Radio Script #145
Little Talks On Common Things
April 20, 1952
Some of us have believed for a long time that one of the difficulties about reducl n9 government spend i ng “es in a fee ling that has become increas i ng Iy prevalent in the past twenty years. That feel ing Is that somebody is going to get the handouts; so why don’t we get ours wh i Ie the gett I ng I s good? The danger that lies In that attitude of greedy grab Is very well expressed In some verses that come from the ag i Ie pen of that stormy petre I of the Ma i ne I e9 I s I ature, Ed Chase of Port land. Here is Mr. Chase’s “Ep I taph Ante Mortem”.
“Th I sis the grave where Freedom lies.
Born of the faith in free enterprise,
Leery of debt and of money tricks,
Wise to the pitfalls of politics,
Growing in strength as he worked his way,
He did qui te we II tl II a fata I day
When he gobb led that sugar-coated pill
Which started him on the road down hi II,
, I f we don’t grab It, othe rs w I I I ‘ • ”
How many present attendants of the Watervl lie Congregatlona I Church remember the installation of their minister 44 years ago? It was on the evening of June 8, 1908 when the Reverend Cyrus Flint Stimson was Installed as minister of the old church on Temple Street.
The program of that service has recently come to my attention. Unless some of the speakers had better termina I faci Iities than the average clergyman exhibits, it must have been a long service, well over two hours. There were three hymns, two choir anthems, five prayers, and six addresses. The installation sermon was del ivered by Dr. Warren Moulton, pres ident of the Bangor Theological Seminary. Rev. Herbert Jump of Brunswick gave the charge to the new minister and Rev. Langdon Quimby of Gardiner the charge to the people, whi Ie Rev. David Evans of Gardiner gave the right hand of fellowship. Greetings from what the program calls “ministers of the vicinage” were brought by Rev. Edwin Carey Whittemore of the First Baptist Church and the historian of Waterville’s centennial in 1902.
The organist and choir director was Mrs. Wallace B. Smith. The four members of the choir were Miss Adelaide Johnson, soprano; Miss Bessie Jones, alto; Mr. Russell Lord, tenor; and Mr. Harrison Smith, bass. Mr. Stimson was the sixteenth min isier of the Watervi lie Congregatl ona I Church. Although organized In 1828, the church had no settled minister unti I 1836, when Rev. Thomas Adams became first of a I ine of distinguished leaders.
Unti I Mr. Sti~son came, the longest pastorate had been that of Rev. Ezra Smith who served twelve years, from 1877 through 1888.
Truly a minister had his saintliness sorely tried at the beginning of a pastorate when he had to sit through one of those long-winded installations.
I recently had a chance to examine some interesting official papers of the Clvi I War, in the possession of Mr. Albert F. Drummond. The most important of these papers is a document signed at Augusta on February 24, 1863 by George W. Dyer, a I de de camp to the governor. It is addressed to LIeut. Co I. Isaac Bangs, Jr., Appleton’s Regiment, Ullman’s Brigade. It reads: HI have the honor to furnish you with a list of the officers designated by Governor Coburn for Col. Appleton’s Regiment, with the places they are designated to fill. !lCapt. Isaac Bangs, Jr. of the 20th Maine, for Lieut. Col. Commissary Sergeant Charles B. Smi ley for Quartermaster. Russe II B. Tay lor for Sergeant Major. “Company A. (Th is was w I de I y known as the Watervi lie company.) Second Lieut. Elisha Besse Jr. for Captain. 2nd Lieut. George C. Getchel I for 1st Lieut., Sergt. Dennis Foster for 2nd Lieut.”
Li kew i se the off Icers of nine other compan ies of the reg i ment are appo inted. On Iy one of those need cia i m our attent I on — Co. K because two of its three officers were Fairfield men. The company commander was Charles M. Loane and his second lieutenant was Loring Nye. The document ends with these words: ”With such of these gentlemen as are with you and with such as may join you on the way, you wi II please report to Gen. Daniel Ullman, Brigadier General of Volunteers at his headquarters, 200 Broadway, New York.”
This document, as I have said, was signed on February 24, 1863. We have already noted that it made George C. Getchel I first lieutenant of Company A. To a fellow like Getchell promotion came fast. For another of those old papers is a commission signed on August 25, 1863 by no less a worthy than the noted Major General Banks. It is headed “Headquarters, Department of the Gulf”, and commissions Lt. Getchell as Captain of the Ninth Regiment of Infantry, Corps d’Afrique. Gen Banks’ headquarters were in New Orleans, and there, only a few weeks after winning his captaincy, George Getchell died of yellow fever.
You wi II recall also that a commissary sergeant by the name of Charles Smi ley was elevated to Quartermaster of the 20th Maine by Gov. Coburn’s orders of February, 1863. On that same 25th of August he, too, was honored by Gen. Banks. Getchell’s commission was No. 384. Smiley, in No. 389, was made first I ieutenant of Getchell’s Ninth Regiment, Corps d’Afrique.
The excellent Old Folks Concert given a few weeks ago at the local Baptist Church under the direction of Mrs. Mary Manter is remindful of another concert given in Waterville 65 years ago. On November 8, 1887 was given an old folks’ concert, an advertising filer for which has just come to my attention. It reads:
“a I d Fo I ks Concert. At ye Town Ha I I, on ye Street ca lied Ma in, on ye 8th day of November, in the year of our Lord, 1887. Doors opened at early candlelight. The music will begin at 8 o’clock. Father Crawford will act as tymest, and there wi II be a large number of goode singers. Songs both of ancient and modern times. Mrs. Smithe wi II play ye harpsichord. Tickets of admission 15 cents. People who desire to enjoy the music and supper too can do so on the payment of 35 cents.”
The song titles are listed In the form of a meal, headed by the word “menu”, and the items are: mixed drinks, land of the crescent, unpropitious, preserved in the ark, woman’s weapon, aciduous toes, to mi Idly steal, wholesome tears, elevated fel ines, ludicrous pOSitions, what the Colby Nine did last summer, greased staff, bog sass, fried holes, wilds of the desert, and paste.
To our search for odd and little remembered items of local history, a valuable contribution has been made by Mrs. Otto Knauff, who has dug up a copy of a Watervi lie paper that I suspect few of our I isteners ever heard of. I, for one, never knew it existed. It is a paper called “The Sharpshooter”, and this particular issue is Vol. 1, No.3, February 28, 1884 — a little more than 68 years ago. It was apparently the official organ of the local GAR, for in the upper left corner are the words “W. S. Heath Post No. 14, Grand Army of the Republ ic”. and in the upper right corner we read: “Pub I ished at the Sentinel Office”.
A fi rst page center spread advertises the G.A.R. Fair, featuring the tragic cantata of the Grasshopper; also Grand Army songs and recollections of the wa r • There was to be a camp scene, “Comrades, touch the E I bows” • The public were admonished to come prepared to laugh, to get their fi” of an evening of so lid enjoyment.
Except for a few paragraphs here and there about veterans I items pi eked up allover New England, the paper consists entirely of ads. Who were those advert isers of nearly three quarters of a century ago? There was Mrs. O. F. Mayo of Park Street, teacher of Kensington, Arrasene and Chenile embroidery, who also did dry and liquid stamping to order. W. A. R. Boothby, conducting an agency of the American Exchange in Europe, expressed his readiness to issue drafts on England, Ireland, Scotland, and all points in Europe. L. T. Boothby and Son — forerunners of the present Boothby and Bartlett firm — had their insurance agency in the Phoon ix B lock, where they represented what they advertised as the leading American and foreign fire insurance companies.
I. S. Bangs announced his receipt of a car load of choice patent flour at $6.40 a barrel. He said it was the lowest price ever made in Maine to introduce the brand. L. H. Soper offered a new and complete line of dress goods in black and colors. Redington and Company offered, in the same ad, carpets, crockery, mattresses, and furniture for the I iving and a finely conducted funeral for the dead. A. Thompson was giving away candy — but, walt a minute, there was a catch in the gift. His ad read: “Every purchaser of a pound of candy is entitled to a card. When you get 20 cards, present them to me and I will give you one pound of any candy you se lect.”
Opposite the Williams House, J. F. Connor offered millinery at wholesale and retai I, declaring the best trades in feathers and ribbons. David Gallert said he was now opening at his elegant and light store a splendid line of new style American and Scotch ginghams, worsted plaidS, black and colo~d silks, and fine hamburgs. C. A. Hendrickson, adjoining the post office, wanted the public to come in and see his new designs In window shades, and reminded folks that he made a specialty of artists’ materials. R. Loud offered bargains in boots and shoes, because he said he wished to reduce his stock to make room for spring goods.
In 1884 the H. R. Dunham Co. had not been founded, but Hathaway sh i rts were well known and had a prominent local distributor. His ad reads: “L. E. Thayer and Son, sole agents for Hathaway’s Superior Shl rts in Watervi lie. Just received — fifty different styles In Hathaway’s fancy shirts.” Then. as an afterthought, the Thayers added: “We have on hand spring hats in all the latest sty les.”
Apparently Grocer T. C. Ellis discouraged charge accounts. After announcing that he dealt in flour, molasses, sugar, coffee, tea, starch, fish, tobacco, and canned goods, as well as crockery, glassware and soaps, he added: “Come with your cash and get your money’s worth.”
Mitchell and Company, jewelers, had an interesting ad. It said: “There has been a plan under consideration for some time for a first class repair shop. t wi II soon take effect. In place of our immense stock of si Iverware, watches, clocks and jewelry, which we are now closing out, wi II be installed machinery for doing first class repairing and manufacturing on order.”
Mi Iler and Company bade the sneezer and cougher to come in and get a bott Ie of Jadwin’s Tar Syrup for only 25 cents. B. G. Mitchell an·d Company told the men folks to buy Jack Rose cigars and get a ticket on a gold watch. Miss S. L. Blaisdell (By the way, I now I ive in the house once owned by her.) announced IIkid gloves fitted to the hand by trying on”. The Pages — W. T. and T. B. -manufactured fine driving and team harnesses In their shop, just three doors from the Wi II jams House. Bri dge Brothers announced that they operated the on I y tin shop on the ground floor; no stal rs to cl imb.
Mark Gallert ran a big ad on the back page, offering goat button shoes for $1.65, boots for $2.00 and $2.50, and the best kid button shoes for $3.00. His specialty offering was Misses and Chi Idren’s Wool Lined Rubber Boots for $1.50. The most dignified ad in this old issue of the Sharpshooter is Peavy’s. It reads simply: “1853-1884. Visit the popular and rei iable house of J. Peavy and Brothel!”g,Watervllle.”
Finally I think you wi II be interested to know how this old paper came to light. Mrs. Knauff tells me it was found in a chest of drawers which was used for spools of thread in Knauff Brothers Dry Goods Store, which was where the H. R. Dunham store now stands.
Year: 1952