The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-05-09
Tea Party nj Yarmou,I,.

a
Tea Party at Yarmouth.
The First church in the old town of Var
mouth held centennial tea party CD the I'd
inst, which deserves at least a passing notice
in the history of this anniversary year. The
chapel of the church was we'll filled with men,
women and children, very many Of them most
appropriately dressed in the costume of "ye
olden time" When assembled they made
happy group, all doing their best to revive the
feelings and exhibit the manners and customs
of the last century, All were astonished at
the rich display of antiquities in all parts of
| the room.
The old kitchen had a supper table spread
| with substantial viands, such as we imagine
our fathers fed upon; and spinning and linen
wheels showing how they supplied their ward
robes before the days of and cotton wooden fac
tories. In an ante-room another supper table
was spread. The table itself, of solid polished
mahogany, with curiously turned egs, was of
| great age and was covered with ancient silver
and dainty old-fashioned china, and lgated
| with candles in solid silver can1lesticks. Sur-
rounded by high backed, old chairs and sup
/ piled from side table with meats and pastry
| it was an attractive place of resort throughout
| the evening. But the most interesting feature
was table Iunning nearly the entire length of
the chapel, covered with articles of every de-
| scription, many of them centuries old Two
plates-one of wood, the other of curious old
| china-were brought over in the May hower.
A sword used by Lieutenant Drink water of
Yarmouth in the revolutionary war, cartridges
made at the same time; drinking cup of horn,
found in garrison house on one of the islands
coat-of-arms granted to Hugh Drnkwater,
gentleman" of the city of Aberdeen, Scot
tand, in 1911; pair of dainty white kid
slippers, the wedding slippers of maiden who
was young one hundred and fly years ago.
Books and manuscripts there were in great
| numbers; an almanac for the year 1776; copy
of newspaper published in New York, which
was in mourning for the death of Gen. Wash
isgton.
Most curious was tiny book entitled "De-
vout Meditations for every day in the month";
done out Of French, every word beautifully
acritten in close hand and perfectly legible,
though done 10 the year 1911. Another, still
more ancient, was volume of curious medical
receipts in the old 'black letter. printed in
1852.
Still another was entitled Theological
Questions, Dogmaticai Observations, and Evan
gelical Essays upon the Gospel of st.
Matthew printed in London, 1910.
Then there were the old Bibles used in the
First church at the time of its organization in
1870 aud afterward; also the record books
of the church and town during their early
existence.
Near the close of the evening a choir of
singers in the costumes of &c, led by D Bur-
bank, sang several of the good old tunes"
including ''Auld Lang Syne," and concluding
with 'Hail, Columbia" which stirred patriotic
emotions and delighted all lovers of good
music.
All voted in their hearts that they had had
good time" and, perhaps best of all, about
$75 were added to the funds of the Society.
THE CHANGE OF TME.-It seems that the
change of time on the Eastern and Maine
Central roads was made in order to allow the
| trains over the former road to leave for Boston
at 1.30 D. m. as the Boston & Maine does. AS
the arrangement was the Boston & Maine were
in the habit of running their afternoon train
out to the transfer station and there waiting for
the arrival of the Maine Central; thus by TAX
| ing the Boston & Maine the passengers could
save half an hour. Now both trains leave at
the same time and the Maine Central arrives
before they start so as to make connection. 10
order to do this both the Lewiston and Bangor
trains, in and out, have to meet in the yard
near the Y. Both trains coming in have two
of the rear cars reserved for Portland passen-
gers and when the trains arrive in the yard
these cars are taken into the depot while the
nd Of ba txuo trai IN 10 fha
train over the Eastern road for Boston. This
train is made up on the Y and car leaves the
depot at 80 and is attached to it. 1t requires
very sharp work to make up the trains on time
and yesterday the Boston train was delayed
about five minutes The officials Of the road
claim that hereafter they can make up and
leave just on time.
1t is said that the Boston & Maine will
change their time in few days SO as to leave
the transfer station on the arrival of the Maine
Central and thus get the start of the Eastern.
The Grand Trunk road will make some change
in their time table rext Monday, but just what
change is not yet known. The prospect is that
there will be much rivalry between the Boston
roads this season, each of them trying to reach
Boston first.
The Cumberland Centre Farmers Club, at
their regular meeting held April 29th, voted to
hold their annual cattle show and fair on the
Sd and 4th days of October next, and to invite
] the citizens of Cumberland, North Yarmouth
Yarmouth and Falmouth to contribute as usual
to the fair and show. The club, DESTROYS of stm-
ulating the growing of yellow corr voted to offer
a special premium of $40 for the three best one
| half acres raised in either town, $40 for the
first best, $6 for the second and 81 for the third.
All persons proposing to compete must notify
the secretary, David L. Blanchard, Of their in
tention on or before the first of September,
that the committee may have an opportunity
to examine the corn in the field and to obtain
such points relating to the mode of culture,
cost of raising, etc A sample of the corn
must be exhibited at the fair in trace of not
less than fifty ears. 1t was voted to pay
special premium of $40 on the largest and best
lots of vegetables raised and exhibited at the
fair, as follows: S. for the best, So for the sec
| ond, and 50 for the third. These premiu ms
| are open to all and it is hoped that it may be
instrumental in stimulating many persons to
make the effort. The committee will be chosen
| from each town. The club is doing fine work
in stimulating its members to greater exer-
tions to raise more and buy less, and were
| never in a more prosperous condition They
| had pleasant reminder from Hon. j. Fl. Bur-
leigh in generous SUPPLY of seeds from the
| Agricultural Department, selected with his
usual good judgment of such seed as we in this
| climate need.
HENRY AUGUSTUS MERRILL intelli
gence of the death of this estimable young
man in Matanzas, Cuba, on the 10Th of April
last, was received by his many friends in this
vicinity with great surprise and sorrow. He
had left his native city for sea voyage to the
tropical climate of the West Indies in hopes to
stay the progress of disease which was rapid
ly undermining his health. He left his home
and friends in the best of spirits, confident of
his ultimate recovery but how soon to be strck-
en- down in the early years of life which