The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-12-23

ACRosTIc.
Mark well this golden of years,
Record with golden pen,
As now golden time appears
Declare the golden wish in gold:
Make golden Joys to flow,
Some golden years ago.
century's half of time
Requires that golden words be said
OF such voyage sublime.
Now must our thoughts go unexpressed
Words are feeble mean
OF speaking Joys that fill the breast
That life may golden blessings rare
Have for you ample store
In years that God may to you spare
COD Se S h your w Gsy % 6Pf lies decline
Grant tastes of Heavenly JOY
On you may love of children shine
Like gold without alloy;
Doye-like the peace in golden age
Each hour that to you flows,
Nor may misfortune blot the page
Which long may CLEAN lean With With ideas sage
Doth God your diamond wedding day
Design unto you to send,
In each may be the others stay.
Now onward the remaining way
Grace leads you to the end.
response by Rev. w. b. Worthing; read
ing by Joel Worthing of Boston of a his
torical sketch of the Worthing fam
lily, reaching back to 1858, prepared by
himself. At this point it was announced
that refreshments were ready, which were
sumptuously served under the direction of
Mrs. e. II. Beals, Mrs. Mary Wilson, Mr..
and Mrs. r. c. Worthing and Mrs. F. N
Wells. Music was then in order, and with
Mrs. w. b. Worthing, and Miss Goodrich,
the teacher of music at Brigham Academy
respectively presiding at the organ, the
ancient and modern singers joined in sing
ing many of the standard pieces of fifty
years ago. The following poem, furnished
by Mrs. Henry Dean, was then read, two
lines at time, by Rev. Mr.. Fuller and sung
by the company to the tune of " Aud Lang
Syne"
We give you Joy, dear aged ones,
And may our Heavenly Fathers love
Rest on you now we pray.
Together you have lived and loved
You've shared fe each others joys and cares,
Each others doubts and fears.
Together you have sung WIENER
Your path was bright with flowers,
Together you have wept and prayed
And now we come with grateful hearts
To thank our God to-day
That he has spared you both thus long
To labor and to pray.
Fen now we are not old, my friends,
Though many years have passed;
Your hearts have all youths freshness yet,
/" God bless you both my dear old friends,
And be the Savior very near
When he shall call you home.
The time passed so swiftly that ten o'clock
arrived almost too soon, but the company
seemed as unit in remembering that Mr..
and Mrs. Worthing were not as young as
they were fifty years ago, and quietly dis
persed to their several homes, feeling that
they had enjoyed an occasion that but few,
comparatively, are fortunate enough to
participate in, and leaving as tokens of
their love and sympathy nearly one hun
dred dollars The leading presents were as
follows: Joel Worthing $50, gold; Mr.. and
Mrs. W. b. Worthing and sister, Mary, $40,
gold; G.. f. Brown, $40, gold; Charles NJ.
Start, Esq, of Rochester, Mimi, $40, gold
j. M. Worthing and wife of Chicago So,
gold; and some S25 in silver and green
backs. An interesting fact in connection
with the gathering was the collecting of the
ages of twenty-five, when there were but
forty-six present. The aggregate age of these
twenty-five was one thousand seven hun
dred ten years, an average of siXty-eight
and two-ffths years We take ten of these
twenty-five, the eldest of whom is Mr.
Hiram Smith, ninety-three years of age,
and we find an average of seventy-seven
and three-fifths years.