Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-10-26
MASsACuUsErTS MALTuUsIANs.
Remarkable Quality of the Air of q
Massachusetts Village.

Remarkable Quality of the Air OF IA
Massachusctts village.
The town OF Washington in the Berkshire
| Hills of Massachusetts claims unique and
notable notoiie,y.
OF all civilized places one would least
suspect Washington of being the place
of birth for peculiar society, aud more
than all, of producing such sect as it has
produced. For one hundred and twenty
years the good people OF the town have
married, borne children, and eventually
died. In 17G2 ten men settled there, and
now the population is GOA. Considering this
little matter, and also realizing that only 160
of the people are foreigners, it is manifest
that the citizens have borne children numer-
Gus. The family bible tells of many
quiverfu. The hsrd-lstcd farmers have
trained up entire orchards of thrifty olive
plants. The Pit'stield furniture dealers have
sold in Washington countless cradles, and
| other merchants have had unnumbered
runs made on their stock of rattle-boxes
dolls, primers, and pepperment drops, all in
the interest OF Washington babies. The
Pittstleld Sun makes a feature of weekly re-
cordng tho occurrence of interesting little
events in Washington and according to au
unpublished census return, a large percent
age of the nursing bottles that are manufac-
tured are sold there. There is no greatur
place for lullabies, soothing syrup and devo-
ton to "Mother Goose" There on those
hills from sunrise to nigh:fall, the squalls and
the prattles are the sound oil the day. There
every farmer is a martyr TO rheumatism con-
tracted while walking cold floors o nights
with teething babies. There is no other place
like it.
Lest it be said that we are guilty Of exag-
gera,ion, let it be mentioned that wonderful
infants first see the light in Washington. In
that town, among the,many others, was born
Edwin d. Morgan, New York's great war
governor. There is Isaac Yatro, by no
means aged farmer whose wife, Lydia, has
borne him twenty-five children, and who has
so many grandchildren aud great-grand chill
dren that they (being French, constitute
about l5S OF the foreign population. There
is Joseph Flouton, n superannuatcd Mctho-
dist preacher who is now a widowcr, and
wears Grape for some two bakers dozen Of
children and grandchildren. There is the
Congdon family that has its blood in about
onc-tfIh OF all the citizens. There are the
Gecrs and Croxiers, whose reunions are so
large that barrel OF -four is consumed in an
incredibly short time on such occasions.
There are the Eames family, of whom the
local proverb saith, "As numerous as the
Eameses Of Washington" There are the
Mobiles and Scaces, great church-goers, who,
when all are present in the meeting. house,
give the parson an audience that fills large
part of the house. Thomas Hines, worthy
Pittsfield man, married u wife, and pur-
chasing farm in Washington went there to
reside. We do not eyaggerate in saying
that so frequent were the additions TO his
family that, after residence of from three
to five years, he abandoned his farm and
retired to Pittsiield, the father of eight
children. II this be doubted, Mr.. Hines can
be addressed for confederation. In very
like manner, within few years, William
Haskins, John Mcmahon, Thomas Dillon,
and perhaps othnrs, have deserted their
Washington homes. The air was too pure,
and the fathers, with dozens of little mouths
to fill, escaped from the town as soon as they
began to realize that the probable continued
increase meant pauperism. The boys when
grown to manhood seek hclpmeets. But il
is notable that they have to go where they
are not known to get wives. Few if any
Washington boys marry in or near that
town, and 1t is observable that when a
Washington girl marres, her husband forth |
with provides TO my house. Not strangely, |
not few of Tie ladies of Washington be- |
come old maids.
One other illustration remains. On the |
records of the Supreme judicial Court of
Berkshire county, in the pages devoted to |
divorce cases, there is no need to tell how |
pens have been worn out in registering az |
reasons for divorce either because that he, |
the said defendent, did propose that she, the |
said plaintiff, should go to Washington to |
reside, thereby grossly insulting her." or |
"Because OF wanton cruelty, either offered |
or implied the defendent being q native or |
former citizen of the town Of Washing 1
ton"
This remarkable popularity OF the town |
shows reason for the rise of the reactionary |
sect to which we have referred.
In Washington aourshes the sec! OF the |
Abelllans, the only branch of that sect in |
existence. Augustine, in his eminent treatise, |
de Hereslbus," mentions (chaptcr S6) |
sect who undoubtedly lived in North Africa, |
and in or near Hippo Regus. This aect was
known as the Abeiitd, or Abellians. The
history OF its oregn was never written, and 1
there is no story of its fall. But it rose,
flourished and decayed, and was extinct |
during all the latter centuries, until its prin-
ciples compelled its reorganization in WASH
ington. According 10 the tradition received,
accepted, and built upon by the original
-46eht9, Abel, the second son Of Adam,
though married, HVcu IN commence. The
sect followed his example in this respect, SO
as to avoid the guilt of bringing sinful crea.
lures into the world, and SO as not to over
populate their country. So also did the
founder OF the recognized sect govern him
self. Arguing that the good folk of Wash
ington do err in their course lie set the
practice OF his sect In operation. There were
others who were ready to follow, and the
result was that in short space OF time
the Abelians were in full tide, of -four
ishing organization in mountano GUS Washing
ton.
Numbers canlot be offered but there are
not few excellent Abellians in Washington.
The local sect is composed of men and wo-
men who are married but have no children,
who are to be married and DO childless, or
who are never to be married. The shadows
are those of Brook Farm, Fourierism, and
Mother Ann Lee. Their creed has this
reading;
1--WE vow that we will no, bring sinners
into this sinful world to add sinners
10 sinners; that we will do Our level
best to provide that this town be not over
populated; that we will have nothing to do
with children, toys, or juvenile literature
hat by our example We will convince our
of the error Of their ways"
This is all 4; and the statement is thus made