Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-11-23

Ovation Hon. n. T.. Banks.
The fellow townsmen and neighbors of Ma.
rnANlEL p. BANKS, without political or other
adventitious distinctions, united, Wednesday
evening in a public expression of their re-
gard. The interesting exercises were held IN
Rumford Hall, which was finely decorated
and during the entire evening was thronged
with people. The gift presented to Gov
Banks consisted of a massive silver service,
richly engraved, and bearing appropriate in.
seriptions The present TO Mrs. Banks was a
gold hunter watch, chair, and brooch. The
watch was made by the American Watch
Company Of Watham, and was the first lady's
watch ever manufactured by them. Freder'
ick NJ Stone presided, and the formal presen.
tation was made by Josiah Rutter, who ex
pressed in well chosen speech the respect and
appreciation ofhs fellow citizens for their dis
tinguished townsman, and their sincere regret
for his departure. Gov. Banks was much
affected by the demonstration, and responded
in feeling and appropriate language We copy
from the Boston Journal a sketch of his re-
marks -
There were many things necessarily crowd
ell upon his mind and upon the minds OF the
members of his tami y, when they came to the
sudden resolution to change their home to
pass away from the scenes of his oyhood and
the associations of his maturer lie, and from
the associations aud unparalleled confidence
and support which, in later years, he had re.
ceived from the citizens of his native town.
But in all this it had not occurred to him or
| his family that such meeting as this was to
! greet them. He only desired TO say for him
self and his wife that it was impossible to eX-
press their feelings or what crowded on their
| minds, in thus taking leave Of Waltham peo-
pie.
lie said that at times his life had been pass
! ed in conflict with masses of people, and that
! there were moments when he, like others,
| seemed to stand alone, without counsel and
without friends. But the approval of his
course by his fellow townsmen had always
sustained him, especially when presented in
the graceful and unqualified manner in which
the chairman and other gentlemen had been
pleased TO address him. He had always
sought to do right by all men, and to dead out
an equal and exact justice to all. Such had
been his purpose, and to this object he attrib-
uted his success in life. The life he had led
war not such as he would have chosen. His
course of life was purely OF accident, and he
dared to say TO his fellow townsmen, 10 the
people of his own home, that political career
had never been his ambition. His aim WAS to
engage in the profession of the law. He did
| not desire to pass in review the scenes he had
| passed through, but in every position of hon,r
| in which he had been placed as servant of the
town, county, state, and nation, he had per.
| formed his duties with the thought that every
act might be his last.
lie had been called upon in many trying
cases, and had desired t. act justly toward ALL
and he took to himself the pride that in the
country he loved, aud iii the commonwealth
| lie adured, his own native town had not suffer
| ell in what lie had done. He advcrted to the
scenes Of his boyhoOd. The town in which
he had lived had always left pleasant impress
| Sions on his minds. lis silvery streams, its
| beautiful highlands, its handsome structures,
and the factory, the first scene OF his induction
into active lite, had all made lasting impres
sions upon his mind. Then there were his
associates, young men and young women.
| And while he remembered the present. he
| could not forget those who slept far and " de.
| The boys Of his youth, now young men,
struck him, from the experience OF later years,
as being OF no ordinary character, and to them
he paid high tribute for honesty and industry
wherever they might now be found. He
hoped the town of Watham might always be
blessed by such young men,
Other advantages which Watham had af-
tOrded her citizens were TO lie acknowledged,
and in this connection he alludtd to the com.
mon schools, superior in his youth to those in
the vicinity, and Rumt0rd Institute. He
trusted that the fostering care Of the town
would still be maintained toward the latter.
He well remembered the lectures which he
was wont to attend, and spoke OF the great in.
tuence they had upon his mind at that time
| But he had not the capacity at this time to ex-
| press the emotions which crowded thick and
fast upon him. He accepted the beautiful
present with winch they had honored him with
| grateful satisfaction, and said that no moment
would pass in the future in which he should
not recall the memories of his native town with
pleasure. This change in his life was uneX.
pected TO him, and to his family unexpected
and sudden. In 10 position of his after lite
would he perform any act derogatory to the
nigh character Of the people of his native town,
ana would cast no stain upon its name. With
this pledge he accepted the present.
He desired, in behalf Of his wife, to present
| her thanks tor the beautiful gift from her
friends, and in this connection he paid noble
tribute to the constancy and worth of woman,
and alluded to his wife in the most touching
manner In conclusion, he desired to suggest
! that he might be allowed to pay to the town,
before lis departure, such tribute as would
become its honored position in the nation and
the history of the United States.
After the more aged and staid members of
the assembly had retired, the young folks
Joined in dance, which was prolonged to the
''wee sma' hours"