Radio Script #302
Little Talks On Common Things
April 22, 1956
Two months ago U. S. News and World Report published a long interview with Major Wi Iliam E. Mayer~ Army psychiatrist who spent four years studying the reactions of U. S. soldiers captured in Korea, subjected to Communist brain washing, and subsequently released. Among the many aspects of the puzzling question why a number of U. S. captives gave in, one point is given only two short paragraphs among the twelve full pages of the published interview. But that point is important. It is the connection between religious faith and the attitude of war prisoners toward Communist pressure.
Major Mayer was. .. asked, “How about the man who had a strong re I i gl ous faith?!? He rep I ied, !fA number told us that they resisted every overture of the enemy by involving religious, sometimes theological, connections which had long been a part of the i r lives. A rea Ily convi nced re Ii gi ous person, be he a devout Catholic, Protestant or Jew if his religion has been made a part of his whole life — is able to defend himself and his principles against terrific pressure. 1i
What about the man who suddenly gets religion on the battlefield? Major Mayer replied: !’Often that is an intensely emotional experience, but it doesn’t work for long-term defense. His religion isn’t a long-time, bui It-in part of the man. No, such a man caves in more easi Iy than does the fel low who has held his religious convictions for a long time from the days of his ch i I dhood ina re Ii g i ous home.”
Here is a psychiatrist, a modern man of science, telling us that for deepseated temptation-resistiAg convictions,-nothing quite takes the p lace of the re I igious home.
After the Ci vi I War the lecturer who told about one phase or another of the conflict was continually appearing in our towns. Such a lecturer carne to Watervi I Ie on October 11~ 1879 — fourteen years after the end of the conflict-in the person of Col. John B. Bachelder~ who gave what was announced as an i Ilustrated lecture on the Battle of Gettysburg. It seems that Bachelder really gave two lectures, one in the afternoon, the other in the evening, and each ca lied for a separate admi ssi on charge. Apparent Iy, wherever th is lecturer appeared, he was ready to augment his evening lecture, called a General Account of the Battle, by an afternoon lecture of local interest~ in this Waterville instance on the subject of Maine Troops at Gettysburg.
Bachelder came here under the auspices of W. S. Heath Post of the G.A.R., which announced that tickets (25 cents for adults and 15 cents for chi Idren and teachers> could be obtained at Percival’s Bookstore in Watervi lie, at George Cotton’s in Fairfield, George Goulding’s in West Watervi I Ie, and E. F. Lincoln’s in North Vassalboro. The G.A.R. Committee in charge of the event inc I uded persons sti II remembered by our 0 I der ci ti zens: F. E. Heath, I. S. Bangs, G. H. Mathews~ J. H. Plaisted and Sylvester Haynes.
When we see the phrase “i Ilustrated lecture”, persons of my age think of lectures illustrated by the old type of magic lantern slides, not the modern use of a movi e projector. But those Ci vi I War lectures in the 1870′ s di d not have even lantern slides. The advertising folder on the Bachelder lecture explains what was meant by ITj II ustrated”: !fA fu II and accurate account of the greatest battle of the late war~ illustrated- by magnificent official maps covering over 1,200 square feet of canvas~ giving the position and explaining the movements, when des ired, of the 464 reg i ments engaged.”
You have heard me say more than once that one of the best records of social history is in the commercial advertising of any period. In the 1870’s merchants advertised their wares~ not only in the newspapers~ but also by handbi lis, fliers, and in programs of events. So we find that this four page circular, announcing Bachelder’s lecture on Gettysburg, has its two inner pages taken up entirely by local ads. Let us see what some of those ads tell us about our community in 1879.
Dorr’s Drug Store advertised lung protectors. G. H. Mathews was not only agent for a new product, Tauzsky’s Compressed Yeast, but he also offered cash for choice butter and cheese. By the way, does anyone in this vicinity sti I I make pressed cheese for sale, not cottage cheese, but genuine, pressed, domestic cheese, such as the Howard fami Iy of Winslow sold 25 years ago?
Perciva I ‘s Bookstore featured a supp Iy of lamp goods. Mark Ga Ilert, ever ready wi th unusua I and witty ads,. announced, “The Pres i denti a I campa i gn is coming. Keep your head cool and your feet warm. I have the pleasure of informing the citizens of Watervi I Ie and vicinity that I invested over $4,000 in rubber goods before the rise, and as rubber goods have advanced 22!% over last year’s prices, I have the advantage of selling them lower than any concem in this vicinity.”
Compared with Mr. Gallert’s ad the announcement of Hodsdon and Loud was mi Id and dignified. It said simply: “Boots, Shoes and Rubbers, custom made to order, repa irs neat Iy and prompt I y executed. Waterv; Ilets favorite dining place in 1879 was situated at the corner of Main and Temple Streets, and was cal led Wi Iliams’ Oyster House. Its ad in the old lecture program said: “The proprietor has recently added to this popular saloon a commodious dining hall, and is prepared to furnish meals at al I hours. This is the only lunch room in town where patrons can receive accomodations equa I to those obta i ned at fi rst c I ass di n i ng rooms. Oysters cooked in every style. We are headquarters for oysters.” The ad of J. H. Plaisted & Co., apothecaries, reveals a popular fad of the time the use of mi nera I waters. Plaisted told the readers that his stock included Apolinaris, Congress, Hathorn, Saratoga, Vi chy and Red Spri ng waters. In 1879 W. B. Arnold did not say anything about hardware. His ad read: ,~. B. Arnold, dealer in best staple and fancy groceries, the largest and finest stock on the ri ver. We are headquarters for teas, coffees, sp i ces, and wi I I not be unde rso I d by any parti es runn i ng carts out of tONn.”
What was the life of women students at Colby when “ttley got thei r fi rst dormitory 65 years ago? Thanks to Mrs. Ina Hooper Stinneford of Winslow I can tell you. She has shown me a ci rcular entitled “Colby University. College for Young Women.” Let us se lect a few sentences from th is i nte rest i ng document. The place to which reference is made was the bui Iding that long stood on the front of the lot now occupied by the A & P Supermarket oM College Avenue. Most persons who remember it at all, remember it as the Phi Delt House, but long before that fraternity occupied it, the bui Iding was known as Ladies’ Hal I, Colby’s first dormitory for girls. Now as to the regulations: “Regular inspection of rooms is made by the matron. Fa i I ure to keep any room in p roper order will forfe i t c I aim to the same. Tf “Punctua Ii ty and order in the di n i ng room are required.”
“The hours of study on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are from 9:30 to 12:30 in the morning, from 2:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon, and from 7:30 to 10 in the evening. On Wednesday from 9:30 to 12:30 in the morning only; on Saturday from 2:30 to 4:30 P.M. only.”
What would our modern girls think of that: study hours on Saturday afternoon, but none on Wednesday afternoon? The ru les go on to say: “Speci a I notations of study hours are as follows: music and al I sounds above conversational tones are forbidden, and all interruption’:of others concerning matters which can be attended to before or after study hours. It is the duty of the matron to take due noti ce of any interrupti on of study hours. The gi rls at Ladies Hall were not enti re Iy without male attention. The rules state: “The young women at Ladies Hall receive on Thursday and Saturday evenings. Under ordinary circumstances the students’ reception room is reserved for the use of students who occupy rooms in the house. All exceptional cases must be refered to the matron.”
Gi r I s had to be carefu I about stay i ng out I ate. “The outs i de doors sha II not remain open later than 10 8.M. No student occupying a room in the bui 1- di ng is at liberty, therefore, to rema in out of the house later than 10 P.M., or to enterta inca I lers beyond that hour. t!
A month ago the towns surroundi ng Watervi lie were ho Idi ng thei r annua I town meetings. Eighty years ago Watervi lie too was a town meeting town. Let us see what the town was thinking about in 1877. Among the articles in the warrant for that town meeting in Watervi lie was one to see if the town would vote that the schools in the vi Ilage, with the ‘exception of the high school, shall be kept 36 weeks in the year instead of 42 weeks. Other articles were to see if the town would vote to sprinkle the streets, to see how the town would manage the town hal I, to decide whether the town would furnish free textbooks in the schools, and to determine whether the town would bui Id a receiving tomb at the cemetery.
One of the most interesting of those 1877 town meeting items reads as follows:
HTo see if the town will vote to c lose the Town Li quor Agency for the ensuing year, and prohibit the selectmen from appointing any liquor agent.’!
There was also an article to see if the town would vote to order the selectmen to remove obstructions at the Town Landing, near Smith and Meader’s Mi I I.
There was a lot of agitation about the new bridge between Watervi I Ie and Winslow, and that 1877 town meeting had an article about it: “To see if the town wi II appoint a committee to examine into the accounts and matters pertaining to the bui Iding of Ticonic Bridge and settlement with contractors, in order to ascerta in if the Ii ab iii ti es of the town have been unnecessari I y increased thereby.
What did it cost in 1877 to operate what is now a mi I lion dollar a year \city? The town report of the following spring of 1878 gives us the answer.
Total taxes committed to John Ware, the town treasurer and collector, for collection amounted to $40,426. Ware was unable to collect $9,653, nearly onefourth of the entire tax commitment. But that was not the col lector’s fault.
In 1875, under ~ different col lector, it had been even worse, for at the end of that year about $13,000 remained un co I lected.
Apart from state, county and other tax obligations, the appropriations for local purposes totaled only $32,950 in 1877. The entire appropriation for schools was $6,800, quite a contrast with the half mi Ilion dollars of the 1956 appropriation. That $6,800 was divided into $3,000 for common schools, $1,500 to operate the high school, $500 for school apparatus, $800 for text books, and $1 ,000 for repa i r of schoo I houses.
Streets and highways cal led for $3,000, a night watch cost $500, and it took $650 to I i,lght the streets.
In 1877 Watervi lie had a sizable debt which the voters attempted to oonsolidate by the sale locally of municipal bonds. C. H. Redington was made agent for the sale of those bonds, and his report shows that many citizens were wi Iling to take a chance on the eventual financial solvency of their town. Easi Iy recogn i zed names among those purchasers are E.~. Getche I I, James Stackpo Ie, Fred Arnold, John Webber, Mrs. Emi Iy Heath, Homer Percival, T. J. Bates, F. E. Boothby, and Charles Drummond.
What about the salaries of Watervi lie town officers in 1877? The first selectman, C. H. Redington, got $500 for the year; the other two selectmen got $400 each. Leonard Carver, town clerk, rece i ved $60 for the year. G. H. Esty, keeper of the town hal I, got $225. Dr. Frederick Thayer, the town physician, was pa i d $100.
Items for which some of the town orders were drawn in 1877 provide us with our closing remarks tonight. H. M. Sawtel Ie was paid $6.33 for the care of tramps; Lucius Allen got $20 for rent of the lock-up; Tobie and Clark wene paid $10 for a pump near the cof11TlOn; G. S. Osborn collected 60 cents for supplying the town hall with matches; C. G. Ti Iton charged $1.50 for a watering trough; Mark Ga Ilert got $1 .00 for wash i ng the town ha II. And wi th that h.a I I a I I cleaned up for 1877~ we must say good night for old times’ sake.
Year: 1956