The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-09-12
Try TELEGRAPH.
THE PARIS CENTENNIAL.
A Notable Day for the Old Town.
A Grand Gathering and a Good Time.
rsnecial DESPATCH to the Press.


tow, nresant were Hons. Hannibal Hamlin,
Horatio King, George F. Emery OF the Boston
Post, S. c. Andrews, Rev. H. Y. Estes, u. d.,
Charles f. Kileradge of New Haven, A. H.
Shurtleff, Esq, of Portland, Hon. Sidney
Perham. DR.. Thayer, the reporter of the
Lewiston Journal and former proprietor of the
Oxfoid Democrat, and others.
Ripley's Band from Boston, and the Port
land Cadets came in on the train that left
Portland at $50 a. IN. They formed and
marched to the soldiers monument at South
Paris under escort of the Paris Veteran Sol
diers, Capt. II. n. Bolster. From that point
they rode to the cemetery, over the entrance
to which was placed the inscription eve do
not forget our honored dead" and from thence
to the hill.
There was good display of flags and stream
ers. in fact remarkably good for country
town. The old veterans of the militia days
came out, and shouldered their old flint
locks to show "the boys how fields might be
won. The following was the military organ
ization:
Chief Marshal-Capt. Horace n. Bolster.
Veterans of the Late War-Capt. L. D. Stacy;
Lieut.. o. A. Maxim
Contipentals- Members of the old militia, Coils An
son Ripley, Job Ryerson, VIM SWEET
The speaking was from platform erected at
the rear of the refreshment tent, in the square.
Over the entrance to the common was the in
scription, which proved to be true in the long
est an d widest sense, 'Paris welcomse its sons
and daughters A favorite mottowas GIFTS
-Paris--1S79,'' which was to be seen on every
hand The platform was Of sufficient seating
capacity to accommodate the distinguished
guests of the town, and back of it was placed
the appropriate inscription, "Men die but
deeds live forever
The military part of the celebration was I'M
der the direction of Captain III. N. Bolster,
and on the march through the principal streets,
on all sides could be heard expressions of adj
miration, particularly of the solderly appear
ance of the Portland Cadets.
The gathering was simply immense, filling
the space in front of the speakers stand COM
pletely. After music by the band, ex-Gov,
ernor Perham, the President of the day, came
forward and delivered the following address Of
welcome:
ADDRESS OF HON. SIDNEY PERHAM.
Ladies and Gentlemen Native and adopted
sons and daughters of Paris, brothers and sis
| tiers of a common parentage:-In compliance
| with the request of committee representing
the citizens of the town, it becomes my pleas
| ant duty to express their sentiments OF wei
| come and congratulatlon.
We turn today to mark an epoch i'll the his
| tory of this grand old town. She has called
| home her sons and daughters and invited hel
| friends to celebrate the one hundredth ami
| versary of her settlement. We come to recall
| the events of the past, and review the labors
o,J tba beroio virtue and the
domitable energy that characterized the early
settlers of this town; to pay fitting tribute OF
respect and affection for their memory; to ex-
press our gratitude for that firm, steady dlScI-
pline and guidance by which they sought &c
prepare us for lifes great duties, and our obi
cations for the wisdom and intelligent lore
thought that planted the institutions under
which we are blessed today. In short, we
come to recount the tolls and achievements OF
hundred years.
The town of Paris points with pride to q
long list of sons and daughters who have gone
out from us, and who by virtuous lives and
| noble deeds have honored the town that gave
them birth and added imperishable lustre to
| her name. Many of these have gone to theil
reward in the better land, and to many others
| we now have the pleasure of extending cor
dial greeting and most hearty welcome to the
scene of their childhood, to our homes and oul
| hearts, and the festivities of this occasion
| Welcome, one and all! Thrice welcome to this
| Joyous reunion of kindred spirits And may
| the emotions that stir our hearts today inspire
us to purer lives, to more ardent patriotism
and nobler endeavor.
Prayer was then offered by Rev. III. c. Porter
of Paris, after which Gov. Perham introduced
Hon. Horatio King, ex-Postmaster General,
who delivered the historical address of the
day.
ADDRESS OF HON. HoRATIo KING.
Friends and FelloaC Citizens:-In the history
of the "'District of Maine," by James Sulli-
| van, published in 1905, there is an interesting
map showing the location of the principal
| lakes and course of the rivers of Maine, and
| giving the names of three towns in this part OF
| the District, and on that map what is known
as Paris was comprised in "No. g." In the
| history of Maine by Williamson, it is stated
that Paris, which had been called 'No. A.
was incorporated June I'd, 1898, and that there
were white settlers as early as 1873. Accord
| ing to him the town was granted in III to
| Joshua Fuller and his associates, and the first
| minister of Paris, the Rev. James Hooper,
| states in letter to the Jetfersonian that the
grant was given to Fuller for services rendered
| in the old French war. Mr. King then sketch
ed the manner in which the town was laid out,
| told stories of the early settlers and gave the
| names of the first settlers of the town, rs in
| all, of whom 40 survived in 1880. The speak
er then gave some early statistics. The first
| printing office was started by Asa Barton in
| 1924. The name of his paper was the Oxford
| Observer, which was removed to Norway III
| 1926. In March, 1927, the Jetfersonlan was
started In 1888 the Oxford Democrat took its
| place, which was published by Hannibal Ham,
| lin and Horatio King. In 1871 the Oxford
Reporter was started by Watson Brothers, who
| sold it to Samuel r. Carter and it was removed
| to Norway 'It was in this little office that
our distinguished townsman, Hannibal Hamlin,
| studied law, and from which he has risen to
fill with marked ability every office (the high
est excepted) in the gift of the people of both
state and nation, and we are glad to see him
here today" Mr.. King here gave statistics OF
local religious interest, and gave the vote OF
the town in 1779, and among other items quot
ed the price of Continental money as follows:
In October, 1777 81 cents on the dollar; De-
cember, 1777, Is cents; March, 1873, 10 cents;
April, 1873, 9 CENTS June of that year, cents;
September, 5 cents 8 mills.
What Williamson says of the early settlers
in Maine generally is undoubtedly true OF
those who fixed their location in this town.
| "To clear the woodlands of their rugged in
| cumbrances and render them smooth for the
| plough and scythe, and fit for human habi-
| fancy, required fortitude and persevering
| industry which arc never permitted to abate.
The first settlers possessed these qualities in an
| eminent degree. Nor were their felicities all
in prospect. Rough as the log house may ap-
pear to the eye of luxury-it was usually the
abode of virtue, of health, of character, and
the birthplace of many such as the world calls
good and great. Even the merest wood-cutter
amidst his solitude breathes nectarine at
mosphere, and eXults in his freedom as he sees
field added to field and cottage after cottage
rise' until the wilderness changes and bright
ems into towns, the products of honest adven-
ture and productive toil-the prospective dwell
ing place of posterity in successive genera
TONS"
After referring to many facts in the early
history of the town. of local interest mainly
Mr.. King closed by saying:
History tells us that the earliest people OF
whom we have any record regarded everything
ancient as venerable and sacred. When a
Greek or Roman wished to say that anything
was dear to him, he said "That is ancient for
me-" We read also that the ancient cities
chung strongly to the past, because they found
in the past all the motives as we'll as all the
| rules of their religion. ga city did not believe
it had the right to allow anything to be for
gotten for everything in its history was con-
nected with its worship" So, in founding a
city, religious ceremonies of marked charac-
ter were observed. First, sacrifice was offer
ed, then fire of brushwood was lighted, and,
as an act of publication, the companions of
the chief of each leaped through the flames.
Next, in small trench of circular form,
each person deposited little earth, brough t
from the country from which he had come, and
in which he believed TIE souls of his ancestors