\nTwo months ago U. S. News and World Report published a long interview with\u00a0Major Wi Iliam E. Mayer~ Army psychiatrist who spent four years studying the reactions\u00a0of U. S. soldiers captured in Korea, subjected to Communist brain washing,\u00a0and subsequently released. Among the many aspects of the puzzling question\u00a0why a number of U. S. captives gave in, one point is given only two short\u00a0paragraphs among the twelve full pages of the published interview. But that\u00a0point is important. It is the connection between religious faith and the attitude\u00a0of war prisoners toward Communist pressure.<\/p>\n
Major Mayer was. .. asked, “How about the man who had a strong re I i gl ous\u00a0faith?!? He rep I ied, !fA number told us that they resisted every overture of the\u00a0enemy by involving religious, sometimes theological, connections which had long\u00a0been a part of the i r lives. A rea Ily convi nced re Ii gi ous person, be he a devout\u00a0Catholic, Protestant or Jew if his religion has been made a part of his whole\u00a0life — is able to defend himself and his principles against terrific pressure. 1i<\/p>\n
What about the man who suddenly gets religion on the battlefield?\u00a0Major Mayer replied: !’Often that is an intensely emotional experience,\u00a0but it doesn’t work for long-term defense. His religion isn’t a long-time,\u00a0bui It-in part of the man. No, such a man caves in more easi Iy than does the\u00a0fel low who has held his religious convictions for a long time from the days of\u00a0his ch i I dhood ina re Ii g i ous home.”<\/p>\n
Here is a psychiatrist, a modern man of science, telling us that for deepseated\u00a0temptation-resistiAg convictions,-nothing quite takes the p lace of the\u00a0re I igious home.<\/p>\n
After the Ci vi I War the lecturer who told about one phase or another of\u00a0the conflict was continually appearing in our towns. Such a lecturer carne to\u00a0Watervi I Ie on October 11~ 1879 — fourteen years after the end of the conflict-in\u00a0the person of Col. John B. Bachelder~ who gave what was announced as an i Ilustrated\u00a0lecture on the Battle of Gettysburg. It seems that Bachelder really\u00a0gave two lectures, one in the afternoon, the other in the evening, and each\u00a0ca lied for a separate admi ssi on charge. Apparent Iy, wherever th is lecturer appeared,\u00a0he was ready to augment his evening lecture, called a General Account\u00a0of the Battle, by an afternoon lecture of local interest~ in this Waterville instance\u00a0on the subject of Maine Troops at Gettysburg.<\/p>\n
Bachelder came here under the auspices of W. S. Heath Post of the G.A.R.,\u00a0which announced that tickets (25 cents for adults and 15 cents for chi Idren and\u00a0teachers> could be obtained at Percival’s Bookstore in Watervi lie, at George\u00a0Cotton’s in Fairfield, George Goulding’s in West Watervi I Ie, and E. F. Lincoln’s\u00a0in North Vassalboro. The G.A.R. Committee in charge of the event inc\u00a0I uded persons sti II remembered by our 0 I der ci ti zens: F. E. Heath, I. S.\u00a0Bangs, G. H. Mathews~ J. H. Plaisted and Sylvester Haynes.<\/p>\n
When we see the phrase “i Ilustrated lecture”, persons of my age think of\u00a0lectures illustrated by the old type of magic lantern slides, not the modern use\u00a0of a movi e projector. But those Ci vi I War lectures in the 1870′ s di d not have\u00a0even lantern slides. The advertising folder on the Bachelder lecture explains\u00a0what was meant by ITj II ustrated”: !fA fu II and accurate account of the greatest\u00a0battle of the late war~ illustrated- by magnificent official maps covering over\u00a01,200 square feet of canvas~ giving the position and explaining the movements,\u00a0when des ired, of the 464 reg i ments engaged.”<\/p>\n
You have heard me say more than once that one of the best records of social\u00a0history is in the commercial advertising of any period. In the 1870’s merchants\u00a0advertised their wares~ not only in the newspapers~ but also by handbi\u00a0lis, fliers, and in programs of events. So we find that this four page\u00a0circular, announcing Bachelder’s lecture on Gettysburg, has its two inner pages\u00a0taken up entirely by local ads. Let us see what some of those ads tell us\u00a0about our community in 1879.<\/p>\n
Dorr’s Drug Store advertised lung protectors. G. H. Mathews was not only\u00a0agent for a new product, Tauzsky’s Compressed Yeast, but he also offered cash\u00a0for choice butter and cheese. By the way, does anyone in this vicinity sti I I\u00a0make pressed cheese for sale, not cottage cheese, but genuine, pressed, domestic\u00a0cheese, such as the Howard fami Iy of Winslow sold 25 years ago?<\/p>\n
Perciva I ‘s Bookstore featured a supp Iy of lamp goods. Mark Ga Ilert, ever\u00a0ready wi th unusua I and witty ads,. announced, “The Pres i denti a I campa i gn is coming.\u00a0Keep your head cool and your feet warm. I have the pleasure of informing\u00a0the citizens of Watervi I Ie and vicinity that I invested over $4,000 in rubber\u00a0goods before the rise, and as rubber goods have advanced 22!% over last year’s\u00a0prices, I have the advantage of selling them lower than any concem in this vicinity.”<\/p>\n
Compared with Mr. Gallert’s ad the announcement of Hodsdon and Loud was\u00a0mi Id and dignified. It said simply: “Boots, Shoes and Rubbers, custom made to\u00a0order, repa irs neat Iy and prompt I y executed. \u00a0Waterv; Ilets favorite dining place in 1879 was situated at the corner of\u00a0Main and Temple Streets, and was cal led Wi Iliams’ Oyster House. Its ad in the\u00a0old lecture program said: “The proprietor has recently added to this popular\u00a0saloon a commodious dining hall, and is prepared to furnish meals at al I hours.\u00a0This is the only lunch room in town where patrons can receive accomodations\u00a0equa I to those obta i ned at fi rst c I ass di n i ng rooms. Oysters cooked in every\u00a0style. We are headquarters for oysters.” The ad of J. H. Plaisted & Co., apothecaries,\u00a0reveals a popular fad of the time the use of mi nera I waters.\u00a0Plaisted told the readers that his stock included Apolinaris, Congress, Hathorn,\u00a0Saratoga, Vi chy and Red Spri ng waters.\u00a0In 1879 W. B. Arnold did not say anything about hardware. His ad read: \u00a0,~. B. Arnold, dealer in best staple and fancy groceries, the largest and finest\u00a0stock on the ri ver. We are headquarters for teas, coffees, sp i ces, and wi I I\u00a0not be unde rso I d by any parti es runn i ng carts out of tONn.”<\/p>\n
What was the life of women students at Colby when “ttley got thei r fi rst\u00a0dormitory 65 years ago? Thanks to Mrs. Ina Hooper Stinneford of Winslow I can\u00a0tell you. She has shown me a ci rcular entitled “Colby University. College for\u00a0Young Women.” Let us se lect a few sentences from th is i nte rest i ng document. The\u00a0place to which reference is made was the bui Iding that long stood on the front\u00a0of the lot now occupied by the A & P Supermarket oM College Avenue. Most persons\u00a0who remember it at all, remember it as the Phi Delt House, but long before\u00a0that fraternity occupied it, the bui Iding was known as Ladies’ Hal I, Colby’s\u00a0first dormitory for girls. Now as to the regulations: “Regular inspection of\u00a0rooms is made by the matron. Fa i I ure to keep any room in p roper order will forfe\u00a0i t c I aim to the same. Tf “Punctua Ii ty and order in the di n i ng room are required.”<\/p>\n
“The hours of study on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are from\u00a09:30 to 12:30 in the morning, from 2:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon, and from 7:30\u00a0to 10 in the evening. On Wednesday from 9:30 <\/em>to 12:30 in the morning only; on\u00a0Saturday from 2:30 to 4:30 P.M. only.”<\/p>\n What would our modern girls think of that: study hours on Saturday afternoon,\u00a0but none on Wednesday afternoon? The ru les go on to say: “Speci a I notations\u00a0of study hours are as follows: music and al I sounds above conversational\u00a0tones are forbidden, and all interruption’:of others concerning matters\u00a0which can be attended to before or after study hours. It is the duty of the\u00a0matron to take due noti ce of any interrupti on of study hours.\u00a0The gi rls at Ladies Hall were not enti re Iy without male attention. The\u00a0rules state: “The young women at Ladies Hall receive on Thursday and Saturday\u00a0evenings. Under ordinary circumstances the students’ reception room is reserved\u00a0for the use of students who occupy rooms in the house. All exceptional cases\u00a0must be refered to the matron.”<\/p>\n Gi r I s had to be carefu I about stay i ng out I ate. “The outs i de doors sha II\u00a0not remain open later than 10 8.M. No student occupying a room in the bui 1-\u00a0di ng is at liberty, therefore, to rema in out of the house later than 10 P.M.,\u00a0or to enterta inca I lers beyond that hour. t!<\/p>\n A month ago the towns surroundi ng Watervi lie were ho Idi ng thei r annua I town\u00a0meetings. Eighty years ago Watervi lie too was a town meeting town. Let us see\u00a0what the town was thinking about in 1877. Among the articles in the warrant for\u00a0that town meeting in Watervi lie was one to see if the town would vote that the\u00a0schools in the vi Ilage, with the ‘exception of the high school, shall be kept\u00a036 weeks in the year instead of 42 weeks. Other articles were to see if the\u00a0town would vote to sprinkle the streets, to see how the town would manage the\u00a0town hal I, to decide whether the town would furnish free textbooks in the\u00a0schools, and to determine whether the town would bui Id a receiving tomb at the\u00a0cemetery.<\/p>\n One of the most interesting of those 1877 town meeting items reads as follows:<\/p>\n HTo see if the town will vote to c lose the Town Li quor Agency for the\u00a0ensuing year, and prohibit the selectmen from appointing any liquor agent.’!<\/p>\n There was also an article to see if the town would vote to order the selectmen\u00a0to remove obstructions at the Town Landing, near Smith and Meader’s Mi I I.<\/p>\n There was a lot of agitation about the new bridge between Watervi I Ie and\u00a0Winslow, and that 1877 town meeting had an article about it: “To see if the\u00a0town wi II <\/em>appoint a committee to examine into the accounts and matters pertaining\u00a0to the bui Iding of Ticonic Bridge and settlement with contractors, in order\u00a0to ascerta in if the Ii ab iii ti es of the town have been unnecessari I y increased\u00a0thereby.<\/p>\n What did it cost in 1877 to operate what is now a mi I lion dollar a year\u00a0\\city? The town report of the following spring of 1878 gives us the answer.<\/p>\n Total taxes committed to John Ware, the town treasurer and collector, for collection\u00a0amounted to $40,426. Ware was unable to collect $9,653, nearly onefourth\u00a0of the entire tax commitment. But that was not the col lector’s fault.<\/p>\n In 1875, under ~ different col lector, it had been even worse, for at the end of\u00a0that year about $13,000 remained un co I lected.<\/p>\n Apart from state, county and other tax obligations, the appropriations for\u00a0local purposes totaled only $32,950 in 1877. The entire appropriation for\u00a0schools was $6,800, quite a contrast with the half mi Ilion dollars of the 1956\u00a0appropriation. That $6,800 was divided into $3,000 for common schools, $1,500\u00a0to operate the high school, $500 for school apparatus, $800 for text books, and\u00a0$1 ,000 for repa i r of schoo I houses.<\/p>\n Streets and highways cal led for $3,000, a night watch cost $500, and it\u00a0took $650 to I i,lght the streets.<\/p>\n In 1877 Watervi lie had a sizable debt which the voters attempted to oonsolidate\u00a0by the sale locally of municipal bonds. C. H. Redington was made\u00a0agent for the sale of those bonds, and his report shows that many citizens were\u00a0wi Iling to take a chance on the eventual financial solvency of their town. Easi\u00a0Iy recogn i zed names among those purchasers are E.~. Getche I I, James Stackpo Ie,\u00a0Fred Arnold, John Webber, Mrs. Emi Iy Heath, Homer Percival, T. J. Bates, F. E.\u00a0Boothby, and Charles Drummond.<\/p>\n What about the salaries of Watervi lie town officers in 1877? The first selectman,\u00a0C. H. Redington, got $500 for the year; the other two selectmen got\u00a0$400 each. Leonard Carver, town clerk, rece i ved $60 for the year. G. H. Esty,\u00a0keeper of the town hal I, got $225. Dr. Frederick Thayer, the town physician,\u00a0was pa i d $100.<\/p>\n Items for which some of the town orders were drawn in 1877 provide us with\u00a0our closing remarks tonight. H. M. Sawtel Ie was paid $6.33 for the care of\u00a0tramps; Lucius Allen got $20 for rent of the lock-up; Tobie and Clark wene paid\u00a0$10 for a pump near the cof11TlOn; G. S. Osborn collected 60 cents for supplying\u00a0the town hall with matches; C. G. Ti Iton charged $1.50 for a watering trough;\u00a0Mark Ga Ilert got $1 .00 for wash i ng the town ha II. And wi th that h.a I I a I I\u00a0cleaned up for 1877~ we must say good night for old times’ sake.<\/p>\n Year: 1956<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Read the script for “Little Talks” program #302, broadcast on April 22, 1956<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[790,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7628"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7628\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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