Daily Kennebec journal., 1876-04-05
ETTER FROM BOSTON.
Correspondence ofMe journal.

Time rolls on very rapidly towards that con
summation of our Nations Centennial, for which
Boston, with many other cities and towns, is
making busy preparation. The event is sgnf-
can't and claims the attention of all. History is
read as it has not been for long time. At the
antiquarian part.es, which have been so much in
vogue this season, the garrets, like history have
been ransacked, and all the relics of auld lang
syne resurrccted from their obscurity. Gay bro
cades, huge combs, hgh-crowned caps and all
the ct ceteras, that comprised the toettes Of our
ancestresses a hundred years ago, are made to do
duty again, and it would almost seem as if the
portraits of those vanished danes had, by some
mysterious agency been terminated, to step down
from the canvas and mnge once more in the busy
scenes Of life. The men, with velvet coats, bro
cade vests, knee e-breeches, shoes and buckles and
dainty laces, are not the fuuereal looking indivd
uals, that full dress of the present day makes of
them. The old folks of to-day may take heart
now they will no longer be set aside and quite
ignored; fashion has decreed otherwise; and it
is something to have grandfather and grand
mother now so much for the rattlng of the dry
bones of our progentors! They ought to be
stirred up oftener than once century, if the STIR
ring will infuse little more of the spirit of ven-
Grafton in the heart of Young America.
| AT No. %. Pemberton Square, "mousing anti
quarians" will be delighted with the collection
which Mrs. Southwick has made. All the arti-
cles to be seen there are not less than century
old and some are said to be more than three. Not
among the least interesting soarenrs of the past,
are those possessed by many private individuals.
, saw two quaint specimens of newspaper enter
p ,y lhe other day-bona tide copes--each ante
datlIg the Declaration Of Independence. They
were named respectively, The Boston Post Bay
and Evening Advertiser, and The Boston Weekly
Post Bay. The first was dated May I, l764. the
second Jan. l, 1850. Both papers have the SUBJ
scribers name plainly written upon them, and are
small sheets Of four pages each, yellow and worn
by frequent inspection-the contents reading odd
ly enough, in comparison with the papers ofto-day.
The clumsy wood-cuts that adorn them are speci-
mems of an art which must have been in extreme
infancy then. There are various things worth no.
ticc but time and space forbid further descrip-
ton.
| The annual State exhibition of drawings closed
Thursday evening after having been visited by an
unusually large number Of people. The exhibi-
ton superior to that of last year, and consist
ed of model and object drawing, free-hand, men,
ory, geometrical drawings and designs. Some of
the designs for crockery, carpets, lace etc,
very beautiful and excited much admiration. The
Centennial Art Exhibition, commences Monday,
April Sd, at the Boston Art Club As and CT Boyls-
ton St. The pictures will comprise those by
Massachusetts, artists, which have been accepted
by the Philadelphia committee for the coming ex-
hibtion there, with the portraits loaned by Iar-
ward University, the Boston Atheneum, the Mas
sachusets Historical Society and private individ
uals.
The close Of the musical season is to be quite
brilliant, judging from the announcements. Mr.
Peeks annual benefit takes place "Wednesday
evening the 9TH, in the Music Hail. and the SER
vices Of very attractive corps of artists have been
secured for the event. Bach's Passion music will
be given by the Handel and Hayden Society on
Palm Sunday, and Ilandel's Joshua" on Easter
Sunday Mile. Ttiens bids farewell to America
in concert, on the 18th. in the Music Hall, when
Rossnis Stabat Mater and Mendelsshon's Hymn
of Praise will be performed by the Handel and
Hayden society, Mile Titens singing the solos.
The Apollo Club are to give two concerts in MAY.
Won Bulow gives series of piano recitals this
month"; which are announced as his last.
Yesterday morning the news came that the dam
of the Lynde Brook reservoir Worcester gave
way the day before. There was timely warning
of the catastrophe, consequently there was no loss
of life but the loss to property is estimated by
millions. Two years ago the dam was examined
by a competent civil engineer, and pronounced
perfectly safe; notwithstanding his decision how
ever, fears of its safety have been entertained,
though the disaster was not as bad as that of the