Radio Scrpit #1041

Little Talks on Common Things
March 2, 1975

Not long ago there were presented to me some 25 issues of the Gospel Banner, a denominational paper published at Augusta through the middle of the 19th century. I had previously seen issues of this paper under the editorship of William Drew, the man who also published The Intelligencer,a general newspaper contemporary with the Kennebec Journal. I have mentioned Drew a number of times on this program, and I had something to say about him in my book Kennebec Yesterdays.

The issues of the Gospel Banner that I recently examined were not edited by Drew. They cover intermittently the years from 1858 to 1881. In 1858 the editor was J. W. Hanson, and he was followed by several others. Drew’s editorship had been earlier.

In the issue of July 10, 185~ Editor Hanson told readers what the Banner tried to do as the organ of the Universalist Church in Maine. He said, “The Gospel Banner has now completed 23 years of existence. It will continue to be what successive editors have tried to make it: a staunch advocate of gospel Universalism, a compound of Biblical criticism, a repository of valuable articles on difficult passages of scripture, a treasury of able sermons from the best preachers of the Great Salvation, a storehouse of well written communications on a variety of doctrinal and practical themes, with interesting articles on subjects of importance to the interest of Universalists and the general public, and in general intends to promote the moral and religious welfare of all who read the paper.”

On today’s broadcast we are not concerned with the paper’s valiant promotion of the Universalist belief in the salvation of all souls, a belief extremely radical when the Gospel Banner was started in 1835. At that time what were known as the evangelical denominations – the Baptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, and others – believed in predestination, that God had selected from the beginning of time only a few to go to Heaven, and had doomed all the rest of humanity to Hell. There was nothing one could do about it. You were born to be saved or to be damned. As critics used to put it – “When you’re born, you’re done for.”

Gradually, through the late 19th century, those evangelical churches came to accept salvation by personal acceptance, the belief that man did have free will. He could make his own choice of accepting or refusing the Christian faith. All the time, facing both predestination and free will, was the Universalist claim that God would eventually save all souls, though it might take centuries after one’s death, in a particular case, to do it. The motive for an upright Christian life, said the Universalists, was to hasten that eternal salvation.

Of course, the Gospel Banner was filled not only with news of the denomination’s individual churches, with sermons and articles on the belief, but also with heated arguments. All that, for this broadcast, we lay aside, and turn now to see what this old paper can tell us about what was going on in Maine and the nation a century and more ago.

You have often heard me say that some of the best information about the way folks lived a century ago comes from the newspaper ads. That is true of the Gospel Banner.·

The period directly after the Civil War was the time of extensive railroad expansion in the U.S. To encourage the many railroad companies to build lines west of the Mississippi, the government gave the companies outright ownership to millions of acres of land. A railroad company could see little reason to lay their tracks where there were no people. So, on generous terms, the companies sold homestead land to settlers and were especially eager to encourage small towns that would serve as railheads for imports and exports carried by the trains.

For several years, ads in the Gospel Banner revealed the eagerness of the railroads to attract settlers. In 1871 there appeared this ad: “One and a half million acres of the richest farm land in the world is for sale to settlers in the Neosho Valley, Kansas, by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas R.R. Co. Price $2 to $3 per acre with a year’s credit. Only one tenth down at time of purchase.”

The next year, 1872, saw an ad by a different railroad. It read: “The wheat fields of America in a healthful climate, free homes, good markets. The Northern Pacific R.R. offers its lands in Central and Western Missouri, where fevers and ague are unknown. Grain can be shipped to market as cheaply as from Iowa or Illinois. Cars run through these lands from Lake Superior to Dakota. Land close to the railroad sells for $4 to $8 per acre, farther away from $2 to $4. Seven years credit. Under the new law, soldiers of the Rebellion get 160 acres free. Transportation furnished at reduced rates from all principal points for incoming settlers. Now is your time to get railroad lands and government homesteads.”

A few months later the Banner ran this ad. “A new colony in Kansas. On the Missouri, Kansas and Texas R.R. Under auspices of the Bureau of Migration. Write for the American Colonist and Homestead Journal, containing map and full information about organization of the colony.”

The following ad appeared in the Banner in 1873. “Millions of acres of Iowa and Nebraska lands for sale by the Burlington R.R. on ten year terms. Products will pay for the land in a short time. Come west and thrive. A sectional map shows exact location of the lands.”

As late as 1880 some of those railroad lands were still for sale. In that year a Banner ad said: “Choice lands in Minnesota and Dakota, in the great wheat belt, for sale by the Winona and St. Peter R.R. at $2 to $6 an acre, on easy terms at low interest. Fare refunded to purchasing settlers. Best market facilities. Guide and maps giving full information free.”

Gospel Banner ads did not neglect Maine transportation, either by land or water. In 1867 one ad said: “Fare reduced to Boston. The steamers of the Portland Steam Packet Co. will leave Atlantic Wharf, Portland, at 7 A.M. daily except Sunday, and will leave Boston for Portland at 5 P.M. Fare, with cabin $1.50. Deck fare $1.

In the same issue was a railroad ad. “Through travel to the west for $6 less than at any other office, via Grand Trunk Railway, at Grand Trunk office in Portland or the Kennebec R.R. office in Augusta.”

By 1869 competition was strenuous on the steamship lines. We have just noted that in 1867 fare from Boston to Portland in a cabin or stateroom was $1.50, and $1.00 on the open deck. Now note this ad only two years later. “The new and superior sea-going steamers John Brooks and Montreal, having been fitted at great expense with a large number of beautiful staterooms, will leave Atlantic Wharf, Portland every day except Sunday at 7 A.M. Cabin fare $1.00; deck fare ten cents.”

In 1870 there was an ad for the Kennebec R.R. “Two trains daily between Augusta and Boston. Connecting at Somerset Junction, Waterville, for Bangor. Passengers for Bangor from Boston, holding MCRR through tickets, and wishing to go via Augusta, can do so. From Bangor to Boston, the passenger should purchase a MC ticket at Kendalls Mills, and after taking the cars on that line, the conductor will furnish a ticket to Boston, making the fare the same as on the Maine Central.”

It was also in 1870 that the Banner gave news in a short item, not an ad, about a new railroad for Maine. The item said: “Seven hundred men are at work on the railroad construction between Mattawamkeag and the Canadian boundary. On this line, called the European and, North American, ten miles of rail will be laid this fall, reducing stage travel to Vanceboro to only 46 miles, and by another year that too will be eliminated. When completed, the road will surely do a large business.”

The year 1871 seems to have been especially bad for railroad wrecks. At least this is what the Banner had to say in October of that year. “Never before has the press of Maine been called upon to announce so many railroad accidents as have recently occurred. We can take some comfort that no railroad official in Maine can be blamed for the terrible accident last week in Revere. During the week the facilities of the Eastern RR were severely taxed by special gatherings and conventions. That made for irregular schedules.

” The evening passenger train from Boston should leave at 7:15, but did not get away until 7:45. The train carried a baggage car, smoking car, and three passenger cars, all crowded even to the platforms. The train was pulled by two locomotives. The Pullman known as the Portland Express left Boston that evening on time at 8 o’clock, stopping only at Somerville. Just before leaving Beverly, it slacked speed to allow the preceding local to get out of the way. The latter had stopped at Revere and had just begun to move on when the express plowed into it from behind. The forward locomotive of the express passed two-thirds the way through the local’s rear car, crushing and scalding every passenger and killing fifteen of them outright. Within two days twelve more had died. The shock broke kerosene lamps in the car, starting it on fire, causing even more casualties. The awful scene lasted through the night, and some of the trapped passengers were not released until dawn. The coroner promptly appointed a jury of inquest, to be held tomorrow, which it is hoped will cast light on the cause of this terrible catastrophe.”

Our time for today is now up, but next week we will turn to less gruesome items in that old Gospel Banner of a hundred years ago.

Year: 1975