Morning journal and courier., 1883-06-15
COMMUNICATIONS.


What s.Foyvn Born No. g. Thinks About 1t.
 | To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 We should thank the old State House for one good thing arising from it's existence, 1 and that is the question of its disposal ex- cites our citizens to the discussion of sub- | iects of general interest involved with it, viz, the establishment of free public i- brary and the erection of a Soldiers monu- ment. Before, however, saying our say upon the latter topic, we wish to correct a slight misstatement of "Another Town Born | in your Mondays paper, wherein he says ''Mr. Hezekiah Howe of that day (sixty years ago) was notable person, disposing of lottery prizes from the said older State House steps which stood about four rods northeasterly from Trinity church to the I fortunate ticket holders ih the State author | ized lotteries, some for educational, others 1 for religious purposes"
 The State authorized lotteries were estab- | lished by the State for various public bene- | fits, as the building of bridge, deepening a harbor, erecting State House, etc, the State reserving about fifteen per cent. of the money paid in for the public object. Some l times the same lottery would run through a long series of years. The State appointed four managers to conduct the drawing. On the drawing from 'sFortune's wheel" made at the old State House on Thursday, May 18th, 1924, at 12 o'clock m., the managers were Hezekiah Howe, John Beach, Roger Sher- man Skinner and George Bowen, which statement we derive from copy of the Go lumbian Register of the time. Neither ''Mr. Hezekiah Howe of that day" nor any of the other managers had anything to do with the disposal of the prizes. Their duty was sim ply to oversee the drawing. The drawing itself was done by small boy who was the big character of the concern, who thrust his arm into Fortunes wheel" and the num- bers he drew out were by that act made the numbers of the prizes. When number was drawn one of the managers would then un- roll the paper with the lucky numbers read and hold it up to the anxious multitude of ticket holders always gathered to learn the result The writer hereof knows of what he Is writing upon, ss he on several occa- sions oficiated as the small boy. His pay, however, was altogether out of proportion to the importance of his duties His father as
 manager received from the State of Connect icut for his services at every drawing twenty
 five dollars, he only one dollar. It should
 have been reversed. But that is the way of
 the world. Women and children must be
 contented with mean treatment. as they can't
 fight The duty of the small boy was over in fifteen minutes. The dollar he received
 went through his pocket about as quickly.
 We have some thoughts upon Soldiers
 monument and they are nearly identical with
 those or 'Another I0Wn Born, 'tnat It De
 placed upon the highest pinnacle of East
 Rock, a beacon for miles and miles up and
 down Long Island Sound.'
 This ttAnother' means shaft. This upon
 East Rock would appear at great distance
 as mere line It requires breadth as vel! as height. Why not construct mound or
 stones? Let the. $5o, ,O0O already collected
 be applied to the quarrying of the stones on
 the spot but the mound itself built by the people, each visitor to the rock making It his duty to carry 8 stone from the quarry and cast it upon the heap. Those with and those
 without sin might at least cast their first
 stone. Let on every year stone-casting
 day also be appointed, when the multitudes
 old and young would gather upon the patri-
 otic labor and march in stonelugging pro-
 sessions, old and young all joining in patri-
 otio songs as they march to the mound.
 Once instill into the minds of the rising gen.
 eration the importance of this memorial to
 patriotism and there would be no end to the
 casting of the stones Only instill it.
 'stheress the rub.'' It might continue from
 generation to generation and eventually rival
 Cheeps itself in altitude. As our children grew up into the business of life and saw the
 monument rising year after year into greater
 and still greater altitude, with hev much