Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-08-01
PLYMOUTH.
The Maine Press Picnic Reported by Our
George.

Plymouth. Mass.
From the bottom of my heart pity these
Plymouth people. They live On the pilgrims.
1t is pilgrim three times day. and pilgrim
lunch between meals Every one who comes
here, comes for the express purpose of boring
the inhabitants for information. and when a
native sees stranger approaching his face at
once assumes sad expression. for he knows
that he will be pumped dry on this pilgrim
business before he is let alone. had this
matter brought to my notice in this way
Like good newspaper man was interview
ing citizen. | asked him the size Of Ply
mouth; about her manufactures and rail-
roads, and about business generally. en-
quired about politics and how the State was
going in November. We even exchanged a
story or two. When began 10 talk with him
he looked like hired mourner at a funeral,
but after had cOnyeTsed awhile he seemed
70 brighten up, and before we parted he was
actually hilarious. | never shall forget our
parting. He asked my name and residence
and noted il down, and spelled il over 10 me,
10 see that he had it all right. He va. great
ly surprised that had never been here be
he, Look here, you say you never were in
Plymouth before Now we have been talking
about an hour, and I'll be hanged if you have
said pilgrim or 'MayhoWer once. I've
lived here sixty years. and you are the first
stranger who ever talked TO me about any,
thing but relics, and pilgrims and May
flower and rocks, and Miles EStandish,' aud
all that kind of stuff You can never know
how have enjoyed this hour. II is an oasis
in my sad life. | know you are from Maine,
and m almost afraid to ask if you will
What, you will; Well, let's 90 in here
guess we can make raise" and linking his
arm in mine we stepped in, and never to my
dying day shall forget how much that man
appeared to ENJOY our chat
Plymouth is a prohibition town | believe,
and as is usually the case in such places, the
bar is down in the basement, in small ROOM
1t seems like home to Maine man to get in
a little bar-roo not large enough to allow
YOU to swing a cat around by the tail.
Another OF the sights about here is Dux-
bury, the place where the Atlantic cable
lands This believe, was the first cable
that could speak French You can also see
Clark's Island, the place where the pilgrims
spent Sunday, before they landed Monday
After being cooped up in the Naytlower with
l2O pilgrims during the voyage across the
Atlantic, it must have been real treat to g
on shore in December and sit in snow bank
and listen to one of those old-tashioned, red
hot sermons, such as only those old preachers
knew how to deliver.
The historic and ancient part of Plymouth
is very interesting to those who love antiquity
and old things, but for myself, | prefer a
fresh doughnut to one fried last week. Con
scquentlv, to me, the most interesting feature
here is the Plymouth monument. It's placed
on the top OF high hill, overlooking the bay.
The society have obtained nine acres of land,
which they will make into park, though at
present it is in rough state The monument
is built of granite, and is Maine structure,
as the base was contracted for by the Bodwell
Co of Rockland, and the statuary by the
lIallowell Granite Co. The picture of the
monument is familiar to most everybody.
One of my earliest recollections Is of an
agent calling on my mother, soliciting a dol
lar to put into that monument in exchange
for picture of it. But at that time | think
she was using her extra dollar to get pies to
put into me. Our family never did take
kindly tu monuments The design of this is
octogonal. Wi.h faces and four butments on
which are seat i tour statues, representing
Morality. Law. Education and Freedom. Two
are already in position. There are also re-
liefs representing scenes in the history of the
pilgrims-the Departure, the Landing, the
Signing of the Compact, and the First Treaty
with the Indians Some of these are already
completed The monument is surrounded
by an immense statue of Faith, cut in granite.
and Is the gift of Hon Oliver Ames, and cost
HIM 30, 600 shovels at one dollar each. 1t is
said to be the largest piece of granite statuary
in the world Ii is not this Faith like grain
OF mustard seed that the Bible mentions.
This one is 36 feet high. Its arm is 10 feet
long Il would wear a Is foot hat. The fore
finger is two feet aud an inch The thumb Is
a foot long, and her shoes would be loose for
a Chicago girl. The figure is PIG times life
size. | am no art critic, but | think am
stating the truth when say that the figure
is altogether too large tor the base. 1t did
not harmonic with the rest of the monument.
1t had the appearance of having been put
there. not because it belonged there, but
because the society happened to get hold of
tirst-class article cheap. 1t gave the same
effect to the eve that it would to see an eques
trian statue of Washington mounted on a
Shetland pony. | am attempting now to
state fact without being in the least face
tious.
Our stay in Plymouth was very pleasant,
and the party was treated in the most courte-
our manner We were under especial obli-
CATION to Landlord Maynard of the SamOset
House, the Pilgrim Society, and Mr. Daten
of the cid Colony Memorial. From here we
90 TO Cottage City. If there is anything
there to see, I'll tell you about it.
Our GEORGE.