One by one there are being produced excellent local histories of r\\~aine communities. Louise Coburn’s History of Skowhegan, Vickery’s History of Unity, and Jasper Stahl?s masterly History of \\A\/aldoboro have all been pub I ished in recent years. Now comes another worthy of our attention. It is called ‘~Sands, Spindles and Steeples, A History of Saco”, written by a Saco native, Professor Ray P. Fairfield of Bates College. It is interestingly written and is packed with information about the town that in population and industrial production came to be overshadowed by Biddeford across the river.<\/p>\n
You have heard me refer to the poor auctions once held al lover Maine -the setting up in town meeting of the keep of a pauper to the lowest bidder. It seems that in Saco in the early years of the 19th century the town tried the poor house plan, taking over an island in the river, which they designated Poor Island. But the island, inaccessible in high water floods, proved not good enough even for the town poor. So in 1817 the to”~n voted t:to sell at auction some of the town poor, if any person should appear to bid them off, and to bind\u00a0 out pauper chi Idren, males unti I they are 21, females unti I they are 18.T~ From that old record we see that the practice of indenturing chi Idren was made not only by the parents themselves, but also by the town in its official capacity, and often the town carried on the cruel practice against the wishes of parents. In Saco the intersection of Pleasant and Main Streets was long known as Jokers Corner. There the to\\’~n pranksters used to gather to play thei r practical jokes. One day they saw a fellow whom everybody called the brick-hunter.<\/p>\n
Every day the fel low went about town picking up used bricks. Seeing him coming~ one of the gang took out of the stove in Ed Thomas’ store a red-hot brick which had been placed in preparation for the purpose it was about to fulfi II. The brick was quickly thrown across the sidewalk into the gutter. Of course the brick scavenger made for it instantly. His yelps could be heard al lover town.<\/p>\n
On another occasion one of the gang made use of a new invention that had recently come to Saco — the telephone. From the gangis headquarters in the Thomas store, a call was made to another merchant down the street .. l’Got any good dry fish?” the voice inqui red. PSureY’, came the reply. T!I\/IJell; then; why don’t you give ’em a drink?”<\/p>\n
Severa I times on th is program we have referred to the soci a I life of bygone days, as one found it both in the vi I lages and out in the countryside. But perhaps we have never before discussed the ordinary, day to day social mingling, rather than parties and other special events. Professor Fairfield’s book gives us a gl impse of such life in Saco a hundred years ago. He says:<\/p>\n
!’On a ‘typical Saturday afternoon at mid-century Pepperell and Knox Squares were fi I led with carts and people. If there wasn’t an auction, there was always a chance ‘to swap horses. A hurdy-gurdy, the peanut and ice <\/em>cream vendors, and the 9 i ngerb read man were common sights. Once two live moose were on exh i b i tion at the fi rehouse, and a bloomer-costumed fema Ie always drew a crovJd. \\’!omen would spuTter about the increasing number of Dover, New Hampshire marriages, while ‘the men fretted about the injustice of the Maine liquor law. A few got drunk and some patron i zed the gypsy fortune te I ler at the York Hote I. Down at the wharves groups would gather to see old friends setting sai I for California.<\/p>\n Angry teamsters would berate the driver of a flock of sheep that blocked the main highway. The fashionable ladies would debate the merits of painted window shades, Jenny Lind perfumes, and the current daguerreotype exhibition in Cutts Hall. The poor bemoaned the fate that denied them the chance to purchase the strawberries, asparagus and Bermuda potatoes on sale in the stores. From the Ml:dnS’treet mansions. to the gambling shanties on the wharves, Saco residents enjoyed themselves and found outlet for the need of social mingling, but strictly accord i ng to c I ass _”<\/p>\n We hear a lot about the old-time husking bees, barn raisings, church suppers, and schoolhouse parties out in the country districts. But social relations in the country were by no means confined to such formal occasions. Mud and snow might slow down the horses, but it didn’t stop them. Informal whist parties and qui It-tacking bees cal led congenial souls together. In summer large groups trooped to camp meeting in every kind of rig.<\/p>\n As for I ife on the farm, John Deering, an early newspaperman of Saco, once declared: nrJlany farm houses are decorated with pictures, musical instruments, house p I ants, and bookcases are we I I filled with good books. Floors are carpeted, rooms are papered, parlors are wei I furnished, and a spare room is always ready for company_ Every Saturday when the grange meets, the farm wife wi I I have the house al I cleaned up, dishes washed, hair curled, and baskets fi I led with goodies, a II done long before noon, so that she can enjoy the privi lege of discussing matters of importance to farm life, and best of all do what even a democratic government would not let her do — cast her vote along with the men.”<\/p>\n Speaking of grange meetings, I suppose they have changed a lot since the days, some 40 years ago, when I was a frequent visitor at the Hebron Grange. I wonder if they sti I I hold those spirited debates. A common question for those arguments was ‘~’\/here shall the dividing line be drawn between the work of the male and the female portion of the farm fami ly?T! I was told that one grange I istened to hot arguments on I!Resolved, that a good-natured s lack woman is preferable to a cross-grained neat woman TY \u2022 That grand old sage of Maine journalism, Arthur Staples of the Lewiston Journal, once said: ~’A person who has never eaten a Grange dinner can only look back on a misspent life.!!<\/p>\n Do granges sti II hoi d box suppers, where the boxes of good eatab les are auctioned off to the men~ who thus draw the provider of the box for his female supper partner? In one grange, half a century ago, they auctioned off the woman, rather than the boxes. Young and old, short and tal I, handsome and homely, al I got an equal chance, because each female was enshrouded in a sheet, as if she were a genui ne Ku K I uxer.<\/p>\n A historian has dug the fol lowing out of the records of one grange:<\/p>\n ;’January 15. Voted to have a clam chowder Thursday evening, February 18, if not stormy. Voted, if stormy Thursday, to have the clam chowder Friday evening.<\/p>\n Voted that a committee on the chowder be appointed by the Master. Voted to reconsider the vote whereby Friday evening was declared for the clam choltlder. Voted not to have it Tuesday evening. Voted to have the chowder Monday evening.<\/p>\n nJanuary 29. Voted to reconsider the vote of last meeting to hold a clam showder on Monday, February 15. Voted not to hold the cho\\oJder ti II clams get cheaper.”<\/p>\n There is one old-time object that I don’t recall ever mentioning during the eight years of this program. It is the street sprinkler. In growing towns I ike \\~atervi lie and Augusta, flying dust became a prob lem as long as a hundred years ago. In such communities merchants banded together to sprinkle the business street. The story is told that a couple of country girls coming into Watervi I Ie saw that town’s sprinkler for the first time. Said one of them to the other: HWhy, Bess, I thought that engine come out only when they had a fire. Tl I n hot weather the ch i I dren had as much fun fo II ow i ng that big tub on wheels as they had fol lowing the ice wagon.<\/p>\n \\’Jh i Ie ‘datervi lie knew a II about street spri nk lers and ice wagons, I suspect it was completely unfami liar with sea sawdust. venture very few of my I isteners know what it is. Years ago, when many huge saw mi 115 were 5 i tuated at 8ath and Saco and other towns near the mouth of a ~~aine ri ver, vast quantities of sawdust were carried a short distance out to sea, to settle on the ocean floor. Then would come a violent storm, stirring up the waters and fl inging the sawdust up on to the sands of Popham or Old Orchard. Farmers would gather from mi les around to scoop up load after load for cattle bedding.<\/p>\n Very few men now living can remember the bitter battles between firefighting companies of volunteers within the same town. Sti II surviving are the hand-tub contests between companies from different communities. But, just as no war is more bitter than civi I ‘IJar, so no hand-tub contest between ‘Hatervi lie and Augusta could ever be so hard fought as were the battles between two Watervi I Ie companies, or between two Augusta companies, a hundred years ago. It was I ittle short of miraculous that nobody was ki lied. Hose-cutting and fist fighting were ordinary accompaniments of any such contest. Nor was the rivalry Confined to scheduled competition. It was just as active at real fires. One crew would learn of a fire and would start for it without sounding the alarm: so as to get ahead of the rival company. If they had to cross a draw bridge, they would often leave it open to delay the other company. And it was always easy, accidentally on purpose, to turn the hose on the other fel lavs when they appeared on the scene.<\/p>\n There are people sti II living in Watervi lie who remember that remarkable coup Ie.. Dr. George Dana Boa rdman Peppe rand his ta I ented wife. Pepper is a cherished name in VJatervi lie, and we are proud to see recogni tion paid to the fami Iy in Fairfield’s History of Saco. Let us quote it directly: ::Of all the pastors occupying the Baptist pulpit in Saco, the most distinguished was Dr. George Pepper. Author, well-known theological professor at Crozer, and Colby president, the tal I, bearded man, who looked much like Lincoln, gave his parish some sol id sermons, auiet humor, and a touch of humanity. Once after a visiting preacher baptized a tJlethodist by sprinkling in Dr. Pepper’s church, the genial Pepper asked him: “Did you funigate the pulpit first?’ Mrs. Pepper added a dash of spice which the church had never known, opening the parsonage at al I times of day or night, raiding its furnishings to obtain properties for a play, or wearing a Mother Hubbard when visiting new parishioners. She could\u00a0 be mOST unconventi ona I and yet command the peop Ie’s respect. I’<\/p>\n The English language is a tricky thing. Of course you know about the two fellows who went fishing. One of them saw a warning sign and said to the other, “Oh, oh, don’t fish here”. Whereupon the other fellow said, “I don’t know, do they?” After you’ve chewed on that one for a whi Ie, see if you can work out this one. A sign behind an egg in a shop window: “This egg was laid. Buy a rooster.”<\/p>\n Year: 1957<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Read the script for “Little Talks” program #330, broadcast on February 3, 1957<\/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":[761,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7712"}],"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=7712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7712\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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