Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-06-28
For the woreester Daily spy


THE History OF WORCESTER by William
Lincoln-published in 1886 and out Of print
until the recent issue of u new edition by
Charles Hersey-s modelin the department
of American literature to which 1t belongs.
Every page of this elaborate compilation
bears the impress of interchangeable research in
all directions whether near or remote, of easy
or difficult access, wherever patient eXpl0ra-
ton might hope to discover anything worth
preserving of the fast fading traditions and
scattered records of the past. The style in
which this history is written, is the style of
finished scholar, accurate, clear, flowing and
elegant. The charms of graceful compost
ton embellish whatever the narrative contains
of intrinsic interest, and never fail to relieve
of its irkSomensss that which is necessarily in
the nature of barren detail. Extending
through the long period from the earliest set
Element of the town down to September 1886,
this octave of nearly 400 pages is rich mine
of historical information for those who love
to trace the progress of brave, hardy, en-
terprising virtuous people from the days of
''the rude forefathers Of the hamlet till the
gradually expanding stream flows into times
fresh in the memory Of the generation now
on the stage of active life.
To this Invaluable record of local annals,
this monument more enduring than brazen
statue or marble column, to commemorate
the elegant scholarship of its accomplished
author, Mr.. HerSey adds about one hundred
and forty pages, as Il continuation OF the his
tory to the very recent date of 1861 With
out making any pretensiOns to the literary
merits which characterize the work of his pre-
decessor, Mr.. Hersey has, with great diligence
and fidelity, collected together and appended
to the original volume all that seemed to him
most interesting of the events which have
tranSpired, and of the men whose lives have
been prominent, during the quarter Of a cen
fury which has just passed away. Under APP
propriate headngS-lncrease of Population,
Churches, Ministers, Lawyers, Physicians,
Banks, Fire Department, Obituaries, Old
Men, Various Associations, Education, Ho-
tells, Railroads, Cemeteries, Public Build
ings, Remarkable Events, &c.-almost every
item of desirable information will be found in
this newer part of the compilation as at pres
ent published. For the general reader, also,
Mr.. Hersey has greatly enhanced the attrac-
tons which will be found in the History of
Worcester, by interspersing among its pages
elegantly engraved Photographic miniatures
of the ex-mayors and other distinguished citi-
zens, alive or dead; so that now, more than
before, this faithful record of what this
beautiful inland city has been in the past
and has grown to be now, deserves place in
every library, public or private, in New Eng
land. Mr. Hersey thus richly merits the
thanks of the reading public for having re-
printed work which, before, could not cas-
lily be obtained, as well as for having added
thereto so much of what though more recent,
many would soon lose the recollection of,
were there no careful hand to gather up and
''save the little things" of local history before
they are lost or disappear. 1t is pleasure to
be able most cordially to commend Mr.. Her
sey's historical compilation labor of love
more than of pecuniary prolific the patron
age of an intelligent community. c. j.
Worcester, June n, 1862.