- 
tain streams.  The  one,  a  true 
cavalier  from  the  heights,  leaping, 
dancing,  noisy  with  bravado,  hurry- 
ing" to  his  tryst ;  the  other,  dallying 
through  the  low-lands,  dreaming 
in  the  pools,  at  last  to  steal  out 
from  under  the  hem  of  the  hill, 
there  to  be  caught  in  the  ripple  and 
swirl   of   meeting   waters. 

High  on  the  bank  above  the 
united  streams.  an  iron-furnace 
reared  its  belching  .smoke-stack. 
This  busy  intruder  with  forge,  and 
shop,  and  sooty  coal-sheds  on  the 
island,  sorely  vexed,  (with  its  dams 
and  bridges.)  the  once  untrammel- 
led river.  Maddened  by  a  sudden 
storm  from  the  mountain,  the  swol- 
len torrent  roared  over  the  dam  and 
through  the  sluices,  foaming  arid  bit- 
ing at  its  banks  until  its  wild   bej- 


lowings  were  plainly  heard  at  the 
old  South  door. 

Today.  Sally  Norris  stands  there, 
watching  the  leisurely  approach  of 
trie  ''men-folks"  toward  the  house 
after  giving  a  last  look  at  old  Suke, 
now  quietly  nibbling  at  her  hay. 
Evidently  no  one  is  seriously  dis- 
turbed by  Mandy's  last  threat  to 
"clear  them  vittles  off  n  the  table," 
if  she  waited  another  minute.  In- 
stead all  were  gravely  discussing 
the  increasing  signs  of  fire,  "mullin' 
away  somewhere  on  the  mountain." 
Sallv  looked  at  her  husband  with 
dismay  and  decided  disapproval, 
but  met  such  a  deprecatory  glance 
from  his  eye  that  she  refrained  from 
farther  noticing  that  the  men.  the 
minister  with  them,  were  coming  into 
dinner,  collarless  and  in  their  shirt- 
sleeves, after  their  vigorous  wash 
and  scrub  at  the  log  water-trough. 

With  janey,  Mrs.  Norris  tripped 
down  the  worn  path  to  meet  good 
Mr.  Bowles.  Very  tall,  thin  and 
loose-jointed,  he  came  toward  her 
extending  a  broad,  cleanly  palm 
which  she  took  smilingly,  assured 
of   its   gentle   grasp. 

"Wal/  wal,'  Sister  Norris."  with 
his  genial  drawl,  "I'm  real  glad  ye 
come  up  terday,  you'n  the  Elder. 
'Tain't  very  pleasant  but  it  might 
ben  wuss.  Here's  Elijah,  my  fust- 
born."  he  continued,  giving  place  to 
a  young  man  as  tall  as  himself, 
though  well-knit  and  far  from  awk- 
ward. "Son,  this  is  the  Elder's 
little   woman." 

Looking  up  into  steady  grey  eyes, 
listening  to  a  quiet  greeting,  the 
"little  woman"  thought,  "he  might 
have  ben  wuss  too."  though  the 
manly  young  man  blushed  like  a 
maiden. 

"This  'ere  is  Steve, — Steve  Hough- 
ton." Mr.  Bowles  continued  intro- 
ducing, "he's  ben  our  hired  man  for 
fifteen  year  past.  But."  with  a  sad 
shake  of  the  head,  "Abby  Ann  Bar- 
ritt's  growin'  powerful  winninV 


HOME  SPUN  YARNS  FROM  THE  RED  BARN  FARM 


79 


At  a  distance  Mr.  Houghton  im- 
pressed Mrs.  Norris  unpleasantly;  but 

on  nearer  approach,  all  suggestion  of 
dark  deeds  or  smugglers'  caves  van- 
ished. She  met  a  somewhat  con- 
ceited "Old  Bach"  with  voice  like 
^Ik. 

The  rascal  of  the  family  was  yet 
invisible.  Only  as  the  last  chairs 
were  being  drawn  up  to  the  table 
with  much  clatter,  especially  by  the 
"extra  men,"  did  he  appear.  Mrs. 
Xorris  heard  a  remembered  voice  at 
her  elbow.  "Say,  can  you  spell  my 
name  today.  Teacher?"  She  turned 
to  recognize  the  same  black-eyed,  cur- 
ly-headed boy  who  nearly  tortured 
her  to  tears,  in  her  first  attempt  at 
Sunday-school  teaclmig.  There  he 
stood  grinning,  hare-foot,  with  Sun- 
day pants  rolled  high.  face,  neck  and 
even  knuckles  pink  from  Liddy's  re- 
lentless  scrubbing. 

"Me-phih-o-sheth  Bowles,"  sparred 
Sally,  "I'll  not  attempt  your  cranky 
name  until  I  have  eaten  my  dinner. 
Take  your  seat,   sir." 

With  a  saucy  giggle  the  boy  obeyed, 
and  the  big  bowl  of  cider  applesauce 
intervening,  was  an  unconscious  wit- 
ness to  the  merry-eyed  pact  of  good- 
fellowship  formed  that  day  to  be 
culminated,  years  later,  in  heart- 
breaking tenderness  on  the  distant 
field  of  Shiloh> 

Now  came  the  perfect  hush,  so 
familiar  in  those  days,  and  the  simple 
giving  of  thanks,  after  which,  Mr. 
Bowles  heartily  urged, — 

"Now  dew  take  right  holt  an'  help 
yerselves.  We  don't  have  no  mar- 
ners,"  adding,  "Brother  Norris,  see 
that  your  wife  gits  a  good  holpin'  o' 
beans  and  brown  bread ;  Mother's 
brick  oven  turns  out  good  victuals. 
You  can  always  count  on  that.  Have 
some  of  her  cowcumbers,  rum- 
pickled,  put  up  tew  year  ago.  Some 
twang}%  but  that  don't  hurt  'Gm.,y 
,"Yis,  I'm  a  marster  hand,  to  pickle 
and  put  up,"  chimed  in  Mandy.  "I 
always    calcerlate    to  have    'nough  to 


give  'way.  The  shif'less  ye  have  al- 
ways round  ye.  But  now  there  ain't 
sctirce  a  cowcumber  nor  any  other 
garden  sass,  or  1  wouldn't  het  up  my 
brick  oven  this  time  o'  year,  minis- 
ter or  no  minister." 

The  platters  and  yellow  nappies 
emptied  of  the  richly  flavored  beans 
and  "Injun  puddin,",  Liddy  of  the 
deft  hand  and  quiet  step,  replaced 
them;  with  plates  of  milk-yeast  bread, 
solid  pats  of  butter,  .  and  generous 
bowls  of  preserved  "Canada  plums." 
floating  like  monster  rubies  in  their 
rich,  translucent  syrup.  There  were 
big  cubes  of  maple-sugar  sweet  cake, 
twisted  nut-cakes,  spiced  with  cara- 
way, the  like  of  which  this  generation 
may  only  dream  of  and  pies,  of 
course,  with  bronzed  and  tender 
crust,  flanked  by  plates  of  Mandy's 
cheese. 

-With  renewed  cups  of  tea.  general 
conversation    began. 

"Stephen,"  said  Mr.  Norris,  after 
helping  his  wife  to  the  plums,  "you 
were  speaking  of  a  gang  of  counter- 
feiters who  have  been  ranging-  the 
mountains  lately,  and  of  their  care- 
lessness with  fire;  you  said  they 
camped  near  Mormon  City.  Where  is 
that  city?  Is  there  a  buried  city  as 
well  as  a  lost  river  in  this  wonderful 
region   of   the   North   Woods?" 

While  the  rest  were  laughing  and 
joking  at  the  minister's  expense, 
Stephen  reached  his  long  arm  in  its 
clean,  white  shirt-sleeve,  half-way 
across  the  table,  and  inserting  his  own 
knife  underneath  a  juicy  triangle  of 
applepie,  he  adroitly  transferred  it  to 
his  own  plate,  together  with  a  "hunk" 
of  cheese  and  the  biggest  doughnut. 

Now  that  his  favorite  dessert  was 
secured,  he  expressed  a  willingness 
to  impart  all  the  information  needed. 

"Eh,"  sniffed  Mandy.  "There's  jest 
one  thing,  Steve  Houghton,  is  al- 
ways ready  to  give  and  that's  infor- 
mation." 

Undisturbed,  Stephen  began,  "No 
doubt,   Elder,   you   have    followed  up 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Ham  Branch,  mam's  the  time,  to 
call  on  that  good  man,  Elder  Cogs- 
well/*' 

"Certainly,  certainly."  choked  the 
minister,  his  mouth   full  of  pie. 

"Well,"  proceeded  the  narrator,  in 
his  most  ponderous  style,  that  never 
tailed  to  nettle  Mandy,  "Well,  it  you 
had  followed  that  road  far  enough, 
YOU  would  have  struck  the  Old  Coun- 
ty road  that  leads  over  the  Benton 
Hills  to  Haverhill ;  the  very  road  (on- 
ly a  hard-trod  Indian  trail  then,  pro- 
bably hundreds  of  years  old.)  by 
which  our  first  white  settlers  came 
into  this  Francony  region,  as  late  as 
seventeen  seventy- four,  or'  there- 
abouts. The  country  was  wild  as 
snakes.  The  first  ten  years,  there 
were  killing  frosts,  war  with  Britain, 
the  Indian  scare,  with  no  mills,  no 
roads,  no  bridges ;  though  there  was 
a  log  school-house  and  a  meeting- 
house is  referred  to  in  the  Proprie- 
tor's Books  as  the  proper  place  to 
post  their  notices,  'being  the  most  fre- 
quented   public    place.'  " 

'"That  sartin  speaks  well  for  'em," 
interrupted  good  Mr.  Bowles.  "They 
might  have  ben  wuss ;  and  they  do 
say,  Artemas  Knight,  our  fust  set- 
tler, was  powerful  in  prayer,  and  as 
kind-hearted  and  honist  as  he  was 
pious.     Well  to  do,  too." 

"Shet  up.  Siah,  and  pass  the  Elder 
some  of  my  sage  cheese.  Don't  be- 
lieve he's  had  a  speck." 

"After  the  settlers  had  lost  all 
their  titles,  through  the  war  of  the 
charters."  Stephen  went  calmly  on. 
"everybody  was  for  leaving  the  val- 
ley to  grow  up  to  wilderness  again. 
But  about  that  time,  they  began  to 
dig  first-class  ore  out  of  Iron  Moun- 
tain ;  they  formed  the  Haverhill  and 
Franconia  Iron  Company,  and  built 
a  small  furnace,  (the  first  one  in 
town,  all  the  old  folks  tell  me,)  a 
mile  or  so  up  the  valley  on  Ham 
Branch.  From  there  they  followed 
a  road  up  the  steepest  of  the  hill  to 
the  mine,  because  it  was  nearer,  and 
all  the  ore  was  hauled  bv  oxen.     The 


Upper  Works,  as  we  call  it  now,  must 
have  been  a  smart,  busy,  little  place 
for  those  days.  There  were  the  fur- 
nace buildings,  neat  and  snug,  on 
both,  sides  of  the  Branch  and  a  good- 
sired  store,  with  a  hall  for  meeti  ig< 
and  the  like;  besides,  there  were  nigh 
a  dozen  houses,  not  counting  the 
haunted  house,  nor  the  big  one  on 
the  bank  above  the  grist-mill.  It 
was  a  pretty  spot,  with  the  pond 
spreading  from  hill  to  hill,  and 
farms  scattered  around  on  the  hill- 
sides. But  they  built  a  larger  fur- 
nace here  on  the  river,  and  since 
that  one  at  the  Upper  Works  was 
burned,  they  have  been  hauling  that 
first  little  village  down  here  house 
by  house.  There'll  be  nothing  left 
on  the  Branch  but  cellar-holes  and 
scrub  growth;  the  town  is  going  to 
forget  and  perhaps  deny  its  own 
birth-place." 

Mandy  had  reached  across  the 
table  and  rilled  Steve's  cup  with  boil- 
ing tea,  its  acrid  fumes  beguiling  him 
to   pause    and   take    a  cautious   soop. 

"Now  Elder,"  she  cut  in,  "have 
another  piece  of  my  dried  rosb'ry 
pie.  Good,  ain't  it?  Made  it  pupus 
for  ye.  You'll  need  it  too,  'fore  you 
ever  see  Mormon  City  at  this  rate," 
schemed  the  hustler.  "I  say,  Steve, 
I'll  take  the  Elder  a  shorter  trip, 
while  you  catch  up  with  them  vic- 
tuals on  your  plate  there." 

Janey  slipped  from  her  chair,  gave 
Phib's  curls  a  sly  twitch,  and  vani- 
shed through  the  South  door,  the  boy 
following,    with   a   whoop    of     relief. 

All  the  men,  save  Stephen,  had 
moved  their  seats  a  space  from  the 
table,  each  taking  a  comfortable  posi- 
tion, and  were  now  busily  manipula- 
ting their  goose-quill  tooth-picks. 
Mrs.  Norris  had  volunteered,  and 
was  quietly  helping  Liddy  "clear  off 
the  table,"  good-natureclly  assisted 
by  the  hired  men,  around  whom  they 
both  were  obliged  to  circulate. 

"Now,  Elder,"  said  Mrs.  Bowles, 
"come  with  me  down  East  Landaf 
way,   and   up   among   the   hills   there, 


HdME  SPUX  VARXS  FROM  THE  RED  BARN  FARM 


81 


on  the  flank  of  old  Kinsman,  you'll 
find  all  there  is  left  of  Mormon  City, 
Nothing  not  even  a  sunken  holler. 
Much  less  a  broken  door-stone,  with 
an  old  lilock  hush,  or  clump  of  cin- 
namon roses  nigh;  though  ther's 
slathers  of  Bouncin'  'Bets'  in  places, 
tjbe)  say.  There  used  to  be  a  little 
graveyard.  But  the  angels  couldn't 
find  it  now.  The  place  is  all  grow- 
in'  up  thick,  to  young  timber  with 
miles  of  stun  wall  windin'  through 
it.  that  used  to  mark  off  fields  and 
pastures.  Now  there's  the  city, 
Elder,  I  can  tell  ye  more  about  it  if 
ye  want  to  listen;  somethiiT  of  a  story 
though.  But  just  as  you  say,  seem' 
your  wife's  lielpin'  Liddy  do  the 
dishes ;  and  these  hired  men  can  mog 
off  to  the  field  any  time  now,  no- 
buddy'll    miss    'em." 

The  minister  had  begged  for  the 
story,  Steve  had  at  last  left  the  table 
and  was  happy  with  his  toothpick, 
and  the  "extry  men"  had  taken  Airs. 
Bowies'  sharp  hint,  and  "mogged  off" 
to  the  held  to  finish  their  day's  reap- 
ing- 

"Wei'  as  I  was  goin'  to  say,"  began 
Mandy,  seated  in  her  splintbottomed 
arm-chair  by  the  South  door,  her  fly- 
ing knitting-needles  vying  with  her 
tongue,  "them  settlers  want  no  Mor- 
mons when  they  'fust  come  to  these 
parts.  My  Gran'ther  Spooner  used 
to  trade  cattle  with  'em  in  his  young 
days.  He  called  'em  honist  and 
close-fisted  in  their  deal,  and  their 
wimmin'- folks,  he  said,  was  good 
house-keepers  and  poor  gadabouts; 
uncommon  good-lookin'  too,  he  said. 
And  their  farms  was  prosperous. 
'Bout  the  time  their  boys  and  gals 
was  gruwed  up  to  sparkin'  age,  a 
stranger  come  snoopin'  round  these 
parts.  There  wa'n't  nothin'  par- 
ticular ag'inst  'im  fust  off.  But  when 
folks,  spesh'ly  young  folks  got  to  be 
carried  away  with  him,  he  let  it  leak 
out  that  he  was  a  Mormon  Elder, 
and  he  'pointed  meetin's  round  in  the 
school-houses.  When  the  news  got  to 
good  old  Elder  Quimby's  ears,  you'd 


better  believe  there  was  some  hust- 
ling in  the  dock  and  the  Mormon 
come  up  mis'siri' ;  'xactly  like  a 
wolf  that  had  ben  sneakin'  round 
a  sheep-pen.  But  the  next  day  they 
heerd.  he  was  up  in  the  mountain 
district  makin'  converts  and  baptizin' 
of  'em  every  Sunday  up  there  in  the 
pool.  But  one  Sunday  he  had  a  big- 
ger aud'yance  and  one  more  candidate 
then   he  was  expectin'. 

"\YaF,  as  I  was  tellin'"  Mandy  had 
stopped  to  set  her  seam,  "one  Sun- 
da}",  not  as  I  approve,  some  boys  got 
cur'ous  as  boys  will,  and  went  up 
there  on  the  sly  and  hid  'mong  the 
thick  spruces  on  the  high  bank  of 
the  pool.  The  lit'list  shaver  among 
'em,  (prob'ly  a  Noyes  or  maybe  an 
Edwards,  all  nice  folks)  shinned  up 
a  slim  birch  that  leaned  over  the 
water.  The  boys  could  see  right  off 
that  there  wa'n't  any  high  jinks  go- 
in'  to  be  performed ;  there  was  nothin' 
dif'runt  from  Elder  Quimby's  bap- 
tisums ;  jest  a  gatherin'  on  the  shaller 
bank  of  the  pool,  with  him  readin'  to 
'em.  When  he  shet  up  his  book,  a 
woman  begun  to  sing.  My  old 
gran'ther  has  heered  Zeb  Young  tell 
this  many's  the  time,  and  he  was  the 
biggest  rogue  among  'em. 

"Zeb  always  said  that  he  didn't  see 
the  woman  fust  off,  and  that  he 
sartin  thought  it  was  one  of  them 
birds  what  we  hear  singin'  deep  in 
the  woods,  thrushes,  Steve  calls  'em ; 
but  when  he  heered  words  that  sound- 
ed like  'All  to  leave  and  follow;  he 
peeked  through  the  thick  boughs,  he 
said,  and  see  the  woman  standin'  and 
singin'  and  looking  up  into  the  sky, 
with  the  sunshine  fallin'  down  all 
round  her,  and  in  the  pool.  Then  the 
Elder  stepped  down  into  it.  Zeb 
said,  that  all  at  once,  he  felt  so  mad 
at  the  old  hypocritter  breakin'  up 
homes,  and  hearts,  maybe,  that'e  just 
had  to  do  somethin'  particular  mean. 
So  he  grabbed  up  his  axe,  that  he 
had  brung  along  to  hack  off  spruce- 
gum  with,  and  struck  it  plumb  into 
the  slim  birch;  the  sca't  little  imp  in 


82 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


it,  lost  holt,  and  went  down  ker- 
splash  into  the  deepest  part  of  the 
pool.  Zeb  and  the  other  boys  waited 
jest  long  'n'ough  to  see  the  Elder  fish 
him  out,  gaspin'  and  sputterm*.  The 
old  teller  shook  him  dry,  all  right, 
but  when  the  little  chap  caught  up 
with  the  other  boys  most:  home  he 
showed  'em  his  pockits  stuffed  with 
apples,  them  good  folks  had  gi'n  Tm." 

"They  might  'ave  lien  wuss,  wuss," 
whispered  kind  Mr.  Bowles,  as  his 
wife  paused  to  measure  on  her  fin- 
ger, the  length  of  the  stocking-leg 
she  was  knitting. 

"They  might  have  ben  more  level- 
headed too."  she  resumed,  tartly. 
"} Towsomever,  late  in  the  fall,  some 
hunters  from  down  below,  come, 
trapesin'  over  the  mountain  and  lost 
themselves.  'T  was  a  bright  ..moon- 
light night,  hunter's  moon'  you  know, 
but  they  was  pesky  glad  to  strike  a 
clearin'.  They  couldn't  seem  to  rouse 
nobuddy  at  the  fust  two  cabins,  so 
they  went  on,  thinkin'  the  folks  was 
all  gone  to  a  buskin',  likely.  But  the 
third  cabin-door  stood  wide  open 
with  the  moonlight  shining  still  and 
solemn  on  the  white  floor,  like  can- 
dle-light on  a  dead  face.  Wal,  them 
bold  hunters  never  stopt  ag'in  till 
they  got  to  the  old  Kinsman  place. 
There,  settin'round  a  bright  fire 
they  told  how  every  house  in  the  hull 
clearin'  was  left  stark  and  alone.  'T 
was  news  to  ev'rybuddy.  But  some 
one  hollered,  'Bet  a  hooky,  they've  all 
went  and  jined  the  big  Mormon  ex- 
odus ;  I  was  readin'  about  it  in  my 
last  Mornin'  Star.'  And  they  had. 
They'd  exodustid,  all  right.  -  They 
had  left  twenty-five  year  of  home- 
buildin'  behind ;  and,  nobuddy's  I 
know  on,  has  ever  heered  from  one 
on  'em  sence.  Now  I'm  goin'  to  set 
the  heel  of  this  'ere  stockin'." 

With  many  thanks  for  the  story, 
and  for  Stephen's  bit  of  history,  as 
well,  Mr.  Norris  soon  followed  Mr. 
Bowles,  Stephen  and  Elijah  to  the 
barn.  "The  farmers'  appropriate 
withdrawing    room,"     thought     Sally, 


envious  at  the  thought  of  wide-flung 
doors  and  bays  piled  high,  but  soon 
merrily  employed  in  the  fragrant 
depths  of  the  milk-room,  helping 
Liddy  "lift  and  turn"  the  cheese.  In 
like  simple  pleasures  passed  the  clos- 
ing hours  of  the  "all  day  visit." 

It  was  late  bed-time  at  the  farm. 
Elijah  and  Phib.  refusing  to  follow 
Stephen  into  the  close  attic  chamber, 
were  stretched  upon  the  grassy  bank. 
below  the  barn ;  while  their  father, 
after  bathing  his  tired  feet  at  the  old 
trough,  had  cast  his  length  upon  the 
ground  by  the  South  door.  Mandy 
had  brought  out  her  low  chair  to  the 
door-rock,  and  sat  by,  knitting;  she 
needed  small  light  for  "sich  work." 
The   two   were   quietly  chatting. 

"How '  the  Elder  did  enjoy  my 
blackb'xy  short-cake  for  supper,"  re- 
marked Mandy.  "He'd  e't  two 
pieces,  if  Liddy 's  custud  pie  hadn't 
ben  on  the  table.  But  where,  under 
the  sun,  did  you  and  Lige  and  him 
go  to,  his  dandy  mare  hitched  to  our 
buck-board  ?  Kept  supper  waitin' 
too." 

"Not   for  long,  Mandy.    It  might — 

"Vv'here'd  ye  go.  and  what  did  ye 
go  for.  is  what  I  asked  ye." 

"I  was  on  the  p'int  of  tellin'  ye 
Mandy,"  said  Josiah,  meekly  of- 
fended. 

"We  driv  up  over  the  Ridge,  to 
Square  Parker's.  J  wanted  to  see  'im 
on  a  little  marter  o'  law.  There  ain't 
no  better  man  to  go  to,  in  these  parts, 
for  law  and  justice,  then  Square  Par- 
ker of  Sugar  Hill.  I  told  the  Elder 
so." 

"He  knows  that ;  ev'rybuddy  does. 
But,  what  the  Elder  and  his  mare, 
and  you,  went  for,  is  what  Em  after." 
Mandy 's  needles   stabbed   viciously. 

"Wal',  to  tell  it  as  it  is,"  here  Mr. 
Bowles'  voice  dropped  confidentially, 
"the  Elder  is  in  somethin'  of .  a  fix, 
amongst  a  parcil  o'  wimmin  folks. 
down  to  the  works." 

"Siah •! — I  don't  believe  it." 

"There,  there,  Mother,  its  only, 
they've     took     a     notion     lately,    to 


HOME  SPUN  YARNS  FROM  THE  RED  BARK  FARM 


83 


borry  the  minister's  boss  an'  rig',  to 
go  to  Littleton  with,  ev'ry  time  they 
mt  mad  to  the  store,  or  want  to  spite 
voting  Letty's  bunntt  shop..  Course 
the  Elder  don't  make  it  his  business. 
what  they  go  for.  but  they  are  nigh 
sp'ilin'  as  good  a  piece  of  boss- flesh, 
as  ther  is  in  the  County.  The  crit- 
ter's all  ga'ntid  up  a'ready.  They're 
spreadin'   it  on  too  tarnal  thick." 

"No  need  swearin'  about  it,"  re- 
marked Mrs.   Bowles,  stiffly. 

He  sighed.  "Tarnal's  my  wust 
word,  Mandy,  and  you  kriOwit.  'T 
ain't  adornin'  my  perfession,  but  it 
seems  tho'f  some  fitting  word  ought 
to  beElowable — at  times." 

"Go  on,"  said  Mandy. 

"I  can  see  how'st  the  Elder,  bein'  a 
minister  so,  can't  say  'No'  to  a  parcil 
o'  fool  wimmin.  same  as  I  could;  and 
I  ain't  so  sartain  as  I  could,  come 
case  in  hand."  A  derisive  snort  from 
his  wife.  "But  as  I  was  goin'  to  tell 
you,"  he  went  on,  "the  Elder  wants 
me  to  buy  his  mare  and  promise 
never  to  trade  her  out  of  the  fam'ly. 
He's  hear'n  tell,  I'm  marster  kind  to 
my  critters;  how  Eve  walked  up  and 
down  these  'ere  hills.,  year  after  year, 
ruther'n  have  a  boss  of  mine  stand 
out  shiverin',  at  twenty  below,  or  so, 
while  I'm  warmin'  up  in  the  prayer- 
meetinV 

"What's  he  askin'  for  his  mare?" 
Mandy  was  interested.  "More  than 
we  can  give,  of  course,  seein'  she's 
a  bloodid    Morgan." 

"His  price  is  oncommon  reason- 
able,"  seems   to  me,   "Woman." 

"Him  bein'  a  minister,  you  took  her, 
at  fust  offer,  prob'ly.     Just  like  ye." 

"No,  I  didn't." 

"Why  didn't  ye?  Mark  my  word, 
Hod  Knight  will  have  that  mare. 
He's  always  ben  wan  tin'  her.  ..And 
he  ain't  cold  merlasses.  He's  got 
gump.  All  of  Deacon  Thomas'  boys 
is  smarter'n  lightnin'." 

"I  guesss  you're  pretty  tired, 
•  Mandy.  But  as  I  said,  I  told  the 
Elder,  (and  he  thought  Ed  better) 
Ed  talk  the  trade  over  with  you,  'fore 


we  c'tinched  it.  If  you  hadn't  liked 
it.  you'd  sartin  have  put  your  foot 
in    it." 

"Prob'ly  I  should."  The  woman's 
wearied  and  slightly  regretful  tone 
was  unlike  herself.  Her  man  was 
sifting  near  her  now,  with  knees 
drawn  up,  his  long  arms  encircling 
them,  his  head  with  its  shock  of 
grizzled  hair  bowed  low.  She  looked 
at  him  in  the  dim  light  and  repeated, 
"Prob'ly   1   should." 

"Josiah  Bowles,"  after  minutes  of 
silence,  "I  do  wish  it  was  in  ye  to 
make  your  own  trades,  and  stick  to 
'em,  spite  of  me  or  any  other  woman 
upsettin'  'em." 

"Eve  wished  so,  many's  the  time," 
groaned  the  man.  Then  lifting  his 
head  he  continued,  "But,  Mandy,  ye 
got  the  upper  hand;  you  was  too 
bright  and  sparklin'  to  be  ha'sh  to  ye. 
I  didn't  know  you  liad  it  in  ye.  to  be 
so  — so  hard  and  usarpin'  like.  I 
ain't  no  coward'  mong  beast-critters, 
the  men  will  all  tell  you  that,  but 
wimmin-folks  is  dif'runt — ,  some. 
So  you've  had  the  manigemint  of  me 
in  your  own  bauds,  mostly;  I've  ben 
standin'  round  lookin'  on ;  I  ain't  a 
mite  prouder  of  the  man  you've  made 
for  yourself,  then  you  talk  as  tho'f 
you  was,  sometimes.  But  that  ain't 
what  I  set  out  to  tell  ye.  Old  Man 
Stinson,  was  down  in  the  field  this 
mornin'." 

"What  did  he  want?  Whinin' 
about  the  mo'gige,  likely." 

"No,  Mandy,  he  come  clean  over, 
to  tell  me  he  had  heered  from  Alic. 
He's  in  Calif orny.  Digging  out  gold 
by  the  harnfull,  by  this  time  prob'ly. 
That's  what  Jim  Oakes's  boy  is  tell- 
in'  round.  He's  jest  come  back  from 
the  "cliggins"  with  a  mint  o'money 
they  say.  Oakes  says,  when  he  was 
comin'  out  of  the  "diggins",  as  fur 
as  Nevady  City,  he  met  two  clean, 
husky  men  goin'  in.  One  of  them 
was   our  Alic." 

Here  came  an  angry  snarl  from 
Mandy,  met  with  manly  defiance; 
"Yis,     I'll     say     it    ag'in,    our    Alic. 


84 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


He  sent  word  by  Jim's  boy  to  his 
father,  and  said  he'd  write  if  he  ever 
struck  luck.  Oakes  says,  thcr's  gold 
enough.  It  all  depends  on  what  kind 
of  a  filler  the  feller  is  that  goes  inter 
the  "diggins"  after  it.  Some  finds  it 
too  easy,  and  goes  tool  crazy  and  gits 
rid  of  it  jist  as  easy;  some  can't  ust 
no  patience  on  a  slow  claim,  but  quit 
it  for  the  other  idler  to  git  rich  on, 
while  the)*  go  hiintin'  round,  wastin' 
spunk.  Hut  that  ain't  our  Alic. 
Tie's  got  a  head  on  him.  You  can 
trust  him  anywheres.  God  bless  the 
boy  tonight,  wherever  he  is."  The 
greying  head  bowed  again  and  the 
shrunken  shoulder-  heaved. 

"Josiah  Bowles."  never  was  his 
wife's  voice  colder,  never  more  tin- 
sympathizing,  never  harder.  "I  un- 
derstand what  ye're  drivin'  at,  and 
I've  jes  this  one  thing  to  say  to  ye. 
If  ever  that  boy  shows  himself  back 
here,  no  matter  if  his  pockits  is  lined 
with  gold  inside  and  out,  he,  nor  no 
other  Stinson  shall  come  nigh  a  dar- 
ter o'mine.  I  told  him  to  his  face, 
and  I  meant  it  too,  that  before  he 
should  have  my  Ploomy.  to  help  him 
bear  his  fam'ly's  disgrace  and  shif- 
lissniss,  I'd  lay  her  in  her  coffin,  with 
my  own  hands.  Her  aunt  Ploomy 
'scaped  lots  of  mis'ry  dyinf  young." 

"Did  ye  hear  that  noise,  Mandy? 
Sounded  as  tho'f  somehbuddy's  fell 
down,    up    charmber." 

"Liddy  puttin'  down  the  winder, 
likely,  to  keep  the  smoke  out ;  its 
growin'  smokier  ev'ry  minute,  seems 
so,"    was     the     undisturbed    response. 

There  was  a  prolonged  sigh  and 
the  weary  man,  by  the  aid  of  his 
muscular  hands  and  long  arms,  swung 
and  lifted  himself  easily  from  his  low 
seat,  standing  a  moment,  trying  to 
penetrate  the  thickening  gloom,  he 
said  in  his  usual  mild  tone,  "Now,  I 
guess  I'll  go  down  to  the  barn  and 
see    how     the    critters    are    standin'. 


Don't  forgit  it's  the  night  to  wind  the 
clock,   Mandy." 

'Did  ye  ever  know  me  to  forgit  it?" 
she  called  after  the  man.  lurching 
away  in  the  darkness.  She  still  con- 
tinued knitiing  rapidly  for  a  time; 
then  letting  her  work  lie  idly  upon 
her  lap,  she  leaned  forward,  listening. 
A  weird  tone  was  rising  and  falling 
in  tuneful,  mournful  cadence.  It 
came    from    the    barn    chamber. 

"SialTs  prayin',"  muttered  the 
woman  with  grim  lips.  "I  knew  he 
would.  Nothin'  can'  stop  'im,  though 
it's  never  'mounted  to  shucks,  as  I  can 
see.  He  wouldn't  be  Siah  Bowles 
without  prayin*.  Wonder  what  he 
would  ben,  livin'  with  me  all  these 
years.  But,  no  matter.  Maud}-  Bow- 
les, you  ain't  goin'  to  weaken  nor 
soften  on  his  accoun,  nor  nobuddy 
elses.  Graves  ain't  the  wust  of  trou- 
bles by  a  long  shot.  No,  they's  peace- 
ful compared  with  some  kinds  of 
livin'.  My  harnsome  little  Ploomy 
ain't  going  to  be  dragged  through 
this  'ere  world,  in  no  down-at-the- 
heels  fam'ly.  not  if  I  know  it.  I'd 
ruther  die  with  'er.  O  Ploomy."  she 
continued,  half  aloud,  "many  is  the 
time,  I  wish  I  could  go  long  with  ye, 
if  you've  got  to  go;  but  I'm  so  well  to 
livin;  and  ther's  so  many  things  for 
me  to  see  to.  and — I  ain't — noways 
ready.  But  the  taste  of  livin'  is  all 
gone;  all  gone." 

She  wound  up  her  knitting,  stab- 
bing her  needles  into  the  ball  of  yarn, 
and  turned  and  reentered  the  house. 
A  loud  outcry  from  the  boys  stayed 
her  step. 

"A  big  fire  on  the  mountain,"  they 
were  shouting. 

High  on  the  opposite  heights,  be- 
yond the  deep,  narrow  valley,  a  lurid 
blaze  was  struggling  through  clouds 
of    mounting    smoke. 

(To  be  continued) 


er 


THE  WIDEST  PAVED  STREET  IN  NEW  ENGLAND 

SOME  INTERESTING  FACTS  ABOUT  HIGHWAYS 
By  Winficld  M.  Chaplin,  Superintendent  of  Highzvays,  Keenc,  N.  H. 


i 


Last  October,  what  is  conceded  to 
be  the  widest  paved  street  in  New 
England — and  few  will  deny  that  it 
is  also  one  of  the  most  beanti fu! — 
was  opened  to  traffic  on  Main  Street 
in  our  business  district,  where  it  is 
140  feet  between  curbs,  after  laying 
a  modern  rein  forced-concrete  pave- 
ment. 

Due  to  lack  of  maintenance  brought 
about  by  war  conditions,  our  streets, 
like  those  of  other  municipalities,  ap- 
proached ruin  to  an  extent  that  meant 
practically  a  reconstruction  of  the 
whole,  without  any  salvage  of  the 
remnants,  as  they  were  worn  below 
their  uppers— so  to  speak;  and  there 
was  a  lack  of  stability  in  the  base  that 
would  scarcely  permit  of  patching 
that  would  withstand  motor  traffic 
any  length  of  time. 

Therefore,  it  became  necessary  to 
pave  these  worn-out  streets  with  con- 
crete, which  eliminates  costly  main- 
tenance in  war  or  peace. 

In  192Q,  an  appropriation  of  $18,- 
000  was  made  for  permanent  high- 
ways, but  owing  to  the  impossibility 
of  obtaining  materials  early  enough 
to  complete  the  work  before  cold 
weather  the  work  was  deferred. 
I-ast  year  the  Honorable  Mayor  and 
gentlemen  of  the  Highway  commit- 
tee, after  careful  investigation  and 
scrutiny  of  all  types  of  roads,  again 
selected  cement-concrete  paving  as 
the  most  durable  type  within  our  fi- 
nancial means  and,  accordingly  12,560 
square  yards  of  rein  forced-concrete 
pavement  of  the  most  up  to  date 
type  was  put  under  contract  with  the 
Portland  Construction  Company  of 
Portland,  Me.,  at  $2.58  per  square 
yard,  which  included  all  materials  in 
place  and  all  excavation  to  the  depth 
of  the  pavement. 


The  above  yardage  was  laid  on 
Court  street,  South  Main  and  Main 
street ;  also  a  considerable  amount 
of    concrete    integral    curbing. 

On  the  beautiful  grass  plots  that 
park  each  side  of  South  Main  street 
stand  the  celebrated  giant  elms  for 
which  this  city  is  noted  and.  men- 
tioned all  over  the  country — choicest 
ornaments  of  which  we  are  proud. 
In  this  charming  city  there  are  5,000 
magnificent  elms  embraced  within  a 
radius  of  one  mile  from  the  soldiers' 
monument  in  Central  Square.  The 
new  and  excellent  reinforced-con- 
crete  pavement  has  enhanced  the  ap- 
pearance of  our  down  town  district; 
has  brought  light  into  the  darkness; 
and  has  made  a  strikingly  attractive 
thoroughfare  every  where  it  is  laid — ' 
a  thing  of  beauty,  a  joy  forever. 

On  South  Main  street,  where  it  is 
well  shaded  by  the  stately  elms,  prior 
to  concreting,  the  street  surface  was 
annoyingly  muddy  because  it  would 
not  dry  out,  as  the  grade  is  very  flat; 
but  after  these  slabs  were  laid  the 
street  was  easily  kept  clean  and  sani- 
tary, as  the  surface  water  is  afforded 
a  quick  run-off  by  the  smooth,  even 
and  gritty  concrete.  This  is  one  of 
the  good  points  of  concrete  surfaces 
on  flat  gutter  grades,  where  leaves 
in  the  fall  will  clog  if  permitted 
to  accumulate. 

All  of  our  Rein  forced -Concrete 
is  seven  inches  in  thickness,  contain- 
ing steel  mesh ;  all  transverse  joints 
contain  pre-moulded  bituminous 
filler  to  provide  for  expansion;  the 
mixture  is  one  part  Portland  ce- 
ment to  two  parts  sand  and  three 
parts  crushed  New  Hampshire 
granite,  clean  and  uniformly  well 
graded.  Half  of  the  140  itei  width 
on  Main  Street  was  laid  at  a  time 


86 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


and  is  divided  longitudinally  into 
three  sections  by  plain  butt  joints. 
All  slabs  are  Laid  directly  on  soil 
as  it  was  found  alter  excavating  to 
proper  grade,  without  any  prepara- 
tion for  sub-soil  grade  such  as  loose 
stone  foundation  or  gravel,  the  sub- 
grade  being  consolidated  by  proper 
rolling.  At  the  street  crossings  for 
pedestrians  a  ten  foot  strip  was  laid 
with  darkened  mixture  made  by  in- 
corporating two  pounds  of  lamp  black 


ideal    surface    that     is     easily     swept, 

kept    clean    and    attractive. 

Local  material  was  available  for  the 
bulky  parts  of  this  new  pavement. 
The  sand  is  of  good  quality  and  the 
crushed  granite  was  trucked  in  from 
the    Webb   Quarry   six   miles   away. 

This  pavement  is  virtually  a  con- 
crete-granite pavement,  because  66 
per  cent  of  it  is  crushed  Xew  Hamp- 
shire granite  and  this  opens  up  a  new 
use.   a   new   market    for    this   material 


■  T  '1 


I  '    t-  ■ 


i  >.        .'■' 


i 


. 


.■>. . 


Concrete-Granite  Pavement  Under  Construction, 
Main  Street,  Keene,  N.  H. 

(View   taken   September   27,    1921) 


per  bag  of  cement  into  the  mixer 
and  placed  two  inches  in  thickness 
on  the  surface  to  define  the  safety 
lanes.  A  considerable  area  of  vitri- 
fied brick  supported  by  concrete 
foundation  was  removed  and  replaced 
with  the  superior  reinforced-concrete 
in  order  to  lay  to  the  established 
grade.  Wide  granite  block  gutters 
that  were  rough  in  surface  and  almost 
impossible  to  keep  clean  and  sanitary 
were  removed  and  replaced  by  new 
concrete    paving    which    furnishes    an 


for  which  our  state  is  celebrated. 
For  years  we  have  been  exporting 
our  granite  all  over  the  country,  and 
for  years  we  have  been  importing 
fancy  trap  rock  from  Massachusetts 
for  the  macadam  type  of  roads,  a 
type  that  is  now  outworn  by  our 
heavily  increased  modern  traffic.  The 
principal  reason  why  our  New 
Hampshire  granite  is  not  used  for 
macadam  road  surfacing  is  because 
it  pulverizes  under  ten  ton  rollers, 
thereby     preventing     proper    penetra- 


THE  WIDEST  PAVED  STREET  IN   NEW  ENGLAND 


87 


If 


tiori  in  binding,  and  again,  there  is 
an  internal  friction  in  madacam  roads 
that  causes  undue  wear  produced  by 
swift  heavy  trucks  that  were  restrict- 
ed to  three  tons  gross  load  last  spring 
to  save  the  inadequate  roads  where 
soils  were  in  many  places  reduced  to 
a  state  approaching  fluidity  from 
rains. 

On    the    other    hand    granite    when 
incorporated    with     cement    mixtures 


to  all  granite  dealers,  and  to  the  state 
it    represents    an    investment. 

New  Hampshire  fortunately  pos- 
sesses an  unlimited  supply  of  this 
useful  granite  which  is  an  igneous 
rock  of  crystai  ine  structure  com- 
posed of  interlocking  grains  of 
quartz,  feldspar  and  mica  or  horn- 
blende; and  while  it  varies  as  to 
texture  to  some  extent  it  is  a  rock 
that  is  especially  adapted  to  absolute- 


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i 

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^%-t      ij^rr^- 

-  "•.■•    ■  -  y 
...■••■      '  ""4 

'V  - 

t 

Widest  Paved  Street  in  New  England,  Main  Street,  Keene,  N.  H. 
Concrete-Granite  Pavement  140  ft.  between  curbs. 
(View   taken    October    10,    1921) 


is  an  ideal  road  slab  that  has  no  in- 
ternal wear.  There  is  not  a  better 
market,  there  is  no  more  economical 
use,  than  for  New  Hampshire  to  build 
her  main  roads  of  material  from  her 
granite  quarries  where  for  years  this 
waste  granite  has  accumulated  in 
pyramidal  piles.  Its  salvage  into 
concrete-granite  roads  is  like  re- 
ceiving a  new  dollar    for  an  old  one 


ly  durable  and  indestructible  roads. 
Concrete-granite  roads  improve  with 
age;  they  do  not  deteriorate  from  age, 
wear  and  weather ;  they  do  not  re- 
quire costly  maintenance;  they  are 
absolutely  adaptable  to  our  New 
Hampshire  climate,  soil  and  traffic. 

Conclusive  evidence  of  the  value  of 
cement  pavements  was  noted  last  year 
during   our     investigation     right    here 


88 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


in   Keene   where   we    found   stretches 

in  continuous  use  for  years  that  are 
as  good  as  new.  One  of  these  is  a 
cement  walk  on  the  west  side  of 
Main  street  which  has  been  down 
seventeen  years  with  constant  use  and 
without  any  repair  whatever,  showing 
no  sign  of  wear.  Another,  a  pave- 
ment in  Dipthpng  Alley  has  been 
subjected  to  vehicular  *  traffic  oyer 
seven  years  without  any  outlay  for 
maintenance  and  showing  no  signs  of 
wear;  which  indicates  the  exceptional 
value  of  plain  concrete  slab  pave- 
ments. On  many  of  our  macadam 
streets  we  have  cross  walks  built  of 
plain  concrete  slabs  and  some  of 
these  were  taken  up  last  year  after 
seven  or  eight  years  service  in  order 
to  relay  reinforced  concrete  paving. 
Man)-  of  these  old  slabs  we  propose 
to  use  again  for  street  crossings. 
Last  year  the  Standard  Oil  Company 
laid  an  excellent  stretch  of  reinforced 


concrete  slab  pavement  in  the  yard 
of  their  distributing  plant  to  support 
their  heavy  trucks. 

The  first  cost  of  any  type  of  pave- 
ment is  not  a  .fair  measure  of  the 
value  of  that  type.  The  value  of  any 
type  depends  upon  the  term  of  ser- 
vice it  can.  render  without  costly 
maintenance.  A  type  of  construc- 
tion, the  initial  cost  of  which  may  be 
ten  or  twenty  per  cent  more  than 
another  type  is  much  more  economi- 
cal investment  if  it  eliminates  or 
materially  reduces  the  maintenance 
charges  and  gives  a  much  lengthened 
period  of  service.  In  my  opinion  this 
type  of  concrete-granite  highway  will 
positively  arrest  maintenance  and  its 
use  on  main  highways  will  surely 
release  funds  now  used  for  mainte- 
nance so  that  we  can  build  more 
and  better  roads  that  are  capable  of 
meeting    future    requirements. 


THE  TURNING  OF  THE  TIDE 

By  Helen  Mowe  Philbrook 

We  talked,  the  half  remembered  sea  beside. — 

Blent  with  our  words  its  murmurous  voice  and  low 
Idly  we  watched  the  silvering  grasses  blow. 

And   now   a   sail   the   beryl  harbor   ride, 
And   now  a   tilting   curlew,   circling  wide. 

One  moment  thus— the  next  the  wind's  warm  flow 
Quickened  and  chilled :   cried  one   with  eyes  aglow, 

"Oh  hark!    It  is  the  turning  of  the  tide!'" 

With  far  clear  call  the  great  deep  veered  once  more 
With   swelling   breast   to    the    forsaken    shore; 

The  sea  flower  drooping  in   its  emptied   pool 
Lifted  and  lived  in   flooding  waters  cool. 


So  felt  I  once  faith's  turning  ebb  tide  roll 
Across   the   withering   blossoms   of   my   sou: 


£-1 


THREE  BOYS  OF  CORNISH 


Bv  Samuel  L.  Powers 


■  (Part  of  an  after-dinner  address 
at  the  annual  reunion  and  banquet  of 
the  Dartmouth  Alumni  Assoeiation 
of   Boston  and  vicinity.) 

Eighteen  miles  south  oi  Hanover, 
upon  trie  banks  of  the  Connecticut,  is 
a  country  town  which  was  christened 
Cornish.  It  never  had  a  population  of 
over  1,800  people,  and  at  the  present, 
lime  lias  only  one-half  that  number. 
That  town  sent  to  Dartmouth  three 
boys  upon  whom  the  college  conferred 
decrees.  These  men  entered  different 
fields  of  service,  and  each  achieved,  in 
his  chosen  field,  the  highest  distinc- 
tion  ever   achieved   by  any  American. 

The  first  was  Philander  Chase,  who 
graduated  from  Dartmouth  in  1796. 
He  did  more  for  the  promotion  of 
established  religion  than  any  other 
American  that  the  country  has  pro- 
duced. He  emigrated  to  Ohio, 
where  he  planted  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  and  he  extended 
it  over  into  Pennsylvania,  to  Illinois 
and  into  the  Middle  West.  He  be- 
came its  great  bishop.  He  was 
equally  as  well  known  in  church 
circles  in  England  as  in  America.  In 
England  he  is  referred  to  as  the  great 
American  bishop.  He  not  only  pro- 
moted the  establishment  of  the  church 
but  he  was  the  founder  of  Kenyon 
College  in  Ohio,  and  the  founder  of 
Jubilee  College  in  Illinois.  Some 
years  since  I  asked  the  late  Senator 
Knox  of  Pennsylvania  how  it  hap- 
pened that  he  was  christened  Phil- 
ander Chase  Knox.  "Why,"  he  said, 
"at  the  time  of  my  birth  the  greatest 
blessing  that  a  mother  of  Pennsyl- 
vania could  confer  upon  her  son  was 
to  christen  him  after  the  great 
American   bishop." 

The  second  of  this  group  of  three  is 
Nathan  Smith,  who  founded  the 
medical  school  at  Dartmouth,  the 
medical  school  at  Yale,  at  Bowdoin 
and    at    the    University    of    Vermont, 


and  in  the  course  of  his  life  he 
taught  every  branch  in  the  curricu- 
lum of  those  four  schools,  and  was 
one  of  the  leading  lecturers  before 
the  Harvard  medical  school.  Dr. 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  in  referring 
to  Dr.  Smith  as  an  instructor  in 
medicine,  says  that  he  did  not  occupy 
a  chair,  he  occupied  a  settee.  The 
history  of  Nathan  Smith's  life  reads 
like  a  romance.  At  2&  years  of  age 
he  was  following  the  plow,  and  be- 
came interested  in  medicine  through 
talking  with  a  country  physician  who 
was  ministering  to  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  his  family.  He  borrowed 
from  this  doctor  some  medical  books 
and  became  so  interested  in  the  study 
of  science  that  he  went  before  the 
trustees  of  Dartmouth  and  suggested 
that  he  would  like  to  establish  a  medi- 
cal school  in  connection  with  the  col- 
lege. At  that  time  he  had  never  re- 
ceived any  medical  degree,  nor  was 
he  licensed  to  practice,  but  he  so  im- 
pressed the  trustees  that  they  loaned 
him  the  money  to  go  abroad  for  the 
purpose  of  studying  medicine  and  sur- 
gery. Later  he  returned  and  founded 
the,  Dartmouth  medical  school  in  a 
room  in  the  northeast  corner  of  old 
Dartmouth  Hall.  That  room  was 
not  a  large  one,  yet  it  was  the  lecture 
room,  the  laboratory  and  dissecting 
room  of  the  new  medical  school. 
Later  on  the  college  conferred  upon 
him  the  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine, 
and  Nathan  Smith  is  recognized  today 
by  the  medical  profession  as  having 
done  more  for  the  promotion  of 
medical  education  than  any  other 
American. 

The  third  of  this  group  is  Salmon 
P.  Chase,  nephew  of  Bishop  Chase, 
who  received  his  degree  from  Dart- 
month  in  1826.  He  is  recognized 
as  the  greatest  financier  this  country 
has  produced.  After  his  graduation 
he  went    to  Ohio,    where   he  achieved 


90  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

distinction,     in    the     legal     profession,  could     be    borrowed    by    the    Unit*-] 
entered    public    life,   was  governor  of  States  was  12  per  cent.  Chase  worki 
his    adopted     state,    a    United    States  out  a  theory  of  finance  through  a  sys 
senator,  and  later  chief  justice  of  the  tern  of  legal  tender  notes,  shaped  ti  - 
United     States     supreme    court.     But  legislation  necessary,  and   insisted   ui 
his  great   fame  will  always  rest  upon  on  and  secured  favorable  action  from 
lh^'  service  which  he  rendered  as  sec-  Congress.      He    also    formulated    t! 
retary   of    the    treasury   under    Presi-  method    of    taxation,    and    the  Norui 
dent     Lincoln.      When     he     accepted  was  aide  to  secure  billions  of  moils 
that     portfolio     he     had     no      special  which    maintained    the    army    in   t!  •■ 
knowledge  of  finance  or  banking.     To  fidd  and  preserved  the  Union  of  the 
him  it  was  a  new  field.     The  treasury  states.     And,     what    is    more,    while 
was     without     money,     and    its    credit  the  war  was  in  progress  the  credit  of 
was  at  its  lowest  ebb.     Obligations  of  the    country    improved    from    year   to 
the  United   States  had  been  protested  year,,  and    in     1864    the    7  per    cent 
in   New    York.     The    great   war  was  bonds  of  the  United  States  were  sell- 
On.     Millions    of     men     were    to     be  ing  at  a  premium.     There  is  nothing 
clothed,    fed    and    equipped,    and  the  comparable    with   his    record   as   a    fi- 
duty     was     imposed     upon    Chase    to  nancier     in    this     country     Or    in    any 
formulate   a   plan   by   winch   this   tre-  other    country    on     the     face   of   the 
mendous    expense    could    be    financed,  globe. 
The     lowest    rate     at     which     monev 


REBIRTH 

By  Nellie  Dodge   Fryc 

When  Autumn  waves   with  red  and   gold. 
And   fields   fulfill  their  prophecy, 
A  sombre  spirit  seems  to  all  enfold, 
Like  music  in  a  minor  key. 

The   Summer's   birds   have   southward   flown,   to 

find 

A  warmer  clime,  ere  Winter  cold. 
In  woods  where  lichens  grew,  lie  intertwined 
Some  mosses  green   from  out  the  old. 

So  shall  balmy  Spring  resplendent  be. 
From  leafy  boughs  the  birds  at  morn 
Will  pour   forth  their  full-throated  melody 
In  ecstacv  of  earth  reborn. 


<yi 


THE  UNCHANGING 

By    Winnifred  Janette  Kittredgc 


The  Great  Stone  Face  looked  clown 
beneignly  at  the  Girl.  The  Girl 
stared  rebellion  sly  up  at  the  majestic 
countenance.  ''Why?  Great  Spirit, 
why?"  she  cried  angrily  to  the  moun- 
tain. "Mow  can  anyone  he  so  in- 
sane? Oh,  I  can't  stand  it  that  they 
should  betray  you  so.  Think. of  it. 
right  here,  Great  Spirit,  right  here 
on  this  hill  where  I  am  they're  going 
to  build  a  store.  A  store  having  any- 
thing to  do  with  you !"  Her  voFe 
shook  with  intensity,  "I-I'd  almost 
rather  you  fell  down  than  be  glanced 
at  and  commented  on  every  year  by 
those  insane  summer  people." 

"Lucy -Lucy,"  came  a  faint  hail 
far  down  the  road.  The  Girl  arose 
slowly  and  watched  a  shadow  chase 
across  the  clear  lake  at  her  feet. 
Then  in  a  changed  mood  she  turned 
her  eye.-  to  tht  quiet  Face  above. 
"Good-bye,  dear  Great  Spirit,"  she 
said.  "I  can't  bear  to  leave  you.  I 
know  I  shall  be  achingly  lonesome 
without  you  or  any  mountains  at  all. 
But  I  couldn't  bear  to  stay  either, 
with  those  awful  summer  people 
here." 

The  Girl  whistled  to  her  horse 
grazing  near  her.  She  rode  swiftly 
down  the  road  to  a  little  cabin  half 
hidden  by  yellow  birches  and  moun- 
tain ash  trees.  "Yes.  mother,  here  I 
am,"  she  called,  "I  was  just  taking  a 
little  ride  up  the  road.  I'll  finish 
packing   my    things   now." 

Late  into  the  night  the  mother  and 
daughter  worked  on  the  last  details 
which  always  precede  a  momentous 
departure.  Lucy  was  to  leave  her 
mountain  home  for  a  city  school.  It 
was  indeed  a  great  event,  for  she  had 
known  little  else  than  the  rugged 
mountains  where  houses  were  far 
apart  and  the  great  cliffs  were  con- 
stant companions. 

As  Lucy  mounted  her  horse  to  ride 
beside  the  big  wagon  which  carried 
her  trunk,  two  men  passed  with  sur- 


veying instruments.  Lucy  did  not 
look  at  them.  "If  you  must  go  and 
l)ii i Id  a  hotel,"  she  said  to  herself, 
"1  think  you  might  at  least  wait  un- 
til I'm  gone.  Anyhow  I  needn't  be 
civil."  And  the  Girl  rode  cityward 
down  the  path. 

*  *  *  *  * 

The  day  had  been  a  busy  one  at 
the  Profile  House,  and  still  busier  at 
the  little  Profile  Store.  Crowds  of 
sightseers  had  stopped  there  to  gaze 
at  the  rugged  Face  and  watch  the 
cloud  shadows  darken  the  mountain. 
The  tray  of  spruce-twig  alpenstocks 
was  almost  empty  and  there  was  left 
but  one  birch  bark  album,  soiled  by 
the  perspiring  fingers  of  the  eager 
tourists.  The  girl  at  the  counter  was 
very  tired  hut  she  bestowed  her  usual 
smile  on  all  newcomers  and  patiently 
sold  pictures  of  hardy  mountain- 
climbers  dangling  their  feet  over  the 
forehead  of  the  Profile.  Now  and 
then  she  glanced  at  the  Face  itself, 
her  eyes  lingering  lovingly  on  the 
strong   features. 

Up  the  hill  came  a  woman  seeming 
at  first  only  another  tourist  but  her 
buoyant  and  accustomed  step  pro- 
claimed her  to  be  of  mountain  birth. 
The  Girl  had  come  back.  "I  won't 
look  up  yet,"  she  thought,  "I'll  put  it 
off  as  long  as  I  can.  Goodness  aren't 
there  a  lot  of  people!" 

"Isn't  it  pretty,"  effervesced  a  silk- 
clad  lady  at  her  side.  The  Girl 
sighed  for  she  had  by  this  time 
reached  the  porch  of  the  little  store 
and  the  Stone  Face  was  before  her. 

"Oh!"  she  gave  an  audible  gasp. 
She  had  thought  it  would  be  changed, 
different,  alien  to  her  now ;  but  there 
was  the  Face  majestic  and  calm  as 
always.  She  gazed  long,  and  caught 
what  the  Great  Face  had  been  wait- 
ing twenty  years  to  tell  her  if  only 
she  had  not  been  too  angry  to  listen — 
That  the  people  could  not  spoil  that 
majestic    calm,    and  it    might  be  that 


92  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

they  would  go  away  enriched.     With  ''Just    one,"    said     the    patient   girl 

the  realization  of   it  a  great  wave  of  within.     Then  seeing  the  friendly  look 

kindliness      swept      over      her.      She  she  went  on,  "Isn't  He  great,  though  ! 

longed   to    show    her    good-will   even  J    just  can't,    bear    to    go    away    and 

toward   the   hated    store.     Impulsive!}*  leave  i dim  all  alone  this  winter  with- 

she    turned   to     the   counter.     "Have,  iout  anyone  to  be  company  for  Him." 

you  any  birch-bark  albums  left?"  she  The  Great  Stone  Face  looked  down 

asked.  benignly  at  the  two. 


AWAKENINGS 

By  Alice  M.  Shepard 

As  sometimes  in  a  friend's  house  we  awake 
From  deepest  sleep  and  look  around  the  room, 
And  drowsy,  suiter  sudden  fright,  and  quake, 
As  if  at  some  fixed,   slow-impending  doom, 
And  feel  a  loss  of  what  we  cannot  tell, 
And  beat  our  wills  against  unyielding  force, 
Till  memory  arouses  to  dispell 
The    fears   our  prostrate   senses   would   endorse; 

We  took  a  motor  trip  and  rushed  through  air 
Cooled  by  the  dew  which  gathers  after  heat, 
Our  headlight  caught  the   treetops  in  its  glare 
And   changed   their   green   to   torches  white  and 

fleet. 
Then  slowing  down  with  creak  of  curbing  brake 
We  entered  where,  the  portal  shed  its  light 
Oh,  yes,  a  loving  friend  was  there  to  take 
Our  hand,  and  bid  us  welcome  for  the  night. 

Shall  sometime  thus,  our  weary,  torpid  soul 
Awake,  in  unfamiliar  chamber,   insecure 
Amid  surroundings  strange  to  our  control 
And  things  we  did  rot   fashion  or  procure? 
Shall  we  then  half  remember,  as  a  dream, 
A  journey,   rushing  clouds,  and  flying  stars, 
Which  lighted  up  our  way  with   friendly  gleam 
Or  traced  our  path  with  soft  and  fleecy  bars? 

Our   soul  then   shall  we   shake,  and   stretch  our 

wings 
To  free  them  from  their  cramped  and  heavy  sleep 
Which  like  a  long  worn  garment  wraps  and  clings 
In  folds  and  wrinkles,  hampering  and  deep? 
Shall  we  forget  earth's  sad  and  last  farewell, 
The  journey  undertaken,   full  of  dread, 
Lost  in  the  welcomes  which  all  else  excel, 
Of   those   we   love   and   mourned   long  years   as 

dead  ? 


MY   PINE  TREE 


<*3 


By   Mary   Blake   Benson 


Far  away  from  the  noise  and  con- 
fusion of  the  city,  and  where  bird 
songs  mingle  happily  with  the  fra- 
grance of  cool  woods,  there  is  a  de- 
serted pasture.  On  three  sides  it  is 
separated  from  smooth  green  fields 
by  irregular  lines  of  old  stone  walls, 
over  which  wild  blackberry  vines  and 
woodbine  have  dispersed  themselves 
in  confusion;  but  on  the  fourth  side 
of  the  pasture,  the  land  slopes  lazily 
to  the  shores  of  a  beautiful  lake. 
Years  of  neglect  have  left  their  mark 
upon  these  few  acres  of  land,  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  rapidly  grow- 
ing up  to  trees  and  bushes  again. 
Cows  have  long  since  ceased  to  feed 
upon  the  grassy  knolls,  and  birds  and 
squirrels  find  in  it  an  undisturbed 
paradise.  Almost  in  the  center  of 
the  pasture  stands  a  pine  tree.  I  do 
not  know  how  old  it  is,  but  in  all 
the  surrounding  country  there  is 
none  that  can  equal  it  in  size  or 
beauty.  Its  lowest  branches  which 
are  perhaps  ten  feet  above  the  ground, 
spread  out  over  a  circle  at  least  twen- 
ty feet  in  diameter ;  while  its  topmost 
plumes  toss  themselves  skyward  no 
less  than  five  times  that  distance 
above  the  soft  bed  of  brown  needles 


at  its  base.  On  all  sides  aggressive1 
alders  and  scrawny  birches  have 
crept  up  until  they  stand  in  a  re- 
spectful circle  around  this  monarch 
of  the  pasture.  The  storms  of  count- 
less New  England  winters  have  brok- 
en over  my  pine,  and  icy  winds  have 
twisted  and  bowed  its  graceful 
branches.  The  suns  of  innumerable 
summers  have  poured  their  scorch- 
ing rays  down  upon  it,  and  once  a 
swift  bolt  of  lightning  tore  away  a 
line,  big  limb.  But  in  spite  of  all, 
my  pine  has  stood  calm  and  serene 
throughout  the  years.  "The  peerless 
pine  was  the  first  to  come  and  the 
pine    will   be    the   last    to   go!" 

It  waves  me  a  welcome  whenever 
I  go  home,  and  it  murmurs  a  bene- 
diction when  I  leave.  Oh,  the  happy 
hours  I  have  spent  beneath  the  shelter 
of  my  grand  old  tree !  I  have  been 
soothed  by  its  soft  voices  and  cheered 
by  the  songs  of  birds  in  its  branches. 
It  has  rejoiced  with  me  in  my  glad- 
ness, even  as  it  has  comforted  me  in 
my  sorrows.  Its  beauty  never  fails 
to  thrill  me  with  wonder;  and  its 
fragrance  steals  across  the  distance, 
.bringing  strength  and  courage  to  my 
weary  soul. 


MARCH 

By  Helen  Ad  cms  Parker 

Forbidding  March  has  come  at  last — ■ 
Still  pile  the  wet  logs  higher; 
But  wait — there  lies,  beneath  his  blast, 
The  Spring  of  our  Desire. 


■-i-( 


JACK  FROST 

By  Walter  B.  Wolfe 

Jack  Frost!    Xov;  there's  a  chap  that  somehow  gets 
Too  little  credit  from  his  fellowmeri ! 
A  poet,  little  understood  by  all 
The    sallow    ox-eyed    countryfolk — 
His  neighbors  on  the  steps  at  Aulis's 
Or  loafing  down  at  Tanzi's  in  the  haze 
And   smoke   of   cheap   cigars,   have   never   heard 
His  name;  they  talk  about  the  price  of  wheat, 
Of  Hardy's  wile  who  has  the  chills  again, 
How  Nye  has  bought  a  heifer  of  old  Hodge; 
And  yet  there  isn't:  one  of  them  that  drives 
Up  to  the  town  from  Norwich,  Lyme,  or  Wilder, 
These  sparkling   winter   mornings  when  the   snow- 
Glistens  as  though  some  god  had  strewn  the  dust 
Swept  from  a  starry  feasting  chamber  down 
To  our  poor  earth — not  one  of  them  that  sees 
Or  understands  the  poems  Jack  has  penned. 

No  other  poet  thinks  to  trtke  his  themes. 
The  simple  homely  things  of  everyday 
And  write  such  glorious  poems  our  Jack  Frost 
Can   write   thereon'!    A   sidewalk,   windowpane, 
The  little  pond  high  up  on  Occum  Ridge 
That    dull   professors   pass    without    a    thought 

For  beauty such  are  all  that  Jack  would  ask. 

His  poems?    Full   of   dainty  thought,   of    form 

Delightful  to  the  eye,  piquant,  and  charmed 

With  airy  grace !    He  has  ideas  too ! 

His  head  is  full  of  curious  rococo — 

Thoughts  yeast  and   foam  as  in  a  cauldron  there 

And  yet  our  Jack  is  modest,  shuns  the  glance 

Of  all  who  do  not  understand  his  faery  art, 

Or  those  concerned  too  much  with  worldly  things. 

And  so  it  is  he's  never,  seen  with  men 
Or  walking  on  the  streets  he  loves  so  well, 
The  streets  in  which  he  sees  a  shimmering  world 
Of    many-colored    beauties.     Vet    sometimes 
\\ 'hen   song  wells   in   his  heart   so   loud,   so  clear 
He  can  no  longer  keep   its   melody 
Shut   in  himself,   some    frosty  morning   when 
The  streets  are  covered   with  new-fallen   snow, 
He  skips  upon  earth's  samite  mantle,  runs 
Out  to  the  streets  of  Hanover,  and  writes 
His   charming   verses   on   a    thousand  panes 
Of  glass;   a  poet   of   rare  honesty, 
A   lapidary   etching   wrords   like   gems 
He  never   fills   a  line   with   sounding   words 
To  catch  the  yokel's  ear  for  platitudes. 

Dear  Jack!    His   head's   so   full  of   melodies 
He  needs  must  write  on  every  windowpane 
Tripping   from  house  to  house  with  eager  pen 
To  jot  his   fanciful  ideas  down. 
It's  really  very  sad  there  are  so  few 
To  read  the  lyric  greeting  he  has  left 
Gracing  their   windows  on  cold   sunny  mornings.  .  .  . 


^sr 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  DAY  BY  DAY 


The  nomination  by  President  Hard- 
ing on  February  2.  1922,of  Stephen 
Shannon  Jewett  of  Laconia,  New 
Hampshire,  to  be  naval  officer  of  cus- 
toms in  customs  collections  district 
Number  Four,  with  headquarters  at 
Boston,  Mass.,  conformed  to  prece- 
dent of  more  than  sixty  years  stand- 
ing that  this  office  should  be  filled 
by  a  distinguished  political  leader 
from    the    Granite    State.'    . 

President  Lincoln  started  the  long 
line  when  he  named  for  the  place,  the 
Honorable  Amos  Tuck  of  Exeter, 
Free  Soil  Congressman,  one  of  the 
founders    of     the     Republican     party. 


S* 


II 

gjjjij 


Col.  Stephen  S.  Jewett 
father  of  New  Hampshire's  bene- 
factor, Mr.  Edward  Tuck  of  Paris. 
France.  There  was  a  brief  interreg- 
num under  Pres.  Johnson,  who  wanted 
the  post  for  Hannibal  Hamlin  of 
Maine,  but  President  Grant  resumed 
the  succession,  not  to  be  again  inter- 
rupted, by  the  appointment  of  Walter 
Harrirnan,  Civil  War  general  and 
governor   of    Xew   Hampshire. 

Since  his  day  both  Republicans 
and  Democrats  have  held  the  office, 
with  the  change  of  administrations 


at  Washington,  but  all  alike  have 
been  brilliant  and  loyal  sous  of  the 
Granite  State;  Colonel  Daniel  Hall 
of  Dover,  like  Governor  Harrirnan 
soldier,  orator  and  historian  ;  Colon'el 
Henry  O.  Kent  of  Lancaster, 
who  shared  the  same  distinctions; 
Frank  D.  Currier  of  Canaan,  whose 
subsequent  career  in  Congress  was 
one  of  long  and  useful  service ; 
Charles  F.  Stone  of  Laconia,  after- 
wards judge  of  the  superior  court  of 
his  state;  James  O.  Lyford  of  Con- 
cord, one  of  the  ablest  and  most  effi- 
cient men  New  Hampshire  public 
life  ever  has  known;  and  John  B. 
Nash  of  Conway,  picturesque 
pleader  in  the  political  forum. 

Of  these,  only  Colonel  Lyford, 
who  held  the  Boston  office  from 
1898  to  1913,  and  is  now  the 
esteemed  and  appreciated  chairman 
of  the  New  Hampshire  state  bank 
commission,   survives. 

Like  most  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire naval  officers  of  the  port  of 
Boston,  Colonel  Jewett  has  been 
long  prominent  in  the  legal  and 
political  circles  of  his  state.  Born 
in  Gilford,  N.  PL,  September  18, 
1858,  the  son  of  John  Glines  and 
Carrie  E.  (Shannon)  Jewett,  he 
studied  law  with  Judge  Stone, 
named  above,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  March,  1880.  Since  that 
time  he  has  practiced  his  profession 
continuously  in  Laconia  with  mark- 
ed success  and  during  the  past  de- 
cade has  enjoy^ed  the  pleasure  of 
having  his  son,  Theo  Stephen 
Jewett,  Dartmouth  T3,  as  his  part- 
ner. Mrs.  Jewett  was  Annie  L. 
Bray  and  the  date  of  their  marriage 
was  June  30,  1880. 

Mr.  Jewett  took  an  early  interest 
in  politics  and  was  engrossing  clerk 
of  the  state  legislature,  1883;  assis- 
tant clerk  of  the  house,  1887  and  1889; 
clerk,  1891  and  1893;  member,  1895; 
speaker,  1897;  state  senator,  1899; 
councilor,   1907.     In  the  meantime  he 


. 


96 


'HE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


had   been   secretary   and   chairman   of 

the  Republican  state  committee  and 
delegate-at-large  and  chairman  of  the 
delegation  from  New  Hampshire  to 
the  national  convention  of  1S96.  At 
one  time  he  was  clerk  of  court  for 
Belknap  county;  was  for  IS  years 
city  solicitor  of  Laconia;  and  served 
on  the  staff  of  Governor  David  H. 
Goodell. 

Colonel  Jewett  is  a  33rd  degree 
Mason  and  has  been  grand  master  of 
the  grand  lodge  of  New  Hampshire, 
grand  commander  of  the  Knights 
Templar  and  grand  master  of  the 
grand  council.  He  is  the  holder  of 
an  honorary  degree  from,  Dartmouth 
college  and  was  one  of  the  state's 
most  active  war  workers.  His  popu- 
larity is  co-extensive  with  his  very 
wide  acquaintance. 

While  the  fact  probably  did  not 
enter  into  the  selection  of  Colonel 
Jewett  for  his  new  place  it  is  interest- 
ing to  note  that  he  is  a  direct  descend- 
ant in  the  ninth  generation  from 
Nathaniel  Shannon,  who  held  the 
office  of  Naval  Officer  at  the  port  of 
Boston  from  1701  to  1721,  being  the 
first  occupant  of  the  place  to  receive 
his  commission  from  the  Governor  of 
the  Plantation  and  General  Court  of 
Massachusetts. 


An  interesting  summary  by  Fred- 
erick E.  Everett,  state  highway 
commissioner,  of  the  work  of  his  de- 
partment in  1921,  makes  the  some- 
what surprising  showing  that  although 
there  was  no  legislative  appropriation 
for  tiunk  line  construction  there  was 
more  money  expended  for  all  high- 
way purposes  than  in  any  previous 
year,  namely,  $825,000  for  construc- 
tion and  $1,375,000  for  maintenance. 

Says   Mr.   Everett : 

"The  amount  expended  for  main- 
tenance and  reconstruction  greatly  ex- 
ceeds that  of  any  previous  year  for 
several  reasons,  not  the  least  of  which 
is  the  fact  that  the  winter  of  1920-21 
was  one  of  the  most  severe  in  the  his- 


tory of  the  department.  There  was 
very  little  snow  and  the  roads  were 
open  for  traffic  during  the  entire 
winter  with  the  result  that  the  frost 
penetrated  deeper  than  ever  before, 
and  being  subject  to  traffic  during  the 
freezing  and  thawing  weather,  many- 
sections  were  entirely  cut  to  pieces 
that  hitherto  had  answered  all  re- 
quirements. 

"Another  reason  was  that  during 
the  extremely  dry  weather  of  August, 
many  of  our  gravel  roads  failed  to 
carry  the  tremendous  heavy  traffic 
of  the  tourist  season  and  it  was  clearly 
shown  to  the  department  that  many 
sections  of  gravel  of  the  main  lines 
would  have  to  be  treated  with  some 
sort  of  a  bituminous  surface  or  dust 
layer  early  in  1922  and  to  get  these 
roads  in  condition  for  this  application 
of  the  bituminous  material,  extensive 
resurfacing  was  necessary  and  it  was 
the  endeavor  of  the  department  to  do 
as  much  as  possible  of  this  resurfac- 
during  the  fall  of  1921. 

The  mileage  added  to  the  improved 
roads,  during  the  season  of  1921 
is  as   follows : 

81.39  miles  of  new  road. 

17.98  of   old   road   reconstructed. 

65.81  of  the  new  construction  was 
of  gravel  and  the  remainder  was 
made  up  of  bituminous  macadam, 
waterbound  macadam,  cement  con- 
crete and  crushed  gravel.  Of  the 
mileage  of  reconstructed  road,  3  1-2 
miles  was  gravel  and  the  remainder 
made  up  of  bituminous  macadam 
and  modified  asphalt. 

"It  is  known  now  that  the  revenue 
from  the  automobile  licenses  for  1922 
will  greatly  exceed  those  of  any  pre- 
vious years  and  extensive  plans  are 
being  made  by  the  department  in  an- 
ticipation of  this  increased  revenue. 
There  is  also  available  from  the  fed- 
eral government  for  expenditure  this 
next  year  practically  $365,000  which 
must  be  met    by  the  state  and  towns. 

"Inasmuch  as  there  is  practically 
no  state  money  for  trunk  line  con- 
struction,    a  greater     part     of     this 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  DAY  BY  DAY 


97 


amount  will  be  used  in  the  recon- 
struction of  sections  of  the  trunk  line 
roads  that  are  carrying  the  heavier 
traffic  and  where  a  hard  surface  road 
is  demanded.  Seventeen  projects 
have  been  outlined  under  the  heading 
of  reconstruction. 

"There  are  a.  number  of  unim- 
proved sections  of  1  aid-out  sys- 
tem where  existing  traffic  is  suffer- 
ing for  a  new  road.     Answering   this 


Frederick  E.  Everett 

demand,  the  department  has  outlined 
seven  federal  aid  projects  under  the 
heading  of  construction.  In  these 
cases  with  one  exception,  the  towns 
will  be  asked  to  advance  the  funds  to 
meet  the   federal  allotment. 

"In  addition  to  the  federal  aid  pro- 
gram, extensive  reconstruction  is 
planned  in  various  towns  throughout 
the  trunk  line  and  state  aid  system 
and  it  is  planned  now,  providing  the 
towns  raise  the  money  requested  of 
them,  to  treat  with  bituminous  ma- 
terial the  whole  of  the  West  Side 
Road  from  the  Massachusetts  line  to 
Newport  and  from  Woodsville  to 
Twin  Mountain;  all  of  the  Daniel 
Webster  Road  that  is  not  now  sur- 
face treated  from  the  Massachusetts 
line  to    North    Woodstock  and   from 


Twin  Mountain  to  Groveton ;  the 
South  Side  Road  from  Keene  to 
Nash.ua  and  from  Manchester  to 
Portsmouth  and  various  sections 
along  the  East  Side  Road  that  have 
been  carrying  extensive  traffic. 

"It  will  be  impossible  to  make  all 
the  improvements  in  1922  that  the 
public  will  demand.  Many  sections 
of  gravel  road  that  perhaps  should 
be  oiled  or  tarred  cannot  be  treated. 
$300,000  to  $400,000  additional  rev- 
enue will  not  perform  the  impossible. 
$1,000,000  could  be  used  to  advant- 
age on  the  roads  of  New  Hampshire. 
However,  it  will  be  the  earnest  en- 
deavor of  the  department  to  give 
value  received  for  the  additional  reve- 
nue given  by  the  passage  of  the  new 
motor  vehicle  act. 

"New  Hampshire  has  a  greater 
mileage  in  its  trunk  line  system  than 
most  states,  and  a  much  smaller  reve- 
nue for  construction  and  mainte- 
nance. These  roads  must  be  ade- 
quately maintained  in  order  to  give 
satisfactory  service  and  to  preserve 
the  original  investment  in  the  con- 
struction. The  motor  vehicle  fees  for 
the  last  few  years  have  not  been  suf- 
ficient to  provide  adequate  mainte- 
nance, and  we  believe  that  the  mo- 
tor vehicle  owner  will  be  more  than 
repaid  for  his  increase  in  fees  by  the 
better  maintenance  and  the  increase 
in  oiled  and  hard  surfaced  roads 
which  this  increase  will  make  possi- 
ble. The  wear  and  tear  on  a  main 
highway  today  is  almost  wholly 
caused  by  the  motor  vehicle  and 
when  the  taxpayer  builds  a  road  it 
seems  not  only  reasonable  but  justi- 
fiable to  require  that  the  motor  vehi- 
cle user  keep  this  road  in  good  repair 
by  replacing  through  proper  main- 
tenance what  he  has  destroyed." 


Upwards  of  35,000  inhabitants  of 
New  Hampshire  in  1920  were  natives 
of  Massachusetts,  nearly  21,000  were 
born  in  Vermont  and  more  than  17,- 
Q00    first    saw    the    light    of   day  in 


98 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Maine,  according  to  statistics  just- 
made  public  by  the  Department  of 
Commerce  through  the  Bureau  of 
the  Census. 

Of  the  443. OSS  people  in  the  state 
in  1920,  257,074  were  born  within  its 
confines.  Exactly  94,612  were  na- 
tives of  other  states  of  the  Union  or 
outjying     United     States      territorial 

this 


possessions.     Slightly    less    the 
number,  or  91,397,  to  be  exact,  were 
born    in    foreign    countries. 

One  striking-  fact  the  census  records 
indicate  is  that  during  the  decade 
from  1910  to  1920  the  percentage  of 
native  Americans  in  New  Hampshire 
shows  a  distinct  increase  and,  corre- 
spondingly, the  number  of  foreign- 
born  inhabitants  shows  a  distinct 
decrease.  The  native  population  in- 
creased from  77.5  per  cent  in  1910 
to  79.4  per  cent  in  1920.  The  for- 
eign-born population  decreased  from 
22.5  per  cent  in  1910  to  20.6  in  1920. 

Folio  wing  the  lead  of  Massachu- 
setts, Vermont  and  Maine,  whose  na- 
tive sons  have  found  a  habitat  in  the 
Granite  State,  New  York  takes 
fourth  place  in  such  a  list,  claiming 
l.S  per  cent  of  the  total  population 
for  her  native  sons ;  Connecticut  and 


Rhode  Island  are  tied  for  fifth  place 
with  0.4;  Pennsylvania  is  sixth  with 
0.3;  New  Jersey  and  Michigan  are 
tied  for  seventh  place  with  0.2  and 
Illinois  held  eighth  place  with  0.1, 

Tiie  percentage  of  the  total  popu- 
lation held  respectively  by  the  sons 
and  (laughters  of  Massachusetts.  Ver- 
mont and  Maine,  are  7.9  per  cent. 
4.7  per  cent  and  3.S  per  cent. 

All  the  states  listed  above  have 
shown  a  percentage  increase  in  the 
number  of  native  sons  who  have  emi- 
grated to  New  Hampshire  during  the 
last  10  years,  excepting  Connecticut, 
New  Jersey  and  Illinois.  These 
three  states  have  not  lost  their  1910 
ratio ;  it  has  simply  remained  sta- 
tionary. 

The  state  of  New  Hampshire  itself 
has  shown  a  gain  of  only  three  tenths 
of  1  per  cent  as  regards  the  number 
of  persons  born  within  the  state  rela- 
tive to  the  total  population  during 
the  last  ten  years.  In  1910  the  num- 
ber of  persons  living  in  New  Hamp- 
shire who  were  born  within  the  bor- 
ders of  the  commonwealth,  consti- 
tuted 57.7  per  cent  of  the  total  popu- 
lation. In  1920  this  percentage  had 
increased  to  exactly  58  per  cent. 


<V1 


EDITORIALS 


New  Hampshire  is  having  her 
share  of  the  plagues  and  problems 
that  follow  in  the  wake  of  wdv.  In 
this  slate,  as  in  this  country  and 
throughout  the  world,  there  is  the 
greatest  need  of  less  splurge  and 
more  sense;  fewer  words  and  more 
work. 

We  are  more  fortunate  than  some 
of  our  sister  states  in  that  we  did 
not  reach  their  heights  of  war-forced 
industrial  activity  and  therefore  have 
not  so  far  to  descend,  rather  sud- 
denlv,  to  the  sea-level  of  normal 
conditions. 

But  even  with,  us  too  many  em- 
ployers have  been  profligate  with  their 
excess  profits ;  too  many  employees 
have  been  wearing  silk  shirts  and  fur 
coats  and  paying  high  prices  for 
low  liquor.  We,  too.  must  have  a 
sobering-up  time,  during  which  our 
aching  heads,  outraged  digestions  and 
general  grouches  will  lead  us  into 
serious  trouble  if  we  are  not  careful. 

The  re-assimilation  into  the  civic 
body  of  our  part  of  the  soldiers  re- 
turning from  war  has  not  been 
difficult.  The  New  Hampshire  boys 
in  the  service  were  of  a  higher  cali- 
bre than  the  average,  in  the  first 
place ;  and  in  the  next  place,  so  far 
as  our  observation  goes,  most  of 
them  found  work  waiting  for  them 
which  they  are  willing  to  do  and 
which  they  are  doing  well. 

But  the  necessary  re-adjustment 
to  a  new  scale  and  manner  of  living, 
following  iht  deflation  of  a  few 
years'  boom,  is  causing  so  many 
pains  and  aches  and  sore  spots,  in 
New  Hampshire  as  elsewhere,  that 
there  seems  never  to  have  been  a 
time  when  it  was  more  necessary 
and  desirable  for  all  of  us  to  keep 
the  Golden  Pule  in  mind  in  our  civic, 
industrial  and  social  relations.  Our 
population  is  not  exactly  divisible 
into  halves,  but  if  it  were,  each  half 
would  know  exactly  how  the  other 
half  lives  and  be  severely  critical  of  it. 


What  a  lot  of  trouble  it  would 
save  us  if  a  hundred- leaders  of  pub- 
lic opinion  in  New  Hampshire  could 
be  endowed  suddenly  with  the.  power 
to  see  fairly  and  truly  and  wisely 
both  ^ides  of  a  question. 


An  interesting  letter  recently  re- 
ceived from  a  reader  of  the  Granite 
Monthly  in  another  state,  states  that 
she  was  led  to  subscribe  for  the  maga- 
zine by  finding  some  old  copies  in  the 
New  Hampshire  house  which  she  has 
acquired  as  a  summer  home.  With 
kind  words  for  the  present  maga- 
zine and  good  wishes  for  its  growth 
and  prosperity  she  adds  this  interest- 
ing paragraph:  "The  state  of  our 
permanent  home  has  had  the  expe- 
rience of  publishing  a  state  maga- 
zine, which  failed.  It  was  a  very 
artistic  and  valuable  magazine  and 
public  libraries  highly  prize  the  copies 
that  are  still  in  existence.  It  seems 
to  me  that  any  state  should  encour- 
age, with  financial  aid  if  necessary, 
the  publication  of  a  state  magazine 
devoted  to  the  history,  the  scenery, 
the  general  welfare  of  the  state;  and 
to  the  lives  and  talents  of  its  people." 


"It's  an  Al  magazine,"  is  the  con- 
cise way  a  leading  Manchester  mer- 
chant puts  it  in  forwarding  his  $2.00 
for    1922. 


It  is  a  pleasure  to  announce  that  a 
new  series  of  articles  is  being  pre- 
pared for  the  Granite  Monthly  by 
Mr.  George  B.  Upham  of  Claremont 
and  Boston,  the  first  of  which  will 
appear  in  an  early  issue,  probably  in 
April.  "There  is  real  meat  for  any- 
one interested  in  history,  in  every- 
thing Mr.  Upham  writes,"  says  a 
Cheshire  county  correspondent,  who 
is  himself  a  writer  and  student  of 
New   Hampshire   history*.    •  * : 


ice 


A  BOOK  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  INTEREST 


In  her  first  novel.  "Lost  Valley," 
(Harper  &  Brothers)  Mrs.  Katherine 
Fullerton  Gerould,  distinguished  es- 
sayist, short  story  writer  and  daugh- 
ter-in-law of  New  Hampshire,  takes 
our  state  skeleton  out  of  its  closet 
and  rattles  its  hones  as  they  have  not 
heen  since  the  late  Governor  Frank 
W.  Rollins  issued  an  official  Fast  Day 
proclamation  which  is  not  yet  for- 
gotten, though  its  elate  was  more  than 
two  decades  ago. 

Mrs.  Geroukl  does  not  say  that  her 
"Lost  Valley."  where  nature  is  at  her 
hest  and  man  is  at  his  worst,  is  lo- 
cated in  New  Hampshire.  But  all  of 
us  who  have  been  up  and  down  and 
over  and  across  this  state  for  forty 
years  know  that  we  have  our  share, 
with  the  other  New  England  states, 
of  these  "Lost  Valleys."  The  state 
board  of  education  and  the  state 
board  of  health  could  tell  quite  ac- 
curately how  many  we  have  and 
where  they  are  situated ;  for  these 
departments  of  the  government,  and 
others,  in  a  less  degree,  are  trying  to 
reduce  the  number  of  such  places  in 
our  midst. 

In  the  last  chapters  of  her  novel 
Mrs.  Gerould  offers  a  solution  of  the 
problem  in  the  love  of  the  land  that 
is  inherent  in  the  human  animal  and 
that  oft-times  is  content  with  small 
return  for  its  affection.  But  we  fear 
that  the  number  of  Jake  Leffmgwells 
left  in  New  Hampshire  is  too  few 
to  redeem  its  hill  acres.  It  would 
have  been  more  up  to  date,  as  re- 
gards the  story,  if  when  John  Law- 
rence, the  railroad  king,  came  back  to 
view  with  dismay  the  place  of  his 
birth,  Silas  Mann,  his  old  schoolmate, 
who  drove  him  over  from  Siloam, 
should  have  turned  out  to  be  a  real 
estate  agent,  ready  with  plans  for  the 
damming  of  Lost  Brook  for  water 
power,     the    reforesting    of    the   hill- 


sides above  it  and  the  building  of  a 
summer  hotel  on  their .  sightliest  spot. 

But  on  the  whole  Mrs.  Gerould's 
local  color  as  to  both  persons  and 
places  is  excellent.  Some  of  the 
minor  characters,  such  as  Sarah  Mar- 
tin, the  Siloam  school  teacher,  and 
Andrew  Lockerbury,  the  work- 
warped  farmer,  are  splendidly  done. 
Madge  Lockerby,  the  heroine,  setting 
forth  on  her  almost  hopeless  quest 
with  a  spirit  that  came  straight  down 
from  a  crusader  ancestor,  is  vivid  and 
true.  The  idea  of  the  beautiful  im- 
becile girl  who  looked  like  a  saint 
and  worshipped  a  monkey  is  gro- 
tesque, but  motivates  the  plot  with 
sufficient  energy  to  carry  us  from 
Lost  Valley  to  Boston  and  New 
York,  to  Revere  street  and  Mulberry 
street,  to  Mrs.  Blackmer's  boarding 
house  on  Pinckuey  street  and  to 
Arthur  Burton's  studio  in  "the  Vil- 
lage." 

All  of  Mrs.  Gerould's  Yankees, 
whatever  their  age  and  generation, 
class  and  station,  are  true  to  life. 
She  sees  into  our  ingeniously  closed 
hearts  and  fathoms  correctly  the  re- 
actions behind  our  impassive  counte- 
nances. Her  pictures  of  Italians  and 
Chinese  have  at  least  the  fidelity  of 
good  reporting.  We  do  not  ques- 
tion the  artist,  Burton,  and  his  Juan- 
ita.  Only  when  Desmond  Reilly 
comes  upon  the  scene  to  forecast  the 
happy  ending  do  we  realize  that  this 
is  one  more  "made  up"  story,  as  the 
children  say.  And  even  to  the  final 
page  Mrs.  Gerould  revolts  against  the 
formulae  of  romance,  her  final 
"clinch"  coming  when  "High  noon 
lay  on  Barker's  Hill.  It  was  the  least 
romantic  hour  of  the  day.  The  sea- 
son had  already  wearied  of  temper- 
ance, and  the  Valley,  shut  off  from 
the  wind,  sweltered  below  them  in 
hot  undress." 


(oi 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  NECROLOGY 


DAVID    A.    TAGGART 

David  Arthur  Taggart,  loader  of  the 
Kt\x  Hampshire  bar,  died  at  his  home 
in  Manchester,  Februrary  9.  He  was 
born  in  GofYstown,  January  3iK  1858, 
the  son  of  David  Morrill  and  Esther 
(Wilson)  Taggart,  and  was  educated  in 
the  town  schools,  at  "Manchester  High 
School  where  he  graduated  in  187-1,  and 
at  Harvard  University,  class  of  1S78. 
Studying  law  with   the   late  judge   David 


of    his    death    vice-president    and    acting 
president    of    the    state   bar   association. 

In  early  life  Mr.  Taggart  took  an 
active  interest  in  Republican  politics; 
was  a  member  of  the  house  of  repres- 
entatives in  1883.  president  of  the  state 
senate  of  18S9  and  the  candidate  of  his 
party,  for  Congrress  from  the  First  Dis- 
trict in  1890.  He  was  a  32d  degree- 
Mason  and  a  Knight  Templar,  and  a 
member  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,      the      Derryfield      club,     the 


'   ..--...   .     ..........  ... 


.*—    -(W^-*  ■■■■•'> 


The  Late  David  A.  Taggart 


Cross,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  Sept. 
1,  1881,  and  practised  his  profession  in 
Manchester  with  high  success  until  his 
death,  being  at  that  time  the  head  of  the 
firm  of  Taggarc.  Tuttie.  YVyman  &  Starr 
and  having  included  among  his  former 
associates  Judge  Geo.  H.  Bingham  and 
Congressman  Sherman  E.  Burroughs. 
For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  state 
bar  examiners;  was  a  member  of  the 
national  bar  association;  and  at  the  time 


Intervale  Country  Club  and  the  New 
Hampshire  Harvard  club.  He  was  an 
attendant  at  the  Franklin  Street  Con- 
gregational   church. 

November  11,  1884,  Mr.  Taggart  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  Elbra  Story,  daughter 
ot  Dr.  A.  B.  Story  of  Manchester.  He 
is  survived  by  his  wife  and  by  two 
daughters,  Mrs.  Ernest  R.  Cooper  and 
Airs.  Stanley  C.  Whipple,  both  of  Boston. 


102 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


JAMES    L.    COLBY 

James  L.  Colby,  commissioner  ©I  Mer- 
rimack County,  died  at  his  home  in 
Webster  at  10  o'clock  in  the  evening  of 
Tuesday,  January  24,  after  several 
months  of  illness.  He  was  born  in 
Rumford,  Me..  November  15,  1855,  the 
only  child  of  Charles  S.  and  Ann  (Gree- 
ley) Colby,  and  came  to  Webster  in 
childhood  with  his  parents..  His  grand- 
father, on  his  mother's  side,  was  Reuben 
Greeley,  leading  citizen  of  Salisbury, 
who  married  Mary  Ann.  daughter  of 
Captain    James    Shirley    of    Chester. 

With     the     exception     of     a    few    brief 


Mr.  Colby  was  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican State  committee  and  an  ener- 
getic and  successful  worker  in  the  in- 
terests of  his  party.  His  townspeople 
had  honored  him  with  all  the  offices  in 
their  gift,  including  moderator,  select- 
man, member  of  the  school  board  and 
representative  to  the  legislature  in  1917, 
in  which  he  served  upon  the  standing 
committee  on  County  Affairs.  This  was 
appropriately  followed  by  his  election 
in  1918  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
commissioners  for  Merrimack  county,  a 
position  which  he  filled  so  well  that 
his  re-election  in  1920  for  another  term 
was   a    matter   of   course. 


\^r~ 


tu  .j,.-. 


i-r    -    ■       -  '  -  -      •'■ 


.  .,■:  :';■'.       ■■:«.'.■:«  '  ■  . 


The  Late  James  L.  Colby 


absences,  Mr.  Colby  was  a  lifelong  resi- 
dent of  Webster  and  one  of  the  town's 
best  known  citizens.  After  attending 
the  schools  there  and  Simonds  Free 
High  school  at  Warner  he  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade,  but  devoted  most  of 
his  time  to  carrying  on  the  home  farm, 
combined,  in  later  years,  With  exten- 
sive lumbering  operations.  Before  the 
death  of  Charles  S.  Colby,  who  passed 
away  December  17,  1918,  at  the  age  of 
92,  four  generations,  including  father 
son,  grandson  and  great-grandson  were 
active  at;  the   same  time  on  the  old  place. 


For  many  years  he  was  a  director  of 
the  Merrimack  County  Mutual  Fire  In- 
surance company  and  its  treasurer  at 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Harris  lodge,  A.  F.  and  A.  M., 
of  Warner,  and  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Lumbermen's  Association. 

Mr  Colby  married  June  14,  1891, 
Mary  Morse  of  Webster,  who  survives 
him,  with  their  son,  Joseph  G.  Colby, 
of  Webster,  their  daughter,  Mrs.  Annie 
Brock  way  of  Newport,  and  four  grand- 
children. 

Not   only   in   his   family   circle   and   by 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  NECROLOGY  103 

his    Fellow    townsmen    and    business    and  sons.       Charles       Bracket!.       and       Leon 

official    associates    is    Mr.    Colby's    death  Everett,    having   previously   passed   awav. 

deeply     mourned,     but     also     by     a    wide  

c;rC!e     of    friends     throughout    the    state. 

hv  whofn  his  hearty  greeting,  its  siheeri-  MADAME    BOUGUEREA1J 

fv.    warmth    and   vigor    so   typical    of   the  ^ 

man    will  be  greatlv  missed.  Madame    Elizabeth    Gardner    Bouguer- 

eau,    the    American    girl   who   opened    the 

art   schools    of    Paris    to    women,    died   at 

^T>     .  __._    r    „,,  V1  ni>  St.   Cloud.   France,  January  29.     She  was 

DR.    LEVI    U.  TAYLOK  bopf|    {n    Exeter>     October    4,     1837,    the 

Levi  Colby  Taylor  was  born  in  Lemp-  daughter    of    George    and    Jane    (Lowell) 

ster     Dec.    12,     1841.    died    in    Hartford,  Gardner,     and     after     graduating     from 

rnnn       Feb     8      19^2      Dr      Taylor    was  Lasell   Seminary   went  abroad  in    1862  to 

one   of   the   most   eminent   and   successful  study  art    At   Paris  she  was.  successively 

dentist?   in    New   England,   and   had   been  the    pupil,    co-worker    and    wife   of    V\  il- 

n  practice    in    Hartford    since    1875,   hav-  ham   Bouguereau,  one  of   the   greatest  of 

ing  been   previouslv   located   at    Holyoke,  modem    painters.     She     was     herseii     an 

Mass      for     seven  'years,    after    complet-  artist   of   distinction     the    first   woman    to 

ing    his    preparatory    studies.        He    had  be   an   exhibitor   and   prize   winner  at  the 

"*»             l      '              "  Salon.     She     revisited     America     m     18/0 

-T,: r----  aprj    jg^g    ancj    crave    t0    her    native    town 

one     of    her     finest     works,     'Across    the 
Brook,''    which    hangs   at    Robinson    Sern- 

I  inary. 


RICHARD   WHORISKEY 


Professor   Richard   Whoriskey.   h.ead   of 
I  the    department    of    modern    languages   at 

New  Hampshire  College  and  the  best- 
loved  member  of  the  faculty  of  that  in- 
stitution, died  February  21.  He  was 
born  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  December  2, 
1874.  the  son  of  Richard  and  Anne 
(Carroll)  Whoriskey,  graduated  at 
Harvard  in  1897  and  had  taught  at 
Durham  since  1899.  For  25  years  he 
•  had  served  on  the  athletic  council  and 
his      relations      with      the      undergraduate 


bod}-     were    always     most     intimate     and 

helpful.     During   "the      World      War     he 

became      well      known     throughout     the 

state  as  a  patriotic   speaker  and   was   the 

lI_^ •,•■-_..--.-. .--—-_.  :,-_^  •"  .-.-  ■■     ■  ■<  valued     assistant     of     Chairman     Huntley 

„  T  T  r*    /r« \  ,TT  nn  N.    Spaulding   in    the    work    of   the    state 

The  Late  Levi  C.  Taylor  food  Administration. 

ht.cn    prcsidmt    of    the    Connecticut    Yal-  . 

ley  Dental  society,   which  he   was  instru-  cr.Trc 

mental    in    organizing,    and    was    the    first  liUKiUA    1.   iLALLb 

Dresidtmt  of  the  Hartford  Dental  society.  0              ^          c      ,          ,.                  , 

^icbiuLiu  vi   uxc  ndnu  ^                r*nnor  Burton   True   Scales,   director   of  music 

He    was   also    a    member    of    the    t^onnec-  .        ,..                                  >         ,.    ,            t->l-i 

aic    was   cumj    d.    iik.                       ,,;.,„  in     Girard    college,     who    died    at    Phila- 

ticut,    the    Northeastern     the ^ Massacju-  de,   w      Jamiary  31<   was  born  in  Dover, 

setts    and    National    Dental    Association.,  gt            ^      ^    ^    of        hn        d 

and   an    honorary   member    of   the    N.    H.  E1]en     (Tasker)     Scales.     He     graduated 

Dental    Association     and    the    M.    Y.    In-  at     Dartmouth    in     1895     and    after    two 

stitute     of    Stomatology.         He    was    for  ^     q[     ne               r      WQrk     at     Dover 

some     time     a   lecturer     on      Oral     Pro-  gtudicd  musk  Jn  BostQn  and  New  Yofk 

Phy  axis     and     Orthodontia    in    the    New  Hq         g              yhor     f   music   Jn   tft          b_ 

Wk    College    of    Dental    and    Oral    bur-  u         h     j   »    .                                Newmarket, 


ger.y.     He    married.    Dec.    8,    1874,    Miss 
Nellie   Thaver   of    Peterboro,    N.  H.,   who 


1897-99,    and    from    the    latter    year    until 


ncuie    map    u^.t         ^      '^V.     MW^       l9i'4    director    of    music    in    the    William 
r^l^\L't.,aoflar^rd;Ianvo      *?"     *****     at     Philadelphia.       Since 


104 


TIE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


1914  he  had  been  at  Girard  College.  He 
was  also  instructor  in  music  at  the  sum- 
mer sessions  of  the  Plymouth  Normal 
school  and  New  York  University  and 
Cornell  University  and  had  been  di- 
rector of  the!  University  oi  Pennsyl- 
vania glee  club  and  a  lecturer  at  the 
New  York  Institute  of  Musical  Art. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masons  and 
the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and,  at  Dartmouth,  of  the  Delta  Kappa 
Epsilon  fraternity  and  the  Casque  and 
Gauntlet  senior  society.  He  is  sur- 
vived by  his  father;  his  wife,  who  was 
Miss  Kate  Hubbard  Reynolds,  of 
Dover;  and  by  two  children.  Catherine 
Bradstreet    and    Benjamin    Reynolds. 


REV.    WILLIAM    L.    SUTHERLAND 

Rev.  William  Lang  Sutherland  was 
born  at  West  Bath.  Nov.  5,  1864,  and 
died  at  Clinton,  Iowa,  January  17.  He 
graduated  from  Dartmouth  college  in 
the  class  of  1877  and  for  more  than 
40  years  labored  as  a  home  missionary 
in  Minnesota,  Kansas,  Iowa  and  North 
Dakota,  being  at  the  time  of  his  death 
the  pastor  of  the  church  at  Medford, 
Minn.  He  married  Mary  A.  Hopkins 
of  Morrison,  Minn.,  a  graduate  of  Clarke- 
ton  college,  who  survives  him,  with  two 
daughters    and    five    grandchildren. 


REV.   DENNIS   DONOVAN 

Rev.  Dennis  Donovan,  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  churcn  at  South  Lvndeborough 
from  1886  to  1918,  died  December  16, 
1921,  at  the  home  of  his  son,  Prof.  W. 
N.  Donovan,  in  Newton,  Mass.  He  was 
bcrn  in  Myross,  County  Cork,  Ireland, 
April  8,  1837.  the  son  of  Michael  and 
Mary  (Dempsey)  Donovan,  and  came 
to  this  country  when  10  years  of  age 
with  his  parents,  one  of  whom  died  on 
the  ship  and  the  other  within  a  month 
after  landing.  He  worked  his  way  to 
an    education,    graduating   from    the    Uni- 


versity of  Vermont  and  the  Newton 
Theological  Institution,  and  was  or- 
dained to  the  Baptist  ministry  in  1867. 
Besides  his  long  service  at  Lvnde- 
borough, he  held  pastorates  in  Massachu- 
setts, Rhode  Island  and  New  York.  In 
Lvndeborough  he  served  as  trustee  of 
the  town  library  and  had  much  to  do 
with  the  preparation  of  the  town  his- 
tory. He  was  a  member  of  Phi  Beta 
Kappa. 


REV.  OTIS  COLE 

Rev.  Otis  Cole,  born  in  Stark,  De- 
cember 25.  1833.  died  at  Haverhill,  Mass.. 
February  4.  He  was  the  son  of  Joshua 
and  Amanda  (Hinds)  Cole  and  was 
educated  at  the  Wilbraham  and  West- 
minster academies  and  at  the  Bible  In- 
stitute in  Concord,  now  the  theological 
school  of  Boston  University.  With 
the  exception  of  two  years  in  educa- 
tional work  in  Tennessee  he  occupied 
pulpits  in  the  New  Hampshire  Metho- 
dist conference  from  1866  for  half  a 
century.  He  was  a  trustee  of  Tilton 
Seminary.  One  daughter,  Miss  Helena 
Cole,    survives    him. 


SAMUEL  W.  HOLMAN 

Samuel  Weare  Holman  was  born  in 
York,  Maine,  June  5,  1855,  the  son  of 
Rev.  Morris  and  Mary  Weare  (Lunt) 
Holman,  and  died  at  Hillsborough, 
January  21.  Mr.  Holman  attended 
Francestown  academy  and  Bates  col- 
lege and  studied  law  with  Attorney  Gen- 
eral Mason  W.  Tappan.  For  45  years 
he  practised  that  profession  at  Hills- 
borough and  was  police  court  judge 
for  30  years.  He  was  a  prominent  Re- 
publican and  had  been  a  member  of  the 
legislature  and  constitutional  convention 
delegate.  He  was  an  Odd  Fellow  and 
a  liberal  supporter  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  One  daughter,  Mrs. 
Mary  Van  Horn,  of  Portland,  Maine 
survives   him. 


TO    MONADNOCK 

TO    .MONADNOCK 

By  H.  F.  Animido'wn 

Grand  granite  guardian  of  three  noble  states! 
Proud     chieftain  of  New  England's  lesser  hills! 
What  restless  hearts  your  changeless  presence  fills 
With  peace!     What   listless   souls  your  calm  elates, 
From  teeming  Boston's  light-house  guarded  gates 
To  lonely  towers  that  watch  green  Berkshire's  rills ! 

Before  proud  Pharaoh  piled  a  pyramid  ; 

Ere  Bahel  burdened  Babylonia's  plains; 

Or  Noah  sought  refuge  from  revengeful  rains. 

Across  sweet  summer  woods,  or  slopes  snow  hid, 

You  looked  upon  Mt.  Washington  amid 

His  subject  peaks,  and  the  Green  Mountain  chains. 

You  watched  mysterious  reptiles  track  smooth  sand 

We  call  Mt.  Tom  and  Sugar  Loaf,  West  Rock, 

And  kindred  names:  and  as  the  constant  clock 

Of  time  ticked  on,  behold  the  ocean's  strand 

Retire,  whilst  that  alluvial  soil,  obtained, 

Perchance,  from  your  gray  flanks,  changed  back  to  rock. 

And  you  shall  still  survey  yon  glistening  lake 
When  generations  yet  unborn  ar£  gray. 
A  thousand  years,  when  gone,  are  yesterday 
To  you ;  and  shall  be  till  God's  trumpets  shake 
Rock,  plain  and  mountain;  and  the  dead  awake; 
And  the  eternal  skies  are  rolled  away. 


106  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

A    WINTER'S    NIGHT    STORM 

By  Perley  R.  Bugbee 

The  skies  are  heavily  overcast. 
Twinkling"  stars  are  nowhere  visible. 
Dark  the  horizon,  its  clouds  are  massed. 
Fairy  snow  Makes  are  seasonable. 

The  house  is  chilly,  the  ground  is  hare. 
Round  the  fireside,   families  gather. 
For  wintry  signs  are  everywhere, 
Snow  King  is  monarch  of  the  weather. 

All  the  night  long  his  wintry  storm  lasts. 
Now  and  then  the  windows  and  doors  creak." 
The  dark  chilly  winds  and  snowy  blasts 
Are  searching;  for  the  Snow  King  they  seek. 

The' wild  winds  shake  every  bush  and  tree, 
In  the  valley  and  upon  the  hills, 
And  snow  flakes  cover  them  in  fury, 
For  the  night's  ruling  Snow  King  so  wills. 

Another  dawn  and  a  new  day  breaks. 

And  the  wintry  tempest  is  over. 

The  Day's  bright  sun  rules  the  sparkling  flakes 

From  a  throne  of  sapphirian  splendor.    , 


I  .  i   *    ...■  • 


. 


k-     ••■' I  '  rji 


I  IN   .    .     .  ISSUE; 

I  ION 

I  y-.Gi         . 


i  z  HARLAN  C,  PEARSON,  Publisher 


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CONCORD,  N.  K. 


. 


\0  7-lOtf 


£x-Goverxqr  John  IT.  Bartlett 
First  Assistant  Postmaster  General  of  the  United  States. 


10«i 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Vol.  J. IV. 


APRIL,  1922 


No.  4. 


PRE^REVOLUTIONARY  LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 
IN  A  WESTERN  NEW"  HAMPSHIRE  TOWN. 


By   George 

Editor'.-  Note: — The  following  is  the 
first  of  a  series  of  articles  which,  although 
local  in  character,  reach  out  collaterally 
in  a  way  to  embrace  10  some  extent  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  history  of  all  New 
Hampshire,   in    fact   of  all    New   England. 

Ii  is  possible  that  the  series  may  prove 
of  value  in  suggesting  to  writers  of  local 
history  neglected  sources  of  information. 
such  as  the  archives  of  ancient  societies 
in  London.  They  also  illustrate  how 
local  history  may  be  made  more  inter- 
esting if  given  perspective  by  not  con- 
fining it  too  much  within  the  four 
corners    of    the    town. 

In  Europe,  as  in  most  of  the  east- 
ern hemisphere,  the  beginning  of  his- 
tory is  hidden  in  mist ;  in  America  it 
is  an  affair  of  yesterday.  Here  we 
have  written  records  from  the  very 
start;  yet  in  New  Hampshire  few 
that  tell  us  of  the  daily  life  of  the 
people. 

From  a  small  town  in  western 
Xew  Hampshire  a  schoolmaster 
wrote  letters  to  an  ancient  society  in 
London.  That  society  kept  them,  or 
abstracts  of  their  contents. (1)  From 
these,  reading  largely  between  the 
lines,  an  attempt  will  be  made  to 
gather  something  of  local  life  and 
thought  at  a  time  shortly  preceding 
the  Revolution. 

ropagation 


The  Societv     for  the     T 


of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts — here- 
inafter called  the  Society— is  the 
direct  successor  of  the  Society  for 
the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in 
New  England,  chartered  in  1649. 
chartered  anew,  after  the  Restora- 
tion, in  1661  ;  and  again,  with  its 
present    name    and    enlarged    powers, 

(1  )  Since  obtaining-  copies  from  London  it 
Ju  the  archives  of  the  Society  relating  to  the  Ai 
of  Congress   at   Washington. 


B.   Upham. 

under   the   Great   Seal   of    England   in 
1701. 

Samuel  Cole  Esquire  was  the  first 
schoolmaster  in  Claremont,  and,  so 
far  as  known,  the  only  schoolmaster 
in  Xew  Hampshire  maintained  by 
funds  sent  from  England.  From 
F.  Bowditch  Dexter's  "Biographies 
and  Sketches  of  the  Graduates  of 
Yale  College.  1701-1745,"  we  learn 
that  he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1731  with  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts.  It  was  a  small  class  of  only 
thirteen  members.  In  early  cata- 
logues, curiously  enough,  the  names 
were  "arranged  in  the  order  indicat- 
ing the  social  rank  of  the  families 
represented."  Cole's  name  was  the 
ninth.  The  Biography  further  tells 
us  that : 

"He  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Cole  Jr. 
of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  was  born  in 
that  town  February  7th,  1710-il.  His 
mother  was  Mary,  daughter  of  James 
Kingsbury,    of    Plainfield.    Connecticut." 

"His  early  history  is  little  known,  but 
he  appears  to  have  resided  soon  after 
leaving  college  in  Northbury  Society, 
now  Plymouth,  in  the  northern  part  of 
Waterbur.y,    Connecticut." 

"Soon  after  1740  he  conformed  to  the 
Church  of  England,  and  for  a  number 
of  years  officiated  as  a  lay  reader  to  the 
Episcopaleans  in  Litchfield  and  the 
neighborhood,  entertaining  until  at 
least  1747,  a  design  of  crossing  the  At- 
lantic for  holy  orders;  his  fears  of  the 
dangers  of  the  sea,  however,  prevented 
the  accomplishment  of  this  design.  At 
the  last  named  date  he  was  residing  in 
Litchfield,  Connecticut,  and  received  on 
behalf  of  the  churchmen  there  a  valu- 
able donation  of  land.  Lie  seems  to 
have    spent    his    life    mainly    as    a    school 

lias    been    learned    that    copies    of   all    documents 
neriean   Colonies   are   in   the   files   of    the   Library 


110 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


teacher.  About  1767  he  was  one  of  the 
prominent  settlers  in  Claremont,  New 
Hampshire,  and  in  1769  received  from 
the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel,  the  appointment  as  Catechist 
and  Schoolmaster  at  that  place,  with  an 
annual  stipend  of  £15.  He  conducted 
services  of  the  Church  of  England  there, 
until  the  arrival  of  an  ordained  clergy- 
man in  1773.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution  his  sympathies  were  with  the 
British.  He  is  said  to  have  died  in 
Claremont  late  in  the  year  177/  in  Ids 
67th   year.     No   will   is   on   record." 

"He  married  Mary  Dean,  at  Strat- 
ford, Connecticut,  April  6,  1753.  She 
was  probably  the  widow  of  the  Rev. 
Barzillai  Dean,  Yale  College,  1737.  Mr. 
Cole   had   two  daughters." 

Dexter  cites  numerous  authorities 
for  the  statements  above  quoted;  but 
his  sketch  contains  practically  all  the 
information  heretofore  published 
about  Samuel  Cole,  except  that  to  be 
found  in  Batchelder's  '"'History  of  the 
Eastern  Diocese" — printed  at  Clare- 
mont in  1876- -and  the  little  in 
Waite's  "History  of  Claremont," 
mostly  reprinted  from  the  New 
Hampshire    State    Papers. 

From  a  Memorial  dated  at  Clare- 
mont April  28.  1769.  we  learn  that 
he  was  "an  Inhabitant  and  Proprie- 
tor" in  Claremont,  the  latter  word  in- 
dicating that  he  was  a  landowner 
there. 

The  ordinal  MSS.  of  this  Memori- 
al is  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the 
Society  in  London.  Series  P.  Vol. 
23.     No.  419.     It  reads  as    follows: 

To  the  Reverend  Clergy  of  the 
Church  of  England  and  Missionaries  of 
ye  Venerable  Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel  in  foreign  Parts 
to  be  convened  at  New  Milford  in  the 
Colony  of  Connecticut  on  Trinitv 
Week. 

The    Memorial    of    us    the    Subscribers 
Conformists    to    the    Church    of    Eng- 
land   and    Inhabitants   of    the    Town    of 
Claremont    in    the    Province      of    New- 
Hampshire    in    New    England    humbly 
sheweth   That  the  first  begining  of  the 
Settlement   of   this    Town    by    the    Pro- 
prietors  was   about   two   years   ago..    And 
untill    Since      the     Proclamation      of    the 
Peace    last    between    Great    Britain    and 


France  this  Land  was  a  wild  uncultivat- 
ed Desert  which  no  Christian  ever  saw 
except  some  light  Scouts  of  English  in 
pursuit  of  blood  thirsty  Savages  or  of 
the  wild  Beasts  of  the  Earth  we  live 
very  remote  from  all  the  Clergy  of  the 
Chh  of  England  and  there  is  but  one 
Ch11  in  this  Province  which  is  at  Ports- 
mouth under  the  pastoral  Care  of  the 
P.fv.d  Mr,  Browne  who  is  about  One 
Hundred  and  Fourty  miles  distant  from 
us  Five  Infants  born  here  are  yet  un- 
baptized  for  no  Missionary  has  yet  gave 
us  a  visit  yet  we  maintain  our  principals 
of  Conformity  notwithstanding  we  are 
surrounded  with  the  various  Denomina- 
tion of  Dis>enters  who  would  willingly 
raze  us  to  the  Foundation  and  hope  for 
a  Missionary  to  reside  among  us  before 
many   years 

The  Land  here  is  excessively  burdend 
with  Timber  which  renders  the  Culti- 
vation of  it  very  laborious  However 
the  little  we  have  brought  under  Culti- 
vation is  abundantly  Fruitfull  so  that 
(God  willing)  most  of  the  necessaries 
of    Life   will   be   plentiful!. 

And  altho'  there  is  a  Right  of  Land 
Granted  for  the  LTse  of  a  School  (by  his 
Excellency  Bening  Went  worth  Esq'  oar 
late  Gov1-)  in  this  Town  about  One 
Hundred  and  fifteen  Acres  of  which  is 
already  laid  out,  and  an  equal  number  of 
Acres  on  the  Glebe  Right  and  the  Right 
granted  to  the  Society  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  in  foreign  Parts  all 
which  rights  (notwithstand  the  Opposi- 
tion of  enemies  of  the  Church)  we  have 
much  a  do  caused  to  be  laid  out  in  some 
Measure  equitably  and  there  is  a  Right 
l  also  granted  to  the  first  Gospel  Minister 
which  we  hope  will  .fall  into  the  hands 
of  a  missionary  for  there  was  no  en- 
deavours to  Injure  that  Right  for  the 
Dissenters  took  for  granted  that  that 
Right  was  for  their  Teachers  These 
Rights  will  be  a  Noble  Fund  for  the 
Church  in  after  ages.  Nevertheless 
these  Rights  are  yet  useless  to  us  and 
altho  we  have  agreed  to  build  a  School 
House  Twenty  feet  square  and  have  al- 
ready Subscribed  near  enough  to  com- 
pleat  it  and  are  all  unanimous  in  the 
Affair  yet  we  are  unable  at  present  to 
give  sufficient  encouragement  to  an  able 
School  Master  to  under  take  for  us. 
Some  of  us  have  numerous  families  of 
Small  Children  fit  for  Schooling  the 
Number  of  our  Children  under  age  of 
16  years  is  35  there  is  about  2  families 
of  Dissenters  to  one  of  ours.  We  are 
grieved  at  the  thoughts  of  having  them 
brought  up  in  Ignorance  and  dread  their 
becoming  a  Prey  to  Enthusiasts  carried 
about   with   every  wind  of   Doctrin 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY   LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 


11 


We  believe  a  good  School  lays  the 
best  Foundation  tor  a  sober  righteous 
and  godly  Life  and  since  Sam.el  Cole 
i£sqre  has  been  much  imp!o}'d  in  keep- 
ing School  and  is  an  Inhabitant  and 
Proprietor  among  us  (whose  Character 
and  Qualifications  some  of  you  well 
know)  We  humbly  desire  you  would 
phase  to  ^represent  our  State  to  the 
Venerable  Society  and  endeavor  that  he 
may  be  appointed  Chatechist  and  School 
Master  among-  us  a  few  years  till  we 
have  got  over  the  first  Difficulties  and 
hardship  of  Settling  a  wild  uncultivated 
Land  or  Some  way  in  your  Wisdom  en- 
deavour cur  Relief  and  we  as  in  Duty 
Round  shall  ever  pray 
Claremont    April    28th,    1769. 

Abel    Bachelor 
Hez    Rice 
Mkah     Potter 
Cornelius   Brooks 
Benjamin    Tyler 
Ebenezer  Rice 
Daniel    Warner 
Levi  Warner 
Benjn    Brooks 
Asa    Leet 

Benjamin    Brooks  Jr 
benj    rice 

stated :  "That  the 
the  Settlement  of 
this  Town  by  the  Proprietors  was 
about  two  years  ago,"  that  is,  in  the 
spring  or  summer  of  1767.  But  the 
word  "Proprietors''  is  here  used  to 
designate  the  grantees  named  in  the 
Town  Charier,  or  their  assigns. 

The  first  settlers  were  squatters, 
not  Proprietors  under  the  charter, 
which  was  dated  "the  Twenty-sixth 
day  of  October,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  Christ  1764."  These  squatters 
came  before  that  date,  or  at  least, 
before  the  Proprietors  or  their  as- 
signs, met  to  organize,  which  was 
in  Winchester,  X.  II..  near  the 
Massachusetts  line,  on  February  2, 
1767.  We  know  of  seven  such  not 
counting  children ;  Moses  Spoflord 
and  David  Lynde,  here  in  1762. 
John  Peak,  his  wife  and  two  children 
here  in  1764  or  earlier;  J.  Peterson 
whose  name  was  on  the  muster  roll  of 
Robert  Roger's  Rangers ;  and  the  two 
Dorchesters,  met  here  by  John  Mann 
and  his  wife,  Lydia,  on  their  journey 

(2.)     See    Granite    Monthly,    Vol.     51,     p.    429. 


It   is    true. 
first    begining    of 


to  Or  ford  in  October  1705.  Peak 
writes  of  "five  or  six  log  cabins  built 
here  before  the  town  was  incorporat- 
ed."^ 

"The  Proclamation  of  the  Peace 
last  between  Great  Britain  and 
France"  referred  to  in  the  Memorial, 
for  the  purpose  of  fixing  a  date,  was 
the  Proclamation  following  the 
Treaty  of  Paris,  signed  February  10. 
1763.  This  Treaty  ended  the 
"Seven  Years  War;"  a  war  in  which 
nearly  all  the  powers  of  Europe  were 
engaged,  but  principally  important 
because  it  broke  the  power  of  the 
French  in  America.  The  treaty  gave 
the  English  all  the  territory  east  of 
the  Mississippi,  except  the  town  and 
island  of  Xew  Orleans,  and  the  rocky 
islets.  St.  Pierre  and  Miquelon, 
which  were  retained  by  the  French; 
and  excepting,  of  course,  Florida 
then  possessed   by    Spain. 

The  statement  that  until  this  Pro- 
clamation "this  Land  was  a  wild  un- 
cultivated Desert  which  no  Chris- 
tian ever  saw  except  some  light 
Scouts  of  English  in  pursuit  of  blood 
thirsty  Savages  or  of  the  wild  Beasts 
of  the  Earth" — is  somewhat  over- 
drawn. Number  Four,  later  Charles- 
town,  had  been  settled  in  1740;  and 
the  fort  begun  there  in  1743  had  been 
finished  in  1744.  Haverhill  had  been 
settled  in  1762,  and  these  settlers  had 
passed  up  the  Indian  trail,  and  over 
land  in  Claremont  which  the  signers 
of  the  Memorial  acquired  five  or  six 
years  later.  Then,  as  previously 
stated,  Spaftord  and  Lynde  had  set- 
tled in  Claremont  in  1762.  It  must, 
however,  be  confessed  that  if  even 
half  a  dozen  squatters  were  living  in 
Claremont  prior  to  the  "Proclamation 
of  the  Peace."  in  1763,  its  thirty  six 
square  miles  of  forest  and  meadow, 
mountain  and  valley,  hill  and  dale, 
would  not  appear  thickly  populated 
to  those  who  came  a  little  later. 

The  mention  of  the  four  "Rights 
of  Land,"  granted  for  educational 
and  ecclesiastical     purposes,     requires 


li; 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


^^c>>^   vaf^r  hk    ^k^  •■■-^■' ■■-■-;'  fe>  ,''^.»-  /   -x  /  \     | 
^£     SOW  /--w.  V  <#a  t^'  •"  ^H7  A :-  J^^^v  %  \  tf 

"A    Topographical    Map    of    the    State    of    New    Hampshire.      Surveyed    under    the    direction    of 

Samuel     Holland,     Esq'r.,     Surveyor    General     for    the     Northern     District     of    North     America. 

London;  printed  for  "William  Faden,  geographer  to  the  King.  Charing  Cross.  March  1st,  1784." 
All  the  material  for  this  map  had  been  made  ready  for  publication  in  1774.  so  it  may  be  con- 
sidered as  of  that  date.  The  Mason  Curve,  beginning  at  the  S.  W,  corner  of  FitzwiUiam 
on  the  Massachusetts  line,  divides  at  the  S.  E.  corner  of  Grafton  into  two  curves  both  extend- 
ing to  the  Maine  line.  For  the  purposes  discussed  in  this  article  the  more  northerly  curve 
may  be  disregarded.  The  towns  of  Plymouth,  Hoiderness,  Sandwich,  Tamworth  and  Eaton 
were  regarded  by  Gov.  B.  Wentworth  as  outside  the  curve.  Their  charters  gave  the  land  to 
individual  grantees,  and  shares  for  ecclesiastical  and  educational  purposes  as  in  the  charter 
©*  Claremont.    For  the  story  of  the  Survey  of  the   Mason  Curve,   see  Granite  Monthly.   Vol.  52,  p.  19. 


PRE-REVQLUTIONARY  LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 


113 


sonic  explanation.  In  the  Town 
Charter,  immediately  after  the  names 
of  the  seventy  individual  grantees  of 
Clarempnt,  is  the  following:  "One 
whole  Share  for  the- Incorporated  So- 
ciety for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  foreign  Parts — one  whole 
Share  tor  A  Glebe  for  the  Church 
of  England  as  by  Law  Established (3) 
one  Share  for  the  first  Settled  Min- 
ister of  the  Gospel — and  one  Share 
for  the  Benefit  of  A  School  in  Said 
Town    forever." 

Shares  for  these  same  purposes  in 
these  same  words  were  given  in  near- 
ly all  charters  granted  by  Governors 
Benning  and  John  Wentworth  to 
towns  outside  the  great  Mason 
Curve.  The  Wentworth  charters 
within  the  Curve  differed  greatly 
from  those  outside.  Within  much  of 
the  land  had  been  acquired  by  earlv, 
long  recognised  possession,  and  by 
settlement  under  old  Massachusetts 
charters  while  such  as  remained  un- 
settled was  claimed  and  held  by  the 
Mason  Proprietors/4'  and  their  as- 
signs under  the  ancient  Mason 
Grants,  then  more  than  a  century  old. 
The  Wentworths,  to  be  sure,  granted 
many  charters  to  towns  within  the 
Curve,  but  in  so  doing  gave  away 
little  land;  these  charters  being  main- 
ly  in   bestowal   of   political   rights   af- 


ter title  to  the  land  had  already  pass- 
ed. Outside  the  Mason  Curve,  as  far 
west  as  Lake  Champlain  and  north 
nearly  to  the  Canadian  line,  in  nearly 
two  hundred  charters,  the  Went- 
worths gave  land  to  themselves,  their 
friends,  the  Church  of  England  and 
to  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel,  with  a  liberality  unparal- 
leled in  towii  charters  by  any  other 
representatives  of  the  Crown  in 
America. 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  titles  to 
many  thousands  of  acres  of  land  in 
western  New  Hampshire  and  the 
"New  Hampshire  Grants."  now  Ver- 
mont, trace  back  to  the  "one  whole 
Share"  given  in  so  many  townships 
to  the  "Incorporated  Society"  in  Lon- 
don,'"''  the  Society  which,  as  we  have 
seen,  was  petitioned  to  appoint  Sam- 
uel Cole  Esquire  its  "Chatechist  and 
Schoolmaster"  in  Claremont. 

Hie  fact  that  this  Memorial  was 
signed,  by  twelve  persons,  together 
with  the  statement,  "Some  of  us  have 
numerous  families  of  Small  Children 
fit  for  Schooling,  the  number  of  Chil- 
dren under  age  of  16  yrs.  is  35, 
there  is  about  2  families  of  Dissen- 
ters to  one  of  ours" — leads  us  to 
think  that  in  the  spring  of  1769  about 
thirty- five  or  forty  families  and  one 
hundred  and  seventv  or  one  hundred 


(3  )  The  word  glebe  is  still  in  common  use  in  England,  designating-  the  cultivatable  land 
belonging  to  a  parish  church.  It  would  be  interesting  as  a  matter  of  local  history  if,  in  the 
various  towns,  the  shares  drawn  to  One  rights  above  quoted  could  be  definitely  located  and 
described  by  metes  and  bounds.  If  situated  in  places  where  conveyances  have  been  infrequent 
the  task,  in  any  one  township,  would  rot  be  so  laborious  as  might  at  first  sight  appear.  Most 
towns  have  the  original  "Proprietor's  Map."  showing  the  lots  as  laid  out  and  numbered.  The 
"Proprietor's  Records"  give  the  numbers  of  the  lots  drawn  to  these  rights.  In  the  county 
Records  of  Deeds  the  title  may  be  traced  down  to  the  present  owners,  or,  if  k  be  known  ap- 
proximately where  the  lots  v\  ere.  from  the  present  owners  back  to  the  original  drawings.  In 
Claremont  the  "one  whole  Share"  drav.  n  "for  A  Glebe  for  the  Church  of  Englands  as  by  Law 
Established"  has  never  been  conveyed.  It  is  still  owned  by  "Union  Church,"  and  lies  west  of 
the  cemeteries  and  beside  the  "New  Road" — built  eighty-three  years  a  20 — leading  from  "West 
Claremont"  to  "Ciaremont  Junction."  It  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  road  leading  to  the 
bridge  over  the  railroad  cut:  thence  up  the  hill  to  the  "Great  Road"  and  the  pre-RevoIutiona  ry 
house  owned    from    17i07   until    a    few    years   since    by    the    Ellis    family. 

(4.)  The  Mason  Proprietors  were  originally  twelve  in  number,  alt  living  in  or  near  Ports- 
mouth. They  surveyed  their  lar.rl,  laid  out  and  named  townships,  all  inside  the  Curve,  just  as  if 
they  were  the  Government  itself;  and,  what  interested  them  more,  sold  the  land,  or,  to  some 
extent,  divided  it  among  themselves.  The  Province  and  State  later  granted  charters  to  these 
towns,  generally  accepting  the  boundaries  fixed  and  names  given  by  the  Proprietors.  Such 
towns  were,  mostly,  not  far  distant,  from  the  Curve  Rine.  See  Mr.  O.  G.  Hammond's  "Mason 
Title"    etc.,    pp.     13-21. 

(5.)  In  1788  the  Society  conveyed  all  its  land  in  New  Hampshire  to  nine  trustees,  one- 
tenth  of  the  income  to  be  for  the  use  of  the  Bishop-  of  the  state,  nine-tenths  for  the  support 
of  an  Episeopalean  clergyman  in  the  several  towns  where  its  lands  were  situated.  For  a  fuli 
statement  respecting  this  conveyance  and  its  questionable  validity,  see  Batchelder's  "History 
of  the  Eastern  Diocese"  Vol.  1,  pp.  278-312.  The  society  did  not  convey  title  'o  its  lands  in 
Vermont.  The  writer  has  been  told  that  it  still  owns  a  fid  leases  lands  on  the  slopes  of 
Ascutney 


114 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


and  eighty  people  lived  in  the  town. 
The  census  return  made  by  the  Select- 
men of  Claremont  to  Governor  John 
Wentworth,  in  October  or  November 
1/73,  reported  423  inhabitants. 
From  the  concluding  prayer  of  the 
Memorial,  viz :  "and  we  as  in  Duty 
Bound  shall  ever  pray,"  we  may 
gather  that  someone  more  or  less 
versed  in  legal  verbiage  e  drafted  it. 
probably  Samuel  Cole,  M.  A.  of 
Yale.  He  had  lived,  as  we  have 
seen,  in  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  the 
site  of  the  earliest  Law  School 
in  America;  in  fact  of  the 
first  real  Law  School  in  the 
English     speaking      world,      although 


some  law  lectures  had  been  given 
previously  at  Oxford,  and  at  the  Col- 
lege of  William  and  Mary  in  Vir- 
ginia. It  seems  likely  that  in  as- 
sociation will;  the  very  able  lawyers 
who  lived  in  Litchfield,  and  who 
later,  in  1782.  started  the  Law  School 
there,  the  lay  reader  and  schoolmaster 
lad  picked  up  some  of  the  phrases 
commonly  used  in   legal  documents. 

The  Memorial  is  well  written,  well 
phrased,  and,  as  of  the  period,  cor- 
rectly spelled.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
any  person,  then  living  in  Claremont, 
other  than  the  schoolmaster,  could 
have  drafted  it. 

(To   be   continued) 


THE  POET 

By  John  Rollin  Stuart 

Thou  shah  be  lover  of  rose  and  star 
And  the  gleam  of  a  fa  "--stretched  sea — 
For  thou,  a  poet,   from  near  and  far 
Shall  hear  each  whisper  the  wind  shall   free. 

There  shall  be  pain  when  the  sun  goes  down 
And  joy  in  the  noontide  light. 
But  braver  visions  shall   follow  the  flown 
Over  a  worldwide  flight. 

And  thou  shalt  match  by  twos  and  fours 

The   worldly   pageantry. 

And  total  all  the  checkered  scores 

Of  man  and  bird  and  tree. 


And   in   the  end  thine  only   rest 
Of  thy  work  to  hear  men  say : — 
"Lo,  I  have  seen  his  sunlit  West, 
Or,  "I  have  loved  that  wav." 


u<r 


HOME  SPUN  YARNS  FROM  THE 
RED  BARN  FARM 


Bv  Zilla  George  Dexter. 


The  Fire  on  the  Mountain 
(Continued) 

By  midnight,  the  Fire  on  the 
.Mountain  had  become  spectacular; 
largely  reflecting:  itself  in  the  dull 
red  glare  cast  upon  heavy  clouds  of 
ascending  smoke.  Beyond  the 
Big  River  Valley,  on  the  neighbor- 
ing hills  of  Vermont,  it  soon  be- 
came the  subject  of  dire  prophe- 
sies, taking  into  account  the  wide- 
ly prevailing  drought. 

By  noon  of  the  following  day, 
the  fire  was  spreading  well  over 
the  thickly-wooded  shoulder  of  the 
mountain,  encouraged  by  varying 
winds  that  sent  occasional  showers 
of  glowing  brands,  hurtling  high 
above  the  valley,  to  fall  like  so 
many  torches  on  the  surrounding 
hills,  parched  to  tinder  by  a  long 
dry    season. 

Young  cattle  were  hastily  herded 
in  from  the  back  pastures,  and  by 
night  most  of  the  hill-side  farms 
were  deserted  by  the  women  and 
children,  leaving  only  the  strong 
and  able  to  guard  buildings  and 
wood-lots  from  incipient  fires,  fast 
multiplying.  A  few  families  found 
refuge  among  their  relatives  and 
friends  at  the  Works,  as  the  vil- 
lage was  then  most  commonly 
called ;  some  ostensibly  taking  this 
favorable  opportunity  to  make  a 
long  neglected  visit.  Neverthe- 
less all  were  made  cordially  wel- 
come, while  especial  care  was  giv- 
en to  the  feeble  and  aged,  so  sud- 
denly removed  from  their  wonted 
home    comforts. 

Thus,  when  night  fell  upon  the 
harrassed  town  with  its  burning 
mountain,  it  found  it  filled  with  not 
wholly   unpleasant   excitement.   On- 


ly the  few  as  yet  had  expressed 
undue  anxiety,  or  voiced  alarm; 
although  one  listening,  might  hear 
along  the  street,  between  neighbor 
and  neighbor,  conversation  like 
this — 

"I  ain't  a  particle  stirred  up  about 
the  fire,  be  you,  Rilly?  Why,  Jim 
says  his  father  can  remember  a 
much  worse  one,  in  the  ninety's, 
lower  down  in  big  timber.  But  it 
raised  such  a  wind  that  it  brought 
the  rain  and  put  itself  out;  this 
will,  too,  Jim  says." 

"But,  Ellen,"  queried  the  second 
neighbor,  "have  you  thought  that 
the  dry  spell  has  made  the  woods 
and  fields  like  tinder  in  many 
places ;  and  as  the  wind  rises, 
brands  are  falling  thicker  and  fast- 
er? We  need  more  men  in  the 
woods." 

"They  are  coming,  Rilly.  All 
we  need,"  was  the  cheery  assertion. 
"Some  from  as  far  oft  as  Water- 
ford,  so  Jim  says." 
,  fTf  that  is  so,'  Flllen,  I  must  hurry 
home  and  fill  up  my  oven  again.  It 
is  hungry  work  for  men.  threshing 
out  fires.  I  feel,  Ellen,  as  though 
we  ought  to  pray  while  we  are  cook- 
ing. Pray  for  rain  in  due  season." 
"For  the  land  sake,  Rilly,  I  can't 
pray  any  too  well  with  nothing 
special  on  my  hands ;  I  ain't  a  bit  like 
you.  I  should  spoil  my  cooking.  I 
know  I  should;  and  the  dear  Lord 
will  need  doughnuts  too,  to  carry  on 
his  work  here  tonight.  But  I  can 
work  better  if  I  know  you  are  pray- 
ing.    He  will  hear  you,   Rilly." 

The  two  comely  young  wives,  shar- 
ing each  the  other's  most  precious 
secret,  clasped  hands  for  the  moment, 
blue  eyes  and  brown,  brimming  with 
unshed  tears,  then  quietly  separated. 
There  were  many  such  women,  brave, 


116 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


reverent,  and  tender,  in  the  dear  old 
days;  mixing  together  their  service 
and  prayers  in  true  neighborly  fel- 
lowship. 

Notwithstanding  the  optimistic 
spirit,  so  evident,  there  was  much  sly 
preparation  going  on  here  and  there; 
for  nothing  was  to  be  avoided  more. 
by  our  efficient  grandmothers,  than 
to  be  "caught  napping,  if  anything 
should  happen/'  At  the  suggestion 
of  Aunt  Cyrithy  Oakes.  she  who  was 
ever  composed  and  never  idle,  the 
old  men  and  boys  were  even  set  to 
mending  harnesses  and  greasing  the 
wheels  of  all  kinds  of  vehicles, 
from  the.  uncompromising  "thorough- 
brace."  to  the  tipsy,  rollicking  "buck- 
board." 

Past  midnight,  and  the  mounting 
winds  lifting  heavy  columns  of 
smoke,  revealed  for  the  first  time 
the  full  extent  of  the  fire.  Boldly 
sweeping  the  high  face  of  the  moun- 
tain, it  was  also  edging  perilously, 
upon  the  tall  timherline  below;  its 
fiendish  forces  rampant.  The  "big 
mountain"  beyond  the  narrow  notch 
had  become  no  longer  impervious  to 
the  now  steady  attack  of  flaming 
brands  tossed  thitherward  by  the 
veering    winds. 

This  turning  of  night  into  day. 
with  its  general  release  from  bed- 
time routine,  was  looked  upon  by  the 
children  as  a  wonderful  lark. 
Bunched  together,  on  fence  or  porch- 
rail,  like  so  many  young  turkeys, 
they  read  in  jangling  concert,  by 
the  light  of  the  blazing  pines,  (giant 
candles,  molded  through  slow  cen- 
turies) read  of  "Mary's  Little 
Lamb,"  "Why  Phebe,  are  you  come 
so  soon?"  "The  Assyrian  came  down 
like  a  wolf,"  and  other  favorite^ ;  a 
feat  to  be  remembered  for  a  lifetime. 

Neither  did  they  fail  to  watch  for. 
nor  to  shout  in  ferocious  glee,  when- 
ever the  steadily  advancing  foe 
reached  still  another  patriarch  of  the 
hills;  shot  up  its  sturdy  hundred  feet 
of   stem,   flashed   along  its  out-spread 


branches.  ascending 
flame,  to  leave  yet  another  blackened, 
and  smouldering  stub,  high  on  the 
mountain-side.  And  the  children 
shouted  and  danced,  so  little  com- 
prehending the  mountain's  sore  trag- 
edy; being  robbed  of  its  age-purpled 
mantle,  (oftimes,  in  the  tempered 
light,  sheeny  as  velvet.)  being  bared 
to  the  rock— a  shame  that  the  larger 
part  of  a  century  has  failed  to 
wholly  conceal. 

The  hours  were  growing  ominous, 
and  long-standing  family  feuds 
were  fast  "going  up  in  smoke."  Josh 
Harris'  girls,  Rhody  and  Abby  Jane, 
now  met  in  a  loving  embrace,  after 
fourteen  unhappy  years  of  estrange- 
ment ;  Square  Brooks  and  the  Select- 
men shook  hands;  it  was  reported 
as  a  fact  that  Mar  thy  Aldrich  ac- 
cepted Timothy  Babcock,  her  long 
and  persistent  wooer,  on  the  spot; 
but  from  that  hour  to  her  dying  day, 
Marthy  never  gave  Timothy  even  a 
look,  much  less  a  hint  that  she  re- 
membered  so    frivolous  a  transaction. 

On  the  village  common  men  were 
gathered  in  shifting  groups.  Though 
restless,  few  seemed  over-anxious; 
some  were  whittling.  A  number  were 
collected  around  one  of  Deacon 
Thomas'  wideawake  sons  who  was 
repeating  his  father's  story  of  the 
"big  fire  of   the  nineties." 

"But  ye  say,  Luther,"  boomed  a 
loud  voice,  "that  a  thunderin'  big 
rain  come  jest  in  time  to  stop  that 
fire  your  dad  tells  so  much  about. 
Wal'  that's  jest  what  we've  spoke 
for.  but  't  will  have  to  come  mighty 
quick  and  a  mighty  delooge  of  it  too, 
or  I  wouldn't  give  a  lousy  coon-skin 
for  the  hull  contraption  here,  to- 
morrer.    this    time." 

"You  are  not  far  wrong,  Quim- 
by,"  spoke  another  voice,  "but  it's 
not  the  big  fire  only,  we  are  up 
against,  nor  the  small  ones  that  are 
showing  themselves,  and  that  I've 
been  fighting  for  six  hours.  It  is 
the   hidden    fires   working   in    the   dry 


HOME  SPUN  YARNS  FROM  THE  RED  BARN  FARM 


117 


mould.  We  just  came  across  one, 
working  its  way  along  towards  those 
pitch-pine  stubs,  left  in  the  clearing 
on  Fox  Hill,  as  they  never  should 
have  been." 

"That's  a  (act,  Kdson.  you've  ben 
tellin'  us  the  p'intid  truth."  This  last 
sneaker  stood  where  the  firelight 
shone  on  his  smudged  face;  bare, 
blackened  arms ;  crisped  boots  and 
singed  beard.  Volunteers  from 
neighboring  towns  were  fast  taking 
the  places  of  these  over-taxed  men 
in  the  woods,  who,  glad  of  a  short 
respite,  had  hurried  to  the  village 
for  a  hot  meal,  an  hour's  rest  and 
this  little  chat  on  the  common. 

"Yis,  the  p'intid  truth."  reiterated 
the  man,  "for  hell  is  creepin'  all 
around  us;  but  them  Waterford 
chaps  tell  us  that  light'nin's  playing 
sharp  down  below  Moose  Hillock, 
and  comin'  over  the  Xorth  Ridge, 
some  thought  they  heered  thunder. 
That  sartin  means  rain.  boys.  Mark 
my  word !  But  as  Ouimby  says, 
it  has  got  to  come  with  a  delooge  or 
this   valley '11   be   hotter'n — " 

"Hold  on,  no  swearing,  Levi.  No 
one  wants  to  hear  it  tonight." 

"That's  so  Leazer.  't  ain't  fair  to 
the  crowd,  is  it?  I'll  take  a  callin' 
down  from  you,  quicker'n  any  man 
I  know  on.  But,  1  vum,  I  should 
forgit  and  swear  in  heaven, — If  I 
ever  git  there." 

"We  are  not  worrying,"  said  the 
young  merchant  dryly,  "but  come  in- 
to my  little  store  some  day,  Leve, 
and  make  up  for  lost  time  if  you 
must;  tonight,  it  is  not  fair  to  your- 
self, say  nothing  about  the  crowd. 
Now  come  on,  let's  hear  what  Kelsy 
has  to  tell,  for  he  has  just  come 
through  the  Notch,  they  say.  Come." 

They  all  followed,  (men  usually  did 
follow  him)  to  where  a  larger  group 
were  gathered  closely  about  a  new- 
comer.    He  was   saying — 

"I'd  got  as  far  on  my  way  home 
from  Plymouth,  with  my  load  of 
freight,  as  T  tittle's  Tavern  down  in 
Thornton.     There  I    heard    that  you 


were  all  hemmed  in,  in  this  valley. 
I'd  been  watching  the  smoke  for 
miles  and  had  got  pretty  nervous,  so 
J  snatched  a  cold  bite  and  straddled 
a  fresh  horse  and  came  on,  bearing 
things  worse  and  worse  till  I  reached 
Taft's  in  the  Notch.  Then  for  the 
first  time  I  believed  all  that  I  had 
been  told.  A  few  men  were  left 
there  to  put  out  the  hres.  and  it  was 
getting  hot  for  them.  They  tried 
hard  to  discourage  me,  but  I  wouldn't 
talk.  I  left  my  borrowed  horse  in 
their  care  and  started  on  the  run. 
At  the  top  of  Hardscrabble,  it  looked 
like  plunging  down  into — 1  wont  say, 
for  I  don't  swear ;  but  the  roaring 
on  the  mountain  above,  the  heat  and 
blinding  smoke  that  almost  stifled 
me,  and  not  knowing  what  was  a 
yard  ahead  of  me,  made  it  seem 
worse  than  it  was.  I  stood  for  a 
minute  with  my  eyes  shut,  thinking 
of — Dad  and  Mother,  when  in  a 
flash,  I  saw  the  Meeting-house,  (I 
had  been  worrying  about  it,  all  the 
old  folks  had  prayed  and  worked  for 
it,  so  many  long  years)  I  saw  it  be- 
fore me  white  and  shining.  In  a 
flash  it  was  gone,  and  all  my  fear  had 
gone   with   it." 

.  "The  next  I  remember,  worth  men- 
tioning, I  was  wallowing  in  Knapp's 
old  horse-trough  at  the  foot  of  Hard- 
scrabble; hauling  my  breath,  and  put- 
ting out  a  few  private  fires  of  my 
own.  Mother  says  she  wall  keep 
that  cap  and  coat  as  long  as  she  lives. 
I  didn't  stop  long  there,  but  ran  on 
till  I  got  sight  of  Iron  Mountain, 
Governor's  Lot  and  the  ridge.  From 
what  I  had  heard.  I  expected  to  see 
them  blazing,  more  or  less.  But  the 
only  light  1  made  out  across  the  val- 
ley was  twinkling  from  the  windows 
of  the  Red  Barn  Farm.  Then  tears 
came  thick  and  fast,  Boys ;  I  couldn't 
help  it.  The  rest  of  the  way  down 
was  one  long  sob  of  thanksgiving, 
till  I  sighted  Gale  Spring,  parched 
enough  to  drink  it  dry.  A  monster 
bear  with  her  cubs  was  there  before 
me,     driven     down     from     the  "Big 


:- 


118 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Mountain/'  I  didn't  stop  to  argue 
claims  with  her,  for  just  then  I 
caught  sight  of  Mother  waving  to 
me  from  the  kitchen  door.  She  had 
seen  me  first..  Mothers  are  so 
funny,  you  know.  Father  said  she 
had  stood  there  in  that  door,  the  big- 
gest part  of  two  hours,  the  cat  in  a 
basket,  and  her  silver  spoons  in  her 
pocket,    'waiting    for   the   boy.'  " 

The  horse  had  stood  harnessed, 
ready  to  rake  her  to  the  village;  (her 
neighbors  had  gone  hours  before), 
but  she  couldn't  be  stirred  a  peg. 
She'd  say,  "yes,  Nathan,  1  am  all 
ready  to  go  when  the  boy  comes." 
And  he  couldn't  be  cruel  to  her.  I 
caught  up  the  little  woman  and 
danced  a  mad  jig  with  her,  all  over 
the  kitchen  floor,  till  I  heard  Father 
haw-hawing  to  beat  the  band  and 
Mother  complaining  that  I  was 
jamming  her  best  cap.  She  is  here 
at  the  Elder's  now,  cat,  spoons  and 
all ;  and  I  shall  always  believe  she 
watched  and  prayed  me  through. 
Joel,  with  you  and  Deacon  Joseph  to 
lead  us,  next  Sunday  morning,  we 
young  folks  will  sing  Old  Hundred 
till  we  make  the  rafters  ring,  in  that 
blessed   Union   Church   of   ours." 

"We'll  be  there,"  boomed  Quimby's 
voice  again,  "unless  Fox  Hill  gits  too 
blazin'  hot  before  them  showers  ye're 
bankin'  on  gits  here.  Fve  known 
'em  to  hang  round  for  hours  then 
break  and  scatter  and  not  come  nigh." 

"I  heard  Doctor  Colby's  voice  in 
that  crowd  around  the  Company's 
Store,"  remarked.  Kelsy,  and  soon  he 
had  piloted  his  friends  to  where,  on 
the  platform  before  the  store  en- 
trance, the  doctor's  figure  was  clearly 
revealed  in  the  light  of  the  increas- 
ing fire.  With  silvered  hair  un- 
covered, not  sparse,  but  wavy  and 
abundant,  the  glory  of  a  noble  head 
and  fine  countenance,  he  stood  anions 
his  people,  a  rightful  son  of  the  val- 
ley and  its  trusted,  faithful  physician 
for  a  lifetime;  a  worthy  pioneer  of 
a  line  of  noble,  self-sacrificing  men, 
who  as  physicians  have  so  singularly 


served    and    blessed     this     hemmed-in 
mountain   region. 

Just  now  the  doctor  was  speaking 
in  his  quiet,  convincing  manner  to  the 
still  crowd  before  him,  whose  up- 
turned faces  were  growing  anxious 
and   strained.     He  was   saying. — 

"Friends,  even  if  worse  should 
come  to  worse,  not  one  of  us  is  in 
personal  danger.  Easy  conveyance 
is  already  provided  for  the  aged  and 
feeble,  and  the  South  Branch  road  is 
safe  for  hours.  We  do  not  doubt 
the  sincerity  of  the  invitations  coming 
to  us.  Plenty  of  hearts  and  homes 
are  waiting  to  give  lis  temporary 
refuge,  if  need  be.  But  it  is  not  pro- 
bable, it  is  unthinkable  that  we  shall 
be  compelled  to  abandon  to  the  cruel 
flame  our  homes  made  sacred  to  us 
through  pioneer  hardship,  and  our 
village  with  its  thriving  industry,  of 
which  we  are  justly  proud,  to  say 
nothing  of  its  little  church  so  long 
desired,  so  recently  completed,  and — " 

"O  God,  send  us  rain  in  due  sea- 
son !"  came  thin  and  wavering  from 
the  lips  of  "Old  Uncle  William  Wal- 
lace." the  town's  centenarian  and 
saint,  tremblingly  bending  over  his 
cane,  close  by  the  doctor's  elbow. 
Thin  and  wavering  was  his  voice,  but 
distinct  in  the  silence  and  instantly 
followed  by  a  fervent,  resonant 
"Amen"  from  the  lips  of  Priest  Burt, 
who  now  stood  forth,  his  fine  face 
uplifted,  his  hands  extended  half  in 
supplication,  half  in  benediction 
over  the  bowed  heads  of  his  people; 
at  his  shoulder,  stood  his  true  friend 
and  fellow-pastor,  the  "young  Elder," 
just  from  the  woods,  scorched,  weary 
and  anxious.  Through  the  solemn 
hush,  the  breathless  waiting  on  the 
lips  of  prayer,  there  came  the  roll  of 
near-by  thunder.  Peal  followed  peal 
and  scattering  raindrops  fell  in  noisy 
thuds  over  the  dusty  common. 

"Joel,  is  your  pitch-pipe  handy?" 
some   one  called. 

"Praise  God  from  whom  all  bless- 
ings flow,"  burst  forth  to  be  caught 
up,  echoed  and  re-echoed  by  a   score 


HOME  SPUN  YARNS  FROM  THE  RED  BARN  FARM 


119 


of  melodious  voices,  again  and  again, 
ere  the  men  thought  to  seek  refuge 
from  the  sudden  down-pour.  For 
.it    rained.     Oh,    how    it    rained! 

An  hour  previous  to  the  sudden  on- 
slaught of  the  tempest,  shower  fol- 
lowing shower,  grossly  exaggerated 
reports  had  been  brought  to  the  Red 
Barn  Farm ;  somewhat  through  mis- 
understanding, but  largely  through 
love  of  the  tragic.  The  tires  on 
Fox  and  Furnace  Hills,  it  was  said, 
were  beyond  control,  and  the  men 
were  fast  leaving  the  woods  and 
standing  around  the  common,  the 
Flder  with  them.  Dr.  Colby  had  al- 
ready sent  oil  one  load  of  sick  folks, 
etc.,  etc. 

Josiah  Bowles  was  not  easily 
moved  by  rumor.  As  he  had  never 
yet  experienced  the  "wust,"  he  was 
never  looking  for  it.  But  upon  meet- 
ing the  men  coming  out  from  his 
own  woods,  who  flatly  refused  the 
double  pay  he  offered  them  to  re- 
main, he  turned  and  walked  hurridly 
to  the  house. 

"Where's  yer  mother,  Liddy?"  he 
asked,  upon  entering  the  kitchen 
where  the  table  was  spread  with 
plates  of  baked-beans,  brown  bread, 
ginger-bread  and  cheese,  having  been 
often  respread  in  the  past  twenty- 
four  hours ;  for  the  Red  Barn  Farm 
was  the  vantage  ground  to  which  the 
people  had  come  from  far  and  near 
to  "watch  the  fire"  But  now  the 
number  of  self-invited  guests  were 
fast  thinning.  But  few  remained  in- 
door or  out. 

"Liddy,  where's  yer  mother  ?"  Mr. 
Bowles  repeated,  glancing  around  the 
almost  deserted  room. 

"Mother's  gone  into  the  square- 
room  and  shet  the  door  and  says  she 
don't  want  nobuddy  to  come  nigh  'er, 
and  for  me  to  tell  you  so.  She  didn't 
believe  them  stories'  they  all  are  teli- 
in',  fust  off;  but  when  they  said  they 
seen  the  Elder  standin'  round  with 
the  rest  doin'  nothin',  she  went  whit- 
er'n   a   ghost,   and    now    she   has    put 


down    the    latch    and    won't    speak    to 
me  nor   nothin'." 

Within  the  pretty  square-room, 
lighted  by  one  dim  candle,  Mandy  sat 
rigidly  upright  in  the  low  rocker, 
with  eyes  fixed  on  the  ancient  bed- 
set.  Josiah,  bursting  the  frail  latch 
quietly   entered. 

"Mandy.  Woman,  what  can  you  be 
doin'  in  here,  all  sole  alone,  and  won't 
speak  to  nobuddy?  We  are  both  or. 
us  in  trouble,  together,  Mandy,  and  I 
don't  know  what  to  be  doin'  next, 
without    you." 

Grieved  and  perplexed  at  his  wife's 
persistent  silence,  wearied  by  hours 
of  anxiety  and  over-strenuous  exer- 
tion, the  dear  man  lurched  awkward- 
ly toward  the  cruelly  immaculate,  yet 
inviting  bed. 

"Siah  Bowles !  what  are  you  think- 
in'  about?"  cut  the  air  like  a  knife. 
"Don't  you  dare  go  nigh  that  spare 
bed.  There's  a  chair,  if  ye  can't 
stand    up." 

With  a  queer  bit  of  a  smile  he 
drew  the  uncomfortable  chair  so  un- 
ungraciously  offered,  close  to  his 
wife's  side  and  sitting  upon  it  as  best 
he  could,   remarked  cheerfully, 

"Now  Mandy,  I  guess  we  can 
talk." 

"Talk,  and  have  done  with  it;  Fin 
listenin'  ain't  I  ?" 

"Mother,  you  are  tired,"  he  further 
ventu  1.  "Have  you  heered  them 
'ere  reports  them  boys  brought  up 
from  the   Works?" 

"Do  you  believe  'em?"  she  snapped. 

"I  can't  say  as  I  do,"  he  answered. 
"I  shouldn't  took  no  notice  on  'em 
'tall,  if  the  Elder's  and  Dr.  Colby's 
name  hadn't  been  drawed  in.  But 
the  mischief's  done  already,  so  fur 
as  you  an'  I'm  consarned.  I  jest 
met  my  men  leavin'  the  grove,  that  I 
hired  to  watch  it,  and  no  'mount  o' 
money  could  coax  'em  back  ag'in. 
So.  Mandy,  I  and  Steve  and  the  boys 
will  stay  on  and  save  all  we're  per- 
mitted to'  but  I  mustn't  risk  you  and 
the  little  gals  any  longer.     You  must 


120 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


pick  up  what  you've  got  to. 
and  start  for  Sister  janes',  within 
an   hour.     It   is   sart'in  gettin'   risky." 

"•Siah  Bowles,  you  and  the  rest  of 
ye.  can  do  what  ye're  mind  to;  I  and 
my  daughter,  Ploomv,  will  stay  right 
here,  where  we  be.  She  couldn't 
stand  the  ja'nt  nohow.  She  hain't 
ben  down  charmber,  a  minute 
t'day." 

"I  guess,  Mandy,  ther's  ben  so 
much  goiu'  on,  you  don't  sense 
that  these  'ere  buildin's  has  took 
fire  twice  a'ready  today.  when 
there  was  plenty  of  men  here  to 
help  save  'em.  Them  men  ain't  here 
now,  Woman."  Josiah's  voice  was 
losing  its  patient  drawl. 

"Yis,  1  sensed  all  about  it  but 
that  don't  scare  me  none.  Siah 
Bowles,  look  all  round  ye,  in  this 
square-room,  and  see  all  my  hard 
work  for  twenty-five  year;  did 
mostly  by  candle-light  when  you 
and  other  wimmin-folks  was  bed'n 
asleep.  All  these  harnsum  rugs! 
That  hair  wreath !  The  weavin', 
quiltin',  Tiettin'  and  fringin'.  O 
Lordy,  Lordy !"  The  woman  was 
all  unconsciosly  wringing  her  worn 
hands. 

"These  are  your  idols,  Mandy." 
The  man's  tone  was  wonderfully 
tender.  "We  al  1  have  'em,  one 
thing  or  nuther.  But  none  of  'em, 
your's  nor  mine,  is  made  to  stand 
the  burnin'.  But  thank  God,  we 
ain't  called  to  burn  with  'em;  and 
it  stands  ye  in  hand  now,  to  git 
ready  and  git  out  o'  here  as  spry 
as  ye  can.  Now  don't  ye  think  so, 
Mother?"  he  added  coaxingly. 

"No,  I  don't.  Leave  my  great- 
grandmother's  bed-set  and  all  these 
harnsum  things  to  burn  up,  here 
all  alone?  Josiah  Bowles,  I  won't. 
I  tell  ye,  I  couldn't  live  without 
'em.  T  wouldn't  be  livin'.  You 
may  go,  with  your  everlastin'  coax- 
in'  and  prayin';  I'm  sick  o'  hearin' 
it.  Ploumy'n  I'll  stay  right  where 
we   be." 

Both     were     standing   now.     He, 


drawn  up  to  his  full  height,  pale  to 
his  lips,  met  his  wife's  half-man 
iacal  stare,  until  it  fell  before  his 
steadily  rebuking  gaze.  When  he 
spoke,  his  voice,  though  strange, 
was   kindly  still. 

"Mainly,  my  woman,"  he  said,  "I 
am  to  blame  for  lettin'  you  git  to 
this;  I've  ben  too  afeard  of  cross- 
in'  ye.  I've  made  an  idol  of  your 
love  to  me.  I  thought  I  couldn't 
noways  live  without  it.  I  can  see 
now,  it  won't  stand  the  burnin'. 
It  is  nigh  all  gone  to  ashes 
a'ready."  These  last  /words  were 
but  a  bitter  sob.  Gathering  quick- 
ly, he  went  on  with  no  hint  of  his 
habitual  drawl. 

"Now  you  ain't  none  to  blame, 
little  woman,"  he  said,  "for  that 
wild  Injun  blood  in  your  veins, 
comin'  down  in  your  proud  family 
for  ginerations.  It  ain't  the  only 
fa'mly  in  this  'ere  North  Country 
that  has  mixed  bood.  Some  is 
proud  of  it.  But  it  need.s  curbin', 
and  I  hain't  ben  the  man  to  do  it. 
Stop,  Woman!  1  am  doin'  the 
talkin'  now',"  his  look  and  voice 
were  a  revelation.     She  was  cowed. 

"Mandy,"  he  continued,  "from 
now  on,  I'm  detarmined  to  save 
you  from  yourself.  I  can,  I  know  I 
can,  for  I  love  you  with  a  mighty 
love.  You  are  the  smartest  and  al- 
ways am  goin'  to  be,  and  I'll  be 
proud  to  take  your  advice,  at  times ; 
hut  you  can't  take  the  reins  clean 
out  o'  my  hands  never,  no  more. 
I'll  either  hold  on  to  'em  as  God 
meant  me  to,  or  I'll  quit — prayin' 
to  Him  in  the  old  barn  charmber. 
I  wonder  He  has  suffered  me  so 
long." 

"But  to  begin  on,  (don't  speak, 
remember  I  am  doin'  the  talkin' 
now),  to  begin  on,  I  don't  calcer- 
late  for  a  minute  that  you  mean  for 
our  little  gal,  Ploomy,  to  die ;  but 
you  ain't  meanin*  for  her  to  git 
well  and  strong.  You're  afraid 
she'll  cross  your  will  and  shame 
your    mighty   pride.       Jest      to    have 


HOME  SPUN  YARNS  FROM  THE  RRD  BARN  FARM 


12! 


your  way  you  .  are  shettin'  your 
eyes  to  her  danger.  I  can  see 
her  slippin'  away  from  us.  But  if 
God  will  help  me  now,  to  be  a  man, 
I'll  save  my  little  gal  and  her 
mother  too.  He  is  wonderful  ten- 
der, Mandy,  and  knows  what  has 
been  handliir  ye  all  this  time,  and 
how  I've  failed  ye.  But  from  now 
on,  remember,  Ploomy  don't  hear 
no  more  about  her  Aunt  Ploomy 
nor  the  grave-yard.  She's  heerd 
enough.  Now  she  shall  have  her 
chance  to  git  well,  and  marry  Alic 
Stinson  too,  when  him  and  her  gits 
good  and  ready ;  and  nobuddy's 
goin'  to  hound  her  out  of  it." 

Here  Josiah's  failing  breath  com- 
pelled a  halt.  There  was  dead  si- 
lence. Mandy  stood  with  her  back 
to  him,  straight,  rigid,  apparently 
unmoved.  With  a  .sudden  gulp  and 
awkward  twitch  at  his  gallowses 
he  left  the  room,  closing  the  door 
to    immediately    re-open    it    and      say, 

"Mother,  if  you  have  a  mind  to 
help  Liddy  pick  up  a  few  things 
that  you  are  goin'  to  need  bad; 
then  if  you  are  willin'  to  go  with- 
out putting'  me  to  shame  before 
Stephen  and  the  rest,  I'll  sartin 
be  glad.  But  you  are  goin' !  I 
dasn't  take  back  nothin\  Not 
nothin'.  I  guess  I'll  go  up  charm- 
ber  a  minute  and  chirk  up  Ploomy. " 
In  another  moment  Mandy,  listen- 
ing, heard  him  stumbling  up  the 
dark  stairway. 

"O  God,  Siah's  God,"  whispered 
Mandy,  with  woeful  eyes  upraised. 
"Stand  by  'im  as  he  is  expectin'  ye 
to,  and  as  lie  says  ye've  promised 
to.  Jest  try  and  make  him  a  man 
as  he  tells  about;  as  I  and.  ev'ry 
other  woman  needs,  and  could  be 
proud  on.     Stand  by,  and  help  him, 

0  Lord,  and  I  promise  you  solemn, 
that  I  won't  make  it  so  hard  for 
Him  and  you,  as  I  might  have  ben 
likely  to.  When  he  opened  that 
door  agin,  jus  now,  I  was  sca't.  I 
thought,    "There    he's    backed    out, 

1  knew  he  would ;  and  there  ain't 
no  God,  to  speak  on."       But  there 


is,  and  we  both  need  ye.  I  see  it 
now,  in  my  night  o'  trouble.  With 
a  God  to  stand  by,  and  a  man  like 
iny  Siah,  that  ain't  afraid  to  tackle  • 
me,  at  my  wust,  it  is  wuth  it  all." 
Her  quick  eye  swept  the.  room, 
talcing  in  every  precious  object; 
then  with  a  light  on  her  face  above 
the  light  of  the  candle,  she  repeated, 
"Yis,  it  is  wuth  it  ail,  and  now,  O 
God,  amen,   if  this  is  real  prayinV 

"Be  you  up  here,  Ploomy?" 
called  her  father  softly,  peering  in- 
to the  chamber  bed-room,  quite 
dark,  save  for  the  flickering  light 
from   the   mountain. 

"Vis,  Father,  I'm  settin'  here  on 
the  low  chist  by  the  winder, 
litre's  lots  of  room.  Set  right 
close  by  me.  I  was  gittin'  hungry 
to  talk  to  some  buddy." 

"If  ye  don't  mind,  little  Gal,  I'd 
much  ruther  camp  down  on  the.  rug 
at  yer  pretty  feet,  it  is  restfuller," 
he  said,  suiting  action  to  word.  "I 
can't  rest  nowhere  but  a  minute," 
he  sighed,  "for  I  must  be  helpiiv 
Steve  hitch  up  and  git  you  and  yer 
mother  and  the  rest  of  ye  out  of 
reach  of  this  hre,  before  it  spreads 
any  worser.  I  s'pose  Liddy's  told 
ye  all  about  wdiat  them  bovs  was 
tellin'." 

"Yis,  Father,  but  I  shouldn't 
worry  about  hurryin'  if  I  was  you. 
You  may  git  ketched  in  the  rain." 
With  a  low  laugh,  both  saucy  and 
sweet,  the  girl  drew  her  father's 
tired  shoulders  to  rest  against  her 
low,   cushioned   seat. 

"Your  latin'  sounds  'mazing  like 
yer  gran'mother's  t'night,  Ploomy; 
as  it  use'  to  when  I  was  a  tow- 
headed  little  feller  hangin'  round 
her  lap.  And,"  drawing  another 
heavy  sigh,  "I  ain't  no  kind  of  a  man 
yit.     No  kind  of  a   man." 

"leather  Bowles !  the  strongist, 
lovingist,  best  man  in  the  world, 
what's  come  over  ye?  Y'ou  must 
be  all  tired  out,  or  you  wouldn't 
notice  them  scare  stories,  the 
boys"— 

"Bless  ye,  child,  I'd  clean  forgut 


12; 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


'em,"  he  interrupted.  "  HEam't  that 
a-tall.  But  I've  ben  talkm'  rough 
to  your  mother.  Somethin1  I've 
no\er  did  afore.  She  shet  herself 
up  in  the  square  room  alone,  and  I 
bust  in  on  *er.  She  said  some 
words  to  me.  and  ]  knew  she  was 
nigh  out  of  her  head;  and  that 
look  in  her  eyes  minded  me  of  a 
doc  at  bay,  ugly  an'  suiierin'.  Oh, 
so  suf'rin !" 

"I  had  to  save  her  from  herself, 
I  had  to  take  aim.  But  I  no  need 
to  twitted  her  of  her  Injun  blood, 
for  that  wa'n't  called  for." 

"Now,  Father/'  said  Ploomey, 
very  tender!)-,  "don't  never  let  that 
trouble  you  no  more.  I  am  proud 
of  that  dark  blood  in  my  veins.  I 
have  first  rig'ht  to  all  these  moun- 
tains and  valleys,  don't  you  see? 
And  Stephen  says,  that  the  Pemi- 
gewassets  were  brave  and  peace- 
loviiv,  with  not  half  the  vices  of 
the   white   man." 

''Wal',  per'aps,  per'aps  so.  Steve 
knows.  But,  Ploomy,  I  told  your 
mother  she  shouldn't  hound  you  to 
death  no  longer;  and  now  if  you  hurry 
up  and  git  well  by  the  time  Alic 
gits  home  from  Californy,  lucky  or 
no  lucky,  he  .shall  have  a  fair 
chance,  little  gal,  and  nobuddy  to 
hinder,   but  yerself." 

The  roll  of  distant  thunder  was 
now  distinctly  heard  within  the  lit- 
tle room,  but  neither  occupant 
seemed  to  note  it.  Ploomy  was 
talking  low  and  earnestly  in  the 
darkness.     She  wa>  saying. — 

"Night  before  last,  if  you  remem- 
ber, Father,  you  an  Mother  were 
talkin'  together  by  the  South  door. 
I  was  settin' "  right  here  by  this 
open  winder,  so  happy  and  peace- 
ful because  I  was  understanding 
Mother  more,  sence  the  minister's 
wife  had  showed  me  how.  Liddy 
was  sound  asleep.  All  at  once,  I 
heard  you  speak  Alic's  name,  and 
I  listened  and  heard  all  that  you 
and    Mother    was    sayin'.     All    that 


dylr^  hate  that  I  thought  was  gone 
forever  come  back.  I  must  have 
faintid  an'  iell  over,  for  Liddy 
found  me-  on  the  floor  when  the 
boys  waked  her  up,  hollerin'  about 
the  rire  on  the  mountain.  I  come 
to.  and  she  liftid  me  onto  the  bed. 
I  laid  there  alone,  not  thinkin' 
about  the  tire,  but  struggliir  and 
pray  in'  like  a  drownin'  thing,  for 
God  to  give  me  back  my  love  for 
my  Mother.  He  did.  My  love  for 
Alic,  and  Alic's  love  for  me  is 
safe,  for  it  is  true. ;  we  can  wait 
till  Mother  is  willin'.  Now,  Father, 
dear  old  Father,  you  mustn't  wor- 
ry no  more  about  your  'little  gal 
Ploomy.'  "  He  felt  her  slender 
arms  about  his  neck,  and  the  caress 
of  her  lips  like  a  dewdrop  on  his 
care-wrinkled    forehead. 

Xow  came  the  near  thunder's 
peal  overhead,  and  rain  was  pelting 
the  roof. 

"O  Lord,  forgive  my  unbelief," 
prayed  Josiah,  painfully  pulling 
himself  to  an  upright  position,  then 
adding.  '"I  guess  I'll  go  down  now 
and  find  your   Mother." 

"I  am  right  here.  Siah,"  Mandy 
was  standing  close  by  them.  She 
bent  and  lifted  Ploomy  from  her 
low  seat,  drawing  the  pretty  brown 
head  to  its  old-time  nestling  place. 
Tufiiing  to  Josiah,  who  was  using 
his  red  hand  kerchief  in  sudden 
frenzy,  while  awkwardly  heading 
for  the  stairs,  she  warned  him 
pleasantly. 

''Xow,  Siah,  see  that  ye  don't  go 
headlong  down  them  stair-way ; 
they  are  dark  as  a  pockit.  And 
tell"  Liddy  :F11  be  right  down, 
soon's  ever  I  tuck  little  Ploomy  in- 
to bed."  What  passed  within  that 
little  upper  chamber,  in  the  next 
half-hour,  with  the  welcome  rain 
thrumming  on  the  shingle  over- 
head, is  sacred. 

On  the  far  "Pacific  coast,  within 
their  native  city,  the  children  and 
grandchildren   of   Alic   and   Ploomv 


HOME  SPi'X  YARNS  FROM  THE   RED  BARN  FARM  123 


have  filled,     and  arc  still  filling     posi-  It  hung  for  many  years  in   "Moth- 

tions      of    honor    and      responsibility,  er's    room,"    reminding    her    of    her 

And,  among  the  many  fine  pictures  be-  early  home  among  the"  White  Hills' 

longing    to    the     Stinson     family    in  o\    New   Hampshire;  a  well  painted 

that  far-away  land   is  one,  the  least  picture   oi  the   mountain,   the  grove 

costlv,   but   most   hisflilv   cherished,  and  the   Red   Barn  Farm. 


SPRING  AND  DAWN 

An  Allegory 
By   Adeline   Half  on   Smith. 

Voting    Spring   was   lurking   in   the   wood 
The  dark  wood  cool  and  still 
For  well  he  knew  sweet  Dawn  would  soon 
Come  dancing  down  the  hill. 

He  heard  a  drowsy  robin's  note — 
An  echo  from  afar— 
Between  the  swaying  maple  boughs 
He   saw  the  morning  star. 

He  heard  the  whisper  of  the  pines, 
He  watched  the  eastern  hill; 
Fie  thought  of  this  elusive  maid 
With  senses  all  athrill. 

He  knew  his  ambush  well  prepared, 
The  snares  all  out  of  sight 
For  on  the  ground  his  nets  were  spread 
Silken,    and    strong   and    light. 

Fair  Dawn  stole  softly  through  the  wood 

Demure  and  very   sweet. 

She  saw  the  nets  laid  all  about 

For  her  unwary  feet. 

She  smiled,  a  little  elfin  smile 

And  paused  to  think,  aside, 

And  then,   those  innocent  white   feet 

Tripped  lightly  to  his  side. 

That  charming  face  was  rosy-sweet 
As  ever  lover  kissed, 
Pie  clasped  her  close,  and  lo,  he  held 
A  wisp  of  morning  mist. 


1.3.H 


HIGHWAYS  OF  PROVEN  MERIT  IN  NASHUA 

A.  DISCUSSION  OF  ROAD  PROBLEMS. 

By  George  P.  lV.inn4  Assoc.  M.  Am.  Soc.  C.  £., 
City  'Engineer,  Nashua,  A'.  H. 


We  are  justly  proud  of  the  fact 
that  the  City  of  Nashua,  sometimes 
called  the  Gate  City  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, is  also  known  as  one  of  the 
"best  dressed  cities"  in  New  England. 
This  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that 
we  have  fifteen  miles  of  modern 
paved   streets    that   are  adorned   with 


to  the  conclusion  that  cement-concrete 

is  the  most  economical  and  at  the 
same  time  a  most  durable  and  adapta- 
ble pavement  for  our  city  streets  and 
highways. 

I  believe  that  one  of  the  most  con- 
vincing demonstrations  of  the  value 
of  cement-concrete  slabs  is  shown  on 


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Amherst  Street,  Nashua 


attractive  stores,  pretty  homes  and 
beautiful  parks.  These  are  passed 
by  hordes  of  summer  visitors  on  their 
way  northerly,  through  the  Merri- 
mack Valley  and  over  the  Daniel 
Webster  Highway,  to  the  famous  re- 
sorts amid  the  lofty  peaks  and  scenic 
valleys    of   the   White    Mountains. 

With   fifteen   miles     of   nearly     all 
types   of   road   paving   we  have  come 


Amherst  street  which  was  laid  seven 
years  ago  with  slabs  seven  inches  in 
thickness,  directly  on  "mother  earth." 
No  sub  base  course  such  as  loose 
stones  or  porous  layer  of  gravel  was 
used.  After  seven  years  of  unres- 
tricted truck  traffic  this  pavement  is 
as  good  as  the  day  it  was  laid  and  has 
required  no  money  for  maintenance. 
While  there  are  a   few     cracks  in  it 


HIGHWAYS  OF  PROVEN   MERIT  IX  NASHUA 


they  are  of  a  very  trivial  nature  and 
they  do  not  affect  the  life. of  the  pave- 
ment and  its. excellent  riding  qualities. 
This  stretch  was  originally  laid  as  a 
concrete  foundation  to  support  a 
bituminous  top  surface  which  has 
never  been  applied  because  we  found 
the  superior  wearing  qualities  of  the 
concrete   did    not    require    it. 

Our  paving  policy  has  been  to  pave 
such  streets  as  are  subjected  to  the 
greatest,  amount  of  traffic  so  as  to  se- 
cure the  greatest  benefit  to  the  great- 
est   number.        With    that      policy    in 


the  paving  of  six  concrete  streets 
which  now  brings  the  total  up  to  six- 
teen on  our  principal  thoroughfares 
and  it  is  arranged  to  construct  several 
more  concrete  streets  this  year. 

Prior  to  concreting,  many  of  our 
streets  rode  like  a  eloud  of  dust 
where  the  money  seemed  to  go  from 
the  hole-filled  surface  into  the  wind, 
and  from  the  winds  into  our  stores 
and  homes  to  become  an  unsanitary 
nuisance. 

The  former  method  of  street  work 
was   the   old-fashioned   way   of   main- 


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Railroad  Square,  Nashua 


mind  we  have  already  paved  the  main 
arterial  streets  of  the  city,  and  at  the 
present  time  we  are  working  out  a 
belt  line  system  of  street  paving. 
The  construction  of  this  belt  line 
street  paving  is  being  financed  by  bond 
issues.  This  system  should  be  com- 
pleted in  a  few  years  at  which  time 
it  will  be  possible  to  travel  between 
any  two  points  in  the  city  over  contin- 
uous stretches  of  well  paved  streets. 
Our   program     last  year     included 


taining  by  large  additional  sums  of 
money  each  year,  only  to  have  to  re- 
turn to  the  roads  and  do  the  same 
work  all  over  again.  The  great 
economy  effected  by  the  use  of  con- 
crete has  practically  eliminated  main- 
tenance on  these  streets  and  the 
money  saved  will  more  than  pay  the 
interest  on  the  bonds  issued.  It  has 
lessened  also  the  cost  of  maintenance 
on  neighboring  streets,  due  to  their 
relief    from      traffic    because     of    its 


126 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


natural  diversion   from  the  poorer  to 

better  paved  streets. 

Several  years  experience  with 
these  concrete  pavements.  all  of 
which  have  been  laid  directly  on 
natural  sub  soil,  have  shown  us  their 
great  ability  to  bridge  wide  trench 
areas  and  oilier  weak  spots  in  the 
sub  grade.  In  3914  the  concrete 
pavement  on  Bridge  Street  was  laid 
directly  on  clay  soil  that  was  a  mud- 
hole  in  spring,  and  a  dust  nuisance 
in  summer,  and  although  this  clay 
soil  is  naturally  affected  by  frost  ac- 
tion,  the  pavement   has   never   shown 


washed  into  the  catch  basins  and 
sewers.  The  general  appearance  of 
our  paved  streets  is  wonderfully  en- 
hanced by  the  use  of  this  Elgin  Mo- 
tor Sweeper  which  renders  them 
clean,   radiant  and   sanitary. 

The  practice  of  this  city  is  to  do  all 
paving  construction  with  our  own  or- 
ganization and  it  has  proven  success- 
ful through  the  co-operation  and  co- 
ordination of  duties  among  the  mayor 
and  board  of  public  works,  the  en- 
gineering department,  and  the  street 
department,  the  latter  department 
being  in  charge  of  William  H.  Tolles. 


The  Eloix  Motor  Sweeper 


any  signs  of  heaving  and  is  still  in 
the  best  of  condition  after  eight 
years  of  wear  by  heavily  laden  trucks. 
Daring  the  past  few  years  a  sub- 
stantial saving  in  street  cleaning  has 
been  brought  about  by  the  use  of  an 
Elgin  Motor  Sweeper  which  ha-  dis- 
placed the  horse  drawn  broom  and 
quaint  old  hand  methods  by  a  most 
efficient  and  economically  operated 
machine  that  sprays  the  street,  sweeps 
it,  collects  the  sweepings  and  carts 
them  away  by  motor  power,  thus 
quickly  removing  all  refuse  and  filth 
and  preventing  the  same   from  being 


highway  commissioner,  a  man  of  wide 
experience  in  practical  road  building. 
We  are  fortunate  in  having  a  local 
supply  of  suitable  material  for  our 
concrete  paving  and  we  have  on  many 
streets  used  crushed  New  Hampshire 
granite.  The  selection  of  a  suitable 
street  pavement  and  the  details  of  its 
construction  require  study  and  experi- 
ence. The  experience  of  the  City  of 
Nashua  during  fifteen  years  has 
proven  cement-concrete  to  be  a  most 
durable,  practical  and  economical 
pavement. 


\£7 


WHAT  OF  NEW  ENGLAND'S  FUTURE! 


By  En  in  W .  Hodsdon.  M.  D, 


fl)r.  E.  W.  Hodsdon  of  Mountain- 
view,  Ossipee,  is  as  well  known  as  a 
student   of   economics   as  a   general  prac- 


titioner. 


•ducated    at 


Do 


High,  Phillips  Exeter  and  Washington 
University,  St.  Eouis.  He  has  served 
four  terms  in  the  New  Hampshire  Legis- 
lature, and  has  been  medical  referee  of 
Carroll  Count}'  for  about  IS  years.  -He 
has  been  selectman  and  town  clerk,  also, 
and  is  now  postmaster  and  a  member  of 
the    school    committee. — Editor's    note.] 

What   of    New    England? 

Wherein  is  its  future  growth  and 
prosperity? 

What  shall  be  its  measure  in  trie 
final  analysis  of  distribution  after  the 
completion  of  war  re-adjustment? 

Will  it  continue  on  a  downward 
business  course,  as  its  most  ardent 
and  optimistic  friends  admit  is  the 
situation  at  present,  or  will  a  way  he 
found  of  development  toward  its  com- 
mercial, financial  and  manufacturing 
glories  of  a  century  and  a  half-cen- 
tury ago? 

What  will  atone  for  the  loss  of 
supremacy  in  cotton  textile  production 
and  boot  and  shoe  manufacturing;  the 
immense  falling  off  in  cigar-making; 
the  threatened  exodus  of  nearly  all 
pulp  paper  manufacturing;  the  de- 
cline in  shipping;  the  lessening  of 
national  financial  importance ;  the 
retrogression  in  railroad  and  general 
transportation  affairs,  local  as  well  as 
national,  and  the  continued  depres- 
sion in  agricultural  matters  and  the 
noticeable  loss  of  population  in  nearly 
all    agricultural    communities  ? 

Where  do  we  find  prosperity  and 
contentment  .  among  the  people  ? 
Surely  not  where  48  hours  for  a 
weekly  working  limit  is  enforced  and 
where  rigid  regulations  of  industrial 
pursuits  prevail. 

"Wake  up  New  England"  and 
"Room  New  England"  are  the  pitiful 
crieb  with  which  thousands  of  anx- 
ious   citizens    endeavor    to    stem    the 


tide  of  retrogression — cries  which  but 
affirm  the  existence  of  somnolence 
and   the   lack  of  enthusiasm. 

Whosoever  calls  tins  "pessimism" 
in  this  critical  stage  of  affairs  but  ac- 
centuates his  lack  of  wisdom  in  the 
lace  of  danger  and  seeks  to  perpetuate 
a  false  sense  of  security  which  is  not 
warranted  by  bald  facts — facts  that 
may  seem  cruel  and,  at  times,  im- 
possible, but  which  are  definite  and 
convincing  when  viewed  in  the  light 
of  reasonable  study  based  on  business 
conditions  and  statistics  of  past  and 
present  performances.  Optimism 
has  no  part  in  New  England's  scheme 
until  some  satisfactory  solution  of  the 
great  problem  of  self-preservation  is 
found. 

Let  us  see  what  "48  hours"  has 
done  for  New  England  in  three 
specific  instances  which  are  of  the  ut- 
most importance  to  every  citizen  who 
wants  to  pass  his  years  in  the  glorious 
region  of  the  six  northeastern  states 
that  were  once  rightfully  and  honor- 
ably regarded  as  the  back  bone  of  the 
nation. 

In  this  particular  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that,  while  Massachusetts  is 
the  only  manufacturing  state  in  the 
union  where  a  48  hour  weekly  work- 
ing law  prevails,  the  time  limit  has 
been  quite  generally  adopted  in  New 
Hampshire  and  portions  of  Maine, 
Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut.  So 
the  48  hour  handicap  may  be  regard- 
ed in  a  general  sense  as  one  confined 
exclusively  to  New  England  indus- 
tries. The  law  applies  only  to  the 
working  hours  of  women  and  chil- 
dren, but  the  protection  is  sought, 
also,  by  men  who  recognize 
that  manufacturing  establishments 
cannot  divide  their  working  forces 
into  male  and  female  classes.  Cali- 
fornia is  the  only  state  beside  Mas- 
sachusetts where  a  48  hour  law  is  in 


128 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


force  and  Ohio  has  one  for  ?0 
hours,  but  the  former  is  in  no  sense 
a  manufacturing  State  and  the  latter 
has  practically  nothing  in  competi- 
tion with   New   England. 

In  1921  New  England  manufactur- 
ed only  37  per  cent  of  the  hoots  and 
shoes  of  the  nation.  Within  the 
memory  of  the  present  generation  of 
men  and  women  it  manufactured  sub- 
stantially all.  More  than  half  are 
now  produced  in  the  west  and 
the  great  centres  of  production  are 
St.   Louis   and   Milwaukee. 

Missouri  has  a  54  hour  weekly 
working   law   and    Wisconsin   has    55. 

Much  of  the  cigar-manufacturing 
business  of  New  England  has  gone 
to  New  Jersey  within  a  decade  and 
millions  of  what  were  known  for  a 
half  .century  as  "Boston  cigars"  are 
now  shipped  from  the  state  of  skeet- 
eis  and  lightning  to  every  city  and 
town  of  New  England,  resulting  in  a 
loss  of  millions  of  dollars  to  this  im- 
mediate community.  New  Jersey 
has  a  60  hour  law. 

In  no  industry,  however,  has  New 
England  felt  the  burden  of  statutory 
handicap  and  general  competition  so 
severely  as  in  cotton  manufacturing. 
In  1900  it  had  approximately  four 
times  as  many  active  spindles  as  the 
South.  To-day  the  number  is  almost 
even  and  the  South  had  in  January  a 
larger  number  of  spindleage  hours. 
The  increase  in  the  South  has  ap- 
proximated 300  per  cent ;  in  the 
North  less  than  40  per  cent. 

According  to  recent  figures  of  the 
United  States  Census  Bureau,  of  a 
total  spindleage  in  the  nation  of  36,- 
725,0*30.  five  New  England  States 
(all  but  Vermont)  had  18,602,732 
and  nine  southern  cotton-growing 
states.  North  Carolina.  South  Caro- 
lina, Alabama,  Georgia,  Mississippi, 
Kentucky,  Louisiana,  Maryland  and 
Virginia,   had    15,487,160.   . 

In  the  New  England  states  Mas- 
sachusetts has  a  48  hour  law,  New 
Hampshire,  Maine  and  Rhode  Island 
54  hours,   and   Connecticut   55   hours. 


In  all  the  Southern  states,  except 
Alabama.  60  hours  prevails.  In  Ala- 
bama there  is  no  statutory  limitation. 

New  England  is  located  in  the  most 
difficult  position  in  which  to  maintain 
a  great  industry  like  the  cotton  in- 
dustry of  any  section  east  of  the 
Mississippi.  -  All  of  its  railroad  traf- 
fic comes  through  a  narrow  neck  of 
communication  and  it  is  the  most 
distant  from  the  sources  of  raw  nia- 
erial  of  any  cotton  manufacturing 
State.  It  is  subject  to  the  highest 
freight  rates.  It  is  subject  to  every 
derangement  of  traffic  and  the  victim 
of  every  freight  boycott  or  conges- 
tion of  traffic.  It  does  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  some  water  transportation, 
but  this  is  slow  and  uncertain  and  in 
the  main  it  depends  on  the  railroads, 
both  for  incoming  and  outgoing 
freight. 

The  South  has  an  enormous  ad- 
vantage over  New  England  in  being 
near  great  coal  fields  and  being  itself 
the  cotton  producing  area  of  the 
country. 

Massachusetts  has  been  always  a 
leader  in  the  regulation  of  industries 
by  law.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  ex- 
periment in  this  kind  of  regulation 
has  existed  anywhere  in  the  country 
which  is  not  now  in  some  form  a  part 
of  its  statutes.  Many  of  the  states 
have  some  of  these  laws.  Massa- 
chusetts has  them  all  and  with  a 
higher  average  of  stringency  than 
any  other  state  in  the  country. 

Some  of  these  laws  are  of  net 
advantage.  Many  of  them  are  an  ex- 
treme handicap  and  of  all  these  laws 
none  is  so  prejudicial  to  its  inter- 
ests as  the  present  48  hour  law.  No 
other  industrial^  state  in  the  country* 
has  it,  while  in  the  South  a  60  hour 
law  may  be  said   to  prevail. 

In  no  industry  in  the  country  is 
competition  so  keen  as  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton  goods.  Among  all 
tile  combinations,  or  so-called  trusts, 
which  have  come  into  being  in  the 
past  twenty-five  years  no  combination 
has  ever  existed,  or  has  been  claimed 


WHAT  OF  NEW  ENGLAND'S  FUTURE 


129 


I 


to  exist,  in  the  cotton  industry.  Com- 
petition has  been  tree  and  often- 
times  ruthless. 

For  many  years,  during  the  time 
that  New  England  lias  been  tighten- 
ing the  cords  of  legislative  restriction. 
the  prediction  has  been  made  that 
this  would  result  in  competition  in  the 
South  and  tiiat  New  England  was  in 
danger  thereby  of  losing  its  great 
cotton  industry.  By  this  was  not 
meant  that  the  cotton  mills  would 
be  actually  moved  to  the  South  or 
that  mills  would  immediately  close 
down  and  that  those  interested  in 
them  would  move  to  the  South. 
What  was  meant  was  that  northern 
capital  interested  in  the  cotton  in- 
dustry would  turn  to  the  South  as 
a  better  field  of  activity;  .that  the 
southern  mills  would  underbid 
northern  mills  for  business ;  and  that 
the  seat  of  the  industry  would  be 
removed  to  the  South ;  that  the  indus- 
try here  in  the  North  would  gradual- 
ly languish — become  a  minor  factor — 
diminish  and  possibly  eventually  dis- 
pear  to  the  disaster  of  New  England. 

Every  prophecy  of  this  kind  is  now 
showing  unmistakable  signs  of  ful- 
fillment. Out  of  approximately  60,- 
000,000  spindles  now  operating  in  the 
world  the  United  States  has  about 
36.000,000,  and  of  these  nearly  11,- 
000,000  are  in  North  and  South  Car- 
olina alone.  These  states  in  a  period 
of  fifteen  years  have  risen  from  prac- 
tically nothing  to  equality  in  numbers 
with    Masachusetts. 

Insofar  as  northern  competition 
is  attracted  to  the  South  it  is  follow- 
ing economic  law.  Except  as  special 
war  conditions  made  necessary,  prac- 
tically all  the  new  mill  construction 
is  going  on  in  the  South  and  New 
England  is  finding  itself  over-bur- 
dened with  mill  property  as  a  result 
of  additions  which  were  thus  made 
during  the  war.  On  the  contrary, 
the  South  expanded  to  an  equal  ex- 
tent with  the  North  for  special  war- 
purposes  and  is  today  using  such  ex- 


panded facilities  to  the  last  degree  in 
augmenting  its  production. 

The  factors  which  make  southern 
competition  so  keen  are  as  follows: 
Cheaper  and  easier  coal  transporta- 
tion, cheaper  and  more  regular  sup- 
ply of  cotton,  cheaper  labor,  more 
hours  of  labor,  less  stringent  indus- 
trial laws,  less  burdensome  taxation. 

Editorials  of  the  South  freely 
comment  on  this  advantage  which 
they  have  over  New  England  and 
prophesy  for  the  South  wonderful 
development  because  these  things  are 
so. 

The  question  may  be  asked  how 
New  England  has  up  to  now  main- 
tained what  to  the  casual  observer 
might  appear  to  be  "  a  very  strong 
position  in  the  textile  industry.  Up 
to  recent  years,  as  would  be  expected 
in  a  rapidly  developing  industry  such 
as  exists  in  the  South,  the  bulk  of 
production  has  been  in  the  coarser 
grades  of  cotton  fabrics.  This  has 
been  due  to  the  fact  that,  first,  the 
market  for  these  goods  was  more 
readily  obtainable;  second,  that  the 
available  labor  in  the  early  stages  of 
the  development  of  the  industry  was 
more  adaptable  to  such  production 
and  the  North  was  thus  able  to  switch 
from  coarser  grades  to  the  finer 
grades  of  cotton  and  thus  maintain  a 
volume  of  business  in  this  style  of 
production  which,  apparently,  kept 
it  from  losing  ground.  As  the  in- 
dustry has  developed  in  the  South, 
the  North  has  found  itself  in  a  posi- 
tion of  having  almost  entirely  lost  the 
coarse  goods  business  and  competi- 
tion is  becoming  very  keen  in  the 
fine  goods  business.  Today  a  north- 
ern cotton  mill  must  depend  for  mer- 
chandising this  quality  of  goods  en- 
tirely on  nearness  to  its  consumer  or 
marked  superiority.  Goods  being 
equal  in  quality  the  southern  com- 
petitor usually  has  the  advantage. 

New  England  once  had  a  power- 
ful steel  industry.  With  a  few  ex- 
ceptions, it  has  none  today  and  what 


130 


THE  GRANITE  MONTH LY 


it  has  is  subsidiary  to  large  organiza- 
tions  outside. 

The  automobile  industry  might 
become  a  very  important  factor  in 
New  England's  industrial  life.  It 
fairly  well  controlled  the  bicycle 
manufacture  and.  as  the  automobile 
business  grew,  it  developed  strongly 
in  Xew  England.  It  has  now  disap- 
peared, with  one  or  two  very  minor 
exceptions. 

The  question  arises  as  to  what 
could  take  the  place  of  textiles  in  New 
England  if  they  were  gradually  elimi- 
nated. The  answer,  if  it  were  made, 
would  be  an  appalling  one.  We  might 
have  a  section  of  superior  education- 
al advantages ;  an  interesting  summer 
resort;  a  region  of  interesting  his- 
torical points  of  view;  possibly  a  col- 
lection of  capital  with  money  invest- 
ed in  southern  cotton  mills,  western 
copper  mines  and  foreign  invest- 
ments ;  an  experimental  territory  for 
new  forms  of  legislation,  and  an  ideal 
community  without  body  or  sub- 
stance. 

The  48  hour  law  has  proved  to  be 
a  losing  experiment  and  in  the  return 
to  normalcy  every  year  of  delay  is 
dangerous  to  the  well-being  of  the 
community. 

Is  the  cost  of  living  lessening? 

Read  what  a  national  authority 
has  to  say.  He  is  M.  W.  Alexander, 
managing  director  of  the  National  In- 
dustrial Conference  Board: 

"Farm  products  and  raw  materials 
have  been  deflated  to  the  1914  basis, 
but  in  manufactured  products  and  the 
necessaries  of  life  we  have  not  come 
anywhere  near  the  1914  level.  Agri- 
culturalists no  longer  represent  the 
buying  power  of  the  nation,  as  is  so 
often  said.  There  are  2,000,000  more 
persons  engaged  in  manufacturing 
today  than  in  agriculture  and  every 
year  will  show  an  increase  in  favor  of 
the  manufactures. 


"In  the  manufacturing  industry  the 
average  hourly  pay  of  the  worker 
makes  him  31  per  cent  better  off  than 
in  1914,  while,  according  to  the  aver- 
age, weekly  wage,  he  is  14  per  cent 
better  off  as  regards  the  purchasing 
power  of  his  money  than  he  was  be- 
fore the  war.  This  shows  that  Amer- 
ican manufacturers  have  met  the  test 
of  social  justice  and  are  paying  a  fair 
wage.  .  The  problem  of  unemploy- 
ment is  not  theirs,  it  is  a  joint  pro- 
blem of  the  employer,  employee  and 
society. 

"Similarly  the  railroad  worker  is  42 
per  cent  better  off  than  in  1914.  In 
1916,  41  per  cent  of  railroad  expen- 
diture went  for  labor  and  in  1920  this 
had  grown  to  60  per  cent,  forcing  the 
complete  elimination  of  interest,  divi- 
dends and  improvement  of  property. 
Again  in  the  anthracite  coal  industry 
the  workers  have  60  per  cent  greater 
purchasing  power  than  in  1914. 
Their  contracts  expire  on  March  31 
and  a  strike  has  been  called.  I  be- 
lieve it  will  be  a  long  and  bitter  fight 
but  I  believe  public  opinion  will  force 
a  deflation  of  the  wages." 

In  conclusion: 

New  England  needs  a  square  deal. 

Its  economic  condition  requires  in- 
dustry,   frugality  and   hard   work. 

Sophistry  and  quibbling  are  use- 
less in  seeking  a  solution  of  the  pro- 
blem. Any  suggestion  that  more 
than  eight  hours'  labor  a  day  is  in- 
jurious to  the  people  is  an  insult  to 
the  magnincient  men  and  women  who 
enabled  New  England  to  reach  the 
proud  position  it  once  held,  which  it 
can  regain  never  if  its  citizens  fear 
hard  work  and  honest  toil. 

Sympathy  never  yet  added  to  the 
pay  envelope,  and  it  is  the  pay  en- 
velope that  counts. 

Save   New  England. 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  DAY  BY  DAY 


\3\ 


It  was  an  interesting  coincidence 
that  at  almost,  the  same  hour  of  Wed- 
nesday, March  8.  lc>22.  the  United 
States  Senate  confirmed  the  appoint- 
ment of  farmer  Governor  John  H. 
Bartlett  of  New  Hampshire  as  first 
assistant  postmaster  general  and  the 
New  Hampshire  Executive  Council 
confirmed  the  re-appointment  by  Gov- 
ernor Albert  O.  Brown  of  Mott  L. 
Bartlett  as  state  fish  and  game  com- 
missioner. 

Both  Governor  Bartlett  and  Com- 
missioner Bartlett  are  sons  of  John 
Z  and  Sophronia  A.  (Sargent)  Bart- 
lett. of  Sunapee ;  John  Henry  having 
been  horn  in  that  town  March  15, 
1869,  and  Mott  L..  a  few  years  later. 

The  ex-Governor's  highly  success- 
ful career  in  the  legal  profession,  in 
finance  and  in  politics  is  well  known 
to  the  readers  of  the  Granite  Month- 
ly and  it  is  only  necessary  here  to  point 
out  the  favorable  impression  made  by 
him  upon  President  Harding  and 
others  high  in  authority  at  Washing- 
ton during  his  brief  term  of  service 
as  chairman  of  the  national  civil 
service  commission,  from  which  place 
he  now  has  been  taken  to  fill  one  of 
even  greater  responsibility  and  oppor- 
tunity. 

Mott  L.  Bartlett.  who  was  repre- 
sentative from  the  town  of  Sunapee 
in  the  legislature  of  1919,  was  ap- 
pointed fish  and  game  commissioner 
June  1,  1919.  and  his  re-appointment 
almost  thr^e  months  before  the  ex- 
piration of  his  three  year  term,  was 
preceded  by  a  flood  of  letters  in  his 
favor  from  nAh  and  game  clubs  and 
others   in   all   parts   of   the   state. 

Among  the  achievements  of  his 
first  term  may  be  enumerated  the 
establishment  at  Xew  Hampton  of 
the  largest  fish  hatchery  in  New  Eng- 
land and  the  state's  first  game  farm, 
on  the  C.  E.  Dickerman  property  of 
174  acres,  purchased  for  $25*000. 
This  is  an  ideal  plant  for  its  pur- 
poses. 


At  the  Colebrook  fish  hatchery 
artesian  wells  have  been  drilled  which 
furnish  a  fine  additional  supply  of 
water  and  made  it  possible  in  build- 
ing new  pools  to  double  the  capacity 
for  raising  hngerling.  At  the  War- 
ren hatchery  a  nest  of  16  rearing 
pools  and  several  natural  pools  have 
been  built,  doubling  the  rearing 
capacity  at  this  plant.  At  Laconia 
a  re-arrangement  and  renewal  of  the 
working  parts  of  the  hatchery  has  in- 
creased the  output  one- fourth  and 
the  water  supply  has  been  much  im- 
proved. The  total  output  of  all  the 
New  Hampshire  hatcheries  for  1919 
was  about  three  and  one- fourth  mil- 
lions of  brook  trout;  in  1920.  about 
three  and  one  half  millions;  and  in 
1921    over  seven   millions. 


Fred  Herbert  Brown,  mayor  of 
Somersworth  and  United  States  at- 
torney for  the  district  of  New  Hamp- 
shire since  1914,  was  elected  for  the 
ninth  time  to  the  former  office  and 
resigned  the  latter  office  during  the 
month  of  March.  His  term  did  not 
expire  until  July  1,  but  he  asked  the 
acceptance  of  his  resignation  to  take 
effect  April  1  in  order  that  he  might 
secure  a  needed  rest  for  the  benefit 
of  his  health.  In  his  place  as  federal 
prosecuting  officer,  President  Hard- 
ing has  nominated,  at  the  unanimous 
request  of  the  New  Hampshire  con- 
gressional delegation,  Raymond  U. 
Smith,  Esq.  of  Woodsville.  Mr. 
Smith  was  born  in  Wells  River.  Vt., 
September  11,  1875,  the  son  of  Ed- 
gar William  and  Emma  M.  (Gates) 
Smith.  He  graduated  from  Nor- 
wich University  in  1894.  studied  law 
with  his  father,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1897  and  since  that  date 
has  practised  his  profession  in  as- 
sociation with  his  father.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  served 
with  the  rank  of  major  on  the  staff 
of  his  personal  friend,  Governor 
Henry   W.   Keyes.     He   is  a  member 


THE   GRANITE  MONTHLY 


of  the  various  Masonic  bodies  and  of 
the    Odd    Fellows ^ 


No  New  Hampshire  town  meetings 
had  to  be  postponed  this  year  be- 
cause of  roads  blocked  by  snowdrifts 
or  floods,  as  has  been  the  case  in 
some  past  years,  but  in  one  town, 
Lyme,  the  board  of  health  ordered 
an  adjournment  because  of  the  preva- 
lence of  influenza.  In  Lancaster  and 
Weare  so  large  a  proportion  of  the 
voters  left  the  town  halls  to  fight 
fires  in  near-by  buildings  that  the 
election  proceedings  were  held  up  for 
some  hours. 

Several  towns  made  liberal  appro- 
priations for  celebrating  their  anni- 
versaries this  year,  Chester  leading 
with  $1,000  in  commemoration  of 
its  completion  of  two  centuries- 
Auburn,  once  a  part  of  Chester,  will 
join  in  the  parent  town's  observance 
and  appropriated  $200  for  the  pur- 
pose. Francestown.  which  is  150 
years  old,  will  start  its  celebration 
fund  with  $800  from  the  town  treas- 
ury; Hooksett  appropriated  $500  for 
its  centennial ;  and  Greenville  the 
same  amount  for  its  semi-centennial 
Harrington  and  Hampton  Falls,  at 
the  end  of  their  second  centuries  of 
existence,  appropriated  $200  each 
for  observances. 

The  headquarters  in  this  city  of 
the  state  Old  Home  Week  associa- 
tion have  received  information  that 
40  towns  made  appropriations  for 
local  Old  Home  Day  celebrations  this 
year ;  a  larger  number  than  usual,  as 
in  most  cases  the  expenses  of  the  ob- 


servances are  defrayed  by  local  as- 
sociations without  calling  upon  the 
town    treasury    for    aid. 

Although  business  conditions 
throughout  the  state  might  be  better, 
and  in  spite  of  words  of  warning 
recently  uttered  by  ex-Governor 
Charles  M.  Floyd,  chairman  of  the 
state  tax  commission,  there  was  lit- 
tle retrenchment  in  evidence  in  gen- 
eral appropriations.  It  is  thought 
that  complete  reports  will  show  a 
larger  amount  than  ever  before  ap- 
propriated in  the  aggregate  for 
schools,  highways,  bridges,  sewers, 
lights,  water  supplies,  fire  and  police 
departments,  cemeteries,  sidewalks, 
the  support  of  poor,  etc. 

Other  purposes  for  which  money 
was  appropriated  in  a  greater  or  less 
number  of  towns  included  the  sup- 
port of  libraries  and  reading  rooms; 
historical  society;  free  beds  in  hos- 
pitals; public  health  nurse;  town 
clock ;  "to  name  streets  and  put  up 
signs;"  care  of  shade  trees;  to  fight 
the  white  pine  blister  rust  and  the 
gypsy  moths ;  swimming  pools  and 
playgrounds ;  "to  flood  the  common 
for  winter  sports  ;"■  band  concerts  ; 
soldiers'  memorials;  Memorial  Day; 
equipping"  town  halls  with  fire  proof 
booths  for  motion  picture  machines; 
etc. 

In  spite  of  the  doubt  expressed  by 
Attorney  General  Young  as  to  the 
lej^al  right  of  women  to  hold  elective 
offices  in  Xew  Hampshire,  not  a  few 
were  chosen  to  fill  all  the  various 
positions  in  town  governments  ex- 
cept selectman. 


-'    ' 


EDITORIAL 


There  was  held,  recently,  at  the 
state  house  in  Concord,  a  well-at- 
tended and  enthusiastic  meeting  to 
consider  the  preservation  of  the 
shade  trees  which  are  so  important 
an  asset  of  the  .Granite  State,  not 
only  from  the  aspect  of  their  scenic 
beauty,  but  also,  as  was  shown  at 
the  meeting,  from  the  standpoint 
of  economic  value  in  prolonging  the 
life  of  our  highways.  Governor 
Brown  gave  the  meeting  an  ad- 
dress of  endorsement  and  there  was 
a  general  expression,  by  represen- 
tatives of  all  parts  of  the  state,  of 
interest  in  its  purpose.  The  state 
forestry  department  and  the  So- 
ciety for  the  Protection  of  New 
Hampshire  Forests  co-operated  in 
support  of  the  meeting  and  the  lat- 
ter society  is  to  have  general  charge 
of  the  work  in  behalf  of  shade 
trees,  although  a  strong  special 
committee  has  been  formed  for  the 
same  purpose  and  the  formation  of 
local  committees  also  will  be 
sought  The  chairman  of  the  gen- 
eral committee  is  C.  E.  Farns- 
worth  of  Gilford  and  Boston,  a 
summer  resident  of  our  state,  whose 
initiative  was  responsible  for  the 
holding  of  the  meeting  and  whose 
interest  in  the  matter  had  its  ori- 
gin in  a  personal  experience  rela- 
tive to  the  preservation  of  some 
unusually  handsome  shade  trees 
in  his  section  of  the  state. 

At  an  opportune  time  in  the  pro- 
gress of  the  meeting,  Mr.  Farns- 
worth,  who  is  in  charge  of  the 
travel,    Vesbrt     and     hotel    depart- 


ments of  the  Boston  Globe,  "talked 
shop"  to  those  present  in  a  way 
that  was  not  only  very  interesting, 
but  was  full  of  valuable  sugges- 
tions for  the  future  benefit  and 
profit  or  our  state.  It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  his  remarks  were  not 
reported  stenographically  so  that 
they  might  be  circulated  widely 
by  the  state  board  of  publicity  last 
year  appointed.  He  showed  the 
generally  underestimated  size  of 
our  "summer"  business,  suggested 
ways  in  whreh  it  might  be  still  fur- 
ther increased  and  brought  out 
some  of  its  benefits  to  New  Hamp- 
shire other  than  tho.se  which  are 
financial  and  directly  visible.  We 
wish  he  would  make  this  address 
or  one  like  it  to  an  appropriate  com- 
mittee of  the  legislature  of   1923. 

But  before  that  time  a  summer 
season  is  approaching  during  which 
individual  and  associated  effort  can 
accomplish  much  towards  getting 
more  visitors  into  New  Hampshire, 
keeping  them  here  longer  and  mak- 
ing them  better  satisfied  with  their 
stay  among  us.  If  we  do  that  we 
shall  reap  other  than  a  direct  fi- 
nancial benefit,  for  the  things  which 
our  guests  desire  us  to  have  and 
to  be  are  the  same  as  those  which 
we  should  wish  for  ourselves  the 
year  around;  good  roads,  good 
hotels,  good  stores,  good  homes, 
good  manners,  good  will.  We 
shall  like  ourselves  and  our  sur- 
roundings the  better  the  more  we 
make  them  appeal  to  strangers. 


\3H 


BOOKS  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  INTEREST 


"Fundamentals  of  Faith  in  the 
Light  of  Modern  Thought,"  is  the 
title  of  a  hook  just  issued  from  the 
Abingdon    Press,    the     author     being 

Rev. 'Horace  Blake  Williams.  Ph.  D., 
pastor  of  St.  Paul's  M.  E.  Church, 
Manchester,  formerly  01*  the  First  M. 
E.  Church  of  Concord,  later  of  the 
leading  Methodist  church  in  Lynn, 
Mass.,  from  which  he  resigned  to  en- 
ter Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  in  Europe  dur- 
ing the  World  War. 

Dr.  Williams,  to  whom  public  at- 
tention was  recently  directed,  through 
an  earnest  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
American  Church  in  Paris,  which  he 
felt  obliged  to  decline,  is  not  only 
known  as  one  of  the  ablest  preachers 
in  New  England,  but  as  a  close  stu- 
dent and  deep  thinker  along  religious 
and  philosophical  lines,  and  in  the 
above  named  volume,  of  nearly  two 
hundred  pages,  he  presents  his  con- 
clusions concerning  the  most  vital 
problem  which  faces  the  mind  and 
soul  of  man.  Religion,  which  has 
been  defined  as  "the  life  of  God  in 
the  soul  of  man,"  is  the  supreme  need 
of  every  human  being,  as  Dr.  Wil- 
lims.  manifestly  concludes,  and  only 
as  exemplified  in  the  life  and  charac- 
ter of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  can  it  be 
truly  accepted  and  possessed.  It  is 
not  a  matter  of  creed  or  dogma,  pro- 
fession or  belief,  but  of  Life,  itself, 
and  in  the  life  of  Christ  alone  is  the 
pattern  truly  set. 

No  review  of  the  book  is  attempted 
here.  It  must  be  read  to  be  appre- 
ciated, and  if  read,  even  by  the  most 
irreverent,  will  he  regarded  as  a  mas- 
terpiece of  English  composition,  if 
not  a  valuable  contribution  to  current 
religious  literature,  as  it  will  gener- 
ally be  considered. 

II.  II.  M. 


Trie  output  is  and  should  be  nourish- 
ed. l\  no  giants  appear,  at  least  the 
middle-sized  folk  are  many.  Occa- 
sionally an  unusual  voice  is  raised. 
For  instance,  John  Rollin  Stuart, 
standing  aloof  from,  the  merely  pleas- 
ing poets,  attains  an  height  to  which 
few  have  even  aspired  to  climb.  An 
Oxford  student,  influenced  by  the 
traditions  and  truths  of  yesterday  and 
the  day  before — and  of  many  days  in 
the  past,  he  brings  back  to  modern 
poetry  much  that  it  has  lacked.  With 
him  it  is  a  serious,  beautiful  medium 
of  expression,  not  an  excuse  for  a 
moment's  vent  of  a  passing  emotion. 
If  Mr.  Stuart  keeps  the  austere  and 
loft},  path  which  he  has  chosen,  he 
will  become  a  factor  in  American 
poetry,  such  as  has  long  been  needed. 
His  purity  of  style  could  well  be  emu- 
lated  by   every   aspiring  young  poet. 

To  have  the  high  purpose,  the 
courage  to  hold  it.  the  strength  to 
deny  the  constant  call  to  write  lesser 
verse,  is  no  mean  tiring  in  itself. 
When  added  to  this,  the  ability  to  ex- 
press, often  faultlessly,  conceptions 
of  beauty,  wisdom  and  truth,  is  pos- 
sessed as  Mr.  Stuart  possesses  it.  a 
^prophecy  may  safely  be  made.  He 
will  hold  up  a  momentarily  forgotten 
ideal  and  help  to  restore  the  criterions 
overlooked  or  under-estimated,  and 
help  to  re-establish  something  of  the 
spirit  of  the  Greater  Victorians ! 

C.  H. 


Shrines  and  Shadows.       By     John 
Rollin    Stuart.     Boston :    The    Four 
Seas  Company. 
This  is  a  day  of  poetical  endeavor. 


Songs  of  Home  is  the  title  of  a 
little  book  of  poetry,  attractive  in  ap- 
pearance as  a  volume  and  delightful 
in  the  character  of  its  contents  of 
which  Martha  S.  Baker  (Mrs.  Wal- 
ter S.  Baker),  of  Concord,  is  the  au- 
thor, and  the  Cornhill  Publishing 
Company,  Boston,  the  publisher. 
Mrs.  Baker's  verses  have  been  known 
to  and  appreciated  by  the  editors  and 
readers  of  the  Granite  Monthly  for 
many  years  and  we  are  pleased  to  find 
that    several    of    her   contributions    to 


BOOKS   OF   NEW   HAMPSHIRE    INTEREST 


135 


this  magazine  have  been  chosen  by 
her  for  preservation  in  this  permanent 
form.  "Home"  in  youth  meant  to 
Mrs.  Baker,  Cape  Cod  and  some  of 
her  best  poems,  such  as  "The  Land 
of  the  Pilgrims,"  celebrate  that  fa- 
mous tip  of  New  England.  But  the 
stave  and  city  of  her  present  icsideiKe 
share  in  the  tribute  of  her  pen  and 
the  lines  of  "New  Hampshire's  In- 
vitation"' and  "Concord"  "should  be 
included  in  every  Granite  State  an- 
thology. Mrs.  Baker  calls  her 
verses  "simple  rhymes,'''  which  we 
will  accept  as  a  reference  to  their 
clarity,  so  great  a  rarity,  and  so  desir- 
able, in  these  days.  But  their  rever- 
ent appreciation  of  the  beauties  of 
nature  their  calm  and  kind  philiso- 
phy,  their  permeating  spirit  and  pur- 
pose of  kindliness,  helpfulness  and 
good  will  raise  them  above  the  level 
upon  which  the  author's  phrase 
might  seem  to  place  them. 

II.  G  P. 


The  Government  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, by  Leonard  S.  Morrison,  form- 
er principal  of  the  schools  at  Peter- 
borough and  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Lisbon,  is  a  textbook  ci 
state  civics  containing  a  large  amount 
of  important  information,  which 
comparatively  few  people,  children  or 


adults,  possess,  but  with  which  it  is 
most  desirable  that  as  large  a  part 
as  possible  of  our  population  should 
be    acquainted.     The    W.    B.    Ranney 

Company,  printers  of  the  Granite 
Monthly,  have  published  the  book  in 
handsome  and  handy  form,  and  it  is 
in  every  way  suitable  for  use  in  our 
schools  and  as  a  valuable  addition  to 
all  our  libraries,  public  and  private. 
A  good  index  adds  convenience  to  its 
merit  Mr.  Morrison  has  divided  his 
work  into  sections  upon  local  govern- 
ment, county  government  and  state 
government,  with  appendices  giving 
the  state  constitution,  time  of  court 
sessions  and  congressional,  councilor 
and  senatorial  districts.  Who  may 
vote.  when,  where  and  how,  are 
shown,  and  the  control  and  manage- 
ment of  our  schools,  towns,  cities, 
counties  and  state  are  described.  The 
progress  of  a  law  through  the  legis- 
lature is  followed  and  its  interpreta- 
tion by  the  courts  and  administration 
by  the  executive  department  are  des- 
cribed. The  state  institutions  are 
briefly  outlined.  Mr.  Morrison  has 
done  his  commendable  work  clearly 
and  concisely  and  with  an  approach 
to  completeness  that  is  remarkable  for 
a  book  of  127  small  pages. 

H,  C.  P. 


THE  BIRD'S  MESSAGE 

By  Helen  Adams  Parker 

The  Bluebird,  harbinger  of   Spring. 

For  the  first  time  appeared   today ; 

A  tiny  speck  of  Heaven's  own  blue 

Perched  on   the   elm-tree's   topmost   spray. 

I  heard  his  joyous  note  awhile 

Before  his  little   form   1   spied. 

As  swift  from  branch  to  branch  he  flew, 

Singing  his  song  as  though  he  tried 

To  fill  each  listener  with  new  hope; 

Banish  dark  Winter's  cold  and  gloom 

From  every  heart,  and   leave  no   room 

For  past  regrets  or  vain  complaints ; 

This  morning  I  had   felt  so  sad. 

His   little   song   now    makes    me   glad. 


136  THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

FIVE  POEMS 

By  Harold   Vinal. 
SPRING  -FLAME 

I  have  been  hurt  too  much  by  singing  rain. 

And  winds  that  cry  down  slumbrous  ways  of  night. 

Moonlight  and  song  and  flowers  ghostly   white 

That  drop  their  petals  on  a  lonely  lane. 

Oh  could  my  heart  but  break  and  then  be  still, 

Rather  then  watch  another  April  pass 

Along  the  lyric  pathway  of  the  grass, 

Over  the  orchid  beauty  of  a  hill. 

0  God,  let  not  too  many  blossoms  fall, 
Lest  beauty  grow  a  thing  too  great   for  me ; 
Let  not  your  music  come  in  one.  bird  call, 

For   all   these   tilings  have   hurt   too   poignantly. 

Give  me  a  flower  for  an  afternoon 

Or  a  white  star  that  comes  before  the  moon. 

LAST    DAYS 

1  have  imagined  things  for  my  last  days. 

Dim,  glimmering  nights  of  stillness  and  the  stars, 

A  harbor  where  the  tall  ships  lift  their  spars, 

A   curve  of   shoreline   gleaming   through   a   haze. 

I  have  imagined  how  such  things  will  be 

When  all  these  banished  Aprils  are  no  more; 

A  glimpse  of  white  waves  on  a  windy  shore 

And  all  the  strange,  dark  mystery  of  the  sea. 

I  do  not   fear  to  wonder  now  at  all, 

I  am  so  sure  such  things  must  come  to  pass ; 

The  Spring  comes  back  to  dream  upon  the  grass. 

The  roses  blow  again  along  the  wall. 

Birds  haunt  old  gardens  where  the  flowers  are 

And  every  evening  has  its  wistful  star. 

GONE 

One   star   upon   the   April   sky, 
One   robin    on   the   lawn, 
A  hyacinth  below  the  pain. 
The  rapture  of  the  dawn. 

One  daffodil  upon   the  hill 

A  flower  in  the  grass 

That  you  shall  never  stoop  to  see— 

Or   ever   pass. 

LAST  OF  APRIL 

The  cherry  trees  are  white  with  snow 
In  a  rush  of  rain, 
April   kissed   them   with   delight 
Till   they   bloomed   in  pain. 


■ 


POEMS  137 

Tremulous   the  Valley  gleams 
She  danced  there   for  ah  hour; 
High  upon  a  windy  hill 
She  hung  a  flower. 

Oh  April  lift  your  flame  for  me 
Aug   bind   me  with   a   song — 
For  I  must  learn  to  bear  the  pain 
Of  leaving  you  too   long. 

RETURN 

There  is  a  peace  upon  the  orchard  trees 

And  the  old  meadow  that  was  once  so  flushed 

With  blowing  clover,  lies   forever  hushed  ; 

Winter  lias  turned  to  touch  such  things  as  these. 

The  pool  that  in  the  transient  Summer  wore 

A  fluted  lily  on  its  curving  breast 

Has  stilled   its  heart,   the   fountain  is  at  rest. 

Even  the  crimson  rose  will  blow  no  more. 

Yet  a  strange  Spring  will  flutter  through   the  leaves 

And  creep  upon   the  hills  and  wake  the  flowers 

And  the  pathetic  trees.     Soft,  gentle  showers 

Will  drop  their  tears  upon  a  world  that  grieves. 

Pan  will  come  piping  where  the  dryads  play— 

The  frostv  hill  will  blossom  in  a  dav. 


NEW  HOUSES 

By  Cora  S.  Day 

The  hammer  and  the  saw  are  still  at  last. 

The   workmen's    heavy    footsteps    all    arc    gone. 

And   now  a  stillness,   hushed,  expectant,    falls, 

Like  that  before   the   trembling  light  of   dawn. 

What  do  they  dream,  new  houses,  on   that   night 


Between  the  workmen's  going  and  the  day 

t  brings  the  things  which  make  of  them  new  homes? 

What   do  they   dream,   when  all   is   still   and  gray? 


Of  love  and  laughter,  music,  dancing  feet? 

Of  pain  and  sorrow,  heartbreak,  bitter  tears? 
The  morning  brings  awakening — and  life 

Shall  bring  all  these,  new  houses,  through  the  years. 


138  THE  GRAKITE  MONTHLY 

SPRING    MIST 
By  Eleanor  IV.  Vinton 

Behind  this  rain  drenched  curtain  gray 
Which  makes  our  earth   seem  dull  "today 
Quaint   little   folk  with  busy   hands 
Obey   fair   Lady   Spring's   commands. 
Gay   Dandelions   they   must  dress 
In  gowns  of  golden  loveliness. 
Now  here,  now  there,  a  green  garbed  lass 
Is  tinting"  tiny  blades  of  grass. 

Wee  messengers  with  hurrying   feet 

Dance  through  dark  woodlands,   spicy  sweet 

And  shout   in   rippling  voices  clear 

"Arbutus,  come;  Wake,  Violet  dear, 

Hepatica.  Anemone, 

Fair  Lady  Spring  has  need  of  thee !" 

Take  heart,  earth  folk,  though  mists  are  gray, 

For  elves  and  fairies  work  today. 


SONGS 

By  Letitia  M.  Adams 

Oh  sing  we  a  song 

A  beautiful  song, 

Like  the  song  of  the  birds  in  the  morning. 

An  uplift  of   praise 

To  the  maker  of  days 

And  the  glory  that  heralds  the  dawning. 

Oh  sing  we  a  song 

A  carefree  song. 

Like  the  rush  and  the  sweep  of  the  river 

As  a  child  at  rest 

On   its   mother's   breast. 

While  the  tide  rolleth  onward  forever. 

There  are  songs  of  joy, 

There  are  songs  of  peace, 

There  are  songs  of  grief  and  of  sorrow, 

But  the  songs  we  love, 

AH  others  above. 

Are  of  hope,  which  inspires  the  morrow. 

Then  sing  we  the  songs, 

The  wonderful   songs, 

The  songs  in  their  fullness  and  sweetness, 

With  anthems  of  praise, 

To  the  maker  of  days, 

Who  crowneth  each  one  with  completeness. 


POEMS 


139 


GROSBEAKS 

By  Walter  B.  Wolfe 

Beat  it,  you  evening  grosbeaks,  you- yellow — 
breasted,  black  wing-tipped  invaders  from 
the  Arctic  Circle  or  Rocky  Mountains!  Beat 
it  back  to  cold  fastnesses  in  the  north,  for 
spring  is  coming  to  Hanover ! 

Beat  it.  you  yellow  grosbeaks,  chattering  in  the 

tamaracks  behind  the  Medical  School,  for  windows 
are  open  now  in  the  Physiology  laboratory  and 
your  noisy  love-making  interferes  with  the  sol- 
emn disquisitions  of  Dr.  Stewart.     Beat  it,  you 
winter  birds,  we  are  dreaming  of  summer ! 

Away  to  the  north,  you  animated  yellow  polka-dots 
in  the  somber  black  bow  tie  of  winter!    Don't  you 
see  boardwalks  across  campus  river-paths?    Furry 
pussywillows  popping  their  grey  heads  out  of 
brown   winter  stocking-caps?    Beat   it,  you  north- 
loving  grosbeaks,  haven't  you  heard  galoshes 
flop-flop-flopping  in  thaw  puddles? 

Back  to  Alaska,  Klondike,  Manitoba,  back  to  the  high 
Sierras    and    Rockies,    you   black   and    orange    mi- 
grators from  far  norths !  Down  on  Lebanon  Street 
where  there  is  a  bit  of  brown  earth,  kids  are 
dropping  pink  and  white  chinies  into  the  ring, 
laying  up  the  aggies  at  long  awse  and  short  awse 
crying,  "Knucks  down  !    Screwbony  tight !" 

Beat  it  you  evening  grosbeaks,  you  yellow  cold-de- 
fiants !  Through  closed  windows  we  have  heard 
you  all  winter  playing  at  hide-and-seek  among 
the  pine  branches,  chattering  in  the  tamaracks! 
Come  again  next  year  to  winter  behind  the  Medical 
School,  but  now  we  expect   fat  redhreasts  and 
pirate  bl ue- jays.     Beat  it  you  yellow- feathered 
gossips,  lest  the  dandelions   shame  your  color, 
for  spring  is  coming  to  Hanover ! 


VSo 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  NECROLOGY 


MOSES   j.   WENTWORTH 

Moses  I.  .  Wentworth,  .  wealthy  descen- 
dant of  one  of  New  Hampshire's  oldest  and 
most  distinguished  families,  died  in  Chi- 
cago, March  12.  He  was  born  in  Sand- 
wich. May  3,  184S.  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Sarah  Payson  (Jones)  Wentworth;  grad- 
uated from  Phillips  Academy.  Andover, 
Mass..  in  186.3*  and  from  Harvard  in  1868. 
later  receiving  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts;  studied  law  at  Union  College;  was 
admitted  to  the  Illinois  bar  in  187  \.  He 
was  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  the  nomi- 
nee of  his  party  for  presidential  elector 
in  18SS.  He  was  a  director  of  the  Mer- 
chants Loan  &  Trust  Company,  of  the 
State  Bank,  trustee  of  the  Newbury  Lib- 
ra:-}-, director  of  the  Metropolitan  Ele- 
vated railroad,  trustee  and  president  of 
the  Fourth  Presbyterian  Church  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Tames  C.  King  Home  for 
Old   Men. 


EDMUND    C.    COLE 

Edmund  C.  Cole,  who  founded-  the  Kear- 
sarge  Independent  and  Times  at  Warner 
in  1884  and  published  it  until  1910.  died 
there  March  13.  He  was  born  in  Milton, 
Me.,  October  5.  1845;  graduated  at  Bow- 
doin  in  1871  :  and  came  to  Warner  as 
principal  of  Simonds  Free  High  school. 
A  Republican  in  politics,  he  had  been 
postmaster,  representative  in  the  legisla- 
ture, member  of  the  school,  health  and 
library  boards.  He  was  a  Mason.  Odd 
Fellow,  Granger,  member  of  the  Eastern 
Star,   Rebekahs  and   Golden   Cross. 


WILLIAM:   NELSON 

William  Nelson,  widely  known  as  a 
civil  engineer,  died  at  his  home  in  Laco- 
nia.  March  13.  He  was  born  in  that  city, 
April  20.  1871.  the  son  of  Dr.  David  B, 
and  Susan  E.  Nelson,  and  was  educated  in 
the  city  schools.  Beginning  his  engineer- 
inor  work  with  the  Concord  &  Montreal 
railroad,  he  was  city  engineer  of  Laconia 
from  1892  to  1900  and  subsequently  was 
plant     manager     and     consulting    engineer 


for  several  important  manufacturing  com- 
panies. For  a  time  he  was  secretary  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  at  Binghamton, 
N.   Y.     He  was  a  Mason  and  a   Congrega- 

tionalist. 


EDSON  D.  SANBORN 

Edson  Dana  Sanborn,  representative  in 
the  legislature  of  1919  from  Fremont,  died 
in  that  town,  March  14.  He  was  born 
there,  the  son  of  Mir.  and  Mrs.  Alden 
Sanborn,  and  fitted  at  Sanborn  Seminary, 
Kingston,  for  New  Llampshire  College, 
where  he  graduated  in  1910.  During  his 
college  life  he  was  captain  of  the  football 
eleven  and  otherwise  prominent  in  under- 
graduate activities  and  as  an  alumnus  his 
interest  in  the  institution  continued  and  he 
did  valuable  service  as  president  of  the 
alumni  association  and  chairman  of  its 
committee  on  scholarships.  Mr.  Sanborn 
had  been  a  member  of  the  faculty  at 
North  Carolina  State  College  and  Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural  College  until  ill 
health  forced  his  return  home.  He  was 
prominent  in  Masonry  and  a  niember  of 
the  Eastern  Star  and  Grange,  as  well  as 
of  the  Sigma  Alpha  Epsilon  and  Alpha 
Zeta    college    fraternities. 


CHARLES    B.    ROGERS. 

Charles  B.  Rogers,  president  of  the 
Suncook  Bank,  died  in  that  village  Feb- 
ruary 27.  Fie  was  born  in  Manchester, 
February  \6,  1859,  spent  his  boyhood  in 
Bow  and  attended  Pembroke  Academy. 
For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  largest 
lumber  operators  in  this  section  of  the 
state.  A  Democrat  in  politics  he  was  a 
member  of  the  party  state  comraitttee, 
had  served  in  both  branches  of  the  legis- 
lature, as  selectman  and  school  board 
member  and  as  his  party's  candidate 
for  the  executive  council.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  Pembroke  committee  of 
safety  during  the  war.  Mr.  Rogers  was 
a  32nd  degree  Mason  and  prominent,  also 
in  other  fraternal  orders.  His  widow,  who 
was  A.  Genie  Knox  of  Pembroke,  and 
one   son,  Harry   K.   Rogers,  survive  him. 


I 


•  IN  THIS  ISSUE; 

.     i   C      .  1     '  UAMPi 
By  Paul  E.  Meyer 

HARLAN  C.  PEARSON,  Publisher 
CONCORD,  N.  H. 


'Ills  Nfll  W  €': 


. ;  i  1  ear.. 


:,u 


H  H  \  -HX 


. 


The  late  Hon.  Irving  W.  Drew. 


HE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


v 


Vol.  LIV 


MAY.  1022 


No.  5. 


^-REVOLUTIONARY  LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 
IN  A  WESTERN  MEW  HAMPSHIRE  TOWN. 


By  George  B.  Upham. 


II. 


* 


The  Memorial  dated  Claremont. 
April  28,  1769,  requesting  that 
Samuel  Cole  Esq'r.  "be  appointed 
Cateehist  and  Schoolmaster  among 
us"  was  sent,  probably  much  of  the 
way  by  some  missionary  travelling  on 
foot  or  horseback,  to  the  Convention 
of  the  Society's  Missionaries  as- 
sembled at  New  Milforcl,  Connecti- 
cut, in  the  latter  part  of  May.  1769. 
This  Convention  forwarded  it  to  Lon- 
don with  a  communication  as  follows : 
See  MSS.  of  the  Society  Series  B. 
Vol.  23  No.  420. 

New    Milforcl    May   25    1769. 

We  the  Subscribers,  the  venerable  So- 
ciety's dutiful  missionaries  met  in  volun- 
tary Convention;  with  Deference  trans- 
mit to  the  venerable  Society  the  inclos'd 
paper  sent  us  from  the  good  People  of 
Claremont  in  the  Province  of  New 
Hampshire 

In  this  Paper  the  Circumstances  of 
that  Place  and  People  are  so  fully  and 
faithfully  represented  as  to  leave  but 
little  needful  to  be  said  by  us  on  these 
points  Yet  it  may  be  well  for  us  to  in- 
form our  venerable  Patrons  that  we  are 
in  general  acquainted  with  the  Subscrib- 
ers of  the  inclos'd,  (as  all  of  them  went 
from  our  different  missions)  and  can 
give  them  a  good  and  unexceptionable 
Recommendation. 

With  respect  to  Samel  Cole  Esq";  we 
can  likewise  bear  a  good  Testimony  in 
his  Favour  in  all  such  Particulars  as  the 
Society  (our  good  Benefactors)  require 
in  a  Person  to  be  receiv'd  to  their  Ser- 
vice. This  good  old  Gentleman  many 
years  since,  designed  to  make  Applica- 
tion for  holy  Orders,  but  by  a  Series  of 
unexpected  Occurences  has  been  pre- 
vented. He  was  educated  at  Yale  Col- 
lege in  Connecticut,  is  now  advanced  ill 
years,  has  always  been  esteem' d  a  Gen- 
tleman of  much   Godliness,   Honesty  and 


Sobriety;  and  in  a  word,  we  think  (but 
with  Submission)  Mr.  Cole  might  be 
with  great  Propriety  and  Usefulness  em- 
ployd  at  the  afore  mention'd  Place  as 
Cateehist    and    School    Master 

We    are 

with  dutiful  Acknowledgments,  the 
venerable  Society's  Missionaries 
and    Servants 

Joseph    Lamson 
John    Beach 
Ebenezr    Dibblee 
Christopher    Newton 
James   Scovil 
Samel    Andrews. 
John    Beardsley 
"Roger    Viets 
Bcla    Hubbard 
Ebenezer    Kneeland 
Richard    Clarke 
Epenetus    Townsend 
John    Tyler. 

The  statement  that  "we  are  in  gen- 
eral, acquainted  with  the  Subscribers 
of  the  enclosed  fas  all  of  them  went 
from  our  different  Missions)"  con- 
firms information  from  various  other 
sources,  that  most  of  the  early  settlers 
in  Claremont  came  from  Connecticut. 
This  is  also  true  of  many  other  towns 
in  western  New  Hampshire  and  east- 
ern Vermont. 

Had  we  not  the  statement  respect- 
ing Mr.  Cole  that  he  was  an  "old 
Gentleman,  now  advanced  in  years," 
we  should  so  conclude  from  the  fact 
that  he  had  been  graduated,  at  Yale 
thirty-eight  years  before. 

"At  a  General  Meeting"  of  the  So- 
ciety, held  in  London,  October  20, 
1769.  the  Memorial  and  accompany- 
ing letter  of  recommendation  were 
"reported  by  the  Committee,"  where- 
upon it  was; 

"Agreed  to  recommend  that  Mr.  Cole 
be   appointed   the  Society's   Schoolmaster 


144 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Mr.  Cole  probably  journeyed  to  and 
from   Connecticut     on    foot,     making 

slow  progress;  but  other  modes  of 
travel  were  slow  in  those  days.  Note 
that  the  appointment  as  schoolmaster 
was  made  in  London  on  October  20th 
1769,  but  that  Mr.  Cole  first  learned 
of  it  at  Hartford  a  few  days  before 
April  4th,  1770.  Further  difficulties 
of  correspondence  with  London,  of 
getting  letters  transmitted  even  so  far 
as  Boston,  will  be  mentioned,  later  by 
Mr.  Cole. 

Sir  George  Trevelyan  in  his  great 
work.  ''The  American  Revolution" — 
particularly  interesting  as  picturing 
that  great  event  from  a  contemporan- 
eous English  point  of  view — ascribes 
their  failure  to  understand  America 
as  in  no  small  degree  due  to  slow  com- 
munication ;  the  factors  of  time  and 
space  had  not  then  been  eliminated. 
This  is  what  he  writes  of  it:<2) 

"It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that, 
among  our  own  people  of  every  degree, 
the  governing  classes  understood  Amer- 
ica the  least.  One  cause  of  ignorance 
they  had  in  common  with  others  of 
their  countrymen.  We  understand  the 
Massachusetts  of  176S  better  than  it  was 
understood  by  most  Englishmen  who 
vvro'e  that  date  at  the  head  of  their 
letters.  A  man  bound  for  New  York, 
as  he  sent  his  luggage  on  board  at  Bris- 
tol, would  willingly  have  compounded 
for  a  voyage  lasting  as  many  weeks  as  it 
now  lasts  days.  When  Franklin,  still  a 
youth,  -went  to  London  to  buy  the  press 
and  types  by  which  he  hoped  to  found  his 
fortune,  he  had  to  wait  the  best  part  of  a 
twelve  month  for  the  one  ship  which 
then  made  an  annual  trip  between  Phil- 
adelphia and  the  Thames.  When.  in 
1762,  ahead}-  a  great  man.  he  sailed  for 
England  in  a  convoy  of  merchantmen, 
he  spent  all  September  and  October  at 
sea,  enjoying  the  calm  weather,  as  he 
always  enjoyed  everything;  dining  on 
this  vessel  and  the  other;  and  travelling 
'as  in  a  moving  village,  with  all  one's 
neighbors  about  one.'  Adams,  during 
the  height  of  the  war,  hurrying  to 
France  in  the  finest  frigate  which  Con- 
gress could  place  at  his  disposal, — and 
with    a    captain    who    knew    that,    if    he 

(1)  In  the  Library  of  the  Boston  Anthenaeum  in  a  catalogue  of  Harvard  Graduates.  1612- 
1791,  marked  "B.2508."  On  the  margins,  in  the  hand-writing  cf  Josiah  Q'uincy  of  the  ciass  of 
1790,  may  be  seen  the  ages  of  all  graduates  on  entering  college  in  the  classes  1732  to  1701 
Inclusive. 

(2)  Trevelyan's    American    Revolution    Vol.    I.    pp.    11,    }2,    edition    of    1917, 


at  Claremont  in  New  Hampshire;  and 
that  Inquiry  be  made,  whether  Mr.  Bad- 
ger does  not  occasionally  visit  these 
people." 

"Resolved  to  agree  with  the  Commit- 
tee and  that  Mr.  Cole  have  a  Salary  of 
£15  p.  ami.  to  commence  from  Mid- 
summer last."  (Journal  oc  the  Soeietv, 
Vol.  18,  pp.  217-220.) 

The  Mr.  Badger  referred  to  was 
Moses  Badger,  the  Society's  Itinerant 
Missionary  in  New  Hampshire  from 
1767  to  1774.  He  was  a  native  of 
New  England,  entered  Harvard  at 
the  age  of  fourteen. (1)  and  was  gradu- 
ated in  1761.  He  travelled  through- 
out New  Hampshire  wherever  there 
were  settlers  attached  to  the  Church 
of  England.  We  know  from  Mr. 
Cole's  letters  that  he  visited  Clare- 
mont at  least  once  prior  to  1771.  He 
probably  did  so  several  times,  and  also 
visited  all  other  Connecticut  River 
towns. 

Before  receiving  notice  of  his  ap- 
pointment as  the  Society's  School- 
master, Mr.  Cole,  in  the  summer  or 
autumn  of  1769,  had  felt  it  neces- 
sary to  leave  Ins  home  in  Claremont 
and  to  resume  teaching  in  Connecti- 
cut. We  learn  this  from  -an  abstract 
of  a  letter  read  at  a  Meeting  of  the 
Soeietv  in  London  August  17th, 
1770.  '(Journal,  Vol.  18,  p.  3S2) 

Meeting 17    August     1770. 

fit    was    reported    by    the     Committee 

that   they   had   read [&cl 

A  letter  from  Mr  Samuel  Cole  School- 
master at  Claremont  New  Hampshire  N. 
England  dated  Hartford  in  Connecticut 
April  4  1770,  acquainting  the  Society 
that,  at  Xmas  last  he  was  with  Mr 
Scovil  at  Waterbury  and  the  next  day 
began  a  school  within  3  miles  of  that 
place,  where  he  taught  upwards  of  30 
children,  whose  parents  were  of  the 
church.  That  within  a  few  days  of  the 
date  of  this  letter,  Mr.  Hubbard  ac- 
quainted him  of  his  appointment  from 
the  Society,  for  the  honour  of  which  he 
returns  them  his  humble  thanks:  and  as 
soon  as  he  gets  home,  he  will  send  a 
particular  account  of  the  affairs  at  Clare- 
mont. 


P  R  E  -  R  E  \ *  O  I.  U  X 1 O  X  A  R  Y  L I F  E  A  N  D  T  KOU  G  H  T 


145 


encountered  a  superior  force,  his  dis- 
tinguished guest  did  not  intend  to  be 
carried  alive  under  British  hatches, — 
could  make  no  better  speed  than  five 
and  forty  days  between  Boston  and 
Bordeaux.  Lord  Carlisle,  carrying  an 
olive  branch  the  prompt  delivery  of 
which  scented  a  matter  of  life  and 
death  to  the  Ministry  that  sent  him  out, 
was  for  six  weeks  tossed  by  gales  be- 
tween port  and  port.  General  Riedesel, 
conducting  the  Brunswick  auxiliaries  to 
fight  in  a  quarrel  which,  was  none  of 
theirs,  counted  three  mortal  months 
from  the  day  when  he  stepped  on  deck 
iit  the  Elbe  to  the  day  when  he  step- 
ped cfl  it  at  Quebec  in  the  St.  Law- 
rence. If  such  was  the  lot  of  pleni- 
potentiaries on  mission  and  of  generals 
in  command,  it  may  be  imagined  how 
humbler  individuals  fared,  the  duration 
of  whose  voyage  concerned  no  one  but 
themselves.'' 

The  next  of  Mr.  Cole's  letters  is 
derived  from  two  sources,  the  part 
in  brackets  from  the  abstract  in  Lon- 
don. (Journal  of  the  Society,  Vol.  19, 
p.  26),  the  remainder  from  Batchel- 
der's  "'History  of  the  Eastern  Dio- 
cese" Vol.  I,  pp.  178.  179.  The  lat- 
ter agrees  with  the  abstract,  but  gives 
more  details. 

''Claremont  in  the  Province  of  New 
Hampshire. 

[December   26th    1770] 
To    the    Secretary    of    the    Venerable    So- 
Society: 

Reverend  Sir:  [A  letter  from  Mr. 
Cole  Schoolmaster  at  Claremont  New 
Hampshire  N.  E.  dated  at  Claremont 
Deer.  26,  1770  acquainting  that  having 
received  intelligence  from  the  Clergy  in 
Convention  of  his  appointment,  he  soon 
opened  his  school,  that  he  has  kept  it  6 
hours  in  a  day  till  the  days  grew  so 
short  that  the  children  could  not  come 
seasonably.)  The  number  taught  in  the 
School  is  22,  who  were  all  baptized  in 
the  Church,  exclusive  of  those  four 
above  mentioned.  Some  of  these  are 
not  constant  at  school:  for  their  parents 
want  the  help  of  all  that  are  able.  I 
have  had  six  belonging  to  dissenting 
parents  a  while  who  allowed  me  to 
teach  them  some  part  of  the  Church 
Catechism. 

Some    of    the    dissenters      challenge      a 


right  to  the  school  without  complying 
with  the  orders  of  it;  in  short  the}*  seem 
desirous  that  their  children  should  learn 
to  read  and  write,  and  ever  retain  the 
same  prejudice  against  the  Church 
which  they  themselves  have.  I  want 
particular  directions  in  this  affair  for  my 
school      would    be    crowded     if    I    would 


earn     the-   Westminster     Catechism    and 


comply  with  all  their  humors.  There- 
is  not  an  Indian  or  a  negro  in  this  town. 
The  Indians  in  Connecticut  are  strange- 
ly dwindled  away  and  to  the  north 
there  is  none  that  I  hear  of  on  this  side 
of  Canada,  unless  four  or  five  in  Dr. 
Wheelock's  school  at  Hanover,  about  24 
miles  above   us. 

There  have  been  ten  infants  baptized 
in  this  town  since  we  came  here,  five  by 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Badger  and  five  by  the 
Rev.   Mr.  Peters. 

An  itinerant  missionary  in  these  parts 
I  am  persuaded  may  answer  well  the  de- 
sign of  the  Venerable  Society.  The  Rev. 
Mr.  Badger  whom  we  highly  esteem 
upon  all  accounts  is  unable  to  fulfil  the 
task   in   such   an   extensive   Province. 

"We  assemble  every  Lord's  day  and  I 
read  such  parts  of  the  Common  Prayer, 
the  Lessons,  etc.,  as  are  generally  sup- 
posed may  be  done  without  infringing  on 
the  sacred  function,  and  the  church 
people  constantly  attend.  We  read  Abp. 
Sharp's    and    Bp.    Sher locks    sermons/ 3> 

I  am  desired  .by  the  Wardens  and 
Vestry  of  the  Church  in  Claremont  "to 
return  their  most  grateful  thanks  to  the 
Venerable  Society  for  appointing  a 
schoolmaster  among  them.  They  with 
myself  devoutly  pray  that  the  Society's 
gratuity  may  not  fail  of  producing  a 
plentiful  increase  of  Knowledge,  virtue 
and    loyalty. 

I  would  humbly  beg  of  the  venerable 
Board  some  Bibles,  Common  Prayer 
Books,  Catechisms,  etc.,  to  be  distribut- 
ed among  my  pupils  which  properly  dis- 
tributed might  greatly  excite  them  to 
learn — Samuel    Cole. 

In  response  to  the  request  at  the  end 
of  this  letter  it  was:  ["Agreed  that  Mr. 
Cole  have  6  Bibles.  6  new  Testaments. 
25  prayer  books  and  25  Lewis  Catechisms 
for  the  benefit  of  the  children  in  his 
school.]" 

Soon,  doubtless,  these  books  began 
their  long  journey,  by  sail  across  the 
ocean  to  Portsmouth  or  Boston, 
thence,   most   of    the   way   with  other 


(3)  Abp.  Sharp  was  James  Sharp.  1618-1679.  Archibishop  of  St.  Andrews,  Scotland.  Form- 
erly a  Presbyterian  he  turned  to  the  Church  of  England  on  the  return  of  Charles  11".  He  had 
much  to  do  with  the  restoration  of  Episcopacy  in  Scotland.  With  Rothes  he  for  some  years  in 
great  part  governed  Scotland.  However  pious  his  sermons,  he  was  a  despicable  cha-rac**"**.  a 
fact  doubtless  unknown  to  Mr.  Cole.  Bp  Sherlock  was  Thomas  Sherlock,  1678-1761,  Master  of 
the  Temple  and  Jatt.r  Bishop  of  London,  His  four  volumes  of  sermons  "were  at  one  time  highly 
esteemed,'7 


146 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


permission  could  not  have  come  with- 
out    much   home     discussion.       The 

Church  of  England  stood  for  tilings 
English,  and  was  at  the  time  far 
from  being  liked,  even  by  those  who 
troubled  themselves  little  about  the 
nicities  of  its  doctrines  or  those  of 
the  dissenters. (l) 

The  Rev-  Mr.  Peters,  mentioned  in 
the  above  letter,  was  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Peters  of  Hebron,  Connecticut,  grad- 
uated at  Yale  in  1757.  The  same  who 
organized  the  parish  of  the  Church 
of  England  in  Claremont  in  1770/6) 
It  has  heretofore  been  believed  that 
this  parish.— the  second  of  the  Church 
of  England  in  New  Hampshire, — was 
organized  in  1771  ;  but  the  date  of  the 
above  letter  returning  the  thanks  of 
"the  Wardens  and  Vestry  of  the 
Church  in  Claremont,"  shows  that  it- 
must  have  been  earlier,  probably  in 
September,    1770. 

YVe  know  from  Mr,  Peters'  letter 
to  the  Society(7)  that  he  left  Hebron 
with  his  clerk  on  September  10, 
1770,  and  travelled  up  the.  Connecti- 
cut River  valley  visiting  Claremont, 
Windsor,  Thetford,  Or  ford,  Haver- 
hill and  other  river  towns. (S)  He 
describes  the  inhabitants  as  "living 
without  means  of  grace,  destitute  of 
knowledge,  laden  down  with  ignor- 
ance, and  covered  with  poverty,"  not 
complimentary,  nor  necessarily  to  be 
accepted  because  Mr.  Peters  so  wrote. 

(4)  See  a  series  of  Historical  Articles  published  in  the  National  Eagle,  Claremont,  in  the 
early   fifties,   also  Granite   Monthly,   Vol.    51,    p.    425,    and   Vol.    54.    p.   41. 

(5)  Such  Church  is  described  in  nearly  two  hundred  Went  worth  town  charters  in  New 
Harnphi  e  and  in  the  Hampshire  Grants  (now  Vermont)  in  th«se  words,  "the  Church  of  Eng- 
land as  by  Law  Established;"  but  it  was  never  by  law  established  in  New  Hampshire,  and  in 
none  of  the  colonies  except  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  The  words  in  the  W.ertt worth  charters 
must,  therefore,  be  taken  as  referring  to  conditions  in  England — see  S.  H.  Cobb's  Rise  of  Re- 
ligious Liberty  in  America,   pp.   74.   115,  290-300. 

(6)  In  the  Churchman's  Magazine  for  August,  1S05,  it  is  stated  that  the  Church  in  Clare- 
mont was  organized  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Peters  in  or  about  the  year  1771.  The  date  should 
have     been     1770. 

'7i  See  Church  Documents  of  Connecticut,  ed.  by  Hawks  and  Perry — 1864,  Vol.  II.  pp. 
102-104. 

(8)  In  the  Political  Magazine.  London  for  November,  1781,  Vol.  2,  p.  050.  .Mr.  Peters 
published  a  description  of  the  Connecticut  River,  from  which  those  familiar  with  it  may  learn 
much  unknown  to  them  before.  "Above  five  hundred  rivulets  which  issue  from  lakes,  ponds 
and  drowned  lands  full  into  it;  many  of  them  are  larger  than  the  Thames  at  London."  "Rivu- 
lets," barely  worth  mentioning,  but  "larger  than  the  Thames,"  with  its  even  then  wondrous 
traffic.  What  better  calculated  to  impress  the  cockney?  But  the  following,  accepted  readily 
enough  by  Londoners,  may  impress  the  people  of  Haverhill  and  Newbury:  "At  the  upper 
cohos  the  river  spreads  twenty-four  miles  wide,  and  for  five  cr  six  weeks  ships  of  war  might 
sail  over  lands  that  afterwards  produce  the  greatest  crops  of  hay  and  grain  in  all  America." 
We  sympathize  with  the  Reverend  Peters  in  his  restraint.  Why  stop  at  a  mere  twenty-four 
miles   in    width  with   the    water   fatt    rising?      J"?ote   continued   on    bottom    of   page   147. 


goods  by  pack-horse  to  Boscawen. 
from  there  over  the  "Province  Road" 
to    Charlestown,    and    finally    up    the 

"Great  Rive"-"  by  the  old  Indian  Trail 
to  Claremont;  not  to  the  site  of  the 
large  village  of  to-day.  but  three  miles 
further  west,  to  the  little  settlement 
on  "Town  Hill,*'  the  name  then  given 
to  the  easterly  and  northerly  slopes 
of  Barber's  Mountain,  where,  along 
the  "Great  Road,"  now  grass-grown. 
were  nearly  all  the  houses  in  the 
town. 

What  Mr.  Cole  wrote,  respecting 
Indians  by  no  means  disposes  of  the 
sole  Claremont  aborigine,  our  old 
friend  Tousa,  for  Indians  are  a  wan- 
dering people,  and  he  was,  probably, 
at  that  time  absent,  perhaps  with  the 
Indian  settlement  at  Squakheag,  now 
North  field,  Mass.,  perhaps  in  Cana- 
da. It  may  well  be  that  after  wan- 
dering, or  trying  some  other  habita- 
tion, Tousa  longed  for  his  old  hunt- 
ing-ground in  Claremont.  and  return- 
ed there.  At  all  events  we  much 
prefer  to  believe  the  tradition,  of  only 
eighty  years  until  the  story  was 
printed,  that  for  a  time  at  least  Tousa 
lived  in  Claremont,  and  was  present, 
objecting,  when  the  frame  of  Union 
Church   was    raised. {i) 

Mr.   Cole   mentions   "six    [children] 

belonging   to    dissenting   parents 

who  allowed  me  to  teach  them  some 
part  of  the  Church  Catchism."    Such 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 


\A7 


brother  clergyman  and  a  fellow- 
townsman  in  Hebron,  said  of  him 
that  of  all  men  he  ever  knew  Mr. 
Peters  was  "least  to  be  depended 
upon'  as  to  any  matter  of   fact." 

While  in  Claremont  he  was  prob- 
ably the  guest  of-  his  fellow-col- 
legian, Samuel  Cole,  and  it  was  prob- 
ably at  the  latter's  house,  and  due 
to  his  initiative,  that  the  parish  in 
Claremont  was  organized.  We  may 
imagine  these  two  worthies  walking 
leisurely  over  Town  Hill,  on  a  pleas- 
ant autumnal  afternoon,  the  clergy- 
man, who  had  been  ordained  in  Eng- 
land, discoursing  to  his  untravclled 
companion  upon  the  great  size  and 
unrivalled  magnificence  of  London,  a 
story  which,  we  may  rest  assured,  lost 
nothing  in  the   telling. m 

No  words  in  Mr.  Cole's  letters  give 
so  much  information  respecting  the 
intellectual  status  of  early  settlers 
and  their  children  as  can  be  gathered, 
indirectly,  from  the  few  books  men- 
tioned by  him ;  for  these  furnished 
the  greater  part  of  the  mental  nour- 
ishment of  both  parents  and  children 
of  the  time.  The  words  ''Westmin- 
ster Catechism"  thus  serve  almost  as 
a  volume  in  themselves ;  for  our  fore- 
fathers, mostly  dissenters  from  the 
Church  of  England,  were  brought  up 
on  it.  This  Catechism,  a  rigid  em- 
bodiment of  hard  Calvinistic  theology, 
was  devised  by  the  "Westminster  As- 
sembly" summoned  by  the  insubordi- 
nate   Long    Parliament.     As    the    re- 

"Tvo  hundred  miles  from  the  Sound  is  a  narrow  of  five  yards  only,  formed  by  two  shelving 
mountains  of  solid  rock,  whose  tops  intercept  the  clouds."'  [This  was  at  the  Great  Falls,  now 
known  as  Bellows  Falls.]  '"People  who  can  bear  the  sight,  the  groans,  the  tremblings,  the 
•vurly  motion  of  the  water,  trees,  and  ice,  through  this  awful  passage,  view  with  astonishment 
one  of  the  greatest  phenomenons  in  nature.  Here  water  is  consolidated  without  frost,  by  pres- 
sure, by  pwiftness,  between  the  pinching  sturdy  rocks,  to  such  a  degree  of  induration,  that 
no  iron  crow  can  be  forced  into  it:  here  iron,  lead,  and  cork  have  one  common  weight,  here, 
steady    as    time,    and    harder    than    marble,    the    stream    ras^s    irresistable ;     the    lightning    rends 

trees   in   pieces   with   no   greater   ease   than   do^s   this   mighty   water.*** No   living   creature 

was  ever  known  to  pass  through  this  narrow,  except  an  Indian  woman,  who  was  in  a  canoe 
attempting  to  cross  the  river  above  it,  but  carelessly  suffered  herself  to  fall  within  the  power 
of  the  current.  Perceiving  her  danger,  she  took  a  bottle  of  rum  which  she  had  with  her,  and 
drank  the  whole  of  it;  then  lay  down  in  the  canoe  to  meet  her  destiny.  She  marvellously, 
[aided  perhaps  by  the  Great  Spirit],  wont  through  safely,  and  was  taken  out  of  the  canoe 
some  miles  below  quite  intoxicated,  by  some  Englishmen.  Being  asked  how  she  could  be  s,o 
daringly  imprudent  as  to  drink  such  a  quantity  of  rum  with  the  prospect  of  instant  death  be- 
fore her,  the  squaw,  as  well  as  her  condition  would  let  her,  replied:  Yes  it  was  too  much  rum 
for  once;   but   I   was  not  willing   to   lose   a   drop   of  it,   so   I  drank   it,*  and   you   see    I  have  saved  ail." 

(0)  The  record  of  Mr.  Peters  activities  may  be  found  in  F.  B.  Dexter's  Biographies  of 
Yale  Graduates,  1745-1763,  Vol.  2,  pp  482-1^7;  Sabine's.  Loyalists  of  the  Americun  P,evo'.ution, 
Vol.  II,  pp.  177-1*2 ;  Trevelyan's  American  Revolution,  Vol.  I,  pp.  278,  279,  375,  and  Batcheider'e 
History   of   the    Eastern    riocese,    Vol,    I,    pp.    175,    176. 


In  October  he  crossed  the  Green 
Mountains,  "16  miles  over."  to  Man- 
chester, finding  his  way  "in  a  path- 
less wilderness,  by  trees  marked  and 
by  compass" ;  he  thence  proceeded  to 
Arlington,  on  the  present  New  York 
line.  On  this  journey  "preaching  as 
often  as  every  oilier  day  I  travelled 
700  or  800  miles  in  a  way  so  uneven 
that  1  was  in  peril  oft." 

We  can  but  admire  Mr.  Peters 
energetic  activity,  and  note  with  re- 
gret that  he  later  left  an  unenviable 
record  in  Connecticut,  Boston,  and 
even  London,  as  an  indiscreet  and 
obnoxious  Tory.  In  a  search  of  his 
house  at  Hebron  for  arms,  a  punch- 
bowl was  broken,  about  which  Mr. 
Peters  made  much  ado,  though  no 
appropriation  of  materials  suitable  to 
be  compounded  in  it  is  recorded. 
He  soon  fled  for  sanctuary  to  Boston, 
whence  he  wrote :  "I  am  in  high 
spirits.  Six  regiments  are  now  com- 
ing from  England,  and  sundry  men- 
of-war.  So  soon  as  they  come,  hang- 
ing work  will  go  on,  and  destruction 
will  first  attend  the  seaport  towns-" 
He  soon  sailed  for  England,  where, 
by  way  of  getting  even,  he  wrote  a 
"History  of  Connecticut,"  said  by 
natives  of  that  state  to  be  worthy  of 
a  direct  descendant  of  Ananias.  Sa- 
bine, in  his  "American  Loyalists," 
says  of  Mr.  Peters:  "perhaps  no 
clergyman  of  the  time  was  more  ob- 
noxious-" Dr.  Benjamin  Trumbull, 
Yale    1759,     a   man   of     eminence,   a 


14S 


THE  GRANITE   MONTHLY 


suit   of    five   years   of   deliberation   by 

one  hundred  and  twenty  divines, 
nearly  all  Calyinists,  it  was-  publish- 
ed in  1647  and  1648  in  two  forms, 
the  Larger  Catehism,  "for  such  as 
have  some  proficiency '"'  and  the  Short- 
er Catechism  "for  such  a.-,  are  of 
weaker  capacity."  If  we  of  a  later 
generation  were  expected  to  commit 
to  memory  and  to  comprehend  the 
Shorter  Catechism,  most  of  us  would 
fail  to  measure  up  to  the  "capacity" 
for  which  it  was  designed. 

The  Shorter  Catehism  was  publish- 
ed here  in  many  editions  and  large 
numbers  but  the  form  in  which  it 
came  to  be  most  widely  used  was  in 
the  numerous  editions  of  the  .New 
England  Primer,  winch  for  more 
than  a  hundred  years  was  the  school 
book  of  the  dissenters,  and  almost  the 
sole  book  for  juvenile  reading  in 
America.  With  it  minions  were 
taught  to  read,  and  then,  catechised 
unceasingly.  Aside  from  the  Bible 
no  book  printed  in  this  country  has 
had  anything  like  the  extended  and 
enduring  influence  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Primer.  "An  over  conservative 
claim  for  it  is  to  estimate  an  annual 
average  sale  of  twenty  thousand 
copies,  during  a  period  of  150  years, 
or  total  sales  of  three  million 
copies.' 


Every  known  edition  printed  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  most  of  those 
issued  later,  contained  the  Shorter 
Catechism  which  occupied  nearly 
half  the  pages.  Although  a  million 
or  more  copies  are  believed  to  have 
been  printed  in  the  eighteenth  century 
less  than  fifty  of  these  are  now  known 
to  exist-  The  high  prices, — more 
than  $100— paid  by  collectors  for 
copies  in  good  condition  printed  prior 
to   1800,  attest  their  rarity. (11) 

Originally  compiled  by  Benjamin 
Harris112'  the  earliest  edition,  as 
shown  by  an  advertisement  in  an  al- 
manack, was  published  in  Boston 
about  16S9.  Several  other  editions 
were  issued  before  1727  but  none 
earlier  has  been  found.  In  the 
edition  of  1737  first  appeared  the 
four  lines.  "Now  I  lay  me  down  to 
sleep,"  etc.,  author  unknown-  They 
were  printed  in  almost  every  subse- 
auent  edition,  and.  with  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  have  been  taught  the  world 
over  by  millions  of  mothers  to  many 
millions  of  children  kneeling  at  their 
bedsides. 

One  edition  only  was  printed  in 
New  Hampshire  prior  to  1800;  and 
that  by  J.  Melcher  at  Portsmouth, 
without  date,  but  probably  about 
1795. (13) 


(10) 


(10)  The  New  England  Primer,  by  Paul  I- 
debted  for  the  greater  part  of  the  informati 
this   article. 


eicester    Ford,    p.     1!>.      To    this    hook    we    are    in- 
on    respecting     the       Primer       which     appears     in 


(11)  The  first  cohector  o:  this  Pr?;ner,  who  began  in  1840.  found  copies  of  only  two 
eighteenth  century  editions;  the  next,  who  began  at  about  the  same  time,  after  forty  years 
of  search,  obtaind  only  nine  Primers  of  that  century  At  the  time  Mr.  Ford's  book  Mas  pub- 
lished, 1S07.  the  fir.  est  collections  of  Primers  of  the  eighteenth  century  were  those  owned  by 
Mr.  Cornelius  Yanderbilt,  six  copies,  and  the  Lenox  Library  in  New  York,  alro  six  conies.  In 
the  latter  is  the  copy  of  the  edition  of  1727,  the  earliest  edition  of  which  any  copy  has  been 
found.  The  American  Antiquarian  Society,  Worcester,  Mass  .  owned  four  copies.  The  won- 
derful Library  of  the  British  Mutenxn  had  but  cue  copy.  The  orly  krown  copy  of  the  J. 
Melcher,  Portsmouth.  N.   H..   edition   was,   in   1S97,   owned  by  Dr.   Henry  Barnard   of  Hartford,  Com 

(12)  Harris  also  deserves  distinction  as  the  editor  and  printer  of  the  first  newspaper  in 
America.  This  he  issued,  without  permission,  in  1690  under  the  name  "Public  Occurrances." 
As    might    have    been    exported    it    was    promptly    suppresses!    by    Proclamation. 

(13)  An  edition  was  printed  in  Newbury.  Vermont,  "by  Nathaniel  Coverly  Jun'r,  For  John 
West  of  Boston."  It  is  regarded  as  an  eighteenth  century  edition.  If  this  is  correct  it  was 
probably  printed  in  1703  or  1800;  for  Nathaniel  Coverly  Jun'r.  printed  an  edition  at  Med  ford, 
Mass.,  in  179$.  He  apparently  removed  to  Newbury,  perhaps  carrying  the  forms  with  him. 
The  copy  of  the  Newbury  edition    is  owned   by   the  American   Antiquarian  Society,    Worcester,    Mass. 


PRE-REVOL.UTIONARY   LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 


149 


The  title  page  is  as  follows: 

THE  NEW  ENGLAND 

PRIMER, 

IMPROVED, 

OR  AN  EASY  AND  PLEASANT 

GUIDE  TO  THE  ART  OE  READING, 

ADORNED  WITH  CUTTS, 

to  which  is  added 

THE  ASSEMBLY  OE  DIVINES' 

AND  DR.  WATT'S 

CATECHISMS, 

PORTSMOUTH; 
Printed  and  Sold  by  J..  M  EEC  HER 

The  New  England  Primer  was 
carried  in  stock  and  sold  by  all  gen- 
eral stores  in  country  four  corners 
and  villages.  Some  of  the  articles 
advertised  for  sale  in  Litchfield, 
Connecticut,  in  1/83  were  as  follows: 
"Allbiades  Bibles,  Brimstone,  and. 
Broadcloths,  Buttons,  Buckles  of  dif- 
ferent sorts.  Pipes,  Pins  &  Xeedles. 
Powder  &  Shot,  Primers,  [a  Primer 
was  always  a  Xew  England  Primer,] 
Rum,  rod  Nails,  Saws,  Spelling 
Books,  Sugar,  Tea,  Testaments  and  a 
variety  of  other  Articles." 

Primers  were  undoubtedly  carried 
in  general  stock  and  hundreds  of 
copies  sold  in  Claremont  in  the 
eighteenth  century  as  they  were  in 
all  other  Xew  Hampshire  towns. 
Can  one  of  them  of  that  period,  out- 
side the  few  collections,  now  be 
found  ? 

In  the  Primer  even  the  Alphabet, 
with  the  heavily  inked  depictions .  ac- 
companying each  letter,  is  made  de- 
pressing. 

A     In  Adams'  Fall 
We  sinned  all. 


j      Job  feels  the  Rod, — 
Yet  blesses  GO D. 

*  >|;  >fc  & 

X     Xerxes  did  die 
And  so  in  list  I. 

The  not  unnatural  fate  of  Xerxes  is 
accentuated  by  a  crude  woodcut  of  a 
particularly   dismal    coffin. 

*  *  *  * 

Y     while  Youth  do  chear 
Death  may  be  near    • 

In  the  accompanying  illustration  the 
hilarity  of  Cheating  Youths,  three  of 
them  partaking  of  refreshments  at  a 
table,  seems  not  to  be  diminished  by  the 
approach  of  a  skeleton  pointing  with  an 
arrow:  whether  the  arrow  is  pointed  at 
only  one,  or  impartially  at  the"  three 
seems    uncertain. 


* 


z 


Zacheus  he 

Did  climb  the  Tree 

Our  Lord  to  see 


Even  Zacheus'  effort  was  not  in- 
tended to  be  amusing. 

There  was  in  all  editions  the  rough 
woodcut  of  John  Rogers,  burning  at 
the  stake  in  Queen  Mary's  gentle 
reign,  while  his  wife  with  nine  small 
children,  and  one  at  her  breast,  look 
sadly  on.  The  crude  wood-cuts  ap- 
pear to  have  been  prepared  by  self- 
taught  wood  engravers  in  the  printer's 
shops,  for  in  few  of  the  different 
editions  were  they  the  same.(14) 

These  were  doubtless  under- 
stood by  countless  children  who  were 
sorely  puzzled  in  the  effort  to  under- 
stand the  nature  of  orignal  sin,  or  the 
doctrine  of  election  whereby  so  few 
were  destined  to  be  saved ;  or  why, 
for    Adam's    Transgression,      so    long 

ago,  "All  Mankind are  under 

God's  Wrath  &   Curse,  and  so  made 


150 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


liable  to  all  Miseries  in  this  Life,  to 
Death  itself.  &  to  the  pains  of  Hell 
forever."*  13> 

Mr.  Cole,  it  may  be  noted,  asked 
for  "particular  directions"  about 
teaching  the  Shorter  Catechism ;  that 
"Golden  Composure"  as  Cotton 
Mather   in   admiration   called    it. 

In  addition  to  the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism we  find  printed  in  nearly  all 
editions  of  the  New  England  Primer 
a  still  further  simplified  catechism 
entitled  "Spiritual  Milk  for  Ameri- 
can Babes,"  "By  John  Cotton,"  a  dis- 
senting divine  who  arrived  in  Boston 
in  1633-  After  demonstrating  how 
slight  the  chance  of  being  judged 
otherwise  than  wicked,  the  Reverend 
Cotton  gives,  as  a  last  sip  of  his 
lacteal  preparation,  the  following : 
"and  the  wicked  shall  be  cast  into 
everlasting  fire  with  the  devil  and  all 
his  angels." 

Other  gems  designed  to  cheer  the 
children  may  be  quoted  from  the 
Primer. 

F.  "Foolishness  is  bound  up  in 
the  heart  of  a  child,  but  the  rod  of 
correction   shall   drive   it    from   him." 

Frequent  applications  of  the  birch 
were,  doubtless,  prompted  by  this  wise 
precept. 

L.  "Liars  shall  have  their  part  in 
the  lake  which  burneth  with  fire  and 
brimstone :" 

Often  cited  in  cases  of  inaccurate 
statement. 

U.  "Upon  the  wicked  God  shall 
raise   an    horrible    tempest-" 

To  be  remembered  at  times  of  severe 
thunderstorms. 


A  cause  for  the  astonishing  disap- 
pearance of  the  million-  of  copies  of 
the  New  England  Primer.. may  be 
imagined.  It  seems,  however,  un- 
likely that  any  reliable  statistics  res- 
pecting it  will  ever  be  obtained. 

But  the  Puritanic  Primer  is  not 
the  only  publication.  pointing  the 
straight  and  narrow  path,  upon  which 
the  return  non  est  inventus  must  be 
made.  Of  Lewis'  Catechism, — 25 
copies  of  which,  as  we  have  seen, 
were  sent  to  Mr,  Cole, — the  Cata- 
logue of  Printed  Books  in  the  Li- 
brary of  the.  British  Museum  tells  us 
that  at  least  fifteen  editions  were 
published,  the  first  in  1700.  But  not 
a  cop}'  is  to  be  found  among  the  four 
millions  of  volumes  in  the  great 
libraries,  general  and  theological,  of 
Boston  and  Cambridge. n6) 

Whatever  the  unascertained  teach- 
ings of  Mr.  Lewis'  book,  it  is  to  be 
hoped  they  were  less  depressing  than 
those  of  the  Shorter  Catechism. 

In  contemplating  the  religious  in- 
struction of  New  England  children  a 
century  or  two  ago,  we  may  wonder 
how  they  grew  ttp  to  see  anything 
other  than  gloom  in  life.  But  it 
should  be  remembered  that  the  un- 
taught beauties  of  nature  all  around, 
and  the  child's  natural  joyousness, 
served  as  antidotes  for  much  dismal 
teaching  thrust  upon  him.  And,  as 
a  great  teacher  of  theology  now  tells 
us,  the  very  attempt  to  understand 
these  problems,  with  a  chance  of 
heaven  on  one  side,  hell  on  the  other, 
was  mentally  stimulating. 

It  is  refreshing  to  find  in  an  edition 
of  the  Primer,  as  early  as  1767,  any- 


(lu)  Some  of  the  extremely  orthodox  have  been  paired  by  the  gradual  extinction  of 
this  belief:  as  with  the  Calvinistic  clergyman  v.  ho  remarked:  "The  Univers  alists  believe  that 
all    men    .viil    be    saved,    but    we    hope    for    better    things." 

A  newly  instated  pastor  said  to  a  spinster  parishioner:  "I  hope,  madam,  yru  believe  in 
total  depravity,"  ana  promptly  received  the  reply:  "Oh  parson,  what  a  fine  doctrine  it  would 
be,    if   folks    only    lived    up    to    it." 

(16)  This  Catechism  was  compiled  by  John  Lewis,  Vicar  of  Minster.  It  was  translated  into 
Irish  and  Welsh,  but  does  not  appear  to  have  been  printed  in  America.  Lewis  was  the  author 
of  some  twenty  books,  nearly  all  of  historical  value,  and  all  to  be  found  In  the  Libraries  of 
Buston  and  Cambridge,  although  not  generally  reprinted,  and  issued  in  very  small  editions 
compared   with    those   of  his  Catechism 


PRE-REVGLUTIONARY  LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 


51 


thing  so  essentially  hitman  as  the  fol- 
lowing Old  English  Proverbs. 

"A   friend  in   need   is  a   friend  indeed. 
Fair    words    butter    no    parsnips. 
When    the    fox    preaches    let    the    geese 
beware. 


Fly  the  -  pleasure  that  will  bile  to- 
morrow. 

If  all  fools  wore  white  caps,  we 
should   look  like  ?.   flock  of  geese." 

(To  be  continued) <17) 


(17)  The  writer  wishes  to  correct  an  error  in  the  first  article  of  this  series,  not  discovered 
until  after  the  pages  had  gone  to  print  On  page  111  of  the  April  issue  the  words,  "and  ex- 
cepting1, of  course.  Florida  then  possessed  by  Spain,-'  should  have  been  erased;  for  by  that 
sa  ne  Treaty  of  Paris.  Feb.  10,  1763,  Florida  was  ceded  by  Spain  to  England.  In  17S3  it  was 
returned  by  England  to  Spain;  and  ceded  by  the  latter  to  the  United  States  by  the  Treaty  cf 
1819,    reluctantly   confirmed   by   Spain    in   1S2.1. 


GOD— THANKS 

By  Ruth  Bassctt 

Don't  take  the  earth  for  granted — 

With  all   its  changing  beauty 

Make  it  a  sacred  duty 
To  kneel  in  prayer 

For  every  bird-song  chanted, 
For  every  new- found  blessing, 
To  God  your  thanks  confessing 

For  glories  there. 


Don't  take  loved  ones  for  granted. 

When  happy  hours  surround  you 

And  peaceful  home-ties  crown  you, 
Take  time  to  go 

With  humble  trust  implanted 
In  nature's  generous  voicing. 
Lift  up  your  heart,  rejoicing, 

So  God  will  know. 


t« 


IN  PRAISE  OF  BROOKS 

Fy  Katharine    Upliam   tinnier 


The  Brook  is  a  good  friend  of 
mine — I  suspect  it  has  shared  many 
reciprocal  emotions  with  the  dwellers 
in  this  old  countrv-house  and  that  I 
am  merely  the  latest  of  a  long  line  to 
know  it ;  thus  pleasant  thoughts  come 
to  me  of  the  cheer,  the  infectious 
gladsomeness  its  friendship  has  com- 
municated   to    my    predecessors. 

After  it  leaves  the  wood-land— and 
it  has  a  right  merry  leap  through,  the 
birch  and  hemlock  woods — the  Brook 
purls  and  meanders  through  the  pas- 
ture and  then  slipping  under  the 
highway  (swiftly,  as  if  to  get  away 
from  the  ugly  concrete  culvert)  it 
races  merrily  through  the  meadow  to 
the  rushing  River,  which  as  tributary 
joins  the  Connecticut  on  the  border 
of  this  same  meadow:  And  the  state- 
ly Connecticut,  flowing  on  to  the.  dis- 
tant sea,  carries  on  its  bosom  the  clear 
crystals  of  my  Brook. 

This  in  short  is  the  life  history  of 
the  Brook ;  it  is  the  history  of  all 
brooks  and  all  friendships— this 
merging  of  self  into  the  harmony  of 
altruism.     . 

On  the  old  maps  the  Brook  had  a 
name,  an  ordinary  name — one  won- 
ders why?  Perhaps  the  settlers  on 
this  river  highway  between  Canada 
and  the  provinces,  busy  clearing  the 
forest,  planting  corn,  and  ^watching 
for  marauding  Indians,  regarded  life 
quite  literally  and  named  the  stream 
for  the  man  who  built  the  first  cabin 
on  its  bank.  If  he  were  a  wise  man 
he  raised  his  roof-tree  on  the  knoll 
high  above  for  in  the  spring  of  the 
year  the  Brook  goes  mad — mad  as 
Ophelia  and  drowns  itself  under  the 
grey  willows ;  you  hear  it  weeping 
even  above  the  March  winds. 

No.  I  cannot  rename  it;  if  it  is 
Ophelia  in  March  why  is  it  not  Per- 
dita  when  spring  at  last  arrives? 
Perdita  whose  silvery  laughter  mocks 
me  as  she  runs  under  the  tender  bud- 


ding trees  towards  the  River.  Then, 
O  Brook,  you  are  indeed  "my  pret- 
tiest Perdita"  as  you  trip  blithely  on 
your  way.  garlanded  with  ''lilies  of 
all  kinds"  and 

4i. violets    dim 

But  sweeter  than  the  lid  of  Juno's  eyes, 
Or   Cytherea's   breath." 

A  Brook  will  not  harbour  dull  care 
or  grumpiness  of  mind — in  summer! 
In  winter  one  takes  from  it  what  one 
reads  into  it,  and  as  for  the  most  part 
only  the  stout-hearted  are  afield  in 
winter  I  think  that  the  Brook  gives 
them  back  stout  cheer — making  of 
their  valiancy  an  order  of  merit,  as 
it  were. 

In  the  winter-time  I  follow  its 
course  through  the  meadow :  when  I 
am  on  snowshoes  its  banks  are  pil- 
lowed by  soft  snow  and  its  waters, 
dark  and  glass}',  swirl  between  them 
past  me ;  when  I  am  on  skiis  the 
banks  are  crusted  and  the  stream  is 
ice.  Then  I  think  of  little  Robert 
Louis  and  his  faithful  Alison,  for 
"Water  now  is  turned  to  stone 
Nurse  and  I  can  walk  upon;" 
and  the  Spirit  of  Childhood  is  with 
me  gleefully  sliding  on  the  ice.  But 
there  are  other  times  when  the  thin 
snow  on  the  stubble  permits  neither 
snowshoes  nor  skiis;  then  I  foot  it 
musingly  along  the  banks,  watching 
little  icicles  form  about  tree  roots, 
watching  the  waters  which  hardly 
move,  they  are  so  sluggish.  I  sud- 
denly realize  that  the  Brook  is  about 
to  freeze  and  stand  long  minutes  in 
the  crisp  air  waiting:  now  there  is  an 
abatement  of  current,  the  water  be- 
comes just  tremulous  and  in  its  depths 
is  a  gelatinous  cloudiness  which  slowly 
spreads;  the  surface  of  the  Brook 
wrinkles,  stiffens,  and  is  ice,  and  be- 
neath the  gelatine  has  set.  Thus  the 
Brook  has  frozen.  But  the  wdnd, 
stinging  my  face,  urges  me  back  to 
the  hearthside.  Tomorrow7  I  will 
come  again, 


^3 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE. 


Bv   Paul   Edzvaitd   Mover. 


The  settlement  of  New  Hampshire 
was  first  undertaken  by  Captain  John 
Mason.  The  actual  grant  of  this 
early  New  England  province,  like 
several. of  the  other  province?,  is  dif- 
ficult to  unravel  because  the  English 
Crown  granted  and  re-granted  the 
territory  within  which  it  lies.  In 
every  instance,  however,  John  Mason 
figures  as  one  of  the  grantees,  and  in 
three  specific  instances,  at  least,  he  is 
the  sole  grantee. 

"There  were  three  charters  grant- 
ed to  Captain  John  Mason  solely,  and 
three  to  him  associated  with  others. 
Those  to  him  solely  were  Mariana, 
March  9.  1621-2;  New  Hampshire, 
November  7,  1629 ;  New  Hampshire 
and   Masonia,   April    22.    16357'(1> 

Those  in  association  with  others 
were  the  province,  of  Maine,  August 
10,  1622  and  Laconia,  November  17, 
1629-  These  two  grants  were  made 
to  Mason  and  Gorges,  jointly.  On 
November  3.  1631,  the  Crown  also 
made  the  grant  of  Piseataqua  to 
Mason   and   seven   other  proprietors. 

With  the  exceptions  of  Mariana 
and  Maine,  every  one'  of  the  above 
grants  falls  wholly  or  partially  with- 
in the  present  confines  of  the  state  of 
New  Hampshire.  Evidently,  how- 
ever, of  the  four  grants  relating  to 
the  present  boundaries  of  New 
Hampshire,  none  save  the  grant  of 
New  Hampshire.  November  7,  1629, 
could  stand  the  test  of  time  for  it  is 
related  that  in(2)  "the  case  of  His 
Majesty's  Province  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, upon  two  appeals  relating  to 
the  boundaries  between  .that  Province 
and  the  Province  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Bay,  to  be  heard  before  the 
Right-Honorable,  the  Lords  of  the 
Committee  of  His  Majesty's  Most 
Honorable  Privy-Council,  for  hear- 
ing  appeals    from   the    Plantations,   at 

(1)  Dean,    J.    W.      Capt.    John    Mason.      P.    169. 

(2)  N.  II.   Prov.   Fapers,   Vol.    I,   p.  28. 

(3)  N.   II.   Prov.   Papers.   Vol.   I,   p.   22, 


the  Council  Chamber  at  Whitehall, 
6th  of  February,  1637.  and  20th  of 
July,  1738.... the  only  giant  refer- 
red to  and  relied  on  by  the  parties 
in  controversy,"  so  far  as  New 
Hampshire  was  concerned,  "was  that 
to    Captain      Mason,      November      7, 

1629;    the  inference  is,  that  all 

the  other  grants  had  failed,  through 
some  defect,  informality,  or  want  of 
compliance  with  conditions."  It  is 
therefore  plain  that  the  so-called  La- 
conia grant,  1629,  and  the  Masonia 
grant.  1635,  the  two  most  important 
grants  next  to  the  New  Hampshire 
grant  of  November  7,  1629,  which 
appertain  to  the  first  settlement  of 
the  province  of  New  Hampshire, 
were  considered  entirely  void  less 
than  a  decade  after  the  patent  was 
issued. 

According  to  the  principal  grant, 
therefore,  on  which  the  Mason  heirs 
later  relied  to  prove  successfully 
their  ownership  of  the  land  contained 
within  the  present  boundaries  of  the 
state  of  New  Hampshire,  the*8?  "In- 
denture witnesseth  that  the  said  Pres- 
ident and  Council  (of  Plymouth)  of 
their  free  and  mutual  consent,  as  well 
to  the  end,  that  all  their  lands,  woods, 
lakes,  rivers,  waters,  islands,  and  fish- 
ing, with  all  the  traffic,  profits  and 
commodities  whatsoever,  to  them  or 
any  of  them  belonging,  and  hereafter 
in  these  presents  mentioned,  may  be 
wholly  and  entirely  invested,  appro- 
priated, served  and  settled  in  and  up- 
on the  said  Captain  John  Mason,  his 
heirs  and  assigns  forever,  as  for 
divers  special  services  for  the 
advancement  of  the  said  Planta- 
tion, and  other  good  and  sufficient 
causes  and  considerations,  them  es- 
pecially, thereunto  moving,  have 
given, -granted,  bargained,  sold,  as- 
signed, aliened,     set  over,     enfeoffed. 


154 


THE   GRAXITE  MONTHLY 


and  confirmed,  and  by  these  presents 
do  give,  grant,  bargain,  sell,  assign, 
alieiie,  set  over,  enfeoff  and  confirm 
unto  the  said  Captain  John  Mason, 
his  heirs  and  assigns,  all  that  part  of 
the  mainland  in  New  England,  lying 
upon  the  sea-coast,  beginning  from 
the  middle  part  of  the  Merrimack 
river,  and  from  thence  to  proceed 
northwards  along  the  sea-coast  to 
Piscataqua  river,  and  so  forwards  up 
within  the  said  river  and  to  the  fur- 
therest  head  thereof,  and  from  thence 
northwestward,  until  three  score  miles 
be  finished  from  the  first  entrance 
of  the  Piscataqua  river;  also  from 
Merrimack  through  the  said  river  and 
to  the  furtherest  head  thereof,  and  so 
forwards  up  into  the  lands  west- 
wards, until  three  score  miles  be  fin- 
ished ;  and  from  thence  to  cross  over 
land  to  the  three  score  miles  end  ac- 
compted  from  Piscataqua  river,  to- 
gether with  all  islands  and  isletts 
within  five  leagues  distance  of  the 
premises,  and  abuting  upon  the 
same " 

This  rather  indefinite  grant  was  to 
include  all  the  useful  privileges  and 
opportunities  that  colonial  patents  in- 
volved, with  special  reference  to(4) 
''all  havens,  ports,  rivers,  mines,  min- 
erals, pearls,  precious  stones,  woods, 
quarries,  marshes,  fishings,  huntings, 
hawkings,  fowlings,  and  other  com- 
modities and  hereditaments  whatso- 
ever." The  only  economic  reserva- 
tion stipulated  by  the  Council  was 
to  the  effect  that,  in  case  gold  or  sil- 
ver were  discovered,  the  Crown 
should  be  entitled  to  one-fifth  of  the 
ore  mined. 

Careful  provision  was  made  for 
the  government  of  the  province  for  it 
was  distinctly  stated  that(r,)  '/the  said 
Captain  John  Mason  doth  further 
covenant  for  him,  his  heirs  and  as- 
signs, that  he  will  establish  such  gov- 
ernment in  the  said  portion  of  lands 
and  islands  granted  unto  him,  and  the 

(4)  N.    H.    Prov,    Papers,    Vol.    J.    p.    2.H. 

(5)  N.   H.   Prov.   Papers,   Vol.    I,   p.   25. 

(6)  N,   H,   Prov,   Papers,  Vol.   I,   p.   56, 


same  will  from  time  continue,  as  shall 
he  agreeable,  as  near  as  may  be.  to 
the  laws  and  customs  of  the  realm  of 
England;  and  if  he  shall  be  charged 
at  any  time  to  have  neglected  his  duty 
therein,  that  then  he  will  reform  the 
same,  according  to  the  discretion  of 
the  President  and  Council,  or,  in  de- 
fault thereof,  it  shall  be  lawful  for 
any  of  the  aggrieved  inhabitants  or 
planters,  being  tenants  upon  the  said 
lands,  to  appeal  to  the  chief  court  of 
justice,  of  the  said  President  and 
Council."  It  later  developed  that 
Mason  failed  to  provide  a  stable  and 
satisfactory  government  with  the  re- 
sult that  the  scattered  settlers  were 
compelled  to  appeal  to  Massachusetts 
Bay  for  protection  and  a  definite 
form  of  government. 

The  records  of  this  colonial  pro- 
vince disclose  the  fact  that,  aside 
from  the  disputed  claim  to  the  terri- 
tory made  by  Massachusetts  Bay, 
title  to  the  New  Hampshire  colony, 
in  part,  at  least,  was  claimed  by  Rev. 
John  Wheelwright  and  his  followers. 
It  was  alleged  that  on  Slay  17,  1629, 
a  treaty  and  deed  was  drawn  up  be- 
tween several  Indian  tribes  and  the 
Wheelwright  company  which  gave 
most  of  the  territory  now  included  in 
the  state  to  these  exiles  from  Mas- 
sachusetts Bay  Colony. 

This  grant  by(6)  "wee  the  Saga- 
mores of  Penacook,  Pentucket, 
Squamsquot  and  Nucha  wanick,"  how- 
ever, is  considered  by  the  more  relia- 
ble authorities  to  have  been  a  forgery. 
Certain  it  is  that  the  document  never 
was  seriously  considered  as  giving  the 
Wheelwright  malcontents  any  juris- 
diction   over    the    province. 

II 

The    Four    Settlements 
The   first  settlement     in  this   ill-de- 
fined Masonian  area  was  undoubtedly 
made  at  Strawberry  Bank  which  later 
was  to  take  its  present  name  of  Ports- 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


DO 


mouth.  The  date  of  actual  settle- 
ment is  a  bit  uncertain  but  it  is  now 
historically  asserted  to  have  been  in 
1623.  less  than  three  years  after  the 
landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth- 
(T)  "Some  merchants  and  oilier 
gentlemen  in  the  West  of  England, 
belonging  to  the  cities  of  Exeter. 
Bristol,       Shrewsbury      etc.  made 

some  attempt  of  beginning  a  planta- 
tion in  some  place  about  Piscataqua 
river  about  the  year  1623."  The 
settlement  did  not  flourish,  however, 
to  any  considerable  extent  during  the 
next  few  years  for  in  1631  only  three 
houses  had  been  built.  In  1631 
Captain  Mason  sent  over  agents  and 
supplies.  A  man  named  Chadbourne 
at  this  time  erected  the  Great  House, 
as  it  was  called,  and  another  gentle- 
man named  Williams  was  designated 
to  take  charge  of  the  salt  works 
which  were,  developed  following  the 
arrival  of  the  men  despatched  by  the 
proprietor.  Such  growth  had  oc- 
curred by  1633  that  need  was  felt  for 
the  establishment  of  some  kind  of 
government.  Accordingly  Williams 
was  chosen  governor.  The  records 
show  that  he  was  still  in  office  in 
1638,  being  re-elected  annually  by  vote 
of  the  inhabitants.  These  dates  must 
be  taken  on  faith,  however,  for  the 
original  records  were  destroyed  by 
fire  in  1652.  A  court  record  of  1643, 
however,  proves  that  the  Williams 
governorship  was  a  reality  and  that 
the  combination  was  entered  into  at 
♦  an  early  period  following* the  original 
settlement  of  the  place. 

The  first  church  was  built  in  1640. 
Religious  harmony  prevailed  in  the 
small  settlement  up  to  this  date  and 
the  erection  of  the  house  of  worship 
was  the  result  of  the  combined  eflorts 
of  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  first  set- 
tlement, for  it  was  noted* s>  "how  the 
inhabitants  of  Strawberry  Bank  hav- 
ing of  their  free  and  voluntary  minds, 
and  good  will,  given  and  granted  sev- 

(7)  N.    H.    Prov.    Pup^rs,    Vol.    I.    p.    108. 

(8)  N.    H.    Prov.    Papers    I,    p.    111. 

(9)  N.   H.   Prov.   Papers,    1,   p.   11&. 


eral  sums  of  money  for  the  building 
and  founding  of  a  parsonage  house 
with  a  chappie  thereunto  united,  did 
grant  fifty  acres  of  land  to  be  an- 
nexed thereunto  as  a  Glebe  laud  be- 
longing to  the  said  parsonage,  and  all 
was  put  into  the  hands  of  two  men, 
viz.,  Thomas  Walford  and  Henry 
Sherburne,   church   wardens." 

Some  time  during  the  year  1623  it 
is  believed  Edward  and  William  Hil- 
ton and  Thomas  Roberts,  with  their 
families  settled  at  Wecohannet.  which 
a  few  years  later  was  to  be  known  as 
Dover.  Xo  record  exists  to  show 
that  any  additional  settlers  arrived  in 
Dover  prior  to  1631.  Two  new 
names,  Edward  Colcott  and  Captain 
Thomas  Wiggins,  were  added  to  the 
town  list  at  this  time.  It  is  to  be 
presumed,  however,  that  more  set- 
tlers had  arrived  for  it  was  necessary 
to  have  a  governor  in  1631  and  the 
office  was  tilled  by  Captain  Wriggins. 
Idie  governor  made  a  trip  to  England 
in  1632  and  returned  the  following 
year  with  a  large  number  of  colonists. 
From  this  date,  therefore,  the  success 
of  the  Dover  settlement  was  assured. 

The  inhabitants  of  Dover  anticipat- 
ed their  neighbors  at  Portsmouth  in 
the  matter  of  building  a  church  for  in 
1634,9)  "they  built  a  meeting  house, 
which  was  afterwards  surrounded 
with  an  entrenchment  and  flarikerts." 
This  first  church  erected  in  the  prov- 
ince .of  New  Hampshire  remained  in- 
tact until  Major  Richard  Waldron 
constructed  a  new  edifice  in  1653. 
Captain  Wiggins  had  taken  care  to 
bring  over  a  minister,  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Leveredge,  on  his  return  from 
England  in  1633.  Conditions  could 
not  have  been  very  prosperous  in  the 
little  town,  however,  for  in  1635  the 
reverend  gentleman  was  compelled  to 
forsake  his  parish  "for  want  of  ade- 
quate  support/' 

It  proved  an  unfortunate  incident 
in  the    history    of    the  little  town  for 


156 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


his  successor  was-  one  Rev.  George 
Burdet  who,  in  addition  to  his  min- 
istrations, proceeded  to  mix  m  poli- 
tics .so  successfully  that  he  defeated 
Captain  Wiggins  for  the  governor- 
ship in  1638.  Possibly  it  was  the 
contamination  of  crooked  colonial 
politics  that  caused  the  downfall  of 
this  reverend  individual.  At  any  rate 
he  lost  his  religion  and  was  given  his 
passports  after  he  wasii0)  "indicted 
by  the  whole  Bench  for  a  man  of  ill 
name  and  fame.  Infamous  for  in- 
continency,  a  publisher  and  Broacher 
of  divers  dangerous  speeches,  the  bet- 
ter to  seduce  the  weak  sex  of  women 
to  his  incontinent  practices,  contrary 
to  the  peace  of  our  Soverign  Lord  the 
King,  as  by  Depositions  and  Evi- 
dences." This  unfortunate  scandal 
rent  the  little  village  almost  in  twain 
and.  for  three  years  the  settlement  was 
"a  divided  house.''  But  after  the 
gossips  ceased  talking  of  their  erst- 
while governor  the  town  took  a  new 
lease  on  life  and  growth  rapidly  went 
on. 

Exeter  was  settled  in  1638  by  Rev. 
John  Wheelwright  and  his  followers 
after  their  banishment  by  the  authori- 
ties of  Massachusetts  Bay  for  relig- 
ious heresies  and  seditious  practices- 
After  their  arrival  at  Exeter  they 
made  an  agreement  with  the  neigh- 
boring Indians  relative  to  the  grant- 
ing of  necessary  land  for  habitation. 
It  is  impossible  to  tell  how  many 
members  made  up  the  colony.  But, 
originally,  it  probably  was  not  less 
than  fifty  and  undoubtedly  not  more 
than  seventy-five.  After  the  con- 
viction of  the  inconsonant  Wheel- 
wrighters  it  was  ordered  that  inas- 
much as  they(1I)  "have  seduced  and 
led  into  dangerous  errors,  many  of 
the  people  here  in  New  England,  *  *  * 
there  is  just  cause  of  suspicion  that 
they  *  *  *  *may,  upon  some  revela- 
tion, make  some  suddaine  irruption 
upon  those   that  differ   from  them   in 

(10)  N.   IT.   Prov.    Papers,    I,   p.    121. 

(11)  Mass.   Col.    Kec.   I,    p.   211. 

(12)  Mass.   Col.  lire.   I,   p.   100. 

(13)  Winthrop   Hist,   of  N.    E.,    p.    348. 


judgment;  for  prevention  thereof  it  is 
ordered  that  all  those  whose  names 
are  underwritten  shall  (upon  warning 
given  or  left  at  their  dwelling  houses) 
before  the  30th  day  of  this  month  of 
November,  deliver  in  at  Mr.  Cane's 
house,  at  Boston,  all  guns,  pistols, 
swords,  powder,  shot  and  match,  as 
they  shall  be  owners  of  or  have  in 
tlieir  custody,  upon  pain  of  ten  pound 
for  every  default  to  be  made  thereof 
a  *  *  *    »     jjie  tola|  num\)QT  Qf  those 

disarmed  were  seventy-five.  Fifty- 
eight  of  the  entire  number  were  Bos- 
tonians.  It  is  supposed  that  nearly 
all  of  these  persons  followed  their 
leader  to  New  Hampshire  and  settled 
with  him  at  Exeter. 

The  fourth  early  settlement  in  New 
Hampshire  was  Hampton.  Massa- 
chusetts claimed  this  settlement  as  ex- 
clusively belonging  to  the  people  of 
that  colony  from  the  first  day  of  the 
settlement.  Indeed  as  early  as  1632 
the  Massachusetts  authorities  de- 
clared(12) :  "Mr.  Batcheler  is  required 
to  forbear  exercising  his  gifts  as  a 
pastor  or  teacher  publiquely  in  our 
patient,  unlesse  it  be  to  those  he 
brought  with  him,  for  his  contempt 
of  authority,  till  some  seandies  be  re- 
moved/' The  Batcheler  adherents, 
however,  and  sundry  others  who  had 
taken  refuge  in  Hampton  community 
refused  to  recognize  Massachusetts 
jurisdiction  which  led  the  latter  colo- 
ny to  regard  their  attitude(13)  "as 
against  good  neighborhood,  religion 
and  common  honesty."  As  Win- 
throp states  the  case:  "Another  plan- 
tation was  begun  upon  the  north  side 
of  Merrimack  *'  *  *  at  Winnicawett, 
called  Hampton,  which  gave  occasion 
to  some  difference  between  us  and 
some  of  Pascataquack.  which  grew 
thus:  Mr.  Wheelwright,  being  ban- 
ished from  us  gathered  a  company 
and  sat  down  by  the  fails  of  Pascata- 
quack and  called  their  town  Exeter, 
and   for  their  enlargement  they  dealt 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIR 


157 


with  an  Indian  there  and  bought  of 
him  Winnicawett,  and  then  wrote  us 
what  they  had  done  and  that  they  in- 
tended to  let  out  all  their  lands  into 
farms,  except  we  could  show  a  better 
title.  They  wrote  also  to  those  whom 
we  had  sent  to  plant  Winnicawett,  to 
have  them  desist,  etc.  These  letters 
coming  to  the  General  Court,  they 
returned  answer,  *  *  *  *  that  know- 
ing we  claimed  Winnicawett  as  with- 
in our  patent,  or  as  vaeum  domi- 
cilium,  and  had  taken  possession 
thereof  by  building  an  house  there 
above  two  years  since,  they  should 
go  now  and  purchase  an  unknown 
title  and  then  come  to  (inquire,  deny) 
of  our  right."  The  whole  controver- 
sy, however,  a  few  years  later  was  to 
be  terminated  by  the  junction  of  the 
four  towns  with  the  Ma-sachusetts 
Bay    colony- 

Before  this  annexation  occurred, 
however,  these  early  settlements  in 
New  Hampshire  endeavored  to  estab- 
lish some  form  of  government  for 
themselves.  Strange  as  it  may  seem, 
apparently  the  only  requirement  for 
membership  in  the  body  politic  was 
that  the  persons  concerned  should  be 
freemen  and  should  agree  to  do 
nothing  contrary  to  the  laws  of  Eng- 
land. Doubtless,  the  memories  of 
experiences  in  Massachusetts  Bay 
were  still  poignant  in  the  minds  of 
some,  at  least,  and  probably  those  who 
had  not  sustained  actual  contact  with 
the  straightlaced  Massachusetts  au- 
thorities had  profited  by  the  expe- 
riences of  their  confreres.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  the  form  of  covenant, 
constituting  a  government,  which 
was  signed  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Dover  is  common,  with  minor  ex- 
ceptions, to  all  four  settlements. 
This  simple  covenant  read  as  follows : 
<n)  "Whereas  sundry  mischiefs  and 
inconveniences  have  befallen  us,  and 
more  and  greater  may,  in  regard  of 
want    of    civil    government,    his    most 

(11)  N.  IT.  Prov.  Papers,  I,  p.  12G. 
(15)  N.  H.  Prov.  Papers,  I,  p.  132. 
(10)     Winthrop   II.   p.   82.     N.   H.   Prov.   Pap 


gracious     Majesty     having   settled   no 


h 


to  our  knowledge:   we, 


whose  names  are  underwritten,  being 
inhabitants  upon  the  river  Piscataqua, 

have  voluntarily  agreed  fto  combine 
ourselves  into  a  body  politic,  that  we 
may  the  more  comfortably  enjoy  the 
benefit  of  his  Majesty's  laws,  to- 
gether with  all  such  laws  as  may  be 
concluded  by  a.  major  part  of  the 
freedom  of  our  Society,  in  case  they 
be  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  Eng- 
land, and  administered  in  behalf  of 
his  Majesty-  And  this  we  have  mu- 
tually promised  and  engaged  to  do, 
and  so  continue  till  his  Excellent  Maj- 
esty shall  give  other  orders  concern- 
ing us.  In  witness  whereof,  we 
have  hereunto  set  our  hands,  etc." 

The  covenant  framed  at  Exeter (15) 
is  fiavored  with  more  religiosity  but 
in  its  essential  elements  differs  in  no 
wise  from  the  other  sealed  govern- 
mental   agreements. 

Every  person  claiming  membership 
in  the  community  was  compelled  to 
subscribe  to  a  solemn  oath  to  support 
the  government  and  to  obey  the  laws 
of  England  and  the  statutes  that 
might  be  enacted  by  the  settlement 
itself.  Two  oaths  were  devised,  one 
to  be  subscribed  to  by  the  rulers  or 
elders,   the  other   by  common  people. 

In  spite  of  the  most  earnest  efforts 
to  live  peaceably  together,  however, 
dissensions  and  rivalries  became  ram- 
pant and  the  struggling  little  commu- 
nities found  themselves  in  frequent 
difficulties.  Dover,  especially,  seemed 
almost  continuously  to  meet  various 
kinds  of  obstacles  and  impediments 
to  decent  government.  Following  the 
scandalous  experiences  with  Rev. 
George  Burdet,  one  time  governor, 
the  town  found  itself  facing  the  dis- 
ruption caused  by  the  famous  con- 
test between  Mr,  Knowles  and  Mr. 
Larkham.  It  appears  that(16)  "they 
two  fell  out  about  baptizing  children, 
receiving      members,      burial     of    the 

ers,   I,    p.    123. 


158 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


dead;-  and  the  contention  was  so 
sharp  that  Knowles  and  his  party 
rose  up  and  excommunicated  Mr. 
Larkham  and  some  that  held  with 
him  and  further,  Mr.  Larkham,  fly- 
ing to  the  magistrates,  Mr.  Knowles 
and  Captain  Underbill  raised  arms, 
and  expected  help  from  the  Bay, 
Mi.  Knowles  going  before  the  troop 
with  a  Bible  upon  a  pole's  top,  and 
giving  forth  that  their  side  were 
Scots  and  English-''  The  division 
caused  by  this  occurrence  continued 
and  the  adherents  of  both  leaders  tol- 
erated no  insults  from  each  other. 
The  breach  was  not  healed  for  many 
months.  Finally,  in  16-10  Knowles 
was  heavily  fined  and  conditions 
made  so  uncomfortable  for  him  that 
he  voluntarily  left  the  community. 
The  next  year  Mr.  Larkham  left  al- 
so "to  avoid  the  shame  of  a  scandal- 
ous sin  it  was  found  he  had  commit- 
ted." 

There  was  not  so  much  "scandal- 
pus  sin"  in  the  other  three  communi- 
ties as  to  cause  divisions  like  those 
which  tore  Dover  asunder.  But  no 
greater  success  in  the  enterprise  of 
self-government  was  obtained  and 
accordingly  all  four  towns  began  to 
consider  measures  to  relieve  a  situa- 
tion that  was  rapidly  becoming  dan- 
gerous  to   community   welfare. 

Ill 

Union  with  Massachusetts 
The  definite  decision  to  join  their 
fortunes  with  ■Massachusetts  Bay  col- 
ony and  accept  its  jurisdiction  com- 
pletely was  taken  in  16-11  and  hence- 
forth, until  1679,  the  four  original 
New  Hampshire  settlements  were  to 
be  part  and  parcel  of  the  Massachu- 
setts group.  Eight  years  earlier  than 
this,  however,  Massachusetts  had 
hinted  that  possibly  they  belonged  in 
her  jurisdiction.  For  Captain  Wig- 
gin  of  Piscataqua  had  written  to  the 
governor  of  Massachusetts  in  1633 
that  one  of  his  people  had  stabbed  a 

(17)      Winthrop   Hist,   of  N.    E..   p.    13S. 

(IS)      Hutchinson  Hist,   of  Mass.     Vol.    I,   p    93. 


fellow  citizen  and  requested  that  he 
might  be  tried  for  the  offense  in 
Massachusetts.  The  governor  re- 
plied that(17)"If  Piscataguaek  lay 
within  their  limits  (as  it  was  sup- 
posed)  they  would  try  him." 

Dover  and  Portsmouth  took  the 
first  steps  to  incorporate  themselves 
in  the  Massachusetts  commonwealth 
and  the  other  two  towns  soon  fol- 
lowed suit.  As  Hutchinson  de- 
scribes the  process  :(1S)  "The  settlers 
of  Piscataqua  *  *  *  *  submitted  them- 
selves to  the  Massachusetts  govern- 
ment- The  submission  and  agree- 
ment upon  record  is  as  follows : 
"The  14th  of  the  4th  month,  1641, 
"Whereas  some  Lords,  Knights, 
Gentlemen  and  others  did  purchase 
of  Mr.  Edward  Hilton  and  some 
merchants  of  Bristol  two  patents, 
the  one  called  Wecohamet,  or  Hil- 
ton's Point,  commonly  called  or 
known  by  the  name  of  Dover  or 
North-am,  the  other  patent  set  forth 
by  the  name  of  the  south  part  of  the 
river  Piscataquack,  beginning  at  the 
sea  side  or  near  thereabouts  and  com- 
ing round  the  sail  land  by  the  river  side 
unto  the  falls  of  Quamscot,  as  may 
more  fully  appear  by  the  said  grant : 
And  whereas  also  the  inhabitants  re- 
siding at  present  within  the  limits  of 
both  the  said  grants  have  of  late  and 
formerly  complained  of  the  want  of 
some  good  government  amongst 
them,  and  desired  some  help  in  this 
particular  from  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Massachusetts  Bay,  whereby 
they  may  be  ruled  and  ordered  ac- 
cording unto  God,  both  in  church  and 
common  weal,  and  for  avoiding  of 
such  unsufferable  disorders  whereby 
Gcd  hath  been  much  dishonored 
amongst  them,  these  gentlemen, 
whose  names  are  here  specified,  *  *  * 
do  in  behalf  of  the  rest  of  the  pa- 
tentees dispose  of  the  lands  and  ju- 
risdiction of  the  premises  as  fol- 
loweth ;  being  willing  to  further  such 
a  good  work,  have  herebv,   for  them- 


("HE  SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


159 


selves  and  in  the  name  of  the  rest 
of  the  patentees,  given  up  and  set 
over  all  that  power  of  jurisdiction  of 
government  of  said  people  dwelling 
or  abiding  within  the  limits  of  both 
the  said  patents  unto  the  government 
of  Massachusetts  Bay.  by  them  to  be 
ruled  and  ordered  in  all  causes  crim- 
inal and  civil  as  inhabitants  dwelling 
within  the  limits  of  Massachusetts 
government,  and  to  be  subject  to 
pay. in  church  and  commonwealth  as 
the  said  inhabitants  of  Massachusetts 
Bay  do,  and  no  others ;  and  the  free- 
men of  said  two  patents  to  enjoy  the 
like  liberties  as  other  free  men  do  with 
the    said    Massachusetts     government 

;};     ;jc    zip.    >*c       " 

For  thirty-eight  years  this  combi- 
nation of  the  New  Hampshire  and 
Massachusetts  interests  was  to  endure 
and  prosper.  In  fact,  the  arrangement 
worked  even  more  satisfactorily  than 
even  its  most  sanguine  supporters  had 
dared  to  hope.  Thirty  years  after- 
wards, Hutchinson,  commenting  on 
the  situation,  remarked  :(19)  "New 
Hampshire  (has)  been  so  long  united 
to  Massachusetts,  that  the  people  of 
both  colonies  (are)  of  one  heart  and 
mind  in  civil  and  religious  affairs." 

To  find  the  reasons  for  this  harmo- 
nious blending  of  interests,  it  is  nec- 
essary to  examine  more  closely  the  re- 
lations that  existed  between  them  for 
nearly  four  decades. 

IV 

Conditions  of  Union 
In  the  first  place,  the  fact  that  the 
new  members  of  the  Massachusetts 
Bay  colony  were  guaranteed  the  same 
"liberties  as  other  freemen  do  with 
the  said  Massachusetts  government" 
was  an  earnest  of  successful  co-opera- 
tion. 

In  the  second  place,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  four  settlements  were  assured 
thatC20)  "they  shall  have  the  same  or- 


(1.9)  Hutchinson   Hist,   of   Mass.      Vol.    I,    p. 

(20)  Hutchinson   Hist,   of  Mass.      Vol.    I,   p. 

(21)  Ibid,    p.    10G. 

(22)  Hutchinson    Hist,    of    Mass.      Vol.    I,    p.    105. 

(23)  N.  H.  Prov.  Papers,   I,  p.   161. 


der  and  way  of  administration  of  jus- 
tice and  way  of  keeping  courts  as  is 
established  at  Ipswich  and  Salem." 
Considering  that  evils  in  many  states, 
particularly  new  ones,  arise  from  mal- 
administration of  justice  and  discrimi- 
nation between  "old-timers"  and  "new- 
comers," this  careful  provision  for 
orderly  judicial  arrangements  is  im- 
portant as  bearing  on  the  future  peace- 
ful relations  of  the  two  common- 
wealths. 

Thirdly,  precautions  were  taken  that 
no  "taxation  without  representation" 
difficulties  should  be  encountered.  It 
was  expressly  agreed  that(21)  "they 
shall  be  exempted  from  all  publique 
charges  other  than  those  that  shall 
arise  for,  or  from  among  themselves, 
or  from  any  occasion  of  course  that 
may  be  taken  to  procure  their  own  par- 
ticular good  or  benefit." 

In  the  fourth  instance,  it  was  stipu- 
lated that  the  inhabitants  of  the  four 
towns  should  continue  to  enjoy  all  the 
economic  and  natural  advantages  and 
privileges  to  which  they  had  been  ac- 
customed. The  agreement  declared 
that<22)  "they  shall  enjoy  all  such  law- 
ful liberties  of  fishing,  planting,  fell- 
ing timber  as  formerly  they  have  en- 
joyed in  the  said  ryver." 

Again,  during  the  year  following 
the  annexation  of  the  four  towns, 
the  Massachusetts  General  Court 
passed  a  resolution  granting  complete 
liberty  of  local  self-government  in  each 
of  the  four  communities.  In  the 
same  resolution  it  was  stipulated  that 
123>  "each  town  (may)  send  a  deputy 
to  the  General  Court  though  they  be 
not  at  present  Church  members." 
These  important  considerations,  name- 
ly, that  the  towns  were  privileged  to 
have  representation  in  the  General 
Court  and  to  enjoy  complete  local  self- 
government,  cannot  be  over-estimated 
in  their  far-reaching  consequences.  In 
evaluating   the   diplomatic   and   states- 

246. 

105.      N.     H.     Prov.    Papers,     I,     p.    159. 


160 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


manship  qualities  of  the  so-called  un- 
bending and  strait-laced  Massachu- 
setts Puritans,  it  is  well  to  recall  that 
in  this  instance  they  granted  to  four 
towns,  honeycombed  with  religious 
ideas  that  Massachusetts  rulers 
scorned  and  saturated  with  unholy  dis- 
sipations that  Massachusetts  punished 
severely  in  her  own  confines,  a  lati- 
tude of  government  and  control  that 
they  could  easily  have  withheld,  for 
conditions  proved  that  the  said  towns 
were  wholly  at  the  mercy  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  by  their  own  confessions, 
could  no-  longer  have  endured  in  se- 
curity alone.  So  much  for  a  good 
beginning. 

But  good  relationships  were  not 
confined  to  the  earlv  years.  Decade 
after  decade,  the  Massachusetts  gov- 
ernment very  rarely  withheld  re- 
quested favors  provided  they  were  at 
all  reasonable,  as  is  clearly  demon- 
strated by  a  perusal  of  the  record  of 
petitions  addressed  by  the  New  Hamp- 
shire settlements  to  the  Massachusetts 
authorities. 

V 

Petitions 

A  typical  petition  is  that  submitted 
by  Hampton,  .May  20.  1646.  which(24> 
"sheweth  unto  this  Honorable  Court 
that  your  petitioners  were  lately  pre- 
sented for  not  repayring  &  making 
good  their  high  waves  which  your 
poor  petitioners  by  reason  of  their  poor 
estates  &  the  greatness  of  the  work 
are  not  able  to  compasse  *  *  *  *  which 
your  petitioners  in  most  humble  man- 
ner desire  this  honored  court  to  re- 
lieve them  from  *  *  *  *  and  to  re- 
mit your  petitioners  fine  *  *  *  *  for 
they  have  laid  out  neere  ten  pounds 
and  very  little  seene  &  your  petition- 
ers as  in  duty  bound  shall  pray." 

As  was  customary  in  all  such 
cases,  the  General  Court  appointed  a 


special  committee  to  examine  the  facts 
in  the  case  and  submit  recommenda- 
tions. Following  the  committee's  re- 
port, it  was  ordered  that<26)  "their  fine 
is  remitted  that  was  imposed  by  the 
Court  at  Ipswich  for  their  defect 
about  their  high  way." 

May  24,  1652,  Exeter  submitted  a 
petition  respecting  lands  which  stated 
that(26)  "the  humble  petition  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Exeter,  giving  this 
Honorable  Court  to  understand  that 
we  are  exceedingly  straitened  for  the 
want  of  meddow  &  the  Indians  have 
informed  us  that  there  are  3  or  4 
spots  of  meddow  something  neer  one 
another  about  7  or  8  miles  from  our 
towue,  westward  or  norwest  farre 
from  any  other  plantation  &  not  yet 
possest  by  any,  our  humble  request 
therefore  is  that  this  honoured  Court 
would  be  pleased  to  grant  it  to  our 
Towne  in  regard  of  our  great  need 
of  it,  &  the  quantity  of  them  all  is 
conceaved  not  to  exceed  100  akers,  if 
it  be  so  much,  &  so  shall  we  rest 
thank  full  to  the  honoured  Court  & 
as  serviceable  as  we  are  able."  The 
petition,  having  received  the  approval 
of  the  committee, (27)  "provided  it  be 
not  within  the  lirnmitts  or  bounds  of 
any  other  towneship,"  was  ratified  by 
the  General  Court  with  the  added  pro- 
viso that  "the  Meddow  shall  not  ex- 
ceed one  hundred  acres." 

Petitions  did  not  always  fare  so 
nicely,  however,  as  for  instance,  when 
Exeter  in  October,  1648,  petitioned 
for  liberty  to  choose  a  constable  and 
commissioners,  the  town  was  bluntly 
told  that(2S)  "in  answer  to  the  petition 
of  the  freemen  of  Exeter  for  liberty 
to  chosse  a  Constable  &  Commission- 
ers to  end  small  causes,  the  Court 
conceives  there  will  be  no  need  of 
such  Commissioner." 

Strawberry  Bank  encountered 
trouble  also  when  in  May,  1653,  they 


(24)  Mass.  Col.    Records  III,   p.   2G. 

(25)  N.    H.  Prov.    Papers,    I,    p.    183. 
(2G)  N.    H.  Prov.    Papers,    I.   p.    198. 

(27)  N.    H.  Prov.    papers,    I.    p.    If)!). 

(28)  Mass.  Col.   Records   III.   p.   252 


N.   H.   Prov.    Papers   I,    p.    182. 


N.    II.    Prov.   Papers   I.   p.    193. 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


161 


petitioned  the  General  Court  after 
this  manner:  (£9)*.The  humble  peti- 
tion of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Towne 
(atl  present)  called  Straberry  Banke, 
Sheweth  that  whereas  there  are  cer- 
taine  Townes  about  us,  which  enjoves 
the  priviledge  of  freemen  &  have 
their  votes  in  cruising  Governor1-, 
magistrates  &  other  ofhcers  for  the 
administration  of  justice,  our  humble 
request  is  that  this  honoured  Courte 
will  be  pleased  to  grant  unto  us  equal 
priviledge  with  Kittery  &  York,  & 
likewise  that  you  will  giver  power  to 
those  magistrates  that  are  to  keepe 
Courte  among  us  to  nominate  &  ap- 
point Commissioners  for  the  ending 
of  differences  under  tenn  pounds, 
having  great  need  of  such,  for  many 
times  we  loose  our  right,  by  reason 
we  cannot  summon  those  that  are.  de- 
linquents to  any  other  Courts  except 
it  be  for  great  sumes.  And  likewise 
that  you   will  be  pleased  to  Confirme 

our  Militarie  Ofhcers,  etc " 

To  this  earnest  petition,  the  usual 
committee  drafted  a  reply  for  the 
perusal  of  the  General  Court  to  the 
effect  that(30)  "we  conceive  the  in- 
habitants of  Straberry  Banke  should 
be  satis  fyed  with  the  priveledges 
granted  by  the  Court  at  their  coming 
under  this  government,"  but  recom- 
mending that  the  nomination  and  con- 
firmation of  commissioners  for  small 
causes  be  allowed  and  also  that  the 
request  concerning  military  officers  be 
complied  with.  In  final  disposition 
of  the  case,  the  General  Court  said  : 
(31)"The  Inhabitants  of  Straberry 
Banke  preferring  a  petition  for  equall 
priviledges  with  other  townes  in  res- 
pect of  choyce  of  Magistrates,  &c, 
are  denyed,  but  as  a  farther  answer 
to  them  in  respect  to  their  Military 
officers,  the  Court  of  Dover  or  Stra- 
berry Banke  may  confirme  as  they 
shall  present,  who  have  hereby  also 
power     to     Nominate      &     Confirme 


Commissioners  for  the  ending  of 
small  Causes  under  40s  as  in  other 
Townes." 

The  General  Court,  in  the  case  of 
Hampton,  was  also  dialled  upon  to 
devise  a  liquor  prohibition  law  and  in 
the  case,  of  one  Roger.  Shawe,  aver- 
red:   (3->)<<In    Norfolke.   Roger    Shawe 

of   Hampton is   impowered   and 

ordered  to  sell  wine  of  any  sort  and 
strong  licquors  to  the  Indians  as  to 
theire  (his)  judgment  shall  seeme 
meete  and  necessary  for  their  relief, 
in  just  and  urgent  occasions,  and  not 
otherwise." 

VI. 

Strict  Control  by  Massachusetts 
While  Massachusetts  dealt  in  a 
reasonably  lenient  fashion  with  the 
New  Hampshire  towns  when  they 
were  striving  to  comply  with  the  laws 
and  statutes  of  their  adopted  mother 
colony,  the  older  colony  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  rebuke  sternly  and  punish 
severely  any  major  infractions  of  the 
disciplinary  code  of  that  era-(33)  For 
instance,  when  the  General  Court  was 
"given  to  understand  that  there  is  an 
intent  of  divers  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Strawberry  banke,  seditiously  to  with- 
draw their  subjection  from  this  Gov- 
ernment over  them,  &  to  sett  up  a 
new  Government  without  and  con- 
trarie   to   their   engagement   &   oathes 

"  it  was  immediately  ordered 

"That  you  forthwith  send  one  or  more 
of  the  chief  est,  we  mean  principal 
actors  therein  to  the  prison  at  Bos- 
ton who  shall  answer  their  rebellion 
at  the  General!  Court  next  month,  for 
we  must  tell  you  we  are  verie  sensible 

of  these  motions, " 

Some  times  the  towns  offended  in 
lesser  fashion.  Dover,  as  usual,  was 
again  in  trouble  when  she .  failed  to 
send  her  representative  to  the  General 
Court  because  she  felt  she  had  been 
slighted    unduly    and    so    the    General 


(29)  Mass.   Col.    Records    III,    p.    374.      N.    H.    Prov.    Papers   I 

(30)  N.    H.   Prov.    Papers,    1,   p.   20C. 

(31)  Mass.    Co'..    Records.    Ill,    p.    $80.       N.    H 

(32)  Mass.   Ccl.   Records,    IV,    p.    201.      N.    H. 

(33)  N.   H.   Prov.   Papers,   Vol.   I,   p.    195. 


Prov.    Papers   I,    p.    207. 
Prov.    Papers,    I,    p.    214. 


16: 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Court.(34)  "think  rneete  that  the  said 
towne  of  Dover  shall  be  fined  ten 
pounds  for  their  neglect." 

In  spite  of  all  the  punishments  and 
sentences  meted  out,  however,  only 
occasional  friction  of  a  serious  nature 
marred  the  otherwise  pleasant  rela- 
tions between  the  two  colonies.  No 
protests  against  taxation  of  the  New 
Hampshire  towns  for  the  expenses  of 
Indian  warfare,  and  other  necessary 
outlays,  appear  to  have  been  offered 
by  the  Northern  towns.  That  the 
towns  were,  at  intervals,  ordered  to 
help  defray  such  expenses  may  be 
seen  from  the  following  memoran- 
dum: (35)"This  Court  having  taken 
into  their  consideration  the  great  and 
dayly  growing  charge  of  the  present 
war  1675)  against  the  Indians,  doe 
hereby  order  and  enact,  that,  for  the 
defraying  of  the  charges  above  said 
there  shall  be  levyed  seven  single 
country  rates-  The  severall  townes 
proportions.  Hampton    028.00.00, 

Exeter  000,808.00." 

At  various  times  the  towns  volun- 
tarily aided  the  older  colony  as,  for 
instance,  when  Portsmouth  in  1669 
sent  word  to  the  General  Court  that 
it  would  be  glad  to  aid  Harvard  Col- 
lege, "for  the  behoof  of  the  same." 
The  generous  inhabitants  of  the  town 
averred  that  f36)"the  loud  groans  of 
the  sinking  Colledge  in  its  present 
low  estate  came  to  our  ears,  The  re- 
leiving  of   which   we   account   a   good 

wrork  for  the  house  of  our  God 

&   needful    for   the     perpetuating     of 
knowledge ,    &  therefore   grate- 
ful  to  yourselves     whose     care     and 
studdy  is  to  seek  the  welfare  of  our 
Israel.     The   premises   considered    we 
have  made  a   Collection  in  our  town 
of  60  pounds  per  annum   (&  hope  to 
make  it  more)    which  said   sum  is  to 
be   paid     annually    for     these      seven 
years    ensuing.  ......  .hoping     withall 

that  the  example  of  ourselves   (which 


have  been  accounted  no  people)  will 
provoke  the  rest  of  the  Country  to 
Jealousy.  ..-..." 

VII. 

Religious    Persecution 

The  religious  intoleration  which 
was  peculiar  to  Massachusetts  Bay 
did  not  abate  its  persecuting  force 
after  the  four  New  Hampshire  towns 
became  a  part  of  the  commonwealth. 
The  relentlessness  of  the  intolerant 
clerical  attitude  was  manifested  very 
markedly  in  the  case  of  the  Ana- 
baptists and  the  Quakers. 

In  October,  1648,  for  instance/375 
"this  Court  being  informed  of  great 
misdomeanor  Committed  by  Edward 
Starbuck  of  Dover,  with  profession 
of  Anabaptism,  for  which  he  is  to  be 
proceeded  against  at  the  next  Court 
of  Assistants,"  it  was  ordered  that 
the  individual  be  punished  for  his 
non-  conformity. 

But  it  was  upon  the  Quakers  that 
the  full  severity  of  the  Massachusetts 
Puritans  was  destined  to  fall-  No 
leniency  was  to  be  shown  to  the(3S) 
"cursed  sect  of  hereticks  lately  risen 
up  in  the  world."  Commanders  of 
ships  bringing  them  into  territory  un- 
der the  jurisdiction  of  Massachusetts 
were  to  be  heavily  fined  and 
were  to  meet  the  expense  of  deporta- 
tion of  "hereticks."  Any  person 
having  any  intercourse  with  them 
whatsoever  was  to  be  severely  dealt 
with  and  the  possession  of  books  on 
Quakerism  was  to  be  deemed  prima 
facie  evidence  of  guilt.  As  for  the 
Quakers  themselves,  "whatsoever 
shall  arrive  in  this  countrie  from 
forraigne  parts,  or  come  into  this 
jurisdiction  from  any  parts  adjacent, 
shall  be  forthwith  committed  to  the 
house  of  correction,  and  at  theire  en- 
trance to  be  severely  whipt,  and  by 
the  master  thereof  be  kept  constantly 
at  work,  &  none  suffered  to  converse 


(31)  N.   H.   Prov.   Papers,   I,   p.   19G. 

(35)  N.    H.    Prov.    Papers,    I,    p.   3 IS. 

(36 »  N.   H.    Prov.   Papers,    I,   p.   300. 

(37)  Mass.    Co!.    Records.    Ill,    p.    151. 

(35)  N.   H.    Prov.   Papers,    I,    p.   22C. 


N.    II.    Prov.   Papers,   I,   p,    V,H. 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


163 


or  speak  with  them  during  the  time 
of  theire  imprisonment  which  shall 
be  no  longer  than  necessitie  re- 
quireth-"  Unfortunately,  the  records 
indicate  that  "necessitie"  generally 
required  considerable  time.  Mere 
imprisonment,  however,  did  not 
suffice,  to  brea.k  the  spirit  of  the 
"hereticks"  and  banishment  was  pre- 
scribed. To  return  a  Her  banishment 
was  tantamount  to  committing  suicide. 
For  the  death  penalty  was  reserved 
for  those  who  returned  until  the 
Quakers  grew  in  numbers  to  such  an 
extent  the  drastic  remedies  had  to  be 
abolished. 

How  effectively  the  persecution  of 
the  Quakers  in  New  Hampshire  was 
carried  out  by  the  Massachusetts  au- 
thorities may  be  discovered  by  a 
glance  at  the  pitiful  story  of  Anna 
Coleman,  Mary  Tompkins  and  Alice 
Ambrose.  Richard  Waldron  of  Do- 
ver, magistrate  for  the  town,<39) 
"made  his  town  and  Colony  infam- 
ous" by  directing  the  constables  of 
ten  towns,  including  Dover  and 
Hampton,  "to  take  these  vagabond 
Quakers,  Anna  Coleman,  Mary 
Tompkins  and  Alice  Ambrose,  and 
make  them  fast  to  the  cart's  tail ;  and 
drawing  the  cart  through  your  sev- 
eral towns,  to  whip  them  upon  their 
naked  backs,  not  exceeding  ten  stripes 
apiece  on  each  of  them,  in  each  town, 
...."  Fortunately  Barefoot  rescued 
then  surreptitiously  as  they  were 
passing  through  the  third  town  and 
spirited  them  away. 

Piercing  the  ears  and  boring  the 
tongue  of  the  members  of  this  un- 
fortunate sect  also  were  common 
practices  until  the  organization  became 
so  widespread  that  such  harsh  meas- 
ures had  to  be  abandoned. 

To  be  sure,  there  was  some  justi- 
fication for  the  repressive  measures 
used  by  the  Massachusetts  authorities, 
but  imprisonment  naturally  should 
have  been  the  remedy.  Deborah 
Wilson,    for   instance,    "went   through 

(39)  F.  B.   Sanborn  Hist   of  N.   II,.   p.   51. 

(40)  Hutchinson  Hist,  of  Mass.   I,   p,  187. 


the  streets  of  Salem(40)  naked  as  when 
she  came  into  the  world,  for  which 
she  was  well  whipped."  And  authen- 
tic records  exist  to  show  that 
Deborah  was  not  the  only  stylist  of 
those  Quaker  days. 

VIII. 

The  N i colls  Commission 

The  royal  commission,  composed 
of  Messrs.  Nicolls,  Carr,  Cart- 
wright  and  Mavericke,  found  a  stub- 
born group  of  people  to  deal 
with  when  they  established  contact 
with  the  Massachusetts  authorities. 
Despite  their  most  earnest  efforts, 
they  could  not  break  the  spirit  of 
resistance  to  dictation  which  the 
Massachusetts  people  steadfastly  dis- 
played toward  the  king's  commission- 
ers. 

The  royal  commission  made  its 
way  to  New  Hampshire  and  there 
came  into  violent  disagreement,  not 
only  with  the  officials  resident  in  New 
Hampshire,  but  also  with  the  officials 
of  Massachusetts  who  took  advantage 
of  every  opportunity  to  sustain  the 
attitude  of  the  New  Hampshire  in- 
habitants as  well  as  to  re-assert  their 
own  control  of  the  adopted  province. 

The  record  discloses  that  "after 
the  Court  at  Boston  was  ended,  we 
(the  commission)  went  to  visit  the 
Eastern  parts ;  and  first  we  past  a 
tract  of  land  laid  claime  to  by  Mr- 
Mason,  who  petitioned  His  Majesty 
about  it.  His  Majestic  referr'd  it  to 
Sir  Robert  Mason  and  others,  who 
made  theire  report  to  the  King;  all 
which  Mr.  Mason  sent  to  Colonell 
Nicolls,  whom  he  made  his  attorney. 
This  province  reaches  from  3  miles 
north  of  Merimack  river  to  Piscata- 
quay  river,  and  60  miles  into  the 
country.  We  find  many  small  pa- 
tents in  it,  &  the  whole  Province  to 
be   now   under  the  usurpation  of  the 

Massachusetts, "      Before     it 

finished  its  wanderings  in  New 
Hampshire  and  on  the   Maine  coast, 

K.    H,    Frov.    Papers,    I,   p.    243. 


164 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


the  commission  was  to  discover  that 
the  "usurpation"  of  "the  Massa- 
chusetts" had  sufficient  force  behind 
it  to  nullify  effectually  the  hest  efforts 
of   Nicolls,  et  ah 

Certain  parties  in  New  Hampshire, 
discontented  with  the  rule  of  Massa- 
chusetts, had  addressed  petitions  to 
the  English  government  asking  that 
Massachusetts  jurisdiction  should 
cease.  But,  at  '  this  time,  Colonel 
Nicolls  was  in  New  York  and  pend- 
ing his  return  the  other  members  of 
the  commission  decided  not  to  inter- 
fere and  so  (41)"we  left  them  as  we 
found  them,  under  the  Massachusetts 
government,  though  they  were  very 
earnest  to  be  taken  under  His  Ma- 
jestie's  government.''' 

As  a  result  of  this  intrusion  of  the 
commission  into  the  affairs  of  New 
Hampshire  and  Maine,  the  Massa- 
chusetts authorities  took  energetic 
steps  to  frustrate  the  efforts  of  the 
royal  quartette  and  consequently 
(42)"they  sent  a  peremptory  summons, 
dated  October  10th  (1665)  to  one 
Abraham      Corbette      to      appear    att 

theire   next   General    Court to 

answer  for  contempt  for  in  a  disor- 
derly manner  stirring  up  sundry  of 
the  inhabitants  to  signe  a  peticon  or 
remonstrance  against  His  Majestie's 
authority  there  settled."  The  mar- 
shals of  Dover  and  Portsmouth 
speedily  escorted  Corbett  to  Boston 
where  he  was  fined  and  imprisoned 
by  the  Massachusetts  government. 
The  episode  led  the  commissioners  to 
write  home  the  suggestion,  through 
Sir  Robert  Carr,  that  ^43>'T  wish  that 
His  Majestie  would  take  some  speedy 
course  for  the  redresse  of  these  and 
the  like  innormities,  and  for  the  sup- 
pression of  the  insolencies  of  these 
persons  here."  But  the  commission- 
ers found  little  to  reward  them  for 
their  efforts   in   New   Hampshire  and 


the  record  of  events  is  well  summed 
up  by  Hutchinson  who  remarked: 
(44)**The  commissioners  had  prevailed 
on  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
towns  in  New  Hampshire  to  sign  a 
petition  and  complaint  to  His  Ma- 
jesty of  the  wrongs  they  had  sustain- 
ed from  Massachusetts,.  .  •  • .  .but  the 
inhabitants  of  Dover  in  town  meet- 
ing, and  Portsmouth  and  Exeter  by 
writings  under  the  hands  of  the 
town  officers,  declared  their  dissent, 
and  all  the  towns  desired  to  be  con- 
sidered as  part  of  the  Massachusetts 
colony,  as  they  had  been  for  many 
years  before." 

IX. 
The  Masonian  Claims 
Not  long  after  the  appointment  of 
the  royal  commissioners  in  1664, 
Colonel  Nicolls  of  the  commission 
was  designated  by  Robert  Mason, 
heir  of  the  original  grantee  of  New 
Hampshire,  to  act  as  his  representa- 
tive in  contesting  with  Massachusetts 
the  title  to  the  northern  colon}'. 
Colonel  Nicolls  was  given  Ci5)ii  direc- 
tions to  take  such  a  quit-rent  from 
the  occupants  of  the  land  as  would 
give  them  encouragement."  Nicolls, 
at  the  suggestion  of  his  colleagues  on 
the  commission,  transferred  the  man- 
agement of  the  Mason  property  to 
Nicholas  Shapleigh.  The  latter,  in 
turn,  notified  Mason  of  the  change, 
adding  that,  while  some  of  the  New 
Hampshire  people  were  willing  to 
accept  the  rule  of  Mason,  a  large 
number  still  wished  to  remain  under 
Massachusetts  jurisdiction.  Mason 
himself,  in  his  petition  to  the  king, 
ruefully  stated  that  his  grandfather 
(46)  "did  expend  upwards  of  twenty 
two  thousand  pounds  in  transporting 
people,  building  houses,  forts,  etc., 
*  *  *  *,"  a  fact  which  the  Massachu- 
setts people  did  not  seem  to  appreci- 


(41)  N.    H.   Prov.    Papers,    Vol.    I,    p.    252. 

(42)  Mass.   Co!.    Rec.    12 J,    p.    106.      N.    H.    Prov.    Papers.    I,    p.    257. 

(43)  N.    II.    Prov.   Papers,   p.    LT>8. 

(44)  Hutchinson    Hist,    of   Mass.    I,    p.    23  1. 

(45)  Fry:   N.    H.    as   a    Royal    Prov.,    p.    "»0. 
(40)  N.   H.   Prov.   Papers,   Vol.   I,   p.   322. 


THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 


165 


aie;  in  his  opinion*  For  he  told  the 
King**7*  "that  all  ways  have  been  tried 
and  all  methods  used  to  obtain  justice 
from  the  Bostoners,  but  all  have 
.proved  ineffectual  that  your  petition- 
er's losses  have  been  so  many  and 
great  and  his  sufferings  so  continued 
that  lie  cannot  any  longer  support  the 
burthen  of  them." 

In  1667  Joseph  Mason,  a  relative 
of  Robert  Mason,  who  had  formerly 
been  an  agent  for  the  state,  informed 
his  kinsman  that  Massachusetts  was 
ready  to  surrender  the  land  and  titles 
in  New  Hampshire,  provided  that  she 
could  still  retain  political  sovereignty. 
Joseph  Mason  advised  his  relative  to 
accept  the  proposition  but  Robert 
Mason' 4S)  "does  not  seem  to  have 
been  favorably  impressed .  with  this 
proposal."  In  April,  1671,  however, 
Mason  informed  Shapleigh  that  he 
would  not  demand  any  past  dues  for 
the  occupancy  of  his  New  Hampshire 
hills  but  would  like  to  be  paid  quit- 
rents  in  the  future.  To  this  his  ten- 
ants joyfully  agreed  but,  feeling  now 
that  Mason  was  going  to  treat  them 
fairly,  admonished  him  not  to  allow 
Massachusetts  longer  to  lord  it  over 
him  politically. 

Meanwhile  Mason(if,)  "offered  to 
sell  his  patent  of  New  Hampshire  to 
the  King."  Evidently  His  Majesty 
was  either  too  wise  or  too  poor  at  this 
time  for  he  did  not  unburden  Robert 
Mason.  Two  more  attempts  to  sell 
the  King  this  handsome  colony  failed. 
Possibly  the  monarch  was  pondering 
the  statements  made  by  the  Massa- 
chusetts authorities  in  their  reply  -to 
the  Mason  petition  when  they  warned 
the  king  that  it  wasf50)  "no  wonder  if 
silly  people  are  so  soon  affected  with 
such  faire  glozing  promises  as  Mr. 
Mason  hath  made  and  published,"  and 
added  that'51'  "they  (New  Hampshire 
people)     have    part    of   them    for   35 

(47)  N.    H.    Prov.    Papers,    I,    p.   32G. 

(48)  Fry:   N.   H.,   p.   60. 

(49)  Fry,   p.   01. 

(50)  N.    II.    Prov.    Papers,    I,    p,    333. 

(51)  N.   H.   Prcv.   Papers.   I.   p.   333. 

(52)  Fry   N.    H.,    p.    02.      Mass.    Col.    Pec.    V, 

(53)  N.    H.    Prov.    Papers,    I,    p.   336. 


years  *  *  *  *  lived  under  the  govern- 
ment of  Massachusetts  a  quiet,  well 
ordered  and  thriving  people." 

In  1676,  the  king  ordered  colonial 
agents,  representing  both  parties,  to 
proceed  to  England  and  lay  their  re- 
spective claims  before  governmental 
authorities. (52)  "In  February,  1677, 
the  whole  Mason  and  Gorges  contro- 
versy was  referred  for  determination 
to  the  Committee  of  Trade  with  di- 
rections to  call  upon  the  chief  justices 
of  the  kingdom  for  assistance." 

William  Stoughton,  Esq.,  and  Mr. 
Peeter  Bulkley  were  selected  by  the 
Massachusetts  government  to  repre- 
sent the  colony  before  the  English 
court  and  so  were  informed  that 
"you  take  the  first  opportunity  to 
embareque  yourselves  for  London, 
thoroughly  and  considerately  pursu- 
ing the  declaration  &  defence  now  de- 
livered unto  you,  observing  the  argu- 
nients  &  pointing  the  evidence  ac- 
cordingly. 

But  the  trip  was  in  vain  for  the 
English  justices  held  that  the  Mason 
title  was  just  and  that  Massachusetts 
was  encroaching  on  territory  that  the 
proper  owner  now  desired  to  handle 
exclusively.  The  Court,  however, 
decided  that  it  would  make  no  final 
award  of  the  property  held  by  the  in- 
habitants of  New  Hampshire  pend- 
ing a  hearing  at  which  representatives 
of  the  actual  tenants  of  the  land  could 
be  heard.  Meanwhile  the  local 
courts  in  New  Hampshire  were  em- 
powered to  decide  all  disputes  over 
]anc](33)  "until  it  shall  appear  that 
there  is  just  cause  of  complaint 
against  the  courts  of  justice  there  for 
injustice  or  grievance." 

The  decision  of  the  English  court 
was  accepted  by  the  Board  of  Trade 
and  approved  by  the  king  in  July, 
1667.  Two  years  later  His  Majesty 
informed    the    Massachusetts   authori- 


p.    113. 


166 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


ties  that  it  was  his  desire  to  establish 
a  new  government  in  New  Hampshire 
and  commanded  the  Massachusetts  au- 
thorities (54>"to  recall  and  revoke  all 
commissions  which  had  been  granted 
by  them  for  the  government  of  that 
territory-. " 

On  February  4th,  1679-80.  there- 
fore, Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp- 
shire came  to  the  official  parting  of 
the  ways  when^55>  "at  a  General 
Court  specially  called  by  the  Governor 
and  assistants  at  Boston :  This  Court 
doth  hereby  declare  that  all  Commis- 
sions that  have  been  formerly  granted 
by  the  Colony  of  Massachusetts  to 
any  person  or  persons  that  lived  in 
the  townes  of  Hampton,  Exeter, 
Portsmouth  &  Dover  are  hereby  with- 
drawn, and  as  to  any  future  act  made 
voyd  and  of  no  effect."  And  so  New 
Hampshire  was  numbered  among  the 
royal  provinces. 

Bibliography 
Sources: 

Records  of  the  Governor  and  Company 
of    the    Massachusetts    Bay    in    New 
England  (.Mass.  Col.  Rec.)     ■ 
5   Vols 
New     Hampshire     Provincial     Papers: 

Vol.   1   only   (1623-1686) 
Jennes,     J.    S.,     Transcript    of    Original 
Documents    in    the    English    Archives 
relating    to   Early    History  of  N.  H. 
(Privately  Printed,  New  York,   1876) 

Standard  Works 

Winthrop,    John,     Journal:     Massachu- 

(54)  Fry  N.   II..   p.   65. 

(55)  Mass.    Col.    Rec.    V,    p.    253. 


setts  and  Other  N.  E.  Colonics, 
1030-44    (Boston,    1825) 

Hutchinson,  Thomas,  History  of  Mas- 
sachusetts    (Boston,     1795) 

Belknap,  Jeremy,  History  of  New 
Hampshire  (3  vols)  Vol.  1,  only 
Philadelphia,    1784) 

Palfrey,  John  G.,  .New  England,  Vol. 
1,    (Boston,    1884) 

Fiske,  John,  The  Beginnings  of  New 
England  (Boston,  1889) 

Secondary  Volumes: 

Doyle,  John  A.,  The  English  in  Amer- 
ica,  Vol   II    (New  York,   1907) 

Adams,  James  T.,  Founding  of  New- 
England. 

Sanborn,  E.  D.  History  of  New  Hamp- 
shire (Manchester,  N.  H.,   1875) 

Sanborn,  F.  B..  History  of  New 
Hampshire,     (Cambridge,     1904) 

Dean,  John  YV\,  Captain  John  Mason, 
the  Founder  of  N.  H.  (Boston, 
1887) 

Ellis,  George  E.,  The  Puritan  Age 
and  Rule  in  the  Colony  of  Mass. 
Bay    (Boston    1888) 

Fry,  W.  H.,  New  Hampshire  as  a 
Royal    Province,    (New    York,    1908) 

Stackpole,  History  of  New  Hamp- 
shire,   (New    York,    1916) 

McClintock,  John  N.,  History  of  New 
Hampshire,  Boston,   1888) 

Pope,  Pioneers  of  Maine  and  New 
Hampshire,    (Boston,    1908) 

Barstow,  George,  History  of  New 
Hampshire,    (Concord,    N.    H.,    1842) 

Carleton,  E.  A.,  New  Hampshire  As 
It    Is,    (Claremont,    N.    H,    1856) 

Whiton,  John  M.,  New  Hampshire 
(Concord,  N.-H,  1834) 


TRAVEL  WITH  A  SMILE 

By  Eleanor  Kenly  Bacon 

''Grab  a  grin  and  wear  it," 
Seize  a  joy  and  share  it, 
Brace  a  burden, — bear  it — 
Ah,  but  life's  worth  while! 
Find  some  work  and  do  it, 
If  worry  comes  just  shoo  it 
Where  you  can't  pursue  it. 
Travel   with  a   smile ! 


\b? 


BERLIN,  N.  H.f  A  CITY  OF  OPPORTUNITIES 

WHERE  PAVED  ROADS  HAVE  DOUBLED  THE  LOADS 


B> 


O.    W .   Fernuld,   President   N.  H.  Good  Roads  Association, 
Commissioner    of   Public    Works,  Berlin,  N.  PI. 


Nestled  in  the  bosom  of  the  An- 
droscoggin valley  skirting  the  north- 
ern slope  of  the  celebrated  White 
mountains  in  the  scenic  north  coun- 
try of  New  Hampshire,  which  has 
been  rightly  termed  the  "Switzer- 
land of  America,"  the  City  of  Berlin, 
the  northern  metropolis  of  the  state, 
has  maintained  a  steady  progress  in 
development  of  her  great  natural  re- 
sources, chief  of  which  is  the  im- 
mense water  power  of  the  Andro- 
scoggin river — a  hundred  feet  fall 
with  a  hundred  and  fifty  horse  power 
for  every  foot.  Berlin  has  the  fin- 
est water  power  in  New  England  and 
it  is  only  about  half  developed  at 
present  as  there  is  unutilized  water 
power  today  within  thirty  miles  of 
the  city  to  the  amount  of  forty-five 
thousand  horse  power,  all  easily  avail- 
able by  means  of  electric  transmis- 
sion. The  flow  of  the  Androscoggin 
river  is  maintained  at  a  minimum 
varying  from  1.600  to  2,000  feet  per 
second  by  means  of  the  large  storage 
dams  of  the  Androscoggin  Reser- 
voir Co.  These  dams  store  about 
25,000  billion  cubic  feet  of  water  dur- 
ing the  spring,  which  greatly  reduces 
the  danger  from  freshets,  mitigates 
the  going  to  waste  of  tremendous 
amounts  of  energy-  and  permits  the 
utilization  of  a  large  amount  of 
water  during  the  remainder  of  the 
year  as  it  is  needed  to  turn  the  wheels 
of  industry  and  thus  comprising  one 
of  the  most  complete  water  systems 
of  the  country.  In  this  system  is 
the  new  artificial  lake  known  as  Lake 
Aziscohos,  which  is  the  fourth  largest 
artificial  lake  in  the  world.  It  is 
thirteen  miles  long,  a  mile  wide,  and 
about  forty-five  feet  deep.     The  City 


of  Berlin  has  some  of  the  largest  and 
finest  paper  mills  in  America  and  it 
has  the  largest  sulphite  fibre  mill  in 
the  world.  The  Berlin  Mills  Com- 
pany operate  a  two-band-saw  mill  that 
saws  out  more  than  two  hundred 
thousand  feet  of  lumber  every  twenty 
four  hours.  This  mill  for  many 
years  held  the  world's  record  of  228,- 
000  board  feet  sawed  in  one  day  by 
one  saw.  In  connection  with  this  is 
a  wood  working  mill  that  specializes 
in  manufacturing  window  and  door 
frames  and  having  the  largest  capac- 
ity in  its  line  of  any  mill  in  the  United 
States.  The  daily  average  consump- 
tion of  wood  is  around  1,275  cords 
of  pulp  wood  which  sends  out  to  all 
parts  of  the  world  775  tons  of  pulp 
and  375  tons  of  paper.  Taking  the 
whole  daily  consumption  of  logs  this 
means  that  on  each  week  day  Berlin's 
mills  use  up  1.500  cords  of  spruce 
and  fir;  or  to  express  it  another  way 
the  mills  of  this  city  consume  the  pro- 
duct of  150  acres  of  average  forest 
land  daily,  the  value  of  raw  material 
amounting  to  about  $18,000  worth  of 
pulp  wood  or  yearly  over  four  and 
a  half  million  dollars'  worth.  The 
visitor  to  this  thriving  city  sees  veri- 
table mountains  of  pulp  wood  piled 
ready  for  use  and  it  is  no  uncommon 
occurrence  that  one  of  these  piles  rep- 
resents a  money  value  of  over  a  half 
a  million  dollars. 

Away  back  in  the  early  seventies 
all  this  community  could  boast  of  was 
a  small  saw  mill,  a  shingle  mill,  a 
grist  mill,  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  a 
depot,  that's  about  all.  Since  that 
period  with  the  building  of  the  first 
large  mills  the  waters  have  been 
backed  by  large  dams ;  huge  penstocks 


163 


GRANITE  MONTHLY 


have  been  built  and  now  thousands  of 
wheels  are  turning  out  many  products 
that  are  shipped  to  the  (our  points 
of  the  compass.  Between  the  Ber- 
lin of  the  early  seventies  and  the  Ber- 
lin as  it  is  now  known  there  is  a  well 
defined  line  of  demarcation.  In  the 
memory  of  men  now  living  there 
were  only  three  houses  in  this  com- 
munity and  one  of  these  is  still  in 
existence  —  the.  Wilson  house,  now 
bearing  the  number  of    187  on  Main 


began  experimenting  about  1870  or  a 
little  later,  and  soon  mastered,  the 
subject,  acquiring  a  formula  which 
revolutionized  the  paper  industry. 
In  a  short  time  he  began  the  making 
of  paper   from  pulp  and  this  was  the 


beginning 


ie   paper   industry  that 


makes  Berlin  today  the  leading  paper 
city  of  the  world.  From  the  first 
moment  of  the  success  of  Furbish's 
plant  Berlin  emerged  from  its  former 
insignificant  place  on  the  map  of  the 


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Berlin-Milan   Concrete   Road. 
No  Load  too  Heavy. 


St.  The  change  from  rural  to  urban 
conditions  began  when  Mr.  H.  H. 
Furbish  came  to  this  town  in  1878, 
attracted  by  the  abundance  of  water 
power  and  the  plentitude  of  timber 
adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  paper. 
For  many  years  the  scientists  of  the 
world  sought  practical  means  of  mak- 
ing paper  from  wood,  and  as  early  as 
1848  George  Burgess  had  succeeded 
in  producing  paper  in  England,  but 
at  a   prohibitive   cost.        Mr.   Furbish 


world  as  an  industrial  center  and  be- 
came the  leader  in  the  industry  which 
has  made  it  known  wherever  paper  is 
used.  The  industrial  history  of  the 
world  underwent  a  sudden  change 
and  Berlin  was  the  pivotal  point  on 
which  the  turn  was  made.  The  charm- 
ing sublimity  of  the  wonderful  natur- 
al beauty  of  northern  New  Hampshire 
is  no  where  excelled  the  world  over, 
the  varied  but  unfailing  vernal  loveli- 
ness  of   the   glorious   White     Monti- 


BERLIN.  N.  H„  A  CITY  OF  OPPORTUNITIES 


169 


tains  and  fertile  valleys;  of  verdant 
peaks  and  ranges  whose  scenic  gran- 
deur is  intimate  and  inviting;  of  fish 
ladcned  streams  that  tumble  and  eddy 
over  the  rocky  rifts  by  the  winding 
roadways  that  are  as  crooked  as  the 
tentacles  on  the  octopus  in  merry  and 
friendly  fashion — no  son  .of  this 
State  can  refer  to  his  native  State 
without  a  thrill  of  honest  pride! 
The  wonderland  of  the  White 
Mountains  set  the  standard  for 
travel  interest,  whether  it  is  in  the 
winter  with  the  fashionable  and 
healthy  winter  carnivals  or  the  sum- 
mer months  when  the  cool  and  ro- 
mantic nooks  attract:  thousands  of 
people  from  every  land  to  the  numer- 
ous famous  resorts  where  rest  and 
recreation  may  be  had  amid  sur- 
roundings   of    perennial    interest. 

One  of  the  greatest  factors  in  the 
marvelous  growth  of  Berlin  has  been 
the  extremely  durable  pavements 
on  the  main  street,  laid  in  1909 
with  plain  cement-concrete  where  the 
advent  of  the  motor  truck,  which  is 
used  extensively  here  in  handling  ma- 
terial, compelled  the  installa- 
tion of  smooth  and  durable  pavement 
that  will  furnish  transportation 
twelve  months  in  every  year  to  the 
•heaviest  of  trucks  without  any  bans 
as  to  weight.  To  this  city  belongs 
the  credit  of  building  the  first  con- 
crete streets  in  New  Hampshire. 
While  we  realize  that  they  were 
made  with  somewhat  crude  methods 
as  to  finish,  and  without  the  modern 
steel  reinforcement,  we  look  back  at 
the  end  of  these  thirteen  years  of 
constant  use  of  these  plain  concrete 
streets  with  considerable  satisfac- 
tion because  we  have  them  to  show 
after  a  long  term  of  years  with  a 
much  longer  period  of  life  to  render 
the  best  sort  of  service  to  modern 
traffic.  To  correct  any  misimpres- 
sion  that  one  might  have  of  these 
old  plain  concrete  surfaces  I  will  say 
that  they  have  always  been  100  per 
Cent  efficient  in  every  respect,  we 
never    have    found      it   necessary     to 


limit  any  weight  of  trucks  using 
these       pavements.         Approximately 

23,000  square  yards  were  laid  in  1909 
with  what  might  be  termed  a  lean 
mix  in  that  it  was  only  one  part 
cement  to  two  and  one  half  parts 
sand  and  five  parts  stone.  Although 
no  steel  was  embedded  in  the  mix  the 
behavior  of  these  raft  like  slabs  in 
sustaining  hard  wear  and  weather  fur- 
nishes the  best  of  proof  of  this  ma- 
terial giving  the  best  value  per  dol- 
lar. Large  areas  were  laid  on  a  saw- 
dust fill  and  many  of  the  concrete 
slabs  are  like  new  after  the  thirteen 
years  of  incessant  pounding.  Few  of 
us  stop  and  reflect.  We  seldom  stop 
and  look  back  over  the  thirteen  years 
and  recall  the  almost  unnegotiable  mud 
link  that  poorly  served  our  store  dis- 
trict on  the  Main  street  before  con- 
creting, nor  do  we  realize  the 
practice  at  the  time  those  plain  con- 
crete slabs  were  laid  right  here  in  Ber- 
lin, that  they  were  not  given  proper 
chance  to  harden  and  cure  after  the 
mixture  was  laid  on  the  sub  soil  as 
it  came.  In  fact,  barricades  were 
thrown  aside  next  day  after  laying 
and  traffic  vehicled  over  the  stretches 
of  new  concrete,  within  twenty-four 
hours  after  laying  it  is  known  that 
the  trolley  cars  were  permitted  to  use 
the  tracks  freshly  encased  in  plain 
concrete. 

In  those  days  it  wasn't  generally 
known  that  full  money's  worth  of 
new  concrete  comes  from  proper 
hardening  and  that  it  is  a  matter  of 
utmost  importance  that  concrete  har- 
den thoroughly  before  traffic  is  allow- 
ed to  pass  over  it.  Concrete  does 
not  harden  by  drying  as  some  think. 
Chemical  action  between  cement  and 
water  brings  this  about.  To  make 
the  hardening  thorough  and  uniform 
the  concrete  must  be  protected  from 
the  hot  sun  and  winds  to  prevent  the 
water  in  it  from  evaporating.  If  the 
concrete  is  allowed  to  lose  this  water 
by  evaporation,  the  cement  mixture 
will  be  robbed  of  one  of  the  elements 
necessary     to   the     chemical     process 


170 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


which  gives  concrete  pavements  their 
great  strength  and  durability.  Both 
actual  experience  and  laboratory 
tests;  have  shown  the  value  of  proper 
curing.  It  has  been  found  that  con- 
crete cured  first  in  water  and  then 
in  the  air  is  from  two  to  three  times 
as  strong  as  concrete  which  was  al- 
lowed to  harden  without  such  pro- 
tection. In  tests  of  wearing  quali- 
ties, also,  concrete  properly  cured 
showed  more  than  twice  the  ability  to 
resist  abrasion  than  concrete  not  pro- 
perly  cured.     The  greatest   detriment 


extreme  permanency  as  a  concrete 
track  support.  Since  opening  this 
pavement  through  the  business  dis- 
trict in  1909.  the  heavy  double  truck 
cars  have  literally  pounded  the  light 
rails  on  decayed  wooden  ties  out  of 
shape  and  has  left  holes  that  permit 
surface  water  to  seep  into  the  sub 
grade  and  become  soggy.  If  there  is 
one  place  on  the  face  of  tire  globe 
where  plain  concrete  pavements  have 
stood  the  "acid  test''  it  is  right  here 
in  the  City  of  Berlin,  where  they  have 
given   sucessful     service    during     the 


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Main  St.,  Berlin,  N,  H. 
Plain   Concrete  Road  Built    1909. 


to  the  Main  Street  stretch  which  is 
paved  between  curb  lines  with  plain 
concrete  is  the  car  track  area  where 
the  wooden  ties  have  gone  into  decay 
and  permitted  the  rails  to  become  de- 
pressed, thereby  causing  impact  at 
each  joint  where  bonds  are  discon- 
nected from  time  to  time,  and  it  is 
necessary  in  such  cases  to  chop  away 
the  concrete  to  insert  new  bonds  and 
tighten  the  rail  connections.  It  is 
thought  that  the  best  solution  of  the 
worn  out  track  is  to  renew  it  with 
steel  rails  encased  in  concrete  with 
twin  steel  tie  construction  that  insures 


thirteen  years  to  the  heaviest  of 
truck  traffic — frost  Iras  never  hurt 
these  pavements  here  in  northern 
New  Hampshire,  neither  has  the  ex- 
tremely warm  days  had  the  slightest 
effect  on  them — although  they  are 
lying  on  all  sorts  of  soil  from  clay  to 
muck  without  any  porous  gravel  lay- 
er or  extra  loose  stone  foundation 
these  pavements  are  and  have  been 
always  100  per  cent  efficient  all  the 
time.  The  installation  of  porous 
foundation  courses  under  concrete 
slabs  is  of  doubtful  value  in  that  it 
offers   a   receptacle      for   water     that 


BERLIN,  N.  H.,  A  CITY. OF  OPPORTUNITIES 


171 


will  freeze  and  thaw  in 
weather  when  slush  and  ice  prevents 
free  movement  to  drainage.  The 
mooted  question  of  drainage  is 
definitely  settled  where  properly 
built  concrete  slabs  are  laid  as  pave- 
ments. One  of  the  most  severe 
tests  any  pavement  can  be  put  to  was 
successfully  accomplished  here  this 
April  when  a  large  pipe  culvert  col- 
lapsed and  caused  a  large  cavity  un- 
der our  old  concrete  slabs,  and  it  had 
undoubtedly  been  there  for  weeks 
with  traffic  pounding  over  this 
large  hole — the  settling  at  the  joint 
that  separated  the  slabs  directly  over 
the  cavity  indicated  something  un- 
usual at  this  point,  and  after  investi- 
gation we  found  the  large  hole  under 
the  concrete,  which  had  bridged  the 
space  for  no  one  knows  how  long, 
and  with  no  menace  to  the  heavy 
trucks  passing  over  it  everyday — - 
what  other  pavement  under  the  sun 
can  stand  such  a  test?  In  my  opinion 
if  concrete  slabs  won't  stand  up  under 
heaviest  of  traffic  on  all  character  of 
soils  there  is  no  sort  of  pavement 
that  will.  We  have  made  many- 
crack  surveys  to  note  their  behavior 
all  through  the  thirteen  years  and 
after  the  closest  investigation  we  find 
that  they  are  not  serious,  they  are  not 
detrimental  to  the  structure  and  we 
cannot  condemn  it  any  more  than  we 
could  condemn  Abe  Lincoln  for  hav- 
ing wrinkles  in  his  face.  The  sterl- 
ing qualities  are  there  just  the  same. 
The  question  of  road  surfaces 
is  a  very  important  one.  these  days 
of  swift  heavy  trucks.  The  best 
road  bed  is  the  absolutely  solid 
one  with  as  straight  a  surface  as 
can  be  obtained  to  avoid  impact  of 
swift  and  heavy  vehicles.  Soft  and 
yielding  road  surfaces  that  will  bend 
under  traffic  have  not  the  life  be- 
cause where  there  is  elasticity  there 
is  friction  and  a  subsequent  wavi- 
ness  that  increases  and  brings  on 
more  and  more  maintenance  and 
frequent  surface  applications  at 
close    intervals.       These    soft    and 


colder  bending  surfaces  frequently  hug  a 
very  weak  subgrade  that  becomes 
fluxed  with  water  in  wet  periods. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  bearing  val- 
ue of  concrete  is  3, COO  pounds  per 
square  inch  which  is  more  than  suffi- 
cient to  carry  the  loads,  but  the  bear- 
ing value  of  our  soils  is  far  below  this 
and,  therefore,  a  smooth  rigid  sur- 
face is  best  for  modern  traffic — best 
for  the  taxpayer  who  pays  for  the 
roads  and  best  for  the  truck  owner 
who  pays  for  the  broken  springs 
and  upkeep  on  his  rolling  stock — 
and  again,  best  for  those  who  de- 
sire to  ride  in  comfort  to  avoid 
wash-board  surface  irregularities. 
From  our  extended  experience  with 
concrete  we  now  favor  steel  re- 
inforcement in  all  paving  slabs  of 
this  material  because  we  are  con- 
vinced that  steel  prolongs  the  life 
of  the  structure,  it  preserves  its  in- 
tegrity, minimizes  maintenance,  less- 
ens the  cracks  and  renders  them 
innocuous  and  harmless. 

As  shown  in  one  of  the  ac- 
companying views  of  our  Main 
street  paved  in  1909  with  plain  con- 
crete it  is  one  of  the  first  "divided 
road  construction"  in  the  State — it 
is  a  very  good  method  in  that  it 
gives  a  much  stronger  slab  pave- 
ment and  the  joint  through  the  cen- 
ter tends  to  keep  traffic  where  it 
belongs — a  very  good  feature  on 
busy  thoroughfares.  Last  year  a 
half -mile  stretch  of  re-in  forced  con- 
crete was  laid  on  the  Berlin-Milan 
Road,  averaging  seven  inches  in 
thickness  and  the  slabs  were  de- 
posited directly  on  soil  just  as  it 
came.  This  year  arrangements  are 
made  to  lay  about  a  mile  .stretch  of 
reinforced  concrete  on  this  road, 
which  is  a  part  of  the  East  Side 
Trunk  line  road  and  the  entire 
work  is  done  by  the  State  Highway 
department  and  the  City  of  Berlin 
jointly.  The  reason  why  this 
type  of  pavement  is  chosen  on  this 
important  trunk  line  road  is  be- 
cause Milan  has  no  rail  connections 


172 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


and  it  is  therefore  deemed  neces- 
sary to  have,  a  connecting  road  that 
will  furnish  unrestricted  traffic  all 
the  year  round  and  get  twelve- 
months'  returns    from   our   road    in- 


vestment, 
of  traffic 
some  of 
overtaxed. 
Engineers1 
recently, 


The  volume  and  weight 


is  growing  rapidly  and 
our  highways  are  now 
At  a  meeting  of  the 
Society  in  Boston 
the  problems  due  to 
growth  of  motor  transportation 
were  discussed  and  it  was  enumer- 
ated that  in  Massachusetts  44  towns 
found  that  the  roads  bore  only  360 
tons    of     traffic    per     day   in   "1909. 


These  same  roads  now  bear  an  av- 
erage of  5.530  tons  per  hour. 

The  best  investment  this  State 
can  make  with  her  wonderful  natur- 
al resources,  consisting  of  an  unlim- 
ited supply  of  granite,  is  to  build 
Renforced  Concrete  roads  that  set- 
tle the  question  definitely.  The 
very  fact  that  we  can  now  see  every 
day  after  thirteen  years  of  constant 
service  the  very  pavements  we  in- 
vested our  money  in  during  1909  is 
the  best  sort  of  evidence  that  such 
roads  are  an  investment  and  not  a 
mere  expenditure  requiring  period- 
cal    renewals. 


DEAR  ECHOES 

By  Katliarinc  Sazmn  Oakes 

Baby,  will  you  love  the  wind  on  a  high  spring  hill  ? — 
Smooth  with  tender  lingers  the  pussywillow's  coat ; 
Stop  your  play  to  catch  the  husky  song  the  frog  choirs 
quote ; 

Lie  awake  to  listen  to  the  eerie  whippoorwill? 

Baby,  when   you  thread  your  little  trails,   who'll   run  with 


you 


? 


Shy  Alice  in  white  pinafore;  Rapunzel  from  her  tower; 
Tom,   the  tiny  chimney  sweep ;    gay   elves    and    witches 
dour ; 
Glass- slippered     Cinderella;     Thumbeline,      (her     swallow, 
too)  ? 

(I  used  to  know  a  small  girl  once  who  hugged  these  to  her 

heart ; — 
Please  let  her  come  along,  dear  lass,  and  have  a  little  part!) 


\73 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  DAY  BY  DAY. 


At  the  55th  annual  encampment 
of  the  X  e w  H  a m pS h  i  r e  d e p a  r t  - 
ment,  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic, held  in  Representatives'  Hall 
at  the  State  House.  Concord,  on 
April  13,  a  present  membership  of 
731  was  reported.  General  Joab 
N.    Patterson,    the    last    survivor    of 


cook  and  raised  a  company;  was 
commissioned  lieutenant  of  Company 
J.i,  Second  New  Hampshire  Regi- 
ment, June  4,  1861,  and  promoted  to 
captain  Klay  23.  1862,  (wounded  at 
Gettysburg."  July  3,  1863);  lieuten- 
ant-colonel, June  21,  1864;  colonel, 
Jan.    30,      1865;   brevetted     brigadier 


New    Hampshire's   brigadier   generals     general  for  courage  and  good  conduct 


General  Joab  X.  Patterson. 


in  the  Civil  War,  was  elected  de- 
partment commander.  Bora'  in 
Hopkinton,  January  2,  1835,  Gen- 
eral Patterson  graduated  from 
Dartmouth  college  with  the  class  of 
1860,  of  which  he  is  the  secretary, 
teaching  school  in  the  winters  as  an 
aid  in  securing  his  education.  Upon 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  he 
opened  a  recruiting  office  at  Contoo- 


to  date  from  March  13,  1865;  mus- 
tered out,  Dec.  19,  1865.  Returning 
to  New  Hampshire  he  was  com- 
mander of  the  First  Regiment,  New 
Hampshire  Militia,  1866-8  and  bri- 
gade commander,  1S68-71  ;  colonel 
Third  Regiment,  N.  H.  N.  G.,  1878; 
brigadier  general  in  command,  1889. 
Upon  the  outbreak  of  the_  Spanish 
War  General   Patterson  enlisted  as  a 


174 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


private,  but.  was  soon  commissioned 
Captain  and  served  on  the  staff  of 
Gqii.  J.  P.  Sanger;  afterwards  serv- 
ing for  three  years  as  superintendent 
of  public  buildings  in  Havana,  Cuba, 
during  the  American  occupation  of 
the  island.  Pie  was  agent  for  the 
state  of  New  Hampshire  foi  the 
transportation  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
state  to  attend  the  50th  anniversary 
of  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  in  1913. 
In  addition  to  his  military  service 
General  Patterson  has  held  many 
civic  offices  of  trust  and  responsibili- 
ty. He  was  a  member  of  the  legis- 
lature from  Hopkinton,  1866-8; 
United  States  marshal  for  the  dis- 
trict of  New  Hampshire  for  19  years 
from  1867;  second  auditor  of  the 
United  States  Treasury  at  Washing- 
ton for  four  years  from  1889;  and 
United  States  pension  acent  at  Con- 
cord from  1908  to  1913. 


This  interesting  and  important 
statement  has  been  made  to  the 
public  by  the  state  tax  commission : 

"The  commission  has  just  com- 
pleted a  series  of  thirteen  public 
meetings,  held  one  at  lea-St  in  each 
county  in  the  state,  the  purpose  of 
which  was  to  inform  the  local  as- 
sessors in  regard  to  tax  laws  and 
methods,  to  urge  upon  them  the 
necessity  for  a  thorough  re-valua- 
tion of  all  taxable  property  this 
year,  and  to  inform  the  public  as  to 
our  tax  laws,  and  our  methods  and 
plans.  Strange  to  relate  the  gen- 
eral public  showed  little  interest 
in  these  meetings,  where  full  oppor- 
tunity was  granted  to  voice  com- 
plaints and  to  request  explanations. 
The  lack  of  public  interest  was  dis- 
appointing, but  the  interest  and  co- 
operation of  the  local  assessors  was 
most  gratifying. 

The  tax  commission  is  asking  for 
a  revaluation  of  all  taxable  property 
this  year.  The  Constitution  pro- 
vides that  there  shall  be  a  valua- 
tion of  the  taxable     estates     taken 


anew  once  in  five  years  at  least. 
In  1912,  when  the  commission  was 
first  established,  an  extensive  re- 
valuation was  made.  In  1917,  the 
end  of  a  live  year  period,  an  effort 
was  made  for  a  re-valuation,  but 
war  conditions  engaged  the  interest 
and  effort  of  the  general  public,  and 
scant  attention  Was  paid  to  the  or- 
dinary processes  of  government. 
In  1922  we  come  to  the  end  of  an- 
other five  year  period,  and,  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  mandate  of  the  consti- 
tution and  of  the  law  creating  the 
commission,  we  are  attempting  to 
perform  our  duty. 

The  constitution  of  the  state  fur- 
ther provides,  in  terms,  that  all 
public  taxes  shall  be  distributed 
proportionately.  The  legislature 
has  provided  that  in  making  such 
distribution  all  property  declared 
taxable  shall  be  appraised  at  its  full 
and  true  value.  It  is,  therefore,  a 
primary  obligation  on  the  part  of 
every  citizen  to  bear  his  propor- 
tionate share  of  the  public  burden. 
The  obligation  is  a  moral  one  as 
well  as  a  legal  one.  No  good  citi- 
zen will  desire  to  escape  that  ob- 
ligation. There  can  be  no  answer 
to  this  proposition.  Any  taxpayer 
who  attempts  to  deny  it  simply  as- 
serts that  his  disposition  is  to  evade 
his  obligations  as  a  citizen  and  to 
ask  his  neighbor  to  shoulder  them 
for  him.  Our  experience  has  been 
that  the  average  citizen  is  a  good 
citizen,  and  that  it  is  his  disposition 
to  contribute  his  share  of  the  ex- 
pense of  government  provided  he 
can  be  convinced  that  his  neighbor 
is  disposed  to  do,  or  required  to  do, 
likewise.  We  receive  in  this  office 
hundreds  of  complaints,  annually, 
regarding  the  valuation  of  taxable 
property  in  all  sections  of  the  state. 
The  general  tenor  of  these  com- 
plaints is  not  that  the  taxpayer  does 
not  want  to  pay  his  taxes,  but 
rather  that  he  does  not  want  to  pay 
more  than  his  share.  Hence,  there 
can   be  no  dissent  which  is  in  any 


N.  IT:  DAY  BY  DAY 


175 


manner  justifiable  that  it  is  abso- 
lutely just  that  -ill  taxable  property 
be  returned  for  taxation  at  its  full 
and  true  value  as  nearly  as  human 
■effort  can  determine  it  for  the  pur- 
pose of  effecting  a  proportionate 
distribution   of  the  public  burden. 

The  tax  commission  is  making 
this  effort  this  year  without  fear 
or  favor  anywhere.  In  making  the 
effort  the  question  of  the  expedi- 
ency of  the  methods  employed  to 
arrive  at  the  desired  result  is  im- 
mediately brought  into  issue.  No 
proper  justification  of  the  methods 
we  have  employed  can  be  made 
without  a  somewhat  extended  ex- 
planation of  our  tax  system  which. 
unfortunately,  is  too  little  under- 
stood by  the  average  citizen.  Un- 
der our  general  property  system 
of  taxation  in  this  state  we  tax  four 
principal  classes  of  property, —  (1) 
real  estate  of  all  kinds,  improved 
and  unimproved,  including  mills 
and  machinery, —  (2)  live  stock, — 
(3)  stocks  in  trade  of  merchants 
and  manufacturers, —  (4)  intangible 
property,         so-called,  including 

bonds.  excepting  bonds  of  the 
United  States  and  of  the  State  of 
New  Hampshire  and  its  municipal 
sub-divisions,  money  on  hand  or  at 
interest,  including  National  Bank 
stock,  in  excess  of  what  the  owner 
pays  interest  on,  but  excepting  de- 
posits Jn  New  Hampshire  savings 
institutions,  and  excepting  all  cor- 
porate stock.  Our  problem  has 
been  to  cover  the  whole  state  in 
the  most  practical  way  with  the 
co-operation  of  the  local  assessors. 
Hence  our  study  has  been  to  deter- 
mine the  work  which  the  local  as- 
sessors could  perform  most  effec- 
tively, and  to  take  upon  our  shoul- 
ders the  work  of  re-valuation  with 
which  they  have  the  most  difficulty. 
The  property  which  is  most  easi- 
valued  by  the  local  assessors  is 
class  (2),  or  live  stock,  and  a 
considerable  portion  of  class  (1), 
or     the     ordinary      real     estate      in 


the     nature     of      the   ordinary      farm 
and     the     ordinary     home.  These 

are.  the  kinds  of  property  of  which 
the  average  assessor  has  the  most 
intimate  knowledge  and  which  it  is 
comparatively  easy  for  him  to  ap- 
praise at  full  value.  The  extraordi- 
nary real  estate  in  the  shape  of  busi- 
ness blocks  and  mills  present  a  very 
difficult  problem  for  the  average 
assessor.  They  are  rarely  sold, 
and  the  information  upon  which 
sensible  and  unbiased  judgment 
should  be  based  in  arriving  at  the 
full  value  of  those  properties  has 
not  be  commonly  available.  The 
result  has  been  an  extensive  under- 
valuation due  to  the  practical  in- 
ability of  the  assessors  to  make  a 
valuation  based  on  the  facts.  7  ne 
third  class  of  property,  stocks  in 
trade,  has  likewise  presented  great 
difficulties  because  of  the  inability 
of  the  ordinary  person  to  go  into  a 
store,  or  a  mill,  and,  simply  upon 
view  of  the  property,  to  determine 
what  the  taxable  value  of  a  stock 
in  trade  is.  This  problem  is  fur-® 
ther  complicated  by  reason  of  the 
fact  that  the  law  makes  the  taxable 
value  of  stocks  in  trade  the  aver- 
age value  throughout  the  year 
rather  than  the  actual  amount  on 
haild  on  April  1.  The  fourth  class 
of  property,  intangibles,  has  been 
beyond  the  control  of  the  local  as- 
sessors. They  have  no  opportuni- 
ty to  make  valuations  as  they  do 
in  the  case  of  real  estate  or  live 
stock,  and  in  the  absence  of  an 
honest  return  from  the  taxpayer 
the}'   are    practically    helpless. 

The  obvious  result,  of  which  we 
have  ample  evidence  by  various 
sorts  of  tests,  made  in  different  sec- 
tions of  the  state,  is  that  the  pro- 
perty which  the  average  assessor 
knows  best  how  to  value  will  be 
valued  at  nearest  to  its  full  and 
true  value,  and,  as  the  difficulties 
of  valuation  by  the  local  assessor 
increase  in  about  the  same  measure 
does  the     undervaluation     increase. 


176 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


This  is  the  actual  fact  as  it  exists 
in  the  state  to-day.  There  are 
thousands  and  thousands  of  ordi- 
nary farms  and  ordinary  homes 
which  are  valued  at  their  full  and 
true  value.  Many  are  undervalued, 
to  some  extent,  many  are  over- 
valued. But  the  fact  remains,  and 
it  cannot  be  successfully  contradict- 
ed, that,  as  a  class,  the  ordinary 
home  and  the  ordinary  farm 
throughout  the  state  are  valued  at 
much  nearer  their  full  and  true 
value  than  any  other  kinds  of  pro- 
perty. It  is  quite  as  much  the  duty 
of  the  tax  commission  and  of  the 
local  assessors  to  prevent  any  tax- 
payer from  being  injured  in  being 
required  to  pay  more  than  his  share 
of  the  public  burden,  as  it  is  our 
duty  and  theirs  to  see  that  others 
who  have  not  been  paying  their 
just  share  are  recmired  to  do  so. 
In  other  words,  equalization  of  tax 
burdens  is  the  final  result  to  be 
achieved,  and  in  every  effort 
towards  equalization  it  should  be 
borne  in  mind  by  the  local  asses- 
sors and  by  the  general  public  that 
it  is  just  as  important,  to  see  to  it 
that  no  man's  property  be  over 
valued  for  the  purposes  of  taxation 
as  it  is  to  see  that  no  man's  pro- 
perty be  undervalued.  To  the 
thousands  and  thousands  of  tax- 
payers throughout  the  state  whose 
property  is  now  overvalued,  or 
fully  valued,  or  valued  at  nearer 
full  value  than  that  of  many  others, 
the  efforts  of  the  tax  cornrdssion 
are  addressed  with  the  hope  that 
a  real  equalization  ultimately  may 
be  effected. 

Tn  the  effort  to  accomplish  our 
purpose  we  have  taken  four  dis- 
tinct steps.  We  have  taken  these 
on  a  statewide  basis  to  as  great  an 
extent  as  it  is  humanly  possible  to 
do  with  the  physical  and  financial 
resources  we  have  at  our  command. 
We  have  done  it  in  a  statewide 
way  in  order  that  the  charge  of 
discrimination     or  selection     might 


be  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  in 
order  thai  no  man,  or  no  group  of 
men  might  say  that  they  have  been 
affected  and  others  allowed  to  go 
unreached.  There  is  no  answer 
which  we  can  make  in  effecting  an 
equalization  of  taxes  if  we  cause 
the  property  of  the  owner  of  an 
ordinary  farm  or  home  to  be  plac- 
ed at  its  full  and  true  value  and 
permit  the  owner  of  a  mill,  or  of 
a  stock  in  trade,  or  of  a  business 
block,  or  of  taxable  bonds  to  con- 
tinue to  have  his  property  remain 
undervalued.  If  that  were  done, 
the  injury  is  just  as  great  as  if  the 
property  of  some  individual  tax- 
payer in  a  town  were  placed  at  full 
value  and  all  the  other  property  in 
that  town  allowed  to  be  under- 
valued. There  are  some  phases  of 
our  tax  system,  created  by  the 
constitution  and  by  the  legislature 
which  we  believe  need  to  be  chang- 
ed, but  we  cannot  amend  constitu- 
tions, nor  can  we  legislate.  We 
must  administer  the  law  as  we  find 
it  and  seek  necessary  constitutional 
amendment,  or  legislation,  where 
equitable  changes  are  necessary. 

The  first  step  which  we  have 
taken  is  to  formulate  a  card  on 
which  the  assessors  in  the  various 
towns  and  cities  are  asked  to  ob- 
tain all  the  information  relating  to 
business  properties,  upon  which, 
combined  with  a  view  of  the  pro- 
perty itself,  a  just  valuation  may 
be  made.  Income,  expense  of  up- 
keep, location,  construction,  sell- 
ing price  are  all  evidence  on  which 
to  base  the  value  of  this  sort  of 
property.  And  by  these  cards, 
which  we  believe  furnish  informa- 
tion which  it  is  quite  important  for 
the  owner  himself  to  have  consid- 
ered, it  is  our  expectation  that  the 
.assessors  will  have  before  them  all 
the  information  regarding  trouble- 
some properties  which  they  never 
have  had  before,  that  it  will  be  had 
in  a  uniform  way  throughout  the 
state,  and  that  the  resultant  valua- 


N.  H.  DAY   BY  DAY 


177 


tions    will    be   based    on    facts    rather 
than  on  guess. 

1  he  second  step  which,  we  have 
taken  is  in  the  re-valuation  o\  mills 
and  machinery.  Because  of  the 
varying  kinds  of  mills  it  has  been 
impossible  to  work  out  am  state- 
wide blank  or  plan  by  which  this 
could  be  done.  We  are  attempting 
to  cover  all  mills  in  the  state  by  two 
methods.  First,  preferably,  by 
talking-  with  the  owner,  who  ordi- 
narily knows  better  than  anyone 
else  what  is  the  true  value  of  his 
property,  convincing  him  first  that 
there  is  no  intention  to  injure  him 
but  the  intention  only  to  arrive  at 
a  just  conclusion,  and  then  asking 
him  to  help  us  in  arriving  at  that 
conclusion.  Our  experience  has 
been  that  in  the  great  majority  of 
cases,  as  soon  as  a  mill  owner 
could  be  convinced  that  he  was  to 
be  dealth  with  fairly,  that  every  one 
else  and  every  orher  class  of  property- 
was  to  be  dealt  with  on  the  same  basis 
throughout  the  state,  the  mill  own- 
er has  demonstrated  a  most  admir- 
able and  praiseworthy  disposition 
to  co-opera ie.  In  other  cases  some 
resort  has  been  made  to  a  valua- 
tion by  experts,  but  manifestly 
without  the  same  degree  of  satis- 
faction to  the  owner.  Obviously, 
with  only  three  commissioners  and 
one  able  assistant,  and  with  ex- 
tremely limited  financial  resources, 
we  cannot  do  all  the  mills  at  once 
unless  the  mill  owners  show  the 
same  public  spirited  co-operation 
with  their  local  assessors  which 
they  have  shown  to  us.  With  the 
assurance  that  it  is  furthest  from 
our  desires  to  injure  anyone  in  the 
payment  of  his  taxes,  and  with  the 
further  assurance  that  every  com- 
plaint of  over-valuation  which  has 
been,  or  may  be  made,  has  been, 
and  will  be  given,  the  thorough 
consideration  of  this  commission, 
we  confidently  expect  the  co-oper- 
ation so  urgently  needed  in  the  per- 
formance   of    a  just,    but    difficult 


and  often  unpleasant  duty.  Some 
complaint  has  been  made  because 
mill  owners  are  being  asked  to  have 

their  property  re- valued,  which 
complaint  lias  been  grounded  on  a 
fear  of  injury  to  our  industrial  con- 
cerns. The  logical  answer  to  this 
compaint,  of  course,  is  that  the  leg- 
islature for  over  fifty  years  has  au- 
thorized towns  and  cities  to  extend 
aid  where  it  is  needed  to  manufac- 
turing establishments  through  ex- 
emption from  the  payment  of  local 
taxes.  Approximately  $20,000,000 
of  this  property  is  enjoying  that 
exemption  today.  Consequently, 
with  this  consideration  having  been 
extended,  the  legislature  cannot  be 
understood  as  having  intended  any- 
thing else,  than  that  where  exemp- 
tions were  not  granted  that  class 
of  property  should  be  valued  on 
the  same  basis  as  any  other.  If 
that  class  of  property  is  under- 
valued through  fear  of  injury  to  it, 
the  burden'  is  shifted  immediately 
onto  the  farming  industry  which 
has  been  many  times  termed  the 
basic  industry  of  the  state.  Clearly, 
the  only  just  way  is  to  treat  all  alike. 
The  third  step  which  we  have 
taken  is  in  the  much  discussed  re- 
valuation of  stocks  in  trade  and 
of  the  consequent  return  which  has 
been  sent  out  to  every  merchant 
and  manufacturer  in  the  state.  In 
the  outline  above  we  have  suggested 
some  reasons  why  it  is  difficult  for 
the  average  assessor  properly  to 
value  stocks  in  trade.  As  a  matter 
fact  every  merchant  and  manufac- 
turer knows  that  it  resolves  itself 
very  largely  into  a  question  of  book- 
keeping rather  than  a  question  of 
a  valuation  by  a  view  of  the  pro- 
perty. Last  year  we  went  into 
several  cities  and  towns  in  the  state 
for  the  purpose  of  making  thorough 
tests  as  to  the  validity  of  hundreds 
of  complaints  of  under-valuation. 
The  results  were  startling.  We 
have  for  some  time  been  convinced 
by   evidence   received   from    several 


178 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


sources  that  this  class  of  property 
was  largely  under-valued,  but  the 
results  of  our  investigation  went 
quite  beyond  our  expectations. 
3^et  it  be  borne  in  mind  that,  while 
there  is  doubtless  large  nnder-valu- 
tion  In  this  class  of  property,  there 
are  many  manufacturers  and  mer- 
chants throughout  the  state  who 
have  been  paying  on  the  fill!  value 
of  their  stocks  in  trade.  Hence 
the  inequalities  become  so  much 
more  marked.  These  tests  made, 
perhaps,  in  fifteen  or  twenty  places, 
naturally  subjected  us  to  the  criti- 
cism on  the  part  of  the  merchants 
and  manufacturers  in  those  places 
that  we  had  picked  them  out  and 
had  not  applied  to  .all  others  the 
process  which  we  applied  to  them. 
Therefore,  we  have  endeavored  to 
devise  a  practical  method  by  which 
two  thing's  might  be  accomplished, 
— first,  treatment  of  the  same  na- 
ture accorded  fairly  to  every  tax- 
payer owning  that  class  of  property 
at  the  same  time,  and,  second,  by 
a  method  which  would  at  once  ef- 
fect the  result  and  put  the  taxpayer 
to  the  least  inconvenience  possible. 
Accordingly  we  formulated  a  blank 
which  has  been  the  subject  of  much 
controversy.  The  taxpayers  will 
please  bear  in  mind  that  we  had  to 
consider  that  there  are  a  hundred 
ways,  figuratively  speaking,  of 
taking  an  inventory — that  there  are 
a  hundred  ways  of  book-keeping, 
and  that  there  are  hundreds  of 
different  kinds  of  business.  Nec- 
essarily our  blank  had  to  be  de- 
vised so  as  to  reach  all.  There  are 
questions  on  it  which  some  cannot 
answer.  There  are  some  who  can- 
not answer  any,  except  the  question 
relating  to  the  average  value  of  the 
stock  in  trade,  question  1  (d). 
There  are  some  who  can  answrer 
them  all.  The  question  relating  to 
average  value  is  the  question  which 
every  merchant  and  manufacturer  for 
years  has  been  required  to  answer 
on    his    ordinary     inventory    blank. 


There  is  no  question  on  the  blank 
which  does  not  afford  some  evi- 
dence of  the  taxable  value  of  the 
stock  in  trade  of  some  kind  of  busi- 
ness conducted  within  the  state. 
Most  of  the  questions  on  it  afford 
tests  by  which  it  may  be  deter- 
mined whether  the  taxable  value  of 
a  great  majority  of  the  stocks  in 
trade  have  been  computed  accord- 
ing to  a  correct  method.  This  is 
as  true  with  relation  to  the  ques- 
tion of  gross  sales  in  some  kinds 
of  business  as  it  is  with  relation  to 
the  actual  inventor}"  in  all  kinds 
of  business.  Occasionally  a  mer- 
chant is  found  who  has  never 
taken  an  inventory  and  never  kept 
any  books  though  those  cases  are 
now  becoming  rather  rare.  In  such 
cases  the  taxpayer  should  answer 
according  to  the  best  of  his  ability 
based  upon  his  honest  judgment 
and  nothing  more  can  be  expected. 
This  statement  applies,  further- 
more, to  every  taxpayer.  All  we 
expect  is  that,  without  requiring 
him  to  change  his  methods  of  do- 
ing business,  he  furnish  us  with  all 
the  information  available  from  his 
books  and,  failing  that,  from  his 
best  judgment,  which  will  enable 
us  justly  to  determine  the  taxable 
value  of  his  stock  in  trade.  The 
suggestion  that  the  figures  should 
conform  to  income  tax  returns  was 
inserted  to  establish  the  same  stand- 
ard of  inventories  that  has  been  es- 
tablished by  the  federal  govern- 
ment, and  was  inserted  to  make 
the  standard  uniform  and  to  pre- 
vent confusion  and  was  intended, 
purely  and  simply,  as  a  help  and 
guide  to  the  taxpayer.  Our  atten- 
tion has  been  called  to  an  opinion 
given  by  a  most  eminent  and  rep- 
utable firm  of  attorneys  who,  while 
denying  our  authority  in  making 
this  investigation,  were  extremely 
generous  to  us  personally.  It  is 
not  our  intention  to  present  here 
a  legal  brief  in  support  of  a  posi- 
tion  in  which   we   have  entire  con- 


N.  II.  DAY  BY  DAY 


179 


fide  nee,  It  may  not:  be  out  of 
place,  however,  to  suggest  some 
reasons,  br icily,  which  appear  to  us 
incontrovertibly  to-  support  our  at- 
titude and  action.  The  law  creat- 
ing the  tax  commission  is  found  in 
chapter  169  of  the  Laws  of  1911. 
An  song  numerous  other  duties  it 
is  provided  that  wc  shall  receive 
complaints  and  "carefully  examine 
into  all  cases  where  it  is  alleged 
that  property  subject  to  taxation 
has  not  been  assessed,  or  has  been 
fraudently  or  for  any  reason  im- 
properly or  unequally  assessed, 
or  the  law  in  any  manner  evaded  or 
violated,  and  to  order  re-assess- 
ments of  any  or  all  real  and  per- 
sonal property,  or  either,  in  any  as- 
sessment district,  when  in  the  judg- 
ment of  said  commission  such  re- 
assessment is  advisable  or  neces- 
sary-, to  the  end  that  all  classes  of 
property  in  such  assessment  dis- 
trict shall  be  assessed  in  compli- 
ance with  the  law."  Every  town 
and  city  in  the  state  is  an  assess- 
ment district.  Every  county  is  an 
assessment  district.  The  state,  as 
a  whole,  is  an  assessment  district. 
To  say  that  the  law  above  quoted 
means  that  we  must  wait  until  pro- 
ceedings have  been  instituted  in 
court  before  we  can  act,  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  the  court  may  or 
may  not  in  its  discretion  refer  any 
tax  matter  to  us  for  decision, 
would  result  in  requiring  us  to  say 
to  any  taxpayer  and  every  taxpayer 
who  made  any  complaint  to  us  that 
it  was  not  the  duty  of  the  tax 
commission  to  pay  any  attention 
to  his  complaint  but  that  he  must 
resort  to  legal  process  at  consider- 
able expense  and  then  if  the  court 
asks  us  to  determine  it  we  will  do 
so  but  otherwise  we  .  will  not. 
There  is  no  doubt  in  our  minds 
that,  as  a  practical  matter,  if  we 
took  that  attitude  the  protest  would 
be  statewide  and  justly  so.  In 
other  words,  we  deem  it  our  duty, 
and  we  have  performed   it,   to  pay 


attention  to  every  complaint  of 
unjust  taxation  which,  is'  brought 
to  our  attention.  There  can  be  no 
other  logical  construction  placed 
upon  the  statute.  If  nothing  fur- 
ther had  been  said  by  the  legisla- 
ture than  what'  has  been  quoted 
above,  it  would  be  presumed,  in  the 
absence  of  anything  in  the  law  to 
the  contrary,  that  the  legislature, 
having  given  us  a  duty  to  perform, 
intended  that  we  should  have  the 
tools  which  would  enable  us  to 
perform  the  duty.  But  the  fact  is 
that  the  law  provides  further  that 
we  may  "summon  witnesses  to 
appear  and  give  testimony,  and  to 
produce  books,  records,  papers  and 
documents  relating  to  any  tax 
matter  which  the  commission  may 
have  authority  to  investigate  or 
determine."  It  will  be  noted  that 
this  authority  extends  not  only  to 
those  formal  cases  in  the  nature  of 
court  proceedings  which,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  learned  counsel,  we 
have  authority  to  "determine." 
but  that  the  law  gives  us  this  au- 
thority in  cases  which  it  is  our 
duty  or  which  we  have  authority 
to  "investigate."  We  believe  that 
if  we  have  authority  "to  summon 
witnesses,  to  produce  books,"  etc., 
to  our  office  or  to  any  place  in  the 
state,  who  are  punishable  for  con- 
tempt for  failure  to  obey  the  sum- 
mons under  the  provsions  of  the 
tax  commission  law,  there  can  be 
little  doubt  about  our  authority  to 
*ask  them,  for  their  own  conven- 
ience, to  place  their  testimony  in 
the  form  of  an  affidavit  in  the  pre- 
paration of  which  they  are  at  lib- 
erty to  seek  all  the  advice  of  coun- 
sel they  desire,  rather  than  to  cause 
them  the  discomfort,  inconvenience, 
and  embarrassment  perhaps  of 
travelling  some  distance  and  bring- 
ing their  books  with  them  for  the 
examination  of  state  officials.  Fur- 
thermore, suppose  for  example  that 
some  of  the  street  railways,  steam 
railways,    telegraph   companies   and 


180 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


telephone  companies,  many  of  whom 
arc  represented  by  the  eminent  firm 
who  rendered  the  opinion  in  ques- 
tion, should  complain  to  us  when 
we  value  their  property  for  taxa- 
tion, as  we  are  required  to  do,  that 
their  property  should  be  under- 
valued because  all  other  property 
in  the  state  on  the  average  is  under 
valued.  They  are  required  by  law 
to  pay  only  their  proportionate 
share  of  the  taxes  the  same  as  an 
individual.  Such  a  complaint  would 
immediately  raise  the  question  of 
the  true  taxable  value  of  all  other 
property  in  the  state,  and  it.  is  not 
conceivable  that,  if  these  attorneys 
should  make  that  complaint  on  be- 
half of  their  clients,  they  would  be 
satisfied  with  an  answer  from  us 
that  they  must  institute  court  pro- 
ceedings before  they  should  be 
granted  redress.  They  would  ex- 
pect, of  course,  and  have  a  right  to 
demand  that  we  investigate,  em- 
ploying our  authority  to  summons 
if  necessary,  and  if,  after  such  in- 
vestigation, we  found  that  on  the 
average  throughout  the  state  other 
property  was  on  the  whole  assessed 
on  a  basis  of  seventy-live  per  cent 
of  its  true  value  the  valuation  of 
the  property  of  their  clients  should 
be  reduced  accordingly  in  order  to 
satisfy  the  constitutional  rule  of 
proportionality.  But  whether  or 
not  there  is  any  doubt  about  our 
authority  to  formulate  these  blanks 
and  require  their  return,  there  is 
surely  no  doubt  of  our  authority  to- 
summon  to  produce  books,  papers, 
etc.  That  authority  is  given  in 
terms.  We  do  not  desire  to  exer- 
cise it.  It  has  been  our  intention 
to  abstain  from  its  exercise  as 
fully  as  possible.  The  result  has 
been  the  blank  which  we  have 
issued  and  which  can  be  made  out 
by  the  taxpayer — perhaps  at  some 
inconvenience  but  at  not  so  great 
inconvenience  as  would  result  to 
him  if  he  were  summoned  before 
us, — in  the  privacy  of  his  own  office 


without  subjecting  his  books  to  the 
examination  of  strange  eyes,  and 
which  can  be  made  out  after  full 
opportunity  for  discussion  either 
with  the  tax  commission  or  with 
any  attorney'  he  may  choose  to  em- 
ploy. These  returns  are  to  be  made, 
to  this  office.  No  one  will  see  them 
excepting  two  or  three  lady  clerks 
who  file  them  away  as  soon  as  they 
come  in  and  the  three  members  of 
the  tax  commission  and  their 
assistant  who  is  an  accountant.  If 
we  had  the  time,  which  we  have 
not,  we  certainly  do  not  have  the 
disposition  to  carry  in  our  minds 
the.  private  affairs  of  some  seven 
or  eight  thousand  business  men  and 
peddle  them  abroad  throughout  the 
state  for  the  delectation  of  their 
competitors.  We  propose  to  per- 
mit no  one  to  see  them  except  those 
connected  with  this  office  and  the 
taxpayer  who  made  the  return. 
We  propose  to  check  up  the  infor- 
mation they  contain,  form  our  con- 
clusions as  to  what  is  shown  and 
then  to  check  up  those  conclusions 
with  the  return  made  to  the  local 
assessor.  If  the  return  does  not 
check  with  our  conclusions  we  pro- 
pose to  take  up  the  matter  with  the 
taxpayer.  If  the  returns  are  not 
made  on  the  blanks  sent  out  by  us 
we  propose,  likewise,  to  take  it  up 
with  the  taxpayer  and  make  an  ex- 
amination of  his  books.  In  brief, 
all  we  seek  is  all  the  information 
available  to  be  received  from  all  the 
merchants  and  manufacturers  all 
over  the  state  at  the  same  time  and 
in  the  same  way,  based,  so  far  as 
it  can  be,  on  their  books,  and,  so 
far  as  it  cannot  be,  then  on  _  their 
best  judgment,  and  we  seek  it  in  the 
simplest,  most  practical  way  we 
have  been  able  to  devise.  _  Once 
having  succeeded  in  placing  the 
valuation  of  stocks  in  trade  on  an 
equitable  basis,  we  anticipate  that 
there  will  be  no  occasion  for  re- 
peating the  process  which  we  are 
going   through   this   year. 


N.  II.  DAY   BY  DAY 


181 


The  fourth  step  which  we  have 
taken  is  in  regard  to  the  taxation  of 
intangible  property.       Let     us  repeat, 

we  can  not  justify  enforcing-  a  full 
valuation  of  real  estate,  stocks  in 
trade  or  livestock  unless  we  make  the 
same  effort  to  procure  a  full  valua- 
tion of  intangible  property.  If  a 
fifteen  hundred  dollar  farm  is  valued 
at  full  value,  as  most  of  them  are, 
and  a  hundred  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  bonds  properly  taxable  is 
not  taxed,  the  injury  to  the  owner 
of  the  farm  is  quite  as  great  as  it  is 
if  the  mill,  the  stock  in  trade  or  the 
business  block  is  not  taxed  at  its 'full 
and  true  value.  There  is  no  member 
of  this  commission  who  believes  that 
intangible  property  can  be  taxed  pro- 
perly under  our  existing  system. 
Most  states  of  the  union  have  learned 
by  experience  that  it  cannot  be  taxed 
and  reached  as  general  tangible  pro- 
perty is  taxed.  They  have  changed 
their  methods  to  some  sort  of  system 
which  will  permit  a  man  to  invest  in 
what  he  pleases,  get  a  fair  return  on 
his  investment,  pay  his  tax,  be  hon- 
est and  give  to  the  state,  the  county, 
the  city  and  the  town,  a  largely  in- 
creased revenue.  Common  experi- 
ence has  demonstrated  that  this  com- 
bination of  circumstances  cannot 
exist  under  a  system  which  attempts 
to  tax  this  class  of  property  as  we  at- 
tempt to  tax  it.  It  is  estimated  that 
nowadays  the  intangible  wealth  of  a 
state  is  about  equal  to  the  tangible 
wealth.  Assuming  this  to  be  true  in 
New  Hampshire,  there  is  about  five 
hundred  million  dollars  of  intangible 
wealth  in  this  state.  A  large  part  of 
this,  consisting  of  corporate  stock, 
except  National  Bank  stock,  and  of 
federal  bonds,  and  of  New  Hamp- 
shire state,  county  and  municipal 
bonds  is  not  taxable  here.  Further- 
more, owners  of  money  at  interest 
in  this  state  are  allowed  to  off-set 
money  at  interest  which  they  Owe  on 
the  first  day  of  April  which  was  not 
borrowed  for  the  purpose  of  evading 
taxation.       Therefore,    a  conservative 


estimate  of  the  intangible  property  ac- 
tual!}" taxable  in  New  Hampshire 
might  be  placed  at  a  hundred  million 
dollars.  Ten  years  ago.  there  was 
twenty  mil1  ion  dollars  of  this  class  of 
property  taxed  in  the  first  year  of  the 
life  of  the  tax  commission.  Since 
that  time  this  total  has  shown  a  re- 
markably regular  decrease  each  year, 
until,  in  192:1,  only  about  ten  millions 
were  taxed.  Obviously,  the  system 
which  we  employ  is  driving  it  under 
cover  and,  furthermore,  forcing  men 
to  be  dishonest  against  their  ordinary 
desire.  In  the  attempt  to  tax  this 
class  of  property  at  its  full  value  we 
have  made  a  revision  of  the  ordinary 
inventor}'  blank.  The  revision  con- 
sists of  two  changes,  one  of  form  and 
the  other  of  substance.  The  change 
in  form  consists  in  asking  the  taxpay- 
er to  state  the  amount  of  intangible 
holdings  which  he  has,  which  are  tax- 
able, by  classes,  because  there  are  sev- 
eral different  kinds  of  this  property 
which  are  taxable,  instead  of  asking 
him,  according  to  previous  custom, 
how  much  lie  had  by  enumerating  all 
the  different  classes  taxable  in  one 
general  question.  In  other  words 
the  genera!  question  has  been  taken 
apart  and  itemized  in  order  that  there 
ma}*  be  as  little  confusion  as  possible 
as  to  what  kinds  of  this  class  of  pro- 
perty arc  actually  taxable.  It  is  a 
change  similar  to  what  would  have 
been  done  if  we  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  asking  the  taxpayer  to  state  on  his 
blank  how  many  live-stock  he 
had  and  had  now  changed  it 
and  asked  him  how  many  horses,' 
how  many  cows,  etc.  No  one 
who  has  answered  this  question 
truthfully  in  previous  years  will  find 
any  difficulty  in  answering  the  ques- 
tions truthfully  now.  The  same  pro- 
perty is  taxable  this  year  which  has 
been  taxable  before.  The  second 
change,  one  of  substance,  relates  to 
the  off -sets  of  money  at  interest 
which  may  be  deducted  from  the 
amount  of  taxable  money  at  interest 
owned  on  April   1.       Under     the  old 


182 


THE  GRANITE  MONTHLY 


form  of  question  the  taxpayer  was 
permitted  to  strike  the  balance  in  Ins 
head.  We  have  asked  him  to  strike 
it  on  the  inventory-  blank.  The  rea- 
son for  so  doing  is  that  all  money 
owing  is  not  a  legitimate  off-set.  In 
the  first  place,  indebtedness  incurred 
for  the  purpose  of  evading  taxes  is 
not  a  legitimate  off-set.  In  the  sec- 
ond place,  ordinary  accounts  out- 
standing, or  any  money  owing,  but  not 
at  interest,  is  not  a  legitimate  off-set, 
It  is  only  indebtedness  which  bears 
interest  which  may  be  off-set.  Any 
taxpayer  who  has  been  able  to  com- 
pute the  off-set  properly  before  will 
find  it  easier  to  do  so  now,  and  we 
believe  that  it  is  perfectly  legitimate 
to  ask  a  taxpayer  to  specify  what  he 
claims  as  an  off-set  in  order  to  enable 
the  assessing  officers  to  determine 
whether  or  not  his  claim  is  a  proper 
one.  Having  made  all  the  effert  we 
can  to  enforce  the  tax  laws  relating 
to  this  class  of  property,  one  of  two 
things  will  happen.  Either  it  will  be 
returned  for  taxation  or  the  people  of 
New  Hampshire  will  be  convinced 
that  some  change,  either  legislative  or 
constitutional  or  both,  is  necessary  in 
order  to  derive  any  financial  benefit 
of  any  consequence  from  the  taxation 
of  this  class  of  property. 

Speaking  generally  there  are  fur- 
ther reasons  which  call  quite  as  in- 
sistently for  an  equalization  of  tax 
burdens  this  year  as  does  the  direct 
command  of  the  constitution.  Re- 
gardless of  soaring  tax  rates  the 
people  in  the  town  meetings  are  vot- 
ing to  spend  more  money  than  ever 
before.  Last  year,  notwithstanding  a 
very  general  cry  for  economy,  a  cry 
which  must  evolve  into  a  habit  of 
economy  if  present  tendencies  con- 
tinue, the  taxes  assessed  in  the  towns 
and  cities  of  New  Hampshire  in- 
creased from  about  twelve  million 
dollars  to  over  thirteen  million  dol- 
lars. The  valuation  of  the  state  was 
increased  about  twenty  million  dollars, 
which  increase  was  due  almost  en- 
tirely to  the  correction  of  previously 


existing  undervaluation  in  different 
sections  of  the  state.  But  this  in- 
crease in  valuation  was  by  no  means 
sufficient  to  take  care  of  the  increased 
taxes.  Consequently  tax  rates  con- 
tinued to  rise,  and  the  average  rate  of 
taxation,  which  includes  the  unin- 
corporated towns  where  there  are  no 
local  taxes,  rose  from  $2.37  to  $2.48. 
This  year  all  the  indications  are  that 
taxes  will  further  increase.  We 
have  no  additional  sources  of  revenue 
on  which  to  rely.  If  undervaluation 
exists,  as  it  does,  as  taxes  increase 
the  inequalities  become  more  distress- 
ing. In  the  poorer  farming  towns  the 
tax  rates  are  well  on  their  way  to 
four  dollars.  We  had  a  call  from  a 
board  of  selectmen  recently  who  stat- 
ed that,  unless  they  received  some 
help  from  the  tax  commission  this 
year  in  finding  undervaluation  and  in 
equalizing  the.  distribution,  their  tax 
rate  would  reach,  if  it  would  not  ex- 
ceed, four  dollars.  In  the  face  of 
such  complaints,  and  calls  for  help, 
and  with  our  knowledge  of  existing 
inequalities  we  would  be  most  dere- 
lict in  the  performance  of  our  duty 
if  we  did  not  render  every  effort,  in 
compliance  with  the  law  and  with  the 
constitution,  to  equalize  tax  burdens. 
The  average  good  citizen  will  rejoice 
after  the  result  is  achieved  to  see  such 
an  equalization  effected.  The  citizen 
who  has  been  escaping  and  who  de- 
sires to  continue  to  escape  will  con- 
tinue to.  protest  with  ever  increasing 
vehemence. 

Further  than  that,  the  tax  com- 
mission has  in  the  last  two  years 
gone  into  some  thirty-five  or  forty 
towns  and  thoroughly  re-valued  every 
piece  of  taxable  property  in  the  town. 
Next  spring  the  legislature  will  make 
a  new  apportionment  of  the  state  and 
county  taxes  for  every  town  and  city. 
Those  towns  whose  property  has 
been  placed  at  full  value  have  a  right 
to  insist,  and  do  insist,  that  all  others 
shall  be  brought  up  to  the  same  stan- 
dard, because  the  distribution  of  the 
state  and   county   taxes   is  based    for 


• 


N.  H.  DAY  BY  DAY 


183 


all  practical  purposes  on  the  compara- 
tive assessed  valuations  of  the  towns 
and  cities.  If  one  town  is  assessed 
at  full  value  and  another,  on  the 
whole,  is  assessed  at  fifty  or  seventy- 
five  per  cent  of  its  full  value,  injus- 
tice is  done  to  the  town  assessed  at 
full  value  in  the  distribution  of  the 
state  and  county  taxes  if  the  others 
are  not  brought  up  to  full  value. 
The  relation  of  one  town  to  another 
so  far  as  the  payment  of  state  and 
county  taxes  is  concerned,  is  about 
the  same  as  the  relation  between  an 
individual  taxpayer  in  a  town  and  all 
the  other  taxpayers  in  the  same  town. 
If  the  property  of  one.  is  at  full  value 
and  the  others  are  not,  the  one  is  in- 
jured and  the  others  escape.  This 
the  constitution  does  not  permit,  the 
law  does  not  sanction  and  the  tax 
commission  will  not  tolerate,  so  far  as 
its  ability  exists  to  eliminate  it. 

The  tax  commissioners  are  appoint- 
ed by  the  supreme  court  of  the  state, 
each  for  a  term  of  six  years.  It  was 
the  intent  of  the  legislature  so  far 
as  possible  to  provide  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  commission  which 
would   be  placed   in   a  position  which 


would  best  enable  it  to  enforce  the 
tax  laws  without  partisanship  or  par- 
tiality. It  is  equality,  not  exact  but 
practical  equality,  which  is  sought  and 
required.  There  can  be  no  equality 
where  there  is  partiality.  So  far  as 
we  are  concerned  personally,  having 
accepted  the  office,  we  can  pursue  any 
one  of  the  three  courses.  First,  we 
can  rest  idle,  draw  our  salaries  and 
merit  the  contempt  and  ridicule  of 
the  state.  Second,  we  can  urge  that 
the  ordinary  farm  and  the  ordinary 
home,  which  are  the  easiest  properties 
to  appraise,  be  placed  at  their  full 
value  and  the  extraordinary  real  es- 
tate, the  stocks  in  trade  and  the  in- 
tangibles be  allowed  to  remain  as 
the}'  are,  thereby  doing  greater  in- 
jury to  some  taxpayers  and  greater 
favors  to  others, — and  merit  the  con- 
tempt and  ridicule  of  the  state. 
Third,  we  can  see  to  it  that  all  pro- 
pert}'  of  all  classes,  whether  owned 
by  rich  or  poor,  is  taxed  at  its  full 
and  true  value  under  the  law,  thereby 
rendering  equality  to  every  one,  and, 
regardless  of  protests,  rest  content  in 
the  consciousness  of  work  honestly 
performed. 


THE  WINDING  ROAD 

By  Nellie  Dodge  Frye 

I  came  upon  a  little  winding  road, 
It  led,  I  knew  not  where. 
To  follow  fancy-free,  I  dropped  the  load 
Of  every  carking  care. 

The  wild  anemones  were  at  my  feet, 

A   meadow  brook  ran  by. 

Gray  pussy-willows  waited  Spring  to  greet, 

Above  was  azure  sky. 

My  world  was  full  of  warmth  and   love  and 

peace. 
To  me  'twas  Nature's  call. 
1  felt  my  faith  and  sympathy  increase, 
And  God  was  over  all. 


\ei 


EDITORIALS 


New  Hampshire  dings  to  its 
spring  'holiday.  Repeated  efforts 
to  have  the  legislature  repeal  the 
statute  constituting  Fast  Day  a 
legal  holiday  have  failed:  Yen- 
few  fast.  Not  many  pray.  But 
practically  all  except  the  bed-rid- 
den get  out  of  doors  and  give 
thanks  because  winter  has  come 
and  gone  and  spring,  for  some  time 
on  the  way,  has  arrived.  The  form 
of  Fast  Day  observance,  as  Gov- 
ernor Brown  neatly  put  it  in  his 
proclamation,  "like  that  of  the  ob- 
servance of  the  New  England  Sab- 
bath, has  yielded  something  of  its 
strictness  to  the  liberal  tendency  of 
the  times.  Actual  abstinence  and 
the  political  sermon  have  given 
place  to  sports  and  pastimes.  Nev- 
ei  theless,"  the  governor  continued, 
"the  cay  is  still  worthy  of  religious 
commemoration  and  its  preserva- 
tion may  well  become  an  object  of 
civic  effort  and  a  subject  of  earnest 
prayer."  Such  an  object  and  sub- 
ject in  this  year  1922  the  Governor, 
from  the  bottom  of  his  heart  pro- 
vided, when,  in  the  second  para- 
graph of  his  proclamation  he  said : 
"Among  our  supplications  for  time- 
ly blessings  \q\  us  include  a  peti- 
tion, from  heart  and  soul,  for  per- 
manent and  profound  peace  in  the 
industries  of  the  state.  With  such 
peace  our  manufactures  should 
prosper  and  our  people  thrive. 
Without  it  disaster  and  want  must 
ensue.  May  Divine  Providence 
cause  a  spirit  of  justice  and  co- 
operation to  prevail  among  ,  em- 
ployers and  employed  and  thus  pre- 
pare the  way  for  them  so  to  unite 
their  interests  in  the  ownership  and 
operation  of  our  great  industrial 
enterprises  as  not  only  to  elimi- 
nate strikes  and  lockouts  but  also, 
in  other  respects,  to  benefit  them- 
selves and  the  state."  It  is  safe  to 
say  that  no  gubernatorial  procla- 
mation  in    the   history  of   the   state 


ever  evoked  a  heartier  "Amen!" 
from  the  people  of  the  common- 
wealth. 


Comparatively  few  of  the  many 
thousand  summer  residents  of 
New  Hampshire  are  readers  of  the 
state  magazine,  the  Graite  Month- 
ly. All  of  them  ought  to  be  be- 
cause we  know  that  they  are  inter- 
ested in  what  the  magazine  aims  to 
do,  viz.,  preserve  the  past,  record 
the  present,  aid  the  future  of  the 
state  which  they  have  chosen  for 
their  holiday  homes.  Highly  ap- 
propriate books  to  choose  as  fur- 
nishings of  New  Hampshire  sum- 
mer homes  are  the  bound  volumes 
of  the  Granite  Monthly,  containing, 
as  they  do,  a  great  amount  of  inter- 
esting and  valuable  matter  about 
the  Granite  State.  As  a  special 
inducement  to  increase  the  number 
of  our  readers  among  the  "summer 
folk"  we  offer  a  year's  subscription 
to  the  magazine  and  a  bound  vol- 
ume of  the  numbers  for  another 
year  for  $2,  a  "two  for  one"  propo- 
sition. 


Every  now  and  then  we  find 
something  in  the  Granite  Monthly's 
mail  which  makes  us  think  it  is 
wrorth  while  to  keep  the  New 
Hampshire  state  magaznej  going 
even  without  personal  reward  or 
pecuniary  profit.  For  instance,  here 
is  a  letter  from  John  B.  Abbott, 
vice-president  and  treasurer  of  the 
William  B.  Durgin  Company,  Con- 
cord, one  of  the  state's  oldest  and 
best  known  industries,  in  which  he 
says:  "I  congratulate  you  on  the 
splendid  appearance  of  your  pub- 
lication as  well  as  upon  its  contents. 
The  article  in  your  April  issue  on 
New  England  industries  ought  to 
be  broadcasted  all  over  New  Eng- 
land."    Mr.     Charles     Emerson     of 


EDITORIALS  185 

Lynn,  Mass.,  accompanies  his  sub-  K.  Daniels  of  Plainfteld.  From 
scription  check  with  the  remark  away  down  in  Alabama  Mr.  Charles 
that  "the  Granite  Monthly  is  a  M.  T.  Sawyer  of  Fort  Payne,  form- 
magazine  in  which  every  natve  of  erly  of  New  Hampshire,  sends  us 
New  Flampshire  should  be  nterest-  word',  with  a  check,  that  "Your 
ed."  "The  articles  by  Mr.  Upham  work  is  interesting/' 
are  very  valuable"  writes   Mrs.   \V. 


ARBUTUS! 

By  Edna  Logan  Hummel 

I  know  a  slope  that  faces  the  south 
Where  the  earliest  spring  fiowers  blow 
A  sun-caressed  slope  where  the  delicate  buds 
Of  trailing  arbutus  grow. 

Glorious  skies  and  blustery  winds — 
The   lamb   and   the   lion   together; 
Eager,  I  seek  that  warm  sunny  slope. 
For  this  is  arbutus  weather. 

Surely  some  frolicsome  elves  danced  here 
Joyous  and  buoyant  of  wing, 
With  rosy  tipped  censers  of  fairyland 
Exhaling  sweet  attar-of-spring. 

And  then  some  mischievous  mortal  passed 
Disturbing  their  fairy  glee  ; 
They  scattered  in  haste  from  that  sunny  slope, 
Dropping  their  censers  for  me. 

I  gather  you  tenderly,   fragrant  flowers 
Rusty  green  leaves  and  all. 
I  love  you,  I  love  you,  frail  beautiful  buds, 
And  the  fairies  who  let  you  fall ! 


BOOKS  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  INTEREST 


The  probably  large  number  of 
people,  who  are  suffering  from  liter- 
ary indigestion  caused  by  the.  pre- 
valence of  raw  meat  and  tainted  fish 
in  their  fiction  diet  should  take  "The 
Island  Que"  (Lothrop,  Lee  &  Sliep- 
ard  Company,  Boston).  Under  this 
title  Miss  Grace  Blanchard  has  told 
one  of  the  prettiest  love  stories  of  re- 
cent publication.  It  is  simple,  it  is 
dainty,  it  is  charming;  a  delightful 
accompaniment  to  a  summer  outing 
in  New  England,  while  in  process 
either  of  planning  or  of  consumma- 
tion. The  publishers  have  shown 
good  taste  in  the  setting  of  the  story 
and  in  its  illustration  from  excellent 
photographs. 

New  Hampshire  interest  in  the 
book  is  two  fold ;  arising  from  the 
personality  of  the  author  and  from 
the  fact  that  the  first  and  last  of  the 
islands  where  her  heroine  takes  the 
cure,  which  is,  by  the  way,  the  well 
known  love  cure,  are  Granite  State 
territory.  Miss  Blanchard's  voca- 
tion is  that  of  being  the  experienced 
and  efficient  head  of  the  multum  in 
parvo  Concord  city  library.  Her 
avocation,  in  which  she  achieves 
equal  success,  is  the  telling  of  clean, 
sweet  stories,  hitherto  for  and  about 
girls,  but  in  the  present  volume  tak- 
ing a  wider  range. 

Jean  Beverly  had  many  delightful 
experiences  on  the  islands  of  our  At- 
lantic coast  from  Mount  Desert  to 
Nantucket,  but  the  "island  of  their 
heart's  desire,"  meaning  Jean  and 
her  man,  was  found,  as  the  fronti- 
piece  shows  us  and  the  last  chapter 
tells  us,  on  "Big  Squam."  The 
roundabout  journey  there,  with  the 
Unitarian  meetings  on  Star  Island  at 
the  Shoals  as  the  starting  point,  is 
one  well  worth  taking,  for  with  Miss 
Blanchard  as  the  guide  interest  never 
slackens  nor  are  entertaining  inci- 
dents ever  lacking:. 


As  the  story  of  "The  Island 
Cure"  ends  on  an  ishn  in  A  squam 
lake,  so  does  that  of  "The  New 
Gentleman  of  the  Road"  find  its 
finish  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Suna- 
pee,  where,  for  many  years,  has 
been  the  summer  home  of  Mr. 
Herbert  Welsh,  the  Philadelphia 
publicist,  whose  name  is  so  famil- 
iar in  connection  with  many  good 
causes,  from  righting  the  wrongs  of 
the  Indians  to  preserving  and  pro- 
tecting the  forests  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. Although  he  has  passed  his 
70th  year  it  is  the  annual 
custom  of  Mr.  Welsh  to  make  the 
500-mi.le  journey  from  his  city 
home  to  his  country  place  entirely 
on  foot;  reaching  his  destination  in 
such  condition  as  to  prove  to  phy- 
sicians that  if  the  number  of  pe- 
destrians should  increase  their  pa- 
tients would  decrease   in  proportion. 

The  story  of  two  of  his  long 
walks  through  Pennsylvania,  New 
Jersey,  New  York,  Connecticut, 
Massachusetts,  Vermont  and  New 
Hampshire,  Mr.  Welsh  has  told  in 
a  most  readable  way  and  put  in 
print  within  the  covers  of  a  hand- 
some volume  which  it  is  a  pleas- 
ure and  a  privilege  to  add  to  one's 
library.  His  adventures  are  not 
thrilling.  Not  once,  he  says,  has  he 
been  "held  up"  or  even  had  his 
pocket  picked.  But  his  chance 
acquaintances  of  the  road  are  most 
interesting  people  as  he  describes 
them.  Occasionally  he  waxes  elo- 
quent as  when  he  tells  of  his  cus- 
tom "to  steal  out  in  the  twilight 
before  dawn  to  watch  by  the 
waters  of  the  Lake  the  glorious  sun 
suddenly  and  silently  come  up  at 
a  certain  point  over  Garnet  Hill, 
tracing  in  an  instant  fantastic 
forms  in  gold  and  rose  on  the 
morning  violet  of  the  northern  sky. 
All  this  was   framed  by   the  trans- 


BOOKS  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  INTEREST 


187 


lucent  delicate  boughs  of  hem- 
locks, pines  and  birch  trees.'5  Hut 
for     the     most  part     his     chronicles 


are 


the 


simp 


nl, 


manner  of  Mr. 
Pepys  and  to  us  worthy  of  men- 
tion in  the  same  breath  with  the 
immortal    diary. 

Another  successful  author  with 
whom  the  writing  of  books  is  an 
avocation  rather  than  a  vocation  is 
William  Dana  Orcutt,  native  of 
West  Lebanon,  New  Hampshire,  son 
of  the  late  Hiram  Orcntt,  deservedly 
famous  educator  of  days  gone  by  in 
the  Granite  State.  For  some  time  past 
the  younger  Mr.  Orcutt  has  given  us, 
as  the  spirit  moved  and  time  sufficed, 
someverv  readable  works  of  fiction, 
"The  Moth,"  "The  Lever,"  "The 
Spell,"  etc.  Now  the  Frederick  A. 
Stokes  Company,  New  York,  pub- 
lish from  his  pen  "The  Balance," 
which  they  well  characterize  as  "an 
unusual  story  of  love  and  business." 
The  jacket  illustration,  as  they  fur- 
ther say,  "sounds  the.  kevnote  of  the 


story,  'When  Justice  recognizes  its 
injustice,  then  is  justice  possible.'  " 
"The  Balance,"  which,  in  the  story, 
it  is  sought  lo  restore,  is  that  of  our  - 
social  order,  grievously  wrenched  and 
distorted  by  the  world  war,  far  as 
that  was  from  our  hearthstones  and 
mili-doors.  The  author  saw  the  war 
in  its  progress  over  seas.  He  has 
come  into  intimate  touch  with  some 
of  the  problems  it  has  left  behind, 
here,  among  us;  and  in  the  course  of 
this  story  lie  deals  with  them  with  in- 
sight, sympathy  and  wisdom.  As  a 
story,  moreover,  it  is  a  good  story ; 
with  a  fast  moving  plot,  exciting  epi- 
sodes, a  murder  mystery,  etc.  Some 
readers  have  identified  the  scene  of 
the  story  with  Norwood,  Mass.,  the 
place  of  Mr.  Orcutt's  own  residence; 
but  the  theme,  the  people,  the  lesson 
to  be  learned  are  not  to  be  localized. 
They  exist  everywhere  in  America 
to-day  and  Mr.  Orctitt's  book  de- 
serves a  correspondingly  wide  atten- 
tion. 


OH.  COME  AND  WALK  WITH  ME 

By  Mabel  Cornelia  Matson 

Oh,  come  and  walk  an  hour  with  me. 

The  sky  is  blue  as  gentians, 

The  breeze  is  sweeter  than  sweet  spices  are 

And  it  will  carry  far  away 

The  little  nagging  worries  of  the  day 

And  set  your  spirit   free. 

Oh,  come  and  walk  an  hour  with  me. 


Oh,  come  and  walk  a  day  with  me. 

And  you  shall  stand  on  younder  blue-veiled  hill 

And  watching  there  the  sunset  flame  and  fade 

Shall  backward  look  and   forward,  unafraid, 

Seeing  the  past -washed  clean- of  bitterness, 

The   future   safe   with   God. 

Oh,  come  and  walk  a  day  with  me, 


\Z8 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  NECROLOGY 


WILL  B.HOWE 

Will  Bernard  Howe,  for  almost  30 
years  Concord's  efficient  and  popular 
city  engineer  and  one  of  the  best  known 
men  in  the  country  in  that  line  of  pro- 
fessional work,  died  suddenly  at  his 
home  on  Saturday,  April  1.  '  He  was 
born  in  Concord,  July  3,  1S59,  the  son 
of  William  Hohnan  and  Mary  (Carlton) 
Howe,  both  his  father  and  mother  being 


ofnce  of  Charles  C.  Lund,  C.  E.,  in  Con- 
cord, in  the  fall  of  IS 78.  He  worked 
with  Mr.  Lund  until  the  latter's  death 
in  December,  1880,  as  a  rodnian,  prin- 
cipally on  railroad  work,  including  trie 
construction  of  the  Profile  and  Fran- 
conia  Notch  R.  R.  p.nd  the  location  of 
its  Bethlehem  branch.  After  Mr.  Lund's 
death,  Mr.  Howe  continued  in  the  cm- 
ploy  of  his  successors,  Foss  &  Merrill, 
in     the    construction    of    this    Bethlehem 


The  late  Will  B.  Howe. 


of  old  Revolutionary  stock.  He  was  a 
direct  descendant  of  Joseph  Howe,  who 
fought  in  the  French  and  Indian  War 
and  was  also  a  Minute  Man  at  Lexing- 
ton. The  old  Howe  tavern  at  Sudbury, 
Mass.,  immortalized  by  Longfellow  as 
"The  Wayside  Inn,"  was  built  by  an 
ancestor  and  occupied  by  three  genera- 
tions   of    Howes. 

Mr.    Llowe    graduated    from    the    Con- 


cord   High    Sc 


the    class    of    1876 


and  began   his   life-work  by  entering   the 


branch;  in  location  work  on  proposed 
extensions  of  the  Boston,  Concord  & 
Montreal  R.  R.  in  the  White  Mountain 
region,  in  maintenance  work  on  the  B., 
C.  &  M.,  the  Concord  R.  R.  and  branches 
and  in  miscellaenous  engineering  work 
including  surveys  for  the  developments 
of  the  Sewalls  Falls  water  power  in  the 
Merrimack  river,  now  the  property  of 
the  Concord  Electric   Company. 

In    September,    1883,    Mr.    Howe    went 
to     Nova     Scotia    as    principal    assistant 


NEW   HA 


'SHIRE  NECROLOGY 


189 


engineer  on  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Central  Railway,  with  headquarters  at 
Bridgcwater,  N.  S.,  and  assisted  in  re- 
locating portions  of  that  railway  and 
and  in  the  construction  of  that  line 
until  May.  1888,  being  acting  chief 
engineer  in  1887.  Returning  to  Con- 
cord in  the  month  named  he  assumed 
the  management  oi  Foss  &  Merrill's 
genera!  engineering  office  ard  so  con- 
tinued until  March,  1893,  when  he  was 
chosen  ar...  Concord's  first  city  engineer 
and  in  that  position  remained  until  his 
death. 

Of  Mr.  Howe's  long  and  faithful  ser- 
vice as  a  municipal  officer  many  monu- 
ments remain.  One  is  the  map  of  the 
city,  pronounced  by  experts  a  splendid 
piece  of  work,  which  accompanied  the 
official  History  of  Concord.  Another  is 
the  invaluable  assessors'  map,  which  he 
had  brought  up  to  date  not  long  before 
his  death.  One  of  the  first  important 
municipal  contracts  awarded  after  he  be- 
came city  engineer  was  for  the  sewer 
from  the  State  Hospital  on  Pleasant 
street  through  Clinton  street;  and  it  is 
recalled  that,  in  order  to  be  sure  of  its 
completion  according  to  the  terms  of 
the  contract,  he  entered  the  sewer  and 
crawled  through  its  entire  length  on  his 
hands  and  knees,  a  painful  and  laborious 
progress.  When  it  became  necessary  for 
the  city  to  spend  large  sums  on  steel 
bridges,  in  the  city  proper  and  at  Pena- 
cook,  he  took  a  special  course  in  bridge 
engineering  that  he  might  be  able  to 
give  their  construction  competent  per- 
sonal supervision. 

As  illustrating  his  standing  in  his  pro- 
fession he  had  served  as  vice-president 
and  as  treasurer  of  the  American  So- 
ciety for  Municipal  Improvements,  of 
which  he  had  been  a  member  since  1894, 
and  last  year  he  was  voted  in  as  a 
"member  without  dues,"  for  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  this  being  the  near- 
est approach  to  honorary  membership 
.possible  under  the  society's  constitution. 
He  was  a  member  and  had  served  as 
secretary  of  the  New  Hampshire  Good 
Roads  Association.  He  had  also  been 
a  member  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers  since  March,  1896,  and  of  the 
National  Geographic  Society  since  Janu- 
ary, 1913.  He  was  affiliated  with  the 
Masonic  bodies  of  Concord,  being  a 
member  of  Blazing  Star  Lodge,  Tri- 
nity Chapter,  Horace  Chase  Council, 
and  Mount  Horeb  Commandery.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  Bektash  Tem- 
ple, A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.,  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Society  of  Veteran  Free  Masons, 
and  was  vice-president  of  the  Council 
of    the    Order   of    High    Priesthood.     He 


had  served  Trinity  Chapter  as  high 
priest,  and  was  a  past  thrice  illustri- 
ous master  of  Horace  Chase  Council. 
He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Concord  Ma- 
sonic.   Association.  . 

Mr.  Howe  was  a  member  of  the  New 
Hampshire  Society,  Sons  of  the  Ameri- 
can Revolution,  serving  as  secretary  and 
treasurer  the  past  two  years  and  hold- 
ing those  offices  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
New  Hampshire  Historical  Society;  the 
Men's  Club  of  the  South  Congregation- 
al church;  the  Wonolancet  Club;  and 
the  Concord  Gun  Club.  He  was  a 
Republican    in    politics. 

In  Nova  Scotia,  on  January  22,  1889, 
Mr.  Howe  married  Ida  May  Starratt, 
younger  daughter  of  Tames  Starratt,  Jr., 
and  Elizabeth  Waterman,  his  wife.  A 
daughter,  Myrna.  is  their  only  chid.  He 
is  also  survived  by  a  sister,  Mrs.  George 
S.   Milton. 

Efficienc}'  economy  and  good  sense 
v.  ere  Mr.  Howe's  attributes  as  an  en- 
gineer. To  them  he  added  a  quiet  but 
sincere  devotion  to  the  best  interests  of 
the  community  which  was  manifested 
in  many  ways.  An  earnest  hope,  which 
had  not  been  fulfilled  when  death  took 
him  away,  was  for  a  modern,  safety- 
bringing  building  code  in  Concord.  In 
all  his  relations,  official,  professional, 
personal  and  social.  Mr.  Howe  was 
genial,   kindly,   helpful   and  just. 


IRVING   W.  DREW 

Irving  Webs-er  Drew,  eminent  New 
Hampshire  lawyer  and  United  States  Sena- 
tor, died  April  10,  after  a  brief  illness  of 
pneumonia,  at  the  home  of  his  daughter 
in  Montclair,  N.  J.  He  was  born  in  Cole- 
brook,  January  8.  1845.  the  son  of  Amos 
Webster  and  Julia  Esther  (Lovering) 
Drew,  his  father  being  twice  a  State  Sena- 
tor in  Civil  War  days  and  a  man  of  in- 
fluence and  prominence  in  the  North 
Country.  Irving  W.  Drew  prepared  at 
Kimball  Union  Academy,  Meriden,  for 
Dartmouth  College,  where  he  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1870  with  the  degree  of  A.  B., 
subsenuently  receiving  that  of  A.  M.  He 
studied  law  with  the  famous  Lancaster 
firm  composed  of  Congressman  Ossian 
Ray  and  Judr/e  William  S.  Ladd  and  suc- 
ceeded the  latter  as  a  partner.  Other 
members  of  the  firm  in  later  years  were 
the  late  Henrv  Heywood.  the  late  Gover- 
nor Chester  B.  Jordan,  the  late  General 
Philip  Carpenter,  the  late  William  P. 
Buckley,  and,  now  surviving,  George  F. 
Morris,  judge  of  the  U.  S.  District  court, 


190 


GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Merrill  Shu  rtieff,  Eri  C  Oakes  and  Irving 
C.  Hmkley,  the  last  three  comprising  the 
present  firm.  Mr.  Drew  was  very  success- 
full  and  highly  esteemed  .in  his  profession, 
as  was  shown  by  the  extent  of  his  prac- 
tice and  the  character  of  his  clients  arid 
by  the  fact  that  he  was  honored  in  1899 
by  election  as  president  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire   Bar    Association. 

In  other  business  relations  he  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Upper  Coos  Railroad,  director 
of  the  Hereford  railroad,  president  of  the 
Siwooganock  savings  bank,  and  director 
of  the  Lancaster  National   Bank. 

In  politics  Mr.  Drew  was  an  active 
Democrat  until  the  days  of  Bryan  and  free 
silver  and  represented  his  party  as  a  dele- 
gate to  its  national  conventions  of  1880, 
1892  and  1895,  being  one  of  the  consider- 
able number  who  withdrew  from  the  last- 
named  gathering.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
the  constitutional  conventions  of  1902  and 
1912.  and  a  state  senator  in  1883,  but  never 
sought  higher  office  although  often  urged 
to  do  so.  September  1,  1918.  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Governor  Henry  W.  Keyes  as 
United  State?  Senator  to  fill  the  unexpired 
term  of  the  late  Jacob  H.  Gallinger  and 
during  his  brief  stay  at  Washington  much 
impressed  his  associates  in  the  higher 
branch  of  the  national  legislature  with  his 
ability. 

Mr.  Drew  was  a  Mason  and  Knight 
Templar,  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F. 
and  the  New  Hampshire  Historical  So- 
ciety. In  religious  belief  he  was  an  Epis- 
copalian. In  youth  he  served  in  the 
National  Guard  attaining  the  rank  of  ma- 
jor in  the  Third  Regiment.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  president  of  the  Wil- 
liam D.  Weeks  Memorial  Library  associa- 
tion at  Lancaster ;  and  the  people  of  that 
town  further  showed  their  respect  for  him 
by    making    him    the    president    of    the    day 


on  the  occasion  of  the  150th  anniversary 
in  DPI  ;  by  securing  Ins  services  as  chair- 
man of  their  "war  chest" ;  and  by  asking 
him  to  make  the  official  address  of  wel- 
come when  President  Harding  was  given 
the   greetings    of    Lancaster   in    1921. 

On  November  4.  1869,  Mr.  Drew  mar- 
ried Caroline  Platch  Merrill,  of  Colebrook, 
who  died  July  17,  1919.  Their  first  son. 
Paul,  died  in  infancy:  their  second.  Neil 
Bancroft,  in  young  manhood.  Their  sur- 
viving children  are  Pitt  Fesseuden  Drew, 
successful  Boston  attorney,  and  Sara  May- 
nard,  wife  of  Edward  Kimball  Hail  of 
New  York  City  and  Montclair.  One 
brother,  Benjamin  F.  Drew  of  Cole- 
brook,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  F.  N.  Day 
of    Auburndale,    Mass..    also    survive. 

The  wide  range  of  Mr.  Drew's  friends 
and  admirers  was  shown  by  the  messages 
which  came,  in  the  days  following  his 
death,  to  his  children  and  his  partners, 
and  by  the  attendance  at  his  funeral,  which 
was  held  at  St.  Paul's  church  in  Lancas- 
ter on  April  13.  The  rector,  Rev.  A.  J. 
Holley.  conducted  the  service,  assisted  by 
Mr.  Drew's  nephew,  Rev.  Edw^ard  Cum- 
mings,    of    Cambridge,    Mass.,   and   Rev.    I. 

A.  Haarvig",  pastor  of  the  local  Congre- 
gational church.  The  bearers  were 
nephews  of  Senator  Drew  and  the  hon- 
orary bearers  were  Governor  Albert  O. 
Brown  of  Manchester.  Chief  Justice  Frank 
N.  Parsons  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Chief 
Justice  John  Kivel  of  the  Superior  Court, 
judge  Robert  J.  Peaslee  of  Manchester, 
Georcre  F.  Morris  of  Lancaster,  iudge  of 
the  United   States  District  Court,  Hon.  W. 

B.  C.  Stickney  of  Rutland,  Hon.  Flerbert 
B.  Moulton  of  Lisbon,  A.  N.  Blandin  of 
Bath,  Prof.  Harry  Wellman  of  Dartmouth 
College,  Councilor  Arthur  G.  Whittemore 
of    Dover. 


TREASON 

By  Helen   F  razee -Bower 


My  heart  that  swore  allegiance  to 

A  cottage  green  and  gray, 
Is  traitor  now  to  roof  and  walls 

Since  April  came  this  way. 

For  eyes  that  closed  on  naked  lines 
Of  orchard  boughs  last  night, 

This  morning  woke  to  fragrance  blown 
From  blossoms  pink  and  white. 

They  say  that  treason  is  most  black— 

My  heart  denies  it  though 
When  I   from  gray-green  comfort  turn 

To  drifts  of  petal-snow! 


■ 


: ' '.  ■ !  , 


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Elwin  L.  Page 


HARLAN  C.  PEARSON,  Publishes 


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Hon.  Arthur  G.  Whittemqee 


1*3 


11 


Vol.  Ll\ 


IE  GRANITE MONTHLY 

Odn£  :^S:  1922  No.  ¥.  U> 


HON.  ARTHUR  G.  WHITTEMORE 


A  man  who  has  served  use  full  y 
and  with  distinction  in  both  branch- 
es of  the  Slate  Legislature  and  in  the 
Executive  Council,  as  mayor  of  his 
city  and  as  the  head  of  an  important 
state  department  is  given  by  that 
experience  such  equipment  for  the 
further  office  of  Governor  as  few 
Chief  Executives  in  the  history  of 
New  Hampshire  have  been  able  to 
bring-  to  the  position. 

The  fact  that  such  a  record  be- 
longs to  Honorable  Arthur  G.  Whit- 
temore  of  Dover  is  cited  by  his 
many  friends  and  political  support- 
ers as  the  first  among  many  rea- 
sons why  his  candidacy  for  the  Re- 
publican gubernatorial  nomination 
in  1922  should  meet  with  popular 
favor  and  acceptance.  They  point 
to  his  years  of  public  service  and 
declare  that  in  every  position  he 
has  held  he  has  shown  a  quiet, 
tactful,  unwearying  efficiency  of 
which  the  people  have  reaped  the 
benefit  in  worthy  and  valuable  re- 
sults achieved. 

A  member  of  the  Xew  Hampshire 
bar  since  his  graduation  from  the 
Harvard  Law  School  in  1879,  his 
practice  has  been  extensive  and  lu- 
crative and  he  holds  an  honored 
place  in  his  profession,  despite  the 
fact  that  .so  much  of  his  time  has 
been  required  for  public  service. 

This  service  began  in  1887  when 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
first  board  of  water  commissioners 
of  the  city  of  Dover  and  in  that 
capacity  handled  successfully  va- 
rious difficult  and  important  mat- 
ters relating  to  land  damages,  con- 
tracts and  the  actual  installation  of 
the  system   of  supply. 


beginning 


For  three  terms,  Degmning  m 
1900.  he  was  elected  and  re-elected 
mayor  of  Dover  and  gave  his  mu- 
nicipality what  was  recognized  as 
an  up-to-date  Twentieth  Century 
administration.  During  it  a  new 
public  library  building  was  erected 
and  the  construction  of  a  new  high 
school  building  was  commenced; 
yet  the  tax  rate  was  lowered,  the 
bonded  indebtedness  was  reduced 
and  at  the  close  of  his.  third  and 
final  term  the  cash  balance  in  the 
city  treasury  had  increased  to  $63,- 

coo. 

Mayor  Whittemore  progressed 
from  city  to  state  politics  in 
1902,  when  he  was  elected  to  the 
House  of  Representatives  from 
Ward  Three,  Dover,  by  a  vote  of 
318  to  82  for  his  opponent.  At 
Concord  his  ability  was  at  once 
recognized  and  he  was  named  by 
Speaker  Harry  M,  Cheney  to  the 
most  important  standing  committee, 
that  on  the  Judiciary;  which,  at 
this  session,  was  of  unusual  dis- 
tinction, including,  as  it  did.  the 
late  Gen.  A.  T.  Bachelder  of 
Keenc,  chairman,  Judge  William  F. 
Nason  of  Dover,  the  late  Daniel 
C.  Remich  and  the  late  William 
H.  Mitchell  of  Littleton,  the  late 
William  P.  Buckley  of  Lancaster, 
Councillors  John  B.  Cavannaugh  of 
Manchester  and  John  Scammon  of 
Exeter,  the  late  Judge  Herbert  I. 
Goss  of  Berlin   and  others. 

Mr.  Whittemore's  excellent  work 
as  a  legislator  attracted  general  at- 
tention and  when,  in  May,  1903.  a 
vacancy  occurred  in  the  state  rail- 
road commission  he  was  named  for 
the    place  by    Governor    Nahum  J. 


194 


GRANITE  MONTHLY 


Bachelder  and  subsequently  was 
re-appointed  for  three  year  terms 
by  Governors  John  Me  Lane  and 
Henry  B.  Quinby.  In  1909  lie  be- 
came the  chairman  of  the  board, 
upon,  the  death  of  Hon.  Henry  M. 
Putney    of    Manchester. 

A  delegate  from  Dover  to  the 
convention  of  1912  to  propose 
amendments  to  the  constitution  of 
the  state,  Mr.  Whittemore  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Edwin  F. 
Jones  cm  the  standing-  committee 
on  Legislative  Department  and  al- 
so was  called  upon  by  the  president 
to  act  as  chairman  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  the  Whole  during  one  of  the 
liveliest  and  most  important  de- 
bates of  the  convention.  Those 
within  and  without  the  convention 
who  followed  its  proceedings  care- 
fully will  remember  Mr.  Whitte- 
more's  active  participation  in  its 
work. 

In  November.  1918,  Mr-  Whitte- 
more  was  elected  to  the  executive 
council  from  the  second  district, 
receiving  8,312  votes  to  6,854  for 
his  Democratic  opponent.  In  'his 
home  city  the  vote  was  1,399  to 
918  in  his  favor.  In  organizing 
the  council  for  the  important  work 
of  his  administration,  Governor 
John  H.  Bartlett  named  Mr.  Whit- 
temore  upon  the  finance  committee, 
the  state  house  committee  and  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  state  pri- 
son and  made  him  chairman  of  the 
highway   committee. 

In  these  several  capacities  he 
rendered  valuable  service,  one  in- 
stance of  which,  to  name  no  more, 
was  the  adoption  by  the  highway 
department,  at  his  suggestion,  'of 
the  policy  of  owning,  instead  of 
hiring,  necessary  equipment,  and 
of  purchasing  gravel  banks  in  their 
entirety  rather  than  paying  more 
for    them,    load    by    load. 

During  the  World  War  Mr. 
Whittemore  was  one  of  the  men 
to    whom    the    nation    owes    much, 


the  hard-working,  pains-taking,  jus- 
tice, dispensing  members  of  the  se- 
lective service  hoards.  lie  serve- 1 
throughout  the  war  as  chairman 
of  the  Strafford  Count}-  board,  with 
eminent  efficiency  and  fairness,  and 
received  the  thanks  of  the  War 
Department  for  the  manner  in 
which  the  affairs  of  his  board  were 
handled. 

This  war  service,  as  well  as  other 
considerations,  made  it  natural  that 
M  r.  Whittemore  should  be  made 
chairman  of  the  committees  named 
to  procure,  certificates  and  medals 
for  New  Hampshire  soldiers  and 
to  erect  in  the  state  house  at  Con- 
cord an  appropriate  tablet  in  mem- 
ory of  the  men  from  the  Granite 
State  who  gave  their  lives  for  lib- 
erty in  this  most  recent  and  terri- 
ble  conflict. 

In  1920  Councilor  Whittemore 
was  nominated  without  opposition 
as  the  Republican  candidate  for 
the  state  senate  in  the  21st  district 
and  was  elected  in  November  by 
3,965  to  2,024,  carrving  his  home 
city  by  3,054  to  "1.496.  At  the 
session  of  1921  he  was  chairman 
of  the  principal  standing  committee, 
that  on  the  Judiciary,  in  the  upper 
branch  and  conducted  its  affairs 
with  such  good  generalship  that  no 
minority  report  came  from  his 
committee  and  that  every  report 
made  by  it  was  adopted  by  the 
Senate,  a  most  remarkable  record. 
Senator  Whittemore  also  served 
on  the  standing  committees  on 
railroads,  banks,  finance,  and  fish 
and   game. 

His  connection  with  banks  is  of 
long  standing,  dating  back  to  1895, 
when,  as  receiver  of  the  Dover 
National  Bank  he  liquidated  its 
assets  so  successfully  as  to  pay  the 
depositors  in  full  with  interest 
and  a  substantial  dividend  to  the 
stockholders.  At  the  present  time 
he  is  vice-president  of  the  Strafford 
Savings   Bank,     a   director   in     the 


HON.  ARTHUR  G.  WHITTEMORE 


195 


Strafford    National    r>ank   and   a   di-      the  president  of  the  New  Hampshin 


rector    in    the    Dover    Realty    Corn 
parry. 

At  the  hands  of  the  present  state 
administration,  as"  of  so  many 
others,  Mr-  Whittemore  has  re- 
ceived    recognition,     being     named 


G  o  \  e r  n  o  r     A I  b  er  t     O . 


.r.own 


Genealogical  Society  and  governoi 
of  the  New  Hampshire  Society  of 
Colonial   Wars. 

He  believes  that  every  man  must 
stand  or  fall  by  his  own  acts  and  in 
his  individual  ease  lays  no  stress  up- 
on the  record  of  his  own  ancestors 
for    almost    three    centuries    in   Amer- 


upon    the    state    commission    to    ar-  tor   almost   three   centuries    in  Amer 

range    for    the    celebration    in     1923  ica.     Rut  the  wellknown  writer,  Ham- 

of     the     tercentenary     of     the     first  lin  D.  Brown,  in  a  contribution  to  the 

settlement      of      New      Hampshire.  Independent  Statesman.  Concord,  tells 

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The  -Whittemore   Residence,   Dover. 


That  his  selection  to  act  in  this 
capacity  was  most  fortunate  is 
shown  by  the  degree  of  interest  which 
already  he  has  aroused  for  the  cele- 
bration in  his  section  of  the  state.  A 
somewhat  similar  service  he  lias  been 
called  upon  to  render  is  as  a  member 
of  the  committee  which  will  place  a 
suitable  tablet  upon  the  Memorial 
Bridge  joining  Maine  and  New 
Hampshire  at  Portsmouth. 

Mr.  Whittemore's  interest  in  and 
knowledge  of  history  and  biography 
is    indicated    bv    the    fact   that    he    is 


the  story  in  a  most  interesting  way, 
in  part  as    follows : 

"Six  hundred  and  ninety-two 
years  ago  over  in  England  there  was 
a  prominent  family,  one  of  whom. 
Sir  John,  was  knighted  on  the  bat- 
tlefield for  valorous  conduct  in  the 
year  1230  and  was  given  a  tract 
of  land  called  'Wrr/fernere'  and  re- 
ceived the  title  Lord  John  de  Whyte- 
mere. 

"The  name  was  changed  to  Whit- 
temore and  Thomas  Whittemore 
emigrated   to  America   in   1641   and 


196 


GRANITE  MONTHLY 


settled     in  a  part     of     Charlestown 

now  Maiden,   Mass. 

"I lis  son,  John,  who  was  born  in 
Kitchen  Parish,  Hertfordshire.  Eng- 
land, four  years  before,  came  with 
his    father. 

"Benjamin,  grandson  of  Thomas, 
was  burn  in  Cambridge  but  moved 
to  Concord.  Mass.,  where  his  son, 
Rev.  Aaron  Whittemore  was  'horn 
in  1711.  Aaron  graduated  from 
Harvard  College  in  1734  and  March 
1,  1737,  became  the  first  pastor  of 
the  Congregational  church  of  what 
is   now    Pembroke,    N.    H. 

"'Hon.  Aaron  Whittemore,  great- 
grandson  of  Rev.  Aaron  Whitte- 
more, became  one  of  the  prominent 
men  of  New  Hampshire.  He  rep- 
resented Pembroke  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, served  his  town  as  selectman. 
treasurer,  etc.,  was  connected  with 
the  militia  of  the  state,  was  promo- 
ted to  be  brigadier  general  and  held 
many  positions  of  trust. 

"His  son  Aaron  Whittemore,  I 
knew  in  Pittsiieid  for  several  years. 
He  practised  law,  became  state  sen- 
ator and  was  one  of  the  represen- 
tative men  of  New  Hampshire.  His 
brother,  Arthur  Oilman  Whitte- 
more, was  also  born  in  Pembroke, 
July  26,  1856.  educated  at  Pembroke 
Academy  and  Harvard  Law  School 
and  settled  in  Dover,  where  he  has 
practised   law. 

"During  these  years  he  has  been 
one  of  the  foremost  men  of  the  state. 

*  >;-  * 

"Councilor  Whittemore  still  owns 
the  old  farm  in  Pembroke,  where 
he  spends  his   summer  vacations. 

"Arthur  G.  Whittemore  has  good 
executive  ability,  integrity  and  is 
dependable.  During      my      recent 

visit  in  the  towns  and  cities  of 
New  Hampshire,  I  talked  with 
many  of  the  business  men  and 
found  them  interested  in  the 
Whittemore  gubernatorial  candidacy 
and  I  gladly  recommend  him  to  the 
voters  of  my  native  state  as  the  next 
governor  candidate. 


For  280  years  the  Win"  tie  more 
family  has  been  one  of  the  foremost 
of  the  state  and  I  believe  Arthur  G.. 
would  make  one  of  the  best  Gov- 
ernors  of    New   Hampshire." 

Mr.  Whittemore  married  June  27, 
1887,  Caroline  B.  Rundlett,  who  lias 
been  president  of  the  Dover  Wo- 
man's Club  and  otherwise  prominent 
in  the  social  life  and  beneficent  ac- 
tivities of  that  city.  Their  children 
are  Manvel.  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
College  and  of  the  New  York  Law 
School,  for  some  years  successfully 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  New  York  City,  and  Caroline 
(Radcliffe  College,  1919)  now  con- 
nected with  the  Brookline,  Mass  . 
Public  Library. 

Air.  Whittemore  is  a  member  of 
St.  Thomas'  Episcopal  church  at 
Dover;  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Bellamy  Club  there ;  and  was  for 
several  years  the  president  of  the 
Dover  Board  of  Trade. 

Mr.  Whittemore's  candidacy  for 
governor  is  a  direct  result  of  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  adopted  and  signed 
by  the  Republican  members  of  the 
Strafford  county  delegation  in  the 
legislature  of   1921  : 

"Whereas,  the  Honorable  Arthur 
G.  Whittemore  of  Dover,  by  reason 
of  his  executive  experience  and  fa- 
miliarity with  state  matters,  by  reason 
of  his  services  as  mayor  of  Dover  for 
three  terms,  as  a  Representative  in 
the  Legislature,  as  a  member  of  the 
Governor's  Council,  and  as  a  State 
Senator,  in  all  of  which  offices  he  has 
shown  marked  ability  and  judgment 
and  strict  attention  to  the  duties  of 
the  several  offices,  always  producing 
results  beneficial  to  the  public  by  his 
keen  business  acumen  and  untiring 
energy ;  wherefore,  be  it 

"Resolved,  That  we,  the  Repub- 
lican members  of  the  Strafford  Coun- 
ty Delegation  to  the  present  General 
Court,  believing  it  to  be  for  the  best 
interests  of  the  State  of  New  Hamp- 


II OX.  ARTHUR  G.  WHITTEMORE 


197 


shire  to  have  his  services  as  chief  ex- 
ecutive, we  hereby  request  him  to  be- 
come a  candidate  for  the  Republican 
nomination  for  the  office  of  Governor 
at  the  next  primary,  and  we  pledge  to 


him      our 

further 


hearty      support.     Be 


it 


To  ti;is  expression  of  desire  and 
of  confidence,  Mr.  Whittemore  made 
reply  in  an  opportune  time  in  the  form 
of  the  following"  address  to  the  Re- 
publican  voters  of    New    Hampshire: 

"In  compliance  with  a  promise 
made    to    the    Stratford    County    Re- 


The   Whittemore    Homestead,    Pembroke 

"Resolved,    That    the    Chairman    of 
this   Delegation   is   hereby   directed   to 


communicate  this   resolution  to   Sena- 
tor Whittemore. 

"HARRY    H.    MEADER, 

Chairman. 
H,  K.  REYNOLDS, 

Secretary."' 


publican  delegation  requesting  me 
to  become  a  candidate  for  Governor 
at  the  next  primary  election.  I  hereby 
announce  my  candidacy,  for  the  office 
of  Governor  of  our  State,  and  I 
earnestly  solicit  the  support  of  all 
the  Republican  men  and  women 
voters  of  the  state. 


198                                                 GRANITE  MONTHLY 

"In  making  this  request  1  wish  to  wake,  to  Nation,  State.  City  and 
assure  the  voters  that  it  is  not  merely  Town,  a  legacy  of  increased  taxes, 
for  personal  honor  or  gratification,  which  has  become  a  heavy  burden  to 
but  for  the  purpose  of  giving  to  my  all  our  citizens,  and  if  allowed  to  eon- 
State  the  benefit  of  that  knowledge  tinue  will  arrest  tin-  development, 
and  experience  acquired  in  its  service  growth  and  prosperity  of  our  State, 
through  the  different  public  positions  "i  favor  a  reduction  of  the.  poll  tax 
which  it  has  keen  my  honor  to  hold,  and  a  suspension  of  the  former  rega- 
in these  several  positions  I  have  lar  poll  tax  as  applied  to  the  women 
gained  an  intimate  knowledge  of  of  the  State.  The  addition  of  two 
State  affairs,  which  will  enable  me  to  dollars  (which  is  to  he  levied  for 
insure  the  State  an  efficient  adminis-  five  consecutive  years  beginning  1920) 
tration  of  its  Government  for  the  en-  to  the  regular  poll  tax  for  the  purpose 
suing  term.  of  redeeming  the  bonds  issued  to  pay 

"My  record    for  efficiency  and  pro-  the   soldiers'    bonus,    makes  this    form 

gressiveness     in    these   various     public  of    tax    excessive   and    in    man}'   cases 

offices  is  known  to  many  of  my  fellow  burdensome.        The    proposed    change 

citizens,   and    1    hope   during  the  cam-  would    not   conflict    with    the    soldiers' 

paign  to  inform  those  of  you  who  are  bonus    act. 

not    familiar.  "It    will    be   my    purpose  to   check 

"The     abandonment     of    the    farm  and     reduce     these    burdens   of   taxa- 

and    decrease    in    our    farming    pOpu-  tion    by    eliminating    from   the   budget 

lation    concerns    us  all.        I    shall   use  all   non-essentials,   and   1    promise  you 

every    effort  to    promote    all  measures  that,   if  nominated  and  elected,   I   will 

that  will  tend  to  remedy  these  condi-  use   all    my    influence   and    the   power 

tions.     Whatever  adds  to  the  content-  given    me    by    my    office    to    eliminate 

ment    and    prosperity    of    the   farmer  in   the     interest   of      economy     every 

adds   to   the   well-being   of   the    State,  custom  or  expense  nut  required  for 

"The    World    War    has    left  in  its  du    efficient    administration." 


INSPIRATION 

By  Eleanor  W.  Vinton 

When  the  garden  is  gay  with  a  bevy  of  jonquils 

Their  cups  liked  with  gold  from  the  heart  of  the  sun; 
When  the  wood-path  I   follow  is  violet  bordered 

And  sweet   with  the   fragrance  of  summer  begun; 
When  down\-  white  clouds  change  to  rose  in  the  sunset 

While  vibrant  with   rapture  a   robin's  note   rings, — 
Then  in  uttermost  skill  would  my  pen  be  abounding 

To  gladden  the  world  with  the  song  my  heart  sings. 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARY  LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 
IN  A  WESTERN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  TOWN. 

By  George  B.  Upham 


III. 

Over  the  next  letter  of  the  Clare- 
mont  schoolmaster  is  crest  a  faint 
shadow  of  the  coming  Revolution. 
This  letter  like  the  last  is  derived  in 
part,  that  in  brackets,  from  the  ab- 
stract entered  in  the  records  of  a 
Meeting  of  the  Society  in  London, 
Journal,  Vol.  19,  p.  152,  and  the  re- 
mainder from  the  extract  published 
in  the.  History  of  the  Eastern  Dio- 
cese, Vol.  I,  pp.  179,  180. 

[A  Letter  from  Mr.  Cole  School- 
master at  Claremont,  New  Hampshire, 
N.  E.  dated  April  29,  1771,  in  which  he 
acquaints  the  Society  that]  My  school 
is  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  7  or  S 
children  from  among  the  dissenters,  who 
submit  regularly  to  the  orders  and  in- 
struction of  the  school  by  the  approba- 
tion of  their  parents,  most  of  whom  have 
never  been  baptized,  and  some  attend 
school  that  are  sixteen  or  seventeen 
years  of  age,  whc.se  parents  are  con- 
formists  to  the   Church. 

[The  inclemency  of  the  weather,  and 
a  river  lying  between  them  made  it  in- 
convenient for  the  little  children  to  at- 
tend in  winter,  but  he  hopes  that  will  be 
remedied  by   the  building  of  a  bridged 

And  although  the  school  house  is  raised 
and  the  sides  and  ends  are  covered  with 
planks,  yet  it  is  not  finished.  For  the 
Sons  of  Liberty,  (as  they  affect  to  call 
themselves),  by  their  own  [Non-j  im- 
portation agreement  made  it  impossible 
to  procure  glass,  and  indeed  some  few 
nails  were  made  here,  but  their  price 
was  almost  double  to  what  it  used  to  be, 
but  these  obstacles  are  soon  to  be  re- 
moved. 

[He  thinks  that  2  or  3  dozen  psalters 
would  be  very  useful  in  the  school  for 
they  are  not  printed  nor  used  by  the 
Dissenters,  and  therefore  seldom  to  be 
had.  He  has  lately  furnished  the  school 
with   2   doz.    of   spelling   books.] 

[Agreed  to  recommend,  that  3  dozen 
of  psalters  be  sent  to  Mr.  Cole  for  the 
use  of  Ins   Scholars.] 

The  [Non-]  "importation  agree- 
ment"   of     the     "Sons    of     Liberty," 


which,  as  Mr.  Cole  wrote,  "made  it 
impossible  to  procure  glass"  for  his 
school  house,  was  the  agreement  of 
1767  and  1768  by  which  the  merchants 
of  Boston.  Xew  York,  Philadelphia, 
and  many  other  places,  bound  them- 
selves to  order  no  new  merchandise 
from  England  and  to  countermand  all 
old  orders.  This  was  in  retaliation  for 
the  Act  of  Parliament  of  June  29, 
1767,  known  as  the  Townshend  Act: 
by  which,  to  the  utter  astonishment 
of  America,  so  soon  after  the  repeal 
of  the  Stamp  Act,  duties  were  placed 
on  various  articles  imported  into  the 
colonies,  and  steps  taken  to  enforce 
collection.  Among  the  rates  fixed 
were  4s.  8d.  per  hundred  weight  on 
glass.  12s.  per  ream  on  paper  of 
good  quality,  and,  with  most  disas- 
terous  consequences  for  this  was  not 
repealed,  3d.  per  pound  on  tea.  Not 
that  the  latter  was  an  excessive  duty ; 
it  was  in  fact  a  moderate  one,  less 
than  it  had  been,  indirectly,  before; 
but  with  the  colonists  it  was  a  matter 
of  principle.  Another  factor,  not  so 
fully  recognised,  was  that  tea  and 
other  dutiable  articles  for  years  had 
been  smuggled.  The  merchants  and 
ship-owners,  adepts  in  that  gentle 
art.  cared  little  what  duties  were  laid, 
or  what  restrictions  placed  on  com- 
merce and  navigation,  so  long  as  the 
words  merely  encumbered  the  statute 
books  but  when  George  the  Third  and 
his  subservient  Parliament  showed 
they  meant  to  enforce  the  laws,  that 
was — —different. 

The  immediate  effect  of  the  non- 
importation agreement,  coupled  with 
the  widespread  indignation  of  the 
colonists,  was  that  the  value  of  Brit- 
ish goods  exported  to  New  England, 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania  fell 
from  £L330.Q00  to  £400.000  in  a 
single   year.       Washington,    when   he 


200 


GRANITE   MONTHLY 


sent  his  annual  order  for  supplies  to 
London,  enjoined  his  correspondent 
not  to  forward  any  of  them  unless 
the  offensive  Act  of  Parliament  was 
in  the  meantime  repealed.  The 
Townshend  Aet  brought  into  the 
British  Treasury  a  paltry  income  of 
£300.  The  retention  of  even  a  part 
of  it  cost  Great  Britain,  directly,  at 
least  five  thousand  times  that  sum 
in  loss  of  trade;  indirectly,  an  incal- 
culable sum  of  money,  besides  the 
loss  of  the  better  part  of  a  con- 
tinent.(1) 

This  letter  of  Mr.  Cole  shows  how 
knowledge  of  the  Townshend  Act, 
and  of  the  means  taken  to  combat  it, 
had  found  the  way  even  to  remote 
frontier  settlements  up  the  Connecti- 
cut River  valley.  They  were,  doubt- 
less, the  subject  of  much  indignant 
discussion  in  the  flickering  firelight 
of  many  a  cabin  kitchen.  Charles 
Townshend,  young,  brilliant,  rash, 
aptly  described  by  Trevelyan  as  "mas- 
ter of  the  revels  in  the  House  of 
Commons,"  had  surely,  short  as  his 
life  was,  started  his  name  sounding 
down  the  ages,  to  be  remembered  dis- 
creditably perhaps  as  long  as  Ed- 
mund Burke  and  Charles  Fox,  lead- 
ers of  the  opposition,  will  be  remem- 
bered creditably,  almost  reverentially, 
by  all  the  English  speaking  world. 

The  Townshend  Act,  excepting  the 
tax  on  tea.  was  repealed  on  April  12, 
1770.  but  a  vigorous  effort  was  made 
to  continue  the  Non-Importation 
Agreements.  This  was  for  a  time 
successful,  except  at  Portsmouth,  N. 
H.,  in  Rhode  Island  and  New  York 
City.  At  a  "Meeting  of  the  Trade 
of  Boston,"  June  18,  1770,  it  appear- 
ed that  "the  Merchants  of  Ports- 
mouth, N.  H.,  have  very  lately  im- 
ported large  Quantities  of  British  and 
East  India  Wares  which  are  now  ex- 
posed for  Sale"....     "Therefore,  Re- 

(1)      Trevelyan's    American    Revolution,    Vol. 
C£.i      See    Massachusetts    Gazette,    June    2s 
published    during    July,    1770. 

(3)  These  Kon -Importation  agreements  m 
as  the  "jSolemn  League  ami  Covenant,"  circula 
in    3  774,    and    which    will    be    considered    later. 


solved,  That  we  will  have  no  Trade 
or  Commercial  Intercourse  with  the 
Merchants  of  the  Colony  of  New 
Hampshire,  or  any  of  its  Inhabitants 
while  they  are  counteracting  the 
laudible  Exertions  of  the  other  Colo- 
nies  for     the  common     Good." 

and  "Resolved, — That  the  Committee 
of  Exports  and  Imports  be  desired 
to  keep  the  strictest  lookout  that  no 
sort  of  Goods  are  imported  into  this 
Town  from  any  part  of  the  New 
Hampshire.  Government,  or  exported 
hence  to  said  Province,"  Vessels  ar- 
riving from  Portsmouth  were  driven 
from  the  port  of  Boston. 

Similar  resolutions  were  adopted 
in  other  colonies.  At  Hartford, 
Conn.,  the  boycott  was  limited  to 
"the  people  of  Portsmouth,"  instead 
of  the  entire  Province  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. (2)  But  notwithstanding  all 
such  efforts  the  attempt  to  continue 
the  Non- Importation  Agreements,  en- 
tered into  when  the  Townshend  Act 
was  passed,  failed,  greatly  to  the  de- 
light of  the  Tories. (3) 

Plad  Charles  Townshend  never 
been  born  the  Revenue  Act  which 
bears  his  name,  and  which  had  so 
much  to  do  with  bringing  about  the 
American  Revolution,  would  have 
been  enacted  none  the  less,  for  George 
the  Third  would  have  found  some 
other  instrument  through  which  to 
work  his  will — Trevelyan  shows,  per- 
haps more  fully  than  ever  shown  be- 
fore, the  extent  to  which  George  the 
Third  was  personally  responsible  for 
the  Revolution ;  shows  how  the  people 
of  Great  Britain  knew  little  or  noth- 
ing of  America;  how  under  the  rot- 
ten borough  system,  then  prevailing, 
they  were  but  poorly  represented  in 
Parliament ;  how  the  ablest  statesmen 
of  the  period  were  opposed  to  tax- 
ing or  coercing  the  colonists ;  and  how 
against  the  powerful,     persistent     in- 

I,    pp.    74.    93. 
and    July    .">,    177<>     alsc    other    Boston    Newspapers 

ust.    not    l.e    mistaken    for    the    later    ones;    known 
ted    after    the    passage    of    the    "Boston    Port    Bill" 


PRE-REVOLUTIONARV  LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 


201 


ftuence   of    the    Sovereign    they    were 

powerless.  The  King.  by.  ousting 
liis  Ministers,  who  against  his  wishes 
had  effected  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp 
Act,  by  substituting  for  them  men  of 
little  or  no  character,  by  persistent, 
misdirected  industry,  by  intrigue  and 
favor. —  finally  had  his  way;  a  stupid, 
aggressive,  German  way, ---for  only 
German  blood  flowed  in  his  veins;  a 
way  as  stupid  and  unseeing  as  that 
of  some  of  his  German  descendants  in 
recent  years.  Pitt  was,  to  be  sure, 
nominally  Prime  Minister  when  the 
Townshend  Act  became  law.  Shat- 
tered in  health,  temporarily  impaired 
in  mind,  in  Iris  absence,  but  in  his 
name,  ."the  step  was  taken  which  in 
one  day  reversed  the  policy  he  had 
nearest  his  heart  and  undid  the  work 
of  which  he  was  most  justly 
proud. *'yi)  And  this  the  man  who 
iiad  made  the  continent  English;  the 
greatest  administrator  of  world  af- 
fairs, among  the  many  great,  the 
British   Empire  has  produced. 

Treveiyan  further  shows,  by  facts 
and  reasoning  incontrovertible,  how 
in  fighting  against  the  tyranny  of 
George  and  his  Ministers,  the  colon- 
ists were  fighting,  the  battle  for  the 
English,  constitution,  and  how  their 
submission  must  soon  have  been  fol- 
lowed  by  a   revolution  in  England. (5) 

The  King  had  his  way;  yet  the 
time  came  when  Lord  Sheiburne, — 
later  Prime  Minister,— "told  the 
J  louse  of  Peers,  with  a  near  approach 
to  truth,  that  George  the  Third  had 
but  two  enemies  on  earth  ; — one  the 
whole  world,  and  the  other,  his  own 
Ministry/'*6;* 

Returning  to  the  subject  of  win- 
dow glass,  the  lack  of  which  was  so 
inconvenient  for  the  Glaremont 
school,    it   appears   doubtful    when    or 

Vol. 


(4) 
(G) 

(G) 

(7) 
between 
glue," 

setter."     ".« 
Hewes'a   IA 

(»)       H 


Trevelyan's    American    Revolution 

Ibid,    Vol.     Ill,     Ch.    XXIV. 

Ibid,    Vol.    IV.    p.    4GG. 

Mr.     He'A'cs    appears     to    have    been     a 

1780,    and     1830,     he     i^    described     as 

'late        hog-batcher,        now        out      of 

"starch       maker."        "Teacher       sword 


where  it  was  first  made  in  America. 
Coarse,  bottles  were:  marie  at  James- 
town, \  irginia,  soon  after  160/,  and 
a  liit'e  later  glass  beads  for  trade 
with  the  Indians.  Bottles  and  some 
oilier  articles  of  glass  were  made  at 
Salem,  Massachusetts,  as  early  as 
1,639;  hut  the  first  window  glass  was 
probably  made  at  Allowayslown, 
Salem  County,  New  Jersey,  a  short 
time  prior  to  1750.  in  considerable 
commercial  quantities  it  was  first 
manufactured  in  Boston,  about  1792, 
by  the  Boston  Crown-Glass  Co., 
which  was  aided  by  an  exclusive 
right  and  a  bounty.  In  1798  Boston 
produced  glass,  said  to  be  superior  to 
that  imported,  to  the  value  of  $82,000. 
It  was  widely  used  and  became  known 
throughout  the  country  as  "Boston 
window  glass." 

The  manufacture  of  glass  was  first 
rattempted  in  New  liampshire  at 
Temple,  in  1780,  by  one  Robert 
Hewes  of  Boston. (7)  A  substantial 
building  with  the  necessary  furnaces 
was  constructed.  .  The  glassddowers 
are  said  to  have  been  Hessian  and 
Waldecker  soldiers,  deserters  from 
the  British  army.  Only  glass  bottles 
and  decanters  were  attempted.  Af- 
ter a  very  short  period  of  operation, 
and  prior  to  \7Sl,  the  works  were 
burned.  Attempts  made  to  revive  the 
industry,  even  though  aided  by  a  lot- 
tery,   were    unsuccessful, (8) 

'Idie  Embargo  Acts  and  the  War  of 
1S12  led  to  the  establishment  of  the 
glass  industry  in  Keene  in  1814.  It 
flourished  there  until  about  1850. 
John  Ediot  and  Aaron  Appleton  built 
the  first  factory,  on  Prison  Street. 
Eater  a  rival  factory  was  built  on 
Marlboro  street.  About  184-0  three 
glass  factories  were  in  operation  in 
Keene.     At    times    the    business    was 

i,  p.  s. 


versatile     character.      In     the    Boston     Directories, 

i     "tallow-chandlr-r."     "manufacturer    of    soap     and 

business,"        "fencing        matter,"         ••surgeon-  bone- 

exenise.''        "Gentleman/'        "Manufacturer        of 


unt,"   but   is  not   rre.JittMl   with   being   a    class  manufacture] 
nfy    of    Temple,    Chap.    XVII,    pp.    1G0-173. 


202 


GRANITE   MONTHLY 


exceedingly  profitable.  In  the  earlier 
years  bottles  and  decanters  appear  to 
have  been  the  principal  products, 
later  the  manufacture  of  window 
glass  was  carried  on.(9)  The  superior 
facilities  at  Pittsburg  finally  put  an 
end  to  the  industry  in  New  England. 

Sheet  mica  was  the  only  substitute 
for  window  glass  known  to  have  been 
used  i3i  western  New  Hampshire, 
where  its  shining  outcroppings  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  early  set- 
tlers. In  southwestern  New  Hamp- 
shire more  marketable  mica  has  been 
produced  than  in  any  other  locality 
in  the  United  States.  The  old  Rug- 
gles  mine  on  Glass  Hill  in  Grafton, — 
about  ten  miles  north  of  Sunapee 
Lake, — has  produced  mica  for  nearly 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years;  yielding 
an  estimated  aggregate  in  value  of 
over  eight  million  dollars  worth  of 
that  material.  This  mine  at  one 
time  furnished  four-fifths  of  the  total 
consumption  in  the  United  States.  In 
the  adjoining  town  of  Danbury  two 
mines  are  in  operation,  producing 
mica  of  excellent  quality,  free  from 
spots  and  very  clear.  In  Alstead,  on 
the  northern  border  of  Cheshire  coun- 
ty, three  mica  mines  are  in  successful 
operation.  Mica  is  now  used  prin- 
cipally for  electrical  insulation.  The 
waste  is  ground  and  serves  to  give 
brilliancy  to  wall  papers,  also  to 
Christmas    Trees    and   decorations. (10) 

The  high  cost  of  transportation,  the 
Non-Importation  Agreements,  and 
the  conflict  at  arms,  doubtless  led  to 
the  frequent  use  of  mica  locally  as  a 

(9)  Griffin's   History   of   Keens.      Fee   index,    "Glass  factory,"   and    the   pages   there   referred   to. 

(10)  India  ranks  first  in  the  production  of  mica;  Canada  second,  producing  about  half  as 
much  in  value  ae  India.  The  United  States  ranks  third  with  rather  leas  than  half  as  much 
In  value  as  Canada.  The  production  of  other  countries  is  insignificant.  Outside  of  New  Hamp- 
shire the  principal  deposits  of  the  'United  States  are  in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina,  the 
Black  Hills  in  South  Dakota,  and  in  eastern  Alabama;  unless  the  work  in  these  stages  has 
been  greatly  increased  of  late  New  Hampshire  still  leads  in  production.  See  "Mica,  its  Oc- 
currence, ExploitaUon  and  Uses"  by  Fritz  Cirkel,  Ottawa,  1905,  published  by  the  Canadian 
Government;  "Mineral  Industries"  by  A.  Hoskins  (1899)  p.  507,  and  Holme's  "Mica  Deposits  of 
the    United    States,"     published    by    the    U.    S.     Geological     Survey 

(11)  The  Town  Histories  occasionally  mention  the  use  of  mica  as  a  substitute  for  window 
glass,  but  the  general  absence  of  any  index,  except  to  the  names  of  persons,  renders  It  a  pro- 
digious  task    to   find    anything   in    them. 

(12)  Bog  ore  is  esEentially  a  hydrous  oxide  of  iron,  of  which  the  tnineraiogical  name  is 
limonite.  It  is  found  in  swampy  places,  and  frequently  at  the  bottom  of  lakes  and  ponds.  It 
is  usually  of  very  recent  origin.  In  1785  the  Macon  Proprietors  "irnpowered  a?  Committee  to 
treat     with"    certain    persons    •■respecting    a    grant    of    an    exclusive    right    to    all    the    Iron   Ore   in 

Ossipe    Pond for    a    term    of   time   not    exceeding    twenty-four   years."      N.    H.    State    Papers, 

Vol.    L'9,    p.    592.      Respecting    Tyler's    bog    ore    in    Chsriestown,    see    Cheshire    County    Records,    Vol. 
9,   pp.   430,   486,   and   note   that  Daniel   Greene's  occupation   is   bloomer. 


substitute  for  window  glass,  both  be- 
fore and  during  the  Revolution.  The 
sheets  were  usually  set  in  diamond- 
shaped  panes  about  the  size  of  a 
man's  hand.(11) 

Immediately  following  the  state- 
ment that  the  [Non-]  "importation 
agreement  made  it  impossible  to  pro- 
cure glass,"  Mr.  Cole  tells  us  that 
"some  few  nails  were  made  here,  but 
their  price  was  almost  double  to  what 
it  used  to  be,  but  these  obstacles  are 
soon  to  be  removed."  How  the  ob- 
stacles to  glass  were  to  be  removed,  we 
know  not,  unless  by  the  expected  ar- 
rival of  glass  from  Portsmouth,  or, 
more  likely,  of  a  pack-horse  load  of 
mica  from  some  place  nearby.  Res- 
pecting nails,  the  schoolmaster  pro- 
bably had  in  mind  the  completion  of 
Benjamin  Tyler's  Forge  and  Slitting 
Mill,  then  under  construction  at  a 
small  water-power  a  few  rods  up- 
stream from  the  present  site  of  the 
B.  &  M.  R.  R.  "High  Bridge"  in 
Claremont. 

Nails  made  there,  as  elsewhere  in 
New  England,  involved  various  crude 
steps  and  processes.  The  bog-iron 
ore(i2>  rnjxed  with  much  mud,  was 
dug  from  swamp-land  at  Charles- 
town-Nurnber  Four,  carried  to  solid 
ground  to  be  washed  and  dried,  and 
then  reduced  in  crude  furnaces  or 
"bloomeries,"  to  something  resembl- 
ing iron,  at  least  in  weight,  but  still 
mixed  with  much  refuse.  The  re- 
sulting lumps  were  carted  eight  or  ten 
miles  over  rough  roads  to  Tyler's 
Mill,  tnere  to  be  reheated  with  char- 


PRE-REVOLUTIGNARY  LIFE  AND  THOUGHT 


203 


r 


coal  and  bellows  to  an  almost  white 
heat,  and  further  separated  from  im- 
purities while  being  hammered  and 
flattened  into  sheets  under  successive 
blows  of  the  "Tilt  Hammer," — we 
now  call  it  trip-hammer.  The  sheets 
were  then  cut  into  strips,  called  nail- 
rods,  in  the  Slitting  Mill,  which  was 
merely  a  power  shear  or  gang  of 
shears,  "working  on  the  principle  of 
scissors  and  sometimes  cutting  three 
rods  at  a  time."  The  rail-rods  were 
sold  to  the  settlers  who,  of  winter 
evenings  by  the  kitchen  fire,  cut  them 
into  desired  lengths  and  pointed  and 
headed  the  nails  by  hand  labor. 

Except  in  the  vicinity  of  Salis- 
bury in  the  northwest  corner  of  Con- 
necticut, and  in  western  Massachu- 
setts, nearly  all  iron  produced  in  New 
England,  during  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury and  earlier,  was  from  bog  ore. 
The  manufacture  of  iron  in  New 
Hampshire  dates  from  about  1722 
when  several  bloomeries,  using  bog 
ore,  were  in  operation  on  Larnper  Eel 
River  which  flows  through  Durham 
and  Newmarket  and  into  Great 
Bay.(13)  Bar  Iron  was  made  at 
Kingston  between  1749  and  1756. (11) 
Early  Iron  Works  were  in  operation 
in  Exeter.  Before  the  Revolution 
Iron  Works  existed  at  Tamworth, 
where  it  is  claimed  that  parts  of  the 
famous  chain  that  barred  the  British 
ships  of  war  from  going  up  the  Hud- 
son were  made.  At  all  these  places 
bog  ore  was  the  only  source  from 
which  iron  could  be  obtained.  The 
magnetic  ore  of  Winchester  was 
first  smelted  at  Furnace  Village  in 
1795  by  a  Rhode  Island  Company. 
The  Franconia  furnace  was  built  in 
1811  by  a  company  organized  six 
years  earlier. (ir,) 

When  Tyler  began  the  construction 
of  his  Iron  Works,  about  1770,  the 
erection  and  continued     existence     of 

(13)  N.    H.    State    Papers,    Vol.    24.    p.    424. 

(14)  Ibid.      Vol.    23.    p.   4GS. 

Oft)      The    best    article    known    to    the    write 
is    that    written    by    James    M.    Swai  k    under    the 
the    United    States."        Published    by    the    U.    S. 
see    pp.    SO;    84-90 — Sv.ank    is    mistaken    in    piac 
River   as   late  as  1750. 


such  a  Mill  was,  and  had  been  for 
twenty  years,  prohibited  by  law. 
Furthermore,  Tyler  knew  it ;  for  lie 
was  a  man  of  wide  experience,  and 
the  law  had  been  widely  and  repeat- 
edly promulgated.  But  a  law  un- 
reasonable, contrary  to  the  wishes  of 
a  large  body  of  the  community,  and 
practically  impossible  of  enforcement, 
is  never  feared  or  respected  for  any 
considerable  length  of  time.  So  it 
was  with  the  Act  of  Parliament,  23 
George  II,  Chapter  XXIX,  providing 
"That  from  and  after  the  twenty- 
fourth  Day  of  June  One  thousand  and 
seven  hundred  and  fifty,  no  Mill  or 
other  Engine  for  slitting  or  rolling 
of  Iron  or  any  Plateing  Forge  to 
work  with  a  Tilt  Hammer,  or  any 
Furnace  for  making  Steel,  shall  be 
erected  or  after  such  Erection  con- 
tinued in  any  of  His  Majesty's  Col- 
onies in  America."  Every  such  con- 
struction was  to  be  "deemed  a  com- 
mon Nuisance,"  and  "abated"  by  the 
Governor  and  other  officials  under 
penalty  of  £500  for  neglect,  also  dis- 
ability "to  hold  or  enjoy  any  Office 
or  Trust  under  His  Majesty,  his 
Heirs  or   Successors." 

The  purpose  of  all  this  was,  clear- 
ly, to  retain  for  England  the  mono- 
poly of  supplying  all  wrought  iron 
and  steel  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
The  gentlemen  of  England  in  Parlia- 
ment assembled  knew  as  little  of  the 
difficulties  of  transportation  in 
America  as  they  did  of  the  temper 
and  mechanical  aptitudes  of  men 
who  for  five  £renerations  had  been 
obliged  to  supply  their  own  necessi- 
ties, or  go  without.  Severe  penalties 
were  provided  for  each  and  every  in- 
fraction of  this  law,  and  ingenious 
provisions  made  for  its  enforcement. 
But  Benjamin  Tyler  was  too  busy 
building  his  dam,  raising  his  build- 
ing,   constructing    furnaces,    reducing 


r    on    the:    early    manufacture    of    iron    in   America 

tit  It-    "Statistics    of    Iron    and  Steel    Production    in 

Gov't       in    1881    as    a    part    of   the   Tenth   Census — 

i'hjg    the    beginning    of    operations    at    Lamper  Eel 


204 


GRANITE  MONTHLY 


bog-iron  "ore,  designing  and  construct- 
ing his  machinery, — to  bother  him- 
self about  any  such  fool  legislation 
enacted  three  thousand  miles  away, — 
thirty  thousand  as  we  reckon  dis- 
tance, in  time,  to-day.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  young  Peak,  the  black- 
smith, brought  when  an  infant  to 
Claremont.  in  1764.  He.  at  about  the 
same  time  as  Tyler,  had  a  dam  and 
a  small  home-made  "Tilt  Hammer"  in 
his  blacksmith  shop  on  Walker  Brook, 
near  where  it  crosses  "Peak  Hill 
Roacl.M(U) 

As  to  the  thirteen  colonies  the 
above  quoted  statute  of  23  George  II 
was  practically  repealed  by  the  Dec- 
laration of  Independence;  but  in 
Canada  and  the  British  West  Indies 
it  remained  nominally  in  force  until 
repealed  by  the  Statute  Law  Revision 
Act  of    1867.       There   were     enacted 


Among  the  ninety  instructions  sent 
by  George  the  Third  to  Gov.  Rui- 
ning Wentworth.  under  date  of  June 
30,  1761,  was  the  following:  "And  it 
is  our  express  Will  &  Pleasure,  that 
you  do  not  upon  any  Pretense  what- 
ever, upon  Pain  of  our  highest  Dis- 
pleasure, give  your  .Assent  to  any 
Law  or  Laws  for  setting  up  any 
Manufactures  and  carrying  on  any 
Trade  which  are  hurtful  and  predu- 
dicial  to  this  Kingdom,  and  that  you 
do  use  your  utmost  Endeavors  to  dis- 
courage, discountenance  and  restrain 
any  Attempts  which  may  be  made  to 
set  up  such  Manufactures  or  estab- 
lish any  such  Trades." (17) 

There  never  yet  has  been  published 
a  careful  study  of  the  Acts  of  Parlia- 
ment and  Royal  Orders  restricting 
colonial  industries,  showing  the  ex- 
tent to     which  these     contributed     in 


before    the    Revolution    no    less    than      preparing  men's  minds   for  a  separa- 
twenty-eight    similar    statutes    restrict-      tioii    from    the   mother    country, 
ing  colonial  commerce  and  industries.  To  be  continued. 

(16)  See  Memoir  of  John  Peak.  Boston  1832 — p.  18.  "Peak  Hill  Road"  is  that  leaving 
the  "Great  Road'-'  (about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  north  from  the  road  to  the  Connecticut 
River  Bridge)  crossing  the  railroad  and  then  leading  up  a  steep  hill.  This  road  and  thtJ  hill 
to  the  north  of  it  were  named  for  John  Peak,  who  came  to  Claremont  before  the  town  was 
incorporated  and  settled  in  that  vicinity.  The  fact  of  the  blacksmith  shop  and  trip-hammer 
on  that  road  and  brook  was  told  the  writer  by  Miss  Nancy  Grannis,  who  heard  it  from  her 
father.  No  tradition  could  be  more  reliable.  Walker  Brook  crosses  the  "Great  Road"  a  few 
rods    northwesterly     from    the    Cupola    Bouse.      See    "Walling's    Map    of    Sullivan     County,     1860 

(17)  Sec    N.    H.    State    Papers.    Vol.    IS,    pp.    377,    37S,    53G.    537.      Vol.    6.    pp.    7,    8. 


S}*S 


A.  D.  1623 


Bx  Ekiin  L.  Page 


For  two  centuries  and  a  half  there 
has  been  a  general  and  rather  vague 
belief  that  New  Hampshire  was  first 
settled  in  the  spring  of  1623  at  both 
Little  Harbor  and  Dover.  Neverthe- 
less there  has  been  considerable  con- 
fusion about  the  subject.  This 
prompted  the  writer  recently  to  ex- 
amine the  original  sources  of  infor- 
mation with  a  view  to  an  analysis  of 
the  evidence.  These  sources  proved 
surprisingly  numerous  and  interest- 
ing, but  when  the  material  was  gath- 
ered, it  was  discovered  that  this  ar- 
ticle had  been  anticipated  nearly  a 
half  century  ago  by  two  earnest  anti- 
quarians, Mr.  Charles  Dearie  and  Mr. 
John  S.  Jenness,  whose  monographs 
include  practically  every  bit  of  evi- 
dence which  is  known  to-day.  How- 
ever, as  we  look  forward  to  the  ter- 
centenary of  next  year,  a  review  of 
the  sources  may  be  worth  while  for 
the  information  of  the  present  genera- 
tion. 

The  confusion  spoken  of  arose  in 
the  first  place  from  the  statement  by 
Hubbard  in  his  General  History  of 
New  England  (1683).  In  effect  this 
statement  seemed  to  be  that  David 
Thomson  settled  at  Little  Harbor  in 
1623  and  that  Edward  and  William 
Hilton,  sharing  the  voyage  with 
Thomson,  planted  at  Dover  a^  about 
the  same  time.  One  would  think 
that  Hubbard,  writing  barely 
than  half  a  century  after  the 
would  have  at  least  a  reliable 
tioii  at  hand,  whatever  may 
been  his  lack  of  documentary 
dence.  Consequently  his  dictum,  a 
rather  vague  one  at  best,  has  been 
somewhat  uncritically  followed  by 
the  historians  of  New  Hampshire. 
It  should  be  tested  again  by  the  con- 
temporary evidence ;  that  is.  by  the 
documents  of  1623  and  the  few  suc- 
ceeding years. 

The  records  of  the  Council  of  New 


more 
fact, 

tradi- 

have 

evi- 


England  make  frequent  mention  of 
David  Thomson  in  the  latter  half  of 
1622..  On  November  16  lie  was  given 
a  patent  of  six  thousand  acres  and 
one-half  an  island,  both  unlocated. 
About  two  weeks  later  he  made  a 
proposition  that  the  Council  transport 
ten  persons  with  provisions  to  his  pa- 
tent. This  apparently  came  to  noth- 
ing, for  on  December  14,  1622,  he 
made  an  indenture  with  thre?  Ply- 
mouth merchants  to  send  him  out 
"this  present  year"  in  the  ship  "Jon- 
athan." It  was  common  in  those 
days  to  set  out  for  New  England  so 
as  to  arrive  in  March,  the  first  month 
of  the  old-style  year.  Thus  we  can 
imagine  the  "Jonathan"  sailing  from 
Plymouth  that  "present  year." 
Imagination,  however,  is  not  to  have 
a  place  in  our  discussion,  except 
where   it   finds   support   in  evidence, 

Edward  Winslow,  in  his  Good 
Ncwes  from  New  England,  published 
in  1624,  relates  that  Captain  Stan- 
dish  went  otit  for  provision  and  re- 
turned in  July,  1623,  accompanied  by 
"Mr.  David  Torn  son,  a  Scotchman, 
who  also  that  spring  began  a  planta- 
tion twenty-five  leagues  Northeast 
from  us,  near  Smith's  lies,  at  a  place 
called  Pascataqnack,  where  he  liketh 
well."  The  date  is  fixed  by  Winslow 
as  at  the  same  time  that  the  drought 
of  1623  was  broken.  The  latter 
event  Bradford  places  in  the  middle 
of  July.  Some  imagine  that  Standish, 
who  had  been  out  to  get  provision, 
visited  Thomson's  settlement,  but 
this  is  not  certain.  Yet  we  have  con- 
temporary proof  that  Thomson  ar- 
rived on  schedule  in  the  earlv  part  of 
1623. 

Governor  Bradford  therefore  spoke 
from  almost  first-hand  information 
when,  under  date  of  1623,  he  set 
down  in  his  history  Of  Pliwouth 
Plantation  the  entirely  casual  sen- 
tence:  "Ther   were     allso   this     year 


206 


GRANITE  MONTHLY 


some  scatermg  begmings  made  in 
other  places,  as  at  Pascaraway,  by 
Mr.  David     Thomson,     at  JMonhigen, 

and  some  other  places  by  sundrie 
others."  Nor  was  Thomson's  visit 
to  Plymouth  in  July  Bradford's  sole 
touch  with  the  planting-  of  the  new 
settlement. 

Thomas  Weston,  one  of  Plymouth's 
London  adventurers, .,*  came  over  with 
the  fishermen  in  1623  to  inquire  into 
the  wreck  of  his  plantation  at  Wes- 
sagusset (Weymouth).  Under  dis- 
guise he  left  his  ship  and  went  ahead 
in  a  shallop  with  a  man  or  two. 
Somewhere  between  the  Merrimack 
and  the  Piscataqua  he  was  ship- 
wrecked. The  Indians  stripped  him 
of  every  thing  but  a  shirt.  Thus 
shorn  of  his  disguise,  Bradford  tells 
of  his  getting  at  last  to  Pascataquack, 
where  he  got  clothes  and  found  means 
to  get  to  Plymouth.  Later  he  recov- 
ered his  ship,  of  which  we  shall  pre- 
sently hear  again. 

About  the  middle  of  September, 
1623,  there  arrived  at  Wessagusset, 
Captain  Robert  Gorges.  Bradford  re- 
lates that  Gorges  sailed  thence  east- 
ward, but  was  turned  back  by  a 
storm  and  sought  a  pilot  at  Plymouth. 
Gorges  was  the  son  of  Sir  Ferdi- 
nando,  and  bore  a  commission  from 
the  Council  of  New  England  "to  be 
generall  Govff  of  ye  cuntrie."  This 
commission,  of  which  Bradford  was 
allowed  to  take  a  copy,  named  as  as- 
sistants to  Governor  Gorges,  Cap- 
tain Francis  West,  Christopher  Lev- 
ett  and  the  Governor  of  Plymouth  for 
the  time  being.  For  fourteen  days 
Gorges  staved  at  Plymouth.  During 
that  time  official  relationships  must 
have  made  necessary  the  fullest  dis- 
cussion of  the  several  plantations 
which  Gorges,  with  Bradford's  ad- 
vice, was  to  oversee. 

One  of  the  other  assistants  was 
then  in  New  England,  or  off  its 
shore.  West  does  not  appear  in  our 
story  except  by  name,  but  Levett 
gives  us  eye-witness  testimony  as  to 
Thomson's   plantation.     He   published 


at  London,  in  1628,  A  Jroyotjc  into 
New  England,  Begun  in  1623,  and 
ended  in  1624.  From  this  it  appears 
that  Levett  hrst  visited  the  Isles  of 
Shoals.  Thereafter  his  account  runs 
thus : 

"The  next  place  I  came  unto  was 
Panaway,  where  one  M.  Tomson 
hath  made  a  plantation,  there  I  stay- 
ed about  one  month,  in  which  time  I 
sent  for  my  men  from  the  east :  who 
came  over  in  divers  ships. 

At  this  place  I  met  with  the  Gov- 
ernor, who  came  hither  in  a  bark 
which  he  had  from  one  M.  Weston 
about  twenty  days  before  I  arrived 
in   the  land." 

The  Governor  was,  of  course,  Rob- 
ert Gorges.  While  he  was  at  Ply- 
mouth, Weston  came  in  with  his  re- 
covered ship.  Gorges  at  once  charg- 
ed Weston  with  certain  miscarriages 
in  his  now  abandoned  plantation  at 
Wessagusset.  -By  Bradford's  inter- 
vention a  sort  of  truce  was  patched 
up.  and  Gorges  went  overland  to  Wes- 
sagusset, leaving  his  ship  to  proceed 
to  Virginia.  Weston  remained  at 
Plymouth,  but  Gorges,  regretting  his 
leniency,  sent  back  an  order  for  the 
arrest  of  both  Weston  and  his  ship. 
^Bradford  advised  Gorges  by  letter 
not  to  press  his  point,  as  Weston's 
ship  was  poorly  provisioned  and  the 
owner  deeply  engaged  to  his  men  for 
wages,  which  could  not  but  burden 
Gorges.  But  Gorges  persisted,  and 
in  Weston's  ship  made  his  trip  east- 
ward, which  turned  so  to  the  former's 
loss  that  towards  spring  he  restored 
the  ship  to  the  owner,  made  restitu- 
tion of  the  provision  used,  and  re- 
turned to  England,  "having  scarcly 
saluted  ye  cuntrie  in  his  Govermente, 
not  finding  the  state  of  things  hear 
to   answer   his   quallitie   &   condition." 

At  Piscataqua  there  was  probably 
little  to  encourage  Gorges  in  that  win- 
ter   of    1623-1624.     Levett    proceeds: 

"In  that  time  I  stayed  with  M- 
Tomson,  I  surveyed  as  much  as 
possible  I  could,  the  weather  being 
unseasonable,  and  very  much  snow. 


A.  D.   1623 


207 


In  those  parts  I  saw  much  good 
timber,  but  the  ground  it  seemed  to 
me  not  to  be  good,  being  very  rocky 
and    full   of   trees   and   brushwood. 

There  is  great  store  of  fowl  of 
divers  sorts,  whereof  1  fed  very 
plentifully. 

About  two  English  miles  further 
to  the  east,  I  found  a  great  river  and 
a  good  harbor  called  Pascattaway. 
But  for  the  ground  J  can  say  nothing, 
but  by  relation  of  the  sagamore  or 
king  of  that  place,  who  told  me  there 
was  much  good  ground  up  in  the 
river  about  seven  or  eight  leagues." 

The  rest  of  the  narrative  relates  to 
Levett's  trip  eastward  to  a  little  be- 
yond the  Kennebec.  The  portion 
quoted  is  the  only  contemporary  ac- 
count of  the  Piscataqua  settlement 
from  the  hand  of  an  actual  visitor 
in  the  first  year.  It  is  striking, 
though  riot  wholly  conclusive,  that  one 
coming  to  New  Hampshire  in  the 
winter  of  1623-1624  makes  no  men- 
tion of  any  settlement  at  Dover.  It 
was  only  six  miles  from  "Pannaway" 
to  the  point  where  Hilton  made  his 
settlement.  Perhaps  an  explorer 
would  not  have  gone  even  that  short 
distance  through  unaccustomed  snow 
and  trees  and  brushwood,  but  he  had 
a  ship  and  could  have  reached  Dover 
by  the  '"great  river  and  good  harbor 
called  Pascattaway."  Yet,  as  Levett 
was  looking  for  a  place  to  settle,  he 
might  not  care  to  go  to  another  plan- 
tation, when  his  only  interest  in  in- 
habited places  was  to  find  a  brief  so- 
journ, for  which  "Pannaway"  suf- 
ficed. After  all,  however,  would  not 
the  sagamore  have  known  if  Dover 
had  been  settled  in  1623 ;  in  that  case, 
when  he  praised  the  ground  up-river, 
would  lie  not  have  mentioned  the  fact 
that  some  Englishmen  had  already 
settled  perhaps  one-third  the  way  up 
to  the  "good  ground";  would  Levett 
not  have  noted  that?  Reasonable 
answer  must  be  in  the  affirmative. 
even  though  there  be  room  for  doubt. 

Leaving  for  a  moment  the  strictly 
contemporary  documents,  we  may  re- 


fer to  an  interesting  narrative  that 
was  written  many  years  later.  When 
the  evidence  was  documented,  the  ex- 
perience it  related  was  of  such  an- 
cient memory  that  we  should  give  it 
comparative!}"  little  faith  except  as 
confirmatory  of  primary  evidence 
written  contemporaneously  by  those 
who.  had  means  of  knowledge,  or 
at  least  trustworthy  information. 
But  in  this  case  the  secondary  evi- 
dence checks  so  completely  with  the 
primary  as  to  reduce  greatly  the 
chance  of  an  inaccurate  or  imagina- 
tive memory. 

When,  in  1623,  Weston's  people  at 
Wessagusset  were  threatened  with 
extinction  by  the  Indians,  one  of  the 
settlers,  named  Phinehas  Pratt,  came 
stumbling  into  Plymouth  to  ask  for 
relief.  Good  neighbors  ever  in  such 
matters,  the  Pilgrims  sent  aid  on 
March  24,  1623,  having,  indeed,  al- 
ready planned  to  do  so  on  their  own 
initiative.  The  people  at  Wessagus- 
set declined  hospitality  at  Plymouth 
and,  as  Bradford  records,  sailed  in 
their  small  ship  eastward,  hoping  to 
meet  Weston.  Nearly  forty  years 
afterward  Phinehas  Pratt  wrote  A 
declaration  of  the  affaires  of  the  Eng- 
lish people,  that  first  inhabited  Nezv 
England.  After  telling  of  his  trip  to 
Plymouth  and  of  Standi sh's  expedi- 
tion to  the  relief  of  Wessagusset, 
Pratt  places  the  time  by  referring  to 
the  fact  that  one  of  Weston's  men 
died  on  ship  before  they  came  to  the 
place  where  at  that  time  of  year,  it 
being  March,  ships  came  to  fish. 
Then  he  continues :  "At  this  Time 
ships  began  to  ffish  at  ye  Islands  of 
Sholes  and  I  having  Recovered  a 
Little  of   my    [healjth  went     to     my 

Company  near  about  this  Time 

the  first  plantation  att  Pascataqua  the 
[governor]  thereof  was  Mr.  David 
Tomson  at  the  time  of  my  arivall(?) 
att  Pascataqua."  The  quotation  is 
made  exactly  from  the  manuscript 
published  in  the  Massachusetts  His- 
torical Society  Collections,  with  the 
inclusion,  in   brackets     of    what     one 


208 


GRANITE  MONTHLY 


might  reasonably  suppose  were  the 
letters  which,  because  illegible,  the 
print  omits.  The  question  mark  ap- 
pears in  the  printed   narrative. 

Some  caution  is  necessary  in  view 
of  the  date  of  the  narrative,  and  pos- 
sible tricks  of  memory,  but  the  story 
fits  perfect]}*  with  all  the  known  facts. 
As  to  the  time,  of  Thomson's  settle- 
ment it  is  entirely  consistent  with  the 
contract  lor  transportation,  which 
would  bring  the  "Jonathan"  to  our 
shore  at  about  the  season  when  the 
fishermen  were  wont  to  arrive  for  the 
spring  fishing.  It  fits  with-  Win- 
slow's  statement  that  Thomson  set- 
tled in  the  spring  of  1623.  It  is 
consistent  with  the  fact  that  Weston 
came  over  with  fishermen  and  had 
relief  at  Piscataqua  after  his  ship- 
wreck. It  is  a  reasonable  deduction, 
also,  that  Thomson  would  not  have 
visited  Plymouth  (in  July,  1623)  un- 
til he  had  spent  some  months  getting 
his  habitation  in  order  and  his  ser- 
vants disciplined  and  contented 
enough  to  leave  with  safety  while  he 
called  on  his  neighbors.  So  we  may 
accept  it  as  a  well-proved  fact  that 
Thomson  was  settled  on  New  Hamp- 
shire soil  in  the  early  spring  of  1623. 
Little  Harbor  as  the  place  is  deter- 
mined by  the  story  of  Levett. 

The  statement  of  Phinehas  Pratt 
assumes  importance  with  respect  to 
the  date  of  the  Dover  settlement 
when  one  considers  the  words  "the 
first  plantation  att  Pascataqua." 
When  he  recorded  the  visit,  he  must 
have  had  in  mind  that  there  were,  at 
the  time  pf  writing  (1662),  two  set- 
tlements on  the  Piscataqua — Ports- 
mouth and  Dover — and  a  third,  if 
Exeter  be  assumed  to  be  on  a  branch 
of  that  river.  Did  he  consciously 
declare  that  they  were  all  antedated 
by  Thomson's  plantation  at  Little 
Harbor  ?  Perhaps  that  would  be 
claiming  too  much — not  because  Pratt 
had  not  ample  means,  in  1623,  of 
knowing  whether  Dover  was  then  in 
existence,  but  because  of  the  possible 
failure    of    memory    in    nearly    forty 


years.  Yet  here,  again,  it  may  assume 
some  evidentiary  value  when  com- 
pared with  other  evidence,  or  lack  of 
evidence,  as  to  the  time  of  Dover's 
planting. 

We  return  now  to  Hubbard,  who 
states  that  the  Plymouth  merchants 
sent  over  in  1623,  "one  Mr.  David 
Thompson,  with  Mr.  Edward  Hilton 
and   his  brother,    Mr.   William   Hilton 

some    of    whom    first  in 

probability,    seized    on    a    place    called 

the  Little  Harbor the  Hiltons 

meanwhile  setting  up  their  stages 
higher  up  the  river,  toward  the  north- 
west, at  or  about  the  place  since  called 
Dover.  But  at  that  place  called 
Little  Harbor,  it  is  supposed  the  first 
house  was  set  up  that  ever  was  built 
in  those  parts."  It  will  be  noted  that 
Hubbard's  statement  is  chiefly  sup- 
positious. He  says  "in  probability" 
the  first  settlement  was  at  Little  Har- 
bor ;  "it  is  supposed"  the  first  house 
was  built  there.  He  says  boldly  how- 
ever, that  the  Hiltons  came  over  with 
Thomson  and  settled  at  Dover  at 
about  the  same  time,  though  "proba- 
bly" a  little  later. 

Thus  Hubbard  set  going  a  chain  of 
guesses  which  have  been  written  into 
New  Llampshire  history  ever  since. 
"As  far  as  his  suppositions  about  the 
first  settlement  and  the  first  house  are 
concerned,  he  is  supported  by  the 
evidence  we  now  have  at  hand.  How 
about  the  rest  of  it? 

There  is  not  a  shred  of  proof  that 
Edward  and  William  Hilton  came 
over  with  Thomson.  As  to  the  form- 
er, w*e  simply  do  not  know  how  or 
when  he  came.  As  to  William  there 
is   Competent  evidence. 

Captain  John  Smith  in  New  Eng- 
land's Trials  tells  the  story  of  the 
founding  of  Plymouth,  of  the  return 
of  the  "Mayflower,"  of  the  immedi- 
ate fitting  out  of  a  ship  (the  "For- 
tune") to  take  supplies  to  the  new 
colony,  of  her  reaching  there  on 
November  11,  1621,  of  her  return 
eastward,  her  capture  by  the  French, 
her  final  arrival  in  England  on  Febru- 


I).   1623 


209 


I- 


an,  14,  1622,  hearing  a  letter  in  part 
as  follows : 

"LOVING  COUSIN,  at  our  arivall 
at  New  Plimmouth  in  New  England, 

we  found  all  our  friends  and  planters 

in  gbod   health We  are  all 

freeholders,  the  rent  day  doth  not 
trouble  us, —  I  desire  your  friendly 
eare    to    send    my    wife    and    children 

to    me 

William    Hilton" 

So  William  Hilton  came  to  Ply- 
mouth in  the  fall  of  1621.  He  liked 
so  well  that  he  sent  hack  immediately 
for  his  family.  Naturally  he  waited 
for  them  ;  he  did  not  go  hack  to  Eng- 
land and  re-sail  in  the.  "Jonathan" 
to  an  experimental,  unlocated  colony. 
At  Plymouth  he  waited  until  his  fami- 
ly arrived  on  the  "Anne"  in  July, 
1623,  several  months  after  Thomson, 
without  him,  landed  from  the  ''Jona- 
than" at  Little  Harbor — indeed  after 
Thomson  had  himself  visited  Ply- 
mouth. Hilton  was  allotted  some 
land  at  Plymouth  in  1623.  How  long 
he  stayed  there  is  uncertain.  After 
1627  it  is  sure  he  was  no  longer  at 
Plymouth.  The  first  evidence  of  his 
presence  at  Dover  is  as  late  as   1631. 

Of  course  this  does  not  prove  that 
Edward  Hilton  was  not  at  Dover  in 
1623.  On  the  other  hand  the  only 
ground  we  have  to  place  him  there 
is  Hubbard's  statement  (made  fifty- 
seven  years  later,  without  offering 
any  proof)  that  Edward  and  William 
came  over  with  Thomson  and  set  up 
their  fishing-stages  at  or  near  Dover. 
Hubbard  was  notoriously  inaccurate 
and  unreliable.  On  the  face  of  them, 
his  allegations  about  the  Dover  set- 
tlement are  "probabilities";  his  flat 
statement  that  Edward  and  William 
came  with  Thomson  is  provably  er- 
roneous as  to  the  latter,  and  entirely 
unsupported  as  to  the  former.  It  is 
to  be  regretted  that  some  of  our  his- 
torians lacked  the  documents ;  while 
others,  having  the  documents,  have 
not  been  over-critical  in  handling 
them. 


Edward  Hilton  is  first  located  in 
New  England  by  Bradford's  record 
that  in  1628  he  paid  one  pound  sterl- 
ing towards  the  expenses  of  ousting 
Thomas  Morton  from  Merryrnount. 
This  happened  probably  in  the  sum- 
mer; for  Bradford  says  that  shortly 
after  that,  Endicott  came  over.  En- 
dieott  arrived  the  early  part  of  Sep- 
tember. If  Hilton  planted  in  the 
spring  of  1628  lie  was  in  time  for  this 
event.    Yet  he  may  have  come  earlier. 

Hilton  was  given  a  patent  on 
March  12.  1629-30,  "for  and  in  con- 
sideration that  Edward  Hilton  &  his 
.Associates  hath  already  at  his  and 
their  owne  proper  costs  and  charges 
transported  sundry  servants  to  plant 
in  New  England  aforesaid  at  a  place 
there  called  by  the  natives  -Wecana- 
cohunt  otherwise  Hilton's  point  ly- 
ing some  two  leagues  from  the  mouth 
of  the  River  Paskataquack  in  New 
England  aforesaid  where  they  have 
already  built  some  houses,  and  plant- 
ed Corne,  And  for  that  he  doth  fur- 
ther intend  by  Gods  Divine  Assist- 
ance, to  transport  more  people  and 
cattle."  Livery  of  seizin  was  given 
on  Jul}-  7,  1631,  in  the  presence  of 
William    Hilton   and    others. 

This  preamble  may  not  at  first 
reading  indicate  much  as  to  the  date 
of  Hilton's  planting.  Reread  it  sev- 
eral times,  however,  in  the  light  of 
the  knowledge  that  such  preambles 
usually  incorporated  the  most  favor- 
able statement  of  the  deserts  and 
good  faith  of  the  patentees,  and  one 
will  be  struck  with  the  omission  to 
set  forth  occupation  and  cultivation 
since  1623.  Fortified  with  such  a 
long-standing  colony  as  the  inveter- 
ate tradition  assigns,  Hilton  would 
have  had  much  earlier  ground  for  a 
patent,  and  in  1629  far  stronger 
statement  would  have  been  made. 
"Already,"  "some  houses,"  "planted 
Corne,"  are  colorless  words  to  des- 
cribe a  plantation  of  six  years  stand- 
ing; they  connote  rather,  as  Jenness 
points  out,  a  rather  young  settlement ; 
they  point  to  the  assumption  of   1627 


J 


210 


GRANITE  MONTHLY 


or-  1628,  rather  than  the  year  of 
"Pannaway." 

And  this  is  where  the  primary  evi- 
dence as  to  Dover  leaves  u±:  There  is 
no  proof  of  any  settlement  before 
1628.  In  the  year  1623.  both  Levett 
and  Bradford  (William  Hilton  was 
then  at  Plymouth)  had  opportunity  to 
know  if  Hilton's  plantation  then 
existed.  Both  wrote  contemporan- 
eous narratives  from  which  they 
would  hardly  have  omitted  reference 
to  the  settlement  if  existent.  Neither 
mentions  it.  What  primary  evidence 
there  is  negatives  a  settlement  at 
Dover  as  early  as  1623.  Secondari- 
ly, Pratt  had  opportunity  of  knowl- 
edge; though  his  silence  might  be  ex- 
plained by  forget  fulness*  his  declara- 
tion that  Thomson's  was  the  first  set- 
tlement  has   at   least   a   remote  value. 

For  secondary  evidence,  document- 
ed many  years  later,  we  have  the 
declaration  made  in  1654  to  the 
Massachusetts  General  Court  by  John 
Allen,  Nicholas  Shapleigh  and  Thom- 
as .  Lake,  who  humbly  presented 
"That  Mr.  Edward  Hilton  was  pos- 
sessed of  this  land  [in  Dover]  about 
the  year  1628,  which  is  about  26 
years  ago."  The  petitioners  were 
seeking  to  show  title  to  the  land  in 
question,  and  had  every  reason  to 
date  their  claim  from  the  earliest  pos- 
sible year.  If  in  their  belief  they 
could  have  placed  the  origin  back  to 
1623,  would  they  not  have  done  so? 
The  tendency  of  those  times  (as  per- 
haps of  others)  was  always  to  make 
the  claim  at  least  as  broad  as  the 
proof  would  warrant — if  not  to  en- 
large it  a  bit. 

There  remains  for  discussion  one 
other  important  document,  a  peti- 
tion by  William  Hilton,  Jr.,  made  to 
the  Massachusetts  "General  Court  on 
May  31,  1660.  The  preamble  fol- 
lows: "Where  as  your  petitioners 
father  William  Hilton  came  ouer  in- 
to New  England  about  the  year  An- 
no: Dom.  1621:  &  yor  petitioner  came 
about  one  Yeare  &  an  halfe  after, 
and    In    a    little    tvme    following    set- 


tled our  seines  vpon  the  River  of  Pis- 
chataq.  with  Mr.  Edw :  Hilton,  who 
were  the  first  Inglish  planters 
there."  This  document  has  by  sonic 
historians  been  accepted  as  proving 
beyond  doubt  the  settlement  of  Do- 
ver by  the  Hiltons  in  1623.  The  ar- 
gument is  that  "In  a  little  tyme" 
means  immediately;  the  rest  is  the 
mere  addition  of  one  and  a  half  to 
1621.  making   1623. 

Let  us  consider  it  carefully.  First, 
we  must  remark  that  memory  plays 
strange  tricks  after  a  lapse  of  thirty- 
seven  years,  which  must  lead  us  al- 
ways to  scrutinize  any  writing  based 
on  old  memory.  Here  is  a  case  in 
point.  The  petitioner  says  his  father 
came  over  "about"  1621.  That  hap- 
pens to  be  the  correct  year,  as  shown 
by  the  records  of  Plymouth  Colony, 
but  obviously  the  son  did  not  trust 
his  memory  fully  enough  to  give  the 
date   with  assurance. 

There  is  a  special  reason  for  as- 
signing to  this  writing  only  a  second- 
ary evidential  value.  It  states  not 
only  a  thirty-seven-year  old  memory, 
but  a  memory  of  childhood  events. 
To  a  child,  a  little  time  is  usually 
long;  to  a  man  of  middle  life,  some- 
what lengthy  periods  of  childhood 
may  seem  "a  little  tyme."  Was  it 
otherwise  in  this  case?  Mrs.  William 
Hilton,  Sr.,  and  her  two  children  ar- 
rived in  Plymouth  on  the  "Anne." 
The  exact  date  cannot  be  fixed.  The 
"Paragon"  came  the  latter  part  of 
June.  1623.  How  long  she  stayed 
at  Plymouth  does  not  appear.  A 
fortnight  after  she  left  for  Virginia, 
Bradford  says  the  "Anne"  came  in*. 
So  the  arrival  of  the  Hilton  family 
must  have  been  after  the  middle  of 
July. 

The  Plymouth  Records  show  that 
William  Hilton  was  allotted  one  acre 
in  1623.  After  the  "Anne"  came  in, 
there  was  an  allotment  to  the  settlers 
whom  she  brought,  and  Hilton's  wife 
and  "two  children"  were  assigned 
three  acres.  Unfortunately  there  is 
no  record  showing  when  any  of  these 


A.  D.  1623 


u 


holdings  were  conveyed  by  Hilton,  or 
when  the  Hiltons  left  Plymouth;  hut 
tiie  grants  to  them  as  late  as  mid 
summer  of  1623.  when  no  further 
crops  could  he.  raised  (and  they  could 
not  be  used  for  grazing,  there  being- 
no  cattle  then  in  the  colony)  negatives 
the  idea  that  on  the  arrival  of  the 
"Anne"  the  Hiltons  had  any  thought 
of  settling  on  the  Piscataqua  in  a 
short  time,  even  that  William  then 
knew  of  any  definite  plan  of  his 
brother  to  plant  there.  The  writer  is 
aware  of   the   tact   that   the  grants  of 

1623  were  for  that  year  only;  but 
they  were  renewed  in  fee  in  1624, 
and  it  is  quite  possible  that  when  the 
passengers  on  the  "Anne"  received 
their  grants  it  was  foreseen  they' 
would  soon  be  made  permanent.  The 
internal  evidence  of  the  records 
shows  clearly     that     the  grantees     of 

1624  received  tha  identical  lots  they 
had  in  1623. 

So  it  is  a  quite  possible  inference 
that  the  William  Hilton  family  in- 
tended to  stay  in  Plymouth  for  the 
season  of  1624,  if  not  indefinitely;  or 
they  may  have  kept  secret  their  plans 
and  taken  the  land  as  a  sort  of  unjust 
enrichment ;  or  neither  assumption 
may  lie  true.  Now  we  come  to  a 
tradition  handed  down  by  Hubbard 
and  to  be  received  rather  critically. 
This  states  that  the  original  trouble 
with  Lyford  and  Oldham  arose  from 
the  baptism  of  a  child  of  William 
Hilton,  unpermissable  because  the 
father  was  not  of  the  Plymouth 
church.  If  this  be  trie,  the  Hiltons 
were  at  Plymouth  in  1624,  for  Ly- 
ford did  not  come  over  until  that  year. 
Whatever  be  the  trustworthiness  of 
such  a  tradition,  it  is  at  least  consis- 
tent with  the  first  of  the  three  infer- 


ences   that    William    Hilton    was    still 
at    Plymouth   in    1624.     If,   then,    his 

son  was  correct  in  declaring  that  Ed 
ward  and  William  Hilton  were  the 
tirst  English  planters  on  the  Piscata- 
qua (waiving  the  question  of  the 
priority  of  Thomson  at  the  smaller 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  taking  the 
statement  to  mean,  as  it  seems  to 
mean,  that  Edward  and  William  went 
to  the  river  together),  it  surely  re- 
sults that  neither  was  at  Hilton  Point 
as  a  planter  in  1623.  So  the  secon- 
dary evidence  leaves  us  just  where  the 
primary  evidence  did. 

We  shall  therefore  next  year  cele- 
brate with  assurance  only  the  planting 
at  Little  Harbor.  Put  Thomson 
abandoned  his  settlement  in  1626  or 
soon  after,  and  in  1630  his  house  was 
leased  as  headquarters  for  tlie  ser- 
vants of  the  Laconia  patentees.  They 
in  turn  abandoned  it  by  1633.  Who 
thereafter  occupied  it  we  do  not 
know.  Long  ago  it  fell  into  ruin, 
and  nothing  of  it  now  remains  ex- 
cept a  few  stones  guessed  to  be  the 
foundation  of  its  chimney.  There  is 
no  clear  connection  between  "Panna- 
way"  and  the  settlement  begun  at 
Strawberry  Bank  about  1631.  So 
to  Dover,  whenever  planted,  belongs 
the  honor  of  being  our  oldest  planta- 
tion with  an  unbroken  history. 

That  is  honor  enough.  The  as- 
signing of  the  settlement  of  Dover  to 
the  year  1623  has  never,  since  the 
days  of  Hubbard,  been  more  than  an 
unnecessary  assumption — an  assump- 
tion glorified  by  repetition  into  a  well- 
nigh  general  belief.  One  is  remind- 
ed of  tlie  saying  of  Doctor  Johnson : 
"Many  things  which  are  false  are 
transmitted  from  book  to  book,  and 
gain  credit  in  the  world." 


ai.2- 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  DAY  BY  DAY. 


Two  .  memorial  occasions  in  the 
month  of  May  in  New  Hampshire 
centered  public  attention,  each  for 
a  day,  v^on  the  greatest  figures  in 
the  history  of  the  Granite  State, 
Daniel  Webster  and  John  Stark. 
On  Tuesday,  the  16th.  at  Nashua, 
the  markers  placed  by  the  state  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Daniel  Web- 
ster Highway,  near  the  border  line 
between  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire,  were  dedicated  with 
appropriate  ceremonies,  including 
a  very  interesting  address  by  Judge 
Charles  R.  Corning,  president  of 
the  New  Hampshire  Historical  So- 
ciety, upon  Webster,  which  we 
hope  to  print  in  full  in  the  next 
issue  of  the  Granite  Monthly. 

On  Tuesday,  May  9,  at  Manches- 
ter, under  the  auspices  of  the  local 
Historical  Association,  due  honor 
was  paid  to  General  Stark,  of  whose 
death  the  previous  day  had  been 
the  100th  anniversary.  Captain 
Frank  IT.  Challis  presided,  the 
High  school  pupils  furnished  music, 
Mayor  George  E.  Trudel  and  others 
.spoke  and  Governor  Albert  O. 
Brown  delivered  the  principal  ad- 
dress of  the  occasion  as  follows : 
Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentle- 
.    men : 

New  Hampshire  may  well  be 
called  the  mother  of  men.  From 
the  earliest  times  her  sons  have 
distinguished  themselves  on  almost 
every  accessible  field  of  human  en- 
deavor. In  public  .service  they  have 
been  conspicuous  and  in  private  af- 
fairs, prominent.  They  have  found 
advantage  and  comfort  in  peace 
and    sacrifice   and   glory   in   war. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rev- 
olution they  constituted,  from  en- 
vironment, a  race  of  farmers  and 
hunters.  They  were  inured  to 
arms.  Indeed,  until  the  end  of  the 
Seven  Years  War  they  had  not  for 
a  moment  been  free  from  the  Indian 
menace.       But    with   the   peace      of 


1760  many  found  their  occupation 
gone.  it  was  not  for  long,  how- 
ever. The  war  for  independence 
in  which  they  were  to  bear  such  a 
noble  part,  and  chiefly  in  other 
states  for  theirs  was  not  invaded, 
soon  followed. 

A  list  of  great  names  adorns  the 
pages  of  our  early  history,  both  as 
a  province  and  a  state.  Bartlett, 
Whipple  and  Thornton,  signers  of 
the  immortal  declaration,  Weare, 
Wentworth  and  Langdon,  execu- 
tives and  legislators,  and  Stark, 
Sullivan  and  Cilley,  soldiers  in  the 
field,  may  be  taken  as  the  repre- 
sentatives of  a  much  larger  group. 
The  name  of  Stark  stands  at  the 
very  top  of  the  list  and  is  most 
often   upon  the  tongues  of  men. 

If  it  should  seem  strange  that 
John  Stark,  born  upon  a  frontier 
beset  with  savages,  reared  apart 
from  schools  and  almost  entirely 
deprived  of  the  use  of  books,  was 
able  to  acquire  a  considerable 
knowledge  of  military  science  and 
to  gain  admission  to  the  society  of 
such  trained  men  as  Howe  and 
Washington,  let  it  be  remembered 
that  his  father  was  a  native  of 
Scotland  and  educated  at  the  an- 
cient University  of  Glasg-ow.  It 
is  natural  to  believe  that  during 
the  long  winter  evenings  as  well  as 
in  other  periods  of  enforced  leisure, 
die  father  imparted  to  the  son 
something  of  the  learning  he  was 
so  fortunate  as  to  possess.  More- 
over there  is  proof  of  instruction 
by  the  mother.  At  all  events, 
young  Stark  learned  something  of 
history.  Among  other  things  he 
became  familiar  with  the  campaigns 
of  Alexander  and  of  Charles  the 
XII,  both  of  whom  he  greatly  ad- 
mired. 

To  the  knowledge  gained  at 
home  he  soon  added  that  of  the 
wilderness.  As  a  hunter  and  trap- 
per   in    the    northern      wilds,      as    a 


NEW   HAMPSHIRE   DAY   BY    DAY 


213 


prisoner  of  the  Indians  in  Canada 
and  as  a  fore's!  ranger  fur  main- 
years,  he  learned  all  there  was  to 
know. 

^  In  the  war  between  England  and 
France  his  name  and  Iris  presence 
were  feared  all  the  way  from  Al- 
bany to  Quebec.  His  exploits  and 
escapes  were  more  remarkable  even 
than  those  of  Major  Rogers  him- 
self. So  highly  was  his  opinion  re- 
garded that  in  the  campaign  of 
I/J8  he  was  summoned  by  Lord 
Howe  for  a  conference  at  head- 
quarters, and  the  night  before  Howe 
fell  the  two  men  lay  .side  by  side 
on  a  bear-skin  in  the  forest  and  for 
hours  discussed  the  position  of 
Ticonderoga  and  the  best  methods 
of  approach. 

It  is  known  to  every  careful 
student  that,  despite  the  neglect  of 
historians  resident  abroad,  the  bat- 
tle of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought  and 
won,  so  far  as  it  was  won  at  all, 
by  New  Hampshire  men.  In  num- 
bers, in  valor,  and  in  everything 
that  makes  for  efficiency,  they  were 
far  in  the  lead  in  thai  memorable 
conflict.  As     they         approached 

ChaHestown  Neck  their  advance 
was  halted  by  a  body  of  deserters 
and  skulkers  who  could  not  be  forc- 
ed into  action  over  that  narrow 
passage,  .  even  then  swept  by  the 
tire  of  the  British  fleet.  They  were 
requested  to  advance  or  give  way 
and  let  Stark  pass.  They  did  the 
latter.  And  Colonel  Stark  led  his 
regiment,  which  marched  slowly 
and  with  the  precision  of  veterans, 
through  the  disordered  mass  and 
then  through  a  rain  of  grape  and 
canister,  to  its  position  on  the  hill. 

In  this  connection  it  is  fair  to 
remark  that  not  all  of  the  men  of 
the  Revolutionary  perioel  were 
heroes.  But  it  is  conforting  to  be- 
lieve that  not  one  of  those  who  had 
traveled  all  the  way  from  their 
northern  homes  to  engage  the 
enemy  wherever  lie  might  be  found, 
joined   the   rabble   behind   the"    lines 


or  united  with  those  faithless  sol- 
diers who  from  another  hill  looked 
down  upon,  the  battle,  without  ren- 
der nig  the  aid  or  furnishing  the 
supplies  that  would  have  meant 
victory    to    the   American    arms. 

Stark's  men  were  opposed  by  the 
Welsh  fusileers,  veteran  soldiers 
with  a  proud  recorel  to  maintain. 
Three  times  they  advanced  to  the 
attack.  Three  times  they  were 
swept  back  with  terrible  loss.  That 
morning  they  had  numbered  700 
strong.  The  next  morning  they 
could  muster  hut  83  men. 

Verily  "the  Angel  of  Death  spread  his 
wing's    on    the    blast, 

And  breathed  in  the  face  of  the   foe  as  he 
pass'd." 

How  did  the  men  from  Amoskeag 
fight  on  that  eventful  day?  Cap- 
tain John  Moor  and  his  small  com- 
pany strewed  96  dead  bodies  along 
the  Mystic  shore,  exclusive  of  the 
officers,  who  were  removed  before 
the  count   was  made. 

When  the  powder  which  Sulli- 
van had  seized  at  Fort  William  and 
Mary  at  New  Castle,  at  the  time  he 
began  the  war  by  the  reduction  of 
that  fortress,  and  with  which  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought, 
failed,  and  Prescott  was  compelled 
to  retreat,  it  was  Stark  who  pro- 
tected his  rear  and  then  withdrew 
his  own  troops  in  the  same  good 
order  in  which  they  had  come  up- 
on   the   field. 

It  is  true  that  the  glory  of  Bunk- 
er Hill  belongs  at  least  to  all  who 
participated  in  the  battle,  but  if  it 
be  asked  who  contributed  most  of 
experience,  of  daring,  of  military 
capacity  and  aptitude,  to  the  for- 
tunes of  that  day,  the  answer  must 
inevitably    be,    John    Stark. 

There  is  no  question  about  Ben- 
nington. The  credit  for  that  vic- 
tory, as  an  achievement  of  com- 
mand, belongs  wholly  to  Stark. 
It  was  his  capital  service,  and  was 
in  itself  a  supreme  accomplishment. 


214 


G  R  A  N I T  E  MONTH  LY 


Bennington,    like    Gettysburg,    wats 

the  turning  point  of  a  great  war. 
And  it  was  relatively  more  impor- 
tant than  Gettysburg,  for  the  army 
of  Lee  escaped  while  that  of  Bur- 
goyne  was  made  an  easy  prey  to 
General  Gales.  The  attempt  to 
separate  New  England  from  New 
York  failed,  and  the  way  was  open- 
ed for  the  French  alliance.  Thence- 
forth the  fortunes  of  the  colonies 
were  in   the  ascendant. 

Stark,  although  somewhat  im- 
perious, jealous  of  his  rank  and 
self-willed  to  the  point  of  insubor- 
dination, continued  in  favor.  He 
was  gradually  advanced  until  at 
the  time  of  the  fall  of  Yorktown 
he  was  .  stationed  at  Saratoga  in 
full  command  of  the  Department 
of   the   North. 

This  assignment  indicates  that 
he  was  fitted  for  dutes  of  a  far  more 
comprehensive  nature  than  those 
that  devolve  upon  a  mere  scout  or 
even  a  combat  officer.  His  ap- 
pointment as  a  member  of  the  court 
marshal  that  tried  and  convicted 
Andre  points  in  the  same  direction. 
That  he  was  possessed  of  great 
wisdom  and  prudence  in  civil  as 
well  as.  military  affairs  must  be  the 
conclusion  of  all  who  will  read  his 
letter  to  Governor  Chittenden  on 
the  relations  of  Vermont  to  New 
York  and   New   Hampshire. 


General  Stark  needs  a  biographer 
just  as  the  state  needs  a  historian. 
If  some  author  would  perform  for 
him  a  service  similar  to  that  re- 
cently rendered  to  his  loyalist  con- 
temporary, John  YYentworth,  by 
Mayo,  he  would  stand  forth  more 
plainly  than  he  does  now  as  the 
great  military  genius  which  all 
those  who  have  investigated  for 
themselves  know  him  to  have  been. 
He  would  clearly  appear  as  second 
only  to  George  Washington  among 
the  great  commanders  of  the  Rev- 
oution. 

By  a  joint  resolution  of  long 
standing  the  legislature  has  called 
upon  our  successive  governors  to 
proclaim  an  Arbor  Day  at  this  sea- 
son of  the  year.  This  has  general- 
ly been  done.  In  the  present  in- 
stance the  day  was  made  to  fall  up- 
on the  one  hundredth  anniversary 
of  the  death  of  New  Hampshire's 
greatest  soldier  and  trees  have 
been  set  for  him  as  well  as  those 
who  have  died  in  Avar  that  we  may 
live  in  peace.  It  would  not  seem 
inappropriate  to  make  Arbor  Day 
and  Stark  Day  permanently  iden- 
tical to  be  devoted,  in  some  part 
and  among  other  purposes,  to 
memorial  trees  and  vines  and 
shrubs. 


ENCHANTMENT 

By  J.  Roy  Zeiss 

Lure  of  the  stream,  and  evergreen  pines. 

Fragrance  of  clover  and   honeysuckle  vines; 

Blue  of  the  mirrored  lake  in  early  morn, 

Rise  of  the  sun  in  splendor  reborn; 

Call  of  the  quail,  and  song  of  the  lark, 

Lap  of  the  waves  on  the  side  of  your  bark; — 

Fall  of  the  fly  and  leap  of  the  trout. 

Flash  of  the  silver!    Your  line  running  out! 

Flicker  of  the  shadows  in  the  camp-fire's  gleam, 

Joys  of   the    follower  of    forest  and   stream! 


d?tr 


DANIEL  WEBSTER,  NEW  HAMPSHIRE'S  GIANT 


By  Rev.  Roland  D.  Sawyer. 


■ 


■ 


Two  men  grow  upon  me  as  I  grow 
older,  and  as  I  have  more  to  do  with 
political  and  public  life— they  are 
Lincoln  and  Webster.  Lincoln,  for 
his  quiet  wisdom  and  ability  to  get 
things  dune.  Webster  for  his  native 
powers  of  intellect.  Webster  was  a 
giant.  His  poise  in  public  life  came 
from   an    intellect   confident   of    itself. 

Capt.  Webster  of  Kingston,  born 
1739,  married  1761,  was  the  first  to 
move  into  the  "North  Country"  in 
New  Hampshire  after  the  French 
and  English  treaty  of  1763  opened 
upper  New  Hampshire  to  settlement 
by  the  English  along  the  coast.  In 
the  little  two  room  frame  house  there 
was  born  on  January  18,  1782,  the 
greatest  son  of  New  Hampshire. 
(July  the  robust  survived,  and  Daniel 
grew  to  be  a  man  possessed  of  fine 
physical  presence  and  great  physical 
endurance.  A  boyhood  spent  among 
the  hills,  his  sports  those  of  the  pio- 
neer, fishing,  hunting,  he  from  the 
out-door  life  learned  to  love  Nature, 
to  see  things  from  the  out-door  stand- 
point—to see  them  big.  He  loved  to 
see  the  sunrise  upon  the  eternal  hills 
of  upper  New  Hampshire — to  gaze 
upon  the  vast  ocean  at  Portsmouth 
and  Hampton,  and  later  from  his 
adopted  home  at  Marsh  held.  He 
loved  the  great  friendly  ox — the  best 
friend  of  the  settler ;  majestic,  slow- 
moving,  but  sure  and  strong  — they 
were  like  himself.  And  the  last  act 
of  his  life  was  to  have  his  oxen 
driven  on  the  lawn  before  his  sick 
room  window,  so  he  might  watch 
them  feed.  Life  was  hard  and  dull 
in  the  country  of  Webster's  early 
life;  no  papers,  few  books,  hard- 
ships and  never-ending  toil — but 
such  environment  stirred  lads  of 
native  endowment  like  Lincoln, 
Greeley,  Ballou,  Webster — and  he 
read    and   meditated   and   became  a 


man  of  wide  information  and  sound 
know  ledge. 

Such  was  the  life  of  the  lad  and 
young  mar,  and  as  he  steps  upon 
the  forum  he  seems  fitted  for  that 
calling-  above  all  else.  Just  as 
Whitelield  was  fitted  to  be  a  great 
open-air  preacher,  so  Webster  was 
fitted  for  the  forum  of  public  life. 
His  hne  imagination,  his  stately 
eloquence,  his  love  for  his  country — 
these  fitted  him  to  .stand  in  Wash- 
ington as  America's  Greatest  Sen- 
ator. President  he  was  not  des- 
tined to  be.  and  it  was  well ;  the  of- 
fice of  president  would  have  de- 
tracted from  Iris  glory  as  America's 
greatest  figure  in  parliamentary 
life  and  activity.  And  W'ebster 
won  his  fame,  not  at  a  time  barren  of 
great  men — his  colleagues  were 
Clay,  and  Calhoun —  "there  were 
giants  in  those  days"  in  the  federal 
senate.  ■ 

Alongside  of  the  classics  from 
Greece  and  Rome  in  their  glory, 
we  Americans  can  place  the  speeches 
at  Bunker  Hill,  the  Eulogy  on 
Adams  and  Jefferson,  the  Septem- 
ber speech  at  Marshfield,  and  the 
second  speech  on  Foote's  Resolu- 
tion. 

.  Webster  symbolizes  an  epoch — 
he  is  the  classic  voice  of  America 
in  the  forming.  Just  as  Washing- 
ton stands  for  America  struggling 
to  be  free  and  as  Jefferson  stands 
for  America  drawing  up  its  form 
of  organic  government — so  Web- 
ster stands  for  America  as  it  finds 
itself  and  stands  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  the  youngest,  most 
alert,  most  virile,  most  just — of  the 
earth's  nations.  He  stood  the 
great  voice  of  the  federal  parlia- 
ment, in  that  government,  which 
as  he  himself  expressed  it  is  "The 
peoples'  government,   made   for   the 


216  GRANITE  MONTHLY 

people,    made    by    the    people,   and  ever    hear     the     name    of    Webster 

answerable   to   the   people."  spoken,     without     drawing     a     long 

No     native     of    New     Hampshire  breath    of    pride,    that    he    too.    was 

who     knows     human     history,     will  born  in  the  old  Granite  State. 


DILEMMA 

/>V   Core 7   S.  Day 


Riches  and  Greed  and  Pleasure 

Passed  by  me  on  the  road. 

And  not  a  one  of  them   turned  his  head, 

Or  helped  me  with  my  load. 

'Mien  Love  came  by  a-singing, 

And  stopped  to  chat  with  me 

.And  before  I  knew  he  had  taken  all 

My  load,  and  set  me   free. 

No— all  he  asked  was  the  heart  of   me  ! 

Now — am  I  bond,  or  am  I    free? 


THE  WOODSEY  TRAIL 

By  Adeline   Holt  on   Smith 

I  have  no  use  for  the  highway 

Where  automobiles  glide: 

Give  me  the  little  wOodsey  trail 

That   runs   through   the  trees  to  hide. 

The  trail  that  climbs  to  the  ledges, 

The  one  to  the  shady  pool. 

The  one  that  wanders   down  the   hill 

To  the  river  swift  and  cool. 

Give  me  the  trail  to  the  birches 

Where,  on  either  side 

Under  the  ferns  and  mosses 

The  Christmas  berries  hide. 

And  the  trail  that  crosses  the  pasture 

Where  the  drowsy  cattle  are 

That  takes  me  straight  to  the  shining  gate 

Of  sunset  and  vesper  star. 


£>\? 


EDITORIALS 


Memorial  Day,  1922,  in  New 
Hampshire,  was  well  observed. 
Of  all  our  holidays,  it  retains  and 
expresses  the  most  of  the  purpose 
for  which  it  was  instituted.  This 
has  been  largely,  though  not  by 
any  means  wholly,  duo  to  the  fact 
that  behind  its  observance  is  an 
organization  once  powerful  by  vir- 
tue of  its  numbers  and  still  potent 
because  oi  the  great  achievement 
to  its  credit  in  preserving  the  unity 
of  our  nation  on  the  one  right  basis. 
So  long  as  one  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War  remains  in  a  community  as  a 
living  symbol  of  what  Memorial 
Day  means,  that  community  is  not 
likely  to  allow  May  30  to  pass  with- 
out some  fitting  recognition  of  the 
war  which  saved  the  Union  and  the 
men   who  fought  it. 

But  when  the  last  member  of 
the.  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
has  answered  the  final  roll-call,  when 
the  Boys  in  Blue  are  only  a  glori- 
ous memory,  will  their  holiday  be 
allowed  to  lose  its  meaning  and  be- 
come merely  one  more  free  day  for 
motoring,  sports  and  recreation  ? 
We  hope  not.  There  are  very  few 
places  in  this  country  where  July  4 
gives  any  justification  for  being 
known  as  Independence  Day;  but  in 
the  hundred  thousand  cemeteries 
where  the  grave  of  every  dead  sol- 
dier is  carefully  marked  with  flag 
and  flowers  Memorial  Day  means 
something,  to  the  youngest  child  who 
follows  the  band  and  the  soldiers, 
as  well  as  the  oldest  survivor  who 
enlisted  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
when  but  a  child  himself. 


Let  us  whose  generation  came  be- 
tween, who  were  too  young  to  fight 
in  trie  Civil  War  and  too  old  to  fight 
in  the  World  War,  try  to  do  some- 
thing of  our  part  for  patriotism  by 
making  certain,  so  far  as  the  enact- 
ing oi  laws  and  the  educating  of 
sentiment  can  do  it,  that  the  dee- 
orating  of  these  graves  continues,  in 
the  manner  and  the  spirit  of.  those 
who  founded  and  have  faithfully 
carried  on  this  beautiful  custom. 

Just  the  kind  of  a  letter,  for  three 
reasons,  which  the  Granite  Monthly 
likes  to  receive,  came  in  today's  mail 
from  Mr.  Charles  W.  Aiken,  the 
distinguished  inventor  and  manu- 
facturer, of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  whose 
old  home  town  is  Franklin,  N.  H. 
The  three  reasons  were  these:  First, 
the  letter  enclosed  a  cheek  in  advance 
payment  subscription;  second,  it 
said  "The  Granite  .Monthly  is  inter- 
esting and  very  well  worth  while ;" 
third,  it  offered  a  valuable  suggestion 
as  to  increasing  the  magazine's  sub- 
scription list.  Enough  of  that  kind 
of  mail  makes  a  perfect  day  for  an 
editor  and  publisher.  "It  is  a  valu- 
able work  you  are  doing  and  I  will 
lift  my  mite,"  writes  J.  M.  Post  of 
Mascoma,  accompanying  a  check. 
The  current  catalogue  of  Libbie,  of 
Boston  of  New  England  history,  list- 
ing 50  volumes  of  the  Granite  Month- 
ly, says  the  set  is  "a  veritable  store- 
lion  se  of  historical  matter  relating  to 
the  state,  with  much  valuable  genea- 
logical information,  biography,  local 
history,  etc..  not  to  be  found  else- 
where." 


S?'5 


BOOKS  OF  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  INTEREST 


As  interesting  as  the  best  fic- 
tion, yet  of  much  value  as  an  ac- 
curate historical  record,  is  "The 
Cowboy,"  by  Philip  Ash  ton  Rollins 
(Charles  Scribner's  Suns,  New 
York).  Air.  Rollins  is  a  member 
of  that  distinguished  New  England 
family  which  has  made  so  many  im- 
portant contributions  to  the  litera- 
ture of  the  nation  as  well  as  to  its 
statecraft  and  finance,  and,  to  its 
list  the  present  work  is  a  worthy 
addition.  It  is  evidently  a  labor 
of  love  and  one  so  well  performed 
that  even  tlie  casual  reader,  be- 
fore he  lias  turned  many  pages, 
comes  to  share  the  interest  of  the 
author  in  the  subject  of  his  por- 
trait, "The  Cowboy,''  not  the 
theatric  figure  of  the  movies,  but; 
"an  affirmative,  constructive  factor 
in  the  social  and  political  devel- 
opment of  the  United  States/' 

Mr.  Rollins  shows  that  he  has 
read  books,  ransacked  archives  and 
consulted  authorities  in  order  to 
achieve  correctness  and  complete- 
ness; which  he  has  achieved  to 
such  an  extent  that  we  should  call 
liis  work  monumental,  if  that  ad- 
jective was  not  likely  to  convey  a 
false  impression  as  to  the  readable- 
ness  of  the  narrative.  But  it  is 
not  his  diligence,  as  a  student  which 
is  the  main  factor  in  the  undoubted 
success  of  Mr.  Rollins's  book;  it  is 
the  vivid  variety  of  his  personal 
experiences,  dating  back  to  the 
days  when  Jim  Bridger  told  him 
about  Kit  Carson,  and  coming 
down  to  the  present  time.  Through 
long  years  he  has  been  the  cow- 
boy's close  companion  and  warm 
friend  ;  so  that  he  knows  him  from 
sombrero  to  chaps ;  at  work  and  at 
play;  at  the  round-up  or  on  the 
trail.  Beyond  that,  and  this  is 
wfhere  the  public  gains  an  interest- 
ing story  as  well  as  a  valuable 
source  of  information,  Mr.  Rol- 
lins makes  his  reader  see  the  cow- 


boy as  he  was  and  is;  to  appreciate 
his  virtues  and  to  understand  his 
faults;  to  recognize,  in  him  "the 
spirit  of  the  West."  So  true  a 
picture,  so  honestly  painted,  de- 
serves a  permanent  place  in  our 
national  gallery  of  American  types. 

Publishers  send  us  occasionally 
books  which  have  not  New  Hamp- 
shire connection,  but  which  we  can 
recommend  as  of  interest,  for  other 
reasons,   to   our  readers. 

Coningsby  Dawson's  "The  Van- 
ishing Point"  (Cosmopolitan  Book 
Corporation)  is  a  thrilling  tale  of 
world  war  aftermath,  in  which  the 
gifted  author  forsees  monarch}"  and 
anarchy  in  mortal  combat  and 
America  once  more  quelling  the 
storm,  this  time  with  bread  in- 
stead of  bullets.  Very  famous  peo- 
ple appear  in  the  .story  under  thin 
disguises  and  the  "pull"  of  the  plot 
in  which  they  strangely  figure 
never   slackens. 

"The  Wild  Heart,"  by  Emma 
Lindsay  Squier  (Cosmopolitan 
Book  Company)  is  an  engaging 
record  of  friendships  between  a  boy 
and  girl,  on  the  shore  of  Puget 
Sound,  and  a  sea  gull,  a  jack  rabbit, 
a  deer,  a  bear,  a  heron,  a  seal,  a 
quail,  a  hawk.  The  degree  of  rap- 
port attained  between  the  humans 
and  the  wild  things  .seem  almost 
incredible,  yet  the  story  is  told 
with  a  simplicity  that  breathes 
truth  in  everv  line.  The  publishers 
have  given  the  book  an  attractive 
form,  with  illustrations  and  deco- 
rations by  Paul  Branspm. 

"The  Red  Cavalier,"  by  Gladys 
Edson  Locke  (The  Page  Com- 
pany, Boston)  is  a  mystery  story  of 
old  England  and  old  India  with  all 
the  necessary  ingredients  of  love, 
jealousy,    murder,   jewels,      a   cypher, 


BOOKS   OF   NEW    HAMPSHIRE   INTEREST  219 

etc.,    skilfully    mingled    so    that    the  her  which  Thelma  Gooch  has  paint- 
interest   does    not   Hag    through    the  ed.   for   the  hook  cover. 
372  pages. 

The  Page  Company  "Little  Cous- 

"Henrietta's  Inheritance,"  b}r  Le-  in"  series   now  has   readied  a   total 

la  Horn  Richards   (The  Page  Coin-  of  more   than  50  titles,  showing  the 

pany,    Boston),    continues    through  popularity     of     this     successful  at- 

another   volume   the   life  story   of  a  tempt   to    impart      useful      knowledge 

girl    heroine    already    very    popular  in      pleasant      form.         Emily     God- 

with   a   large   circle  of  young  read-  dard  Taylor  is  the  author  of  the  latest 

ers;  subjecting  her  to  .severe   trials  issue  which  tells     of   the     interesting 

but  bringing  her  in   the   end   a  col-  island  of  Barbadoes  and  its  Caribean 

lege   degree,   a    fortune   and    a.   lover ;  neighbors  under  the  title,  "Our  Little 

of  all  of  which  she  will  make  good  West  Indian  Cousin." 
use,    judging    from    the    portrait    of 


THE  TREE 

By  T.  P.  White 


Silent  and  bare  it  stood  when  autumn  days  had  past, 
Gray  as  the  leaden  sky,  braving  the  wintry  blast. 
Withered  and  sear  there  held  onto  its  lofty  arms 
Scattering    leaves   of    brown— remnants   of   glory's   charms. 
Weary  and  old  it  seemed,  yet,  sturdy,  grand  and  strong, 
Awaiting  spring  again,  the  balmy  days,  the  song 
Of  mating  birds.     Its  heart  asleep  dreamt  of  the  time 
When  Nature's  hand  renews  its  work  sublime. 

Gladsome  and  gay  there  came  the  gentle  winds  of  May; 

Then  with  the  tender  leaves  springing  in  wild  array 

Clothed  and  screened,  the  tree,  out  to  the  sky  of  blue, 

Offering  God  its  crown,  extended  arms  anew. 

Elfins  and  fairies  danced  under  the  swaying  boughs, 

As  softly  sighed  the  breeze  carrying  lovers'  vows; 

And    Nature    smiled.     With    sadness,    mirth,    laughter   and 

tears, 
Onward,  ever  onward  roll  the  seasons  and  years. 


&JlO 


NEW  HAMPSHIRE  NECROLOGY 


CHARLES  R.  WALKER.  M.  D. 

:  Charles  Rumford  Walker,  M.  1).,  died 
in  Concord,  April  22.  He  was  born  in 
that  cily,  February  13.  1852,  the  son  of 
Joseph  B.  and  Elizabeth  L.  (Upham) 
Walker  and  a  descendant  in  the  fourth 
generation  from  Rev,  Timothy  Walker, 
first  minister  of  Concord,  lie  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Concord;  then  grad- 
uated from  Phillips  Exeter  Academy  in 
1870.  from  Yale  in  1874  and  from  the 
Harvard  Medical  school  in  1878.  After 
postgraduate  work  abroad,  in  Dublin,  Lon- 


Dr.. -Charles    R.    Walker 

don,  Vienna  and  Strassburg,  he  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Concord  in 
1881  and  so  continued  until  his  death, 
not  only  winning  high  honors  as  a  phy- 
sician and  surgeon,  but  also  doing  an 
amount  of  good  as  a  doctor,  citizen  and 
friend  which  is  beyond  estimate,  be- 
cause so  much  of  it  is  known  only  to  the 
persons   benefited. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire Medical  society,  of  which  he  was 
president  in  1899;  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal association;  of  the  staffs  of  the  Mar- 
garet Pillsbury  and  New-  Hampshire  Me- 
morial hospitals ;  and  for  16  years  was 
physician  to  St.  Paul's  school.  During 
the  war  with  Germany  he  served  on  the 
selective  service  board  for  his  district. 


ture     and 
in    politics, 
from     his 
but   was  a 


Outside  of  Ins  practice,  Dr.  Walker  was 
best  known  as  the  active  mcmbei  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Timothy  and 
Abigail  B.  Walker  Lecture  Fund,  in  which 
capacity  he  added  greatly  to  the  oppor- 
tunities of  the  people  of  Concord  for  cul- 
entertainment.  A  Republican 
he  could  spare  but  little  time 
profession  for  public  service, 
member  of  the  board  of  alder- 
men in  \W2  and  of  the  state  legislature 
in  1895  and  had  served  on  the  Concord 
water  board.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
he  was  president  of  the  New  Hampshire 
Savings  Bank  and  trustee  of  the  Rolfe 
and  Rumford  Asylum.  At  one  time  he 
was  a  surgeon  in  the  New  Hampshire 
National  Guard.  His  clubs  were  the 
Wonolancet   and    Snowshoe   of   Concord. 

June  IS.  1888,  Doctor  Walker  married 
in  Boston,  Frances  Sheaf e,  by  whom  he  is 
survived,  with  their  two  sons,  Rev.  Sheafe 
Walker  and  Lieut.  Charles  R.  Walker, 
both  graduates  of  Phillips  Exeter  and 
Yale  and  now  of  New  York  City. 


JOSEPH    W.    LUND 

Joseph  Whcelock  Lund,  lawyer  and 
sportsman,  but  best  known,  perhaps,  for 
his  activity  as  an  alumnus  of  Harvard, 
died  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  May  5.  He  was 
born  in  Concord,  March  14,  1867,  the  son 
of  the  late  Charles  Carroll  and  Lydia 
(French)  Lund,  and  fitted  at  Phillips 
Andover  academy  for  Harvard,  where  he 
graduated  in  1890,  being  permanent,  sec- 
retary of  the  class.  He  graduated  from 
the  law  school  of  the  university  in  1893  and 
had  practised  his  profession  in  Boston 
since  that  date.  He  was  an  ardent  rowing 
enthusiast,  a  trustee  of  the  Weld  Boat 
club  at  Harvard,  and  also  was  devoted 
to  hunting  and  fishing.  He  was  one  of 
the  chief  workers  in  the  campaign  which 
resulted  in  erecting  the  handsome  house 
of  the  Harvard  Club  of  Boston  and  was 
chairman  of  the  club's  first  house  com- 
mittee. He  also  was  very  active  in  the 
endowment  drive  of  the  university  and  in 
general  was  unceasing  in  his  labors  for 
Harvard.  Mr.  Lund  never  married.  He 
is  survived  by  a  brother,  Fred  B.  Lund. 
M.   D„   of   Boston. 


GEN.  J.   M.  THOMPSON 

Brigadier  General  John  Milton  Thomp- 
son, U.  S.  A.,  retired,  died  at  Berkeley, 
Cal.,  April  6.  He  was  born  at  Lebanon, 
August  1,  1842,  the  son  of  Ira  and  Cyn- 


NEW    HAMPSHIRE    NECROLOGY 


221 


thia       Wheeler     (Spaulditig)      Thompso 
He  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company   E 


N.      H      Vols.,    Ni 


Ksol, 


War.     one     for   the      Indian      wars     and 

one   for   the   'war  in  the   Philippines.     He 

iikI       was  a  member  of  the  G.  A.   R..the   Loval 


served     with     distinction    throughout    th 

great    conflict;    being-    commissioned    cap- 


Legion   and      the    Sons     of    the     American 
Revolution.     Dartmouth  college  conferred 


tain   Nov.  7,   1863.     July  2$;   1866,  he  was  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  master 

appointed    second    lieutenant    in    the    38th  o\    arts    in    1907.     lie    is    survived    by    Ins 

U.     S.     Infantry     and     after     almost     40  wife,     Mrs.     Carrie     Ellis     Thompson';     a 

years    of    service     was    retired    with     the  sister,     Airs.     Ferdinand     Davis,     of   ,Po- 

rank    of    brigadier    general    Aug.    9,    1903.  mona,     Cal.;      a    brother,     Elbridge      H. 

Congress     by    special     act     issued     three  Thompson     of    Lebanon;    and    a    sou,    J. 

bronze   medals   in   recognition   of   General  Walcott  Thompson,  of  Salt   Lake  City. 
Thompson's    bravery,     one     for   the   Civil 


. 


SPRING  PROMISE 

'By  M.  White  Sazvycr 

Paleyeilow  green  of   Spring  is  seen 

Near  brimming  brooks,  new  grass  is  growing 

All  living  things    from   bondage  spring 

As  waking  Earth  new  life  is  showing. 

The  tulips  start  two  leaves  apart 

In  pensive  mood  the  garden  dreaming 

Cool  lilies  lure  with  colors  pure 

In  myriad  shades  the  glades  are  teeming. 

So  may  our  hearts  renew  their  hopes 
Let  Charity  enrich  our  living 
And  like  the  flower  laden  slopes 
Let   Love   rejoice  in   Kindness  giving. 


! 


BITTE 

By  Walter  B.   Wolfe 

If  at  Maytide  I  should  die 

let  me  lie 
buttercups  about  my  head, 
faery  bluets   for  my  bed, 
where  some  shady  apple  tree 
snows  white  petals  over  me. 

Should   I  die   while  lilacs  bloom 

and  perfume 
lazy  breezes  with  their  scent — 
when  the  willows  redolent 
in   their   spring   time    fragrance   wave, 
let  their  shadow  be  my  grave. 

When  the  robin's  roundelay 

fills  the  day 
pray,  do  not  close  me  in  a  tomb 
but  in  sunlight  give  me   room — 
where  the  lark  has  built  her  nest 
couched  m  grasses  1  would  rest. 


=3c2-? 


Tax   Free  in  New   Hampshire,    Vermont,    Massachusetts  and    Connecticut 

pr  pj    |i    pf  b         mi       -  put  m      '  ;"r 
tfiW     liL  FUWM  AMI  .       I    U 1  /! 

(A   Massachusetts    Corporation) 

7%  CUMULATIVE  PREFERRED 

PAR  VALUE  S100 

Preferred   as   to   Assets  and   Divdends 

AH    outstanding    Preferred   Stock   Callable   on   any   dividend   payment   date   at    105 
and  accrued  dividend  or  on  any  pari  thereof  at  110  and  accrued  dividend  upon 

30  days'  written  notice. 

Dividends  Payable  Quarterly,  Feb.,  May,  .Aug.  and  Nov.   15th 

The   Equitable  Trust  Company   of   New   York,   Registrar  and  Transfer  Agent 


CAPITALIZATION 

(As  of  August  31,   1921   giving  effect  to  recent   financing  and  acquisition 

of   11    properties) 


7%   Cumulative  Preferred  Stock    

Common    Stock     

Secured  7%   Notes,  Due   1921-1930    

First  Mortgage  and  Prior  Lien  6%  Bonds 
*In   hands    of   public. 


Years  Ending 
Dec.  31,  1920 
Aug.  31,  1921 
Oct.  31,  1921 
Dec.  31,   1921 


Authorized 

$1,500,000 
1,000,000 
1,067,500 

5,000,000 


EARNINGS  STATEMENT 

Gross  Net 

1,837,401  404,124 

1,960,924  491,489 

1,977,054  519,992 

2,015,275  547,560 

SALIENT  FEATURES 


Outstanding^ 

%  713,008 

866,300 

1,067,500 

1,886,000 


Gtoss 
22% 

25% 

26% 
27% 


PROPERTY  VALUE  approximately  $5  887.000— after  deducting  par  value  bonds 
and  notes  outstanding,  valuation  remaining  is  nearly  three  times  the  amount  of 
Preferred   Stock  outstanding. 


EARNINGS  over  FIVE  TIMES   Preferred  Stock  requirements. 
Net  Earnings  (after  bond  and  note  interest)  must  be  two  and  one-half  times  divi- 
dend requirements  if  additional   stock  is  issued. 

Properties   located    in   the    rapidly   growing   states    of   Texas,    Missouri,    Oklahoma 
and  Arkansas,  serving  a  total  population  of  over  155,000. 

Very  experienced  and  able  management,  with  record  of  successful  operation. 
PRICE— $37.50  and  Accrued  Dividend  to  Yield  8%. 

AL0NZ0  ELLIOTT  &  COMPANY 

INVESTMENT  BANKERS 

ESTABLISHED   1886  TEL.  052  INCORPORATED!  1&09 

20  AMHERST  STREET  MANCHESTER,  N.  H. 


2    17  o  o        y 
6    O  A