COFYHICIIT DEPOSIT iS^^13fexol,Evhi; 1)1 \i:\\in.\ \l)\ i:i;i isi.l; Cuticura Soap and Cuticura Ointment, the Great Skin Cure, have become the world's favourites for preserving, piirifyini;, and beautifying the skin, for eczemas, rashes, itchings, and irritations, for pimples, blackheads, red, rough, and oily complexions, for cleansing the scalp of crusts, scales, and dan- druff, and for dry, thin, and falling hair, for softening, whitening, and soothing red, rough, and sore hands, and itciiing, tender feet, for baby rashes, itchmgs, and chafings, for sanative, antiseptic cleansing, as well as for all the purposes of the toilet, bath, and nursery. Guaranteed absolutely pure under United States Food and Drugs Act, and may be used from the hour of birth. Cutitura Sonp combines delicate, mfJicinal, emollient, sanalise, and antiseptic proper- ties Jeri\ed from Cuticura, the (jreat Skin Cure, with tlie purest of saponaceous ingredi- ents and the most refreshing of flower odours. Cutlcur.\ RcmiJIi-s.iro snIJ throuehoul llie wnrl.l. n.-p..ls: LnnJnn, >t. Charterhouse Sq.; Pari*, s, Rur 4p la R. Towns «i Co.. SvJnfv: lnJI.>. B. K. I'aul. Ciltull.i: China, Honn Konc Drue Co ; Japan. "J.. C.ipi- Town, *'tc. : Russia. Ferrfin, Moscow; U. S. A.. Poller - I'ust-lrcc. Cuticura Booklet on the Skin anJ Scalp. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISE! Delicious and Extremely EGonomicai in Use One 1-4 lb. packet will make SO cups of the most healthful, stimulating, and acceptable beverage the world produces. UNLIKE COFFEE it is Absolutely Free from Stomach or /Nerve Destroying Properties. "SALADA" TEA Is sold !n Sealed Packets onig. Preserving All of its Native Purity and Aroma Black, Mixed, Green, Oolong, 30c., 40c., 50c., 60c., and 70c. per lb. at your Grocer's CHAPIN & ADAMS, 206 State Street, Boston, Wholesale Agents ////•; MIHROli OF SEWroS M)\i:iaiSKR WILLIAM p. BEMIS. Telephone Connection ASA C. (EWETT. BEMIS &JEWETT Pdinting and Decordting. Foreign and AV/ 11 D Domestic Wall rapers Upholstering in all its Branches. Upholstery Goods, Windoiv Shades, Muslin and Lace Curtains, Rods, Fixtures, etc BRAY BUILDING Newton Centre, Mass. Chapel Street, Needham, Mass. Herbert N. Smith barren & Hill Coal Co. Complimentary (INCORPORATED) 67 UNION STREET NEWTON CENTRE CO/VIRUIIVIEINTS OR FRAINK FROST ^AO ^A and F.nely Tailored q>i0.3U tO CjjO^J.OU COATS .... 3.75 to 25.00 WAISTS . . . 1.00 to 28.50 SKIRTS .... 5.00 to 30.00 Special: 20 per cent, discount allowed on purchases to customers bringing this advertisement. ALSO CARRY A COMPLETE ASSORTMENT OF FURS Furs repaired and remodelled at exceptionally low prices during the summer months WILLIAM V. FISHEL CO. 161 Tremont Street, Boston Cold Storage for Furs LAMSON ca, HUBBARD HATTERS = AND =^ FURRIERS FOR MEN AND WOMEN 90 to 94 Bedford Street (Comer Kingston) 173 Washington Street BOSTON. MASS. EMERSON SHOES If you will call at any of our Emerson Shoe Stores, we shall be pleased to show you Emerson Shoes suitable for all occasions. For style, fit, comfort, and durability they cannot be surpassed. $3.50 $4.00 $5.00 THREE BOSTON STORES: 185 Summer Street, Dewey Square, opposite South Station Comer Washington and W^ater Streets Comer Court and Hanover Streets Till-: Mih-h'd h- ol- M.W TO V M>vi:irnsi:R LUTHER PAUL & CO. COAL^ and WOOD Newton Centre ALVORD BROS. & CO. Newton Real Estate, Mortgages, Insurance (79 Mii.K Stkeei, OFFICES ] Newton Centre ( Newtonville Compliments of a Friend LIBRARY BUREAU LETTER PILES 43 Federal Street .*. .*. .*. Boston Kendall, Taylor & Stevens A. I. ENGLISH & CO. ARCH ITFCTS ^^''P^"^^^^ ^^^ Builders All Jobbing promptly attended to Bcrtrand E Taylor Henry H Kendall Edward V 5l«veni BOSTON, flASS. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER A. DUDLEY DOWD Real Estate Broker Mortgages, Insurance Newton Property a Specialty Houses built on Architects' plans and sold on easy terms. Better than Rent A. DUDLEY DOWD Tel., Main 1246 16 State St., Boston R. T. ADAMS & CO. HARD WOOD FLOORS 24 Bromfield Street Telephone, Main 3766 BOSTON Compliments of .... EDGAR W. WARREN G. N. B. SHERMAN DEALER IN Hardware and Paints Kitchen Furnishings 28 Lincoln St., Newton Highlands Tel., N. S. 134-1 A great many people — the number is increasing — know that JOHN TEMPERLEY printer,,, (who does, promptly and correctly, a large assortment of Society, Commercial, Pamphlet, and Job Printing) is located at BRAY BLOCK 75 Union Street, Newton Centre (Telephone, S63 Newton South) Estimates Furnished upon Application The Town Crier is published h\) him every Friday IVILLIAM M. L McADAMS i>tattmirr J^nutrr anil IGttlunira^ltrr Blank Book Manufacturer 14-16 Federal and 113-115 Congress Sts. BOSTON W, O. KNAPP & CO, .., Grocers ,., NEWTON CENTRE Established 1869 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER E. \V. CONAINT Staple and Fancy G roceries KRirrS and V KGl-.TABLI-.S Telephone. Ne«l..n South 322-1 HABA.>, MASS. Charles E. Cobb Fine Arts Galleries Pictures of Good Quality. Framing in all Styles. Art Novel' lies. 346 Boyltton StrMt BOSTON WILLIAM CLAXTON BRAY Complimentary If you «ou Id show s«inie business thrift. You cun't on quiel »utei rs drift: Ther e's one meunv e>er> hustler tries : You kDOW It not? •TIs. ADVERTISE ! Farley, Harvey & Co. '""'iS^^i^i^r DRY GOODS 141 to 149 Essex Street BOSTON C. D, HARVEY A. C. FARLEY W T KARLEY THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER A store wKere a complete stock of Builders SKelf and Fancy Hardware can be four at right prices. Also Photo- graphic, Baseball, and Athletic Goods. Fishing Tackl?. Garden and Grass Seeds. Paint, Oils, and Headquarters for Manual Training BencKes, Tools, and Supplies CHANDLKR & BARBKR 122-126 SUIVIMER STREET - - - - BOSTON CHARLES F.KIRTLAND & CO. WALL PAPERS Wholesale and Retail Room Mouldings, Window Shades Tinting and Decorating 26 and 28 WASHINGTON STREET and 348 and 350 BOYLSTON STREET ^^o BOYLSTON STREET, BOSTON, mass. Selling exigents for E. G. HIGGINS COMPANY BOSTON j Telephone, 483 Richmond Draperies and Upholstery Stuffs Wall Hangings, Antique and Willow Furniture, Bric-a-brac ZfAe J^orace !Partrid^e Co. College, School, and Club Athletic Outfitters ERYTHlNd FOB HEALTH and SPORT Send for Illustrated Catalogue TJha JVorace iPartridya Co. B* FRAHKI-IN STRBET 77//; \ni;i:i)R or .\i:\\ iir\ .\h\ i.ki isi-.h SMITHS PATTERSON COMPANY Diamond Merchants Jewelers AND SaVERSMDITHS THAYEK McNEIL & HODGKINS BOOTS and SHOES 47 Tempic PUce 15 West Street Boston, Mass, ^ MrKENNLY^WATERB URY (b MPANY. Desi9iien.)faiiiifu;titiTrs nl JiDbbcn^^ XECXRIcCtJLS^znafQn^ '^ ' :FIXrDKES "mP/J^ t' 'S'JSJMV'.^li.liostoR. Mass? A BOOK WORTM BUYI/SG HEALTH THROUGH SELP = CONTROL IN THINKING, BREATHING. EATING By WILLIAM ANTHONY SHINNEY. A.M. $1.20 net. $1.30 pottpald .\ well known tiacher of physical cullurc puis the result of years of studv .»nd ol>ser\.Hi..n int.. the most practical ami valu.ilile aiil U> licaltlifnl aiut h.ippv liiini; ><.l pul.lishe.l LOTHkOP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON '^^^^ THE MIRROR OF NEWTON PAST AND PRESENT FOREWORD THE Newton Federation of Women's Clubs is approaching its twelfth birthday. As steadily as the years have rolled on the Federation has grown in wisdom and power, until it ventures to ]a'f-cm it-ilf, a well-organized work- ing 1mh1\, ■1ii\;:1 to the welfare of the city." 'i'liii-Ueii years ago the need of united club work became manifest to officers of women's clubs in the various villages of Newton; and in the follow- ing year — 1895 — after a period of utmost care and consideration, our Federation was organized. To-day we extend most cordial greeting to all who come to join us in our festivities on that "good ground, the Old Elms." May our hospitality prove as cordial and gracious as that which was extended to all who came to the Claflin homestead in bygone days. To the Newton Federation of Women's Clubs is gix^en the privilege and honor of being the first to introduce to citizens of Newton the grand possibilities which our city has in the possession of a large, central gathering place. Through centralization of social and public interest will come unity and strength. The constitution of our Federation is simple, namely "This Federation shall be neither sectarian nor partisan, but hos- pitable to all thoughts affecting the welfare of the city and the interests df humiinitv. Its object shall be to secure more thoniugh acquaintance; and, in case of need, united action among women's clubs of Xewton." In fulfilment of the purpose to be ''hos- pitable to all thoughts affecting the welfare of the city," and to promote better ac- quaintance among eleven hundred women whom our Federation represents, the officers and executive board of the Newton Feder- ation of Women's Clubs, together with members of the federated clubs, have undertaken the festival, of several days' duration, to which we welcome you. We offer you, not merely amusement: but, with spice of entertainments, nuu h which is of a serious nature, hoping that :ill will meet your approval. This Mirror of Xewton, Pa si and Present, with all its reflections, will be a valuable possession to every one interested in the history of New-ton. We invite you to visit in the rooms of the old mansion a loan e.xhibition of great value and broad historical interest. Books, pictures, house- hold and fancy articles, stationerv, silver, toys you will find fnirn which to select. Refreshment of many kinds, for the weary and hungry, can be found in abundisnce; and withal, evening entertainment, both musical and dramatic. Children are not forgotten, and one half-day shall be devoted to their pleasure and a.musement. It will be our pleasure to contribute one half of the proceeds of this three days' revelrv toward the purchase of the Claflin estate for the public good of the city of Newton. The other half of our income is to remain in the treasury of the Federation, for use in meeting any demands which may come to us in broad work for the interest of our city and of humanity. Thus shall we accomplish the purposes expressed in our constitution. Three points let us keep prominent as the motives for so large an undertaking, on the part of the busy women of the Newton Federation. First, a considerable contribution toward the purchase of the Claflin estate; second, bringing together THE MIRROR OF NEWTON both men and women of Newton; third, to increase, through our magazine. The Mirror, and the Loan Exhibition, general interest in the history of Newton. Since its inception in 1906, plans for this festival, or bazaar, to include interests mentioned and to be held in the Claflin homestead, have been constantly in the minds of the Federation Executive Board, and of members of a special committee, appointed to arrange all details. The work of the Ways and Means, or Bazaar Committee, has been most carefully or- ganized. The President of the Federation and presidents of the eleven federated clubs, together with others appointed from time to time for special work, have con- stituted an advisory committee. Each department has been given to the care of one club, the president of that club acting as chairman of that department, and re- ceiving on her committee one or more members from every club in the Federation. In all these departments are many helpers, for whose names there is not space here. The President of the Newton Federation of Women's Clubs takes this occasion to thaiik all who participate in our festival, whether as workers or as visitors. Helen C. Taylor. BAZAAR COMMITTEES "The Mirror," — Newtonville Woman's Guild, Mrs. W. C. Boyden, President. The Lo.'VN Exhibition, — Newton Centre Woman's Club, Mrs. F. C. Anderson, President. S.\LES T.ables, — Social Science Club, New- ton, Airs. F. H. Tucker, President. Colonial Reception, — Waban Woman's Club, Mrs. J. H. Pillsbury, President. Colonl-vl Teas, — Monday Club, Newton Highlands, Miss Katharine T. Bail, President. Business Committee, — Newton Ladies' Home Circle, Mrs. Charles H. Stacy, President. General Refreshments, — Wtst Newton Educational Club, Mrs. Henry K. Burrison, President. Children's Afternoon, — Pierian Club, Newton Upper Falls, Mrs. F. A. Thompson, President ; Newton Moth- ers ' Club, Mrs. Edward C. Hinckley, President. Colonial Concert, — Equal Suffrage League, Mrs. G. F. Lowell, President. Dramatics, — Aubumdale Review Club, Mrs. Vine D. Baldwin, President. The Magazine Committee is as follows : — Mrs. Wallace C. Bovden, Chairman, Mrs. H, H, Carter, Mrs. Albert Perrv Walker, Mrs. Frank T. Benner, Mrs. George W. .\uryansen, Newtonville Woman's Guild. Mrs. Charles G. Wetherbee, Chairman advertising department, Miss Katharine L. Bail, Newton Highlands Monday Club. Miss Ella B. Smith, Auburndale Review Club. Mrs. Elizabeth S. Barker, Newton Equal Suffrage League. Mrs. S. N. Shaw, Newton Mothers' Club. ]Mrs. John W. Woodbridge and Mrs. J. \\'. Mclntvre, Newton Social Science Club. Mrs. S. A. Sylvester, Newton Centre Woman's Club. Mrs. John E. Titus, Pierian Club, New- ton Upper Falls. Mrs. Arthur M. Grain, Waban Woman's Club. Mrs. Alexander Bennett, West Newton Educational Club. The Magazine Committee gratefully acknowledges its obligation to Mr. Her- bert R. Gibbs, of Newtonville, for his in- valuable aid as literary critic; to Mr. Charles Copeland, of Newton Centre, for the artis- tic design of the cover; to Mr. J. C. Brim- blecom, of the Newton Graphic, for his loan of plates for many illustrations; and to all others who have furnished plates for the embellishment of these pages. The Magazine Committee also wishes to render hearty thanks to the contributors who have given freely of their time and strength, to all who have aided in the col- lection of advertisements, to the advertisers, in fact to all who have in any way contrib- uted to the success of this publication. EDITORIAL " \ POLISHED surface used to re- r\ fleet objects" is the dictionary "*■ definition of the word "mirror." Behold our Mirror, — its surface before you now in the form of these pages, pol- ished as far as the love, loyalty, pride, and good-will of a host of citizens ready and willing to record the growth and good traits of a city loved can polish any surface. And what does our Mirror reflect ? Be- ginnings and growth in a multitude of ways. Our city has a history upon which we may dwell with satisfaction, and the Newton of 1907 has its honored place quite as much as the Newton of 1688. Look with me into the Mirror and enjoy the pictures as they pass. Changes, changes ever)"\vhere, in people and things. The people interest us most, let us look at them first. What a fine collection of pictures of splendid, efficient men and noble, earnest women! And something of what they have accomplished our Mirror will show you. As the lives of a people show out in their real colors in their letters and documents, a few of these our Mirror reflects. WTiere have the.se people lived? Look again. Note the little old-fashioned New England farm-house; then the larger, more pretentious gambrel-roofed house with its roomy garret — a convenient lurking-place for ghosts, the garret which Oliver Wendell Holmes says is like a seashore where wrecks are thrown up and slowly go to pieces. Look on and on till we come to the modern artistic mansion of to-day, sanitary to the last degree. If you look carefully, you will see pictures of the home life in some of the most cultured in this city of beauti- ful homes. ^\^lere did these people attend school ? Another group of pictures beginning with the rude little schoolhouse at the cross- roads and ending with our stately High School building. Where were their church homes? See the simple little meeting-house and here the imposing church edifice of to-day. Re- ligion and Education have always trav- elled hand in hand, for "The riches of the Commonwealth Are free strong minds and hearts of health"; and these will always be secured "While near the church-spire stands the school." The Educational life would not be com- pletely pictured without a glimpse of the Public Library, and closely allied with the religious life are the charitable organiza- tions, showing a people quick and gener- ous in its sympathies to a cry of suffering whenever and wherever it may be heard. As we note the growth of Newton from village to town, from town to city, bits of scenery come before us. Photographs of scenery — just views — are usually unsatis- factory because of the lack of color. But our Mirror, of course, reflects the true colors; and here you look at Newton with its primeval forests, its unbroken fields, its seven hills, its extensive plains, its Charles River — in fact with all the endowments which lavish nature can shower upon a place. Thick and fast the changes come, showing how thought, care, and artistic taste can develop and embellish a spot nat- urally beautiful. If the early settlers of Newton could re- turn to look at our pictures, perhaps none would surprise them more than those of the various organizations — clubs, social, literary, and athletic — which are so prom- inent in our day. If they could take time to look at these pictures carefully, study the purposes of the organizations, look at some of their beautiful buildings, and hear of their good work and influence, we are sure that they would approve. So the pictures pass, the grave and the gay, — for the fun will come out, as our Contributors' Club distinctly shows. As you have looked upon them, you certainly have observed our Mirror-frame, designed by an artist from among us, — a frame sug- gesting grateful remembrance of the past. And after all, why have we brought our Mirror fonvard? These are our reasons, — to stimulate the spirit of devotion to the city of our birth or choice; to try to give our friends some- thing which is really worth while concern- ing Newton's past and present; to help lay deep the foundations for love of city; to picture the Newton of 1907; and to pass on to posterity the message that we must keep our Mirror clear and bright by giv- ing to life the best that we have, that the best ma}- come back to us. Mabel R. Boyden. PAGES FROM NEWTON'S HISTORY NEWTON VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY BY ALBERT PERRY WALKER I. NEWTON AS A VILLAGE I. The Founding of New Towne: 1631 " y WILL make them conform," said King I James I. of the eight hundred Puri- ■*■ tan clergymen who petitioned for re- forms within the Church of England in 1603, "or I will harry them out of the land." This harrying process, continued by Charles I. and by Archbishop Laud, led to the formation in 1629 of a chartered company to plant in New England a self- governing Puritan colony. The Governor of the Company, John \Mnthrop,'came over on the Arhella, the third of seventeen ves- sels sent over in 1630; and on the same vessel came Deputy-Governor Thomas Dudley, Dudley's two sons-in-law Simon Bradstreet and Daniel Dennison, and Rev. Mr. PhiUips, who are the earliest four grantees of lands within the present boun- daries of Newton. The A rbella left her pas- sengers at Salem, but as that town already contained 500 settlers and the new-comers wanted land above all things, Winthrop led his party across country to Charlestown, whence they moved in swarms to form plantations at Medford, Ljun, Boston, Roxbury, and Watertown. This last set- tlement, formed under the leadership of Rev. Mr. Phillips and Sir Richard Salton- ;stall, was near the present Mount Auburn. During the first winter the problem of a capital for all the towns in the colony was repeatedly discussed. It was agreed that a fortified town should be built in a central location, and the site was chosen where Harvard College now stands. The Gov- ernor and most of the Assistants pledged their word to build there in the spring. Copyright, 1907, by Ai Dudley, Bradstreet, and perhaps a half- dozen others accordingly founded this " New Towne " early in the spring of 1631, but Winthrop, after building, removed his house to Boston, and aU the other Assistants pleaded this as an excuse for refusing to build. This caused the first great dis- sension in the new colony, and led to the formation of a "Boston Faction" and a "New Towne Faction." The indignant Dudley secured a vote of censure upon Winthrop from the elders of the church, but his "New Towne" might have faded from the map had not the General Court ordered a company which had been sent over by the Rev. Thomas Hooker in Au- gust, 1632, to settle there. The next year Mr. Hooker arrived with the rest of his flock, among them "that heavenly man," Mr. John Ha\'nes, who became at once the leading citizen of New Towne. His wealth (his income was £1000 )'early) made him the largest tax-payer; his ex- ecutive ability led to his appointment as Colonel of militia; his generosity and gen- iality made him universally popular. As a resident of New Towne, he naturally sided with Dudley rather than with Win- throp, and the result was the election of Dudley as Governor in 1634, and of Haynes in 1635. During their terms of office the General Court was held at New Towne. 2. Earliest Grants 0} Land within Newton Limits: 1632, 1634 The Massachusetts Bay Company was a joint-stock company governed by a Gov- ernor, a Deputy-Governor, a Board of Assistants (or Directors), and a General !ERT Perry Walker THE :\nRROR OF NEWTON Court composed at first of all the "free- men" (or stockholders), and later of repre- sentative freemen from the several towns. Within the limits set by the charter it had full powers of legislation, not only in the enactment of general laws, but also over the grants of lands to individuals or to the towns. The first recorded grant of lands in Newton * was made by the General Court to Rev. Mr. Phillips of A\atertown. On November 7, 1632, "M"' Philips hath 30 ac of land graunted him upp Charles Rwer, on the south side, begininge att a creek a lyttle higher than the first pynes, & soe upwards towards the ware." In 1634 took place the first distribution of lands on a large scale within the present bounds of Newton. As each stockholder might take up 500 acres of land for every ;^5o of his stock, the grants (although not the only ones made to these persons) give a slight hint as to their rating on the books of the Company. According to the records of the General Court, on April i, 1634, "there is a thousand acres of land, & the greate [pond] graunted to John Haynes, Esq., ffyve hundred acs. graunted to Thomas Dudley, esq. Deputy Govn"', [five] hundred to Mr. Samuel Dudley, & two hundred acres [to] Daniell Dennison, all h'eing & being above the falls, [on the] easterly side of Charles Ryver." The Haynes grant extended from the edge of Newton Upper Falls, to and including Crystal Lake and a part of Institution Hill.f None of the other grants can be located, possibly because all such grants became void if left unused for three years. A month and a half later "There is 500 acres of land graunted to Mr. Simon Brad- streete, lyeing nore west from the lands of John Haynes, Esq. & above the falls of Charles Ryver, neare the weir"; but a later Act stipulated that "no part is to be within a mile of Watertowne weir, in case the bounds of Watertowne shall extend so far on that side of the river." This grant, if laid out, would have ex- tended from Crystal Lake to Bullough's Pond, but the time had not come for the * At some risk of confusion the writer has decided to avoid the tiresome repetition of such phrases as "the present New- ton." "the present lirighl.'H." "tlie i)risent Centre Street," believing that the cnnn \! w I'l ,' ^^ .1 \ ■ !m.v. \\\" u -ii. h ii.nnc^ are used before their : < • : :' ■ ■ 1 n The reader needs. , ',;. 11 between the ancient I H :■; Square, and the moduli \.\H-n, in iIm 1.-]- -1 iln ( li.nli^ River. t See map, p. 16. occupation of lands so inaccessible; never- theless, these grants suggest a movement of the New Towne folk to get a grip on the lands across the river to the southward. At first this had been impossible because Watertown had acquired earlier rights along the river front opposite her own territory, and Boston claimed those op- posite New Towne. The Watertown pastor, Mr. Phillips, already held thirty acres of land on the river front beginning at Faneuil and extending to the Watertown line; Watertown had set apart the adjoin- ing district for special purposes connected with the fisheries; and Sir Richard Salton- stall's cattle were being pastured in the region west of Cheesecake Brook. 3. "N'ew Towne" becomes "Cambridge" When Mr. Hooker's company began to clamor for more land for pasturage, and threatened to remove to less cramped quar- ters on the Ipswich, Merrimack, or Connecti- cut Rivers, Watertown offered to cede to New Towne all her lands south of the river, and Boston offered to cede the rest of the Brighton and Brookline districts. But Hooker's company had "the western fever," jealousy had arisen between Hooker and Mr. Cotton (the Boston clergyman), and the Winthrop faction had been strength- ened by the arrival of the popular Sir Harry Vane. In the election of 1636 \'ane won the governorship, the General Court was removed to Boston, and the New Towne faction thereupon "refused to play." Dudley, Bradstreet, and Dennison secured fresh grants in Ipswich and removed thither, — apparently abandoning their grants in Newton. Hooker with a hun- dred companions removed to Hartford; and Haj-nes — evidently bound to rule somewhere — followed them the next year and became the first governor of Connecti- cut. New Towne was a second time threatened with premature extinction, and was again saved by the arrival of a fresh congregation, this time led by the Rev. Thomas Shepard. The new-comers bought the houses and lands of the deserters, and life went on as before, except that the name of the town was changed to "Cam- bridge" in 1638, in honor of the college located there the year before, and in mem- ory of the college in England of which many of the colonists were graduates. NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 4. Settlement oj "Cambridge Village" On the departure of Hooker's company, the Brookline district reverted to Boston, but an agreement was reached, and rati- fied by the General Court, by which the Brighton district and all the lands to the westward on that side oj the river should belong to New Towne, excepting a strip of 75 acres (the ^lorse's field of later years) lying along by the weir which Watertown citizens had erected in 1632. Expansion to that side of the river began at once, first into Brighton and later into Newton. The latter was hastened by the fact that a corn mill had been built on the Watertown side of the falls, that the town, had spread rapidly in that direction, and that a foot- bridge had been built at the falls, making a connecting link in an all-land route from Charlestown and New Townie to Boston, Roxbury, and the newly founded Dedham. Here appears the name of next impor- tance in Newton development, that of Thomas Alayhew of Watertown, an inde- fatigable speculator and promoter of land deals and development schemes. May- hew takes shares in the mill, buys an inter- est in the weir, builds the bridge, and gets a grant of the weir lands on the south side (the strip still owned by Watertown). More importiint still for our present pur- poses, ^layhew in some manner becomes owner of the strip between the Ha^Ties grant and the river at Newton L'pper Falls, and also of the five hundred acres lying between his weir lands and Mill Street — that is, practically all of Newtonville plain. It has been suggested that he bought this latter from Dudley, but the records are missing. On this territory, east of Cold Spring Brook and north of Washington Street, he builds the first house on Newton soil, probably for the use of an employee. These transactions undoubtedly encour- aged other men to take up lands on the south side, first as grazing grounds for cattle, and later for planting fields. The earliest adventurers built houses for them- selves or their employees farther down the river, where the travel to Boston and Rox- bun,' was sufficient to warrant a regular ferry, but by 1639 there were half a dozen houses as far west as Faneuil, on the Water- town-Roxbury path. In that year, John Jackson of Cambridge Town bought one of these houses from Miles Ives of Watertown, and became the first permanent resident in the district. \\'est of the weir lands. Rev. Mr. Shepard held several hundred acres. This scattered settlement, lying partly in New- ton, partly in Brighton, soon became known as "Cambridge Village" in distinction from the Town proper north of the river. By this time Thomas Mayhew had either become overloaded with mortgaged prop- erty, or he had already conceived the scheme (later carried out) of purchasing the island of Martha's Vineyard; for in 1638 he began to dispose of his property in Watertown and Cambridge. The pur- chasers were Richard Dummer of New- bury, who bought lands near the weir and southward to Nonantum Square; Thomas Dudley, who had moved from Ipswich to Roxbury to mend his political fences; and Simon Brad street, whose shrewd eye fore- saw a rise in value for Newton lands near the new settlement. According to the records of Suffolk County, on September 29, 1638, "Thomas Mayhew of W'aterton granted unto Simon Bradstreet of Ipswich in consideration of 6 Cowes w* he bought & received of the saide Simon Bradstreet, all that his farme containinge be estema- tion five hundered acres lyinge in Cam- bridge with all the buildin:.^^ there to be- longinge." This pun lK;>r price was no "trifling matter," as one writer terms it. The coming of a thousand persons a year for nearly a decade had kept the price of cattle enormously high, and iMayhew's "Cowes" would have cost him twenty pounds apiece at any time before 1640. Then the decline in immigration dropped the price rapidly to six pounds. Two years alter the Bradstreet purchase Joseph Cook acquired 400 acres of land west of the Bradstreet farm, and Samuel Shepard, brother of the clergyman, received 480 acres beyond Cheesecake Brook. The northern portion of Newton territory was thus practically all in private ownership by 1640, when Cambridge secured a paper title to all her lands by purchase from the Squaw-sachem of the local Indians, one condition being the gift to her of a new coat every winter. This deed of course in- cluded the district on the south side of the Charles River, and as Boston did not se- cure a deed of the Shawmut peninsula from the Indians until 1685, Newton's legal title to her soil antedates Boston's by nearly half a century. Meanwhile, Rev. Mr. Shepard and his <~ /M£R R.//Vl/»C*: R \ s*^^ \ C/^yM5;5/Z)C£: T^ ^^^ orj /4vv-/^j-j- / > ^rt . f v-^ \ 1 \ i ^ / 1) o-i^ .tkx. sttL ff/ 3Cox/ V^ ^1 \ 1 ^Hl^^iHJ ^^^ e) \ J ^^^^^ ^ I, ^ \/ /V~^ ot* N^-/i > 47 \p ^^^_MV^r>.^^ y^ / .i') \v v^ ^^'-"^^-t-Ui; ft'' \'' 1 IpT^ ■^ flot;^"j3!(B^ ) ^ I .) 7^"^ ■■■■^"/.'«V^^^?!Sj->| — - A^ fe ^\^ (ic/^ti/. :i:i«^ ^\ A ^^ ^ -■ /^ "^ X.^ « ) ^ ^\ m X Xi^ 'A V -^^ My V '^ \ (ivut?^) .^ / ^\^,x^5^^^^ ) 1 ;kwtox and her neighbors tal letters indicate towns formerly included in Ca NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY company in their turn became dissatis- fied with their cramped location, and were urged by Rev. Mr. Hooker to remove to Middletown, Connecticut. The General Court, much alarmed, voted in 1641 that Cambridge should have the lands in the valley of the Shawshine River, "provided they make it a village, to have the families there settled within three years." Two years later, more alarmed still, they voted that "Shawshine is granted to Cambridge without any condition of making a village there; and the land between them and Concord is granted them . . . provided the church and present elders continue at Cambridge." In 1643, therefore, when Newton's "First Citizen" settled on Hunne- well Hill, the present territory of Newton was the southernmost portion of a township extending eighteen miles from the Charles River to the Merrimack, out of which have been carved the towns of Newton, Cam- bridge, Arlington, Le.xington, Billerica, and parts of Bedford, Watertown, and Lowell. This same year, the General Court granted to Thomas Mayhew three hundred acres of land in exchange for his bridge over the Charles River above Watertown weir, mak- ing this bridge on the road from Newton to Watertown the first state-owned bridge in the colony. 5. Neivton's First Citizens So far, the story of Newton has been a story of real estate operations. Its his- tory as a place of homes dates from the advent of Samuel Hyde (1640), Richard Park, who came about the same time, and Mr. Edward Jackson, who emigrated from London in 1643 and bought of Samuel Hollys the house and lot on the Roxbury path west of his brother John Jackson's. This lot of 19 acres lay on the Newton side of the boundary line which Edward Jackson lived to see drawn in 1662. He made numerous other pur- chases within Cambridge bounds, and also shared largely in the town's various allot- ments of common lands among the pro- prietors, so that although he made many gifts of land during his lifetime, he held over 1700 acres at his death. His most important purchase appears in the following record; "Nov. 23, 1646: — Symon Bradstreete of Andover gent, granted vnto Edward Jackson of Cam- bridg Nailor (for & in consideration of one hundred pounds* already pa yd) his fferme of fyve hundred Acres of land w'''' was lately in the tenure of Tho: Mayhew & by him bounded adjoyneing to the Ware lands bounded w* Pasto"' Shepheard north & Elder Camps west, & the Comon South & East." t In 1680 Edward Jack- son gave twenty acres in the southwestern comer of this farm as a dowry to his daugh- ter Lydia on her marriage to Joseph Fuller, whose father added ten by purchase on the instalment plan. This is the estate which, after passing from the Fuller to the Hull and Claflin families, is now being acquired by the city of Newton through the gift of its citizens. From 1643 to his death in 1681 Edward Jackson was a leader in the village life, — ■ in every sense its foremost citizen. When the town needed money "for the gratifying of M''. Corlett for his paines in keeping a Schoole" it was Mr. Jackson who ad- vanced ten pounds and took his pay in land so situated as "not to prjudice the Cow Comon." When the town felt the need of a police court, Mr. Jackson was one of the three men chosen "to end small Causes." Mr. Jackson was appointed to lay out highways "on the South Side the water, and to act for the Town in appor- tioning common lands in e.xchange for land taken"; to "Katechise the youth" of his district; to levy the ministerial taxes; to serve as Selectman, and for fifteen years as Deputy to the General Court. So great was the respect in which he was held that when a controversy over dividing the Town arose between the north and the south sides, and the Townspeople were denounc- ing the Villagers to the General Court, they especially excepted Mr. Jackson: "for we acknowledge that Mr. Jackson . . . hath not been wanting to the ministry or any good work among us; and therefore we would not reflect upon him in the least." Yet Mr. Jackson was the champion of the policy of separation, and wrote and presented the petitions! He lived to see the village prac- tically, though not wholly, independent, and died in 1681, at the age of 79. His will, interesting as showing the character of a wealthy colonist's property at this period, .1 the Brad- . \\k Bradstreet 111 pressed on the ilr. William P. descendant of both Simon n. It is here reproduced THE jSIIRROR of NEWTON is reproduced in full on pages 36-39 of this volume. It was in 1646 that Rev. John Eliot, after fourteen years' study of the Indian language, began his missionar)- work with the memorable gatherings at Waban's wig- wam on the northeastern slope of Nonantum Hill. Eliot made three visits to this spot at intervals of two weeks, and it is interest- ing to note that Edward Jackson's purchase of the Bradstreet Farm took place three davs before the third visit; so that the redemption of the wild lands and of their son to foresee the value of Newton lands. Before his arrival, Thomas Parrish had secured a hundred acres between the brooks near upper Mill and Homer streets re- spectively, but had not developed the ter- ritorv, and Samuel Hvde had a lot south of Richard Park's. In 164S there was a distribution of waste lands along the Dedham Road (Centre Street), in lots varying in size according to location and quality; and thereafter the settlement of the eastern district pro- ceeded rapidly. The name of Richard THE JACKSON HOMESTEAD cupied continuously by Edward Jackson and his descendants afte by Timothy Jackson (see p. iS) in 1809 1670. This house built wild inhabitants went on side by side. It is Newton's pride that within her bounds began the great movement that spread through New England until four thousand Indians were striving to live civilized lives. Nor is this glory lessened by the fact that ThuHKis ^[;;)hew and his son had already l)e,min to ('!iri-ii:;nize the Indians of ^Mar- th;;'- \"iiK\;:nl,— for that work was done through Indir.n interpreters, and could not com]jare with Eliot's either in its ar- duousness or in its importance to the New England colonics. 6. The Fathers cj the Tou'ii oj Xewton: 1640-1664 Edw;',rd Jttckson was not the only ]ier- Park, who received eleven acres di\ided by the highway and built his house near the site of the Eliot Church, is perpetuated in Park Street. Both John and Edward Jackson early acquired holdings along the Dedham Road to the southward. In 1650 three residents of Hingham decided to settle in Cambridge Village, and soon held more than a thousand acres in the Chest- nut Hill district. Vincent Druce settled near the Brookline bounds, and Thomas Hammond (whose name is borne by Ham- mond Street and Hammond's Pond) a little farther west. The third of the trio, John Parker, settled in the region of Waverley Avenue, west of Hammond's land. About 1652, Captain Thomas Prentice emi- NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY grated from England, and soon, with his brother James, acquired a large tract be- tween the Parker tract and the Dedham Road, extending from Ward Street south to the Newton' Boulc\'::i-d. \\ard Street itself hands down the iKunc ..f John Ward, who married Edward Jackson's daughter Hannah and received as her dowry 45 acres of land lying between Waban Hill and the curve of Hammond Street. In 1658 John Kenrick of Boston bought the land along the river southwest of the Haynes grant, whence the name Kenrick's Bridge. Scat- tered purchases by the Jacksons complete the story of the eastern district. The rest of the tale is briefly told. In the middle district, near the river, are the Waterto\\'n weir lands; south of them the great Bradstreet- Jackson farm; south of this, between Bullough's Pond and Crystal Lake, the great farm of the brothers Sam- uel and Jonathan Hyde, names honored in Newton history from that day to this. Pastor Shepard and his brother, it will be remembered, held grants to the north and west of the Bradstreet Farm, but accident early threw these into the market. In 1649 the Rev. Mr. Shepard, returning home from a council at Rowley, ■■fell into ;i (|uin- sie, with a symptomatic;! fewr, wiiii h sud- denly stopped a silver trumpet, from wlunce the people of God had often lie;'.nl the joy- ful sound." As his brother Samuel had already returned to England, Richard Park was able to buy a great tract of 600 acres extending from the line of Lowell Avenue beyond Cheesecake Brook, and from the river over the crest of West Newton Hill. South of this stretched the Town's com- mon lands, unbroken swamp and forest. West of it lay the undeveloped lands of Joseph Cook, who was absorbed in his pubhc duties as Town Clerk, Magistrate, Deputy, and Military Commander until his return to England in 165S. 7. Lijc in the New SeUlemeiil The life of these earliest adventurers was a strange mixture of privation and luxury, superstitious vagaries and practical activities. Church and state were inter- locked with astonishing completeness and ingenuity. As the immigrants were in re- volt against the authority of the eccle- siastical "machine" on the ground that it wrought contrary to the Scriptures, the new-comers attempted to carry on a dem- ocratic government which should base its legishtion solely on the Bible. This, of course, practically necessitated the re- striction of the suffrage to church members. It also involved the \-irtual supremacy of the clergy and magistrates over the laymen, because the former could always contend that their acts carried scriptural' authority. A curiously paternal government resulted. Men were' set in the bilboes for finding fault with the acts of the Court. Non- attendance at town meeting was punish- able by a fine. As the petty business of government became more exacting, Towns- men (Selectmen) were chosen, with full authority during the intervals between Town Meetings. The Townsmen met "every second Munday" of the month, and for their noon meal the Town pro- vided "an eight peny ordnary." It was ordered that ■•\Mioevcr of the Townsmen, fade to be present With in li;;ll an hour of the Ringing of the Hell, (wbi.h >h.ll.e half an houre after eleven of the . lo. ke) he shall both lose his dinner, S: pay a pinte of sacke [sherry] or v-^ vallue, to the i:>resent Towms- men:'and the like penalty shalbe pa yd by any that shall depart from y'= rest with out leave." Settlers were at first compelled to live within half a mile of the Meeting House. To e.xclude unorthodox settlers, land must not be sold to new-comers without per- mission from the town. Strangers must not be harbored over night; in 1655 Rey- nold Bush of Cambridge \'illage was fined twenty shillings for entertaining his own son, iatelv immigrated, and the son was also fined twenty shillings for "comeing as an Inhabitant into the Town with out the leave of the Townsmen." The con- duct of voung and old was alike subject to official control. The General Court passed elalxjrate sumptuary laws against the wearing of finery, such as coats slashed more than once, or laced cloaks. Rev. John Eliot declared that "it is a luxurious feminine prolixity for men to wear their hair long"; and 'the Rev. Mr. Cotton ob- jected to veils, because when "not by the custom of the place a sign of woman's sub- jection, thev were not commanded by the apostle." in Cambridge, as elsewhere, every child sent to tend cattle or goats must spend the time learning to spin or in some other useful occupation, John Jack- 12 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON son being charged with enforcing this law in Cambridge Village. The pubHc use of tobacco was forbidden; officers were appointed to catechize the youth of the town, to keep them in order during divine service, to see that all young men were attached to some godly and responsible household, to prevent ex- cessive drinking. Precautions of every sort were imposed by law. It was for- bidden to carry fire-coals from one house to another except in covered dishes; to smoke in the fields (whether because smoking tended to slothfulness, or was liable to start disastrous fires is not re- corded). Citizens were fined if they did not attend meeting; if they did not keep up their fences; if their hogs went un- ringed; if their dogs got the habit of pulling the tails of the cattle; if they cut wood in the lands without permission; if they sold waste timber outside of the town. Almost from the beginning the current of industry in the Massachusetts towns set towards commerce and its prerequisite, shipbuilding. It was only a year after his arrival that Governor Winthrop launched his first vessel The Blessing of the Bay from his shipyard on Mystic River, on the fourth of July, 1631. This date was truly the first Independence Day for New England's industries; for those of the British West Indies and Virginia w^ere already well established and eager to exchange their own products for those of the temperate zone. Fish was a cheap food for the slaves on the tobacco and sugar plantations, and New England sup- plied them from her own shores and those of Newfoundland. A hundred thousand alewives were taken in two tides at Water- town weir. Meat, flour, meal, nuts, wool, and lumber were readily exchanged for sugar, tobacco, rice, and "cotton. England, too, wanted lumber for her shipyards, and especially the vast mast and spar timbers of which her own forests had be- come denuded. It was soon found that the lands about Boston harbor had barely enough timber for local consumption, and restrictions upon the export of lumber transferred the industry into the hands of New Hampshire; but towns like Cam- bridge found their profit in making clap- boards and other small stuff, in supplying Boston with hay, grain, vegetables for home consumption or export, and in raising cattle to be shipped south for labor or for food. From almost the very beginning, the milch herd was kept on the Town Common in Cambridge proper, Richard Rice being paid 35. a day to keep them and drive them home half an hour before sunrise and sun- set for milking, but the dry cows were sent across the river to graze on Nonantum Hill and Newtonville Plain. At one time they were kept by a cow-herd named Wm. Patten, who lodged there continually (with every other Sunday off), for twenty pounds a season (he, of course, was fined if he let one go astray); but in 1647 the Town made a bargain with Chief Waban, who kept a hunclred and twenty cattle through the season for eight pounds, six and a half of which were paid in corn. "The following Inventory," writes Hon. Will- iam Jack.son, "I found on the cover of the first Newton Book of Records. It will serve to .show something of the wealth of its early inhabitants, as well as the relative value of different articles of that day. This Inventory was taken and value affi.xed by the Towmsmen (Selectmen) in 1645." Persons (rateable) . . 135 @ 20;£ = 2700 Houses 90 @ 28 = 2520 Oxen 134 @ 6 = 804 Cows 208 @ 9 = 1872 Horses 20 @ 7 =140 ditto 3 years old . . 6 @ 5 =30 ditto 2 do. . . 9 @ 3 =27 ditto I do. . . 5 @ 2 =10 Heifers 3 olds. . . 42 @ 4 =168 ditto 2 " . . 74 @ 2-10 = 185 ditto I " . . 79 @ i-io = 1 18-10 Steers 14 @ 5 = 70 Sheep ^7 @ i-io = 55-10 Swine 62 @ i£ = 62 Goats 58 @ 8/- = 23-04 2 Barques i-io J a Shallop 5 Goods 9-ro £8801.4 8. The First Church in Nevlon Every step in the southward and west- ward expansion of the Village carried the enterprising settlers farther from the Meet- ing House in Cambridge Town, where every freeman must be present on Town meeting days, where he should be on every Sunday, and where his children needed to be daily, if they were to profit by Mr. Corlett's "painful" teaching. As early as 1654, the farmers began to demand that they NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 13 should "have the ordinances of Christ among them, distinct from the Town"; but Billerica, which was much farther away, was also demanding to be separated from Cambridge, and the Church could not afford to lose the support of both groups. The Town folk therefore besought the Villagers to wait "until the Lord shall be pleased to enlarge our hands and show us our way more clear to a division." This petition of the villagers was the initial movement in an agitation during which the men of Cambridge Village (in the words of the Cambridge selectmen) "exer- cised the patience of the General Court . . . as well as giving trouble to the Town by causing them to dance after their pipes from time to time for twenty-four years . . . in which time they petitioned tlie Court near, if not altogether, ten times." In 1656, John Jackson and Thomas Wis- wall appeared before the General Court with a petition for release from church rates in Cambridge Town. In their reply the people of the Town assert (i) that not all of the petitioners are freemen (for which church membership was necessary) — in other words, the religious plea is a sham; (2) that some are tenants, not landowners, — in other words, they are not vitally in- terested parties; (3) that few are more than four miles from the Meeting House, and those that are "hardly ever" go to meeting, although none are more than si.x miles off; (4) that other districts have equal claims to be set off, and the Church can spare none. On this last ground the petition was refused. Although the Cambridge Church shrank from losing any of its 700 members, the twenty-two families in the Village bravely faced the burden of a separate Church. John Jackson gave an acre of land on Centre Street for a church building and a cemetery, and in its centre the first Meet- ing House was built in 1660. With this tangible argument, the Villagers secured from the General Court in 1661 freedom from payment of Church rates to Cambridge for all lands and estates more than four miles from the Meeting House "by the usual paths." This four-mile line, as run in 1662, practically determined the northeastern boundary of Newton as it stands to-day, and permanently separated the residents in the Newton part of "Cam- bridge Village" from those dwelling in the Brighton district, which later took the name of "Little Cambridge." In 1664 John Eliot, Jr., was ordained pastor of a flock of 39 members. It was a fitting and a notable coincidence that the son of the first preacher to the Indians should be the first pastor of the first church of Newton, and that he and his wife should be the first members of the new church to lie in the burial-place provided by its first deacon, himself the first permanent resident in Cambridge Village. 9. Separation of Newton jrom Cambridge In 1672, Edward and John Jackson pre- sented to the General Court the first peti- tion for the political separation of Town and Village. The Court refused this, but granted local home rule; i.e., the Village might elect its own Selectmen and Con- stable, but must remain a part of Cam- bridge as regards school, bridge, and county expenses, and representation in the General Court. For some years, however, the plucky farmers refused to tjike ad- vantage of this permission, lest they for- feit their larger prize. Six years later, Edward Jackson renewed the fight for complete separation, which he was not destined to see finished. The new petition was signed by all but twelve of the villagers, and pleaded the lo^'alty of the Village, its pecuniary sacrifices in the past, its need of a local school, and the power of the Town dwellers to outvote the Village and impose undue burdens. "This last year," said the petition, "the Townsmen [Selectmen] of Cambridge have imposed a tax upon us, amounting to the sum of three country Rates, without our knowledge or consent," — one of sev- eral early protests against " taxation without representation." The Town again opposed an elaborate remonstrance, de- claring that the farmers were ungrateful, and their proposed action that of parricides. "Though the child may plead an interest in his father's estate, yet he is in God's account a murderer if he takes away that whereby his father's or mother's life should be preserved." The petitioners, they said, are either townsfolk who moved to the Village for room, and now complain be- cause they have too much of it; or persons who have got rich through the Town's advantages and now wish to shirk its 14 THE ^MIRROR OF NEWTON burdens. "We could, if need were, in- stance some (John Jackson's Invent., ;^i230. Rich. Park's Invent., £972.) whose parents lived and died here, who, when they came to this town had no estate, and some were helped by the charity of the church, and others yet living that well know they may say truly, with good Jacob, — over this Jordan came I with this staff, — and so may they say, over this River went I, with this spade, hoe, or other tool, and now, through God's blessing, am greatly increased." Moreover, they ar- gued, Cambridge, unlike Boston or Charles- town, thrives not on commerce but on farming, and needs the pasturage on the south side. Lastly, they added a shrewd appeal to the dignity and pride of the Court, by pointing out that the petitioners "have not submitted unto nor rested in the Court's last grant made them for the choice of a Constable and three Selectmen among themselves, but have carried it frowardly." The Court appointed a date for a hearing on this petition, later postponed the hear- ing, and the case then disappears from the records of the General Court. Possibly the Court took advantage of the absorp- tion in the Indian War, then just ending, to avoid interference in so bitter a contest. At any rate, it failed to act, and while await- ing the Court's decision, the Villagers decided that their case would look better if they acted on the permission previously given. At the first local Town Meeting, held August 27, 1679, Thomas Prentice, John Ward, and James Trowbridge were elected Selectmen, and Thomas Green- wood, Constable. This was Newton's practical Declaration of Independence; the formal recognition was delayed for nearly a decade, during which time the radicals in the Village dated their corre- spondence, "New Cambridge." During this struggle occurred the first great Indian outbreak. In 1675 King Philip began a war on the whites by an attack on Swanzey. At an appeal from Plymouth, Massachusetts sent a troop of infantry and one of horse, the latter under the command of Captain Thomas Prentice. In twenty-four hours. Prentice had reached Swanzey and routed a band of Indians. On the next day a squad of his troopers dispersed another band, but in the fight John Druce, son of Prentice's friend and neighbor, Vincent Druce, was killed, — the first of Newton's citizens to die in the service of the state. After other successful operations, which scattered the Indians in that region. Prentice returned to Boston. In April, 1676, he learned of an Indian raid upon Sudbury, hastily gathered a few troopers, and by great exertions reached Sudbury in time to prevent the slaughter of the weak garrison, thus probably saving his own town from being raided. Cambridge Milage became wholly sep- arate from Cambridge Town during the period when the tyrannical James II. had abrogated the charter of Massachusetts, and had made Andros royal governor of New England. Perhaps the canny "farmers" foresaw that Andros and his Council would be less affected by past traditions and local sentiment than the General Court had been. Perhaps the people of Cambridge Town were afraid of antagonizing Andros, whose favorite, Randolph, had tried to secure from him a grant of 700 acres of the Town's lands near Spy Pond. Perhaps they were grate- ful to the "farmers," who had helped to prevent this. At any rate, there was no opposition to the petition for separation, and on January 11, 1688, the Governor and Council issued the order which made "Cambridge Village a distinct village and place of itself," the only bond being that both shared certain expenses connected with the Great Bridge across the Charles. In September it was agreed that the Village should pay to the Town on this account the sum of £^ in merchantable corn, in full for all demands "from the beginning of the world to the eleventh of January, 1688." Fifteen months after this grant, William of Orange was on the throne of James II., and Andros was a prisoner in the hands of a "Council of Safety" in Boston, with the venerable Simon Bradstreet at its head. The new township was born, — there remained the christening. For a time usage wavered between the old name and that adopted by Prentice, Ward, and the other "radicals." December 8, 1691, on petition of the citizens, the General Court ordered that Cambridge \'illage, sometimes called New Cambridge, be thenceforth called New Town. The change to the present spelling was a gradual one until permanentlv fixed by the uniform practice of Town Clerk Abraham Fuller after 1766. NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWxNT, AND CITY 15 10. Life in the Second "New Town" At the time of gaining its independence, Newton contained 65 freemen, of whom 25 were original settlers and 30 were sons of original settlers. Life in the new town- ship was still distinctly primitive. Wolves were so numerous in the waste lands that the Town offered a bounty for each one killed. February 13, 1665, Justinian Holden received ten shillings towards a wolf killed "partly in Watertown and 'partly in Cambridge." The boys earned pocket money by killing the blackbirds that ate up the seed-corn in planting time, and claim- ing the bounty of twopence per head. Much of the southwestern part of the town was Common Land, where the farm- ers' sheep went at liberty. The Selectmen annually viewed the highways and "beat the bounds," in English fashion. Many of the highways ran unfenced through private land, with gates at the entrance and exit. Houses were roomy, but un- adorned and plainly furnished. Open fireplaces were the only heaters, even in schoolhouses, for the next hundred years. At church in winter the members of the congregation relied upon individual foot- warmers and a sense of duty well performed. Seats in the Meeting House were assigned according to dignity, wealth, age, and sex, — the Deacons and aged men near the pulpit, the women in one corner, the boys in an- other. In 1699, the Town voted thirty shillings to Daniel Ray "to look after the meeting-house and the swine." The same year it voted to build its first schoolhouse, sixteen by fourteen feet, to be located at the foot of Institution Hill. In this building, finally built on Centre Street, John Staples, who had been teaching in hired quarters at one and a half shillings a day, became the first Newton public-school master. The vote in 1711 was a shining example for all later times. It instructed the committee to "provide a schoolmaster and agree with him." (The italics are the writer's.) A glance backward will show that the growth of Cambridge Village up to 1688 had been chiefly in the northeast and the southeast angles. In the former case, the growth was due to the intersection there of the Ro.xbury and the Dedham roads from Watertown, and the nearness of Watertown Mill and Weir, which insured a supply of three necessities, — food, lum- ber, and fertilizer. In the other case, the junction of the Dedham Road with the Sherburne Road, and the nearness of Druce's saw-mill in Brookline and Shaw's in Dedham, had the same effect. But the subdivision of the great farms farther west had gone on rapidly, and a few more pioneer families were added to Newton's roll. In 1658 John Fuller had bought Joseph Cook's 750 acres west of Cheesecake Brook, built a house and barn about where that brook crosses Washington Street, West Newton, and with his six sons began to develop this property. They soon owned practically all the land in the great bend of the river, from the brook round to Lower Falls. A sturdy lot, those Fullers! The father lived to be 78; the eldest son, John, died at 75; lonathan at 77; loseph (ancestor of our noted Abraham Fuller, of whom more later) at 88; loshua, instead of dying at 88, married at that age a 75-year-old bride, and clung to this earthly anchor till 98; leremiah gave up the fight at 85; the last son, Isaac, failed to outlive his father. South of the Fuller Farm were that of Captain Isaac Williams, a son-in-law of Richard Park, and that of William Robin- son; while Deacon John Staples and John Woodward were the largest holders in the Waban and Newton Highlands region. The Woodward farm is especially notable, because in the ancient farm-house near Woodward Street, dating from 1681, are still living the descendants in direct male line, in the seventh and eighth generations, of the first John Woodward. II. NEWTON .4S .\ TOWN II. Earliest Industries Throughout the seventeenth century, Newton remained strictly a farming com- munity, manufactures being discouraged by the restrictive laws of England. The turning of the century, while England was absorbed in a fierce struggle with France, was also a turning point in Newton's history. In 1698, John Clark of Brookline had bought an old Indian stone eel weir at the "upper falls of Charles river" and had built a dam with the stone and set up a saw-mill. The principal fall here was of twenty-three feet, — much too valuable for NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 17 a mere lumber mill; so about 1708 Clark's sons formed a partnership with Noah Parker and Nathaniel Longley, and the four set up a grist-mill and a fulling-mill. This latter mill, where cloth was "fulled" by hammering it in a mixture of fullers' earth and water, was of great importance in a community where many families spun and wove much of their own cloth. Noah Parker later took over the whole business and carried it on till his death in 1768. Jkleanwhile at the Lower Falls a parallel development was taking place. In 1703 John Hubbard of Roxbury bought land there and the next year his son set up iron works consisting of a forge with two hearths and a hammer wheel. A few )-ears later his son-in-law, Jonathan Willard, moved here and took up the business of a smith and "bloomer." With these industries once established, the west end began a slow but steady de- velopment, while the central strip re- mained undeveloped and very sparsely settled. There had been a grist-mill, to be sure, since 1664, on Smelt Brook near the outlet to BuUough's Pond, the flow of which was so small that for many years it was increased by bringing additional water from Crystal Lake by an artificial channel leading down through the Newton Centre Playground. A proposition having been made in 17 14 to move the Meeting House nearer the centre of the town, a committee reported that "the inhabitance of the said Towne having dewly considered ye center of the Towne, the incommodiousness of the place whear it is . . . and the inconveniances of highways . . . we do judge it best to continue the meetinghouse where it now stands." A new impetus was given to manufactur- ing during the Revolutionary War, when importation was practically impossible. Noah Parker's mills had been idle- for ten years after his death, when in 1778, after the capture of Burgoyne and the resulting alliance with France had given the colo- nists hopes of winning their independence, they were purchased for £1700, by Simon Elliott of Boston, who gradually de\'el- oped an extensive business, including four snuff-mills with twenty mortars, a grist- mill, a screw-mill, a wire-mill, and an an- nealing shop. It is for Samuel Elliott, not John Eliot, that the street and station in Upper FaUs are named, although the latter seems to have been affected b}- the craze for the "reformed spelling." There was another smaller fall a half-mile farther down the river, where, opposite an island, Noah Parker's administrator had built a saw-mill. This was purchased bv a scythe-maker named Bixby, and in 1799 was sold to the "Newton Iron Works Co." which erected a nail factory there. At the Lower Falls, too, a new industry had been started by John Ware, brother of a pro- fessor in Harvard College, who built a paper-mill in 1789. This was not the first paper-mill in New- ton, however. That industry was started by David Bemis of Watertown, who joined forces with Dr. Enos Sumner, owner of the land on the Newton side, in building a dam across the river. His first enterprise was a paper-mill, every sheet being made by hand, by repeatedly dipping it in the pulp and drying it. As the business gradually developed, machinery was brought from Europe, a grist and snufl" mill was added, a chocolate, drug, and dye-wood mill was built on the Watertown side of the river, and a new village of "Bemis" was added to Newton's list. 12. The War for Indcpcwicmc But before we trace the development of industries beyond the end of the centurv, we must pause to examine Newton's share in the Revolutionary War. Her record in this war is a proud one. \\'iin(.'s-- her instructions in Town Meetin'.i a.- carl) as 1765 to Abraham Fuller, who left his home under the Old Elrtis to sit in the General Court as Newton's Representative through- out this trying period. He was to use his best endeavors "to have the inalien- able rights of the people of this Province asserted and vindicated, and left on public record; that posterity may never have rea- son to charge those of the present times, with the guilt of tamely giving them away." The colonial records contain no more spir- ited message to future generations. Furthermore, Newton urged lawful measures, not lawlessness, — the boycott, not the riot. Rather than buy of England, her men gave up imported hats and gold buttons, snuff and watches, malt liquor and cheese; while the women renounced thread lace and diamonds, gauze and vel- vets, fur tippets and stays. A queer, and a significant, list! but these with other arti- THE MIRROR OF NEWTON cles were tabooed by a vote in town meet- ing, while the purchase or use of TEA, di- rectly or indirectly, was forsworn. Per- haps the most striking act of the town was her anticipation by public vote of the Declaration of Independence. In a Town Meeting presided over by John Woodward as Moderator, on the first anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1776, the freemen iiiianimoitsly voted "Thai in case the Hon. Continental Congress should, for the safety 0/ the American Colonies, declare them independent oj the Kingdom oj Great Britain, . . . the inhabitants of this Town mill solemnly engage with their lives and fortunes, to support them in the meas- ures." As war became inevitable, the Town raised a company of Minute !Men under Captain Phineas Cook; furnished arms gratis to the poorer citizens; acquired by gift two field pieces and a training field; drilled its two companies of regular militia, commanded by Captains Amariah Fuller and Jeremiah Wiswall; and sent all its soldiers, numbering 218 men, to the battle of Lexington. Among the Newton men who marched twenty-eight miles that day were Noah Wiswall, 76 years old, and Joshua Fuller, 72 years old. Newton soldiers fought at the Siege of Boston, at Bunker Hill, in the Canadian e.xpedi- tion from New York, in the campaign against New York. To sustain its sol- diers, the Town voted bounties and re- mitted taxes to regulars and irregulars alike. It buried itself under a mountain of debt, beginning with appropriations of a few hundred pounds, and rising, as the currency depreciated, to a single vote of ;^ 1 00 ,000. 13. Experiences of Some Newton Soldiers [The following account of the battle of Concord and Lexington, and the subsequent record of the regiment from Newton, which took part in that battle, and in other engagements during the War of the Revolution, was written by Hon. William Jackson of Newton, and taken down by him, from the lips of his father Major Timothy Jack- son, who was a member of the regiment, and who ser\'ed throughout the war and endured some of the hardest e.xperiences of war. He was taken prisoner several times, and, once, while in cap- tivity in New York state, was thrown into a cell, where a man lay dead from small-po.x. He con- tracted the disease and was left to fight it out by himself, with no care and scarcely food enough to sustain life; but, owing to his vigorous constitu- tion, he recovered his health, under these unfavor- able circumstances, and lived to serve his country in various battles; having been released in an e.x- change of prisoners of war, and making his way home, on foot, to the Jackson Homestead at New- ton. This account is reproduced here through the courtesy of Miss Annie Jackson of Mill Street, Newtonville.] "Before daybreak, on the memorable nineteenth of April, 1775, Timothy was out with his horse and his panniers on his way to Watertown; when about half-way, he heard the alarm guns, took it for granted the British were out, threw off his panniers, and rode around the town as fast as pos- sible to warn the company, of which he was Corporal, to appear upon the parade-ground, where most of the non-commissioned offi- cers and privates assembled before sun- rise. This parade-ground was near the meeting-house, but neither captain, lieu- tenant or ensign was present; a company, however, was formed under command of an orderly-sergeant, marched to the house of their captain. Cook, which was near the house where Mr. Brackett's house now is; he, being sick, declined joining them, whereupon they immediately proceeded to the choice of a new captain, and elected Michael Jackson, second cousin of Tim- othy. He had served as lieutenant in the French wars, and was, at that time, a vol- untary private in the company. Being a man of courage and decision, with consid- erable military experience, he, forthwith, placed himself at the head of the company; and, without a word of ceremony, ordered them ' to right about face, forward — march, quick step,' and, very soon, they arrived at Watertown meeting-house, where, it had previously been determined, should be the rendezvous of the company in case of alarm. " On their arrival there, the\' found the field officers and captains were in the schoolhouse, holding a council as to the best course to pursue. Captain Michael could not remain long silent spectator among them. With his usual blunt and fearless independence, he, as soon as he could get the floor, told them that it was a well-known fact that the British had taken the Concord and Lexington road, doubtless for the purpose of destroying the military stores at the latter place; and that it was their duty to stop talking, and begin march- ing in that direction, and that another mo- ment ought not to be lost in useless dis- cussion. This pro-tem. captain told the NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 19 field officers to their faces, that he suspected that their doubts as to what they should do, proceeded from their fear to meet the enemy: and that they were wasting time to avoid them. " Forthwith, he left the council, placed himself at the head of his company, and took up his line of march for Lexington; for he longed to get a shot at them. His blunt speech and prompt action broke up the council, without any agreement as to a concert of action. Some of the com- panies remained where they were, some dispersed, and others followed Jackson's lead. His company came in contact with the British near Concord village and were dispersed after exchanging one or two shots; but rallied again in a wood near-by, and, joined by a part of the Watertown Company, hung upon the enemy's rear with much effect, until they reached Charlestown at night. In the after part of that memorable day, as I was informed by Major Daniel Jackson, who was one of the W'atertown Company, they threw them- selves into the vard of Parson Cook, min- ister of Menotomy, now ^^'est Cambridge. This brought them within gunshot of a Company of British soldiers, who had made a halt on the Common. From behind a board fence, a sharp fire was kept up, until the British recommenced their retreat, leaving twelve of their number dead or wounded: here, one of the Watertown Company was killed; eight were killed or wounded during the day. At the close of the day, and after the contest had ceased, this company with their captain received the public thanks of their commanding officer General Warren, for the energy and bravery displayed by them during the contest. Shortly after, Michael Jack- son received a Major's commission in the Continental Army; and, subsequently, was promoted to the command of a regi- ment in the Massachusetts line, than which none was more distinguished for bravery and good conduct during the war. The late Gov. Brooks was lieutenant-colonel and William Hull, major, in this regiment. Jackson received a severe wound in the thigh, during the engagement of this regi- ment in Staten Island, near New York. During the sanguinary contest which pre- ceded and continued during the war, until the surrender of Burgoyne, Colonel Jackson was disabled and confined by this wound, from which he ne\er entirel}' recovered. In these battles, his regiment was com- manded by Lieut. Colonel Brooks, since Governor of Massachusetts, and Major William Hull, since Governor of Michigan. In the hard fought battle of the 19th of September, which decided the fate of Burgoyne's Army, this was the only regi- ment that succeeded in driving the Brit- ish regiments from their entrenchments. They, that nii^ht, >k-]>l nn the ground oc- cupied by their ciieni\ the [ircxicius night, and which they had wiv^lrd fmm them. About one half this rtijimcnl was either killed or wounded in thi> li,;iiie. "When the battle of Hunker Hill com- menced, Major Timothy Jackson was at home, at the Jackson Homestead, and saw from the hill opposite his house (Mt. Ida) Charlestown in flames. He proceeded, forthwith, to the scene of action, which was about 8 miles distant, and arrived there just as the Americans were retreating from the hill. Soon after the battle of Bunker Hill, a company of infantry was enlisted in Newton, for eight months, under the command of Nathan Fuller, and marched to camp at Cambridge, where they stayed until the British evacuated Boston." 14. First Division of the Church During the War for Independence, came the division of the town into two parishes. Being far from the first Meeting House, and with no very direct highways to it, the residents of Fuller's Corner had long before begun to hold local religious ser- vices, economizing by having the clergy- man also serve as school-teacher. After eighteen years they built a Meeting House, and applied for separate incorporation and a division of the old Communion Service. The First Church granted them four pewter tankards and one pewter dish! Their first pastor, the Rev. William Greenough, was ordained in 1781, but the church was not incorporated till five years later. The conditions of membership in the Second Church were extremely liberal. The candi- date must "make a public confession of religion and dedication of himself to God" — nothing more! Yet in the fight against Unitarianism which soon raged in Massa- chusetts, Mr. Greenough ranged himself stoutly on the side of the traditional ortho- doxy. An idea of the population of the town may be gained from the fact that NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 21 this new parish (all west of a line from the angle of the Watertown reservation to the Upper Falls) contained about 60 families. The same period saw the rise of a new- sect in the opposite part of the town. Certain members of out-of-town Baptist Churches had long sought relief from church rates within the Town, and in 1780 was founded the First Baptist Church, largely through the efforts of Mr. Elhanan Winchester. The location of their first Meeting House on the shore of Wiswall's Pond, in 1786, gave it the "Christian name " of Baptist Pond. This church was as strict as the first church was liberal; and, like that church, had an early struggle with a new sect,— the Universalists. 15. The "Critical Period" Modern historians are agreed that the period from the close of the Revolutionary War to the adoption of the Constitution was a far more critical period than that of the war itself; that is, that there was a much greater danger of the failure of the right, and of permanent injury to the American people. The masses, having paid dearly for liberty, were afraid to create a strong government. Business was demoralized by the war, and the "rag money" craze had infected Congress, state legislatures, and town governments. Attempts to collect debts from impover- ished debtors by process of law had made the courts appear to be instruments of tyranny. In Shays's Rebellion, hundreds of Revolutionary soldiers turned weapons against the state they had created, in an attempt to prevent the collection of debts and to force Massachusetts to issue paper money. The sanity of the citizens of Newton in this crisis was very striking, and was ex- hibited in a remarkable manner. In May, 1786, the Town instructed its Representa- tive Abraham Fuller, to work for (i) "a revision of the laws reducing their bulk, expressing them in the most plain and easy terms, and rendering them agree- able to our republican government," and (2) a S3'stem of courts, with jurors, and rights of appeal, to the end that citizens may "obtain justice, freely, without being obliged to purchase it, completely and without anv denial, promptlv and without delay." "With great regret," they went on, "we receive the idea of a paper currency being established; having long and often ob- served and felt the natural evil tendency of it to the ruin of many people, — widows and orphans especially; that we cannot but heartily deprecate it." "We think it would answer a salutary purpose that the yeas and nays in the Honorable House of Representatives, on every important transaction, might be published." . . . "Further, that you use your influence to prevent the importation and consump- tion of many articles of luxury among us, which we view as a very great grievance." Intelligible laws, prompt justice, orderly procedure, sound money, responsibility of public servants through publicity, selj- restraini of the wealthy in times oj general distress. — One wonders from what text- book these farmers learned statesmanship! Every history class in Newton's schools might well be required to study this docu- ment, as an epitome of sound economics and civics. 16. Industries and the War 0} 1S12 The independence of the United States led to the rapid development of its home industries, especially after its foreign trade was killed in the death struggle between France and Great Britain that began in 1803. Eli WTiitney had taught us how to prepare cotton fibre by machinery at the very time when Samuel Slater gave to New England the secrets of the British power spinning and weaving machines. From 1805 to 1807 both Great Britain and France passed acts hostile to American foreign commerce, and in the latter year our own Embargo Act forced American capital to seek investment in home manu- factures. Water power was eagerly util- ized, and the falls of the Charles were not overlooked. Of the two industries at the Upper Falls, one, the Elliott Mills, was taken over by James and Thomas Perkins, at a cost of $20,000, and some of the plant was utilized for cotton spinning. The Newton Iron Works Company, at the second fall, continued their nail business, shipping large quantities to the South for making sugar boxes, and added a cotton- mill on the Needham side of the river in 1813. The Upper Falls Village had now 22 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON become so important that the Worcester Turnpike was built to that point, and a bridge was built close to the Newton Facto- ries Company's Mills in 1808. The demand for power exceeded the supply, and New- ton went to the Legislature to complain that Dedham had been robbing her of water by means of a canal which had been dug from the Charles to a brook flowing into the Neponset River a hundred and sixty-eight years before. The Legislature school for boys at West Newton; the founding of a "Social Library" in the West Parish, and of St. David's Musical Society at Newton Corner; the founding of a Savings Bank in connection with a Temperance Society; and the building of many new roads. Travel was still by stage-coach, and therefore dependent on inns. Thirty stages rattled through "New- ton daily, carrying passengers to Boston from Worcester and points beyond. The forbade Dedham to draw off more than one-third of the total flow of the river. Near the end of the W'ar of 1812, the com- pany at the first fall — now become the Elliott Manufacturing Company — began manufacturing cotton sheeting, the hours of labor then being from five in the morn- ing to seven at night with half an hour for breakfast and three-quarters of an hour for dinner. Soon the company was mak- ing its own thread, running six thousand spindles, and was also making its own machinery for spinning and weaving. The civic hfe of the town expanded with its industries. The early part of the century saw the entrance into Newton of a third religious body, in the Episcopal Church at the Lower Falls; the estab- lishment of a "Ladies' Academy" at ".\ngier's Corner" (Newton), a "Female Academv" at Newton Centre, and a private Worcester Turnpike brought prosperity to the "Manufacturer's Hotel," at the junc- tion of Chestnut and Beacon Streets. An- other prosperous tavern wr.s White's, near the corner of Washington and Cherry Streets, West Newton, and a third — the oldest in the town — did a flourishing busi- ness in Nonantum Square. The destruc- tion of the coasting trade by Jefferson's "Embargo," and later by the war, caused a development of overland traffic. Dur- ing the war a constant stream of great wagons, called "Madison's Ships," passed through Newton, bringing flour, hogs, butter and cheese, apples, and cider from the Berkshire and Genesee country, and carrying back from Boston tape, needles, calico, molasses, and rum. Meanwhile the war had brought new opportunities to the Bemis brothers, who foresaw a large demand for cotton goods. NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 23 and set to work to supply it. Utilizing their own mills for spinning the warp, they began to manufacture ticking, bagging, and sheetings, using hand looms operated by weavers from England. Soon they began making cotton duck for sail cloth, and the first ship to use American sail cloth was equipped from these mills. In 1816, power looms were substituted for hand looms, at once reducing the cost from fourteen cents to less than one cent a yard. when war became certain, Madison made him Brigadier General in command of the Northwestern army. Hull, who had accepted under protest, with great energy hurried his scanty force of 1800 soldiers 200 miles through an unbroken wilderness, pathless, bridgeless, and uninhabited, ta Detroit. He had already told the Gov- ernment at Washington that the post could not be held without a naval force on Lake Erie, and a guarded line of land HULL .MANSIOX The Bemis factories have the honor of being the first buildings in the United States to be lighted by gas, the equipment for which was installed by Seth Davis of Newton in 1812. By 1814 the service pipes, made of tin, were rusted out, and the experiment was discontinued. 17. General William Hull The mention of the War of 18 12 recalls the name of Newton's most celebrated citizen. General William Hull, who had been associated with Abraham Fuller at the siege of Boston and with Major Michael Jackson in the Burgoyne Cam- paign, had married Abraham Fuller's daughter Sarah in 1781, and had settled in Newton as a lawyer some years later. In 1805 Jefferson made him the first Gov- ernor of the Territorv of Michigan, and communications. Through their bung- ling, papers betraying his plans and his weakness fell into the hands of the Brit- ish, who promptly attacked him by land and water, aided by Tecumseh with 700 Indians. His communications were cut off. .Ammunition ran low. Hull seemed to lose his nerve, and failed to strike hard when in striking hard lay all chance of success, or to retreat while retreat was possible. Finally, to avoid the horrors of an Indian massacre of garrison and citi- zens, he surrendered without battle. While Hull was a prisoner at Montreal, his oldest son. Captain Abraham Fuller Hull, was killed in battle, and his nephew. Commodore Isaac Hull, was winning glory in the frigate Constitution. After the war, Hull was sentenced to be shot by a court-martial for cowardice and conduct 24 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON unbecoming to an officer, but was par- doned by the President. He returned to Newton, residing thenceforth in the Fuller homestead, under the Old Elms, and set to work to vindicate his reputation. It is now known that the Government was chiefly to blame for Hull's disaster; that General Dearborn, President of the Court Martial, had failed to give proper support during the campaign; that Colonel Cass, the chief witness, had demoralized Hull's army by intrigues and criticisms of his commander. Hull's sole failings were over-caution at first, and indecision at last. INone but a Napoleon, and perhaps not even he, could have wrested victory from defeat under such conditions; and Hull showed a far higher courage in saving the garrison and inhabitants from wholesale massacre by surrendering while the Indians were still under the control of the British, than if he had died leading a desperate and hopeless assault. i8. Industries, 1825 to 1845 In 1825 the last of the snuff mills at Upper Falls was made into a cotton factory, and the same year Hurd and Crehore started a new industry at the Lower Falls, which had already grown from about fifty to about five hundred inhabitants in a quarter century. The Crehore mill, which has remained in the family ever since, has been a large producer of press paper, and also manufactures cards for Jacquard looms. In 1825, also, a sulphuric acid factory was started in the region afterwards set off to Waltham, giving its name to the so-called Chemical Station on the Fitchburg Railroad. Farther down the river, Seth Bemis had done a double stroke of business. The great fac- tories recently established in Waltham by the Boston Manufacturing Company — one of the founders of which, by the way, was Patrick Tracey Jackson, a descendant of Newton's Edward Jackson — found their fall reduced by the flooding back of the water from the Bemis dam. Seth Bemis bought all the rights of his partners, forced the Waltham Company to pay him twelve thousand dollars for lowering his dam twelve inches, and then resold the property to the Bemis Manufacturing Company. In 1832, Mr. Otis Pettee, mechanician for the Elliott Manufacturing Company, began business at the Upper Falls as a manufacturer of cotton-mill machinery, and eight years later, when Lawrence and Lowell were flooding the market with cottons from their enormous factories, he purchased the plant of his former employers. The Pettee machinery found a sale all over the United States, and was used in large quantities in Mexico. In the Lower Falls the Curtis Mill was added about 1834, and the Thomas Rice Com- pany was doing a large paper manufactur- ing business on the Needham side. Of some curious interest, although transient in character, were the candle factory of William Jackson, the chocolate factory, the calico printing works, and the laundry, all located on Smelt Brook (thenceforth "Laundry Brook") in the vicinity of the present Jiickson Road and the neighbor- ing church. 19. Ceiitrijugal Forces, 183 2-1847 The power loom made Newton a manu- facturing town; the steam locomotive made her a garden of suburban homes. The first railroad in the United States was chartered in 1823. The State Commission to consider a route for the Boston & Albany Railroad was appointed in 1827. The plans for the Boston & \\'orcester Railroad, as the first section was called, provided for a route along the old stage road through Watertown, Waltham, and Weston; but their citizens making some protest, Hon. William Jackson of Newton induced the directors to build their line south of the river. On April 7, 1834, the first train whizzed (or wheezed) up to the "terminal station" at Angler's Comer, bearing the president and 50 guests. The locomotive was one of George Stephen- son's, "small in stature but symmetrical in every respect, and finished with the e.xactness of a chronometer," imported from England, and it justified its name of the Meteor by making the return trip to Boston in thirty-three minutes of actual running time. On the next trip it estab- lished a safer precedent for future years, breaking down at various points between Boston and Newton, and getting its 130 passengers back to Boston just at sunset. The regular service began on April 16, with three round trips daily, at a fare of seventy-five cents. Ten years later, in 1844, a building NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY for the storage of grain from the mill at Bullough's Pond was erected at the rail- road crossing a mile from the "Corner," whence arose the flag station at "Hull's Crossing" (now Newtonville Station). William Jackson reaped the fruits of his public spirit, for in 1846 he sold land in Waban JPark, Newton, by the joot, the first transaction of the sort in the town. The same year, a station was located in the new hamlet of Auburndale, which was being developed by a land company, — the first of its kind in Newton. In 1852, the south side got railroad connections with Boston, through the energy of the pastor of the First Church, Rev. Mr. Bushnell, and of Otis IVttce .if Newton Upper Falls. Mr. Pettee was the first president of the new Charles River Railroad through Brookline and Newton to Needham. With the extension of the line the name became successively the Hartford & Erie, and the New 'York & New England "Air Line." Finally, when the Boston & Albany built its branch line from River- side to Newton Highlands, in 1886, the portion of the "Air Line" from that point eastward to Brookline was purchased to complete the "Circuit." River and railroads combined to make Newton grow, like a tree, at the circum- ference. The centre remained open and poorly provided with roads. The result was a long contest, first to change the location of Town Meetings, and later to divide the town. The match was lighted by the refusal of the proprietors of the First Church to allow their building to be used for Town Meetings, although it had been so used for many years. Where should a Town House be built? Near the old church ? The thousand residents of the Falls districts objected to travelling four miles or more. Near the Second Church? The farmers of the Oak Hill region protested. In the centre ? A round- about route for every one except General Hull. Town Meetings were held in differ- ent meeting-houses alternately, and even in the horse-sheds, in an attempt to "put this troublesome question where it would stay put." As the contest grew hotter, meetings were held every few weeks. On one occasion the West Parish voters all stayed away, and the farmers unanimously chose a site on the Common in Newton Centre. The timber for the building was rushed to the lot in twenty-four hours, and only a "Providential" storm prevented its erection before another meeting, packed with West end voters, could veto it. "High Heaven," said Seth Davis, "frowned on the undertaking." Both parties forgot that the diiBculty was one due to natural causes which time would surely remove. Angry at alleged detraction and unfairness, the West end demanded a division of the town along the old parish line, and Newton finally paid for her selfish sectionalism by the loss of valuable territory. First the people of Lower Falls tried to get annexed to Need- ham or Weston, but failed. In 1838 (the 150th anniversary of the town's incorpora- tion) the residents in the Brook Farm region had their 1800 acres transferred to Rox- bury; and in 1849, 640 acres in the north- west corner were annexed to Waltham, where the new Fitchburg Railroad was helping to build up industries. But for this event, millions of watch-pockets throughout the United States would to-day be weighted down with "Newton watches." These losses weakened the army of secession; a conversion of the Falls resi- dents to union spiked its guns; in 1849, the old meeting-house of the Second Church was purchased by the Town f'-r $1800 and made over into a Town Hm.se, and a few years later it was voted that "the inhabitants of Newton will oppose any and all measures for the division of the town; and that Lhey will regard with disfavor the disturbance of their peace and harmony by the farther agitation of the subject." Up to 1825 there were but three re- ligious sects in Newton, but with rapid increase in population came religious di- versity. The second quarter century saw the rise of Methodist, Unitarian, Roman Catholic, Universalist, and New Church societies, the detailed history of which will be found on later pages. 20. Centripetal Forces, 1849-1873 The third quarter of the nineteenth cen- tury was one of evolution as well as ex- pansion, in which the town showed signs of a growing social life as one community instead of half a dozen. Thitherto, the burying-places had been small, remote from one another, and associated with specific church parishes. It was a dis- 26 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON tinct step towards unit}- when the peoi^le of all sections found a common resting place for their dead, through the action of the Newton Cemetery Association, which in 185s purchased 100 acres of land in the heart of the town, a portion of the original MAP OF NEWTOX IN lS4!i Bradstreet grant. This cemetery, con- secrated in 1657, has since been enlarged, and made more beautiful from time to time by shrubbery and flowers, and by a mortuary chapel and a Gothic gateway. As has been said, the political life of the town had been centred at West Newton in 1849. I" 1859, its educational life became centred at Newtonville through the location of the first high school build- ing on the old Hull estate. In i860 the lit- erary life was centred at Newton, through the purchase of a lot there for the future public library. Macadamized roads, street lamps under charge of the town, all-night police, evening schools, an organized school system directed by a Superintendent, meas- ures looking towards the creation of public play- grounds and a municipal water system, — these were the achievements of the decade from 1863 to 1873 which showed that the vil- lages were ready for a com- mon life, that the town was ripe for city-hood, if vigor- ous life and not mere nufti- bers were to be the cri- terion. But the growth of pop- ulation is equally significant. Hull's Crossing had grown into Newtonville. West Newton had gained through the presence there of im- \y"^ [xirtant educational insti- 'f^Pi tutions. Aubumdale, given ^ \ It-, first start by William J ckson's land company, h. d become a spirited rival lit the other newer hamlets. The Newton Centre Trans- planting Association and the Crystal Lake Associ- ation were attracting settlers by their work in beautify- ing their village. In 1866 the farmers farther south and west induced the Air Line to establish a new station, which appears to have had more than its share of "ups and downs"; for it tegan as Oak Hill, then became Newton Dale, and ended as Newton Highlands. In the middle of the century Newton was notable among Massachusetts towns for the number of notable persons living here, attracted by the beauty of the sev- eral villages, their excellent private schools, and their advantageous location near Boston. Indeed Newton's restful charm drew many transient residents here, even before the railroad made Boston so easily accessible. Among the literary person- ages who have found rest and inspiration NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 27 here are the two writers who, of all that New England has produced, have the best claim to the title of "Genius," Emerson and Hawthorne. To a farm-house on \^'oodward Street, Newton Highlands, Em- erson came with his mother on his return from Europe in 1833, and found its se- clusion an aid to meditation. "It is calm as eternity," he writes; "times and sea- sons get lost here." Hawthorne spent a winter in West Newton just before taking up his permanent residence at the "Way- side" in Concord, — drawn here bv the as everywhere in the North, the Civil War drew men together in a common bond of sympathy, of resentment tow-ards the enemies of the country, of determination to save the Union. The patriotism of her citizens was as prompt and intense as during the War for Independence. Lin- coln's first call for volunteers was on April 15, 1861. The call for a town meet- ing to act upon it was issued on the nine- teenth — Lexington Day. The first ap- propriation, made by a population of 8975 people, was $20,000, and the Town )F THE XEWTOX CEMETERY presence of Mrs. Hawthorne's relatives, the Peabodys and the Manns. Here, in the home of either his father-in-law or his brother-in-law (nobody knows where, says his latest biographer), he wrote The Blithedale Romance, the scene of which is laid in the opposite corner of the original Newton, at Brook Farm. In West Newton, too, lived Lydia Maria Child; in Auburndale, Louise Imogen Guiney; in Newtonville, Celia Thaxter and James Jeffrey Roche; and in Newton, Clara Louise Burnham. 21. Newton in the Civil War The bombardment of Fort Sumter startled Newton from her peaceful calm into immediate and intense activity. Here at the same timepledged itself to pay vol- unteers twenty dollars a month in addition to their regular pay, to care for their fam- ilies if necessary, "providing for them all the needed and necessary comforts of life," and to give suitable burial to those who died in the service. "Resolved," so ran the resolution passed at this meeting, — ■ "that the people of this town have the most perfect confidence and trust in our present form of Government, that we have faith in the wisdom and patriotism of its framers, and that, without distinction of party or party lines, in our heart of hearts we re- vere and love their virtues and their mem- ories. The cause of this Union is our cause, and to its support with a firm re- liance on the protection of Divine Provi- 28 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON dence, we pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." Committees were appointed to obtain arms, uniforms, and clothing, and the women of Newton volun- teered to make up all the undergarments needed for the military company. One act of good citizenship deserves special mention. During the stress of the conflict, when the country's needs made any delay harmful, Messrs. J. Wiley Edmands, E. P. Bancroft, John S. Farlow, Gardner Colbv, C. C. and I. T. Burr, G. C. and C. H. Lord, and William Clafiin executed a guarantee bond for $7000 to enable the Selectmen and Town Treasurer to fill up the town's quota of recruits in advance of any call that might be made by the President and in advance of the appropriation of the necessary money by the Town. The total amount appropriated by the Town for war purposes during the four years of its continuance was $113,000, although but $92,621 were expended. There were 11 29 Newton soldiers — more than her legal quota — in the regular land forces of the United States, distributed among 30 regiments. She also furnished many men to the navy. Her roll of honor contains the names of 38 commissioned officers. Newton blood was shed on 75 battlefields, from Bull Run to Peters- burg. So far as is known, Newton was the first town in Massachusetts to erect a soldiers' monument. On this shaft, erected in 1863, and dedicated to the 59 Newton soldiers who fell in battle, are found, among many notable names of later comers, four that are graved on the monument to Newton's first settlers and repeated on nearly every page of her history, — Jackson, Ward, Parker, and Trowbridge. The land for this monu- ment was given by the Town. The ex- pense for the shaft and its setting was borne by private subscription. There were several gifts of large sums, 1200 citizens paid one dollar each, and iioo school children gave their dimes. The per- petual care of the grounds was assumed by the Cemetery Association. 22. Incorporation of the Citv 0} Newton, 1873-74 The last Town Meetings in Newton were held on April 7, Octolser 13, and November 4, 1873. At the first of these, the subject of a change in the form of gov- ernment was debated. The other half of the original Cambridge Village (which had become the town of Brighton in 1807) was to be annexed to Boston on the first day of the following year, and a few Newton citizens recommended the same course for her. Others urged that no change be made. Mr. J. F. C. Hyde led the forces favorable to the change to city government, and finally secured the appointment of a committee to petition the Legislature for a charter. At the second meeting the proposed "Act to establish the City of Newton" {Acts and Resolves, ch. 326) was accepted by a vote of 1224 to 391. At the third and final meeting, the annual state election was held, and the Town Clerk made a final entry in the Town Records: — ■ "The Town Meeting held November 4, 1873, above recorded was the last Town Meeting held in the Town of Newton. Newton becomes a City January 5, 1874. " Marsh.\ll S. Rice, " Town Clerk of the Town of Newton." The election for City officers was held on the first Tuesday in December follow- ing, according to law. As a city Newton retained, with appro- priate additions to the inscriptions, the seal which had first appeared on the An- nual Report of the town's officers in 1865. The designers of the seal had chosen a most appropriate symbol for the munici- pality, — the scene on Nonantum Hill where the Rev. John Eliot taught the Indians, not only the Christian religion, but also the Christian methods of civilized life in towns. "We exhorted them to fence their ground, with ditches and stone walls upon the banks," he writes, "and prom- ised to help them with shovels, spades, mattocks, crows of iron." When the Gen- eral Court in 1646 appointed a committee to buy land for Waban's tribe on Nonan- tum Hill of Mr. Sparhawk, that they might have in undisputed ownership lands on which they might build a town and "live in an orderly way amongst us," the Indians "desired to know what name this town should have, and it was told them it should be called 'Noonatomen,' which signifies in English, 'rejoicing,' because they, hear- ing the Word and seeking to know God, NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 29 the English did rejoice at it." The word "Nonantum" on the city seal thus pro- claims to the world that the city — like that first township within its bounds — "re- joices" in the blessings of a Christian community. By a misinterpretation of the records, the date of the first election of local ofii- cers, 1679, was placed upon the original seal as the date of its incorporation as a town; and it was only after the discovery of fresh documentary evidence by Mr. L. R. Paige of Cambridge that the true date, 1688, was definitely ascertained. In the City Reports of 1879, the seal appears un- corrected on the title-page of the Mayor's address, and corrected on those of the other pamphlets. It is a question whether the date of founding is not equally in need of correc- tion or excision. It is true that on De- cember 28, 1630, the Governor and Assist- ants "grew to this resolution, to bind all the Assistants (Mr. Endicott and Mr. Sharpe excepted . . . ) to build houses at a place a mile east from Watertown, near Charles River, the next spring, and to winter there the ne.xt year; that so ... if God would, a fortified town might there grow up." But it is open to question whether agreeing to found a town the ne.xt year can be called founding it, especially when, as in this case, the agreement was broken in fact and in spirit. The simple truth is that the designers of the seal were led astray by the examples of neighboring towns like Boston and Watertown; whereas Newton belongs in the class of towns — Waltham, for e.xample — that were not founded at all, but, like Topsy, "just growed." The first charter, according to one of its framers, was of necessity "prepared with comparatively little consideration," being in many ways modelled upon the charters of other Massachusetts towns, which had been free copies of the Boston charter. It provided for the division of the City into six wards (later seven) of ap- proximately equal voting strength, with a provision for redistricting every five years if necessary. There were to be two legis- lative bodies, — a Board of Aldermen con- sisting of one member from each ward, to be elected at large; and a Common Coun- cil consisting of twelve members, two to be elected in each ward. The mayor was to hold office for one year. There were to be separate departments for high- ways, for sewers, for street lights, etc. III. NEWTON AS A CITY 23. The "Era of Good Feeling," 1874-1883 The unanimous choice of the citizens for Newton's first Mayor was James F. C. Hyde, chairman of the committee which had secured the Charter. He was a di- rect descendant in the fifth generation of that Jonathan Hyde who had come to Cambridge Village in 1647, 'i"d had bought the land near Wiswall's Pond in 1656. He was also descended from the first Edward Jackson. He had served the town as Selectman, as member of the School Board, and as Representative, was very active in many local enterprises, and was largely instrumental in developing the southern part of the town, where his own ancestral lands were situated. He was unanimously re-elected for a second year, and then gave way to the Hon. Alden Speare, who had removed to Newton from Boston in 1864, and bought a part of the estate of Rev. Mr. Homer, fifth pastor of the First Church. He at once became active in public service, and gave liberally to all public uses, including one gift of a thousand dollars to the Public Library. Like his predecessor, he was unanimously elected for two successive years. Almost the first act of the new munici- pality was to carry out plans previously formed for providing a public water sup- ply. The first scheme had been to utilize the three great ponds within the City limits, but in 1874, Royal M. Pulsifer, F. J. Parker, and Robert R. Bishop were appointed Water Commissioners, and their investigations led to a change of plan. Under their efficient direction the entire system — consisting of supply wells and a filter basin on the Needham side of the 30 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON Charles River at Upper Falls, a reservoir for distribution on Waban Hill, and 48 miles of street mains — was installed and the pumps were started within one year and five days. The initial cost of the sys- tem ($766,157.22) was nearly $84,000 below the estimate, a fine example of in- telligent public service. The supply has since been increased by seven artesian wells and the City now lays about a mile of pipes each year. Newton's latest cession of territory was made about this time, but with no ap- preciable loss of land, and with the i^ain Hill Reservoir. This work involved the building of the magnificent "Echo Bridge" at the Upper Falls. The bridge contains seven arches in its 500 feet of length, but its glory is the central span of 130 feet, springing on a radius of 69 feet, — one of the largest arches in the world. It is one of Newton's notable sights, not only because of its massive yet graceful ap- pearance, but also because of its beautiful setting with the falls to the east, the quieter waters below, and the wooded sides of the gorge forming a green background. The echo that gives it its name is extraordinary. of a permanent park on her borders at Chestnut Hill. A conduit for the Lake Cochituate water sup])ly had been laid through Newton between 1846 and 1848, the tunnel under Waban Hill being ex- cavated through hard rock for nearly half a mile. The reservoir at Chestnut Hill occupied a basin lying partly in Newton, and in order to control the entire drainage of the basin, Boston now acquired from Newton the necessary land within its limits, and ceded an equivalent tract from the northwest corner of Brighton. In 1876 and 1877, the second great con- duit for supplying Boston with water (the "Sudbury River Conduit") was car- ried through Newton to the Chestnut a pistol-shot being repeated twent\-t"ive times. This conduit also required a tunnel under Chestnut Hill nearly twice as long as that of the Cochituate Conduit under Waban Hill, and much of this w^as driven through rock so hard that no lining was necessary. The Hill itself is the conduit. In 1877 occurred the first contested election under the new regime. Newton had been overwhelmingly Republican in politics since the Civil War; now a Demo- crat, Henry C. Hayden, polled 875 votes as an opposition candidate to W. B. Fowle, who won with 1036 votes. In 1879 and 1880, the citizens recognized the splendid public services of Royal M. Pulsifer as a member of the Committee on NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 31 the City Charter, as Chairman of the Water Commission, and as a member of the Board of Aldermen, as a promoter of the Newton Cottage Hospital and of the Newton Club, by making him their unani- mous choice for Mayor. In his first inaugural address he called attention to the defects in the Charter, and urged modifications to adapt it to local needs, including a longer term of office for the mayor, and a single legislative body. His administration was signalized by the adop- tion of civil-service reform principles in City affairs. Thenceforth the tenure of all appointive officers in Newton was permanent during good behavior. 24. The Strenuous Life, 1883-1896 In 1883, Mayor William P. Ellison, who had served for the customary two terms, again became a candidate for the oflTice. A "Citizens' Party" was formed, with the rallying cry, "no third term," :iiiil 1)\ a majority of 114 elected J. ^\V^k■y Kinili::!!, the first person to be raised U> the Miacu- alty from the Commdii Counul. Hut "Consistency is the l>u,<,'l>e^ir of little minds 1" (j'nce in power, the Cili/eiis' l\irl\- fdi'L^ot its principles (nr i^:;iiie(l in wisdom), for it kept Mr. Kiml,;;ll in ..lliie for five successive )'ears. Then the Re- publicans took a leaf from their op- ponents' book, and elected Councilman Heman M. Burr. In 1891 the Citizens' Party went outside the City Government for a candidate, and won their last success in the election of Hermon E. Hibbard. With the election of John A. Fenno in 1893 began a long series of "straight Re- publican" victories. In Mayor Fenno's administration, the City may be said to have thrown off the last link that bound it to its former status, for he had the pleasure of paying and cancelling the last of the notes constituting the Town's in- debtedness at the time of its incorporation as a City. But political strife has never more than ruffled the surface of our civic Hfe. Below the surface, the trend was towards a steady growth in the consciousness of a common life, common interests, and common civic duties. In contrast with the later years of town life, when the greater fraterni- ties and national organizations like the Y. M. C. A. found lodgment in Newton, and the local village improvement societies arose, this was the period of beginnings for our great charitable organizations for the relief of the poor and the sick, and the care of the youthful and the aged; and of the gathering of the citizens of the several wards into social clubs like the Newton Club and the PA; yew,— fuller accounts of which are to be found in later pages. In industries, the period is marked by the multiplication of new firms outside of the earlier industrial villages, the enlarge- ment of the older ones, and their concentra- tion on a single product, in line with the trend of modern business. The Bemis Company, now the .Vawa \\\\\>, has con- fined itself to the m;iiiiil':;i imr m|" woollen cloths, of which it iiKimif:i( luics several miles a week. The Pettee Company, taken over by the Newton Mills Company after Mr. Otis Pettee's death, finally be- came consolidated with the Saco Company in 1882, and soon after ceased to manu- facture cotton, thenceforth employing its $800,000 of capital in the line first selected by Mr. Pettee. The Curtis Mill at the Lower Falls, now occupied by W. S. Cordingly & Sons, is devoted to the pro- duction of Shoddy goods. The Silver Lake Company, founded in 1866 for the making of braided cord, credited such a market for this then novel iimtkut that it was compelled to doulile its eapacity in 1880. The Nonantum Worsted Company, starting in 1867 to manufacture worsted goods, added the business of making worsted machinery in 1886. Other recent industries are the manufacture of knit goods by the Thomas Dalby Co., of starch by H. Barker & Co., of laundry machinery by the Empire Company. In civic as well as in business life, the end of the nineteenth century was a period of combinations, of concentration, of enter- prises on a large scale. One example of this was the great Metropolitan Sewerage System, which solved Newton's most per- ple.xing problem. In 1891 this work was so far completed that Newton began making connections, about 91 miles of small pipe sewers being laid, at a cost of one and a half millions. The next year, Mayor Hiljbard appointed Joseph R. Leeson, Edmund W. Converse, and Edwin B. Haskell commissioners to report on a S}'stem of boulevards which should correct and supplement the existing street system. 32 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON To speak more accurately, there was no street system. Roads had grown up casu- ally, as the circle of different villages developed, and the main thoroughfares were inadequate to the demands of street car traffic, while large tracts in the centre of the town were still hardly accessible. This commission recommended an east and west boulevard through the unde- veloped heart of the town, the widening of Walnut Street for a main artery north and south, and the widening of Washing- ton and Auburn Streets, where the electric car lines from Boston to Framingham might be accommodated. The building of Commonwealth Avenue, begim in 1895, gave to Newton a magnificent triple high- way five miles in length and a hundred and twenty feet wide, where the motor car, the carrj'all, and the bicycle can travel side by side (for a fraction of a second at least) conveying the citizens of less favored communities through the heart of the city. The problem of grade crossings had long ve.xed the city authorities. The engineers of the Boston & Albany Railroad de- clared it impracticable to lower the tracks, and plans were debated for elevating them or removing them to a location near the river. IVIayor Henry E. Bothfeld did the City an inestimable service by combining the scheme for depressing the tracks with that for widening Washington Street, and the necessary authority was secured during his administration, which lasted but one year owing to his uncertain health. Be- tween 1895 and 1898, the tracks were de- pressed, the land on the south side of Washington Street was seized for a distance of three miles, ninety-six buildings were removed, the street was widened to eighty- five feet, giving ample room for teaming, pleasure driving, and a through electric line to Framingham, and the remaining land was left to delight the e)'e with its green turf and shrubbery. The widening of Park and Tremont Streets, permitting an electric line to be carried around Hun- newell Hill, completed the work on east and west routes. 25. Varium et miitabile semper — civitas ! Mayor Bothfeld feeling unable to serve more than a single term, the duty of guard- ing the city's interests during these great changes fell upon Mayor Henry E. Cobb, who served for three years, 1896-98. His administration was marked by a re- vision of the City Charter, in accordance with a report made by a commission headed by Mr. Bothfeld, and along lines first suggested by Mayor Pulsifer in 1880. The Common Council was abolished. The Aldermen were doubled in number, with two-year terms. Election by the whole of the voters of candidates from the several wards solved the problem of local versus general representation. The legisla- tive and the executive departments were sharply separated, the School Board and the Aldermen now choosing their own chairmen. Several closely related depart- ments — highway, sewer, and street-lights — were consolidated. The spirit of the whole charter was modern. It embodied the ideas of concentration and correlation of forces, of power joined with responsi- bility. The political history of the City under the new charter is too recent to warrant ex- tended treatment here. The list of Mayors includes Edwin B. Wilson (two terms), Edward L. Pickard (one term), John W. Weeks, Alonzo R. Weed, and Edgar W. Warren (two terms each), all of whom have served the City with signal ability. It is worthy of note that however sharp the contest for the position of Mayor, no successful candidate has been refused a second election. All single terms have been due to the ill-health of the incumbent of the ofiice. The changes and public improvements of the last few years are also familiar to all our citizens. Of the boulevard along the lower course of Cheesecake Brook, of the abolition of grade crossings on the south side of the city, and of the network of electric lines which spread itself over Newton streets from ever\^vhere to every- where during the decade from 189 1 to 1901, there is not space — nor need — to tell. What with the hum of the trolley, the clang of the motormen's gongs, and the jingle of the conductors' bells, one does not need to look in the Mirror to find Newton's electric cars. Yet one line, the Boston & Worcester, should be mentioned, because it bids fair to do for the southern side of the city what Commonwealth Avenue has done for the centre, and because of the circumstances of its construction. In the case of the earlier electric railways, the NEWTON: VILLAGE, TOWN, AND CITY 33 City gave much and received nothing, except transportation facilities. In 1900, at the building of the line through Walnut, Crafts, and Waltham Streets, the railroad company bore the cost of widening the street. But the Boston & Worcester Company constructed its ninety-foot boule- vard, paid $15,000 for land damages, and destinies of the State and the Nation. Roger Sherman, born on Waverley Avenue, and William Williams, grandson of the Isaac M'illiams who originally owned much of West Newton, were signers of the Dec- laration of Independence. Another grand- son, Ephraim Williams, born in Newton and brought up by Aljraham Jackson, i)ia(;kam of the growth of population bound itself to care for the future lighting of the roadways, — a hopeful example for future legislators in distributing public franchises. 26. Newton as a Centre oj Force _ No sketch of Newton's history, however limited in scope, would be complete with- out some reference to the great movements which have received their first impulse within its borders. There is not one of its villages that has not made its influence felt far beyond its river boundaries; there are several that have helped to shape the made the bequest that led to the founding of ^^^illiamstown and Williams College, — the first of Newton's many contributions to education. As has been' told at length elsewhere, Newton claims through Su- sanna Rowson the first seminary for the higher education of girls; through Eliza- beth P. Peabody the introduction of the kindergarten into the United States; through Horace Mann the normal school system, and the organization of the whole public school system of Massachusetts. Three of her citizens have been Secreta- ries of the State Board of Education. As agent of the Peabody Fund of three and a 34 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON half million dollars, Barnas Sears of New- ton Centre was largely responsible for the creation of public schools throughout the southern states. F. J. Campbell of New- tonville, himself wholly blind, was the organizer and director of the Ro3'al Col- lege for the Blind and Academy of Music in London. Charles Barnard, in found- ing the first evening school in Boston, near H^.^'-O^D^■.S^'ITH.N. .^ r 4.^ , ■ 'Ae^ t' <'.., :>/ ^^^^^ >;- -'■' c .^_^^ "*3" ejT ^r^Ly/. "■^' /y^-2. . the present Barnard Memorial, pointed the way to the solution of one of Ameri- ca's greatest economic problems. From small beginnings the New England Con- servatory of Music was lifted by Eben Tourjee of Auburndale to an institution of national importance. The songs of George F. Root, who formerly lived at Newton Corner, spoke to the hearts of the American people during the stress of the Civil War as directly as the lyrics of Whit- tier and of Lowell spoke to their intellects and consciences. But in Rev. S. F. Smith, Newton claims the author of a song limited to no era, and national in its theme and its appeal. The composer of a National Hymn is happy in having performed a service unique and enduring. It is peculiarly fitting that Dr. Smith's .IwenVa should have been first sung in public by a body of school children, and that the occasion should have been the celebration of Independence Day. It is also an interesting fact that the music (writ- ten in England a century earlier) should have come to Mr. Smith by way of Germany, where the teaching of patriotic songs to the German youths had been adopted as a powerful stim- ulus to revolt against the tyranny of Napoleon Bona- parte. The song was composed about 1832, when Mr. Smith and Lowell Mason were at work on the first iatc link> liiiii with Newton's earliest history, rcninwd hrre from Hop- kinton in 1855, two years after his eleva- tion from the Lower to the Upper House of the state legislature. He was president of the Senate during the Civil War, Lieu- tenant-Governor from 1866 to 1868, and Governor from 1869 to 1871. From 1877 to 1 88 1 he was a ^lember of Congress. His public services are written in the annals of his City, State, and Country. His home-life among us is depicted by his daughter elsewhere in this volume. His name will be forever linked with our educational life through the Claflin School of Newtonville, and his memory will be forever associated with the estate now being set apart by the citizens for civic uses affecting all future generations. MEMORABILIA WILL OF EDWARD JACKSON, OF NEWTON, MASS. WHO DIED IN I, AGED 79 YEARS * TO all people to whom these presents shall come, Edward Jackson Senr. of Cam- bridge Village, in the county of Middlesex, in the Jurisdiction of the Massachusetts in New England, sendeth greeting — Know ye that I the sd Edward Jackson, being infirme of body, but of disposing judgment and memory, do make this my last will and testament as followeth hereby revoking and disannulling all former wills either verbal or written, by me made at any time heretofore — I do commit my soul unto the father of all mercyes, and into the hands of my Lord Jesus Christ my Redeemer and all suffi- cient Saviour — and to the blessed spiritt of grace to behold glory forevermore. And this my body and house of clay to the dust untill that day of resurrection, then body and soul shall be united againe — And as for that outward estate that the Lord hath committed to my trust to give him account of, I do in this manner and forme following, dispose thereof— I do give and bequeath to my loving and deare wife, Elizabeth, one silver bowle, one gilded silver cup, one gilded silver salt, wch were given unto her by her honored father, Mr. John Newgate; Also her virginals and one cubard and my will is that she shall have and injoy all that part of her estate which came to her by the sale of her farme at pulling point, as also what mony and plate she hath by her or debts due to her by bills, bonds mortgages or any other way for mony lent by her to any of her children, or to any other persone whomsoever, all of which shall at her own pleasure to dispose of, and no person to make claime to any part thereof. I do give to her, my sd wife her heirs and assignes forever twelve (12) acres of • Primed by the courtesy of Miss Lucretia Jackson Fuller, owner of the original document. land out of my farme as it is now layd out and bounded. — Also I do give to my wife, and to my son Edward Jackson to have and to injoy, my dwelling hous with all outhousing there- unto appertaining, with all the lands on the north side of the hous to the river, being forty acres more or less, with my meddow commonly called Bushes meddow, of which hous, lands and meddow,* my wife shall injoy the one half during her naturall life; and' after the decease of my sd wife, the whole shall be to my son Edward and his heirs forever — But if my wife shall change her condition by marriage, my son Edward shall thereupon injoy the whole as above- said, provided he shall pay to his honored mother the sum of five pounds pr annum during her naturaU life. Also, I do give unto my wife and son Edward, to each a like share, all my come and stocke, both of neatte kine, horses, sheep and swine, all my househould goods, wearing apparell, and a debt of ten pounds f in mony due to me from Jno Fuller senr. for land by me to him sold: And, moreover, to my son Edward, I give my carts and plows, and aU maner of tooles and impliments to me belonging — I give him my silver hat-band, the three martire books and Turkish History — And my will is, that my wife and son Edward shall out of that estate I have given them, pay unto my daughter Ruth Jackson twenty pounds in mony, and thirty pounds in goods, and also ten pounds more in mony, being a legacy given her by her honored grandfather, Mr. John New- gate— I do give and bequeath unto my son Jonothan Jackson, t his heirs and assignes forever one hundred and sixty (160) acres out of my farme as it is now laid out and bounded; he shall not sell the whole or any part thereof without the advice and • This house was on the noith slope of Hunnewell Hill. The meadow was on the Brighton side of the line, tin part payment for the present "Claflin estate." t Removed to Boston, and settled on Comhill: sold this MEMORABILIA 37 consent of my Executor and my two sons in law, John Ward and Thomas Prentice, or the major part of them: I give him my seale ring, one silver poringer, one gilded silver spoone, which, together with more than an hundred and seventy pounds, the greatest part in mony, by him already received, and what I shall hereafter mention in this my will, I do judge a sufficient portion for him — I do give and bequeath to my son Sebiss Jackson, his heirs and assignes forever, that my hous in which he at present dwell- eth, with an hundred and fifty (150) acres of land thereunto adjoining as it is already laid out and bounded — I do give him two silver spoons — I do give and confirme unto my two sons in law John Ward and Thomas Prentice, their heirs and assignes forever, one parcel! of land which is bounded by the land of Thomas Hammond on the east, the land of Zachary Hicks on the south, the land of John Clarke on the west, the land of Capt. Prentice on the north. I do give to my daughter, Hanna \\'ard, one gold ring with this motto — "God's in- tent none can prevent" — also two guilded silver spoons, and some of my linnen if my deare wife shall so cause. I do give and confirme unto my son in law Thomas Prentice, his heirs and as- signes forever, one hundred (100) acres of land near the meddow commonly called "Bald Pate Meddow," and if there be not so much in that tract, then it is my will he shall have a quarter of that meddow called "Bauld Pate Meddow," as it is laid out, bounded by Jonathan Hide's, on the south, and the meddow of \'insent Druse on the north — I give to my daughter Rebeckah Prentice, one gold ring with the motto "Memento mory," and two guilded silver spoons, and as much linnen as my wife shall judge meet to bestow on her — • I do give and confirme to my son in law Nehemiah Hobart,* his heirs and assignes forever, twenty and five acres of land, as it is now laid out near to his hous,t and five acres more, as it is now bounded, ad- joining to the land of my son Seabyss, which said five acres I hereby give him, my said son in law liberty to make sale of: t Just north of the i I also give him one fifth part of my up- land to the said marsh adjoyning — • And twent\--five acres of land, being the one half of a parcell of my land, near to the land of Elder Thomas Wiswall, either at the east or west end of the said tract of land, as he shall make his choice — I do give and confirme unto my son in law Joseph Fuller, his heirs and assignes forever, one fifth part of my long marsh at the pines as it is already laid out, as also a fifth part of my upland to said marsh adjoyning, and twenty-three (23) acres of land out of my farme to him alreddy laid out, to which it is my will to add one acre more, provided he shall allow an highway over his land,* in some convenient place at his direction, either open or with gates, for the families of Jno. Fuller senr, and Lieut. Isaac Williams — I do give and confirme to my son in law, John Prentice, his heirs and assignes for- ever, one fifth part of my long marsh at the pines, as it is to him alreddy laid out, as also one fifth part of my upland to the said marsh adjo}Tiing; and a parcell of meddow containing four acres more or less, southward from the meddow which I sold to Thomas Greenwood. I do give and confirme unto my son in law, Nathaniel Wilson, his heirs and as- signes forever, one fifth part of m}- long marsh at the pines as it is alreddy laid out, as also one fifth part of my upland to the said marsh adjo\aiing. I do gi\-e to my daughter, Ruth Jackson, besides what I have herein alreddy ex- pressed, one fifth part of my long marsh at the pines as it is alreddy laid out, as also one fifth part of my upland to the said marsh adjo}Tiing: and twenty acres of land out of my farme betwixt the land of my son Jonathan, and the land of my son in law Joseph Fuller, as it is to her alreddy laid out. I do give to my son Edward Jackson, and to my son in law John Ward, my five volumes Turchus' his History, to be for their use betwixt them during both their natural lives, the longest liver shall injoy the whole, paying fifty shillings to the heirs, executors or administrators of the deceased. I do give and confirme to my grandchild Jno. Ward Jr. his heirs and assignes for- ever, twenty acres of land out of my farm eastward from the land of Joseph Fuller. — * .Approximately the line of Otis Street or Highland .\ venue. 38 THE Mli^ROR OF NEWTON I do give to my five grandchildren which bear my name Edward forty acres of my remote land, that is to say, to each one ten (lo) acres to be laid out together by my Executors, and if any of them shall de- cease under age, his or their part so de- ceasing, shall be distributed equally among the survivors — Also, my will is, that what lands I have given to my children above named, they shall not have power to sell or alienate any part thereof, (excepting what I have in this my will expressly ap- proved of), unless upon a religious or moral account, or by leave obtained from the honored General Court, or County-Court where such lands are — I do give to my grandchildren and great- grandchildren, to the number of thirty six, ten shillings apiece to buy them bibles with, which shall be paid to them by my execu- tors — I do give to mv two sons in law Mr. John & Thomas Oliver, Sir Walter Raleigh's History, and Doctor Willett's Synopsis Papisimi — I do give to my daughter in law, Eliza- beth Wiswall, one small silver beer cup — I do give unto the College at Cambridge, "Broughton's Chronology," in a manu- script containing twenty and two sheets of parchment, requesting the Reverend President and fellows to promote the print- ing thereof — Also I do give to the said Col- ledge, a tract of land at Billerica, being four hundred acres granted to me by the towne of Cambridge,* as by their towne book doth appeare. — Also such debts as my Executors shall receive, at any time, from any debtor or debtors of mine in old Eng- land, my will is that such debts shall be given to the said Colledge — Also, my will is that when my son in law Hobart shall have made his choice of the land I have given him, near to Elder Thomas Wiswall's, as aforesaid, the part remaining, being about twenty-five acres, shall be for the use of the ministry in this village forever — I do bequeath to my honored friend Capt. Thomas Prentice one small diamond ring — I do give and dispose of the remainder of my farme, being somewhat more than an hundred acres to my sons Jonathan and Seabyss — And to my sons in law John Ward and * At the division of the "Shawshine lands" in 1652. Thomas Prentice, to each, that one part which I have alreddy caused to be laid out to them, and further, — my will is that my son in law Thomas Prentice shall have and enjoy my son Jonathan's share, as it is now laid out and bounded, being about thirty acres less or more, provided he shall pay the sum of sixty pounds in money to my said son Jonathan, or in any other pay at mony price, as they shall agree, which payment being well and truly made, the above named Thomas Prentice shall have and hold the said parcell of land to him and his heirs forever. Also, my will is that my executors shall make sale of my tract of land at Brush hill, for the procuring of monys to pay the above mentioned legacies to my grand- children, and Great grandchildren, and that neither my said grand children, nor great-grandchildren, nor any on their be- half, shall demand the said legacies of my Executors until such time as mony shall be procured by the sale of said lands. It is also my will that so much of my estate as I have not in this my last will and testament, particularly and expressly dis- posed of, whether in lands or books, or debts to me due, shall be divided by my Executors unto seven of my children, to each a like share, (my debts and funeral charges being first paid out of it) that is to say, to my son Jonathan Jackson, my son Edward Jackson, my daughters Sarah Hobart, Lydia Fuller, Elizabeth Prentice, Hannah Wilson and Ruth Jackson, only my will is that if any of my seven children last named shall depart this life before they shall receive their portions in this part of my estate, their part shall be equally distributed among the survivors, or if any of them shall have no children at their de- cease, their part shall be equally divided among them that have — And further, it is my will that if any of my children shall put my executors to any trouble by making claims to my estate or any part thereof more than I have in this my will to them bequeathed, that is to say, if they, or any on their behalf shall un- justly molest my heirs or executors by lawsuits or arbitrations, he or they, shall forfeit all their portions, in this my will to him or them bequeathed — I do constitute, ordaine and appoint my Executors, my loving wife Elizabeth, my son Seabyss Jackson, and my son Edward MEMORABILIA Jackson, for the full execution of my will in all the above mentioned particulars — • Blessed be the Lord God of Israll for- evermore, Amen, Amen — Edward Jackson and a seale. Signed, sealed this nth day of June, in the yeare of our Lord one thousand six hundred eighty and one — In presence of us Abraham Jackson, Jno. Miricke, Jno. Mason, Isaac Bacon. Cambridge — 26: 6: 81 — Attested upon oath by Abraham Jackson and Jno. Miricke before Daniel Gookin Assist, and Thos. Danforth R. Entered 26: 6 81 By Thos: Dan- forth Recorder. (disposing of 1780 J acres of land.) TWO OLD RECEIPTS Newton, July 12, 1767. then Rec'd of Abraham Jackson three pounds twoll Shilling, wich is in full of my Right in my Late ^lother Abigail mors thirds E.xclusive of what is coming to me in my Brother Jonathan Jackson Rite in said Thirds. I say paid By me, Ab""' Jackson. Newton, August 28th, 1773. Rec'd of Mr. Nathan Morse a late con- stable One pound three Shillings and ten pence as part of the Town Rate Committed to him to collect 1768. Abr. Fuller, £1. 3-10 Town Treasurer. ABR.\HAM FULLER AND ISAAC HULL In a letter accompanying the reminiscences of Abraham Fuller and Isaac Hull that follow, Miss Sarah Clarke writes: — • "I do not know what you will think of these rather artlessly expressed reminiscences, but they have the merit of being wTitten down almost in the words of my grandmother. She could just remember her grandfather. Judge Fuller, but was familiar with the various anecdotes. My aunt, of course, could not remember him, but she was seventeen years old when her own grandfather, General Hull, died, so that she and her brother Lawrence (nineteen) and my father (fifteen) re- ^ly grandfather, Abraham Fuller, owned five hundred acres right in the heart of Newton. He had begun to build a tomb on his own place, but one day he went home, and said, "Well, wife, I 've never been bought in my life and I won't be sold when I 'm dead. Perhaps Sally would n't sell me, but my grandchildren might, and I shall go lie in the burying ground!" Abraham Fuller was a very honest man. He could not bear a debt. When he was dying he said to his wife: — "Wife, have you paid that shoemaker twelve cents for mending my shoes?" "No," said she. "Send down and pay him then," said he. "I have never lived in debt, and I won't die in debt." And so they clid! He could not be corrupted. He had one cousin over at West Newton. He was a terrible sort of a small man, and after Grandpa was judge, S. kept plaguing him to make him Justice of the Peace. But Grandpa took no notice. One dav, as I 've heard ray father tell, Grandpa'd been to Concord and his old sulky was hitched at our door. In came S., his cousin. "Much obliged to you. Judge Fuller," said he, "much obliged to you; I see I 'm a Justice at last. " "Get along," said Grandpa. "Don't thank me; I 'd nothing to do with it. I'm sorry they made you one; I never would," and that was just like him. "Yes!" said Sarah, "my great-grand- father was a very remarkable man. He was not only honest. He was very just. He had a Malt House in the time of the old war,* and malt became very scarce. People told him he might sell his malt and make a great deal of money. ' No,' said he, 'I shall sell it at the price I always did, and I will only sell a bushel at a time, and then nobody else can speculate,' and so he did. People came from Boston; and Cambridge College sent a man over to buy his malt, but he would n't let 'em have it." Then he was a large man, with a loud voice. If he shouted, he could be heard three miles, — in common talk, a mile! WTien the smallpox prevailed in Newton, he told Dr. Spring not to come over, one ♦The Revolution. 40 THE INIIRROR OF NEWTON afternoon, to see his patients. If he would go to the top of a certain hill near his own house in Watertown, at three o'clock, Grandpa would climb to the top of Chestnut Hill in Newton and tell him how they were. Grandpa shouted "All 's well!" and Dr. Spring heard him. It was three miles. When my grandmother died, my mother ■wanted her father's coffin opened.* The sexton tried to dissuade her, but she per- sisted, and when the lid was off, they all started. He looked as if he were asleep! "He had been dead fifty years," said Sarah, "when I saw him, and the resem- blance to his portrait was clearly distin- guishable. The sheet about him was brown, but not decayed. People came from far and near to see the body, they said it was because he was so honest. The doctors offered all sorts of solutions, but none of them were satisfactory. He had died in the spring, in a very hot week. No body in the tomb was sound like his. At last Dr. Warren inserted some instrument to try an experiment. The chest fell in and the body became dust. People used to carr\' away little bits of his winding sheet as they would a relic." "He believed in Divine Providence," added Mrs. Clarke. "He was a Judge, and the day before the British entered Concord, the court sat there. In the room where the court sat were all the town records in an open bureau, telling how- weak the country- was, how ill supplied with ammunition, etc. Abraham Fuller got on to his horse and started to go home to Newton, and his horse would n't go. 'The Lord wants me to go back to Con- cord,' said he, after trying once or twice to move the beast. WTien he got back into the square, he wondered what he was to do. He thought of these papers all lying loose, and stuffed his saddle-bags full. Then his horse started willingly enough, and only think! — the next day, the British en- tered the town! To the day of his death he thought it was an interposition of Provi- dence." ■"He had three thousand dollars in Con- tinental money when the war was over, and people said to him, 'If I were you I would sue the Government.' 'No,' said he, 'that is my contribution to the war. I shall bum most of it and leave a little to my children.'" * This was a Liter occasion of which Sarah speaks. Is.\.\c Hull Did n't I ever tell you about the Com- modore? He was Joe Hull's son. Joe had seven, and he thought my father was getting along pretty well, so he asked him to take one of 'em. Now father had seven daughters and one son himself, so he did n't know what to do, and he wrote word he 'd think about it. But one day father was standing out in front of the house, and the stage drove up. A little boy dropped off the box. "How d' ye do, Uncle ?" said he. "WTio are you?" said the General. "I 'm Isaac Hull," said the boy. Here he was, come; and my father knew nothing about it! Father sent him to school, to Charles P. Curtis's grandfather, old Mr. Pelham, but he would n't learn; he pined to go to sea. WTien he was about twelve j-ears old, his uncle brought Captain Scott home to dinner one day, and the Captain said he 'd take him a voyage. But when the boy was sent for, he looked so ])uny that Captain Scott said, "I shall have lo take a nurse, too." "No you won't," said Isaac. "I can take care of your cabin and do every- thing for you." So he went as a cabin boy, and the very first voyage they were cast away, and Isaac took such care of the captain that he saved his life, and we heard no more about "nursing"! Then they got him into the Na\7 as a Lieutenant, and he went right up — one, two, three, four! When General Hull was at Detroit, Isaac wanted to resign his commission because of a }'ounger officer who was pro- moted right over his head, but father per- suaded him not to resign, and when the war came, he was promoted, and then you know he took the Guerriere. He was very bold; once when there were four English ships outside, he sailed with- out orders. He would have got it, if any misfortune had happened, but in spite of a great calm, he contrived to get safe into port again. He went with the Constitution to Liver- pool and carried out our ambassador. He was ordered to remain six weeks for some ambassador from the Continent, but he did n't like it, the English treated him so. One day three officers, who boarded with him at the Adelphi, followed him along the street, jeering. One said, "\\'ho is that little man?" "Don't vou know?" MEJ^IORABILIA returned another; "that 's Psulm-singing Isaac from the great State of Connecticut. The Yankees have given him the biggest ship they 've got." Isaac turned round. "Gentlemen," said he, "I perceive there is to be trouble between your country and mine, and when it comes, bv the Lord to 'em," and they tore the Guerricre all to ribbons. GENERAL WILLIAM HULL William Hull was born in Derbv, Conn. 1753. His Courtesy oj The ,1 n nd Honorable Ar '/TZ^^ ^cc^ that made me, I mean to sing you a Psalm vou will remember!" And it was n't long before he took the Guerriere! At first his men were awful mad, for Isaac would n't let them fire. The Englishmen began by firing away up into the sails. Isaac thought nobody would get hurt, so when they were all tired out, he said to his men, "Fire! and be damned ancestor, Richard Hull, made freeman in Massa- chusetts in 1634, removed to New Haven, Conn., in 1639. His son John re- moved to Derby, Conn.; and his grandson, Joseph, wr.s the grandfather of William. William's father, Joseph Hull, was a farmer. His eldest brother, the father of Isaac Hull, who com- manded the frigate Con- stitution in its battle with the Guerriere, became, like William, an ofiicer in the Revolutionary army. Among his ex- ploits was that of tak- ing a British armed sell, .mcr in Long Island SuuiKJ. lie Weill out of Derbv in a l.(iat in the night-time with twenty men, boarded the schoon- er, and took her into port with her crew. An- nther lircither was also an DlVKeriii the Revolution. William Hull, the fdurtli son, graduated at Yale C'cillege with honors; afterward entered the law school at Litchfield, Conn., and was admitted to the bar in 1775. WTien the news of the battle of Lexington reached Derby a com- pany of soldiers was raised there, and William Hull was chosen their captain, very un- expectedly to himself. But, full of the enthusiasm of the hour, he at once accepted the appointment, and joining Colonel Webb's regiment, of which his company made a part, marched to Cambridge to join the army of Washington. His father dying at this time, William resigned his share of the inheritance, saving, "I only want my 42 THE MIRROR OF NF.WTON sword and my uniform." From that time till the end of the American war he con- tinued in the army, being present in many of the most important operations and en- gagements, such as Dorchester Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Ticon- deroga, the surrender of Burgoyne, Fort Stanwix, Monmouth, Stony Point, and Morrisania. He was inspector under Baron Steuben, lieutenant-colonel in 1779, and commanded the escort of W'ashington when he bade farewell to the army. His commander. Colonel Brooks (after- wards Governor of Massachusetts), wrote a letter in 1814, in which he says, "In September, 1776, at White Plains, General Hull (then captain) acted under my im- mediate orders, and was detached from the line to oppose a body of Light Infantry and Yagers advancing on the left flank of the American army. His orders were ex- ecuted with promptitude, gallantry, and effect. Though more than double his number, the enemy was compelled to re- treat, and the left of the American line enabled to pass the Bronx." He was then hardly more than a boy, twenty-three years old, fresh from college and the study of law. In the brief memoirs he has left of his Revolutionary life, he mentions this action in the abstract and dignified manner which was then supposed to be the proper style for history. In fact, had it not been for Colonel Brooks, we should not have known that he commanded this body, for he does not even mention himself. Oh, if he, and the other young heroes of that time had only told us of their feelings on being suddenly called to such important duties; if they had only relinquished the abstract formal narrative and given us pictures of the looks, dress, behavior of the soldiers; had only con- descended to paint the details and add the color which so enliven modern history! But such was not the style of writing they had learned at college from Hume and Lord Kames. This was the first time that he had stood with his regiment to see a British army marching to attack them, and his MSS. glow for a moment with the admiration he felt as a young soldier for the splendid military equipments and dis- cipline of the enemy. He speaks of "the magnificent appearance" of the British troops; of the glitter of their polished arms under the bright autumnal sun; of their rich uniforms and equipage. So the boy captain stood with his poorly dressed pro- vincials to receive the volleys of grape and chain shot from the advancing foe, looking down on them from Chatterton's hill, till he was called to lead the body which was to oppose the force trying to turn the American left. All he says of this is: "It was promptly done, with much order and regularity; and, after a sharp conflict, the object was completely attained"; merely adding that "his regiment had the honor of receiving the personal thanks of \\'ash- ington after the engagement." But of the glow of satisfaction and pride which he must have felt in listening to those words of praise from his great commander he carefully says nothing. The next little touch of reality which breaks out from his memoir is concerning the fatigues of the soldiers at Trenton and Princeton. He was one of those com- manders who made the sufferings of his soldiers his own. On leaving the high- lands of New York to join General Wash- ington in Pennsylvania, he says that he found his company were nearly worn out; their clothes were wretched; they had not been paid; yet they were patient, patriotic, and willing to serve on without compen- sation. During their march they slept on the cold ground, though it was December, and that without covering. It was a bit- terly cold Christmas night when Washing- ton crossed the Delaware to Trenton. There was a driving storm of snow and sleet, and the ice was running in the river. The storm continued all night, and when the troops were halted they were so fa- tigued that they fell asleep as they stood in their ranks, and could with difficulty be awakened. In the action which followed, Captain Hull acted as lieutenant-colonel. As soon as the battle had been fought and won, the army marched back with their prisoners and the artillery and military stores they had taken. Nearly all that night was spent in recrossing the Dela- ware. After gaining the other side, our young captain marched his troops to a farmer's house to get them some refresh- ment and rest. "After my men had been accommcdated," says he, "I went into a room where a number of officers were sit- ting round a table, with a large dish of hasty-pudding in its centre. I sat down, procured a spoon, and began to eat. Wiile eating I fell from my chair to the floor, overcome with sleep; and in the morning, MEMORABILIA 43 when I awoke, the spoon was fast clinched in my hand." Happ)- days of youth, when no hardship or fatigue can prevent blessed sleep from coming to seal up the eye and give rest to the brain! The waking of the boy-soldier from this sleep on the floor was followed two days after by an agreeable incident. Washing- ton, whose eye was everywhere, had prob- ably noticed Hull's good behavior in this action. The day before the march to Princeton, one of Washington's aids came to Captain Hull's tent, and said, "Captain, the Commander-in-chief wishes to see you." The young soldier went, we may suppose, with some trepidation, to the general's quarters. Washington looked at him, and said, "Captain Hull, you are an officer, I believe, in the Connecticut line." Hull bowed, and General Washington went on. "I wish to promote you and I have the power to do so. But for that purpose I must transfer you to the Massa- chusetts line, since there is no vacancy in yours. If you are willing, I will appoint you major in the Eighth Massachusetts." Hull thanked his general warmly for this mark of favor, and said, "All I wish, General, is to serve my country where I can do it best; and I accept the promotion gratefully." He was then appointed to command a detachment to watch the approach of Corn- wallis, and to detain him as long as pos.si- ble while Washington was fortifying him- self beyond the little creek, behind which he concealed his rapid night march upon Princeton. After serving in these two battles he was sent to Massachusetts to recruit his regiment. Having recruited three hundred men, he was then ordered to join General St. Clair's army at Ticon- deroga. 'WTien General St. Clair evacu- ated that post an outcry of reproach went up against him from all quarters, though this event probably caused the final sur- render of Burgo)'ne. IMajor Hull, satis- fied of the injustice of these censures on his commander, wrote a letter to a friend in Connecticut during the retreat — the stump of a tree serving him for a table — defending the course of St. Clair. Major Hull was then sent Vith his regiment under General Arnold to relieve Fort Stanwix on the ^Mohawk Ri^•er. After this work had been accomplished, Arnold and his troops rejoined the army of Gates at Sara- toga, and Major Hull commanded detach- ments in the battles which compelled the surrender of Burgoyne. In one of these battles, when he drove the enemy from their post with the bayonet, his detachment lost one hundred and fifty men out of three hundred. He commanded the rear-guard in Schuyler's retreat from Port Edward, and was constantly engaged with the ad- vanced troops of Burgoyne. He com- manded a volunteer corps on the 19th of September. His detachment, by charging the enemy with the bayonet at a critical moment, aided in the repulse of Burgoyne on that day. In the battle of the 7th of October Major Hull commanded the ad- vanced guard. At the final surrender of BurgovTie, he says, "I was present when they marched into our camp, and no words can e.xpress the deep interest felt by every American heart. Nor could we help feel- ing sympathy for those who had so bravely opposed us." In 1848, long after the death of General Hull and his wife, and when the last of his family had moved from the homestead and left it' unoccupied, I penetrated one summer afternoon into the old upper garret of the house, seeking for papers to help me in mv task of writing a book on the campaign of' 181 2. I founci there a trunk which had evidently not been opened or examined for many years. It was filled with hies of letters closely packed together, many of which had Jaeen received by my grand- father during the War of Independence. There were four letters from General Wash- ington himself, and numerous others from Lincoln, Knox, Steuben, George Clinton, Lord StirUng, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Robert Morris, Aaron Burr, General Heath; with mihtary commissions, and passports for travelling in Europe, from Governors Hancock and Samuel Adams. Some of these I took, to aid me in my work; but, being too absurdly conscientious, I left the rest, and they were after\vard carried away by some unknown persons. Let us hope that, since they cannot be in my collection of autographs, they may adorn that of some other more enthusiastic collector. Miss Sarah Freeman Clarke, sister of Rev. James Freeman Clarke, and a grand- daughter of General Hull, writes in 1895: — The place was the paradise of my child- hood and of mv brothers, as well as my 44 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON cousins, and the joy of our vacations was to get there as soon as possible after the school dismissal of Saturda}'. I remember one of these Saturday endings of school for the holidays when I with my brothers and some cousins walked from Boston to the farm, rather than to wait for the Mon- day coach which at that time was the bi- weekly method of getting there. Every part of the farm as well as everything growing there is familiar to my memory now. We were sure of a welcome, how- ever numerous we might be. When all the grandchildren were there, mattresses were spread on the floor of one of the large chambers, and so a bed was made large enough to hold us all, and a delightful op- portunity for pillow-tights ensued. I need not say how much I enjoy the recollection. My grandfather's delight in his grand- children and theirs in him were equal. He not only treated them with loving kind- ness, but with a courtesy that was the more delightful to them because it is seldom accorded to the little folks. I remember one Thanksgiving Day, how he said to my little brother, who on that day wore his first trousers, "Why, William! I am so glad you have come; you know we could not have had Thanksgiving without you!" and the child's eyes opened wide to find himself of such consequence. You may imagine the way he was always contriving pleasure for us. He would take us in the hay cart to the woods to spend the day, and leave us with our luncheon and berry baskets, till we should be sent for at night. What felicity it was to pass the whole long day in the woods. And I can see him now carrying his biggest watermelon and a train of children fol- lowing him, to be fed with the generous fruit. ^ . . Sarah Freeman Clarke. Marietta, Georgia. The big elm south of the house Jjrought this letter also, from Miss Clarke : — Somewhere about the years i8i8 or 1820, a high wind broke one of the branches of this elm, which was then supposed to be a hundred years old. The big limb fell on the roof of the house and damaged that. It was decided in family council that the dear old elm was a dangerous neighbor, and that nothing short of its mutilation would make the house safe. This was a sad day for us all, for the thing was done immediately. The stump of the broken limb was sawed off, and then all the other limbs, and the tall melancholy-looking stump alone remained, taller than the house. The next year green shoots came out all over it, so that it looked like a monstrously tall bush, very awkward and ugly; but year by year, according to the law of the survival of the fittest, a law not yet pro- mulgated, the larger shoots increased in size, till they became branches, while the feebler ones died off. I remember noticing, after a great many years, that the tree was again something more like a tree and that its limbs were growing again. Perhaps this harsh treat- ment strengthened the tree, which I was so happy to see once more symmetrical and beautiful. I notice that the curves of the limbs are not exactly the same as those of an elm in its natural growth. This tree is now, my brother Sam says, in the second class of large New England elms. I have no doubt it will live to be the largest of all. It has its tradition, like so many other elms, of having begun life as a riding switch, which the rider, returning home, stuck care- fully into the ground. This rider must have been Joseph Fuller, the father of Abraham Fuller, who was the father of Sarah Fuller Hull, and who was my great- great-grandfather. I remember hearing my grandmother tell the story. S.AR.AH Freeman Clarke. .\UGUST 31st, 1879. Nov. 5th, 1S9S. I measured the old elm, in front of the library, and found that at three feet from the ground (that is to its solid trunk) the elm was nineteen feet three inches (19 ft. 3 in-)- William Claflin. LETTER TO GENERAL HULL FROM HIS SON Sunday May i6th 1810— Springfield My dear Sir, — I arrived here yesterday and shall march in about 2 hours for Pitts- field. Great attention has been shown my Detachment — my men have been very orderly and have the reputation of being MEMORABILIA 45 the best detachment that has passed this road. I have treated them with great Hberty but at the same time with that dig- nity so necessary to enforce obedience to orders. They appear to be very much attached to me and one and all have so- licited my interest to be attached to my company on my arrival at Head Quarters. I have a very valuable companion and oiScer in Mr. Gleason. His devotion to his duty and the uprightness of his con- duct will ever assure him a welcome re- ception as the Officer and the gentleman. :Mr. Lincoln shew me great attention in Worcester and enquired particularly after you and the family. He is one of the senators from that county, and stands at the head of his Profession. I had the pleasure of meeting my valuable friends ^Marshall and Miss Binney at Worcester. My feet were so much blistered that I was obliged to send for a surgeon to lance them, and both necessity and inclination obliged me to take the stage for about sixteen miles, when I overtook that Detachment, bid farewell to my friends, put myself at the head of my brave fellows, where I have and shall continue, untill I resign my trust to a superior. God grant you health and happiness. My good mother and sisters remember me affectionately to. Affectionately Your son A. F. Hull. I shall write you again at Pittsfield. CONSTITUTION OF THE NEWTON TEMPERANCE SOCIETY AND LYCEUM .'\dopted Jan. i, 1827. Revised Jan. i, 1829. PREAMBLE Believing that Intemperance is produc- tive of more human misery and moral deg- radation than any other, or all other vices combined; and that this most appalling of earthly calamities, is but the legitimate fruit of what ourselves, in common with a vast majority of the most valuable citizens of this highly privileged land, have prac- tised and termed the "reasonable and neces- sary use of ardent spirits"; Believing that "man cannot Hve to him- self alone," and that every individual, how- ever insignificant or uninfluential, may exert some influence upon others by his example, and is accountable to God and the community for all the evil consequences of that e.xample; and believing that asso- ciated is uniformly more successful than individual effort, we hereby form ourselves into an association for the promotion of temperance. The main object of this Society, is not the reformation of drunkards. The habit- ual drunkard's example does compara- tively nothing to tempt, but much to deter the rising generation from its imitation. We are, however, fully aware that the drunkard inflicts upon his affectionate wife and innocent children a weight of wo, not to be told or conceived, and sufficient to justify the unceasing labor of a whole community to remove. — But, at the same time, we feel that a whole community may labour with untiring zeal and perseverance and accomplish hterally nothing in this work. And were we able to remove from our mortified sight the drunkard's ex- ample, and relieve all the discouraged wives and humbled children, from that horrid weight of wo, which is sinking them into the earth; even then we should do nothing that death would not, in a very short time, accomplish without us. Indeed, the "ter- rible ravages of this sin are but streams issuing from the fountain of habitual mod- erate drinking"; so that the reformation of ever\- drunkard in the town, would not arrest, for a single moment, the progress of the many-headed monster. The e.xample of the daily "reasonable" draughts of too many of our most influential men, so long as such men continue to exhibit such an e.xample, will continue producing succes- sive crops of drunkards, to blast our moral welfare, and multiply widows, orphans and paupers amongst us. "To warn the temperate; to sound an alarm to the thinking; to stand between the living and the dead, is the purpose of this association." — And for the accomplish- ment of this object, we mutually bind our- selves to a rigid observance of the following RULES AND REGULATIONS I. The stile or name of this Associa- tion, shall be the "Newton Temperance Society and Lyceum," and its first and most prominent Article shall be, that its 46 THE IMIRROR OF NEWTON members totally relinquish the use of ar- dent spirit except as medicine. II. Members of this Association hereby agree to refrain from inviting others to the use of ardent spirit at their social visits or entertainments, and from furnishing it (except as medicine) to those whom they may employ. XI. A Savings Institution shall be con- nected with this Society, the object of which is to afford members or their families who are desirous of saving their money, a safe, and profitable mode of investment, and to encourage them to the practice of prudence, industry and economy. [One other rule follows, with fourteen more rules appended in regard to the Savings Institution.] Officers of the Society for 1827: John Kenrick Esq. President; Capt. Samuel Hyde, V. Prest.; Deacon Joel Fuller, Ephraim Jackson 2nd, Seth Davis, In- crease S. Davis, Marshall S. Rice, Direc- tors; Dea. Elijah D. Woodward, Treas.; W'illiam Jackson, Secretary. OUR POSTAL FACILITIES FIFTY YEARS AGO Washington, March 2nd, 1853. Hox. Wm. J.\ckson. Dear Sir, — All difi&culties were overcome in regard to a Post Office at Newtonville, until the contract Clerk reported that the train which brought the mail from Boston does not stop at Newtonville. If this be so, then there is an end to 3'our applica- tion, because the department will not, per- haps cannot, make a new contract with the company to stop at a new place. If the train which carries the mail does stop at Newtonville, then if you will send on a certificate to that effect from the com- pany to make it authentic, you can have the office probably. Mr. S. D. Jacobs, 2nd Assistant Postmaster General, gives me encouragement of this if he is in office when the evidence is presented. Please send to him, as I shall not be here. The sooner }'ou send the better your chance. Yours very truly Horace Mann. THE EDUCATIONAL LIFE OF NEWTON BY WALLACE C. BOYDEN N the seal of our fair city is pictured what may jjroperly be styled the first leathering for educational purposes on the territory of the present City of Newton. Under the arch- ing trees of the primeval forest, on the sunny slope of Nonantum Hill, beside the pictur- esque wigwam of the native American, and within sound of a bubbling spring of clear water, a band of red men are gathered on October 28, 1646, in stoical silence, to listen to the white preacher from Roxbur}', John Eliot, while he unfolds to them in their own language the truths of eternal life. It is a far cry from this first gathering, in its simple natural setting, two hundred and sixty years ago, to the present, when seven thousand children are assembled in twenty-three buildings valued at $1,345,- 280, and pursuing their studies forty weeks each year for fourteen years, in the free public schools of the city. The steps by which this progress has l^een made can only be outlined in the briefest way within the limits of this article. The town was settled very graduall}', no large number of families coming at any time. At the end of twenty-five years, in 1664, there were only twenty householders, and in 1688, when it was separated from Cambridge, forty-nine families comprised the total population. During this period the school privileges of the children of Cambridge Village (Newton) were such as were provided by the town of Cambridge under the Massachusetts law, which re- quired every town containing fifty house- holders to appoint a teacher "to teach all such children as shall resort to him to read and write," and every town containing one hundred families "to set up a grammar school, whose master should be able to in- struct youth so far as they may be fitted for the University." It is certain that Cambridge complied with this law, for a writer in 1643 remarks, "By the side of the CoUedge is a faire Grammar Schoole for THE EDUCATIONAL LIFE OF NEWTON 47 the training up of young schollars, and tit- ting them for Academicall learning, that still, as they were judged ripe, they might be received into the coUedge." It was a good school, for the record further states, "Of this schoole Master Corlet is Air., who has very well approved himselfe for his abilities, dexterity and painfulnesse in teaching and education of the youth under him." This school was poorly attended, and doubtless its distance from Cambridge Village prevented the attendance of any children from that part of the town. There are no records of any dame or writ- ing teachers for these children at this time, and it is probable that they received only such schooling as educated parents were able and inclined to give in their homes in individual cases. We may very nat- urally suppose that, owing to the rigors and hardships of frontier life, many settlers neglected the ciliu -.lioii of their children. For some years alter the separation of Newton from Cambridge, no school build- ing was provided by the town, so that if the children were educated collectively, it was in a room furnished by some citizen in his own house. The following ex- tracts from the town records give an in- teresting ghmpse into the conditions of those early days. May 7,' 1698.— "Then voted that the town shall build a schoolhouse as soon as they can." March 6, 1699. — "Voted that the town will build a schoolhouse the dimensions sixteen foot long and fourteen foot wide, and that it shall be finished by the last of November, 1699." Jan. I, 1700. — "At a town meeting, upon due warning given January ye i, 1700, the selectmen and Inhabitants did hiere and agree with John Staples to continue the keeping of the school four days in a week, until March, and to have two shil- lings per day." March 4, 1700. — "Voted that the school- house be set in the highway, neer to Joseph Bartlet's, and that it be finished by the i of October, 1700." (Note. Joseph Bartlet's house was just north of Institution Hill, in Newton Centre.) At a town meeting, November 25, 1700, "the Selectmen and Inhabitants did agree with John Staples to keep school one month 4 days in a week for one pound fore shillings, and allso voted that the Selectmen shall hire a roome or place to keep school in, and shall agree with John Staples or some other to keep and continue the school till the town meeting of election in March." March 10, 1701. — "Voted that those that send schoUers to school shall jiay 3 pence per week for those tliat leni to read, and 4 pence per week for tlio>e (hat lern to Syphcr and write, and that they nia\- send scholers to cither school." The two schoolhouses here referred to were built soon after, in accordance with the vote of the town, "one to l)e set at the meeting house" (which stood in the now old cemetery on Centre Street), "and the dimensions 17 foot square beside chimney roome," and the other in the southerly part of the town near Oke Hill, "16 foot square beside chimney roome." The vote further pro^•ided that "there shall be one school- master whoe shall teach two-thirds of the time at the School at the Meeting House, and one-third of the time at the School at Oke Hill." It will be noted that the schools at this time were not free, as we understand the term. They were open to all children, but parents had to pay tuition for each child who attended. The amount of the tuition was usually determined by the vote of the town, and any deficiency in the master's pay was made up from the town treasury. There was no regular system in the man- agement of the school in these early years, the arrangements being made from ye:;r to vear by the people in the town meeting. Newton was one of the earliest towns to elect a school committee. The records of the meeting of March 4, 1706, show that Captain Isaac Williams, Lieutenant John Mason, and Abraham Jackson were ap- pointed "a Committy to take care to pro- vide a schoolmaster for the town this year." These men constituted the tirst school com- mittee, and after this a eommittee was probably elected annually. Their duties at first consisted in hiring a schoolmaster, but at times they shared that duty with the selectmen. The membership of the com- mittee was constantly changing, so that for many years there could be and was no continuity in the conduct of the schools. Yet in all the early action of the town there can be seen a realizing sense of the im- portance of education and a definite pur- pose to continually improve the school ad- vantages for their children. "As is the teacher, so is the school," 48 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON was eminently true in those days when there was no course of study and no supervision of schools. John Staples, the first school- master in Newton, was a weaver by trade, who came to Newton in 1688 and lived here till his death in 1740 at the age of eighty-two. He was a deacon of the church for many years, selectman for eight years, and town clerk for twenty-one years, a man much respected and esteemed, and his name appears often in connection with positions of responsibility. He was there- fore a man of note in the town, and of high character, who may be taken as a type of the schoolmaster whom the people of that time desired, and who enriched from his own personality the course of study, which nominally consisted of reading, writing, and ciphering. As the population increased and was scattered over a large territory, the num- ber and location of the schools became an embarrassing and difficult question, and for several years about 1720 many exciting and stirring meetings of the town were held over the matter. In May, 1720, it was voted to have one schoolhouse in the town and "to grant the remote parts of town a consideration for schooling among them- selves." A committee appointed at the meeting reported in December, 1720, a site for the schoolhouse, an allowance of twelve pounds to the remote parts of the town for schooling, and stated that there were "sixty families that are two and a half miles from ye meeting house and about forty families that are about three miles from the meeting house." The town ac- cepted the report and passed votes in ac- cordance with the recommendations. But three months later, in March, 1721, they successively voted not to make any allow- ance to the remote parts of the town, not to hold a school at the schoolhouse by the meeting house, and not to hold a school at the schoolhouse in the south part of the town. It was only when Samuel Miller of the West Parish offered a room in his house free of expense to the town, that they voted to hold a school in the house of ^Mr. Miller "for the present or ensuing year." This arrangement for a school in the west part of the town did not prove satisfactory, and at the next March meeting it was voted that the school should be kept two thirds of the time at the meeting-house and one third of the time at the south end of the town. The excitement over school affairs ran high in 1723. In iMarch the town voted that the school should be kept in three places, "half the time in the west part, quarter at the north and quarter at the south"; in October they changed this plan; and again in December, when they voted money for a schoolhouse near Samuel Miller's, and that the inhabitants of the town should have the privilege of sending to either school they chose, or to all three. This apparently settled the difficulty, and the ve.xed question rested for some years. On December 4, 1751, the next advance was made, when "the question was put whether there should be two more school- masters provided to keep English schools in town, that there may be a school kept at each school House untill the anniver- sary in March next, and it passed in the affirmative." Thus were inaugurated winter schools, which were soon increased to three in number, and regularly voted year after year. About this time the term Grammar School begins to appear in the records, but it is not certain that the term is used in the same sense as in the law passed by the Great and General Court in 1647, which calls for a school in which youth may Ijc fitted for the University. Just when such a school was started in Newton is unknown. In the records of March, 1761, we find the following: — ''Voted, that fifty pounds of the Town rate shall and hereby is appropriated for the Grammar school. " Voted, that if the said fifty pounds shall not be expended for the support of the Grammar School, the remainder shall be laid out in other schoohng at the discretion of the Committee that is to provide the Grammar School master." It is likely that the latter course was pursued, for the next year we read, "The Town was presented for not setting up a grammar school, and the selectmen were chosen to defend the Town against it, at the Court." A httle later in the records, — "Voted that the Grammar School be kept at the house of Edward Durant, until further order of the Town." This was changed in 1767 to "at such schoolhouse as the committee shall think to be proper." It may be inferred, therefore, that at this time the town had both English and Gram- mar schools which satisfied the law. THE EDUCATIONAL LIFE OF NEWTON 49 The year 1763 seems to have been note- worthy as a year of expansion and special interest in school affairs. The school com- mittee was increased from three to five members, and the following vote adopted after much discussion of its various items: "Voted, to have four districts and four schools, beside the grammar school, and all to be provided with wood. Centre, £ig, <)s., twenty weeks and two days; north- west, £1^, lis., fourteen weeks and two days; Oak-hill, ;£io, los., ten weeks and six days; south-west, ;^6, 10^., si.x weeks and five days." The total expenditure was £$0, and the total time fifty-two weeks, one day. In 1766 the town "voted £16 to employ a schoolmistress," the first record of a woman teacher in Newton. The same year the number of districts was increased to "five school districts and five school houses, and one committee man for each school." In 1808 the town was divided into seven school wards, namely, — east, west, north, south, southwest. Centre, and the Falls. In 1819 a northwest dis- trict was formed; in 1S24 an Upper Falls district added, and subsequently the num- ber enlarged until the statistics of 1839 show eleven schools in the town. On May 12, 1817, a committee consisting of three ministers and one from each school district made a report to the town contain- ing eleven recommendations "for the better regulation and government of the schools," which was adopted almost in its entirety. There is not space to give the whole re- port, but the following extracts will be in- teresting as indicating the prevalent opin- ions of that time as to what constituted a good school: — "i. For the purpose of exciting in the minds of the scholars a reverence for the Word of God, and of aiding them in read- ing it with propriety, it is recommended that a portion of it be publicly and daily read in the morning in each school by the Preceptor or Preceptress, and that the scholars shall read the same after him or her." "3. That the New Testament be one of the standard reading books in all the schools in this town. And your committee do in a special manner recommend Cummings' New Testament, designed for schools." "6. That the town recommend to every religious teacher of the schools to open and close them with prayer." "7. That every master be desired to comply with the laws of the Commonwealth, which require him to give moral and re- ligious instruction to his pupils." "4. That Murray's English Reader or Lvman's American Reader be recom- mended for instruction in reading in the schools of this town." "5. That whereas it appears upon in- quir}- that Walker's Dictionary has been a growing and general standard for pro- nunciation in the Colleges of the State, your committee recommend Walker's Pronouncing Dictionary," etc. And then they add the interesting comment, "Your committee, however, in recommending Walker's Dictionary, would be understood as having reference principally to the ac- cent, and not as deciding the propriety or impropriety of pronouncing virtue, nature, creature, — virtshu, natshure, cretshure, — and a few other words." "11. We recommend renewed attention on the part of the town, to a former vote of the town, relative to the Committeemen of the several schools acting in concert, not separately, in employing instructors." This last recommendation seems to point to a growing movement, which cul- minated in 1821, when the town voted that "the several school districts be allowed to apply their proportion of school money for schooling as they may think best, and to manage their schools in the same way." Thus the town was disintegrated into districts with their petty jealousies, which have interfered with the normal growth of the town in its larger interests. This state continued for some years, until gradually the advancement of intelligence and cult- ure in the community demanded more liberal views concerning education, and that Newton should emulate its neighbor- ing city, Boston, in providing graded schools, grammar and high schools for pre- paring boys for college, and giving a broader education to those who are to go into business and public life. An effort looking to the establishing of one or more free high schools was made in 1838, when the report of a committee was ordered to be printed and distributed to every family in the town. Another long report was made in 1849, but nothing defi- nite was accomplished until in 1852 a com- mittee of eighteen, headed by Dr. Barnas Sears, Secretary of the State Board of Ed- 50 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ucation, reported, recommending the abol- ishing of the district schools, and the es- tablishment of a system of graded schools, and "one school embracing high school studies for a term of ten months, or a larger number of schools having such studies an aggregate period of twelve months, and to embrace within these schools the common studies usually assigned to grammar schools." The report was adopted, the district schools were abolished, graded schools es- tablished, and a new building erected at Newton Centre in which was begun, under Mr. John W. Hunt as instructor, the High Grammar school as outlined in the report. This school was a success, and opened the way to better things. The town was di- vided into six school districts as follows: — No. I, Newton Centre, including Oak Hill; No. 2, Upper Falls; No. 3, Lower Falls; No. 4, West Newton, including Auburn- dale; No. 5, Newtonville; No. 6, Newton Corner: Each district had grammar and primary grades, and Newton Corner an in- termediate grade also. The school year was arranged to cover forty- two weeks, di- vided into three terms, the first term to begin the third Monday in April. Soon after a High School department was es- tablished at West Newton, and a little later at Newton Corner. In 1859, by vote of the town, March 7, a "pure high school" was established, to be located at Newtonville, "on a lot of land ne.xt to the entrance to ^Ir. Claflin's ground on Walnut Street." Dr. Henry Bigelow, chairman of the school committee and a great power in shaping school affairs at that time, re- ceived the following interesting letter (never before published) from Horace :Mann, President of Antioch College, and former Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. DocT. H. Bigelow, My dear Sir, — Your inquiry respecting the ex- pediency of establishing a High School at so great a distance from a majority of its pupils, I will reply to with pleasure;" not at length, for I have not tiine, but according to the best of my judg- ment. First, the inquiry docs not relate to all the children belonging to a District, but only to those who are sufficiently advanced in age to be members of a High School, — probably none below thirteen, and a majority of them equal to fifteen. Second, will it be injurious or beneficial to scholars of such an age to walk to school under all ordinary circumstances, a distance of from one to two miles? — at the e.xtent, four miles a day taken in doses of two miles each. My ideas respecting Physiology and Hygiene would lead me to prescribe such a walk, or its equivalent in e.xercise of some kind, for every pupil over twelve years of age. You need not be told, no medical man, no observing man, tho' he be non- medicus, needs to be told, that our youth are suffering from the disproportionate demands made upon their brain and nervous system, as compared with their muscular. Body and limbs are of little value without brain. Brain is of as little without body and limbs. The mind cannot digest knowledge unless the body can digest food, and physical health bears the most intimate re- lation to mental and moral. T should hesitate to take advice from rl.i. i..|-, i,iv\,i-, .ir I'liiii-lcr who had been l^'ii^ li\ p' iJu 'Im'! i.n .ir linhiiMi 11. from passive,- -excrrise which originates in the brain and is transmitted thro' the motory nerves of the spinal cord and does not originate in horse- flesh or steam power, to be transmitted through the spring seat of carriage or car, — this kind of exercise is the indispensable, inescapable con- dition and prerequisite of Health. That this is true doctrine I have no doubt, though I have some doubt whether you will find the community ready to adopt it and act upon it. Probably they will sacrifice a few more generations in their blind idolatry to error; but that is no reason why vou and I -liouM not strive to stay these sacri- fices a. > l.M :■-. ur .an. Youi> lor lliakh and Temperance and Obedi- ence to all God's Laws, Horace M.\x.n-. P. S. I did not deem it necessary to make special exceptions for great inclemencies of weather, — storms, snows, &c., common judgment and pru- dence will provide for these. There was considerable question on the part of many as to the expediency of estab- lishing the High School, and the committee of that day spoke of it as "an e.xperiment, which they wiU continue to watch anxiously yet hopefully, leaving the results to speak for themselves." It opened with seventy-five pupils, all over fifteen years of age, and two instruc- tors. It evidently met a real need of the community, and appealed to the intelli- gence, interest, and pride of the people, for it steadily grew and has maintained a high standard of work which has placed it in the front rank among public high schools and private secondary schools. Under the leadership of an able line of principals, with the instruction fiu-nished by an effi- cient corps of assistants, growth and prog- ress in the size and work of the school, and consequent enlargement of its buildings, has been the story of the years since its establishment, until now its present modern 52 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON building, one of the finest in the state, erected in 1898, is inadequate to accommo- date its nearly a thousand pupils and forty- five instructors. The following is the list of principals of the school: J. N. Beals, 1859-60; T. D. Adams, 1860-67; E. B. Hale, 1867-68; Francis A. Waterhouse, 1868-80; Edward H. Cutler, 1880-88; Edward J. Goodwin, 1888-97; Enoch C. Adams since 1897. We have traced the growth of the differ- ent grades of schools. A word may be in order as to the way in which the school buildings kept pace with this progress, and enlarged with the expansion of the schools. From the early records quoted, we saw that the first buildings were si.xteen and seven- teen feet square. Smith, in his history of Newton, tells us that "in 1763 a brick building 14 by 16 feet square and chimney room was built in the south-west district. The house was covered with a hip roof coming together at a point in the centre; a fireplace about si.x feet wide and four feet deep, with a large chimney, in which they burned wood four feet long, occupied one side of the room. This house became very much dilapidated, and the roof so leaky in its later years, that it was not uncom- mon for the teacher to huddle the scholars together under an umbrella or two, to pre- vent their getting wet during the summer showers." .^n amusing story is told of the pranks of the school boys in these early days. One roguish boy on the roof of the building let a hook and line down the chimney, and another rogue in the room fastened the hook into the wig of the master, when, presto, up the chimney went the wig! Smith further tells us that in the early part of the nineteenth century "most of the country schoolhouses were built from twenty-five to forty feet square, one story high, with rows of benches on either side of a wide alley through the middle, and a box stove in the middle, or an open fire at one end of the alley, around which the scholars were permitted to gather on cold days to warm themselves. There was an entry across one end to hang garments in. Many of them were painted red." In 1845 a report was made indicating great need of reform in school construction, pointing out that the floors sloped so much that the pupils could not stand up in their seats, and that the ventilation was so bad that after sitting with the school for an hour the visitor was surprised that the teacher could succeed at all in instruction or management; "for to say the least, it was utterly impossible for any one either to study or to impart instruction under such circumstances, vigorously." Accordingly in 1847 the town began definite work towards improving its school- houses. Two large double schoolhouses were built on the most improved plan, others repaired, and gradually the build- ings throughout the eleven districts put in good condition, special attention being paid to ventilation. The establishment of the graded system of schools in 1852 meant a reduction in the number of districts, and greater centraliza- tion of the pupils, and hence demanded larger school buildings. We find, there- fore, two-story buildings, which were con- sidered large for those days, erected at an e.xpense of about $5000 each. Since then there has been a constant effort to obtain commodious, sanitary, and architecturally good school buildings, and the city has pursued a really generous, if not far- sighted, policy with reference to accom- modating its school population properly. The last grammar school building, erected two years ago, is a brick structure containing fourteen class-rooms, two recitation-rooms, library, laboratory, and assembly hall seating six hundred; a tremendous advance over the sixteen-foot, one-story building of two centuries ago. The prominence of individual initiative in securing progress along various lines of the community life is evident even to the casual reader of history. Newton has been very fortunate in having during the past century an unusual number of cult- ured, forceful, and public-spirited men, interested in a practical way in its schools, many of them serving on its School Com- mittee. In 1810 Mr. Seth Davis, teaching in the west ward, introduced into his school declamation and geography, with map- drawing. This created a sensation, and a special town meeting was called to see whether the town would allow such a dangerous innovation. After a long dis- cussion of the demoralizing tendencies of the times, it was decided by a large majority to allow the map-drawing, but that decla- mation could not be permitted to continue. Mr. Davis, ahead of his time in matters of school instruction, and of a naturally strong will, chafed under the limitations of THE EDUCATIONAL EIFE OF NEWTON 53 such a short-sighted poUcy, and a few years later left the public work and established a private school of his own. Rev. Lyman Gilbert and Mr. Ebenezer Woodward, both teachers of successful experience, were leading spirits in the thirties and forties. In the report of 1839-40, we read, "The idea of having learning enough for common business merely should be sentenced to perpetual banishment. Learning in any of its branches can be useless to no one. The acquisition of knowledge is, moreover, a design of life. This consideration should be oftener present to the mind, as well as the moral obligation all are under to make the most and best of their faculties, and to be satisfied with no degree of attainment so long as a higher attainment is within their reach." These are pregnant words, full of courage in attacking a rising menace to the standards of the schools, and stating with plainness and force what should be aimed at in education. In 1844 the present Framingham State Normal School was mo\ed from Lexington to West Newton, where it occupied the Fuller Academy building until 1853. This brought to the town the Rev. Cyrus Peirce, the principal of the school, a man of broad and progressive views in education. Later there came also to live in West Newton Hon. Horace Mann, of international fame because of his educational work. The presence of these men as residents of the town for some years, what they stood for and advocated, must have had a marked influence in advancing the standards and efficiency of the schools. Furthermore in 1848 an arrangement was made with the town by which the District School No. 7 was used by the Normal School as a Model and Training School. This made it pos- sible to give a practical demonstration to the people of the value of these new methods and ideas in the school-room. Mr. Na- thaniel T. Allen, principal of this school, and Miss Electa N. Lincoln (Mrs. G. A. Walton), first assistant in the Normal School, continued their residence in the town, and have been effective agents in advancing the highest interests of public education during all these years to the present time. As early as 1853 the suggestion was made by the member of the School Com- mittee from Newtonville that the town should have a Superintendent of Schools. In 1866 the town voted that "the School Committee of Newton be authorized and required to appoint a Superintendent, if, in their judgment, it be deemed advisable," but the committee could not seem to find a satisfactory man for the $2500 appropria- tion. In 1870, however, a similar vote was passed, and the committee then elected Mr. Thomas Emerson of Woburn as the first Superintendent of Schools in Newton, at a salary of $3000. He proved the right man for the place, and at once made im- portant changes for the betterment of the schools, modifying and systematizing the course of study according to modern stand- ards, drawing up rules for the regulation of the schools, and showing by his efficient management the wisdom of creating the office. Since that time many of the ad- vances in public education, perhaps a majority, have been made through the in- itiative of the Superintendents. They have been men of power and broad outlook in the main, and the list of those who have served the city in this office is as follows: Thomas Emerson, 1871-73; Horace M. Willard, 1873-76; Warren Johnson, 1876- 77; Ephraim Hunt, 1877-81; John E. Kimball, 1881-85; Thomas Emerson, 1885 -90; Joseph C. Jones, 1890-91; George I. Aldrich, 1892-99; Albert B. Fifield, 1899- 1903; Fred W. Atkinson, 1903-04; Frank E. Spaulding, since 1904. It would be interesting to trace the steps, if space permitted, leading to the intro- duction into the public school system of the city of free text-books in 1884; Kinder- gartens in 1893; Enghsh and Drawing Evening Schools; the so-called enrichment of the Grammar School in 1892; Manual Training in 1896; Vacation Schools, cared for by the Social Science Club for seventeen years, and adopted by the city in 1905; and Directors or Supervisors of special subjects, such as Music, Drawing, Writing, Physical Culture, Nature Study, Kinder- garten, and Primary Schools. Most of these are such recent history as to be re- membered by us all, and their introduction into the Newton schools was a part of the general trend of educational movement in the large cities or throughout the state. Thus has grown up a system of public schools in the city which has been reason- ably satisfactory to an intelligent, cultured, and rather critical community, and which has taken its place beside the natural 54 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON beauties, fine streets, handsome residences, excellent churches, and many social and civic advantages, as one of the attractive features which has made the Garden City one of the finest suburbs of Boston. PRIVATE SCHOOLS There is very little material to be found concerning private schools in the eighteenth century. But it is reasonably certain that Newton had gained prominence in private school instruction early in its history. About the time that the town established winter schools and should have had Gram- mar schools, we learn from statements in the records that for those who desired to avail themselves of the opportunities for higher education and had the means to do so, there was Judge Fuller's private school in West Newton, where the higher branches were taught previous to 1760. Smith tells us that, "In April, 1765, Mr. Charles Pel- ham, from Boston, bought the homestead of the late Rev. John Cotton, corner of Centre and Cabot Streets, and opened a private academy in his house. He is said to have been a person of good education, and well adapted to his occupation as a teacher. Most of his scholars probably came from Boston and other towns." The period from 1800 to 1853 was most prolific in the establishment of private academies for boys and for girls. We can speak of only a few of the most prominent among them. The first of these was " The Young Ladies' Academy," Newton, pre- sided over by Mrs. Susannah Haswell Rowson, brilliant and gifted, "a popular authoress, actress, poet, and editor," as well as teacher. It is very probable that this was the first female seminary in the United States, starting about 1800 and continuing for twelve or fifteen years. The following advertisement, taken from the Columbian Centinel, April 15, 1807, may be of interest: YOUNG L.'iDIES' ACADEMY, NEWTON. Mrs. Rowson and Mrs. Haswell beg leave to inform their friends that their spring quarter will commence in April, and that every accommodation is provided for the comfort of their pupils, and every attention will be paid to their manners, morals, and improvement. The drawing will be taught, the ensuing season, in a new and superior style, Mrs. Rowson having received instruction lately for that purpose from a professed master of the art. Terms as usual. Music by Mr. G. Graupner. Dancing by Mr. G. Shaffer. Young ladies from some of the most distinguished families in the country at- tended the school, among them two daugh- ters of Governor Claiborne of South Caro lina. Mrs. Rowson is said to have been very dignified and highly cultivated, and to have paid special attention to the man- ners of her pupils. After leaving Newton, she established a similar school in Roxbury. Mr. Seth Davis, of whom we have spoken pre\iously, conducted a private school on \\'altham Street in ^^'est Newton from 1817 to 1S39. He was a very able and in- spiring teacher, aiming to arouse in his pupils an enthusiasm for learning and a power to think clearly. Ex-Governor Ale.\- ander H. Rice, who fitted for college under liis luition, gives the following description of his school-room, which was constructed on an original plan for the purpose of se- curing good order easily. "The centre of the room was a clear space, and around the room ran a series of stalls, each separated from the next by a high partition, after the fashion seen in some eating houses now, and in each stall was a short and narrow seat, so that its occupant could see no fellow pupil, excepting on the opposite side of the room, or at least beyond speaking distance, while each and every one was visible to the master. I say that each one was visible to the master, though it is manifest that when seated in his chair in the centre of the room, the master's back must be toward ^onie of the stalls on one or more of the four sides of the room. But while the f;ict is reiot^nized as a physical necessity, it .seemed to be of no practical importance, for any mischievous vibration behind him, though as delicate as the step of a velvet-footed mouse, seemed to re- verberate upon his sensitive and expectant tympanum as the summons to an instan- taneous and whirling jump, that brought him, chair and all, face to face with the entrapped offender. The rebuke of those piercing gray eyes, fixed and imperturbable, was worse than the soundest flogging." Mr. Davis was assisted by his daughter Harriet, who was well versed in the classics and higher mathematics. He died in 1888, at the advanced age of one hundred years and nine months. One of the best schools in New England at this time was the "Boarding School of Mr. Marshall S. Rice," opened by him in Newton Centre on the "Gibbs Place," THE EDUCATIONAL LIFE OF NEWTON 55 opposite the Congregational churcli, in 1828, and carried on for twenty-two and a half years with the purpose, as he states it, "to train up young men and young women to be teachers in common schools and to fill important places in business." Mr. Rice was a man of strong, upright character, and great energy and decision. He was very ingenious in methods of arousing interest in study, and also in mutters of discipline. For instance, when pupils were sometimes taken suddenly ill as it came near the time for going to church on Sun- day, he was very sympathetic, took their word for it, and in the kindest manner put them to bed for the day and fed them on gruel. He sometimes referred cases to a judge and jury of pupils, who determined and executed the punishment. He in- terested his school in gardening, giving the pupils individual plots to cultivate with flowers or vegetables. The school had usually about thirty boarding pupils, who paid from $24 to $30 per quarter, and ten day pupils who paid $5 per quarter. The membership of this school was largely boys, and therefore, in 1831, there was established at Newton Centre "The New- ton Female Academy," which continued its work till 1850. The academy did excellent work under many of its administrations, though it changed principals too often for its best good. It attracted, however, many students from other parts of the town, so that the trustees, in 1832, "Voted, that day scholars at the Academy be furnished with dinner at the Boarding-house, if they wish it, at ten cents each per day." Judge Abraham Fuller, of whose private school we have already spoken, at his death in 1794 left a bequest of £,2>°°' "^or 'he purpose of laying the foundation of an academy in Newton." For reasons which we have not space to recount, the payment of the bequest was delayed, and it was not till 1832 that a building called Fuller Academy was erected at the corner of Washington and Highland Streets in West Newton. The academy was maintained for only two years, when the town decided to give up the undertaking, and sold the building. Ten years later it was purchased for the State Normal School, which occu- pied it for nine 3'ears, and subsequently it was for many years the home of the Allen School. In the report of a committee appointed to consider the matter of a high school in Newton, made in December, 1849, we read: "Your committee cannot recommend the establishment of such a school at this time. They find, however, upon inquiry, that Mr. Weld has established an academy in Auburndale, in which all the branches required by the law for a high school are taught; and that Mr. Moses Burbank has established a similar school in Newton Centre; so that those teachers will admit into their schools all who wish to pursue such studies for five months in each year, upon the payment by the town of twelve dollars for each scholar. . . . Your com- mittee recommend that such an arrange- ment be made with those gentlemen by the School Committee alternately." This is an indication that in Newton, as elsewhere throughout the state, during the first half of the nineteenth century, the large number and excellence of the private schools probably postponed for several decades the establishment of public high schools, while, on the other hand, when once well estakished the excellence of the high schools caused the gradual extinction of a large majority of the private academies, so that only a very few of the strongest and best have survived to tlie present time. Newton has two of these strong private schodls \vhi( h haw persisted. The first is " Lascll Stiniihiry jor Young Women," established in Auburndale in 1851, by Professor Edward Lasell of Williams College, who lived only long enough to see the school well started. His brother Josiah, and brother-in-law, George W. Briggs, then took up the work and carried it on till 1862, when Rev. C. W. Cushing became pro- prietor and principal. In 1873 the school and grounds were bought by ten men in Boston, who became a board of trustees for the school. The next year they made Mr. Charles C. Bragdon principal, and he has continued to conduct the school with signal ability for the past thirty-two years. The school has grown from twenty pupils in 1874 to one hundred and sixty at present. In the early days, most of the pupils were day scholars. Now more than half of the pupils come from west of New England. The material equipment has been greatly increased several times. The seminary has done pioneer service in several direc- tions, notably in Household Science and Arts. Excellent departments of Household "lliliil '#: ^ THE ELIOT MEMORIAL 57 Economics, Music, and Art, in addition to the regular study courses, have been largely instrumental in enabling the school to fill a need in the education of young women. " The Allen English and Classical School oj West Newton'' was opened in 1854 by ^[r. Nathaniel T. Allen, who had been jirincipal of the Model School in connec- tion with the State Normal School. When the Normal School was moved from West Newton, Mr. Allen was urged by "Father" Pierce and Mr. Horace Mann to start a first-class private school in the building which they had vacated. He associated with himself Messrs. George E. and James T. Allen, and conducted a school on pro- gressive lines for nearly a half century, making it known far and wide as an e.x- cellent family school for boys and girls, where an all-round thorough training could be received under most home-like conditions. Here the first kindergarten in Massachusetts was opened in 1864. Gymnastic apparatus was early introduced, and the most modern ideas in education were applied in the school. There have been more than four thousand pupils, coming from foreign lands as well as from all parts of the United States. Under new management it is still carrying on its excellent work. A number of other schools have been established since these, and continued for a longer or shorter time. Among those which are at the present time in a thriving condition might be named the Mt. Ida School for Young Ladies in Newton, the Fessenden School for Boys, West Newton, the Misses Allen's School for Girls in West Newton, the Waban School for Boys, the Froebel School, and Miss Carroll's School in West Newton. THE ELIOT MEMORIAL BY WILLIAM C. BATES OX the southern slope of Nonantum Hill, at the head of the valley be- tween the hills Nonantum and Waban, stands the Eliot Memorial, an or- namental terrace of pudding-stone and freestone, which was erected in 1876 to commemorate an historical event which occurred in 1646 to 1651, and made the location memorable for all time. The in- scription on the tablet of the structure is, — HERE AT NONAN TUM OCTOBER 28, 1646, IN WABAN S WIGWAM, NEAR THl S SPOT. JOH M ELIOT BEGAN TO PREA CH THE GOSPEL TO THE ND lANS, HER E WAS FOUN DED THE FIRST CHRIST AN COMM UN TY OF IND ANS WITHIN E E MGLISH COLON ES. On the corners of the terrace, cut in the freestone, are allegorical carvings of arrows, oak-leaves, the sickle and pen, and the names, Heath, Shepard, Gookin, Waban. These were associated with the good man now known in history as "The Apostle Eliot," and were present at that memorable first ser\ice at Nonantum in Waban's wig- wam. Mr. Eliot left a record of the time, the place, the subject of his address to these humble men, who became his chief thought and care until his death in 1690. In one of the Eliot Tracts reprinted in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1793, "The Day Breaking, if not the Sun Rising of the Gospel with the Indians of new England, London, 1647," he wrote, " Upon Oct. 28, 1646, four of us (having sought God) went unto the Indians inhabiting within our bounds with desire to make known the ways of their peace to them. . . . Upon November 11, 1646, we came the second time to the same wigwam of Waban, where we found many more Indians met together than when we first came to them." Mr. Eliot had in his mind, before he began, to bring the Indians together as far as convenient in one community or town, that they might "secure the light of the 58 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON Gospel, be taught civility and religion." For this purpose he selected the southern slope of the hil! and gave them tools, knit- ting machines, and other necessities of civility, and began to instruct and draw them on to a better life. He writes: " This towne the Indians did desire to know what name it should have, and it was told them it should be called Noonatomen, which signified in English, rejoicing, because they hearing the word and seeking to know God, the English did rejoice at it, and God did rejoice at it, which pleased them, and therefore that is to be the name of their towne." 'Mr. Eliot continued at Nonantum, for for this purpose"; here Mr. Eliot and Mr. Gookin continued to come fortnightly, Mr. Eliot to teach and Mr. Gookin to settle differences. Mr. Gookin in a report to the Legislature (1676) gave the number of "praying Indians" at Nonantum as about one hundred. Thomas Trowbridge, son of Dea. James, lived within a stone's throw of the site selected for the Memorial, and here his son Edmund was born; this son became judge and was the last of the Tory judges. The land and homestead were sold in 1746 to Col. Edward Durant, and from his son passed to John Kenrick about 1746; and the Kenrick descendants gave the site of THE ELIOT MEMORI.\L TERR.\CE NE.\R THE JU> AVENUE AND KENRICK STREET five years, this first attempt to civilize the Indian tribes of America; by this time he had found the nearness of the growing town of Boston presented temptations and opportunities which defeated to some extent his efforts, and he obtained a tract of land at Natick and secured the removal of a large portion of the "praying Indians" to that place. The interest of all future people in this location is not limited to the events already mentioned; twenty-five years after, there still lived here a number of Indian families, about one hundred people, and Mr. Eliot still came to them to teach and e.xhort, and Daniel Gookin'? to hold a court for the settlement of disputes. They caused to be built a schoolhouse " near where Mr. Eliot began to preach to them on land of Dea. James Trowbridge, who allows the land the Memorial to the trustees, by whom the Eliot Terrace and the Eliot Fund were conveved to the citv of Newton, October 28, 1896. The Eliot Fund ($300) is held in trust by the city, the income to be expended annually for prize essays on historical sub- jects written by pupils of the public schools, and awarded under the direction of the superintendent of schools or the mayor of Newton. The location of the Memorial was se- lected from historical data found in the Eliot Tracts, 1647, Gookin's History of ■the Praying Indians, 1676, Homer's His- torical Sketch of Newton, 1793, Jackson's History of Newton, 1854; and the inscrip- tion (vvritten by Pres. Charles W. Eliot) is historically correct. The mind of man delights to concentrate THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF NEWTON .50 its attention upon the particular spot of the earth's surface associated with a great event or with the deeds of great men; it is that at such places the emotions take on a warmer glow, even as the sun's rays, when focussed, kindle an answering lire. Thus it will be that Nonantum, the old original Xonantum of 1646 to 1(151, must become more and more the Mecca that will attract the thoughts and steps of pilgrims to his- toric shrines. The Eliot Memorial Terrace and the Eliot Fund will for long years to come in- spire faith, hope, and love, exemplified in the life and character of John Eliot the .\postle to the Indians. THK RELIGIOUS LIFE OF NEWTON THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES THP: inhabitants of that part of New Town known as Cambridge Village began early to protest against the hardship of attending church so far away as the meeting-house at Old Cambridge. ing is marked by a marble column in the old Burying Ground on Centre Street. The first pastor was a son of John Eliot. The joy of the little flock was shadowed by the death of their promising young minister only four years after his ordination. His sudcsMir, Rev. Nehemiah Hobart, married the daughter of a pillar of the chun h, huih him a goodly house near by, ONUREG.\TION.\L CHURCH, .\'F:\VT0N CENTRE Their remonstrance was in vain for several years, but they persevered (the natural modern ^alternative of refusing to attend church at all seems not to have oc- curred to them), and in 1660 were al- lowed to erect a house of worship for hemselves. The site of this first build- and for forty-eight years led his brethren through a stormy and difficult period with eminent wisdom and grace. By the time of his death the centre of population had so changed that there was a demand for a meeting-house nearer the south part of the town. Although the settlement of Mr. THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF NEWTOM 61 Hobart's successor, the youthful and elo- quent John Cotton, was amicably accom- plished, the question of moving the meeting- house caused great dissension for several years; it was finally decided by a decree of the General Court, and a building was erected on the present site of the Newton Centre church. This was an age of long pastorates, and most of the ministers died in office. The gentle Mr. Meriam, who bought his mother-in-law's slave to save her from that good lady's abuse; the saintly but eccentric Dr. Homer, and Dr. Furber of blessed memory, all served the church for long periods. Rev. Edward M. Noyes, the present pastor, is the ninth of an honor- able succession. As early as 1764 the families of the west part of the town had built a small meeting- house of their own, but their petition to be set off as a separate parish was not granted till 1778. Three years later Rev. William Greenough was ordained as their minister. The mother church "after some conversa- tion" sent four pewter tankards and a pewter dish toward the ct)mmunion furni- ture. L'nder "Father Greenough 's" long and judicious leadership, the young church stood firm through a period of great doctrinal controversy, and became a power for good in the growing village. His successor, Dr. Gilbert, served the church ably and efficiently for twenty-seven years, and Dr. Patrick's ministry covered thirty- three )'ears. In 1844 a deacon of the First Church assured a brother officer who had ventured the assertion that money enough might be raised" at the "Corner" to build a house of worship, "You may be able to raise the money, but I know not where }ou will find your people." The founders of Eliot Church had larger views, and in a year the neighborhood prayer-meeting had organized and built a church. Most of its members were from the First Church, and it is pleasant to record the brotherly spirit shown by all concerned. Its growth has been rapid, and Eliot has become the largest and strongest of all the daughters of the old First Church. Its present pastor is Rev. H. Grant Person. As the people of the West Parish had tired of the long journey to church, so the few families resident in Aubumdale came in time to feel that the privileges of a nearer sanctuary should be theirs, and a move- ment was set on foot for establishing and maintaining worship in their own ^•illage. In a few days $487 was subscribed, and a church was organized in 1850. The first place of worship was a hall, and for fi\e years the pulpit was supplied by resident clergymen, .'\uburndale being then, as now, a rendezvous for the saints. The present meeting-house was built in 1857, enlarged and improved in 1878. There have been only four pastors in over fifty years. The church at North Village is the out- growth of a Sunday School started in 1861. The first sessions were held in the open air, but in the spring of 1862 a modest chapel was built by the help of Eliot Church. In 1866 the North Church was organized and Rev. Samuel Lowry, an enthusiastic and consecrated young man, became its pastor. This chapel, having been burned, was replaced by a tasteful stone church in 1873. The present pastor is Rev. Henry E. O.xnard. . Like Eliot, Central Church grew out of a prayer-meeting. Dr. Patrick recalls being importuned by a Alethodist brother, who desired Congregational privileges for his mother and sister, to hold a prayer-meeting in Newtonville. This meeting was so prized that it became a regular appoint- ment, and in a few months the old Metho- dist chapel at the corner of Washington Street and Central Avenue was jnirchased. The church was organized in 1868, and Rev. Joseph B. Clark was installed as its pastor. This church has a reputation for starting brilliant young men in succc»ful careers, and has had as many mini>tir- in thirty-nine years as the First Church ha- in two hundred and forty-seven. Its pres- ent building was dedicated in 1895, and its pastor is Rev. J. T. Stocking. The youngest descendant of the First Church is at Newton Highlands. Meetings were first held there in 187 1 and a church and chapel built in 1875. This building having been outgrown, a movement for a new one was started in January, 1905. So great was the interest and enthu-iasni that the entire sum for building was ]i|fd^fcil and the work begun in the following Ma\ . The new church was dedicated in the fall of 1906, — free of debt, a worthy monument to the devotion and zeal of the people and the pastor, Rev. George T. Smart. Henry J. P.\trick. LUCL4 E. AURY.\NSEN. 62 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON THE BAPTIST CHURCHES The Baptists began their Hfe in Newton with discouragements and persecutions. The brethren whose convictions led them to join a Baptist church in Boston were regular!}' called upon to furnish corn and wood and tithes for the support of Congre- gational worship, and their prayer to be released from this obligation, since as conscientious Baptists they paid their tax elsewhere, was unheeded for a good many years. Finally in the year 1776 the spirit of national independence seems so to have moved the authorities that they re- lented to the e.xtent of relieving certain Baptist brethren of the ministerial tax. Four years later the First Baptist Church was organized. Seventy-three persons, many of them from the old families of Newton, became members. The first meeting-house was erected on land given by Mr. Noah VViswall on the border of "Wiswall's Pond," for many years thereafter known as "Baptist Pond." This house was forty feet long by thirty- two feet wide, and cost about $1000. The society had a commendable dread of in- curring debt, and built as they had money in hand to pay for their work. During the ministry of Rev. Caleb Blood, the first jwstor, the interior of the building re- mained unfinished, and the congregation sat on rough boards laid across carpenters' "horses." The pastor's salary was £60, and such "loose money" as should be contributed on Lord's Days. To aid in his support he taught the district school, hut such perquisites failed to make his i III (line sutTicient for the needs of his family, anliin'_^ in iSij at the Lower Falls, I hen the most im])ortant sec- tion of the town, the parish of St. Mary's. The village consisted of only a handful of houses with a population of about 250. There was no church nearer than the Second Parish of West Newton. Citizens of Need- ham, Weston, and Wellesley, who were also without a coiT\enient place of worship, imited with the few citizens of the Lower Falls, who had started services in 1811, in organizing a parish in 1812 and in incor- porating it on June 16, 1813, as the "Epis- copal Society of St. Mary's." A hall on the corner of Main and ("iiurch streets succeeded the schoolhouse, in wlii( h the first services were held, as a plare of wor- ship, and five months after incorporation the parish was enabled, through the gen- erosity of Samuel Brown of Boston, who presented two acres of land, and of other Boston friends, to lay, with Masonic rites, the corner-stone of the present church. On April 29, 1814, the building was con- secrated by Bishop Griswold, and in the same year the Parish joined the Conven- tion. The church was enlarged in 1838 and 1893, .but is substantially the same as when first erected. The early services of the i)arish were in charge of candidates for Holy Onkr-, aii.l c k-rgy from Boston ad- ministered the sacraments. It was not until 1822 that it was strong enough to support a minister, the Rev. Alfred Baury, who was ordained in November and served the church and community efficiently and faithfully for thirty years. He was a fine specimen of a gentleman of the old school, for ten years the secretary of the Diocesan Convention, and subsequently the rector of St. Mark's, Boston. During his incum- benc\' the communicants increased from 12 to 130 and the number of faniiUes"to over 100. A Sunday School was started in 1818. The present rector. Rev. Thomas L. Cole, began his work in November, 1 901. St. Mary's remained for over forty years the only Episcopal church in the town. During this time the Lower Falls was losing its place as the most important section of Newton, and other villages at the opposite end of the town were developing and cre- ating a demand for a new parish. A promising start was made in Newtonville in 1 85 1, the walls of a church having been parlly built, but owing to internal troubles the proiect was abandoned. Three years later ser\ices were held by Rev. Thomas F. Fales of Waltham in the house of Mr. Perry, at the corner of Galen and William streets, Watertown, which resulted in the organization, on September 27, 1855, of Grace Church parish. Services were held at first in Union Hall and afterwards in a wooden chapel at the corner of Washing- ton and Hovey streets, built in 1858. The Parish joined the Convention in the latter year. The present church building was built in 1873 and consecrated in 1887. The first rector was Rev. J. S. Copley Greene, who served for nine years. He was followed by Rev. P. H. Steenstra, Rev. Henry Mayer, and Rev. J. C. Jenckes. (^n January i, 1875, Rev. George Wolfe Shinn began his long and successful pas- torate, during which the chapel, parish house, choir guild hall, in memory of Bishop Brooks, and the Townsend Library were added to the building. Rev. Robert K. Smith was assistant rector from 1901 to 1905. Dr. Shinn resigned in iqo6 and was made Rector F^meritus. An attempt was made in 1857 to organ- ize a parish in West Newton, but si.xteen years elapsed before that section had a church. The "Church of the Messiah, West Newton" was legally organized on November 6, 1871, and two years later war admitted to the Coinciilion. Services were held at \\v>l in the village hall and the Unitarian Chm-rh, and afterwards in the chapel of Lasell Seminary. The present chapel was occupied in i88i,and the corner- stone of the church laid by Bishop Brooks in 1892. The chapel was designed and its erection superintended as a labor of love by Mr. Charles E. Parker, at one time senior warden. The first rector was Rev. H. F. Fay. The present rector, Rev. THE RELIGIOUS LIEE OF NEWTON «5 John Matteson, took charge on Septem- ber I, 1891. The first Episcopal church on the south side of the city was St. Paul's at Newton Highlands. On January 26, 1883, a pro- visional association was formed, which on April 23, 1884, was established by incor- poration as the "Parish of St. Paul's of Newton Highlands." The first service was held on February 4, 1883, in a hall in the post-ofSce building. On May i, 1883, ground was broken for a chapel, and on July 19, 1883, the parish held its first ser- vice in its own church. Five years later it was admitted into the Convention. In Services in Newton Centre were first held in i88g, being conducted by Rev. Carleton P. Mills, then rector of St. Paul's, Newton Highlands, and after he left by students from the Episcopal Theological School at Cambridge, including the present rector and Rev. Samuel G. Bajjcock, after- wards Archdeacon. " Trinity Association," under which name the organization was conducted, became Trinity Parish in 1892. The parish has had but one rector, Rev. Edward T. Sullivan, well known to the Episcopalians of the State as the successful editor of the " Church Militant " On Feb- ruary iq, 1893, its church was opened, and M\rn-^ 1 vi^'i op^i April, 1888, a rectory was purchased, and in 1905 its church was moved across the street and a parish house built. Fivej^rec- tors have ministered to the parish, the present rector. Rev. Clifford G. Twombley, having just completed his tenth year of service. It has a Sunday School of 159 pupils which has made for itself an unique reputation, being not only not a financial burden to the church, but a financial help. Lenten oft'erings of the school for 1906 exceeded by about $150 the joint offerings of all the schools of the other Newton Episcopal churches. The church also car- ries on an excellent social and reUgious work at the Upper Falls. three years later freed from debt. The lot on which the Lluin h now stands was bought in 1898 and the t hurch moved thereto and enlarged. The debt then incurred was discharged on January 20, 1907. Steps are now being taken to build a parish house. The Parish joined the Convention in 1894. The parish of the Church of the Re- deemer in Chestnut Hill was the result of the efforts of the St. Andrew Association. The first service was held on November 29, 1885, with Rev. Dr. Shinn, the rector of Grace Church, in charge. The associa- tion was organized on February 10, 1886, under a constitution, and on September 23, 1890, was incorporated under its present GG T?IE MIRROR OF NEWTOK name. Rev. Henry S. Nash was elected rector on November 21, 1887. The gener- osity of Mrs. Augustus Lowell furnished the parish with its present church, which was consecrated on June i, 1891. A parish house and rectory were subsequently built, and the church enlarged. The Par- ish joined the Convention in 1892. Rev. Mr. Nash served as rector and minister- in-charge until 1902. Rev. David C. Garrett succeeded him in 1903 and re- mained until 1905, when the present rector. Rev. Harry W. Perkins, took charge. St. John's, Newtonville, is the youngest of the Episcopal churches in the city. The first services were held in Temple Hall, Newtonville, in October, 1897, the Bishop officiating. Rev. Abel Millard began his services as rector in December, 1897. Upon his resignation in 1899 Rev. Richard T. Loring, the present rector, took charge. The parish was organized in 1900. Ser- \ices w^ere held in Temple Hall until the church on Lowell Avenue was opened on March 7, 1903. Although not yet ten years old, the parish has liatl a remarkable growth and has pnncd its ii-efuliiess. Its beautiful little church, ah'fad}- too small, its earnest rector, its xoiuiitcer \csted choir of men and wnmen under the leadership of .Mr. Elisha Avery, and the hearty co- operation of its members, injure it a pros- perous future. The sittings in all the Episcopal churches of the city are 2100, and are all free. Episcopal services have also been held for several years at Waban in the Church of the Good Shepherd, but the congregation has not yet been ofticially recognized as a parish or a mission. M.ARcus Morton. METHODISM IN NEWTON Methodism in the city of Newton is seventy-five years old. In the year 1826 a Methodist class was formed at Newton Upper I'allN, with a Mr. Warren as leader. The vius>itude> incident to a factory town resulted in the disbanding of the class because many of the members moved away and it was not easy to keep the little band together. In 1828 another class was formed, with seventeen members, and Mr. Marshall S. Rice was the successful leader. By his tact and enthusiasm he managed to keep the little company to- gether, and this faithful band were the nucleus of the church which was formed in 1832. This class grew in numbers, and a portion of it met at Lower Falls. At Upper Falls there was a building owned by the Eliot Company, which had been erected for the Universalists, in wluch services were held every other Sunday. Mr. Rice pro- posed to supply the pulpit free of charge, and his offer was accepted. In July, 1832, this property being offered for sale, Mr. Rice purchased it himself, paying for the building and repairs about $3500, " moved," as he said, "by a desire to do something for the cause of Christ, and the benefit of souls." The Methodists did not come into full possession of the property until April, 1833, from which time their progress has been rapid. The first Methodist sermon was preached in 1832 by Rev. Charles K. True, then a student at Harvard College, and from June i, 1833, the JNIethodist Episcopal Church at Newton Upper Fails became a station in the New England Conference. It is interesting to note that one of the first acts of this new church was to recommend four young men for the ministry. To-day there are seven ^Methodist F^pis- copal churches in the city of Newton, and the church property is valued at $288,000. The dates of the organization of the various Methodist societies are: Newton Upper F'ails 1832, Newtonville i860. Auburn - dale 1862, Newton 1864, Newton Lower Falls 1864, Newton Centre 1879, Newton Highlands 1890. These churches have a membership of 1025, and in the Sunday schools there are 1124. Surely the little one of 1832 has become a thousand. These churches to-day represent a prac- tical form of aggressive Christianity, and their work is a credit to the city as well as to the denomination they represent. Their pulpits have been filled by many men who have won considerable fame for preaching ability, and in the pews there have been noble and generous lawmen who have con- tributed time and influence and money to the welfare of the city. The founder of Methodism in Newton, Marshall S. Rice, was master of the famous Rice School. He was thoroughly respected for his scholar- ship and integrity, and his name is honored to-day as that of one of the remarkable men in our city's history. Methodism has had many like him in Newton, and the mem- TITF. RELIOTOUS IJFE OF NEWTON bership of our churches have been worthy of the respect and honor accorded them. The recent reports from these seven churches made at the annual session of the New England Conference in Lynn, Mass., lirst meetings for public worship were held in West Newton in 1844, in the old brick hotel on Washington Street. These meet- ings were discontinued after August of that year, but were resumed in 1847 in Village Courtesy of the Town Crier METHODIST CHURCH, NEWTON UPPER FALLS reveals the fact that all are earnestly at work with the best signs of prosperity known for many years. George S. Butters. UNITARIANISM IN NEWTON That portion of the Christian household which bears the Unitarian name is repre- sented in Newton by three churches. The oldest is the West Newton Parish. The Hall, on the corner of Washington and Waltham Streets. A .society was organ- ized in 1848 under the corporate title "The First Unitarian Society in Newton," and the Rev. William Orne White was ordained and installed as its pastor. Mr. White re- signed in 1850, and during the ne.xt ten years four other pastors came and went. In i860 the first house of worship was erected — a building of very modest pro- portions. Notwithstanding much opposi- GS THE MIRROR OF NEWTON lion, coming not only from the evangelical quarter, but also from its own denomina- tion because of certain radical tendencies regarded then as dangerous, the little soci- ety prospered, enlarging its building from time to time as need demanded. Rev. Francis Tiffany became its pastor in 1866, and excepting an interval of two years was its mini.-ler until 1883. Under his efficient leadership the i luirch won a place of dis- tinction in the denomination and of wide influence in the community. The ])resent therefore held meetings of their now in Union Hall, Newton Corner, with Dr. Converse Francis, of Har\-ard College, as their preacher. On September 2, 1851, a society was duly organized, and two years later Rev. Joseph Smith was called, who served as pastor until 1857. During that year a meeting-house was built, which was enlarged in 1867. The next minister vi'as Rev. E. J. Young, formerly a professor at Harvard University. Following him came Rev. Eli Fav, a brilliant preacher; then UXITARI.\X CHURCH, \\EST NE^\■TOX ])astor, Rev. Julian C. Jaynes, was ordained and installed in 1885. In 1905-6 the society, finding the old meeting-house inadequate, erected its pres- ent church and parish house. It is con- structed of stone and brick, and is de- signed to meet all the demands of modern church activities. The second church organized was the Channing Society at Newton. In early days, when Unitarian families were few in this locahty, they attended the First Parish Church at Watertown. As their numbers increased, however, they felt the need of a more convenient place of worship, and Rev. George W. Hosmer, President of Antioch College. After Dr. Hosmer's re- tirement in 1879, the parish called Rev. Francis B. Hornbrooke, whose scholarly at- tainments and power as a preacher soon became widely recognized. During Dr. Hornbrooke's pastorate a new church was built, one of the largest and most beautiful in the city. The present minister is Rev. Adelbert L. Hudson, who was installed in 1901. The third society is at Newton Centre. Religious services were first held on No- vember II, 1877, and in April of the next year the parish was regularly organized. THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF NEWTON 6!) The society used White's Hall as a place of meeting until 1880, at which time it was prosperous enough to build a church of its own. This building has since been en- larged and greatly improved, making it suitable for the increased activities of the parish life. The first minister was the Rev. Rufus P. Stebbins, D.D. His successors were Rev. Messrs. Horace L. Wheeler, Alex- ander T. Bowser, Benjamin F. McDaniel, Morgan Millar, Charles W. Wendte, and Alfred H. Brown, — who was installed as pastor in 1905. It will thus be seen that Unitarianism as an organized movement in Newton is of comparatively recent growth. When, nearly a century ago, many New England Congregational churches seceded from Cal- vinism and adopted the liberal theology, they carried with them the church property and their respective historic inheritances. But this was not the case in Newton. The churches were not visibly disturbed by the controversy, and remained loyal to the old faith. Unitarianism secured no foothold in Newton until long after it was the avowed faith of numbers of neighboring churches. It was introduced gradually by a new pop- ulation coming from other towns, and was reinforced from time to time as liberal fragments fell away from the established churches. It was not given a cordial welcome, and it recalls some of those early days when the atmosphere was charged with local hos- tilities and social frosts. Since then, how- ever, both sides have improved their man- ners. Unitarianism has become more con- structive and the old communions more tolerant and kind. The theological climate has changed, and it is quite within the truth to say that there is not a city in the land where the various Christian sects are more forgetful of the differences that divide, more eagerly co-operative for public good, more imbued with the spirit of charity and good wiU toward one another. Julian C. Jaynes. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEWTON The history of the Catholic Church in Newton dates back to a time just prior to the middle of the last century. In the year 1846, the Rev. Patrick Strain, pastor at Waltham, visited Newton Upper Falls and assembled the few Catholics of that day at the house of Mr. John Cahill. A small room at Mr. Cahill's was Newton's first Catholic chapel; and here, before a handful of worshippers, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered for the first time in this city. Father Strain and his successor at Waltham, Rev. Patrick Flood, continued to visit the Upper Falls from time to time, holding services always at the house of Mr. Cahill. In 1848, Father Flood established St. Patrick's Parish at Watertown, and went there to live. From that year until the founding of St. Mary's Parish at the Upper Falls, the Priests connected with the church at Watertown watched over the spiritual welfare of the Catholics of Newton, — ex- cepting, for a brief period, those who lived in the section known as West Newton. In the year 1865, this district became a mission of Waltham. ST. MARY'S, NEWTON UPPER FALLS During the administration of Father Patrick Flood, a beginning was made in the collecting of funds to build a church at the Upper Falls. He and his assistant, Rev. Bernard Flood, who later succeeded him at Watertown, came here to hold services at irregular intervals; and it was not until i860 that regular Sunday service was established. The Catholics, at this time, numbered three hundred; and Eliot Hall served them as a place of worship. Father Bernard Flood was succeeded at Watertown by the Rev. John McCarthy; and it was during the latter's administra- tion that the first CathoHc church in New- ton, St. Mary's at the Upper Falls, was built. The church was a frame building, 40 x 76 feet, and was dedicated by Bishop Williams, in 1867. St. Mary's became an independent Parish in 1870, with Rev. M. X. Carroll its first Pastor. The Rev. Michael Dolan suc- ceeded to Father Carroll's place, December 4, 1871, and said his first Mass as Pastor of St. Mary's on December 6th. The building of a transept by Father Dolan enlarged the church to a seating capacity of 1,000. He also constructed a basement to the building, frescoed the upper church, secured the property adjoining to be util- ized for school and convent, and purchased thirtv-six acres of land in the town of Need- THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ham, for cemetery purposes. For live years, the burden of his ministry was shared by the Rev. Michael Begley, a native of this Parish. Father Begley died a few years ago, while Pastor of the Church at Weymouth. Father Dolan left the church property in flourishing condition, when he was transferred to Newton, in 1885. The third Pastor of St. Mary's, the Rev. Martin O'Brien, lived but five years to carry on the work. He died November 10, 1890. His body lies in St. Mary's Churchyard. The present Rector, the Rev. Timothy J. Danahy, suciuedcd Father O'Brien in 1891. Before hi^ (dmin^, the Parish was divided; St. Maf\'s still re- taining parts of Waban, Newton Highlands, and the town of Needham. During his pastorate, the church has been redecorated, the Parish house renovated, and ample provision made for future Parish develop- ment. The handsome St. Joseph's Church at Needham is a monument to his zeal and taste. Father Danahy was ably as- sisted in his work for many years by the Rev. Cornelius Riordan, now Pastor at Rockport, Mass. His assistant at the present time is the Rev. Frederick J. Allchin. ST. BERNARD'S CHURCH, WEST NEWTON The Catholics of West Newton first met for public worship in the year 1865. The Rev. Bernard Flood, then Pastor at Wal- tham, summoned them, and a tent served them as a church. Services were after- wards held in the City Hall. The gener- osity of his little flock enabled Father Flood to purchase land at the corner of Washington and Prospect Streets; and here he began the erection of St. Bernard's, Newton's "second Catholic church. The corner-stone was laid November 12, 1871, by the Very Rev. P. F. Lyndon, Vicar- General of the Diocese of Boston. The church, a brick structure, was completed in 1874, and was dedicated early in that year by Bishop Williams. The congrega- tion grew so rapidly that in 1876 West Newton was made a Parish, and the Rev. M. T. McManus was appointed its first Pastor. Father McManus labored here until his transfer to St. Patrick's Church, Lawrence, in 1884. St. Bernard's second Rector, the Rev. Christopher McGrath, worked among his people but two years. His death occurred in June, 1886. Since that time the Rev. Lawrence J. O 'Toole has been in charge. On the evening of June 23, 1889, the church was destroyed by fire. It was immediately re- built, and on April 27, 1890, was dedicated by Archbishop John J. Williams, the people holding service meanwhile in City Hall. The present church is a handsome Gothic structure of brick, with lirown .sandstone trimmings, and has a seating capacity of 1,000. Besides rebuilding the church, Father O'Toole purchased the present Rectory and land adjoining; and a few years since, he secured a large property on Washington Street to the east of the church, to be used for school purposes. The Rev. Charles J. Galligan and the Re\-. Francis J. Cronin are associated with Fatiier O'Toole in the Parish work. OUR L.^DY's, NEWTON The largest of the Catholic churches in Newton is that of Our Lady, situated at the corner of Washington and Adams Streets. A hall at Newton Corner first served as chapel for the Catholics of this portion of the city. Here, in the fall of 1872, the people gathered under the direction of the Rev. M. M. Green, then Pastor oi Water- town. Father Green secured the land on which the present church stands, and began at once the erection of the church, the corner-stone of which was laid August 31, 1873. The basement was completed and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass first offered there on All Saints' Day, 1874. In August, 1878, Newton was set apart as a Parish, and Father Green became its first Pastor. Dur- ing his Pastorate, the superstructure of the church was completed, and on his death, in 1885, the Rev. Michael Dolan, until this time in charge of the Parish of Newton Upper Falls, assumed the rectorship. Father Dolan has been actively engaged in Church work in various parts of Newton since 1871, and what he has accomplished gives abundant evidence of his ability and zeal. On coming to this Parish, he gave his attention first to the building of a suit- able Parish house. The present Rectory, built of brick with brown sandstone trim- mings, was soon completed. This done, the debt on the church was cancelled, and three marble altars were placed in the basement. Each year of his incumbency has witnessed some marked improvement in the Church properly. THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF NEWTON Realizing that the Church, to reach the highest standard of efficiency, must be supported by the thorou.i;hly Christian education of the children, he undcrinok his greatest work, the establishiucnl ni the Parish school, with the consiriu licm of the buildings necessary for its successful opera- tion. A smaller building, utilized for heat- ing purposes, as well as the convent and school, are built of brick with granite trimmings, and in harmony with the church itself. The school building is well equipped, and modern in every par- ticular. At the present time it accom- modates 1,062 pupils, taught by twenty- one Sisters of Charity from Madison, N.J., at an annual saving to the city of more than $40,000. The school is free; and its curriculum is complete from kindergarten to classical and business high schools, fitting the pupils for college or business life. More recently. Father Dolan pur- chased 100,000 feet of land to the west of the Rectory, giving to the property a frontage of 540 feet on Washington Street and a depth of 750 feet on Adams Street. Less than three years ago, he began the reconstruction of the church. Some hidden defect in the original structure made it necessary to build transepts which would serve as a support to the main walls. This work involved the outlay of many thousands of dollars, but the result has more than justified the expenditure, the transepts giving the necessary strength and much beauty to the church. A fafade in the form of three Gothic porches was con- structed at the same time, and the whole church beautifully frescoed. The church, interiorly and exteriorly, is a fine type of the pure Gothic, and has a seating capacity of 1,600. Father Dolan is a Permanent Rector, and under his able management the church established here has taken a foremost place among church properties in the Arch- diocese of Boston. For more than twenty- years, his work was shared by the Rev. James Gilfether, now Rector of the Church of the Sacred Heart, West Lynn. His assistants at present are the Rev. James F. Kelly and the Rev. Aloysius S. Malone. ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, NEWTON LOWER FALLS The year 1870 witnessed the first gath- ering of Catholics at the Lower Falls to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. They assembled in Boyden Hall at the call of Rev. M. X. CarroU, first Pastor of the mother Parish of St. Mary's. Father Car- roll's successor. Rev. Michael Dolan, held services in the same hall for a number of years, securing meanwhile the present church site. In 1874, he built a small stable on the land; and the church build- ing, begun about the same time, was com- pleted in 1880. On May 8, 1881, it was dedicated by Archbishop Williams, under the name of St. John the Evangelist. St. John's ceased to be a mission of the Upper Falls in 1890; and in November of that year, the Rev. P. H. Callanan became its first Rector. Since his advent, the Church interests have steadily improved. He built the present Rectory, graded the spacious grounds, renovated, enlarged, and frescoed the church. Its seating capacity is now 800. The beauty of the entire property at the present time bespeaks the care and zeal of both pastor and people. The Rev. Edward F. McLeod, now of St. Joseph's, Boston, was Father Callanan's co-worker for several years. He is at present assisted by the Rev. John J. McGrath. CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART, NEWTON CENTRE Until the year 1890, the Catholics of Newton Centre worshipped at St. Mary's, Newton Upper Falls. On December 6th of that y«fe-, the Rev. Denis J. Wholey was sent to organize the Parish; and he held services each Sunday in .\s>(jciaiiiin Hall. A church site had been secured lj\- Father O'Brien, Pastor of St. .Mary's, and here, on August 5, 1891, Father Wholey began the erection of the present beautiful Church of the Sacred Heart. The corner- stone was laid October i8th of the same year, by Archbishop Williams, and the Holy Sacrifice was offered in the basement for the first time on the Christmas morning following. The church has since been en- larged and the superstructure completed. It was dedicated by Archbishop Williams, October i, 1899. The Church of the Sacred Heart is a brick structure, with pink granite trim- mings, Romanesque in style, and unique both in general design and in detail. The interior of the church, finished after the manner of a Roman Basilica, is an ex- quisite piece of work. The present Rec- 72 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON tory, which was remodelled by Fr. Wholey, will soon be replaced by a handsome brick structure in harmony with the church. In past years, Father Wholey was assisted by the Rev. George McDermott, now of St. John's Church, Worcester; and the Rev. Thos. J. Lee, who died October, 1905. The Rev. James Haney has been his assistant since May, 1905. The limited space allotted to this sketch allowed but the hriefe.-t menlidn cf material seed has grown. The future will unfold still greater things. James F. Kelly. THE NEWTONVILLE NEW- CHURCH SOCIETY In the spring of 1846 Mr. Davis Howard, a New-Churchman from Boston, built a house at what was then called "Hull's (■l■(l^^in''," now Xewtomillr. It was the ^T^^" nil ill details. Nothing has been said of the va- rious Church activities: the many socie- ties for men, women and children, parish visitation, etc. However, the simple story of the material development may well serve as an indication of the spiritual progress which produced it. The private room of 1850 has been replaced by si.\ churches, at which the Sunday attendance varies from 1,200 to 4,000. Some 15,000 Catholics now live within the limits of this city, and a dozen priests are necessary to minister to their spiritual wants. So the mustard first house that had been jjuill in the little village for more than twenty years. The next house built in Hull's Crossing was that of Mr. Timothy H. Carter in the following year. Mr. Carter had purchased a tract of about 30 acres in what is now the heart of Newtonville. Upon this tract several houses were built and occupied by Mr. Carter's friends connected with the Boston Society. This group of New-Church peo- ple began to hold Sunday services first in the house of Mrs. Howard, in 1849, ^^'^ afterwards in the house of Mr. Carter. THK RELKIIOUS LIFE OF NEWTON 73 These meetings were conducted generally by a lay reader, — but occasionally they had the service of a minister or licentiate. In 1857, Mr. John Worcester received and accepted a call *'^ i^e'^^'^e p"^*"-- "f the society which was inform ilh or^ini/cd at about this time. Wlitn he entered up n his duties as pastor (Oct. 25, 1857) Mr. Worcester was a licentiate, but in April, 1861, he was ordained as minister by his father, the- Rev. Dr. Thomas Worcester, pastor of the Boston New- Church Society, and from that time he discharged all the duties devolving upon a minister. The society after its formation con- tinued to hold its meetings for a time in Mr. Carter's house. As the mem- bership grew, a small hall on Bowers Street was made the place ()f meeting. Later for a few }ears ser- vices were held in a small unoccupied church building on Washington Street, and later still for a short time in an upper room in Tre- mont Hall building, ^^.j., then standing in Newtonville Square- During all these years, we may believe, the hopes and efforts of both pastor and people were centred in having a permanent church home of their own. This end was at- tained early in 1869 by the erection of a wooden chapel on Highland Avenue, where the present church now stands. It was deelicated April 11, 1869. In 1886-87 the present Sunday School building was erected. It was built of stone that it might be in keeping vnih a new and larger church edifice, which was then talked of, and which was built seven years later. The first service held in the new building was the Sunday after Easter in 1894, and the building was consecrated free from debt Easter Sunday, 1898. When this building was erected the smaller wooden of the lot to be u-.eel for Sund i\ Sehool ind ) il I uipo e The e itm CHURCH, MCWTOXXILLE of the church is about 400, and it is well equipped with organ, e'lei trie lighting, etc. In the other building- ailjiKciit there are Sunday School rooms, a .•>i)eial hall with a large well-appointed stage, a library, kitchen, coat and toilet rooms, etc. These rooms are freely used for the Sunday School and class meetings, for social and society meetings, and for meetings of the Woman's League, Young People's League, and committees connected with the society. Mr. Worcester died May i, 1900, having served as pastor of the society for more than forty-two years in relations both to the society and to the community that can be 74 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON said to 1)6 little short of ideal. He had been permitted to see in that time his flock grow from a little company of worshippers in a private parlor to a congregation of two hundred or more in a commodious church. Mr. Worcester's e.xalted character and great ability gave him a prominent place in the church at large, and therefore wider in- terests than those of his little parish had a large claim upon his time almost from the first. He was for several years pro- fessor and President of the New-Church Theological School, Presiding Minister of number in attendance upon the church services has always been greatly in e.xcess of the number of church or society mem- bers. The membership of the society is but little more than one hundred, w'hile the congregation frequently numbers more than twice as manv. John T. Prince. UNn'KRSALl^T CHURCH, NKW T(J-\ \ 1 LI. the Massachusetts Association, and Presi- dent of the General Convention. In addition to these duties, he did much in the way of writing and translating, as is shown by the books that have been published in his name. A few months after the death of Mr. Worcester, the Rev. John Goddard, of Cincinnati, was called to become the second pastor of the society. He consented to come as minister for a year, begin- ning his ministry February g, igoi, and a year later he became full pastor. The hold that the two pastors have had upon the general public has been such that the THE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH The Universalist Society of Newtonville was the outgrowth of a missionary move- ment made in 1870. The first to be identified with it were several persons who had been connected with the "Newton and Watertown Universalist Society" and the " Waltham Universalist Society," viz., William Page, E. F. Tainter, E. S. Farnsworth, and others, who had been members of neighboring church- es, also E. T. Trofitter, Eben Hig- gins, and H. M. Small. Mrs. Mary T. Goddard added her influence and generous support. The first meeting was held in the small hall o\er Williams's Drug Store, in New- ton\ille Square. Rev. T. B. Thayer, D.D., preached the first sermon, in February, 1871. In the following spring, the societv removed into Tremont Hall. The legal organization of the -ociety was effected early in A])rii, 187 1, and a vote was passed July 22, 1872, to purchase land on \\'ash- ington Park, Newtonville, for the erection of a church edifice. The corner-stone of a beautiful stone church was laid October 22, 1872, and the building was dedicated June 26, 1873. Rev. J. Coleman Adams, the first pastor, took charge of the society in September, 1872, and was ordained December 19, 1872. The church was organized in February, 1873, with thirteen members. The first deacons were Elijah F. Tainter and Edward T. Trofitter; afterwards, Henry Ross. In 1880, Mr. Adams resigned his charge and removed to Lynn. After his resignation the church was without a pastor for about a year, when Rev. C. EUwood Nash accepted a call, and remained with the society for three years, until June, 1884. THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF NEWTON In October, 1884, Rev. Rufus A. White became the pastor and continued with the society until 1892. During his pastorate the addition of a large and beautiful parish house to the main building was made, and two very successful fairs were held to raise money for this object, — one netting some- thing like $1000, the other $1600. Rev. Ira A. Priest followed Rev. Mr. Wliite, and the subsequent pastors have been Rev. Charles S. Nickerson, Rev. S. G. Dunham, and Rev. Albert Hammatt, the present incumbent. Albert H.-^mm.^tt. CHURCH OF YAHVEH (SECOND ADVENT) The Church of Yahveh was organized in April, 1886, with twenty-five members, at Newton Upper Falls. Some years later a Sunday School was opened, and the present membership is ten. Being in a manufacturing vil- lage, with its changing pop- ulation, largely foreign, we have not made much pro- gress as far as increase in numbers is concerned. Our chapel was built in 1886 and dedicated Octoljcr 17 of that year. The founder and first pastor was Luther T. Cunningham. He re- mained in charge until his death in September, 1898. The present pastor is Martin L. Cunningham, son of the above, who has offici- ated since 1898. There are quite a number of people of our faith in Newton, some of whom attend services in Boston or some nearer place. We do not see the aggressive work done that we would like to, but we are trj-ing to fill our place in the religious life of the city as best we can. We have one preaching service a week, every Sun- day at 2.30 P.M. Our Sunday School is held at 1.30 p.m. M. L. Cunningham. THE NEWTON THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTION The founding of the Institution dates from a large and representative meeting of Baptist ministers and laymen at the First Baptist Meeting House in Boston, May 25, 1825. It was unanimously re- solved to found a school for the theological training of men for the Baptist ministry. A strong committee at once began the work of perfecting an organization, .'■electing a site, and preparing for the opening of the school. So vigorously did they act, that in June they had selected and purchased the Peck estate in Newton Centre as the site for the school. The " Mansion House," built in the English fashion, was used, after some alterations, as a dormitory, lecture hall, and chapel. In November the work of instruction began. It is safe to say that the influence of Father Grafton, pastor of the Baptist Church in Newton Cen- tre, was paramount in the locating of the Institution. The old Mansion House was taken down in 1876, and on its site was erected, in 1895, the beautiful and classic Hills Library building, which was largely the gift of Mrs. E.M. Hills and the bequest of Mr. J. C. Hartshorn, both of whom were residents of Newton. Mr. H. H. Kendall of Newton Centre was the architect. Farwell Hall, a dormitory building, was erected in 1828 and wholly remodelled in 1898. Colby Hall, a fine stone building containing the lecture-rooms, was erected in 1866, largely through the generosity of Mr. Gardner Colby of New- ton Centre. It was remodelled in 1897, in which year the beautiful Colby Chapel which is attached to it was made ready THE MIRROR OV NFAVTON for use. Sturtevant Hall, a dormitory and dining hall, was built in 1873, mainly through the kindness of Mr. B. F. COLBY HALL Sturtevant of Jamaica Plain. The Presi- dent's House was built in 1900 through a bequest of E. C. Fitz, Esq., of Boston. The Gymnasium, the Central Heating Plant, and the artistic stone Well House over the ancient well are useful ad- juncts of the school. These buildings, which are visible for miles in every direc- tion, crown the beautiful hill in Newton Centre, and are set in the midst of fitting park-like grounds of great charm, which are freely and hospitably open to all citizens of Newton. The Rev. Irah Chase, D.D., was the first professor, and the framer of the first curriculum, which covered a period of three years of study in order to gradua- tion, and which was the most thorough and e.xtensive theological course known among Baptists of that period. It re- quired the study of the Holy Scriptures in the original Hebrew and Greek. This curriculum has been kept up to date by the addition from time to time of such studies and research work as increasing knowledge has required, and is now re- garded in its range and quality as abreast of those of the best theological schools of the country. The work is divided into six departments: Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Theology and Ethics. Church History, Homiletics, and Elocu- tion. The Institution has had a suc- cession of eminent scholars and teachers in its facultv. Amongst these, Irah Chase, D.D.. H. J. Riplev, D.D., Barnas Sears, D.D., LL.D., H. B. Hackett, D.D., LL.D., Alvah Hovey, D.D., LL.D., Heman Lincoln, D.D., O. S. Stearns, D.D., S. L. Caldwell, D.D., LL.D., were men of such rank as to give distinction to any theological seminary. The present Faculty consists of the following: President Nathan E. Wood, D.D., J. M. English, D.D., C. R. Brown, D.D., S. S. Curry, LL.D., J. B. Thomas, D.D., LL.D., F. L. Ander- >on, D.D., W. N. Donovan, Ph.D., G. E. Horr, D.D., H. K. Rowe, Ph.D. By gifts and service various citizens of Newton have shown their friendship for the school. Among them ought to be named Gardner Colby, Thomas Nickerson, and Stephen Greene. The gifts of Gardner Colby, the largest giver to its funds in New England, were REV. .\LVAH HUVEY, about $100,000. The Institution has sent out from its halls about fifteen hundred men, many of whom have THE RKLI(;i()US LIFE OF NEWTON attained great usefulness and distinction as educators, preachers, pastors, authors, mis- sionaries, and philanthropists. Such great presidents as B. Sears, A. Hovey, E. G Robinson, M. B. Anderson, H. G. Weston E. Dodge, A. W. Sawver, S. Talbot, J. N Gushing, D. A. W. Smith, E. B. Andrews such professors as J. S. Maginnis, J. L Lincoln, H. Lincoln, O. S. Stearns, B Manly, J. H. Gilmore, W. H. Kicrstcad C. Goodspeed, S. Burnham, R. S. Cdlwcll such preachers as Wm. Hague, R. "*!. Neale, E. L. Magoon, G. D. Boardman, A. J. Gordon. J. W. Smith, T. D. Ander- son; such missionaries as F. Mason, B. C. Thomas, J. Goddard, J. L. Binney, L. Jewett, C. H. Carpenter, J. N. Gushing, E. A. Stevens; all these and a host of others equally worthy are the sons to whom the Institution thankfully and proudly points. They have girdled the globe with their usefulness, and their fame is in all the churches. Nathan E. Wood. THE WALKER MISSIONARY HOME This institution, the ipioneer among homes for missionarv children in this country, is located at the confluence of Hancock and Grove Streets in Auburndale, on the estate formerly owned by Rev. Sewall Harding. In 1867 Mr. Harding's daughter, Mrs. Eliza H. Walker, after fourteen years' service as a missionary in Turkey, returned a widow to her father's house. At the next annual meeting of the American Board, the care of missionary children in this country came up for dis- cussion, some sad cases of neglect and ill- treatment having become known, and as a result, Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Z. Styles Ely of New York were appointed a com- mittee to assist missionaries to find suitable homes for their children. Mrs. Walker having secured a house for herself and her children, it occurred about this time that a missionary soon to return to Micronesia sought her aid in finding homes for a little son and daughter. Fail- ing in several efforts to find suitable places for them, ^Irs. Walker took them into her own family as her contribution to the cause for which she was asking aid from others. But friends hearing of this insisted on shar- ing the financial burden, and recognizing in this a special call to a work for which she seemed peculiarly fitted as a mother and herself a former missionary, she consented to receive other children on the same plan, till the family grew beyond the capacity of her own house. On the death of her parents, Mrs. Walker used their house for a time for the overflow, and in 1879 she pur- chased it and enlarged it to its present capacity. Later, an adjoining estate was added, its house, now called the Walker Cottage, to serve as a residence for mis- sionary families when at home on a fur- lough, and the barn, converted into a dwelling, now called the Walker Lodge, for the use of a 'caretaker for the premises. Some 3^ears after the enlargement of the main house, the place was purchased of Mrs. Walker and deeded to the American Board to insure the permanence of the institution, as its need was now fully dem- onstrated. A special board of trustees holds the property and a board of lady managers supervises its domestic affairs. Up to the present time, nearly three hun- dred missionary children and nearly two hundred missionary families have enjoved the ho.spitality of the Home. Dean A. Walker. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON HOME FOR THE CHILDREN OF MISSIONARIES At the corner of Centre and Gibbs Streets, stands a large, brown house, substantial 3^et attractive. Trees and shrubs abound on the west and north lawns, with a tennis court on the south and a venerable willow that serves for gymnasium. This is the Home for Children of Missionaries" built by the Woman's Baptist Foreign Mis- sionary Society, at the earnest request of a missionary from China, Rev. S. B. Part- ridge. He was facing the supreme trial of missionaries, — the separation from their children. In consultation with friends, he devised a wise plan for a Home, and begged the Woman's Society to establish it. They consented to do so, not as an integral part of their own work, but as a help to the Missionary Union. The residence of Dr. S. F. Smith was rented, while he was abroad ; and in 1882, a lot was purchased and the house built. The parents pay what they can towards the support of their children, and the Woman's Society supplies what is lacking. Twenty-four are now in the Home, girls and boys from nine to eighteen years old. Of the eighty-eight who ha\e been there, si.x are teachers, five physicians, seven foreign missionaries, two superin- tendents of Sunday Schools, and others are looking forward to similar positions. So far as is known, not one has proved to be unworthy. The grateful letters recei\'ed from parents assure us that our labor has not been in vain. Two devoted Superintendents have been in charge, Mrs. Jean !McKinlay, for seven- teen years, and Miss Susan E. Barrett, for eight vears. Mrs. Alvah Hovey. HASSELTON HOUSE Hasselton House, 40 Chase Street, New- ton Centre, was built in 1895 by the Woman's Baptist Foreign Missionary So- ciety, after an e.xperiment of five 3'ears had convinced the board of directors of that society of the wisdom of providing special training for its missionary candidates. Through the courtesy of the trustees and faculty of the Newton Theological Insti- tution, the young women resident there are admitted to the classes at the Institu- tion. A course in missions and occasional lectures on kindred topics are given at Hasseltine House. The society counted itself fortunate in securing as head of the house a missionary mother of seventeen years' experience in Burma. Mrs. O. L. George has successfully filled for sixteen years the position of mother and helper to the many girls who have been fitted for higher and better service for their ^Master by a sojourn in this beautiful home. Since the house was built, about seventy- five girls have spent a term in study there, fifty of whom are now at work in distant lands. In the cases of the others ill-health or other disqualifications have been dis- covered, and thereby a wise saving of time and money has been made, and many sad disappointments averted. The society therefore feels that the enterprise has been a wise and profitable investment for mis- sions. Mrs. M. Gr.^nt Edm.ai^js. PHASES OF NEWTON CIVIC LIFE THE NEWTON FREE LIBRARY AND ITS BRANCHES BY ELIZABETH P. THURSTON THE Newton Free Library and its six branches, or in other words the seven wonders of the modern world, are situated in various parts of Newton. The main library came into existence almost forty years ago, arising out of different minor organizations finally centralized through the foresight and financial aid of J. Wiley Edmands and other earnest workers. The library was organized in 1869; the building was dedicated and opened in 1870, and in 1871 the Newton Free Library was incor- porated by the Legislature of Massachu- setts. It has grown gradually during these years to its present importance. It ac- commodates more inhabitants than any other building in New-ton. Upwards of 60,000 genial souls sit in their places ready at any time to come down and converse with whosoever comes in, and never are they too busy to lend their inspiration to any seeker. That is, they are in their places unless they are out visiting, for they are somewhat of a gadding nature, in KKKE LIIiKAKV, so THE ,M1RR()1< OF NEWTON fact belong to the famih' of the Go-Goes, and thousands of them are at any time to be found making calls at the houses or schools of Newton. Indeed, there have been chronicled upwards of 170,000 of these visitations in one year. The eldest daughter, the West Newton Branch, is more than half a century older than its mother. In 1798 the West Parish Society Library was organized, and later its books were turned over to the Athe- n;tum, which afterwards gave itself to the city; in 1894 the city made it part of the Newton Free Library. Auburndale next, through its Village Improvement Society, started a reading-room and reference library which, in about three months, came to be sister to the West Newton Branch. At Newton Centre a Library Association had been founded in 1859 by Hon. J. F. C. Hyde and others. The books gathered were given to the Newton Library in 1873. Later a reading-room was maintained by the Newton Centre Associates, which be- came afterwards Branch number three of the Newton Free Library. The Quinobecjuin Association at Upper Falls took the initiative soon in establish- ing its reading-room, and the Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Colossus of two Roads, is the result. Nonantum could not be left Ijehind, and in 1906 by subscriptions collected for the purpose opened its reading-room, which is now another branch of the main librar_\-. Three months later, in Newtonville, the seventh wonder, the watch tower or Pharos, which has its eagle eye almost upon the high school, began its career. This branch, though the youngest, is already a vigorous infant and is reaching out for all the good things enjoyed by the others. Through the si.x branches the benefits of the library are brought nearer to the Newton people. Each branch has a deposit of books all the time from the main library, which books are circulated from the branch and are frequently exchanged for a fresh supply. Five other agencies for the distribution of books— at Newton Highlands, Waban, Lower Falls, Oak Hill, and Chestnut Hill- help to make a connection between readers and books. The messenger who carries the books drives from thirty to thirty-five miles a day, collecting the books in the forenoon and carrying others back in the afternoon. The circulation through these eleven distributing agencies forms from sixty to sixty-five per cent, of the whole circulation. The affairs of the institution are ruled over by the seven wise men of the West. At least seven has been the number of trustees, but since the death of Hon. Will- iam Claflin no wise man has yet risen up to succeed him. In 1876 the library gave itself into the arms of the City Fathers, since which time it has been supported by an annual appropriation from the city. Different citizens have felt the importance of the work that the library is accomplish- ing in the community, and have shown their interest by giving or bequeathing money in the form of funds, the incomes from which are used for adding to the books. The Alden Speare Fund of $1000 is to help supjsly books dealing with manufactures and the mechanic arts; the Jewett Art Fund aids the fine arts collection of books, pict- ures, etc. The Charles Read Fund gives yearly from four to five hundred dollars for books; the Farlow Reference Fund of $5000 adds to the reference department; the Elizabeth L. Rand Fund will help with books of a general nature, and the John C. Chaffin Fund of S5000 will add books of an elevating and instructive character. The branches have collections of the important books of reference, such as dic- tionaries, atlases, encyclopaedias, etc., and the seven reading-rooms supply periodicals for the readers of each village. There are furnished at the main reading-room about one hundred and twenty-five magazines and about forty newspapers, and a lesser number at each of the branches. A Young People's Room in the main library has proved of great advantage to the younger members of the community, who much enjoy its privileges. The children have access to the shelves in an attractive room, which is under the charge of an assistant very fond of children and eager to aid them in every way. The Newton schools, both public and private, make great use of the library. Frequently two or three hundred books are sent to the schools in one day, showing that the pupils of Newton drink deep at this Pierian Spring. At least the teachers and librarians lead the children by the halter to the water; it is to be assumed that for the rest of their lives they will really prefer to read the " Prolegomena and Meta- physical Foundations of Ratiocination" NEWTQN CHARITIES 81 rather than "The Pirate's Bride" and similar works. Sunday Schools make use of the books also. They have collections of fifty to a hundred books which they keep for per- haps three months at a time, and then change for a new selection. Newton has scores, perhaps hmidreds, perhaps thousands, possibly millions, of clubs. These clubs find the library abso- lutely indispensable for their work. The books are more than pleased, they are an.xious to receive invitations to the women's clubs. They go in great numbers when tliey are invited. The photogn^phs are also ready to accept, and proud of, invita- tions from club members. The library has an e.xcellent representative collection of photographs of the paintings of the old masters, and one illustrating sculpture. These have proved very helpful to teachers and students of art. There is also a large collection of geographical scenes which are much used by travel clubs, schools, and individuals. The stereoscope and stereo- scopic views have also proved very helpful and entertaining, both in the library and for circulation. Cases have been made to hold a stereoscope and fifty or one hundred views of different countries. Lantern slides have recently been ordered, and will soon be ready to loan to those having the lan- tern and wishing the pictures for lectures, talks, etc. There is a good selection of sheet music which is used by the music lovers. The collection numbers about six hundred vol- umes, and additions are made from time to time. A very full card catalogue at the main building helps students and readers to dis- cover the resources of the library, and efi'orts are being made to duplicate the card catalogue at the various branches. The recent additions are catalogued in these, and it is hoped that gradually, by working backwards, the branch catalogues will tell more and more the contents of the whole library. Bulletins are issued ten times a year, and weekl}- lists of new books are printed in the local papers. All those in the library and its branches have to know ever}-thing. They have many questions asked them and they always an- swer them, — correctly, perhaps, if they have had previously a chance to look up the answers. A library is expected to be ready to solve any problem that may be propounded. The following are some of the conundrums at which the Newton Library has tried its hand: — What is the connection between Thunias Jcffirson and horned frogs? How cxiilaiii the mrpuscu- lar theory of light in coiuradi-tiiu lion to the wave theory ? What is the rema inder of the poem "In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue" ? How find material for a debate on the tariff? What is the best' thing on the manners and customs of the Sa.xons and Normans before the Conquest ? How find an article that came out five or si.x years ago on athletics? The best brief outline of the "Canterbury Tales"; the best work on the earlier poertis of Virgil, before the /Eneid; a few books on the social life of Holland at the time (if Fran> Hals; -the book on Renaissance An hittn tiire; some- thing in German ahciul IKiiiriih Heine; the up-to-date stati^tit- ni' iinciiiiicrance in Norway; books for iiualiil-; li.ic)k> to read aloud; a killing book (that is, bloodshed and battle); the book of Life; poems on politeness; Did Shakespeare write Shake- speare ? A synopsis of Herbert Spencer's philosophy; something on methodized re- productive invention, " for we are reading 'Quentin Durward' at school, and that, you know, is original invention." If our Newton Library cannot meet such demands it is not a perfect library. NEWTON CHARITIES THE NEWTON HOSPITAL THE history of the Newton Hospital may be grouped under four chap- ters: I. How there came to be a hospital in Newton; II. What the hospital has done to relieve suffering here; III. How it has benefited well people ; IV. What it has done for other places. These chap- ters fully written out would be of consider- able length, for there is much to tell, but as space is limited here only the briefest outline of the story can now be told. NEWTON CHARITIES 83 Those who would know more, especially concerning names, dates, statistics, methods, and various other details, are referred to the reports which have been printed each year, and to the records which have been carefully kept. I. HOW THERE CAME TO BE A HOSPITAL IN NEWTON There were very few hospitals in this countr}' twenty-five years ago. Some of the large cities had institutions of consider- able size, and here and there were smaller ones erect- ed and endowed through the gener- osity of wealthy persons as memo- rials. Very few per- sons then had any expectation that the day would come when in almost any community of ten thousand people a weU-equipped hos- pital could be estab- lished and main- tained. This latter fact has now been demonstrated so that we find in ever}- direction the small hospital. The Newton Hos- pital has the honor of being a pioneer in the work of showing the possibility of small hospitals. The need of it was felt here long before the hospital was established, for there were delays and difficulties in transporting the sick and the injured to Boston institutions, and some- times, owing to the crowded condition of those places, the applications from outsiders could not be considered. Beside this the improvements made in medical and surgical practice demanded conditions and appli- ances which were better provided in a hospital than in many homes. To some persons who were consulted it seemed to be so great an undertaking to start a hospital here that they doubted its feasibility. There were others, however, who had studied the matter with greater care, and who believed that the movement would meet the favor of the Great Physi- cian. After numerous conferences and meetings, extending over several years, the hospital was begun. The first meet- ing for conference was held in 1880. The first building was opened in 1886. There were two measures adopted which were novel and which seemed to some almost impracticable then. The trustees agreed that the two leading schools of med- icine should meet here upon equal terms, and that no resident physician should be KICK \-IEW, DENNISON CHILDREN'S AVARD placed at its head, but that the internal man- agement should be in charge of a matron under the general guidance of a medical board. It had been believed by some that "old school" and "new school" practi- tioners could not be brought together in any cooperative work, but the experiment begun here has been successful. It was thought too that a IkmiI ]ih\.si( ian with assistants was necessary for the .successful management of any hospital, but it was soon shown here that the trained nurse as a matron with executive ability was equal to what was required. One other fact to be borne in mind is that Newton had then, as it has now, a number of intelligent and skilled physicians, surgeons and specialists always willing to give most freely of all they had to the building up of this institution. There is 84 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON no money equivalent that would enable us to say what the value of the services of these men has been. Enthusiasm, learn- ing, and time have been their offering to this remarkable success. Newton also had then some citizens who were interested in all benevolent enter- prises and who were willing to study this matter. Was a hospital really needed here ? Was the scheme practicable ? The friends of the movement soon found them- selves confronted by two classes of objectors. One class was made up of people in com- fortable circumstances who declared that they needed no hospital for themselves. They could get what they required in their own homes or in private institutions. , The other class was made up of people who looked suspiciously at all hospitals as places where those who could not get well at home were sent to die. With some there wa« almost a superstitious dread that if they went to a hospital they would never come out alive. These objections had to be overcome, and it took time and trouble to overcome them, but at length a small sum of money was collected, a site bought, and the first buildings were erected. On the sth of June, 1886, the hospital was opened. There is a great contrast between the appearance of the property as it was that June day and as we find it now, twenty-one years later. Then two wooden buildings, now a group consisting of six wooden buildings and eleven well- appointed brick buildings. But it has not reached its limit yet, for other additions are contemplated. II. WHAT THE NEWTON HOSPITAL HAS DONE TO RELIEVE SICK AND SUFFERING PEOPLE IN NEWTON It was the thought of some of its founders _ tliat perhaps twenty-five or thirty or, at the most, fifty persons might be treated each }'ear. One new patient each week would have been a large estimate. The admis- sions the very first year, 1886, were 40. The second 3'ear the number was 121. It was 927 in 1904, and 950 in 1905. The highest number was 998 in 1899. The whole number for 20 years has been 10,950, an average of 547 for each year. Who can put into language what it means to offer shelter and treatment to such an army? Some of them came too late to be cured, so far as we could see, and the Great Dis- poser of events alone can solve the mysteries of life and death in other cases, but the number of cured cases, or improved, has been very large, reaching a percentage of over 92 per cent, of those admitted. But this does not tell the whole story, for the spread of disease has been checked in homes and neighborhoods and the dread of it has been relieved. Still more, the principles of healthful living have been taught by precept and by example, and the restored patient has gone back home, in many in- stances, to be an advocate of more whole- some conditions. A kindly spirit has always pervaded the institution. Doctors and nurses have won the affection of pa- tients, and people have gone away not only well in body, but cheered and refreshed and encouraged to take up their work in life again. This feature of the hospital has always been noted. Now and then some one has not fitted in with his surroundings, or the querulousness of sickness has pre- vented his appreciating what has been done for him, but ordinarily the patient has left the hospital the friend of the hospital. It must not be overlooked that the people who have enjoyed the benefit of the hos- pital are not only those who have come here for treatment, but their families and the neighborhood in which they live, es- pecially in the case of contagious diseases. We may say that the cost of maintaining the hospital has been repaid by the in- creased protection which the isolation of patients has secured to others, and by the speedy restoration of sick people to their usual employments. As an economic meas- ure a community finds it profitable to ward off sickness from its people as much as it can, and to hasten the recovery of the health of those who are overcome. This last remark leads us to the third chapter of this short history. III. HOW THE HOSPITAL HAS BENEFITED WELL PEOPLE IN NEWTON One very important matter has been stated, viz. protection against disease, as well as attempting to cure disease. The home and the surroundings of every citizen have been made safer because of the estab- lishment of the hospital. Then too the character of the medical and surgical practice of all reputable physicians in Newton has been improved ijy the presence of the hospital here, for NEWTON CHARITIES 85 the institution registers whatever advances are made in medicine and surgery. The best appliances, the best remedies, the most successful methods become known in hospital practice, and the doctors in the vicinity may thus keep themselves in touch with the improvements made in their profession. The hospital is not a selfish rival, but really a helper of every doctor, a sharer with all of whatever is best, and consequently every family in Newton reaps whatever advantage comes from the dis- covery of better methods of caring for the sick and the injured. There is a form of usefulness for which the hospital is responsible, but it can hardly be expressed in words. It has been very helpful to well people in giving them oppor- tunity to follow out the teachings of Him who went about doing good. It is a con- stant reminder that they should show sym- pathy for all who in this transitory life are overcome by disease or accident. They have learned that it is more blessed to give than to receive. If it were proper here to quote from the minutes and resolu- tions adopted from time to time, or to repeat the stories told to groups of friends, it would be easy to show that some of those who tried to help the hospital found their own lives greatly enriched, and grew in beauty and strength of character. IV. WHAT THE HOSPITAL HAS DONE OUT- SIDE OF NEWTON Reference has already been made to its having been a pioneer in the work of the small hospital. It became a model after which many small hospitals in other places have been fashioned, and it has steadily kept itself in the forefront in the character of its buildings and the effectiveness of its administration. Newton people may feel an honest pride in knowing that all over the land the Newton Hospital has long been highly regarded by people who are interested in the best methods of hospital construction and management. There is one branch of the hospital work which has been especially helpful outside of our city — the School for Nurses. It graduated its first class in 1890 and up to the present time has sent out about 150 well-trained nurses. In various hospitals and institutions far and near, and in many cities and towns, these graduates are now found doing well and faithfully the work for which they were fitted, and showing that their training received here was broad and complete. Our graduate nurses would certainly do honor to any institution, and so when we speak of the work of the hospital as extending bevond our city we have the right to point to our nurses and say, "These efficient workers received their training in Newton." One of the most important influences which our hospital has e.xerted outside of the city in which it is placed is in en- couraging other people to establish hos- pitals in their own communities. Without repeating what has been said as to its doing pioneer work for small hospitals in the way of demonstrating their possibility, let it be noted that our hospital has helped the growth of the view now extensively held, that any city to be in the line of the for- ward movement must have in it the Church, the School House, the Public Library, and the Hospital. George W. Shinn. THE NEWTON HOSPITAL AID ASSOCIATION On May 5, 1885, ground was broken for the first building to be erected by the Newton Cottage Hospital Corporation. On September 24th of the same year, an organization of women was effected, under the name of the Newton Hospital Aid Association, the object of which was "to furnish the hospital and to assist in its maintenance." President, vice-president, secretary, treas- urer, and a director from each ward of the city were elected at this meeting, which was large and enthusiastic. Proffers of assistance poured in from individuals, church organizations, children's clubs, and societies of all sorts, and a season of great activity was thus inaugurated. This little band of directors— whose numbers were later largely increased — labored most de- votedly, personally soliciting gifts of all kinds, membership fees, and contributions of money, and did much also to disarm prejudice, correct misapprehension, and establish confidence in the new project. The hospital was opened June 5, 1886. At the close of this year the association had secured $3726.32, and its membership numbered 410. In the early years, besides THE MIRROR OF NEWTON furnishing wards and supplying needs from month to month, the association con- tributed largely to the running expenses of the hospital. In 1888 the buildings were repainted, $150 was appropriated for surgical instruments, and a vote was passed to devote $300 annually to the support of a free bed; in 1890, $700 was given to furnish contagious and private wards; soon after this internal repairs were made in the Administration Building; in 1892, $250 (afterwards increased by subscriptions to $574) was appropriated as a memorial to Miss Palmer, and was later used in furnishing the front room in the Nurses' Home. In 1898, $1500 was collected towards furnishing new wards, and a large reception, held at the hospital November 14th, increased public interest, which had been newly aroused by the opening of the Haskell-Emerson Operating Building, the Eldredge, Dennison, and Mellen Bray wards. At the annual meeting, January 17, 1899, a resolution was passed establishing an endowment fund for the benefit of the hospital. Then, in quick succession were furnished the new laundry, the new diph- theria and scarlet fever buildings, and the new Thayer ward. When these latter were opened by the trustees another large reception was held, giving the public an opportunity to inspect all the hospital buildings. In April, 1902, the association entered upon its crowning work by voting to raise $3000 for a new kitchen and bakery. Zealously and steadily was this work pushed to completion, though it was never allowed to interfere with the regular ap- propriations for the free bed and endow- ment fund or the liberal supply of ne- cessities for the hospital, reported from month to month. Not only $3000, but over $10,000, was secured, and the new building was erected and named in memory of the beloved president, who had labored devotedly for it, the "Harriet Gould Paine Domestic Building." On May i, 1906, a large reception and donation party was held at the hospital, when Ellison Hall, the Domestic Building, the diet kitchen, and other new rooms in the Administration Building were opened to the public. This gathering was so successful, both socially and as affording substantial aid to the hospital, that it has been decided to make it of annual re- currence, upon the first day of May. It should be stated that two members of the board of directors are from Wellesley; the residents of that town, besides other donations, contribute $300 annually for the support of a free bed. In this sketch of what has been accom- plished in its twenty years of service, representing an outlay of nearly $34,000, it must be clearly stated, in closing, that the Hospital Aid Association recognizes that all its efforts would have been of no avail but for the generous support of the citizens of Newton and their great liberality towards the sick and suffering of their city. M.AEY A. Bellows. THE NEWTON HOSPITAL CATHO- LIC AID SOCIETY This society was organized in April, 1905, its object being to assist the hospital in caring for patients who are unable to receive necessary medical attention in their own homes. The society is composed of mem- bers of the five Catholic parishes of New- ton, and has a president, two vice-presi- dents, secretary, and treasurer, with an executive board of twenty, four from each parish. In June, two months after its organization, the society was able to give to the hospital six hundred dollars, for the maintenance of two free beds, and in April of the following year the same amount was donated. The membership fee is one dollar per year, and there is also an honorary membership fee of not less than fi\'e dol- lars. Entertainments have been given twice each year, which have added quite materi- ally to the funds of the society, and at the same time have been a source of much pleasure to the members and their guests. Theres.\ a. Holdex. THE NEWTON DISTRICT NURSING ASSOCIATION This association was organized in May, 1898, its object to be caring for the sick poor at their homes, and giving instruction in home nursing and wholesome living, by hospital trained nurses. At half past seven in the morning, the district nurse, bag in hand, containing all the most necessary articles used in the sick-room, starts on her NEWTON CHARITIES 87 daily rounds. Many days she visits from ten to twelve patients, bathing the babies, making comfortable the mothers, dressing wounds, putting in order the room, and teaching the simple rules of ventilation, hygienic living, and generally carrying out the orders of the physician in charge. Such is the work of the district nurse. Another important feature of the work is the Supply Closet, in which are kept baby clothes, night-gowns, and such articles as are needed in caring for the sick, but are not found in many poor families. A small charge is made for each call, enough to pay car-fare of the nurse. Many patients cannot pay anything. The officers of the association are presi- dent, vice-president, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, and board of mana- gers. There is also a committee on sup- plies, made up of two representatives from each ward. The funds of the association are obtained by donations and membership fees. The annual dues are two dollars for women and five dollars for men. In April, 1906, the nursing plan of the District Nursing Association was changed, and instead of the managers engaging and controlling the nurses, their management was given to the Newton Hospital. The district nursing work is now under the care of a superintendent of nurses, one trained in district nursing work, under whose direc- tion and instruction the undergraduate hos- pital nurses visit and attend the sick. The management feel that an important step forward was taken when this union with the hospital was consummated. The asso- ciation still retains its organization, and must, as in the past, raise the funds and pay all the e.xpenses. May H. Coolidge. THE CITY FARM Records of the j-ear 1807 show that at that time there was no almshouse in New- ton, the poor being boarded out to the low- est bidder, a practice which must in many instances have led to great hardship. In 1820, we find records of an almshouse in Auburndale, and in 1840 a Poor Farm was established at Waban, or, as it was then known, "the Collins Neighborhood." In 1900, a section of twenty-five acres of well-wooded land on Winchester Street, partly bordering on Charles River, was se- cured, and upon it was erected a commo- dious, convenient almshouse, in every way suitable to its purpose and up to date. Many a well-to-do housekeeper would eagerly welcome the neat labor-saving ar- rangements of its kitchen and offices. The front of the house contains the hand- some and comfortable apartment of the superintendent and matron. Of the two or three bedrooms in its upper story, the matron has chosen for her own the one nearest the wards, that she may hear if any inmate knocks for assistance during the night. Such a knock one night this winter roused the superintendent to the knowledge that the barn of an unoccupied farm, ad- joining, was on fire, and enabled him by prompt action to save the house. There are two wards in each wing, the men's on one side, the women's on the other. Each of the four has its own bath- room. There is a sitting-room for the men, where they are allowed to smoke, and one for the women, which, like the men's, is abundantly provided with books, news- papers, and magazines, gifts from individ- uals in the community. Each inmate has a separate room, a lu.xury which really seems to take something from one's natu- ral dread of "the poorhouse." Some of these rooms are well furnished with furni- ture brought by the occupants from the homes they could no longer support. Many are adorned with pictures, cards, and ornaments, relics of better days, or gifts from friends or visitors. All are clean, warm, and comfortable. The floors are bare except for rugs braided by women inmates. An old man, who has died within a few years, took great delight in cutting out figures of people and animals from old magazines and papers. He did this with so much neatness and accuracy that he was allowed to paste them on the bare white walls of his room, where, covering all but one corner, they still remain, a monument to his taste and industry. Men and women take their meals in separate dining-rooms. Inspection of the kitchen, store-room, and pantries shows that the food is abundant, of good quality, well cooked, and of wholesome variety. In cases of sickness and special diet, the in- mates are served in their own rooms, and then the women have the pleasure of using 8S THE MIRROR OF NEWTON the individual cup, saucer, and spoon which in almost every instance is prominent among the adornments. A capable cook is hired, and for the rest, the matron has the assistance of such of the women as are able to work. The superin- tendent has one hired man, and with the further help of the male inmates, brings more and more of the land into cultivation each year, raising vegetables enough not only for his large household, but to sell. He intends during the coming summer to devote a portion of the land to the raising of small fruits. There are at present (February, 1907) eleven men and ten women in the house. Of these, nine are Catholics. They attend church at their pleasure, health and weather permitting. Two are between forty and fifty, the youngest of the inmates ; three are over eighty. Two were born in the almshouse, and one of these, aged sixty-three, has been a constant resident since 1857. Two others were admitted in that year, but their residence has not been continuous. During the last twenty years there have been but twenty-three deaths in the house. The number of inmates has varied from si-xteen to forty-five, with an average of thirty-seven. The condition of its almshouse should be a matter of interest to every citizen in any town, but in Newton the number of visitors from outside the city, drawn by its reputation as a well-equipped, well-man- aged almshouse, is far larger than that of our own citizens coming to see if our poor are cared for as they ought to be. Those of us who are familiar with it, can testify to the excellent judgment and wise admin- istration of the superintendent, and the efficiency and kindness of his wife, which has led some of us to think of her always as the Little Mother of our Poor. Mary R. M.^rtin. THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES On the isth of March, 1889, there as- sembled at the house of Dr. Mary E. Bates, at that time a popular physician of Newton Centre, a band of women whose object was to form an organization for charitable work. Some daring spirit pro- posed that an Associated Charities be formed. The profound silence that fol- lowed this startling proposal was broken by a timid voice saying, "That is a large undertaking." The motion was made, however, and carried, and then and there was founded the Associated Charities of Newton, with the avowed object of "aiding and elevating the poor and unfortunate among the inhabitants of Newton." Dr. Bates was chosen president, Mrs. Richard Rowe and Mrs. R. D. Morehouse vice- presidents, Mrs. John W. Brigham sec- retary, and ^Irs. Henry W. Downs treasurer. On the 9th of April, a brilliant meeting was held in Masonic Hall, then in Central Block, Newtonville. It was opened by prayer by Rev. Dr. Alvah Hovey, after which Hon. Robert Treat Paine, Rev. Edward Everett Hale, Nathan Alosman of the Newton Poor Department, and others prominent in philanthropic circles addressed a large audience of representa- tive citizens. The pioneers took great pains to ac- quaint themselves with the nature of the work they had undertaken, visiting the offices of the Boston Associated Chanties, and making a careful study of its methods and its literature. The work was con- tinued with increasing zeal for more than a year. In October, 1890, Dr. Bates resigned her position, and a new organiza- tion was effected and a constitution adopted. Rev. R. A. White, of the Universalist Church in Newtonville, was elected presi- dent. The presidents since then have been Rev. WiUiam A. Lamb, Rev. Dr. A. S. Twombley, Rev. I. A. Priest, Herbert S. Chase, David E. Baker, M.D., and Charles S. Ensign. In 1893, a bequest of $500 from Charles E. Billings of Newton made it necessary that the society be incorporated, and a charter was secured through the assistance of Mr. Lawrence Bond. Besides the work naturally pertaining to a society of organized charity — investi- gation, registration, and friendly visiting — the association maintains a Provident Branch, which receives and distributes clothing, and gives relief in emergencies; a Labor Bureau, which has helped many a widow, or unfortunate wife, to support her family; and a Penny Savings System, whose influence upon the community in promoting habits of thrift is incalculable. How far it has carried out its original NEWTON CHARITIES S9 intention of "aiding and elevating the poor and unfortunate annnig the inhabi- tants of Newton," the eommunity must judge. !Mary R. Martin. THE REBECCA POMROY NEWTON HOME FOR ORPHAN GIRLS The Pomroy Home for Orphan Girls was opened in November, 1872, the day after the destructive Boston Fire. When the Boston Children's Aid Society decided The Orphans' Home has always sheltered from four to twenty of Newton's destitute girls, between the ages of two and eighteen, and the strong influence of that first beauti- ful superintendent, "Auntie Pomroy," has never ceased to be felt. It has always been a real home, for its children are taught to aid in every department of household work, thus preparing them for future usefulness in the world, as house-maids or mothers. Homes, too, are secured for them^after they leave, where they can, if possible, 'be POMROY HOME, XEWTO> to give up its girls' home in Newton Centre, Miss Alary C. Shannon, Mi.ss Mary Shannon, and Mrs. Daniel Furber, benevo- lent, strong, generous women, felt it neces- sary and wise to start in Newton a charity of the same kind. They asked Mr. Na- thaniel T. Allen of West Newton to act as their president, which he did till his death, a period of over thirty years; and these, together with Mrs. Rebecca Pomroy, as superintendent, started the Orphans' Home, the first real charitable institution in Newton. Having voluntary promises of aid from ladies and gentlemen throughout Newton, a home was secured, at first on Church Street, and afterwards on Hovey Street, which residence they still occupy and own. members of the family rather than mere servants. Then, too, the children enter the excellent public schools of the city, like other children of Newton, and so are not e.xclusively by themselves. Through the incessant and untiring efforts of the founders, the Pomroy Home has received the sympathy and attention of the whole community. The clothing is mostly provided by friends, also milk, vegetables, fruit, and groceries; while the past year many kind friends have improved the appearance of the house, by painting, papering, and having hard-wood floors laid. Not the least among its benefits is the influence it has had in developing and sustaining the loving, bountiful charity which has enabled the Home to welcome. 90 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON provide, and care for the large numljer who have sought its protection. The Home is now in the hands of an able president, Mr. Charles A. Haskell, and a board of directors — Mr. Hiram E. Barker, :Mr. Oliver M. Fisher, Miss Lucy Allen, Mrs. Andrew B. Cobb, Mrs. Charles A. Davenport, Mrs. George S. Harwood, Mrs. S. E. Howard, Mrs. H. M. Taylor, Mrs. Arthur C. Walworth, and Miss Anna M. Whiting — chosen from each denomina- tion in Newton, who co-operate with the superintendent. Miss Hayes, a woman well titted for the position. Lucy Ellis AllexX. THE MOTHERS' REST ASSOCLV TION OF NEWTON CENTRE In the spring of 1900, Dr. Everett D. Burr, pastor of the First Baptist Church at Newton Centre, called the women of his parish together to tell them of the suffering he had seen in the tenement district of Boston in the heat of summer. He be- lieved that if the great need were realized, a place might be provided to which the women and children of that district might be invited for rest and fresh air. Out of this appeal grew the work of the Mothers' Rest. During the three summer months it takes mothers with their little children from the stifiing tenements of the city, where the heavy air is laden with impurities of both house and street, where the mother's strength fails and the babies sicken and often die for lack of fresh air and proper food, and gives them two weeks of rest and comfort in the pure air of the country, under God's blue sky and spread- ing trees. It gives them nourishing food and loving care, and lets them watch the little ones grow strong and rosy in the sunny fields. It sends them back to their homes with new'strength and courage for the long year of struggle, having e.xperi- enced a real home and learned how little children should be fed and cared for, and, best of all, with a new belief that we are all children of one Father who has taught us to love one another. For the first 3'ear the old "town farm," then recently vacated, at Waban, was secured at a nominal rent. It was wonder- ful how the idea took with the people. The attics of Newton Centre supplied most of the furniture; much was given bv friends in Boston; carpenters, plumbers, and painters gave their services; marketmen added large gifts to orders for groceries and provisions; and on July i, 1900, the first party was received, for two weeks of rest and comfort. During that summer 193 guests were entertained — 78 mothers and 115 children. Although the old farm-house was torn down by its owners before the next summer, it was decided that the work must go on, and the old mansion house on Winchester Street, Newton Highlands, was rented in the spring of 1901. This year 74 mothers and 88 children w-ere cared for, in parties of from 13 to 15 mothers with their chil- dren under five years of age. They en- joyed perfect rest and freedom, the only requirements being the care of their own bedrooms and obedience to the few rules necessary for the orderly running of a large family and for the comfort of the whole company. For one more year the women of this church maintained the Mothers' Rest, but when the season of 1903 opened, it was felt that the experimental stage of the work was ended. The women of the whole vil- lage were interested, and there was a de- mand that the enterprise should be placed on a permanent basis. A mass meeting of all the women of Newton Centre was called to consider organizing an interde- nominational association to conduct the work in future. The result was the adop- tion of a constitution and the election of officers, and, on May 4, 1903, a corporation was formed under the laws of Massachusetts with the name of "The Mothers' Rest Association of Newton Centre." A mem- bership fee of two dollars, or its equivalent, was established, making any woman of Newton Centre a voting member, and the new association began its work with 179 members. Two years later a plan was adopted by which any one not eligible to regular membership might become an as- sociate member on the payment of two dollars or more annually. In 1904 the sum of $1000 had been set aside from the balance in the treasury, as a fund towards a new building, and in May, 1905, this sum was increased by the gen- erous gift of $7500 from ^Ir. F. H. Schirmer and others, and the plan for a new home was enthusiastically taken up by the asso- ciation. The following year was one of NEWTON CHARITIES 91 strenuous effort on the part of the finance committee to complete the desired sum of $15,000 for the purchase of land and build- ings for a permanent institution. In May, 1906, the association was able to buy, at a very favorable price, a farm of nine acres, situated on High Street in Highlandville, with homestead, farmer's cottage, barn, and other buildings included. The Mothers' Rest is now established on very high ground with beautiful and extensive views; the drinking water is of the purest quality, and the fine fruit and shade trees, with the large enclosed grounds, make it an ideal country home. Because of the late purchase of the property and the necessary repairs upon the dwelling-house, it was not possible to en- tertain as many guests as usual this last season, but it is expected that the build- ings will be enlarged before another year, so that at least the average number may be cared for in the new home. During the seven years of its existence the association has gained experience and wisdom in the administration of what it regards as a sacred trust, — the use of funds supplied freely by those interested in help- ing the unfortunate. No financial state- ment has been made in this sketch for the reason that a printed report is sent each year to every member and donor, giving full statistics of the work, including the treasurer's itemized report. Copies of this report can be obtained of Mrs. S. S. Widger, 45 Devon Road, Newton Centre. It may be of interest, however, to state that the expense per person has been found to be from fifty to seventy cents a day. With one exception, so far as the writer knows, this was the first work of the kind undertaken for mothers and children, and it has been itself the mother of many, dotting our New England hillsides with refuges for the city's poor — small, homelike places, teaching the beautiful lesson of God's brooding love. Annie Beecher Kend.-^ll. THE NEWTON HOME FOR AGED PEOPLE One of the most admirable benevolences in our city is the Newton Home for Aged People, made possible by the generous legacies of IVIr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Stone, formerly residents of West Newton, supple- mented by subscriptions from a number of other citizens. It is located at Newton Upper Falls, in a former residence of Otis Pettee, Esq., and is capable of ac- commodating fifteen persons. It is occu- pied to its full capacity, with a considerable waiting list. Its object is to give a pleasant and com- fortable home for respectable aged people of both sexes, not otherwise provided for. The history of its work since its establish- ment has abundantly proved the wisdom of its founders. Several of the aged people of our city have ended their days within its walls, surrounded with every needed comfort and watched over by loving min- istries. And there remain a happy and contented family who but for this Home might be deprived of many of the blessings which now cheer their declining years. The ladies of Newton are largely repre- sented in its management, and have taken a great interest in it, often visiting the inmates and donating to it gifts which have added to the well-being and enjoy- ment of the old people. There is an urgent call for larger accom- modations, and as soon as sufficient funds are forthcoming to meet the increased ex- pense of maintaining an addition to the present building, it will be erected. Henry E. Cobb. THE WORKING BOYS' HOME INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL Among the charitable institutions of Newton is one which, because of its char- acter and the excellence of its work, has always appealed to the heart of the com- munity, and in promoting its success the people of Newton have responded in the most generous and appreciative manner. The \\'orking Boys' Home Industrial School, situated in Newton Highlands, was founded in May, 1896. Its object is the care and education of homeless boys, irrespective of race, creed, or color, and its doors are always open to boys of this condition. Although the majority of its inmates are from Boston and other large cities in the Commonwealth, there have always been some from the city of Newton, and its charity has thereby received prac- tical demonstration in the community itself. Nothing is demanded of appli- cants other than the evidence of home- ( K^/ ,.-| \ ] {/ \ Wm'i- tel 1 ^.A^ '®^ >//j^ -JH ^m^/ '^ i^H .?^«-^*| ^ffii"' ■''IV •^-^ ; >• '■,■■'■ ■ 3 ■-..;: ■ 1 ^ ■ 1 -.#&i--^ Ti^ NEWTON CHARITIES 93 lessiiess, which alone suffices to insure for them a welcome to the Home. The boys are trained in the manual arts, that when they leave the institution they may be equipped for the business of life; and the excellent moral training received at the hands of an efficient management is calculated to make them worthy as well as useful citizens. To maintain this work the various trades in which the boys are which is generally overlooked in consider- ing its fundamental object, the care of the homeless, is that it saves, these boys from the inevitable discredit of the reformatory, which would be their only refuge did not the Home exist. By this is not meant that its inmates are unworthy or vicious, but rather that, generally speaking, the state makes provision only in this manner for those who are dependent, and too THE WORKIXG BOYS HOME engaged contribute something, chiefly the Printing Room, where is published a quarterly magazine, "The Working Boy," which enjoys a circulation of approximately 50,000. Connected with this is a job printing department, the merit of whose work is not unknown to the citizens of Newton, many of whom, in the commend- able desire to aid so deserving a charity, are liberal patrons of the department. This is one of the principal means of sup- port to the Home. Apart from these the chief source of income is the voluntary charity of friends, and it is certainly a splendid tribute to the generosity of these friends that so large an enterprise has been successfully conducted during the eleven years of its existence. .\ feature of the work of the institution young to provide for themselves. With its magnificent buildings and e.xtensive grounds the Working Boys' Home is con- spicuous among the public institutions of the city. WlLLL^M H. McDONOUGH. THE NONANTUM BOYS' CLUB The Nonantum Boys' Club, as a well- organized club for boys, has been in ex- istence since 1899. The work is carried on by the Good Citizenship Association of Newton, a charitable corporation duly organized under the laws of Massachusetts, whose officers and members are as follows: President, Edwin O. Childs, Jr.; Treas- urer, .\lbert P. Carter; Clerk, Mrs. Mary Linder Goodwin. 94 THE :MIRR0R of NEWTON Through the generosity of Mrs. George Linder of Newton, the land and the build- ing known as the Athena?um Building, situ- ated on Dalby Street, in the Nonantum district of Newton, was deeded to the Good Citizenship Association, and here the work of the Nonantum Bovs' Club has been carried on. The first A'ear the club was not a success. Since then, it has been entirely successful. Up to January i, 1905, the club was under the charge of Mr. Edward L. Rand of Jamaica Plain, who acted as superin- tendent, with Mr. Charles E. Thrasher of Newton Highlands as assistant, and we record with deep satisfaction that our success is due largely to their tireless efforts. Since January i, 1905, Mr. Thrasher has served as superintendent, with Mr. Frank Halfrey as his assistant. The club is divided into two depart- ments: the senior department, under the supervision of Mr. Childs, and the junior department, under Messrs. Thrasher and Halfrey. The senior department, known as the Nonantum Athletic Association, is composed of fifty young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five years. The boys whose ages range from six to eighteen years compose the junior depart- ment. There are three hundred of the.se younger boys in our membership at present. The Seniors occupy the upper tloor in the club house, and the Juniors the lower floor. The object of the club is to help these young men and boys to establish or make a good character, and the motto of the club is "A better citizen." To this end, the club house is open every evening of the week, Sundays excepted, from October ist to June ist, and any boy or young man of Nonantum is entitled to its use. Books, games, and magazines are abun- dantly supplied for those who care to use them, and all that is possible is done to make the club attractive to the boys. Gymnastic apparatus, together with ' a shower bath, have recently been installed at the club house, and interest many of the boys. Thus the boys are kept off the streets at night and provided with a place where they can pass their evening hours in a good, wholesome way. Industrial classes have been conducted during si.x years of the club's existence, and instruction has been given to a large number of boys in carpentry, cane-seating, pyrography, and cobbling. Owing to the lack of room (for the boys have outgrown their club house), the industrial classes, with the e.xxeption of the class in shoemaking, have been given up. Our membership has greatly increased during the past three years, but unfort- unately there has been no corresponding increase in equipment and quarters. This has greatly handicapped our work, and yet we have done the best we could under the circumstances. The work of the Good Citizenship Association is carried on by the generous contributions of broad - minded, large- hearted, public-spirited citizens of Newton, who are interested in the boys of to-day who will be the men, the voters, the citizens of to-morrow. The interest of the boys in the club, their actions at the club house and on the street, all show the usefulness of the club and the good that has already been done. With sufficient room, there will be nothing to prevent Newton from having one of the best boys' clubs in the state. The boys are there, and if an increased interest is taken by the citizens of Newton in Nonantum, the mill district of our city, this good citi- zenship work will grow and accomplish even more in the future than it has in the past. Edwin O. Childs, Jr. THE DAY NURSERIES OF NE\\'TON This movement was started in Newton Centre in 1903, when the need of a day nursery there was felt by the ladies in that section. Through the efforts of Mrs. George N. Towle, Mrs. Wm. H. Coolidge, Mrs. Parker W. Whittemore, Mrs. Wm. B. Merrill, and Mrs. Charles L. Smith a day nursery was opened on March first of that year. They succeeded in obtaining one hundred and forty annual subscriptions amounting to $280, but the cost of main- taining the nursery was found to be $1000 a year, and the difference was raised by these ladies through a fair or donations. Since the nursery was opened, it has had four matrons, two leaving on account of ill- health. The attendance in 1903 was 2,307, increasing to 2,395 i" 1904- ^'""i to 2,962 in 1905, the average daily attendance being NEWTON CHARITIES 95 nine. These children represented twenty- four different families and four nation- alities, — Swedish, Irish, Italian, and Ameri- can. The physicians of Newton Centre gave their hearty support to the nursery, feeling that much good was accomplished there. Dr. George L. West was the visiting physician. In 1906, however, the attend- ance decreased very materially, and as the expense of running the nursery was large, it was decided by the officers and other ladies interested to close it until the need should seem more urgent. This accordingly was done on March i, 1907. During the past two years constant appeals for a day nursery in the Nonantum district have been made by the kinder- garten teacher of the Jackson School, to the various King's Daughters with whom she has come in contact through the Newton Industrial Club. In that section there are so many little children that the kinder- garten has an afternoon session to accom- modate those for whom there is no room in the morning. Many mothers went to the kindergartner, urging her to take children to both sessions, there being no place for them to stay except the street, until their parents returned from work. This is against the regulation of the school. Then children too young for the kinder- garten were brought for the same reason, and had to be turned away. Other stories of unfortunate or neglected children were heard, and in March, 1906, it was decided that a day nursery must be established. Accordingly, ilrs. Lawrence T. Sawyer, Mrs. Albert P. Carter, and Miss Annie C. Ellis visited nurseries already in operation, made a rough estimate of the cost, and be- gan raising the necessary funds. Many generous people responded. Those who had wealth gave money, others gave time or work, or the labor of their horses. Food, clothing, furniture, flowers, etc., were also contributed by many anxious to help. In July, with little money on hand, but an abiding faith in the generosity of Newton people, three rooms were engaged at 414 Watertown Street, and an e.xcellent matron was found. The nursery opened on the 4th of August. Since that time it has cared for fifty-nine different children from two months to ten years of age, representing thirty-five homes and nine nationalities, — American, Irish, Canadian, Italian, Hun- garian, Jewish, Swedish, Negro, and French. The average daily attendance has been about fifteen. The cost of conduct- ing the nursery is approximately twenty cents a day for each child; toward this the mother pays ten cents a day or five cents a half-day, so that those who are benefited bear a share of the e.xpense. In October the work of the management of the nursery became too arduous for the three who had undertaken it. So a meet- ing of all interested friends was called and an association was formed for its further administration and development. These officers were elected: President, Mrs. J. P. Tolman; Vice-President, Miss Annie C. Ellis; Treasurer, Mrs. Rebecca Sherman; Secretary, Mrs. Sara F. Wilkins. The nursery, with its bills all paid and three hundred dollars capital, was then turned o^•er to the Nonantum Day Nursery As- sociation, whose executive board, com- posed of directors, officers, and \isitors, have since managed its affairs. February i6th was an eventful day, for then the association became a corporation. On that date also the work was somewhat extended by forming an afternoon club for little girls, who had outgrown the nursery and were not old enough to join evening clubs. The intention is to continue the beneficent inliuence of the nursery as long as possible, and to keep these little ones off the street after school hours, thus trying to prevent them from learning all the evil of the world before they are ten years old. These club meetings are to be held in the open air as often as practicable, and the girls taught to "play fair" and gently. It is the hope of the corporation that some time it may have the control of a whole house to be used as a Neighborhood House, sufficiently large to accommodate the nursery, and contain a pla\^-room for the little girls' club and a club room where the Newton Industrial Club may hold its meetings and entertainments. The need of a day nursery in West Newton has been felt for some time, and in February, 1907, the ladies of that section met together at the house of Mrs. John W. Carter, and formed the West Newton Day Nursery Association. The officers of this association are: President, ]SIrs. C. H. Ames; Vice-presidents, :Mrs. J. T. Prince, Mrs. J. C. Jaynes, Mrs. G. A. Frost; Treasurer, ^Mrs. J. W'. Carter; .\ssistant- THE MIRROR OF NEWTON treasurer, jMrs. Levi Warren; Secretary, Mrs. Wm. H. Young. There is a board of twenty directors, from which the finance committee is chosen, and an auxiliary board of twelve young ladies, of which Miss Carter is chairman. The association has secured the use of a commodious house on the corner of Elm and Webster Streets. The nuisery is being scientifically planned, and it is proposed to have it as nearly a model as possible, and to develop it into a Neighborhood House if opportunity ofi'ers. Annie Claflin Ellis. METROPOLITAN PARKS IN NEWTON BY J. c. brimbleco:^! THE present and potential beauties of the Charles River (which forms so large a portion of our boundary line) early attracted the attention of the IVIetro- politan Park Commission, and they now control almost the entire river frontage. In point of fact, the commission has ad- hered more closely in Newton to the orig- inal plan in creating the commission than an\^vhere else in the district. In this city the commission has acquired large holdings, simply with the intention of preserving for the future the natural beauties of the district. It has not attempted, as in other places, to construct boulevards and speedways, and provide music and other attractions which have added so largely to the debt and burden of taxation of the several cities and towns in Greater Boston. With the exception of the patrol of Charles River, made absolutely necessary by the summer exodus from Boston, and one ofiicer at Hemlock Gorge, the expense of mainte- nance of the park lands in this city is almost nothing. Hemlock Gorge, which includes the famous Echo Bridge, is perhaps the best known of the park holdings in this city. The remarkable echo under the arch of the Sudbury River aqueduct has always attracted much attention, and the com- mission deserves commendation for the manner in which it has preser^^ed the rocky, wooded shores of the river at this point. A new stone arched bridge, where Boylston Street crosses the river, a few hundred feet below Echo Bridge, was recently constructed at the joint expense of the park commission, the city, and the street railway company. From the centre of this bridge the eye is charmed by the quiet beauty of the view up the river, or by standing close to the parapet, one can witness the silver sheen of falling water over the artificial dam, nearer the bridge. At the Weston Bridge, near Norumbega Park, the commission has erected a sub- stantial guard house, fully equipped with life-saving apparatus and facilities for the Charles River patrol, which centres at this point. A superintendent and seven men are in charge during the summer time, from the Moody Street Bridge in Waltham to the Hemlock Gorge at Newton Upper Falls. This force has rendered efficient service in cases of accidents and in the surveillance of objectionable persons. The citv of Newton has co-operated with the Metropolitan Commission in the work of preserving the river front, and has turned over to the latter the control of large park areas in Auburndale and the Lower Falls. The holdings of the com- mission now amount to about 120 acres in Newton and large areas in the adjoining towns of \\'eston and Wellesley. An interesting feature of the ISIetropoli- tan system is the expense entailed upon the city. Under the first scheine of appor- tionment, Newton was not only assessed its share of the general burden, but paid also an added portion deducted from the poorer municipalities. The new appor- tionment made in 1906 is more equitable, and Newton pays a little over three per cent, of the cost of sinking funds, interest, and maintenance charges, amounting to $29,087.50 in 1906, with a few smaller assessments for special matters, such as Nantasket and Wellington bridge. While it is an open question whether Newton receives at the present time full consideration for this large assessment, ever}' one will concede that in Newton at least the commission has handled the park problem wisely and well. Courtesy o} ifr. Ellis .\foore THE BIRCHES, HEMLOCK GORGE, NEWTON UPPER FALLS VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT SOCIETIES THE NEWTON CENTRE IJ^IPROVE- MENT ASSOCIATION THIS association traces its descent from the Newton Centre Tree Club or- ganized in 1852 to beautify the vil- lage by planting trees and grading the Common near the present Mason School. The Tree Club ceased its activities in 1855, and it was not until 1869 that a somewhat similar organization came into being under the name of The Prudential Committee of the First School District of the Town of Newton. Questions of water and gas sup- ply, sewerage, fire and police protection, and railroad facilities vfere then considered, but an active organization was continued only a year or two. The old book of records started by the Tree Club and con- tinued by the Prudential Committee was preserved, however, and when the present Improvement Association was formed in 1879 its records were entered alongside the others, as they have been in each succeed- ing year. Judge John Lowell was the first presi- dent of the Improvement Association, and its first work was to complete the work of the Tree Club by grading and planting the Common. To attempt any detailed state- ment of the association's activities would recjuire more space than can be allotted here, but some of the more important mat- ters may be mentioned. In addition to the Common the aqueduct in the rear of the fire station was graded and planted; the shores of Crystal Lake ha\e been improved; several plots of land at street junctions have been purchased and presented to the city for park purposes; for some years about six hundred dollars has been raised annually to provide the Fourth of July celebration at the lake; and during the '8o's and early '90's about twenty thousand dollars was raised among the citizens and, with ten thousand dol- lars appropriated by the city, expended in the purchase of our twenty acre play- ground. The association has also done effective work in connection with the abolition of grade crossings on the South Side, and within a few weeks the old Cousens Block at the corner of Beacon Street and Langley Road has been secured, in the hope that public-spirited citizens of Newton will com- plete the purchase and improve the ap- proach to the \-illage by throwing open the property for park purposes. In the early days many forms of social activity centred in the Improvement Association, and that this field, although long neglected, still ofifers opportunity is evidenced by the recent Village Night, when four hundred and fifty ladies and gentlemen gathered around the tables in Bray Hall, not alone to foster a village spirit, but to promote a broader interest in our beautiful city. Some years ago, when its a( tivity was at ebb, the association was regularh- incor- porated, and its affairs are now actively managed by an e.xecutive committee. The wisdom of this step is apparent, for while there are times when interest lags and little of importance seems to be accomplished, the association has never yet failed to form the nucleus around which public sentiment has gathered, or to furnish an effective organization when matters of general in- terest or welfare recjuire action. M.ATT B. Jones. THE AUBURNDALE VILLAGE IM- PROVEMENT SOCIETY This society was organized October 31, 1883, with 51 members, and Hon. E. B. Haskell was its first president. Some of the more important improvements that it has secured are enumerated below, but for lack of space many matters of minor importance are not mentioned. A petition to the Boston and Albanv Railroad for a crossing at the head of Melrose Street resulted in the tunnel under the tracks, the society contributing three hundred dollars toward the expense. The society was also influential in bringing about the selection of the Rowe Street route for the Commonwealth Boulevard. Much at- tention was given to the taking of land for the Metropolitan Park; an architect was employed, and a committee of the society devoted much time and money to the matter. The sum of eight hundred dollars was VILLAGE IMPROVEMEiNT SOCIETIES 99 raised to provide for a reading-room and branch of the pubhc hbrary, and a thou- sand dollars toward fitting up the hall in the Ash Street schoolhouse for the society's use. A flag was furnished for the Williams School, bulletin boards have been put up in convenient places about the village, trees have been protected with wire guards, and waste barrels have been distributed for deposit of rubbish that had before been thrown into the streets or on the sidewalks. Through the aldermen from this ward the society aided in securing the adoption of an ordinance that imposes a fine for throw- ing rubbish of various kinds into the street. Feeling that Newton ought to be repre- sented on the Metropolitan Park Commis- sion, the society presented the name of Hon. E. B. Haskell to Governor Green- halge, and his appointment was secured. As a result of the efforts of the society in another direction, series of enjoyable en- tertainments have been given during the past four vears. C. S. Ober. increase to an amount sufficient to purchase a park or a playground. This fund was created largely from the proceeds of several interesting and attractive entertainments given by the association, the most notable and elaborate being the Pageant of the Year given February 21, 1899, in which over two hundred and twenty-five Newton Highlands people participated. Any adult resident of Newton Highlands is eligible to membership, the only quali- fication being the payment of the annual membership dues — one dollar per year. The association has been fortunate during its existence in having the co-operation and support of many of the leading Newton Highlands people, and through its efforts thou-sands of dollars have been expended in work which otherwise would probably have been left undone. A. H. Elder. THE NEWTON HIGHLANDS IM- PROVEMENT ASSOCIATION This association was organized Apirl 12, 1886, with Moses G. Crane as its first president. It has always been active in local affairs, and has been an important and influential factor in nearly all matters per- taining to the improvement and welfare of the community. Under its auspices more than one thousand shade trees have been set out along the highways in Newton Highlands. It established the fountain at the junction of Forest and Walnut Streets, and through its efforts the westerly shore of Crystal Lake was beautified, and the adjacent land was made attractive and se- cured for public use, and placed under the control of the municipal authorities. The subjects of free mail delivery, ade- quate public school accommodations, the abolition of grade crossings, and proper electric and steam railway service and facilities have engaged the attention and activities of the association at various times. In connection with the results obtained, the influence and value of such an organization to the residents of Newton Highlands is unquestioned. The association has a park fund of almost fourteen hundred dollars which it hopes to THE WABAN IMPROVEMENT SO- CIETY .An\- account of the Waban Improvement Society would very nearly cover the whole history of the place, inasmuch as the society was drganized in April, 1889, soon after this village was created as "one of the Newtons," and it has been a potent factor in the development of the place. Previous to the building of the circuit road twenty vears ago, this section was a series of farms bordering on Beacon, Chestnut and Wood- ward Streets, and the Waban Improvement Society figures as the principal factor in the transformation of these old-time farms into a village for residential purposes, since practically all of the improvements and conveniences which the city could furnish were obtained through the influence and the efforts of the society. In the early days the society not only took the place of the old-fashioned town-meeting, where all matters of public interest were discussed and acted upon, but also inaugurated en- tertainments and social aft'airs in which all of the residents were expected to take part. The beginning of the public schools in Waban dates back to the time when the Improvement Society, through subscrip- tions and with the co-operation of the school committee, provided a few portable seats for the village hall. The establishment of a post-office in the village was obtained through the influence 100 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON of the society, it being at first a branch of the Newton Highlands office, and changing through the various stages to the free de- livery system which the people enjoy at the present time. Religious services in the village were first held under the auspices of the society, ser- vices which later led to the Waban Christian Union. After several years of well-directed and fruitful efforts on the part of the Improve- ment Society, devoted to tree planting, building of sidewalks, eliminating or im- proving objectionable and unsightly features in the landscape, and other matters affecting the people as a whole, it seemed as though the society had accomplished all that could be reasonably expected of it, and it ap- peared that its usefulness was drawing to a close. For three or four years it lay dormant, so to speak, taking little part in the affairs of the village, but the constantly increasing numbers of new residents in- stilled new life into the community, re- sulting in the revival of the society into a live and effective organization; and it is through its efforts that a great many im- provements have been secured during the past year. An interest in public matters has been aroused which will be of great assistance to the officers of the society in pressing the plans for future improvements which they now have under consideration. Lewis H. Bacon. THE VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY OF NEWTON UPPER FALLS This society was organized October 31, 1901, and among its activities have been two lawn parties and one entertainment, from the proceeds of which it has for three years given prizes for the best kept lawns, and for those yards and places showing the most care and improvement. The society has also placed bulletin boards about the village, secured a Jjath house, located some new sign boards, and called the attention of the city to some dangerous gutters and culverts. The use of the hall in the Wade School has recently been obtained, for entertain- ments, and the society at an expense of about two hundred and fifty dollars has put into the hall a stage with curtain, scenery, new lights, etc., and seats for the accommodation of nearly four hundred people. A playground, possibly in connection with Newton Highlands, is one of the pro- jected plans of the society. From time to time, matters needing correction have been called to the attention of the street railway and city officials, and usually have been remedied. I. W. Sweet.' THE NEWTONVILLE IMPROVE- MENT ASSOCIATION This association, now four years old, may be fairly said to Hve up to its motto, — "the improvement and betterment of everything tending to make Newtonville more attractive as a residential section." It is doing this, not by fussy agitation, but by a dignified interest in all that legitimately concerns the community. Realizing that Newton is the "Garden City," it has de- veloped a line of activity tending to make it more so. This activity starts with the householder, who is stimulated to keep his own premises improved, and to do it continuously. The spasmodic enthusiast for village improvement generally turns out to be something like the one so aptly pictured in the following take-off: — "He called for a city beautiful; He shouted it day by day; He wanted a city where noise was not, Where the spirit of art should sway; He wanted a city that should be fair, Where filth might never be seen, And forgot, in spite of the zeal he had, To keep his back yard clean." The Newtonville Improvement Association believes in getting after the back yard as well as the front yard. But more than all, it believes in making improvements in a broad way — in a way in which the public good comes first. Its best work has been in harmony with this idea, as a few in- stances will show. First, it co-operated with the Newtonville citizens in presenting ti,ij;htly later, and the gardener buggested it might be made beautiful as a place for ferns and wild natural growths. To this end many large stumps were brought, and logs, with rustic work for seats. It was a pretty nook, with a rare peculiarity, — the dead wood at nightfall was said to give out a delicate phosphores- cence most fascinating to behold. This always required two people to see; they must be young, and of opposite sexes. I have never heard that any lone man or woman could disco\er it, but the pairs of young people coming in laic to high tea often gave it as an e.xcuse. This summer house and stumpery were intact undl 1898, when they were burned by the boys playing on the grounds. Later a greenhouse was built, a grapery added, with a separate house for ferns that contained a hundred and fifty varieties. On the north side of this was a bowling alley; that still stands in its decadence, but even in its ruins it has been of use to the younger boys, on the stormy days when a strenuous s])ort was in demand. As the churches increased, the ministers of the different denominations enjoyed the vigor- ous exercise of the game, before golf took them farther afield. "The New Church" (Swedenborgian) was one of the first to be started in Newton- ville. Its first minister, the Rev. Mr. Worcester, was among the early friends who 138 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ■came to The Old Elms. He had the most saintly face I have ever looked upon in the pulpit, a living type of Saint John, the be- loved disciple, — the external beauty being -a true witness to the spirit within. The inhabitants of the village were so few in those pleasant days, the ministers could be friends and neighbors, as well as pastors, something difficult now that each church has more work than it is possible for any one man to do; and this dear earthly friendship lasted to the end, its gentle sympathy and unforgetting kindness always to be trusted in any vicissitude of life. Speaking of Mr. Worcester recalls an afternoon when the "Hampton Singers" came to The Old Elms to give added pleas- ure to a group of friends who had gathered ■ — as was the custom every summer — to see the boys from the Pine Farm School, and the girls of the Pomroy Home, who were having a fete there. When the Hampton students had finished their songs, jMr. Worcester asked if they would be will- ing to dance for the guests. They hesi- tated, and it was discovered that tliey felt some religious scruples about dancing, after they had entered upon their student life. However, finding these Northern friends had never seen their dances, they consented. Taking their positions on the lawn, as in a square dance, two sides •danced to the singing of the opposite sides, then pausing, the singers took up the dance to the music of the other sides. When they ceased, Mr. Worcester said, "I have often heard of the poetry of motion, but this is the first time I have seen it." Now changes began to come to The Old Elms, for the growth of the town, then as now, demanded more schools, and on March 7, 1859, "A resolution was adopted rec- ommending the establishment of a pure High-school to be located in Newtonville, on a lot of land next to the entrance of Mr. Claflin's grounds, being a part of his estate on Walnut Street." This was the first loss to the estate. No one could foresee that the needs and demands of this new school would increase until it was necessary, or expedient, to open a street to Lowell Avenue, through what had been the quiet shaded driveway. The heavy row of Norway spruces had proved a screen be- tween the house and the school buildings, but their loss, and the e.xtension of the school buildings, destroyed the rural quiet and privacy of the estate, and better prepared it, perhaps, for the public park it is to become. Soon the mutterings of the civil war were beginning to be distinctly heard, and men in public life came often to the house for discussion of the terrible problem. Their anxious faces and low voices, as they sat around the fire in the library, can never be forgotten. No one doubted the outcome, but the thought of the suffering that must precede it caused them to groan aloud, and to ask in terror if the new leaders could bring the country through such terrible disaster. The master of the house re- membered well the day when Mr. Sumner walked the floor, speaking of Lincoln, in the early days of his administration, and ended with the words, "He cannot do it, I tell you he cannot do it." Henry Wilson, afterward Vice-President, was a constant visitor, always most welcome. Mr. Dawes — later, Mr. Sumner's successor — was an- other guest, dear and valued, intensely in earnest, but like Lincoln never losing his sense of humor. General Banks came often with his wife, from liis home in Waltham. Both husband and wife were of such personal presence that one did not wonder at the admiration they excited in the youthful Prince of Wales, now King Edward. At the ball given for him Mrs. Banks was his partner for the first dance, and truly she looked regal in her gown of rich purple, overlaid with golden wheat. The beginning of the war period found the master of the house the President of the Senate. Governor Andrew, the be- loved, was the chief executive. That the men of Newton might come into closer contact with him, he was invited with the members of the Legislature for an evening reception, probably the first large reception given at The Old Elms. " The house had always a "Prophet's Chamber." One of its earliest occupants was Professor Park of Andover, the noted theologian and brilliant wit. It was a delightful Sunday when he e.xchanged with Mr. Furber, then the minister of the family, and passed the nights at The Old Elms. He told with a laugh that he received sev- enty dollars for writing a "Life of Aaron Burr," while Mrs. Stowe, his friend, re- ceived ten thousand for a tale in which Aaron Burr was a prominent character. Following him was Dr. Kirk of Mount Vernon Church in Boston, and the revered SOME re:\iiniscences of the ^old elms 139 Bishop Foster. of the ^lethodist church, — who said one day, in reply to a question whether he could understand all the prob- lems of life, "No. I am obliged often to go away and fall upon my knees, and say, O Lord, you perplex me very much indeed." Dr. Manning, of the Old South, the father-in-law and predecessor of Dr. Gor- don, was a frequent guest in the summer. His prayers in the morning were enough of heaven to make any one wish to set forth towards the celestial city. How gentle he was, how strong, how wise in advice, or, better still, in withholding advice that could not be borne. We owed him much. Dr. Fairbairn, of Oxford, who came across the water to give his great course of lectures on the religions of the East, spent some days at The Old Elms. No more beautiful memory of him remains than that of a little evening service held in the twilight, in the gardener's cottage, for the benefit of some neighbors, who seldom went to church, but were overjoyed to listen to a few words from a brother Scotchman, who forgot his profound learning for the moment, to re- mind them of the simple truths they all understood. Later, when he returned to the large house, he told the group there of his friendship with Carlyle, and said the reading of "Sartor Resartus" had been for him the turning-point of his life, as a young man; that he spent hours on the street in front of the house where Carlyle lived, awaiting the chance of a glimpse of his hero. The same summer brought that rare soul, Henry Drummond, for a brief visit. His passion for Niagara, he said, was so great that he w-ent three times to visit the wonderful falls during his short time in this country. He also told us that he had read every word he could find about Henry Ward Beecher, and wanted more by word of mouth. Mr. Beecher spent many days in this guest chamber, enjoying a taste of leisure in his overwhelmingly busy life. Phillips Brooks called him the greatest preacher that Protestantism had ever produced, and Spurgeon spoke of him as the " Shakspere of the pulpit"; but at The Old Elms he was the friend and guest of all, from the master and mistress down to the smallest child. He played croquet with the same skill and adroitness that he used in argu- ment, bringing his own mallet with him in his trunk, lest a new one of different weight should impair the careful shots he delighted to send. But most of all he enjoyed a few days with his sister, Mrs. Stowe, whom he loved so tenderly, and the elder sister, Mrs. Perkins, who had been like a mother to him in his childhood. He wrote to a friend, "It is one of my dreams that I shall by and by be cast upon some sunny bank where I can see Mary Perkins and Hattie Stowe every day, with nothing on my mind, and time enough to bud and blossom on every side." A full account of the Garden Party in honor of Mrs. Stowe, that was given by Houghton, Mifflin & Co. on her seventieth birthday, is to be found in the Atlantic of August, 1882. One of the guests who was stajing at The Old Elms at this time was Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett, who wrote a part of her story, " Through One Admin- istration," under its roof. Another most delightful friend was Miss Sarah Orne Jewett, of whose stories the London Spec- tator said, " If American girls write like this, let more of them wTite." jMrs. Elizabeth Phelps Ward came often, to consult the master of the house on her many projects to benefit the human race, and the animal as well; for like George Macdonald, she loves the four-footed friends enough to say "who" in speak- ing of them, and believes in the possibility that we may meet them when we have "crossed the bar." The last guests of national fame at The Old Elms were Senator Hoar and Gen. O. O. Howard. The former came often to Newton to visit the birthplace, on Wa- verley Avenue, of his ancestor Roger Sher- man, and then to take luncheon with the master of the Old Elms. The two men entered Congress the same year; the friend- ship there formed never waned, and the spirited letters from Washington brought exceeding pleasure. General Howard hap- pily still fives and works, at Lincoln Uni- versity, for the freedmen and the "poor mountain whites" whom Lincoln com- faiitted to his care, for their fidefity to the Union. On his last visit he read to the little group Whittier's poem entitled "How- ard at Atlanta." His melodious voice and empty sleeve made the reading very pathetic. "We may build more splendid habitations, But we cannot buy with gold the old associa- tions." A DISTINGUISHED HOME BY ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS ^1~>HE great photographer, time, de- I velops the films of life according to his own caprice: — rejecting some, blurring some, blotting this, selecting that, and carefully retouching the valuable. Among all my memories of the dis- tinguished home which Newton honors itself in the effort to preserve, I find that three present themselves, to the exclu- sion — who knows whv? — of nianv others. It is a June da Governor Claflin's if I am right, and Liutiful grounds are MRS. ELIZABETH ,STU.\RT PHELPS \\-AKD thrown open to a group of guests, memor- able even among the wise and the brilliant who have received his eminent hos- pitality. It is the birthday of the most famous woman in America. Harriet Beecher Stowe is seventy years old. We are there to do her honor, "the great and the small," of her own high calling. Whit- tier is there, I think; Dr. Holmes is there, I know; Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett in her youthful, fashionable dress. I think the sleeves were puffed, and that there was a species of Dolly Varden pattern about her, somewhere. I feel a little ex- tinguished in my jjlain black gown, for I am still young, and not self-confident, and alas, I have pledged myself to fate and to Mrs. Claflin that I will read a poem. Quaking in e\ery nerve and muscle, I cast about for >ome way of escape from this frightful privilege. My eye falls upon Mr. Aldrich; — but no — that would not do. I would throw myself upon the mercy of my dear friend Mr. Whittier, but that I am convinced he would rather the lirook that babbles through the Old Elms should open a ad swallow him down. In my distress an angel meets me, a small angel according to "the measure of the stature of a man," a large one by the imperious dimensions of the intellect. I find myself on the arm of Oliver Wendell Holmes, and know that I am safe. To my plaintive cry, "Oh, will you read my ]3oem?" he responds like the gentleman that he was. It was not a very good [loem to my present thinking, but he chivalrously read it with the personal respect and the poetic fervor due to much Ijetter \'erK'^, ami I sat, if I remember, in the audicm v a> if I had nothing to do with it, and IJKnikcl God. When tlu' agitation ni this incident has -iil)>i(lril, I notice for the first time quite ciearl\- that Professor Stowe is on the plat- form beside his distinguished wife: — the old Andover professor with his gray beard and keen eyes; he whom I have known on Zion's hill since I was a girl. Unfortu- nately for my desire to remain unknown to fame, the recognition is mutual. The professor signals me out, and in a loud voice, audible half across the tent, ex- claims: "Why, there is !" He uses the old Andover name of my girl- hood, the "Httle name" of my home and my neighbors, and I am dragged upon the platform, whether I will or not, to shake hands with him and our great guest, his wife. Fortunately, I stand with my back to the audience; I cannot see the effect of this dismal episode. For a moment I sigh for the puffed sleeves and the .something Dolly Varden of the author of "Little Lord Fauntleroy." But I creep down from the platform in my black gown, and I am fain to believe that its sevcrilv ma\' have received me like a dark A DISTINGUISHED HOME cloud out of the attention of the audience — and so am content to play I wasn't there. All through the June afternoon, while the elect guests come and go, I watch the face of our hostess; — strong, sweet, brim- ming with sympathetic joy, wearing that sensitive anxiety for the success of her entertainment, which those who knew her best always detected upon the countenance of this perfect hostess. It is said that a great public speaker always undergoes a period of torture when he is first con- fronted with his audience, and that his feverish distress is the surest sign and prophecy of his success. Something of the kind was true, I think, of Mrs. Claflin in the brilliant social stage on which she moved. She cared so much to make peo- ple happy, she tried so hard to idealize and Christianize society, that the art of entertainment took with her its highest, because its most ennobling form. The June day declines — the grass blades on the long lawn cease to blaze — the shadows of the great elms lengthen soberly — the brilliant com- pany drifts away. The face of the host and hostess, tired and happy, shine upon us as we grasp their hands. Mrs. Stowe is seventy years young, and her birthday party is over. She wears her dreamy smile, as if she sat apart from us, somehow, in spite of it all, and mutely sang in some sheltered corner of her soul, — "Those mystic words of thine, O sovereign Lord, Are all too pure, too deep, too full for me; Wear)- with striving, and with longing faint, I breathe them back again in prayer to thee." Of all the cherished visits that I have made at the Old Elms, why should the film of such a lonely one follow that thronged and brilliant scene? It is mid-winter. The brook is frozen; the elms are bare to their brown lace. The long lawns are death-white with piling snow. I come from Andover to see my friend, who is broken in health, worn with one of the busiest and most useful lives in Boston, selecting her deserted home for a rest cure, and seeking in it the repose which the exactions of Mt. Vernon Street can never give. She is there to do nothing, but I find her toiling still. Her eager spirit knows no relief in idleness, and I entrap the exhausted hostess and philanthropist busily writing her first little book, with whose success I remember she had reason to be pleased. And now for the last time, being by this a citizen of Newton, I drive over with my husband on a spring afternoon, beneath the long arms of the elms, to the darkened but still brave and peaceful home. Only the portrait of the charming hostess smiles upon us now. The Governor meets us cheerfully; but chokes a little as he clasps our hands. We all try not to look at her pictured face, and we speak of other things than those which crowd our hearts. Their marriage had been one of the wonderful, and the few; and the lonely man had come .IRS. W.\HD 8 HOME OX DUDLEY STREET, NEWTON CENTRE back to their dearest home partly, I think, to be near the tomb in which she waited for him. He talked of everything except his grief. To the last, his intellect was strong and vivid. Any man of fifty might be proud to converse as Governor Claflin did at eighty. His mind ran abreast with the politics and with the princi])les of the day. He lived in the jiresent to the last moment. His honored life embellished his conversation as it did his soul. Anec- dotes of great men, incidents of great moral struggles flashed from his lips like the wit or the wisdom of a young man. His strong name headed year after year our petition for the restriction of vivisection in Massa- chusetts, and his deep heart throbbed to this unpopular and Christ-like cause. He was not too old to abhor cruelty. Life had not burned too low in his veins for him to leap to the call of the tormented. 142 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON jMany _vears ago I met by accident a lady, herself a keen judge of character, who used in childhood or girlhood to be a class- mate of our dear dead Governor. She turned to me with lifted head and luminous eyes; "I have known him all my life," she said, "and if William Claflin could do anything that was not honest, that was not right, I should lose my faith in all the world of men." INDUSTRIAL TRAINING BY SARAH LOUISE ARNOLD DEAN OF SIMMONS COLLEGE THE problem of the common school system is a complex problem at best. Fathers and mothers who are perple.xed when called upon to decide what is best for their son or daughter will sympathize with the corre- sponding perple.xity of the superintendent and school committee, who must deter- mine the balance and proportion of a course of study suited to the needs of children of all ages and conditions. The desire of the parents is to secure for their children the best education w-hich their time and finan- cial ability can provide. The aim of the school authorities must be to insure to every child the utmost privilege which his measure of opportunity can afford. It is possible for some of our children to complete the courses of study provided at the public schools and to pursue their studies through college and university; from the large majority, however, this greater opportunity is withheld. The education which is within their grasp must comprehend that which will best fit them for their work in the world in the time which is at their disposal. This will never mean that the few years of elementary school training can be a substitute for the prolonged course of study in the school and college. It does not mean that a Utile is better than much, or that much is equal to more. We shall, therefore, have no quarrel with those who urge larger benefits and more generous training, when we assert that for a large number of children industrial training is a necessity, and that parents are justified in asking for such training. The quarrel may perhaps begin when we also urge that industrial training of the better sort is an important element in any well-balanced course of study, and is most needed, per- haps, by the boys and girls who go to school from homes of prosperous leisure in which they feel no necessity of contribut- ing to the general welfare by some work of their hands. Both of these propositions we should consider. In discussing industrial training, it is well to state at the beginning that the term is here intended to designate instruction and practice in the processes which secure a material product and require the use of the hand, — not manual training for the sake of general development, but a train- ing which may be applied afterward to the actual demands of common industries, and which will secure for the worker a better start and a larger advantage in the choice of labor, with some assurance of promotion. How is the need of such training made evident to us? How is it justifiecl? By what means can it be secured ? It is evident that a very large number of children who leave our common schools before completing the course of study ai once enter some industry, either to main- tain themselves or to assist in the main tenance of the family. These young peo- ple go to their new labor untaught, so far as the demands of the industry are con cerned; they also go untrained, so far as habits which insure skill are considered Their schooling has sharpened their wits to some degree; it has opened to them the pages of books; it has given them some general notion of life outside their imme- diate experiences. It may not have con- nected in any way with the task which is set before them. They may not have learned how to judge a piece of work, to know whether it is well or ill done. Their hands have not been taught to execute the demands of the brain. They are neither swift nor sure. Their standards are vague and indistinct: they seem handless as well as headless. If, while emerging from this condition, they enter the industrial field, IXDUSTRIAL TRAIXIXG 143 they must be assured the careful tuition of some fellow- worker; but in very few arts and crafts is this apprenticeship possible. They stumble along without intelligent guidance, earn little, and are unable to improve except as they learn through bitter experience. The transition from the study of books to the practice of the art or craft is abrupt. While the school course is good so far as it goes, in these lines it does not go far enough. Some provision should be made to develop the qualities which are essential in industrial activity, and to give enough practice in technical arts to assure some de- gree of skill, precision, and appreciation of workmanship. The objection which is immediately raised is that the boys and girls who are to go to college cannot spare time for this sort of training, and that the school has no right to provide one course of study for one set of children and another course for others. The reply is simple. This course has already been followed by schools. WTierever the Latin school has been es- tablished it has, in the early years of the child's training, selected such students as were sure of the college privilege, brought them into separate classes, and prepared them for college. The Boston Latin School is an example. .\nd in addition, we have conceded this principle in the differentiation of courses of study in the high schools, allowing commercial courses, English courses, and Latin courses. In the interests of a still larger number of students, we have the same right to es- tablish the technical high school that Bos- ton assumed in establishing the Latin School. The principle is the same and the need is greater. Such an institution attempts to connect the training of the schools with the work required in life. It makes the earlier training effective. It insures greater use- fulness for the present generation and larger privilege for the generations to come. Success in any industrial pursuit, par- ticularly in the contribution which the ordinar\' workman makes to the manufact- ure of any good article, is dependent upon fidelity in imitating a good pattern or ex- ample (adherence to a standard), precision or accuracy in execution, united with speed in accomplishment. The first two quali- ties make the result secure, and the last renders the time of the worker \aluable. Union of the three is indisjiensable ; all must be assured to the rank and file of industrial workers. The process by which the quality of ac- curacy is developed is the careful study of the pattern or example under instruc- tion, and continued repetition until both accuracy and speed are secured. The repetition to be useful must be thoughtful, othenvise skill is not developed. Now it is evident that in the ordinar\' workshop the main result to be secured is material product. The shop is organized and con- trolled for the purpose of making certain things, which, to be profitable, must be well made at the least possible e.xpense. One element of profit, therefore, is the skill of the worker. It is to the advantage of the business that one who has learned to do any part of the work well should be kept in his place, as the substitution of an unskilled hand for the trained worker is a loss to the business. Therefore, we can hardly expect that in any ordinar}- busi- ness the untrained worker will be moved from place to place for the sake of his own development. Rather in the natural life of the business, he will be held to one task as long as his work is profitable. The school, on the other hand, has for its object the development of the student, and not the completion of a material task. If, therefore, the boy who is at work in the school shop learns to do one piece of work well, he is led on to another and still an- other requirement in order that his judg- ment and skill may be developed. In the school he is taught not only to recognize the pattern and to imitate it carefully, with accuracy and precision, but he is also en- abled to turn his attention to many e.x- amples of skill and to emulate in more than one direction the attainments of work- men who have been praised for their good work. As fast as he has won from any task the advantage which that particular work can render to him, he is confronted with another problem which makes still further demands upon his wit and skill, and so is trained for a wider usefulness. It is evident that the school will always lack the intense reality of the daily task, which is paid for with hard-earned money and is relentlessly measured by the market value. On the other hand, the task can never compete with the school in its sacri- 144 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON fice of the material product to the higher interests of the youth to be taught. The industrial school, to be of use, must include as many of the common processes of ordinary industries as may be illus- trated under school conditions. It should aim to present certain problems of the workshop, and to demand obedience to accepted principles which are recognized in co-ordinate or subordinate service, — honesty in execution; painstaking; obedi- ence to directions; punctuality in appt)int- ments; regard for the interests of others who are involved in the work. All these must be carefully instilled into the mind of the )'oung worker. He should l)e taught the importance of the work which is to be done, should learn to look with admira- tion upon the achievements of others, and to be ambitious, not simply to receive much for his labor, but to achieve a piece of work worth doing. A school which aims to accomplish this would be a blessing to any community. It is particularly desirable in a community like ours. A large number of boys and girls in our city must depend upon such tuition to prepare them for self-mainte- nance. Their term of schooling is short, their task confronts them in the near fut- ure, and they must by some means be prepared for it. If the instruction which opens to them the printed book can alter- nate with the training which makes them ready for their inevitable task, they will find in that task itself not only greater en- joyment, but an increased opportunity for usefulness. The joy of doing one's work well; the assurance of growing ability to do it better and better; recognition of power to perform one task after another, each succeeding one better than its prede- cessor; these go far to make Hfe worth liv- ing, and these gifts the industrial or techni- cal school may place in the hands of our boys and girls. We have intentionally written, at this point, "our boys and girls," because the school to be effective should be adapted to both. Many of the girls of the com- munity must look forward to self-mainte- nance outside the home, and nearly all of them will make some contribution to the maintenance of the family. They are less likely than their brothers to secure ap- propriate instruction outside the school, and thev need perhaps more than their brothers, at the present time, careful guid- ance and instruction in the arts which they are to practice. An industrial school which provides for the boys technical train- ing in wood-carving, metal-work, harness- making, etc., should give the girls an op- portunity in cooking, sewing, millinery, household management, drawing, and weaving. In many of the classes, the same instruction would be given to both boys and girls, while some of the arts would be distinctly differentiated. A word as to the grades in which such instruction should be gi\-cn. It has al- ready been said that lhi> lr;iiiiiiig is par- ticularly necessary iuv hoys imd girls leav- ing school before completing the course of study. The time for such instruction, then, i> before they leave school, to be sure, but at the last period to which it can be advantageously deferred. Exactly as the Latin school allows the differentiation of the course of study in the sixth grade, so this technical school might allow the in- dustrial subjects to be included in the grades beyond the sixth, with the regular class work. This substitution should be made only when it is sure that the years of school life are necessarily hmited. After- noon classes made up of younger pupils may otcupy the shops which in the morn- ing are used for the high school students. The building can thus serve a double pur- pose and be in almost constant use. It would be eminently proper and profitable to allow evening classes also in the same building, for the young men and women who have entered upon their duties and who recognize the need of further instruc- tion to insure a more satisfactory accom- plishment of their daily task. In fact, instruction in industrial lines to those al- ready at work is perhaps our most profit- able undertaking. The task itself shows the worker his limitation; he turns to his lesscms in the hope of overcoming it. From his school, enlightened by his study, he returns to his task with new interest, and finds in it a greater zest and a finer accom- plishment. Not until the limitation has been removed is the instruction useless. This combination adds interest to both lesson and task. In one of our Western cities an experi- ment has been organized which permits half-day work in shops and factories and half-dav instruction in the school, to stu- MEMORIES OF ONE HOME 145 dents of suitable age. UndoubUdly both work and school gain by this ( c}<.|KiMii(iii and alternation. While the schdul in our community may not secure this inirtic uiar result, it cannot fail to prepare our buys :;iid girls for more intelligent servitr in indus- trial pursuits and for more rapid advance- ment in their chosen tasks. One word more as to the advantage which all students would dcri\r fmm a course of study in which induslrird train- ing alternates with acadcnii( studii's. The balance and proportion which early con- ditions secured for children in New Eng- land is rapidly disappearing as conditions change. The farms witli their necessity for co-o[)erati.in pr()\i(lc lor only a small number of children. The lionie requires lessand less res|ionsibih'ty .ind ser\-ice from its youn,u;er inma(es. Instriu tion and training in r,ll nKitlers are toiisidered the function of the si hool, and the family is rapid!}- w ilh(li-;;\\ ing from its own respon- sibility, liitil these duties are re-appor- tioned, it will be necessary for the school to supjilement the home to a gi-eater de- gree than in the past, and partiiularly in the opportunity for manual training. We have become familiar with tlie principle that intellectual work is at its best when balanced by |iliysical exercise. We have not \et fully le:irncd that that exercise has a tiller educational quality when it ends in something worth while. In the "Trav- eller from Altruria" llowells represents the traveller as helping the farmer to get in his hay, while his friends swing Indian clubs. The theory brought forward by the hero is that useful e.xercise profits more than exercise for its own sake. No one who has studied the problems of education, applying to them the philosophy of every- day life, can fail to observe that the clear- est thinkers are not the men who do noth- ing but think. The man of acdon wrestles with his task and beats into it the thought which dominates his action. Both the thought and the work ;ire l)etter because he has both wrought and thought. So the intellectual task of the ordinary student is finer if balanced and measured b\- the ma- terial expression, the doing alternating with the thinking, or accom|i:in\ing it. The principles of manual training have made us familiar with this theory; it re- mains for industrial tiiuning to show us that the thinker is developed by his deed as well as liv his thought. MEMORIES OF ONE HOME BY MRS. NATHANIEL T. ALLEN IN looking Ijack over a period of fifty- four years in West Newton, fifty-three of ihem spent in the s;\me house, it is pleasant to thiid< of the noted men and women who have sat by i)ur fireside^ as it were, and lent to us of their learning and wisdom. Horace Mann was among the first to welcome me to West Newton, Mr. Allen having been a member of his family, and an ardent admirer and disciple. His tall form, large head, and protruding forehead made him quite an awe-inspiring figure, and yet he could playfully stoop to joke with the young Nantucket girl and recommend that a tub of water, well salted, should be kept at hand, lest she pine for her native sea-girt isle. His ami- able, gifted wife, daughter of old Dr. Pea- body, was very gracious, cultiv.ited, and helpful. Her sister. Miss Elizabeth Pea- bodv, gave a series of talks to friends, in our parlors, on her then new method of memorizing historv and geographv, which she illustrated with ehai-'ts, and later she talked of ••kindergaiten" w,,rk, ,if which she was an untiring adxocate and ex- pounder. Rev. Cyrus Peirce, called "Father Peirce," for whom the Peirce School iir West Newton was named, was intimately asso- ciated with us, first as Principal of the Normal School in West Newton, and later a.s a,ssoii:;le prinei|Kd with Mr. Allen, in his pri\,:ir -,li.ii;l. He was often at our house, and alwa_\s held up to us the highest ideals; his head bore a striking resem- blance to that of Froebel, the founder of the kindergarten system. Mrs. Peirce, his able co-worker, was a woman of strong character and vigorous health, and by example and precept supported her hus- band's high principles. Dr. William A. Alcott, who wrote "The 146 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON House I Live in," one of the earliest books on physiology, certiiinly the one that gave me my first knowlege of the laws of health, lived in Auburndale and came often to the house; as did Dr. Dio Lewis, who first introduced Swedish gymnastics into our country. He was a great enthusiast on the subject, and interested all in the exer- cises. Those were fine times when, under him, the gentlemen and ladies of West Newton assembled in the old town hall, the basement of what became afterwards the city hall, and ran races over the rickety, creaking board floors, threw bean bags, e.xercised with wands and dumb bells, and grew strong. Once after he had been lecturing on health, telling the young people among other things how injurious mince pies were, Mr. Allen invited him to dine with us. It so happened that day that mince pie was to be my dessert, of which he partook, — perhaps to save my feelings as hostess. Or perhaps he was like our original, celebrated, hydropathic physician. Dr. Kittredge, who wrote under the name of "Noggs" and was well known in the vicinity of Boston; once when remonstrated with for eating some rich viands set before him, he said, "I am the guide post that points the way for you to do. I go as I have a mind to." Henry Barnard, Commissioner of Edu- cation at Washington, came to give Mr. Allen an appointment from the govern- ment to visit schools in Europe, and he afterwards sent his son abroad with us. William B. Fowle, the distinguished edu- cator, and founder of the "Monitorial System," then an important subject in educational circles, and George B. Emer- son, who had a noted private school in Boston, and who assisted in organizing the Boston Society of Natural History (for which he wrote a valuable report on Trees and Shrubs of Massachusetts), were both familiar figures. Mr. Allen, quick to catch their inspiration, tried the Moni- torial System in his school, and was one of the first members of the Natural History Society. A. Bronson Alcott, the gifted father of Louisa Alcott, a deep thinker and moralizer, used to come from Concord to hold parlor conversations here; his original thoughts and high spiritual aspirations were very elevating; he would talk for hours, and seemed nc\-cr to know when to stop. He was a vegetarian, and held that a vegetable diet would produce unrufHed sweetness of temper and disposition. His daughter Louisa used to say laughingly that she never had eaten meat, but she was often very cross. My dear fellow townswoman, Maria Mitchell, late professor of astronomy at Vassar College, whose telescope I had often the opportunity of looking through in my, girlhood, came to see us, and, in talking of our desire to visit Europe, said, "Go, if you live on a crust of bread ever afterwards!" Lucretia Crocker, a schoolmate, with a character of rare gentleness and sweetness, was often with us. She was chosen by Horace Mann to go to .Antioch College with him, as Professor of Mathematics. She also went south with Mrs. Edna Cheney in connection with the Frcedman's Bureau, and after\\-ards was chosen one of the first supervisors of the Boston schools, which position she filled vi'ith honor till her death. An interesting visitor was Miss Bcilte, afterwards Mrs. Kraus-Bolte, who later maintained a successful kindergarten in New York city. She came with letters to us from her aunt, a German authoress, Amelie Bolte, of Dresden, whom we saw much of, and who, knowing our interest in kindergarten work, arranged for us to meet and have weekly interviews with Frau Baroness von Marenholtz Biilow, the great disciple and interpreter of Froebel, when we were in Dresden. Previously !Mr. Allen had secured for the first kinder- garten in America, in connection with his school, Mrs. Louise Pollock, a German lady imbued with the love of children and the spirit of Froebel. As Mr. Allen was alert and awake to all the burning questions and reforms of the day, he was brought into contact with many of the greatest reformers in Massa- chusetts, and many came to our house. I well remember the first time I saw Mr. William Lloyd Garrison, which was soon after I came to West Newton. I had looked upon him as a man to be almost feared, and when one of our good friends brought him to tea one night, I was quite overpowered to find him so gentle, so gracious, and charming. Theodore Par- ker, too, it was a pleasure to meet, he was so uplifting and inspiring in all that he said. He had such power and pathos in MEMORIES OF ONE HOME 147 his voice, he carried every one with him resistlessly, and could move one to tears or laughter alike. He pictured one's shortcomings vividly, and )-et sent one away hopeful and comforted. Although Wendell PhiUips, Charles Sumner, and Louis Agassiz never came to our home, they were warm friends of ours, and came to lecture in West Newton. Mr. Allen acted several times as one of Mr. Phillips's self-appointed body-guard, when he spoke in Boston, especially during the John Brown excitement, when Mr. Phillips was followed home by a howling mob. Our house was one of the stations of the underground railroad, as Mr. Allen's ancestral home in Medfield had been to a greater extent. This made Booker Wash- ington and others of the colored enthu- siasts for education always welcome guests at our board. Mrs. Lucy Stone, with her sweet face, ■musical voice, and wonderful eloquence, was always a charming guest. Never shall I forget the first time I heard her in my Nantucket home. She seemed a shght, frail girl in her figure, but her face and her eloquence made me a convert to her cause then and there. Her husband, Mr. Henry Blackwell, has often been with us, an earnest, honest, effective speaker, faithful to a cause towards which the world is moving and has moved with rapid strides. Mary A. Livermore, whose high ideals have accomplished so much in the world, came to us, when lecturing in West Newton. Mrs. Edna D. Cheney, whose love of everything true and noble made her fearless in asserting herself, alwa3-s on the side of truth and justice, sat by our side on our Golden wedding day. Mrs. Anna Garlin Spencer took tea with us on the night that she lectured in the city hall. Her fame and eloquence were such that there were scarcely seats sufficient for the crowds that assembled to hear her. Col. Thomas Wentworth Higginson, the graceful speaker, whom every one knows and loves, has sat in our parlor and given us of his wisdom; as has our grand old friend, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe, — both of whom were present not long ago at the Longfellow Memorial, in Saunders Theatre, and showed to the assembled multitude how gracefully they are growing old. A host of other charming people come to my mind as I think of the past in New- ton. Ceha Thaxter lived in Newtonville and brought her boys to school to Mr. Allen; they were children of nature, and with their mother knew and loved every flower of the field and every insect that crawled upon the earth. Miss Mary C. Shannon also hved in Newton, one of the noblest of women, and of queenly bearing; she was tenderly interested in every human being that came under her influence; she treated her animals as dear friends, and in talking of her flowers and the wonderful works of God, she seemed like one in- spired. I felt always near the gates of heaven when listening to her conversation, on her frequent visits at our home. She it was who secured Auntie Pomroy for the mother of Newton's orphan and destitute girls, and was the prime mover in founding that Listitution, which has done, and is doing, such a noble work in saving these children from being a burden to the city. Mrs. Caroline Dall, the wife of ' Dr. Wm. Dall (who did so much for thirty years as missionary in Lidia) and mother of the present curator of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, came to West Newton to live, and sat often at our table. She was famed as a writer and lecturer, and exemplified the fact that a literary woman could be a model housekeeper. Mrs. Caroline Severance, too, Uved in West Newton and talked often of her plans for the advancement of woman's interests. She was the founder and first President of "The New England Woman's Club of Boston"; she moved after\vards to Cali- fornia and founded there many clubs, so that she is now called "The Mother of Clubs." Her eighty-seventh birthday anniversary has just been celebrated in Los Angeles, where she is still a worker in all good causes, and welcomes all to her home who need her advice or assistance. As Mr. Allen and his family were all educators or ministers, we had many dis- tinguished divines come to us. Rev. Joseph Allen, a veritable village pastor, who preached fifty years in one parish in North- boro, and was loved by every one, came to christen all our children and was always a welcome guest. His son, Rev. Joseph Henry Allen, the learned divine and author of so many religious books, used to walk from Jamaica Plain to breakfast with us, 148 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON Sunday nKirniiigs, when he was to preach in West Newton. Rev. Samuel Longfellow, brother of the poet, came often to preach in West Newton, and sometimes came to dine with us. He took a special interest in Mr. Allen's boys, and invited them to visit the poet's home, the Craigie House, where he personally showed them about. Rev. Samuel J. May, whom some one has called "the only consistent non-resistant," came often to bring sunshine and joy among us; he was a sweet, wise friend to every one, especially to the oppressed and down-trodden. None knew him but to love him, even though they differed from him in his radical ideas. We were proud to have at our fireside Rev. Brooke Herford, — the genial, kind Englishman, who welcomed us so warmly to his English home in Manchester, before he was called to settle in America. With him came often his wife and gifted daugh- ters, one of whom, Beatrice, in her mono- logue entertainments, has made a proud name for herself; as has also his son Oliver, in a different way. .Rev. Horatio Stebbins, successor to Starr King in San Francisco, an old schoolmate of Mr. Allen's, told at our table of old school days, when on his visit from California. Rev. Charles F. Barnard, for whom the Barnard School in West Newton was named, and founder of the Warren Street Chapel in Boston, talked often of his work with the less favored class of children, whom his large-hearted interest embraced. Rev. Samuel Smith of "America" fame, and many others, were among our guests; while Rev. Charles G. Ames tenderly laid his hands on our heads and re-married us on our golden-wedding day. William Claflin and his wife, honored residents of our town, were earnest workers in every good cause, and called to their side the distinguished men and women of our country and many foreign countries, whom Mr. Allen and I were often asked to meet. Mr. Allen held many interesting talks on education with Mrs. Claflin, as he did also with Mr. Claflin on political subjects. At our home we knew and admired, as a loving father, Henry Wilson, vice-president of the United States, who would sacrifice anything but his honor, for his loved son. By his own efforts and steady adherence to prin- ciple he rose to his high position. Firm as a rock for truth and libertv, it is said he floated into power on the wave of [jrint iple, — the principle of human freedom. Andrew D. White, historian, educator, and poli- tician. President of Cornell University, Minister to Russia and Germany, we knew also in the relation of a fond father. William F. Draper, Minister to Italy, had two sons and two brothers (one, the present Lieutenant-Governor) with us, while Gov. Nathaniel P. Banks, Gov. A. H. Rice, John B. Alley, and other politicians came frequently to our home. From foreign lands have come to us Col. Liukea of Honolulu, who was Lord High Chancellor to the Queen, and who told us in his quiet, unostentatious way of his various diplomatic interviews at the Courts of Queen Victoria, the Czar of Russia, the King of Greece, etc. Abzemori Shimidu, Japanese prince and nephew to the Em- peror, came as a youth of si.xteen to study English; he brought with him his attend- ants of high military rank, to wait upon him, who paid him most profound respect, bowing to the ground when leaving him. Tanetaro Megata also came from Japan to study English, and if I remember correctly he was the first Japanese student who de- livered a lecture in English in America. This he gave in our city hall. Four )'ears ago he came to us as minister of finance of Japan. He was on a visit to study the finances of America and Europe. He dined one day with the Governor of Mas- sachusetts and Mayor of Boston, called on President Eliot at Harvard and the next day came to visit us before going to meet the President of the United States in Wash- ington. Three sons of President Prado, of Peru, while studying in West Newton, came frequently to tea with us. One of them, when asked if he would take sugar in his tea, replied in broken English, "Berry leetle, only sex or seben spoonsful." Mr. and Mrs. Elihu Vedder have been at our home when their son was with us, and one evening brought with them Mr. Ved- der's designs, which he painted in the Huntington House in New York. Mi.ss Jane Hunt, sister of the noted artist William Hunt, and herself an artist, came to see us, and showed us some of her lovely sketches of Pinehurst, North Carolina. Joiseph Clark, the excavator at Assos, a pupil in Mr. Allen's family, exjilained to us, one even- ing, his work at Assos, where he was sent bv the .-\rcha;ological Society of .\merica. THE STAR OF NORUMBEGA 149 Dr. Zakrzewska, to whom more than to any other is due the success of woman in the noble profession in which she led the way (for all, poor and rich alike, found in her a sympathetic friend), came with Dr. Hariot K. Hunt, another pioneer of women physicians, who talked most beautifully of the care of children. Alice Freeman Palmer, ex-president of Wellesley, with her grand outpouring spirit of hope and cheer, whose life of service was so beautiful and fruitful, a power for good work and the elevation and cultivation of woman to the end of her all too short life, came to talk of her personal recollections of the poet Whittier. Richard Edwards, superintend- ent of schools in Illinois, Supt. Seaver of the Boston schools, Supt. Philbrick, and many others, came to us for exchange of ideas at intervals. Before closing, it would be appropriate to mention that West Newton, fifty years ago, seemed to be a centre for literary and cultivated people, drawn partly, no doubt, by the fact that Horace Mann had made his home here. Hawthorne, brother- in-law of Horace Mann, after his return from the Brook Farm settlement, came here, and here penned his "Blithedale Romance." Lydia Maria Child, too, wrote here "The Life of Isaac T. Hopper," in the house on the corner of Chestnut and Fuller Streets, where she with her husband, David Lee Child, resided for a time. THE STAR OF NORUMBEGA BY ALICE R.A.NLETT UPON a bright spring day, Biarn, the young captain of the Norsemen's fort on Norumbega Water, and his af- fianced bride, Vigdis, the daughter of the governor of the land, walking in the May- fragrant forest, came into a sunny glade through which a sparkling brook, with rain- bow spray, leaped, singing, over moss-flecked gray rock terraces; swinging above the shin- ing water, upon the branch of a birch-tree which gleamed white through its mist- like veil of young green foliage, an oriole sang as sweetly as the silver-toned water; the great oaks about the glen were flushed with the soft peach-bloom and rose of their unfolding leaves, and pale, fluttering anem- ones and flashing blue violets sprang from the turf. Vigdis had but a few months earlier come from the old home of her family on the desolate coast of Greenland, and her heart thrilled joyously in this wonderland of trees aleaf with verdure and flower- bright fields. "Surely," she exclaimed, ".this Vinland, Biarn, must be the most beautiful of all lands! How happy we are to have a share in building up the home of our people in this country!" "Vinland is fair," Biarn answered, "and oft'ers rich gains for toil, with its fur-bearing beasts of the forest, its broad rivers teeming with fine-fleshed fish, and its great store of choicest masur-wood in the burrs of these ancient oaks; this merchan- dise is precious in the old lands, where it is sought at a high price for valued utensils, and, carven cunningly and gold-ornamented, is made into the sacred_chalices of the altar. Yes, the Norseman has come to a fair and fertile land; still, there may be for him years of conflict with the Skraelhngs of the forest; though, sometimes, they seem not unfriendly, they ever love to make a thrust in the dark. We have driven them in fight; yet we Norsemen are few in the land, and how many savages lurk in the wilder- ness, who can say?" "But when our peoples know each other better, we may be friends," Vigdis replied. "Let us welcome the SkraeUings to Norum- bega and teach them the good knowledge of the White Christ that we have brought across the sea, while they, perhaps, teach us the mysteries of their forests. But who is that, Biarn, between the giant oaks, beyond the stream? With her black, flowing hair and dusky skin, she seems a SkraeUing, save that her face is gentle and her eyes look friendly-wise on us. See, she beckons!" "Do not trust her!" cried Biarn. Mgdis was already running to the brook, while the Indian girl sprang from slippery, spray-sprinkled rock to rock, across the stream. Her dark eyes met the clear blue eyes of the daughter of the Vikings in an 150 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON earnest gaze, and she spoke brokenly in the Norse tongue, first to Biarn. "Fear nothing for thy White Lily from Golden Flower," she said. "Many moons have passed since a weird woman of our tribe said that, while Golden Flower's face was like the faces of her own people, her heart was white and held burning love for the white strangers. Golden Flower knew not what she meant, until the Star Spirit showed wonderful, giant birds with wide-stretched pinions, floating and flying through the morning mists, over the great water, coming from the sunrise and bringing, between their wings, strange men with skin like the snow- in winter, hair like the yellow sunshine in autumn, and eyes like the blue sky in sum- mer; then Golden Flower knew that these were the white strangers whose love was in her heart. "After many da_vs, the men shown l)v the Spirit came truly and cut down our trees, took our furs, and built their wig- wams of wood and stone. The Indians sometimes feared and went away, and sometimes feared not and came near, but always, in their heart, they hated; only ■ Golden Flower in her heart loved the people of the sunshine hair and the heaven-blue e3'es; and, unseen in the forest shadows, she watched and listened and learned the new words, and ever wished to do some good thing for the strangers. Still, she speaks not, but waits and w-aits till the Spirit shows that only to a Wliite Lily maiden must her good gift be given. Then, in the Star, she sees that WTiite Lily coming nearer and nearer, across the dark green waves and in the strangers' city yonder. Still she waits, till this sunrise the Star shows the day has come when Golden Flower speaks to the White Lily ^\•ho has eyes to see what others cannot see. "Look, where the sunshine falls on the gray rock! There is Golden Flower's gift of Jove to the strangers. Seek it, trust to it, for in it thou shalt see things far away and things yet to be; thou shaft see what others cannot see, and know what others cannot know; and the Star, as it has been for a sign to my people, shall be a sign and guide for good to thy people, if they will be- lieve thee and the Star." Vigdis and Biarn, wondering, followed the Indian girl to the gray ledge, in the dark surface of which they saw, indeed, a crystal star, white in the shade as a new-fallen snowflake, but, when the sunshine fell on it, blazing like a blood-red ruby or gleam- ing with gold and emerald and violet rays. X'igdis fixed her eyes upon the Star in a keen gaze which seemed to pierce the roik and see the far-away, even as the gleaming blue eyes of her Viking fathers penetrated the shrouding mists of the Atlantic, .seeing what others could not see. So seeing, did the old sea-kings find their way across the unknown, mysterious ocean to Iceland, Greenland, the desolate clift'-bound shorts of the Terra Laboratoris, and, at last, to the pleasant western hind that they called Vinland, from the abounding ])uri.)ie grains of its autumn. "A star," the Norse girl murmured, "a star set for a sign. Have not the stars ever been the friends of our race? Did not we rejoice upon the great .sea, when, through tile l)lack night-clouds, a star gleamed on is!-' Have not the sea-kings of our North- land sailed ever by the unchanging star of the north sky, guided by it to many lands, even to these shores of blossoming flowers and purple fruits of the vine? This Star also shall be a weird of good and a guide to the Northmen." "It is a gift to thee and to thy tribe, for- ever," said the Indian, solemnly. "For- get it not, when Golden Flower is no longer here." " O, do not go!" cried Vigdis, clasping the girl's arm of bronze with her firm white hand. "Let our two peoples become friends. Thou and I will teach them to hve together in friendship; come with us and learn the good knowledge of the holy White Christ that we have brought from our old northern home, and teach us the mystery of your forests." "Golden Flower has only the white lieart, not the white face," the Indian replied, "and she must go with her own people." Even while she spoke, she glided silently away and was lost in the forest shadows. In the low sunshine, the crystal Star blazed fiery crimson for an instant, and then was cold and white. Wondering and thought- ful, Biarn and Vigdis walked through the violet twilight shades of the dewy, May- sweet forest to the fort on Norumbega Water. When the year's da3'S were at their longest and Norumbega land was at its fairest, the Bishop came over the sea, from THE STAR OF NORUMBEGA 151 Greenland, and on Saint John's Da\-, in the httle church of Norumbega City, ]5iarn and Vigdis pledged their marriage vows. Then, leaving the wedding-company keep- ing festival, the bride and bridegroom paddled up the shining river to Biarn's quarters in the fort. As once, upon the way, they lingered beneath a bank thickly grown with glossy, green-leaved shrubs starred with white l)lossoms, suddenly a dark hand, thrust through the tangle, dropped a garland of fragrant, golden-hearted water-lilies upon Vigdis' hair of sunshine-3-ellow, while a soft voice spoke, "Remember the Star, Wliite Lily, even this day, remember. Golden Flower says her long farewell." When Biarn called, no answer came, and no one was to be seen in the green wilderness. But Vigdis remembered, and that afternoon, when the woods were golden in the westering sunlight, she walked with Biarn up the brook-side to the forest glade, carpeted now with strawberry vines, snowy- flowered and crimson-fruited, and all abloom with the delicate pink-petalled wild roses of the land, while in the midst of the flowers gleamed the white crystal of the Star. Vigdis smiled and said, "The Star is flower-decked in honor of our marriage- day." Then she fell silent, gazing into the crystal, while Biarn gazed on her. "It is strange," the girl murmured, "the forest and brook and ledge are gone, and I see only whirling, drifting mists. Now there is a bright gleam in the mist, and there are shadowy, uncertain forms. Now, the picture is plainer; through a forest, beside a river, go many of the Skraellings, painted in gaudy colors and carrying tomahawks; their faces are fierce and frightful, and they are set toward Norumbega; from a deep copse, unseen by them, Golden Flower gazes earnestly at me; she means a warning. Oh! I know what is meant; the savages are near and plan an attack. Yet all will be well if we prepare for them. Biarn, do not think this an idle, fancied vision! Believe me and the Star! " "Come, then," he cried. And, hand in hand, the two sped through the fresh, cool forest shadows, calling, as they passed, to the broad-shouldered, ruddy-haired Norse woodmen who were still, in the twilight, heaping great burrs of masur-wood by the brook. In the fort, Biarn gave orders, swift and urgent; a canoe manned with powerful men was sent at all speed down the river, to carry warning to the feasting company in the city, of a possible attack from the Skraellings. In the fort, all was action; the river-gate, the brook-gate, and the forest-gate were barricaded; keen-sighted watchers were set upon the look-out; and the men, that night, lay down to sleep with l)::tllc axe and spear in hand. Biarn went silently from point to point, peering out into the soft darkness of the summer night, upon the shifting, startling shadows of the forest and over the dark, rippling water, twinkling with star reflections. Silently, at his side crept Vigdis; once she pointed toward a shadow that shot from beneath the farther iiank of the river, and more than once they saw forms eree]! stealthily from tree to tree, but ^'.11 was still until the last watch of the night, when the mists lay like snow-banks upon the water; then suddenly there was a furious attack on each of the gates of the palisaded fort. But before the heavy logs yielded to the blows rained thick and f;;st on tlicm, stalwart Norsemen stood ready witli iheir s|:)ears and axes, and every du^ky form tliat pressed through the openin^j; was thrust Ixuk, a mass of clay. Finding the Norsemen thus upon their guard, the savages fled into the deep woods and were seen no more; though, for weeks, the Norsemen remained on guard in city and fort. The people wondered how Biarn had discovered the Indians' plot, and Vigdis said, "Golden Flower's gift was, as she promised, a sign for our good." It was a mellow autumn day, when next Biarn believed it safe to go so far from the fort as to the glade of the faUing brook; the grapes, distended with spicy juices, hung purple beneath their soft bloom, and the fragrant white foam-flowers of the clematis curtained the gray ledges. The glen was ablaze with gold and crimson foliage, but, in all the rioting splendor of color, the Star shone with its own strange, lustrous beauty; and, gazing into its crystal, Vigdis said; — "The silvery mist hangs heavy; now, it parts. I see great evergreen trees; the snow falls on them; and beyond is a wide, rolling river, not like our Norumbega, but so great that it seems like the great sea- water itself; along its shores go the Skrael- THE MIRROR OF NEWTON lings, marching in single file; they are far from us; we need not fear them. "Golden Flower is there; she points toward a white man; one of our own people he must be, but I cannot see plainly. Oh, now he comes into the Hght; he is like, yes, he is Leifson, the overseer of the wood- cutters. His face is dark and evil; mur- der is written on it." "But art thou certain, Vigdis?" asked Biarn. " Leifson, truly, is a silent, sulking fellow, but he is keen in managing the work and strong in ruling the men." "The Star shows plainly," answered Vigdis, "and I believe it. Beware of Leifson. There is terrible wickedness in his face." "Seest thou more, Vigdis?" "No more, the mist clouds float over all. But, Biarn, remember the omen of our marriage day, and believe the Star." When young Leifson was questioned, he stood scowling and dumb. But one of the other men, fearing Biarn's mysterious knowledge, declared the plot that Leifson had made to kill the captain and officers, put himself at the head of the men, and carry across the sea the collected store of miisur-wood and make himself rich by its sale. The people, wondering again at their leader's suspicions, gave him their loyal obedience; and Biarn and Vigdis believed more deeply in the wonderful Star, which twice, by its vision-warning, had saved them and their people from destruction. It was a glittering midwinter day, when Biarn and Vigdis went on their next pil- grimage to the strange Star, walking o\-er the glistening snow-pavement, beyond the last clearing where the masur-gatherers were laying low the giant oaks, to the glen of the failing waters. The fretting, foaming brook, with silvery music, sprang down its terraces, fringed with ice-jewels flashing the rainlww colors, and the glen lay in the untlecked whiteness of the virginal snow, in the midst of which the Star blazed with ruby and violet flames. Vigdis, gazing into the heart of the crystal, said slowly, "The mist curtains float and toss; now the light comes, and I see the forest by the great river; it is spring, and bright blossoms tremble in the grass by the rolling tide; the Skraellings are there, and their faces are turned toward Norumbega. Golden Flower's face is sad as she lifts her warning hand; the savages are surely coming back, and they are many, many more than formerly, multitudes of them with terrible faces beneath the war- paint. "Now the mist falls over all; but it parts again, and I see the shore at Norum- bega City and the Norsemen's ships on the strand, pointed to the great sea-water; they are sailing and we are going on them, and all our people. On and on we sail, over the dark green waves with their white foam-flowers; on and on, farther than Greenland, farther than Iceland. Ah, Biarn, the Star bids us leave our Norum- bega. "But there is more. I see a land^of sheer cliffs and snowy mountains rising from the sea, and gleaming sapphire-blue fjords between grim mountain walls; the Norseman is here. Now I see an island shore beaten by angry, leaden waves be- neath a dim blue sky; here, too, are our people. Now there is another land, very fair, in the faint green of early spring, and the oaks are rose-flushed as they are here in Norumbega. This same land passes into summer bright with golden-hearted roses, as Norumbega was on our marriage day. Now it is autumn, and the trees blaze in orange and crimson, and purple grapes hang in luscious clusters. And now, winter is in the Star-land and all is fleecy whiteness, glittering with many-colored ice gems. This country is our own Norum- bega, and far away upon a mountain soaring into clouds stands Golden Flower, point- ing toward her people marching away and disapiJearing into the sunset. "Another people is landing on these shores. Their faces are white, and some of them have hair of the sunshine-yellow and eyes of the Norseman's blue. They are Norsemen, yet mingled in blood with another race, the race of the sea-beaten island, as strong and brave as that of our sea-kings. This people goes through Norumbega, and far beyond, into the great wilderness and across the mountains; the men are building here homes and a nation. Norumbega is to be the cradle of a people yet unknown. I see their day marching on in the Star-land. But first we must sail back across the waters. The Star says that not yet may the Norseman build his empire in the Norumbega land, Ijut the promise waits and shall be fulfilled. THE STAR OF NoRUMHKGA 153 "Now the silvery mists fall, ;ind I can see no more." A gleam of sunshine shot thnni^li the pearly glen, and the Star blazed with rosy shooting flames, then the sun sank and the glade was solemnly white and still, save for the silvery brook-song. Then, suddenly, through the gentle voice of the stream, Biarn heard the call of the water, ever compelling to the brave men of his race, the call that of old had led his fathers on and on, beyond one unknown sea after another, and which was to lead him and his people again back and forth, from land to land. In his flashing eyes Vigdis saw the answer to the call, the strong resolve to fare forth to other lands and other deeds. When spring again flung her first faint, shimmering green veil over Norumbega woods, Biarn heard still more urgently the compelling call, and the Norse settlers, under his direction, gave up their Vinland homes, and sailed eastward to Greenland, and some, among them Biarn and Vigdis, to the old Scandinavian home of their race. And when the Red Indians came back to Vinland, in overwhelming numbers and with the resolve to drive out the Norse strangers, these were gone, leaving behind houses, churches, river-dams, and fort- walls, to be swept away by tlie sa\';;ges and by the warring elements of centuries, until scarce a trace should remain. But Biarn and Vigdis, and their chil- dren and children's children, with the splendid restlessness of their race, were ever lured on by the insistent call of the spirit to a greater beyond; and in after years they crossed the water to the island country, where others of their people had gone before, and where the Norman, seek- ing the new, and the Saxon, establishing and ennobling the old, became mingled in one world-winning and world-enlightening race. Among these English children of the young captain of Norumbega, long years after its fort and citv were almost forgotten, were man}' of valor and learning, high of rank, in name and soul, and some of these, sailing with the sea-kings of England, like their Norse ancestors, obey- ing the call of the waters, fared forth across the ocean, still, in their day, a wilderness of dangers and mysteries; and these, again like their fathers, came to the western land, which they won at last from every hindering difficulty, and in which they built up a nation, composed of many races, but founded on the corner-stone of that race which is both Saxon and Norman. In a certain glade of the old Norumbega land, where a singing brook leaps with rainbow s,\m\y over shining rocks and emerald mosses, in the flickering shade of ancient oaks rose-flushed in spring and crimson-flamed in autumn, there is a gray ledge tangled over with frail, pink New England roses, or white foam-flowering clematis, and purple-fruited vines, and on this ledge, hidden beneath ivory-tinted and pale beryl lichens, the growth of nearly nine centuries, still gleams the Star of Norumbega, pearly white and waiting only for the sunshine to burst into its glorious blaze of ruby, violet, and amethyst. And if a maiden true of heart, loving well her people and having in her veins the blood of the old Viking family of Biarn and Vigdis, shall find the hidden crystal, it shall be to her and her race an omen for good and a star set for a sign. For her, in the crystal depths, the mist curtain shall be wthd'rawn, and she shall see things far away and things to be; and, seeing what others cannot see and knowing what others cannot know, she shall be able to give timely warning to her people and to guide them onward in the way of wisdom to fulfill their destiny, guided herself by the gift of the white-hearted daughter of the old inhabitants of the land to the white- faced daughter of the Norseman and to her race forever, the gift of the mystic Star of Norumbega. 154 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON JUST ENOUGH Between Too Little and Too Much, Just Enough suspended swings; If one give it but a touch, Lightly backward, forward springs. Yet, undaunted by rebuff, Hope is always tr}ang still To catch and hold the Just Enough, And believes at last she will. DANGER I DARE not to harbor A hate at my heart, Lest friendship that enters Should haste to depart. I dare not to surfeit \\'itli fcastinc; and wine. Lest the mrs>;;^c of music I should not divine; Lest beauty should blossom, .^nd I unaware; Lest fragrance unstented E.xhale in the air. Says the preacher within me, "Your reasons are light; You ought not to surfeit For love of the right." I question in answer (The argimient wins), "Should I summon a Seraph To pick up my pins?'" POPULARITY You know not where it may light, nor why, Nor when it may take to the wing and fly, — The bird of the flattering lay. But he glad if it sing for a while at vour door, And turn to the song in your heart as before, If it flutters and flits away. Selma Ware Paine. BIRDS OF NEWTON, PAST AND PRESENT BY C. J. MAYNARD THE number c.f liirds in any sec- tiiin of country must I)c regulated by two factors; first and chiefly li\' the food supply; second, to a less degree, and often supplementary to the lirst, by the facilities afforded for nest- ing. Birds vary greatly as to the food they require, and the environment they prefer for nesting, and regions which arc- most varied in their production of bin! food and in their offering of suitable nesting places will naturally have the largest num- ber of avian species. Such a section was once found here in Newton. Let us for a few moments turn back the lea\es of the book which Time is ever writing, and glance at the Newton of forty years ago, — at the woodlands, fields, and streams as they were, — and listen to the voices of the birds which lived here then. I will take as an example the environment of my own home as a type of man}' places in our town. Below the house was a beautiful meadow-, through which flowed a pretty brook, that in summer wound in and out among luxuriant grasses, the home of rails and bitterns, where the red-wings delighted to build their cup-shaped nests. Here, too, in places, tangled thickets of wild roses, alders, and ilex o\crarclicd the stream; in these secure hiding -plucs liwd swamp sparrows, and now ^ind then ,i short-billed marsh wren came to them and built his nest in the neighboring sedges. They were also the chosen home of the northern yellow-throat. Willows grew beside the stream in detached clumps, or in long rows. To them came hosts of migrating warblers when on their way north in spring, to glean among the growing lea\es. Here I always went to find Wil- son's black-cap. Later, in early July, the goldfinches nested in these willows. Above the brook was an old orchard, and in the cavities of the huge limbs of the apple-trees bluebirds and flickers found homes. When these trees were covered with pink-tinted blossoms, they were also visited by many warblers. Here I found the rare Tennessee warbler, and as for blackpolls, they came by scores; sometimes during favorable years, great waves of a number of species of other warblers would sweep across these apple trees. 1 remember once seeing them fairly covered with Canadian warblers. Orchard orioles sometimes came here to nest. In the higher meadows, near the house, meadow larks and bobolinks nested and sang all through the June weather. On a cedar-covered hill behind the house a number of pairs of purple finches built in the slender, swaying tops of the cedars, and 1 tould hear them singing every day as I sat at work in my laboratory. In the Via rberry Ijushes that skirted the old stone walls nested )'ellow warblers and chipping sparrows in abundance. Song, vesper, and field sparrows we had galore; indigo birds were common, and of course Baltimore orioles hung their swinging nests from the branches of all the tall trees about us. Some (if the>e birds are with us now, but the\' are few, for many changes have taken place. The meadow is drained, and the waving sedges have gone. The beau- tiful brook has been straightened into a ditch, and most of the willows have been cut down. The cedar hill is now an un- sightly gravel pit. The golfer rolls his ball where once the meadow lark and bobolink sang. The old orchard has nearly gone, and few or no migrating wiLibk-rs \-isit the few trees that remain; in >h()rt, the place has been made a desert for the birds, and as such possesses no attractions for them. There are many such deserts to-day in our city which were once the chosen resorts of many species of birds. Cold Spring Swamp, near the Newton Cemetery, once the home of hundreds of black-crowned night herons, and of an occasional long-eared owl, has been drained, and most of the white cedars in which the herons built their nests so many years have been cut down. Cabot Woods, formerly a famous place for birds, has had the under- growth removed and is constantly being burned over, destroying the carpet of dead leaves in which ovenbirds, towhees and brown thrashers used to nest. West New- ton Hill, which I remember as a great forest, is now nearly covered with houses, and what has long been the wildest part of Newton, the region about Oak Hill, is 156 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON gradually beinc; cleared of woods. Can we wonder that we are losing our birds? I do not think I am overstating the matter when I say that, taken all in all, we have not more than one pair of birds nesting in Newton now where we had fifty pairs forty years ago. What is the remedy for this depletion? Briefly, let me say first, to those who have private grounds and want wild birds, — and who does not ? — plant native shrubbery, barberries, privet, and similar close-growing shrubs, and let them close together without trimming. Do not remove undergrowth from woodlands, and, above all, do not allow fire to consume the fallen leaves; let them lie. Public parks should have whole sections left per- fectly wild for the birds, without trimming, or without underbrush or fallen leaves being removed. Trees in such parks should not be sprayed (poisons so used are an injury to the birds), but gypsy and brown-tails should be removed by hand. The time has come for us to make an effort to keep what birds remain; let us make that effort earnestly. SUMMARY OF BIRDS FOUND IN NEWTON I have found in all about 184 species; 70 of these have bred in the city, but 11 now no longer do so; 14 are residents through the year; we have 7 regular winter visitors and 9 that come to us irregularly at this season; 27 are migrants in spring and fall; 63 are either of accidental occur- rence, or are found very irregularly, or have ceased coming at all for various reasons. WAYSIDE BROWSINGS BY LUCIA E. AURYANSEN THE browsing instinct is very close to nature. Children have it, and even to those whom civilization has reduced to three meals a day with napkins and fin- ger-bowls, the old appetite returns with the sight of a bunch of caraway, or the smell of peppermint growing by the roadside. It is country school-children who have the best and make the most of it. Now, in middle age, I can recall the progress of the seasons, as marked by the edible herbs that grew, — and every step of the road to school Viy the same tokens. The very first green thing to come up which we could nibble was the spearmint. It grew around a sunken hogshead which received the waters of a spring just below my father's driveway gate, and the tender shoots sprouted very early in the wet ground. Only crowfoot leaves appeared with these at first, but later, when the spearmint had shot up two or three inches and unfolded its pungent wrinkled leaves, we found tiny white violets in the same place. We used to lean over this spring to watch for Pompey, the lusty horned-pout who reigned supreme in its depths and promptly devoured every fish put in to keep him company. This was the only place anywhere near, where spearmint grew. A few yards down the road was a clump of willows kept low by frequent cutting, and below these willows was peppermint, with not a stalk of spearmint ever showing. The reason of this phenomenon I often pondered, but never learned. A little later the warm spring days brought out the pale green fiddle-heads of the osmundas, the beauty of which thrills me with joy now whenever I see them; but in those days — ruthless young barba- rians that we were — we pulled them up for the sake of eating the crisp and tender, albeit somewhat slimy, sprout at the base. These refreshed us on the way to school for a while, — along with the mints. There was no keener joy than when the warm days of late April wooed us to distant pastures in search of Mayflowers, as we called the arbutus. Truth compels me to confess that the dainty, fragrant blossoms were not the whole charm of the quest; for was it not in these pastures that the checker- berry bore most abundant fruit; and had not the crisp coral berries been ripening under the snows all winter for our delecta- tion ? We picked the Mayflowers, great sweet bunches of them, but what fun it was to lie on those soft sunny slopes and WAYSIDE BRO\VSIN(;S 157 eat our fill, sometimes to the undoing of our digestion! The joy of munching rose to still greater heights when the checkerberry leaves started in early June. How we hunted for the first red shoots, almost all juicy stem, with two tiny leaves at the top, tender and spicy! And how joyfully we bore home to mother the first harvesting! We knew the hill slopes where they grew most abundantly, the special banks where they had the spiciest flavor, and the shaded nooks where we could find tender leaves in July, long after the sun-kissed ones had grown thick and leathery, and had hung out tiny white bells in promise of future berries. A bunch of tender, well-grown "chinks," as we called them, — "younghngs" is the name a friend recalls, — tempts me as much to-day as it did in my childhood, and noth- ing in the line of herbs appeals to me half so much. June brought other harvests, too. If nothing else offered, we could always break off branches of black birch, and wander along nibbling the aroniiitii l)urk like young deer. That does not taslr the >;inu- nowa- days, though the "chinks" have never lost their flavor. It was about this time of year that we sought the marshy ]3laces for sweet-flag root, which we always expci ted to enjoy a great deal more thr.n we did. The white tender part at the Ixise «( the stalk was good eating, if we did not go too far down; but a little of the root went a great way- On one unlucky morning we discovered that the little, green, club-Hke blossoms were tender and crisp, and we ate them — far too many of them — to our deep regret. In June, the wild strawberries ripened along the way, just enough to make us hunt for them and share the biggest and sweetest ones with the little brothers and sisters who trotted along with us. Other berries followed, — red raspberries, to be strung on long grass stems; an occasional bush of thimble berries, rare enough in those parts to be a special treat; and -one bush of blueberries, that grew in the wall of my father's field, so that we felt a sense of proprietorship in it, though we magnan- imously allowed the other children to share in its fruit. No berries ever tasted so good as those eaten from the bushes. Just before haying time the caraway- seed ripened. There was a good deal of it along the road, and the farmers have since had reason to regret its spread in their hayfields. A handful of caraway sprigs encouraged many a walk to school, and whiled away weary hours in the old white meeting-house. When we played mud pies or held little picnic dinners for our dolls, the seeds of the common wild mallow made most inviting little cheeses. We ate them, as we did everything that was harmless, but they were not very good, being tasteless and .slippery. I remember only one pleasant wood- road where we found pennyroyal growing wild, but it was abundant in our garden, and we always loved to strip off the pungent leaves with our insatiable Httle teeth. There was thyme, too, in that old garden, and I can still find the spot where it grew, though it disappeared twenty-five years ago. One of the most delightful dis- coveries of my grown-up years was a Maine pasture fairly carpeted with wild thyme in the full glory of its rosy purple bloom. Catnip grew all arovmd our premises, of course, but a little of that was sufficient for us. We did not rob the pussy cats. In the later summer we gathered black- berries along the road, scrambling over stone walls and pushing through thorny thickets, scratching our hands and en- dangering clean aprons, but counting it worth the cost if the walk to the post-office afforded us enough great, juicy berries — or even red and sour ones — to stain our lips and fingers. When September and October came there was fruit enough in garden and orchard to satisfy the needs of anv less insatiate, but we found more subtle charm in the bitter wild cherries or the tang of the hard little wild apples that dropped over the road. Another diversion which shortened the way to school was making cider. We had too many delicious fall apples at home to care to eat green ones, but we found great satisfaction in bruising hard Baldwins and sucking the rich juice therefrom. The crisp days of October brought down the chestnuts, and from the time when with infinite trouble we pounded the small green nuts out of the burrs, till the morning when a sharp frost and a lusty wind had scattered the beautiful glossy brown ones over the ground, we gathered them 'in our "pockets and devoured them as we went. 158 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON So we nibbled our way through the season, Hke the squirrels, taking for granted as they do, that the earth waxed fruitful for our benefit. If it is a good thing to l)e a child, — and who will gainsay it? — it is a marvellously good and happy thing to be a country child; for he holds all nature in fee, not only for the satisfaction of his physical needs, but for the blessed minis- tration of sky and fields and brooks and growing things, — toward the enlargement and uplifting of his soul. WITHOUT A CHAUFFEUR BY M. C. T. LAST spring I caught this bit of con- versation, as I was walking on Winter Street: "Father wants one, but mother does n't." Of course I knew at once what they were talking about, and felt like stepping up and say- ing, "My dear young woman, go straight home and tell your mother that she will have to come to it." For / had opposed the coming of an automobile into the family menage, and yet the automobile is here, and, like many other modern things, it has, I fear, come to stay. And I am forced to admit that it has l)een useful in some ways. I cannot tell just when the idea of taking a week's vacation in the machine began to develop in my mind — I think it developed in my mind, but I am not sure. Husband and I have been one for so long, that we do not always quite know to which indi- vidual brain belongs the originating of any new or daring scheme. When it is a good one, I think it generally belongs to me. Certainly there had been nothing in the behavior of the car during the summer to warrant us in thinking that it would be a success as a touring car, and of course we knew that a Httle, second-hand runabout was entirely unsuitable for such a trip as we were planning. But we had had a strenuous summer, and a novel vacation for us both seemed a necessity. We had come down from the countr\', and the start was to be made from West Newton. The machine had been board- ing for a week, at a repair shop. We were very reticent about our plans when any of the neighbors came in — did not know whether we should take the night train for Quebec, or spend a week at Nantasket. The one and only thing we were sure of was that a vacation we must and would have. We had been duly instructed by our sons, who of course knew all tho.se things a great deal better than we (all sons do), just how we should stow our baggage, how absolutely necessary that we should remember that we were not in a touring car — and avoid any appearance of looking "fresh" — and we had received various other little admonitions, familiar to all fathers and mothers of really good and care-taking sons. We had our own opin- ions on the subject, but kept them care- fully to ourselves, and, while the sons were in Boston, gayly started for the Berk- shires. As the first part of the way, through Wellesley, Natick, and Framingham, was more or less familiar to us, it did not seem necessary to spend much time talking about the scenery. We saved that for a later period, and confined our conversation to such remarks as, "Do )'ou think the pimip is wdrkiiig?" — "How soon shall we liave to till u|i with water again ?" — "What makes this seat so hot?" — "Why do you suppose that gasolene indicator wobbles so?" — "What makes that horrid squeak?" — "I am sure something needs oiling." — "Won't you turn off the main and let me get out and see if the fire has gone out?" No one but a real automobilist can know how delightful and soul-stirring is such a conversation. W'e were so excited that we went up hill and down dale, leaving the good state road at one side, but did finally reach Worceslei', in fairly good condition. I want to sa\ right here that Husband never exceeded any speed hmits; when we were held up it was for other reasons. He frequently said we were going over twenty miles an hour; but at the end of the day we could never make it average more than ten. The only time that we were tempted to ride fast was when we were cHmbing the hill into Leicester,^ WITHOUT A CHAUFFEUR 150 that hill so well known to all automobilists. A friendly chauffeur, however, whom we met, pointed backward with a peculiar motion of his thumb, so we knew that there were trappers in wait for us, and moderated our speed. Early in the summer. Husband had had his experience with trappers, and did not care to repeat it. Summoned one Sunday afternoon to the bedside of a sick friend, he was riding at a pace which seemed to him quite called for, under the circumstances, when a man in plain clothes motioned to him to stop, and he found himself accused of exceeding the speed limit. Of course he e.xplained his errand — as only he ran explain. He told all about his siVk friend; how he had been delayed in starling td see him, because we had had the minister and his wife, newly returned from Europe, to dinner; that it did not seem as though he could have been going too fast; that it was his first offense, and that he had stopped immediately on being signalled; and he so worked upon that officer's feelings, that he was let off that time, with only an ad- monition never to do it again. In all our trip the only time that we really frightened a horse was when we were going down the long hill between Goshen and Cummington, and then we were driving carefully; but the horse, drawing a light open buggy carrying three people, two men and one woman, was young and skittish. When we were passing he reared, and, turning toward the automobile, evi- dently intended to come down with his front feet on mv head. I was dreadfully frightened, but kept very still. The other woman climbed out of the buggy as fast as she could, while one of the men called, "Take hold of that horse's head!" and the other said, "I am blind." This was a situation indeed; but the horse was quickly quieted, the harness mended, and all were ready for a new start. Then the female member of the party decLired thai she would not get into the wr.gini v,'j,:'.\u >lie should walk, if it took all day, and she tried to persuade her husband to follow her example, and walk too. At least I suppose he was her husband, because when she began to argue with him, he said in a very decided manner, "You be still." "But, Mr. Jones," she said, "vou know you are blind." "Yes," he replied, "I know I am blind, but I am not afraid." When we saw the last of them, the two men were riding and she was walking behind. Now, before we started. Husband, who really did not quite like the idea of going without a chauffeur to do the dirty work, had provided himself with a long cotton duster, to wear when he must do any tinkering to the internal organs of the car. Unfortunately he had developed a rheu- matic knee, and could not do any squatting; so instead of wearing the duster, and get- ting at the machine in the ordinary way, he carefully spread it on the ground, and, lying down at full length by or under the car, made what repairs were necessary. Sometimes it was in the .garage, sometimes by the side of the road. At such times, I refrained from saying anything — Husband generally said all that was necessary. At Northampton we thought it would be well to look over the college a little, and be prepared with an opinion — in case it should be asked for. We did not do this in the ordinary way, by visiting lecture and class rooms, or l)y drai^ging our weary feet through long dDrniiloiies and college art buildings, but inxitcd representatives from the different classes to dine with us, that we might judge what the finished product would be likely to be, — and I just held my breath and thought, "How much more the girls know now than they did when I was 3'oungr' After college, what? It should have been Pittsfield in our case, but when we got within four miles of Dalton, and were beginning to feel quite like old and ex- perienced motorists, everything stopped working. The gasoline indicator would n't indicate, the pump would n't pump water, the boiler would n't boil, the engine would n't make the wheels go round, and the machine came to a standstill by the side of the road. Well, we got out; that 's what they always do — you 've seen them by the side of the road lots of times, and have laughed at them too; I have — but I never will again. It was at this time that the really fine qual- ities in my character came out in strong relief. Although I had not approved of the machine in the first place, and had al- ways had my doubts about the desirability of possessing one, when Husband said that the engine was broken, and that that meant being towed into Dalton and sending the machine back to Newton by freight, I never once said, "I told you so," but just sat 160 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON down Ijy the side of the road, and said, "I think I '11 have my knitting work." I am sure it was this peaceful and patient atti- tude of mine that prompted a party of tourists, who came along some time after, to take me into the most magnificent tour- ing car that it will probably ever be my good fortune to ride in. They were young people, who had been touring for eight days. They were very polite to me — and I have no doubt said to themselves, "That nice old lady, think of her sitting there so patiently with her knitting." The rule of the automobile road is always. "Can I do anything to help you?" and these people would have towed us into Pittsfield if they or we had had a rope. We always carry one now. I was sorry to desert Husband, but it was better than being left by the roadside my- self. I am not timid, but with night com- ing on, and wolves likely to be prowling round, I did not like to be left on a lonely road, even if it were only four miles from Dalton; and just before the friendly auto- mobilists came, when I began to detect in Husband a desin- to leave me to take care of the machine wliik' he went in search of help, I said pretty decidedly for me, "Now I am willing to do anything you want me to, except to be left here alone." This made him accept quite eagerly this in- vitation for me. I found temporary shelter at the hotel in Dalton, while a span of horses went back to tow in Husband and his automobile. I waited on the piazza until after dark, and, although inclined to be an.xious, de- cided that I would n't worry. I only thought, "If Husband does come on all right, and if he has n't broken any bones in trying to move the machine out of some one's way, and if he hasn't caught cold, and if he has n't eaten up all the chocolate, leaving none for me, and giving himself indigestion besides, I shall be only too thankful — and will certainly never propose a trip of this kind again." Of course I knew it was quite silly, even to come so near worrying as this. I take some credit to myself, however, for deciding to go in to supper at half past six, thinking, with rare presence of mind, that if anything should happen to Husband, it would be better for me to have had my supper first. Be- fore I had finished, Husband came, having enjoyed this new way of automobiling sti much that he decided to go right on to Pitts- field. The roads were good and the horses were good, and relieved of any responsi- bility except that of steering the machine, we rode through the gathering darkness with real pleasure — occasionally greeted by a passing automobilist with, "I 'm so sorry." We found that the machine could be repaired in Pittsfield, and stayed there two or three days, waiting for it. We wrote home that we were e.xploring the country round about — we did not say in electric cars, as we wanted to spare our family any anxiety about us, which they might have felt, had they known all the trials through which we were passing. When the machine was mended, we went on to North Adams. This was to be the limit of our journey; we started the next day on the home stretch. We had decided that it would be too much of a strain on our newly mended en- gine to go over Hoosac Mountain, and we would compromise by going round the mountain, as we wanted to get over on the east side, and come down through the Deerfield Valley. We called it going round the mountain; but it was climb, climb, climb, and the roads were not exactly boulevards. However, we got along nicely. I kept count of the time and distance. Husband said he meant to go slowly, be- cause he did not want to run any risk of breaking anything; for we did not know of an}- place where we could stop, before the end of the day's journey as planned. We seemed to be doing very well, and Husband had only had to get out once, and lie down on his back under the ma- chine. We were almost at the top of our climb, when something went "Ker-chunk." " Wliat do you suppose has happened now ?" "That 's just what I am going to find out," said Husband, and we both jumped out. Well, to make a long story short, the part of the engine that did n't break before had broken now, — and we were up a hilly road ten miles from North Adams. There was no question of leaving me waththe machine, indeed there was no ne- cessity, for we had learned by this time that broken-down automobiles by the side of the road were seldom carried away by any strolhng passers. We locked our valises and covered them with a rublier l:)lanket, for it had begun to rain, and walked THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 161 back to the little cluster of houses which we had passed on the hillside as we came up. There, in a farmhouse, occupied by an Irishman, his wife, their family of shock- headed children, and a graphophone (which they kept going for my benefit), we waited two hours and a half. The mother, a fairly intelligent woman, was willing to talk — and to apologize for her ragged clothes; but the children, with vacant faces, seemed hardly capable of understanding a question, and much less of answering it. The youngest girl did brighten up a little when a doll was mentioned, and the mother said, "No, 'Lisbeth hain't never had no doll; I 've thought sometimes that when we went to North Adams with butter and eggs, we might get one, but we hain't never done it." 'Lisbeth has a doll now, and it has "practical eyes." Finally, a man having been found who was willing to undertake the job, we began our ignominious journey back to North Adams. It was broad daylight this time, and we had only one horse instead of two to pull us along. It took us three long hours — we went at a pace quite slow enough for Husband to answer all the questions that were asked, explain the details of the accident, and assure all who were inter- ested that no one was hurt. As we went through the little villages on the way, we were a source of much merriment to the small boys, but we felt that we were fair game, and Husband bowed politely to them as we passed along, with truly a most heavenly and benignant smile on his face. The next day we came back by train to ^\'est Newton, reaching home quite late in the evening, having sent a carefully worded telegram, so that the care-taking sons should not be anxious about us. We were received cordially with, "Come in quick, and tell us what has happened to the auto- mobile, for we want to go to bed." After a long time the automobile too came back to West Newton, — but "that is another story." THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS BY ELECTA N. L. WALTON DEAR EDITOR: You have named your magazine "The Mirror," with the understanding that it is to fix in our memories scenes and events of interest in the early history of Newton. This is desirable, but from early life my motto has been, "Look forward, not back, and keep at work"; which impels me to say, "Newton has done well; what more can she do?" And so, instead of ask- ing your further attention to the past, let us try for a few moments to look forward through the double lens of faith and hope, and discover what the future has in store for us. The present only is; we dwell in it from birth to death; and where I stand in this great divide, I see a long procession of events converging to the front, and passing on into the irretrievable past. Some are materializing swiftly, some more slowly, but all impress themselves upon the retina, with more or less distinctness. Directly in front, and nearest just now, is the Bazaar; the time, about the close of our three days' entertainment. I see a bevy of busy workers counting their gains, not in money alone, but in love and in opportunities for future service. From the Federation president to the simplest worker, each is saying, "How well we have succeeded! We shall have this much for the Claflin estate, and that much for our other plans." Just beyond is the Claflin Homestead Association, — Mr. Day, the president, in the centre cif the group, supported by his efficient committee, — all with their faces wreathed in smiles at the accomplishment of their desires; for money from this Bazaar and from large-hearted contribu- tors has poured in and they have more than enough to pay for the whole estate! They are now debating what to undertake first. Farther on, I see not only the spacious athletic grounds fully equipped and in perfect order, but a public bath-house, with modern appointments and receiving an ever-increasing patronage; and, per- haps better than all, here is the High School 162 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON Extension for Technical Training, — its advantages open to the whole city without partiality, as it is nearly equalized in dis- tance. For is not this the very centre of the city ? Apply your measure to the map, or, better, take a tramp from this estate in all directions, to the various Newtons; count your steps and see if these pulilic necessities could be better placed. So let us call this our Newton Centre and give a more appropriate name to the lovely village which has borne it till now. Its citizens can choose a cognomen more in keeping with its location, or with its special attributes. A gymnasium connected with the pro- spective public bath-house is waiting to be materialized, and there will be room enough left for an art museum and a home for the historical society, which might be placed imder one roof. We can wait for these last named luxuries, indeed must wait for them, for I see them only in the distance, dimly outlined, but growing clearer the longer I gaze. Let us hold them in our mental view, and will not each patriotic citizen himself preserve, or place under proper keeping, both his art treasures and his historical, to be utilized in his own iit\ ■? In the words of Mr. Day, "Ik re, llu-'ii, we have before us the possihilil\- of what we may call The William ClaflinPark, . . . centrally located and perhaps treated by a landscape artist, — with the thoughts of our citizens centred upon its future pos- sibilities. . . . There would arise in time a sentimental attachment to it that would lead our citizens to feel it an honor to have something to do with its advancement. . . . More and more our citizens are going to come into this realization, and in the joy of it are going to endeavor in their day and generation to help on the human race to a higher standard of living in all ways. .'\nd here, in Claflin Park, will be a place for the exploitation of this passion." I have hinted of other pet plans of the Club Federation than those which centre here. One of the most important for the physical well-being of all our city is a wise distribution of other public parks and playgrounds. The price of land is in- creasing each year, and open spaces are becoming less and less available for civic purposes. There should be public parks or playgrounds in every ward; and our city government has, in several instances. after the first half of the price has been contributed, wisely paid the other half and assumed the care of the grounds. Newton Centre has a fine playground secured on these conditions. Newton Highlands has utilized as a playground suitable space on public land near her grammar school building. Newtonville has an open space appropriated on Cabot Street, and Farlow Park in Newton was given to the city out- right. West Newton has liecomc quite con- gested; the only space left open near the business section, and vi'here children most abound, is the vacant lot opposite the rail- road station, on Margin Street, and it only needs efficient wire-pulling to secure the required half-price. Let me look through my glass, and see what the prospects are. Oh, yes; half a dozen women and as many men are already bent on the scheme, and a year or two, I think, may see its fulfillment. I will look again a little farther on. Yes, there is the outline growing more and more clear, — the upper half laid out in beds of shrubbery, etc., with seats for the weary, and the lower fitted for a children's play- ground, while space remains on the upper western side for a building, if need be, to :!(( ciminodate the city branch library and reading-room. Other wards not at present furnished with parks and playgrounds will be en- couraged to provide them in like manner, and the Federation is going to assist. Go- ing to assist? Is assisting already, and the Social Science Club, in starting the school garden in Nonantum, has set an example to be followed. That vacant lot on Jackson Street will soon be bought and paid for, and the school garden put on a IKTmanent basis. .\nd after playgrounds, what ? Cleaner streets! Our Social Service Committee, with the co-operation of the school superin- tendent and teachers, are determined so to increase the instinctive love of cleanli- ness in our children, that no litter will knowingly be left on the sidewalks, or un- necessarily thrown into the street. A brigade from each school, wisely officered, will keep watch, and, when necessary, report pupil offenders for correction or discipline. The pohce will heartily co- operate in these measures, and good- naturedly, but effectively, add the emphasis of law. ON THE PALATINE HILL Cleanliness under foot naturally leads to a wish for beauty at the side and over- head. Unsightly bill-boards will be re- moved and the preservation of our shade- trees will receive due consideration. Indeed movements for the appointment of a special tree warden are already started, and will be pushed till such an appointment is made. The impulse which the Social Service Committee is thus i;iving to the city's weli-beinij; will meet its return in the grati- tude of the city fathers, and in the wish of many a \'oter, that women, who have more leisure than most business men, could be induced to render still greater assistance. Our city is simply a collection of homes, and the government of our city is only a kind of e.xtended housekeeping which requires just about the same fore- sight and care as is required in a good home, differing only in degree; and as, in every well-ordered home, the best powers of both master -and mistress are required, so the administration of the city requires the best powers of both men and women. But woman's power, at present, is only advisory, and, as it were, at the short arm of the lever. All the more, then, should she put forth her skill to effect, through others, what she cannot do at first hand. Let us look into the future and see what woman herself is 'j^nin'j, to do about it. I see ;; little cluster of society women in earnest conversation. One is saying, "We have much more leisure than our mothers and grandmothers ever had, with our sewing machines and our knitting and our weaving machines doing for us what was especially woman's work, and much of our food is already prepared. We cannot employ our leisure in any better way than in studying municipal needs, and doing our best to see that they are sup- plied." Another group is saying, "Let us work for more cleanliness and better health; try for the abatement of the smoke nui- sance; for more effective sewerage; for the proper care of garbage, and for the strict observance of the no-license law." Other women are listening, nodding assent and saying, "Yes, we'll work for these improvements, till . we convince the voters and our city government that they 'd better be more active." Still another group is discussing educa- tional topics. I hear them saying, "We are allowed a voice in the election of the school committee; we must not lose an opportunity of expressing our preference at the caucuses before election as well as at the polls. We must keep in touch with the sthiiols themselves, certainly all parents I should like to trace the effect which these coiiferen.es, and the work they pro- pose, will haw upon the wmnen them- selves, antl upon the city, but space and time forbid. I will only add that I see in the distance a grou]3 of men, who, grateful for the interest and assistance shown by their wives, mothers, and sisters, are laying plans to secure an amendment of our city charter which will allow women to assume all the duties of citizenship, so far as mu- nicipal government is concerned. ON THE PALATINE HILL BY RICHARD BURTON Above the palace of the Caesars blow Poppies and buttercups, and rise cool trees: The palms and pines and slender cypresses. What pomps and passions buried under these, Long time agone, such a great while ago! OUR CONTRIBUTORS' CLUB THE MIRROR There once was a clever \oung Sirrali. Who said as he picked up the "^lirror": "This 'Mirror's' a book In which when I look All Newton I see see in the mirror." Harriette F. McIntvre CONVERSATIONAL RECIPROCITY It needs no analytical acuteness to dis- cover in ordinary conversation the precise analogies of current political theories re- garding commerce. My firm belief (and I am no Democrat) is that conversation should be on a free-trade basis, give and take, my best for your best, cargo for cargo, without fear or favor. That is my ideal; but for every conversational free-trader I have met, doubtless I have encountered a hundred protectionists. A conversational protectionist lives to build up home industry of the tongue. He will e.xport speech by the shipload, but he hates importers. Against them he builds a tariff wall of indifference superbly high. Against them he sets up a cordon of cus- toms-house inspectors, rude and merciless. "America for Americans," "My Ears for Me," is his slogan; and an opinion inter- jected into his monologues is scouted as our Boston Revolutionists scouted Tea. Now my present purpose is to suggest that we apply to conversation that modern de- vice, so fashionable in New England, known as reciprocity. Reciprocity is a cautious form of the Golden Rule. It means, "I will do for you what you simultaneously and very manifestly do for me." In other words, "You tickle me and I tickle you." Applied to conversation, reciprocity says, "I will listen to you, if you will listen to me." Some such arrangement would be highly useful. I would suggest an alarm-clock contrivance, that would sound at the ex- piration of one minute, or five, or whatever interval might be fi.xed by treaty. I can readily endure your five minutes, knowing that it will be cut off sharply by a bell, and that then, for five uninterrupted minutes, I can talk. Indeed, I can even get up an interest in what you are saying, being as- sured that thereby, in accordance with treaty, you will be obliged to get up an interest in what I shall say. Follow the next conversation at which _\ou may be present, and you will at once perceive the advantages of the proposed plan. Note how each participant in the unseemly affray thrusts in an "I," like the tip of a rapier. "I am reading Thackeray this winter, and I think "— "Oh, and / am trying to get up an enthusi- asm for George Eliot, and do you know" — "But / never could read George Eliot! Now / think that Richard Harding Davis is perfectly" — "I" — "I" — "I" — From such a verbal scrimmage there result many spiritual black I's. . It has come to be a habit of mine to recall, after talking with a man, how many refer- ences, if any, he made to any interests out- side his own. I want him to ask me what / am doing. And when I tell him, I want him to make another incjuiry about it, and keep on doing that until I have had a really good time talking about myself to some one that has inquired about me, and actually seems to walit to know about me. If I could find such a person, how I would lie in wait for him! How I should love him! And how glad I should he, in my turn, to draw him out! The same principle of reciprocity should be applied to letters, those leisurely con- versations of which Uncle Sam is the mute intermediary, — conversations year-long and life-long. When my friend writes to me, I want to know how he is getting along; of course I do, for he is my friend. But also, I want him to want to know how I am getting along. Who is not acquainted with letter-writers that are prompt, volumi- nous, undeniably bright, but wholly unin- teresting? .'\nalyze their letters, and you will find them wholly egotistical, — where / went, what I saw, and what / felt and did. There is no comment on your last letter; there are no inquiries for you to base your next letter upon. So far as you are con- cerned, your friend's epistles might as well be chapters in a book; and type is so much easier to read than penmanship. OUR CONTRIBUTORS' CLUB 165 The moralist would find in this matter the text for a sermon on selfishness. I prefer to treat it as a problem of social economics. If we can put our commerce of wheat and of silk upon the basis of re- ciprocity, why not our commerce of thought and experience? Just what social legis- lature is to formulate a model treaty, I do not know; nor what social court will pass judgment upon infractions thereof. I only know that the thing ought to be done, and that therefore it is in the way of getting done, somehow and sometime. Amos R. Wells. ON GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY Three things have happened to me. I sat one day at a parlor lecture, hearing about the men and women who lived in West Newton fifty years ago, when it suddenly occurred to me that I remembered those men and women. The ladies about me were listening as they might listen to anec- dotes of Horace Walpole or DoUy Madison or other interesting persons of those dim ages before they were born, but / — I had seen, and had talked with people who were prominent more than half a century ago. To these ladies I must really seem — old! Then again, one morning, I passed in the street a carriage waiting at a door. In it were two children. One, a baby of a year or two, was loudly and with violent mus- cular contortions expressing his dissatis- faction with the situation. The other, a boy of ten, with one hand on the reins and the other trying to restrain the baby, was struggling manfully with his responsi- bilities. "Look, baby, look!" I heard him say, as I came up. "See the nice old lady!" I had been told I was nice, I believed my- self to be a lady, I had begun to suspect I was growing old, but as a nice old lady I had never before contemplated myself. And now I have been asked to write upon the theme "How to grow old grace- fully." That settles it. To be sure, there lurks in the request a flattering unction that I can lay to my soul, but it proves that gracefully or otherwise, I have done it. I have grown old, and my last despairing clutch at middle age relaxes. How to grow old gracefully. Just what does that mean? If it means how by spending much time and thought and money upon one's personal appearance to hide as much as possible the ravages of time, it seems to me there is nothing, of all the things there are in this world to do, so little worth while. To grow old nobly, one must almost follow the advice of Dr. Holmes as to the training of children, and begin with one's grandparents, for always to have been well is important, and to have been born and bred in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is essential. Perhaps it means how to grow old in such a way as to enjoy life one's self, and at the very least to be no bar to the en- jo_\-ment of others. Even to do this the start must be made in quite early life. It is necessary to have acquired a habit of content. It is the discontent with the changed order of things that brings upon an old lady the charge we sometimes hear that she is "no comfort to herself or any- body else." .\s things that were once easy to do, become impossible, it is cheerjidly that they must be relinquished to others and younger people. Once accept the situation, and the little offices you have to accept from these younger folk become a source of pleasure, and lead to an access of friendliness between you and them. If possible, accumulate a daughter, and maintain good comradeship with her. There is no end to the ways in which she will help you to keep young. She wiU not let you grow careless in dress or bearing; she will keep stern watch over your table manners ; never for a moment will she allow the excuse, "I am too old," to keep you from doing anjlhing she wants you to do, — instead, she will quote to you Dr. Lav- endar's dictum, "If you find yourself thinking you are too old to do a thing, go and do it!" She will hold you up to mod- ern ways of thought, and she will surround you with a lively group of her own con- temporaries. In the nature of things, however, as you have to resign one by one the active duties and the control of things that have made so large a part of your life, you will have some solitary hours to spend. Well for you if they find you not without resource. Happy are you if you love books. There is nothing like them. But you need va- riety. Let us hope your fingers have Ijeen trained to needlework, and have not lost their cimning altogether. Sewing and knitting will beguile many a weary hour, 166 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON and allow you still to feel of use in the household. Years ago, you should have fallen under the spell of some hobby, — half ashamed of it, perhaps, while your days were full and your duties many, indulging yourself in it only in few and far-between leisure moments. Now, long hours can be given to it, to the delight of your soul. There are few such hobbies that cannot so be used as to give pleasure to other people, young or old; and here again you have the blessed consciousness— which Charles Kingsley called "God-like and God-beloved" — of being of use. The grandmothers of most of us were brought up at a time when cards were frowned upon as among the deadliest snares of the adversary, and they therefore, poor old ladies, lost all the enjoyment those magical bits of pasteboard are capable of providing for old people. To be able to join neighbors or one's own family in any one of a hundred games, that can be innocent enough, is to give one's self and one's friends much pleasure; and for those hours when no neighbor drops in, and no member n{ tlie family is at one's call, there are scores of delightful games of solitaire. So far as things to do are concerned, so long as one can use eyes and fingers, Steven- son's Mnes "This world is so full of a number of things, ^^ I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings," .seem as applicable to the old lady in her room, as to the child in the garden. For the rest, do not e.xpect too much of the vounger people, but be graciously appreciative of so much attention as they dp give; enjoy society when you have it, and when yoii have it not, employ your- self with needle or pen or book or cards or your own special delightful hobby, with now and then a season of sitting with idle hands, inviting your soul, in the serene faith that always, through everything— "underneath are the everlasting arms." AI.\RY R. Martin. VERSES TO MRS. WALTON BY JULIA WARD HOWE The following verses were by Mrs. Julia Ward Howe on the occasion of a luncheon given to Mrs. Electa N. L. Walton at the Newton Club House, by the Newton Federation of Women's Clubs on December lo, 1903. Mrs. Howe was unable to be present, so sent these verses. I assert with deep respect That Electa is elect, And indeed too much respect her To allow she could be elect-er. Did that mate of hers select her? Had he reason to respect her E.xcellencies and perfection. When he made her his election? (Or perchance, was 't vice versa When they joined for better or worser?) I am grieving that f cannot Taste the banquet that you plan out. So I send this jeu d'espril, Wiich must speak for absent me. Hail then to your guest of honor! W'ould that I could wait upon her! But although I sing so small. What I say, I say for all. Friends, we ever shall respect her, Cluhs, we never will reject her. Wiseacres, we will not direct her. Critics, we will not correct her, And if alive At ninety-five, She shall still be our Electa. THE BODY'S ROLE The body's role. To serve the soul. If it usurp and master. What disaster! S. W'. P. NEWTON'S SUPERIORITY A member of one of Newton's Women's Clubs was preparing a paper on "Munici- pal and Household Sanitation." She had looked up everything she could find about the sewage farms of Paris and Berlin, the municipal systems of Great Britain, and the methods employed in the great cities of our own country. On the morning when the paper was to be given, she was reading it for the last time before going to the club, when the sudden thought came: "What about Newton? The men call here for the garbage, but what do they do with it?" some one might ask. The lady threw down the manuscript, ran to the telephone, and called up the Citv Hall; the following conversation is verbatim. "Hello! Is that the Board of Heahh?" OUR CONTRIBUTORS' CLUB "Yes." "Will you please tell me what we do with the garbage?" "A man should call three times a week. Does n't he?" "Yes. But what I want to know is the ultimate disposal of the garbage. Has Newton ever considered the question of a reduction plant ? " "Oh no! We contract with a man who has a piggery at Lincoln. You know our Newton garbage is so very superiorl" H. M. MY FACE For beauty I am not a star; There are others more lovely by far. But my face, I don't mind it, For I am behind it, — It 's the people in front that I jar! UNDER THE CARLIGHT A business man was plodding his way homeward through the night, his duty done. He looked reasonably happy and contented. He was not a Businessman with a big B, fit for a George Ade Fable. Nor apparently was he in need of any "First Ade to the Injured." He was just a plain, ordinary, garden- variety of man, such as the aver- age Federationist regards as a convenient attachment to her menage; and to him. Suburbia still was Eden. So he hummed happily to himself as he trudged along. .All day he had toiled hard in business harness. At noon he had e.xchanged toil for toil, wending a wonted way from counter to counter in big department stores, facing faces supercilious, beribboned, and befrizzed, that tried to freeze him into a sense of his incompetency regarding his samples of floss-silk, silesia, broadcloth — generally finding that particular brand "just sold out," and cheerfully trying for it elsewhere. Then back again to business. Now, with arms weighted by bundles, he was free; his day, his duty done. Soon he could have to himself a clear half-hour with his evening paper under the carlight, the one part of the day he could really call his own. No wonder he looked happy! He turned down Winter Street. The street improper was filled as usual with delivery wagons, plus an auto or two, honking impatiently. The street proper. that is to say, the sidewalk, was full as usual with a surging flood of feminin- ity pouring toward him irresistibly. No matter; he had still the curb, and his feet were wonted to the only narrow way still left him; for Winter is "Woman's Street." All men who enter there leave hope behind — as to receiving courtesy. It was enough that he had the curb, and that thus far there were no cart-hubs blocking. The comfort of the coming carlight loomed a little larger in his mind, that was all. He stopped. There was a congestion ahead. An accident? Yes; an accidental meeting. One woman flinging out of a shop had plumped into another whom she had not seen for full three days; and there was so much to tell her, right then and there ! The sidewalk was narrow, and they took up more than half; but that did not matter. To the ear of the business man the data there exchanged did not seem particularly important; nor warranting such congestion of traffic. But that, he concluded, must be the fault of his point of view. To the ant a squash might be a Mount Washing- ton. However, trains, even B. & A.'s, have a way of at least starting on schedule time, and the thought of the carlight loomed high once more. So he took to the street, rounded a big team, dodged two more, and safely circumnavigated the voluble obstruction. Presently he nodded cheerily to his favorite newsboy, who tucked a Transcript into his pocket for him, and trusted him — in view of the bundles — till next time for the coin. Then through the crowded station he deftly threaded, through the gates that led to his own para- dise, down the long walk that suddenly seemed wearily long to tired feet, up to the head of the train, into his allotted car; where should his seat be ? And he hummed some more quite happily; then paused, and, as one cast down from Paradise, ap- propriately said, "Damnation!" {Solto voce, be it said, as a gentleman should say it, if he thinks it.) It was Wednesday, — Matinee-day. All down the long car were little groups of women in gala attire, strung like ganglia of nerve-centres along a spinal cord. There was a joyous hum of voices, a satis- fied atmosphere of content. Life was easy, just then, to these wives and daughters of other men. One or two glanced toward him as he paused irresolute, recognized 1G8 THE I\IIRR(3R OF NEWTON him as the name-plate of a lady well esteemed upon their calling-list, and hence vouchsafed to him a careless nod; but the groups were intent as a whole upon their own affairs, that needed much discussion to all seeming, and every group was located exactly under a carlight. Under one, two ladies had turned the seat-back over and were facing each other — "Saving a place for Flossy," as one explained non- chalantly to a laughing matron who had asked, impertinently, if Trinity Cotirt Sta- tion did not have some occult meaning on this day. It was pretty to look at, the life, the happi- ness in those nerve-centres: and the grim look on the face of the weary businessman softened somewhat as he sank into a dark- ened seat, dropped his now useless paper on the cushion after a fruitless trial of the light, and laid aside therewith his disappointment. Did they realize, these bright people, that they were acting as so many dogs in the manger, needing no Hght to illuminate their witty speech, yet shutting out from it those to whom it served? Other men came bustling in; and he found saturnine amusement in watching their falling faces as with what grace they could they found seats on the outskirts of the groups and laid out work for the oculist in the future, endeavoring to make some use of the light that reached them. It was pagan fun : but misery loves company. In the heart of the nearest group, just within earshot, two ladies sat; somewhat stout, matronly, with double chins and faces beaming with content. They were deep in some matter of theology; and above them the brightest carlight of all shone like a great star softly down in a radiant halo on their crowns of gray-white hair; and it was beautiful. And one said, suddenly, — "Well: I don't care what people say — there are plenty of pretty good people in the world, even among the Unitarians!" To which replied the other, with admi- rable discernment and breadth of tolerance most befitting, — "Yes: and they are graded all the way up, — from Savage Unitarians up to Chris- tian Unitarians." Then that weary businessman looked once at that just-beyond-distance carlight, one last time at his useless newspaper, smiled to himself a lonely smile, and re- marked to his knobbiest bundle, "Proved!" And in due time his station came, or he came to it; and patiently he faced once more the mists of the outer night, and vanished up a winding street behind the trees. But on the cushion of the seat he left lay a Transcript, neatly folded, and unread. John Preston True. WANTED: A HAPPY MEDIUM Two men — one we will call "A Man of 1857" because he lived after the manner of a half century ago, and the other "A Man of 1907 " — came across a mirror and stopped before it. It was a suburban mirror, — perhaps it was Tlu Mirror, — at any rate it was a magic mirror, for in it things could be heard as well as seen. "1857" had come that morning from the little village where he lived, a little village so still and cheerfully monotonous that life seemed there a long afternoon of repose, to visit a great and wonderful festival that was in progress in "1907's" notable suburban town. "1907" undertook to show "1857" in this curious magic mirror many novel things which he pityingly thought "1857" must know very little of. And so it proved; for as they stood before the mirror, " 1857 " said, "What are those strange remarks I hear, all in women's voices? I hear one say, 'Make it no trump.' Others say, 'Double spades.' 'You took it in the open hand.' Sometimes they seem excited, and exclaim, 'Don't you know the heart convention?' — or 'Why didn't you notice my discard ? ' WTiat does it all mean ? " "Oh, that," said "1907," "that 's the women of Suburbia playing Bridge. Or at least, they did call it Bridge, but it 's known now as 'The Women's Rest Cure.' For a while when they called it Bridge, the doctors opposed it a little; they said it made the women nervous; but they have given up all opposition to it since it has become the Rest Cure." "1857" said they did n't have Rest Cures in Hillside where he lived, and "1907" said musingly that he did n't know, — perhaps they were just as well off without them. "Do your women stay in the Rest Cure all the time?" said "1857." "Oh, no," said "1907," "they go to Clubs. Look in the mirror and vou will OUR CONTRIBUTORS' CLUB 1C9 see groups of them going in every direction to their various clubs. They have many clubs, — somewhere in the Mirror you will see that they have "millions" of them. And these clubs are a power — oh, yes, they are a power! From their Executive Boards they petition everything. Recently one Board sent a petition to somebody or something — my wife told me she could n't quite remember what, but she thought it was the New York Central Railroad, about the South Terminal Station." "Did it do any good?" said "1857." "Well, it could n't do any harm, you know," replied "1907," "and it 's good for the women's clubs to take an interest." "But I see groups of men going in various directions, too," said "1857," "and it seems to be in the evening. Are they going to clubs, too?" "Oh, we have a few," admitted "1907," brushing aside that little view quite promptly, "and we go to them some, but for the most part we leave clubs to the women." "1857" spent all the day with "1907," looking in the mirror. Many things that he saw interested and fascinated him, but for the most part he had hard work to screw up his belated mind to comprehend the varied and e.xcited life which he saw rellected there. When the late afternoon came, he was quite ready to return to Hillside. "I don't see how you stand it," he said to "1907," "I really don't see how you stand the pace. I could n't do it, and I 'm glad to go home." "But just see what a lot you miss," said "1907." "Yes," said "1857," a little pensively; "but then," brightening, "see what a lot of time we have to miss it in ! " He went thoughtfully to the station, and journeyed tranquilly home, glad to get to the little village where the grass grew in the streets, and where a staid cow, going home with a jingling bell, was an event. He sat down with a gentle sigh of comfort to his supper, — to his good country supper of cold meat and hot biscuit and honey, and his cheerful cup, strong of tea and strong of sugar and strong of cream. And after supper, in slippered ease before his fire, he read the first edition of the Tran- script, and thought, good, simple man, that he had read the news. Some neighbors came in later for a rubber of old-fashioned whist, and at ten o'clock "1857" was tucked com- fortably in bed, for a long night's sleep. His last waking thought was, " I don't see how '1907' stands the pace — I really donH see how he stands it." Meanwhile "1907," after seeing "1857" off to his train, hustled into his automobile and was hurled home just in time to meet two friends who came to dine and spend the night. His wife met him with a little anxious look and the information that the cook had gone, but she thought Mary the waitress had got something together they could eat. The lights in the house seemed dim, but that was because the electricity had failed and they had to depend on rather poor gas. (Suburbia often has to.) They went to the table, and fortified by a good cocktail and enlivened by candles with rose- colored shades (it 's wonderful how one sense will help out another), they did eat a little of each of the live courses and called it "dining." "1907" slipped into the butler's pantry for a good tonic of bitters and strychnine, and then, quite nerved up and jolly, he rushed his party to the city to a play. The automobile got them home at midnight. Then, after a rarebit, "Mrs. 1907" begged for just one rubber (the men of Suburbia do sometimes kindly help their wives in the Rest Cure), and that brought them to half past one, when bed seemed the only thing left. As "1907" rolled into bed hoping for a few hours' sleep, his last murmur was, "How does '1857' stand life in that old, dull Hillside ? " The next morning, while "1857" was still peacefully sleeping, "1907" groaned himself out of bed, plunged into his cold tub to get a little vigor for the day, and at one minute past eight rushed out of the house and tore down the street to get the one minute of eight train. He overtook many other rushing suburbanites, some with muffins still in hand, all gayly pumping their hearts to catch the train. As "1907" tore along, he shouted to another tearing man: "No Hillside for me! Life in Suburbia every time! Stirring, striving, strenuous Suburbia!" Note: He got the one minute of eight train. It came along at fifteen minutes past eight. ADVERTISEMENTS THE MIRROR OF XEWTON ADVERTISER ESTABLISHED 1800 Dame, Stoddard (^ Co. Importers, Wholesale and Retail Dealers in FINE CUTLERY, LEATHER GOODS, PHOTO SUPPLIES FISHING TACKLE DOG FURNISHINGS, SKATES, FANCY HARDWARE 374 Washington Street, Boston .... 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The mail order department brings the service of the store within your reach by mail or telephone, without the necessity of a personal visit. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER Ladies' Tailoring Department SECOND FLOOR Take Elevator at left of Entrance LYMAN A. BOWKER, President C. J. FOGG, Treasurer Lyman A* Bowker Company 498 BOYLSTON STREET BOSTON, MASS. MacuIIar Parker Company ANNOUNCE THAT THEIR FABRICS FOR LADIES' COSTUMES AND OUTSIDE GARMENTS are ready for your inspection in the Ladies' Tailoring De- partment, Second Floor. Furniture Draperies Wall Paper Frescoing and Painting RIDING HABITS A SPECIALTY 400 WASHINGTON STREET DOLL ca, RICHARDS (INCORPORATED) FINE ARTS 2 Park Street Boston FURS STORED and INSURED AGAINST FIRE, MOTH, or LOSS. All goods intrusted to our care are thoroughly cleaned by competent and experienced men before being hung in our specially prepared MOTH-PROOF VAULTS. We also care- fully renovate the fur before delivery. ALTERATIONS and REPAIRS may be done now at summer prices. Goods called for free. EDWARD KAKAS & SONS 364 Boylston Street Telephone, 3216 Back Bay THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER Hghtst Award ai 5.1. Louis nost Complete un NELSON M. BROWN, 90 Franklin St., BOSTON SWEETS to the SWEET There's no sweeter combination than a sweet girl with a box of Schrafft's Choc- olate bon bons. They are pure, delicious, satisfying — the kind that the most particular people appreciate. If you want something better than ordi- nary ask for " Schrafft's " and seethat the name " Schralf t " is on every chocolate. FOR SALE Sr All the leading dealers in Newton THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER Why do you You, READER, we mean Why do you buy a Foreign-made Orange Marma- lade, when you can buy the ** American- made" Marmalade, equal to the best imported and superior to most of them ? A Marmalade you can save 23 per cent, in buying. A Marmalade made in Boston. A Marmalade made from Saville Oranges. A Marmalade guaranteed free from artificial coloring and preservatives. When buying Marmalade again, ask your grocer for LOGAN, JOHNSON & CO. " AMERICAN-MADE." MANUFACTURED BY LOGAN, JOHNSON & CO. Preservers 189 and 191 STATE STREET, BOSTON, MASS. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER CHOCOLATES BONBONS THE NEW CHOCOLATE SHOP PERRY ca AYER5 36 >¥est Street, Boston ^ We are manufacturers. ^ Our confectionery is guaranteed pure and fresh. ^ We make all kinds of novelties, such as Nut, Fruit, Jelly, and Cream combinations. ^ Try them and you will a^ree with us that they are delicious. Our Chocolates -will be on sale at the Bazaar COREY, MILLIKEN & CO (ESTABLISHED 1890) BANKERS AND BROKERS 15 State Street, Boston Interest allowed on deposits. Advances made on collateral. New York and Boston Stocks bought and sold on commission for cash, or carried on margin. Private Wire to New York. Despatches from the leading Financial Agencies at our clients' disposal. Weekly Market Letter upon application. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER GAS RANGES ^^" '5?^ QUICK of ACTION j!^^^ CLEAN AND COOL ECONOMICAL Your Baking Done in Half the Time No Dirt, Ashes No Trouble Gas-Watcr- Heaters Hot Water for Bath o at any Faucet at ; momeut's notice. Ni> long waits. No delay. NEWTON-WATERTOWN GAS LIGHT CO. Gamaliel P. AtKins Fine Groceries AGENT FOR Turner Centre Butter Turner Centre Cream 396 Centre Street LANCASTER'S BLOCK Newton, Mass. Telephone 1.5 HUBBARD'S The Prescription Store OF NEWTON Three Registered Pharmacists 425 Centre Street, Newton, Mass. SCHUPBACH & ZELLER Decorators and Painters No. 10 PARK SQUARE Room No. 1 BOSTON, MASS. Long Distance Telephone, Oxford No. 426 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER Have you some goods you wish to sell ? And do the people know it well ? How can you best your business tell? Just advertise ! FRANKLIN BANGHOR Western Farm and City Real Estate and Mortda^es Bought for Cash 62 Equitable Building, BOSTON _65 ISromficlb street OuuuUN)>* ^ashburn-crosbyJ3<^ ^OLD M EDAL THE MIRROR OF NEWrON ADVERTISER This space reserved by THE STANLEY who n AUTO-CARRIAGE ever advertise. CO. Crawford Steam and Hot-water Heaters WALKER CS, PRATT MFG. CO., Watertown store. 24 Main St. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER POPULAR NEW FICTION AUNT JANE OF KENTUCKY By ELIZA CALVERT HALL jounding in hiini elighlful Aunt Ja ; in the Blue Gras tender pliilosophy Illustrated by B THE CASTLE OF DOUBT By JOHN H. WHITSON The story of a man who finds husband of a beautiful woman wh ^een. Frontispiece in color. 1211 Like tl worked c PHANTOM WIRES By ARTHUR STRINGER itains equally remarkable ad\ ilKoNu. Price, J, .50. ACKROYD of the FACULTY By ANNA CHAPIN RAY A novel of life in one of the larger American universities, embodying a study of social maladjustment with a hero who is a "misfit," Price, S^i. 50. UNDER THE HARROW By ELLIS HEREDITH B. Phillips Oppenheim's Latest and Best Novel THE MALEFACTOR This mystifying story of the strange revenge of Sir Win ment for a crime he did not commit rather than defend hin: the most languid alive with expectant interest. • " The Malefactor ' is an enthralling book, of much more I '"The Malefactor absorbing interest than ' A Maker of History' and more 1 velopment of plot and carefully considered than ' .A Prince of Sinners,' both of I is an .acknowledged m which won nothing but praise." — S\i>: Frtiiicisio Call. Ilhisl ave Seton, who suffered imprison- If at a woman's expense, will make nstructed with the skill in de- ng interest of which the author '— The Onllook, New Yo>k. LITTLE, BROWN & CO., Publishers, Boston ^served by Courtesy of GEORGE K SNYDE% B1iOKE% 60 State Street .' . .'. .*. 'Boston, SMass. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER HILL, CLARKE & CO., Incorporated C. A. CLARKE, Treasurer RAPID-WORKING MACHINE TOOLS BOSTON NEW YORK PHILADELPHIA BOSTON OFFICE ----- 156 OLIVER STREET THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER REMOVAL To 24 TREMONT STREET Kimball Building J. NEWMAN CSL SONS (Incorporated) FLORI5TS ! BYRON E. BAILEY CO. Infants' Fine Wear Girls', Boys', Misses', and Small Women's Clothing 3J-33 Winter Street HOTEL NOTTINGHAM Copley Square and Huntington Ave. BACK BAY, BOSTON A High-class Family and Transient Hotel Rooms singly or en suite EUROPEAN PLAN PRIVATE ROOMS FOR DINNERS AND MEETINGS GAY BROS., Proprietors FRANQS HOWE, Manager F. A. WALKER & CO. iporters, Jobbers, and Retailers of Every Variety < Choice House=furnishing Goods Also Hanufacturers of all kinds of Extra Strong Tinware ScoUay Sq. Subway Station Telephone, Haymarket ; Oriental Rug and Carpet Renovating Works Expert Weavers, Dyers, and Cleansers of all kinds of Rugs and Needle Art Work. Hand process only used in cleansing. Oldest in New England SEND FOR BOOKLET D. P. CHITJIAN, Manager 58 WINTER STREET Telephone, 2933-1 O.xford Rugs kept without extra charge and insured during the summer months. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER IVIrs. FLORENCE E. leer of the \V. Clje equitable ^itt Assurance ^ocictp Room 56, KtiuitcUile KviilclinK, 67 Milli Street, IBoston The only Woman's Department connected with the Equitable in the United States, managed by a Woman, Woman Solicitors, Woman Medical Examiner, and Woman Attorney. WANTED. — Bright, energetic ladies, of education and refinement, who desire to materially increase their income, will do well to call upon or com- municate with Mrs. Shaal. The firm that will not advertise Pursues a course that is not wise. GEORGE DES GROSILLER LADIES' AND GENTIvEMEN'S TAILOR 307 CENTRE STREET, NEWTON, MASS. Reserved by courtesy of DANIEL S. EMERY WILLIAM L. PUFFER "^'."."^".U ,.e.3 C O M S U 1_T 1 IS] G EUECTRICAL O^ ILUUMINAXI MCS 30-7- ecjuixable: buildinq BOSTOrM, MASS. S..P.C.S3S.NPS, W. S. HAYDEN Groceries, Provisions, Sea Food Country Produce POULTRY and GAME IN THEIR SEASON 3-'4 Ce St. Tel. 224. 254 Washington St. Newton, M.^ss. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER OFFICE ESTABLISHED IN GRAIN, JONES, BIXBY & CO (Formerly Office of L. BURGE, HAYES & CO.) Mason Building, Water and Kilby Slreel-s BOSTON Agents CSUN INSURANCE OFFICE, of London i CONTINENTAL INSURANCE CO., of New York automotiile 'Jnjsuvancc WOODWORTH TREADS Make Automobiles Safe. They are Anti-skidding, Puncture-proof, and protect the tires from wear. Save half the tire expense. Any one can apply them without re- moving tire from the rim. Cost about one-third as much as new tires. Over ten thousand sold last year. LEATHER TIRE GOODS COMPANY, MFRS. Newton Upper Falls, Mass. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER Our new Shoe for (Uomen The Shoe of the Day and the Hour No other shoe for women was ever accorded so favorable introductory sale as reception in its 66 LUXURA." This Perfect Shoe It has been eagerly welcomed by thousands, and it will be as eagerly sought by other thousands as its good qualities are made known by wearers. Elegance combined with luxury, that's " LUXURA," the sum and substance of shoe perfection, — perfect fit, perfect shape, perfect com- fort, perfect wear. You'll realize what enjoyment in footwear means when you make the acquaintance of Luxura. $3.00 STYLE 668.— A shapely boot for dress wear, made from patent kid, cut Blucher style, rib- ^J "^ .50 bon lace, flexible sole, medium heel. %J ASK TO SEE STYIE 757.— A .mart street pump with thin extension soles, ooze heel linings to prevent slipping. Made from patent ^ '^,30 colt. Leather bow, Cuban heel. Price fj STYLE 763. LIKE CUT.— A fashionable street Blucher Oxford with patent colt vamp, dull quarters, three-eyelet ribbon tie. An exceptionally ^ '^,00 stylis valking shoe. STYLE 731. A POPULAR DRESS TIE.- A three-eycIct tie, made from patent kid. Has flexible sole and Cuban heel. A graceful and stylish conception for dress wear. Ask to see it. Price ^ '^.SO R. H. WHITE COMPANY THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER Invalid Silver Repairing, Replating, Refinishing Tea Sets, Pitchers, Old Candlesticks, Spoons, Forks, etc., thoroughly and reasonably done. These two engravings illustrate the range of our ability to repair and re- store to its original con- dition broken or dented ware which is seemingly useless. MUNROE 6i LANE, Silversmiths Successors to -J. N. Lindsay & Co. Bulldlnj. 403 Washindlon Street. Room 4. Elevator. Telephon /NATIO/NAL 4 and 6 CYLINDER 50 and 75 nORSC=POWER $3,500 and $5,000 The Superior of all American Cars WAYNE 30-35 H. P. lOSoinch Wheel Base $2,500 REO Runabouts Climb Hills A 10 horse-power car that carries two to four persons twenty-two miles on a gallon of gasoline. Trim, speedy, and powerful. TWO AND FOUR PASSENGERS $650 $675 A demonstration will convince you LIMSCOTT MOTOR CO. J63 Columbus Ave. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER 1875- 1907 CONFECTIONERS and CATERERS For thirty-two years we have served the particular trade of Newton. Your patronage has been liberal and constant. We shall continue to give you the best in quality and service. JAMES PAXTON & CO. Eliol Blork, Newton, Mass. Genuine Hatchet Brand Canned Fruits and Vegetables Bear this Trade-mark on each label FANCY CHINA and GLASSWARE Suitable for Wedding and Holiday Gilts. E. E. SNYDER 392 Centre Street NEWTON ^ and are guaranteed to comply with all the requirements of the Pure Food Law. Sold by High-class Grocers in All New England Cities and Towns The Twitchell-Champlin Go. FACTORIES: Portland, Hiram, Waldoboro, and Sedgwick, Maine; Wolcott, New York. ATWOOD MARKET PRESCOTT & QOINN, Proprietors DEALERS IN Fine Groceries^ Provisions, FisK, Better than Coffee Oysters, Fruit, and Vegetables , . ^^ - - Game of all kinds in their season Richer than Corree • 1 1 /^^ fC Telephones J22-2 and 123 OeVen- eighths V^Otiee 374, 375, and 330 centre street, Newton THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER dcnr^ Sicgel Co. Beg to announce that they are shoTuing the Largest and 'Best aintcv!3 auD paper Bangers INSIDE WORK A SPECIALTY Shop, 1271 Washington Street WEST NEWTON Residence, 18 Pearl Street Telephone, -1 1-5 Newton North KALSOMINING PICTURE FRAMING North British & Mercantile Insurance Company U. S. Branch, 76 William Street NEW YORK ROBT. & ALEX. BENNETT INSURANCE AND NEWS AGENTS WEST NEWTON, MASS. M. FRANK LUCAS Builders' Finish Greenhouse Stock, Cypress Gutters Lumber, Kiln-dried Floors MILL AND YARD Lucas Court ami Border Street WEST NEWTON, MASS. TELEPHONE Telephone Connection Established 1861 MEINRV F. CATB (Successor to Stephen Y. Cate) Funeral Director and Embalmer 1351 Washington Street, West INewton Northeastern Department C. E. ROBERTS, Manager I W. H. ALLEN, Assistant Manager Telephone 101 Milk Street, Boston, Mass. Connection xliii B. S. HATCH COAL AND WOOD Hay, Straw, Grain, and Feed Office, 1288 Washington Street Yard, 200 Webster Street WEST NEWTON, MASS. THE MIRROR OF XEWTOX ADVERTISER SUMMER STVUES IIN Muslin Underwear Paris Hand-made Lingerie, Appenzell Embroidered Effects from Switzerland, Hand-made Pieces from Germany, and Nov- eltier in the Finer Domestic Makes, including Lawn, Mull, French Nainsook, Handkerchief Linen, and Cambric. UNDERMUSLINS IN Fine Pattern Laces Filet, Cluny, Point de Paris, Hand-made Torchon, Novelty Laces, and Hand Embroideries. GOWNS. 3.50 5.00 S.50 to 75.00 CHEMISES. 1. 00 2.00 3.50 to 16.00 DRAWERS. 50c. 1. 00 1.50 to 13.50 CORSET COVERS. 50c. 1. 00 1.50 to 12.00 WHITE SKIRTS Particularly adapted for wear with evening costumes and summer dresses. Others in shorter lengths for walking wear. 3.50 5.00 8.50 to 75.00 HATCHED SETS. Fine Bridal Sets in perfectly matched patterns, exxlusive with Chandler & Co. 10.00 to 125.00 eijaiitrUr H Co. 1^^"""°^^ STREET THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER Superior Engraving For The Allen School WeddinO'S PctrtlGS ^ School for Wholesome Boys And all Social Events Die Embossed Stationery COLUMBIA ENGRAVING CO. street, BOSTON ALFRED E. VOSE, JOHN A. DANIELS, Newtonville. Newton Centre. PREPARATION GIVEN FOR ANY COLLEGE OR TECHNICAL SCHOOL College entrance certificates. Junior department prepares for Newton High School. Individual ,in- struction. For Illustrated CATALOcnE, describing special features, apply to the Head Masters, WEST NEWTON, Mass. ALBERT EDWARD BAILEY, A.B. EVERETT STARR JONES. A.B. HOWARD WATCHES CO H > 2 a > u o ■n O c > r H ■< TJE who is indifferent to time wears out the patience of every one and fails. The world ceases to do business with him. The man who knows the value of time carries a HOWARD WATCH, and is always on time. Promptness bespeaks confidence. E. HOWARD WATCH CO., Waltham, Mass. THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER F. T. BURGESS Plumber and Gasfitter DEALER IN Steam and Gas Fitters' and Plumbers' Supplies Corner Washington and Cherry Streets WEST NEWTON FRED. L. COOK Imported and Domestic GROCERIES CHOICE BUTTER A SPECIALTY Telephone Connection \Vashington Street, corner Elm WEST NEWTON A. J. STEADMAN Tailor, Clothier, and Outfitter WASHINGTON AND ELM STREETS WEST NEWTON You'd scarce expect one in this age To stand upon the business stage^ Yet never meet the people's eyes Because he would not advertise. Telephone J. F. Payne, 21578 Newton North GEORGE BREEDEN HARRY L. GLEASON REPAIRER OF Real Estate ^^^f^bes, Clocks, Jewelry, Eyeglasses, Spectacles, FIRE, LIFE, and ACCIDENT Qraphophones. nusic Boxes, H^I^IIU AlVI/^r *^°" Clubs, Umbrellas. Silverware, Novelties, Type- Ill OUIlW^llV^L writers, and all other small articles. 283 Walnut Street 813 Washington s treet - NEWTONVILLE NEWTONVILLE - - - HASS. TELEPHONE, NEWTON NORTH 112-1 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER WILLIAM O. HARPIS Carpenter and Builder Rice Brothers F^ine Groceries Jobbiiis of All Kinds Estimates on all kinds of work cheerfully given RESIDENCE AND SHOP 282 Melrose Street (Next to Taylor Block) TELEPHONE CONNECTION 995 Watertown Street Auburndale ^ WEST INEWTOIN, MASS. Telephone, 232-3 Newton West M. BROOKMAN laDicjS' Catlor Cloahs, Suits, jackets, and -fur Garments )VIade to Order Perfect fit and best workmanship guaranteed Also Gentlemen 's Clothing repaired at Moderate Price: V. A. PLUTA Meats of all Kinds FRESH FRUITS . . AND VEGETABLES 39 1 Auburn Street Corner Auburn and Lexington Streets Auburndale, Mass. I AUBURNDALE CURTIS & SEDERQUIST Bankers and Brokers Stocks and Bonds bought and sold for investment or commission WEEKLY MARKET LETTER MAILED FREE J 9 Congress Street BOSTON 52 Broadway NEW YORK THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER ATTENTION IS CALLED TO THE Savings Bank at West Newton Incorporated 1887 Deposits are received in amounts of from $i to $i,ooo. Are placed on interest quarterly, January lo, April lo, July lo, and October lo. Divi- dends payable January 15 and July 15. DEPOSITS, $1,325,000 An absolutely safe place for the savings of Individuals, Societies, and Associations LOANS ON REAL ESTATE GEORGE P. BULLARD, ROLAND F. GAMMONS, id. President Treasurer Hours, 8.30 to 12 and 1 to 3 Saturday, 8.30 to 12 only 1907 SPRING-and-SUMMER Are now on exhibition, comprising Tailored Suits, Garments, Skirts, Costumes, Lace and Lingerie Blouses, Tailored Linen Waists, French Embroi- dered Linen Collars, Jabots, Belts, Gloves, Veil- ings, etc. Your early inspection is earnestly solicited. G. VS^ILDES SMITH 158 TREMONT STREET, BOSTON THE MIRROR OF NEWTOX ADVERTISER PRIEST, PAGE CS, CO. 143 and 145 FRANKLIN STREET BOSTON agents for THE HOWE SCALE CO. Howe Scales THE ATHA STEEL CO. Cast Steel THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER WILLIAM CAPSTICK WEDDING DECORATIONS AND FUNERAL EMBLEMS Choice Cut Flowers in their season, also House and Bedding Plants P. A. McVICAR Carriage Maker Aspen and Hawthorn Avenues AUBURNDALE, MASS. FDANK W. BRIDGES IPEALKK IX Fancy and Staple Meats, Fish, and Groceries Quality the Best Prices the Lowest NEAR 283 AUBURN STREET AUBURNDALE 335 Auburn Street AUBUDNDALE H. M. CHILDS Fancy Dry Goods STATIONERY, CHINA WARE, TOYS, ETC. 289 zAuhnm Street, AUBURNDALE BORDEN'S MALTED MILK Is the BEST that Science Can Produce You are the Loser if Satisfied with a Substitute JoKnson & Keyes Express Co. FURNITURE AND PIANO MOVING AUBURNDALE and BOSTON EXPRESS. AUBURNDALE - - MASS. Telephone, 271-1 Newton West Telephone, 528-3 Newton West EKLUND &" GORDON Painters, Decorators Glaziers and Paper-hangers PAPERS, PICTURE MOULDINGS, ETC. TAYLOR BLOCK Auburndale . o . riass. GEORGE E. JOHNSON Hay, Grain, and Feed Lexington Street, Auburndale Telephone. 271-3 Newton West THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER nn nlg-w LASELL SEMINARY FOR YOUNG WOMEN AUBURNDALE. MASS. An ideal location in Newton is one of its distinctive features. For illustrated cat- ilogue, giving full particulars, address C. C. BRAGDON, Principal. ELECTRICAt WILLIAM L. PUFFER TROUBLE ENGINEERING I investigate accidents, poor results in ele plants, difficulties of operation, things your says are wrong. I coach lawyers while preparing electrical c give expert testimony. I straighten out specifications, make examina flctcbcr of Huburndalc The F. W. FLETCHER CO. FLORIST The best of Flowers at the lowest prices possible for quality. Free delivery on sizable orders to all col- leges, hospitals, or anywhere in Greater Boston. Orders for Flowers telegraphed to all prin- cipal cities of United States and Europe. TELEPHONE CONNECTION rillRAL I'AlMThU.S and DECOR/VrOILS WALL PAPER5 nnci HANGINGS DRAPERIES AND PURNirUPE (.47 BOYLSTON STREE 1 Opposite Publiu I.iukauv 1 THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER BUY AND SELL REAL ESTATE TMROUGl-I WILLIAM H. RAND WITH EDWARD T. HARRINGTON CO. 293 WASHINGTON STREET - - - BOSTON RENT PROPBRTV TMROUQM MRS. WILLIAM H. RAND 31 CHESTNUT STREET, WEST NEWTON Telephone, 204-5 Newton West Residence, 247 Austin Street No charge for consultation DR. IN. LOUISE RAIND €)!3tcopatl)ic pi)v0idan WEST NEWTON, MASS. RESIDENCE OFFICE 247 AUSTIN STREET 60 CHESTNUT^STREET Residence Phone Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9n4-s Newton West Other hours by appointment Tin- MfRNOR OF XKWTOX ADVFimSKIi ALWAYS ASK FOR WHITTEMORE'S POLISHES THE WORLDS STANDARD The Oldl-st and Largest Maniifurlur.TS of Shoe Foli-li in Iho World ONCE USED ALWAYS USED w Ty- p^ ^^ ^ m W^^a Q?, >!? tjrr*^*'* ^ '"^i S 1^0,, iEl*'8Sa t^ .;.";;?' ^8 .^1 ^. S^ml '^ -^ Quick WHITE MAKES DIRTY CANVAS SHOES CIEAN«TE ClUICKLY>H'EASttY APPLIED. ALSO CLEANS ALL ARTICLES MADE FROHWHITECAM •ELIIf, •BOSH ; all kinJs of Russet and Brown Boots all Patent and Sliiny Leather Shoes i Box C.ilf, Vici Kid, and all fine hlaik and Boys' Shoes. Produces a patenl DIRTY CANVAS SHOES MADE PERFECTLY CLEAN AND WHITE BY USING WHITTEWORE'S "QUICK WHITE" COMPOUND In liquid form, so can be QUICKLY and EASILY applied. No white dust. No rubbing off. To those using the hard white calces put uji in metal or wood boxes, would say that by using '* Quick White " you will have your shoes all finished, before you could get the hard cakes softened up enough to be^in usitig. Just try "Quick While" once, and it will work so quick and easy and make your shoes look so clean and while that you will always use it. For 1907 a sponge in every bottle, so always ready Two Sizes, 10 and 23 Cents Also the follow'ing colors for Canvas shoes: li.iby Blue, Alice Blue, Red, Green, Pink, Lavender, Cham- pagne, Coral, Purple, Light and Dark Cray. In the same sizes and at the same prices as •• Quick White. " Whitemore's Polishes won the "GRAND PRIZE " .it SI. Lou's over all coirpslitcs MAY 20 190? THE MIRROR OF NEWTON ADVERTISER CompUments of a Friend r '07 W. J. FURBUSH GMce Groceries and ProTisions FRUITS. VEGETABLES. CANNED GOODS Vermont Creamery Butter in Large or Small Quantities Strictly Fresh Hennery Eggs a Specialty 64 CHESTHOT STREET, WEST NEWTON, MASS. TELEPHONES, 236-3 and 56 Newton West ANTHONY LOUIS 1255 WASHINGTON STREET WEST NEWTON, MASS. Furniture Made to Order We have a large number of (ine photographs of furniture in old colonial houses Upholstering, Carpet Cleaning, Reflttlng,*Rela}lng Drapery Poles and Rods. Awninss. Mattresses, Cushions. Drapery woik and Austrian draw shades WINDOW SCREENS MADE TO ORDER Main 3450 TELEPHONES West Newton 310 WILLIAM H. COLGAN HIGH-GRADE Electrical Construction 302 Equitable Building. Boston 1385 Washington Street. West Newton Incandeacentand Power Wiring. Telephones, Bella, and Q\» Lighting. Dynamos, Motors, Switchboards Makes a specialty of repair work Estimates furnished DR. C. E. A. ROSS DENTIST Telephone connection WcSt NcWtOn OR. FRED M. LOWE LILL & VAHEY DEALERS IN New and Antique Furniture Fiimiuire Repairing and Polishing Mattresses Renovated Radiators Cleaned and Bronzed 17 CHESTNUT STREET WEST NEWTON. MASS. Telephone connection A. F. FISKE & CO. Plumbing, Heating And Kitchen Furnishings 987 Watertown Street WEST NEWTON, MASS. Telephone connection Newton Centre Trust Company Bray Block, Newton Centre CAPITAL. $100,000 SURPLUS FUND. $103,000 TOTAL ASSETS. $1,350,000 DWIGHT CHESTER. Praident EDWARD H. MASON. Vice-President FRANK L. RICHARDSON. Treasmer DIRECTORS DAVIDTH. ANDREWS FRANK J. HALE MELLEN BRAY SEWARD W. JONES DWIGHT CHESTER EDWARD H. MASON ERASTUS T. COLBURN EDGAR W. WARREN Interest at 2% allowed on Daily Balances of $500 and upwards Higher rates on deposits subject to ten days' notice of withdrawal ACCOUNTS SOLICITED