The Portland daily press., 1886-05-31

that in its more tranquil, self-centred charac-
ter. village society of that period had some
decided advantages over the present. II had
more real leisure and was less affected by
the Worrying eXcitements and passions Oh the
hour. 1t had better chance to develope It's
own native forces and strengtn OF peauty.
And these forces in the case OF Gornam were
exceedingly vigorous The founders ana ear
ly proprietors of the town were mostly de-
scendants of the sturdy men OF plymouth
Colony, who fought with such wonderful en-
durance and herOism in King PnlilpS war;
the conquerOrs of the NarraganSetts. NOT
few of them were in a direct line from the
Pilgrims. Their religious faith and customs,
their civic and domestic virtues, their manner
their names and household traditions, were
all redolent of Barnstable and adjoining
towns of the Old Colony. L made Pilgrim
age to Barnstable last summer, and spent
part Of day in its ancient burylng grounds.
l found them full of the graves of my ances-
tors, and of the ancestors of many Of the ear
ly and later settlers of Gorham: of the Phln-
neys. Gorhams, Davises, Lewises, Hinkleys,
Hastings, Cobbes and others. But while the
first settlers of the town were largely oct
Cape Cod stock other settlers, bringing with
them other names, other family traditions,
manners, and sometimes another creed, came
during the next 100 years. And these new
elements helped to diversity and enrlen tne
character of the town, especially OF the VII,
lage The effects of this process OF social
change and evolution were very marked N
the early part of this century. Boston anu
Cambridge, Newbury, bingham, Groton ana
other notable towns of Eastern Massacnu-
setts were represented among the new COM
ers by names that are historical in the an
nails, not of New England only, but OF the
whole country. And besides these two chief
sources of supply, the Green Isle contributed
one of the strongest and best elements In the
making of the town. refer to the Scotch
Irish clement which came in with Hugh
Mcclellan and Elizabeth, his wife. They
were both solid PreSbyterlanS, and he was
long ruling elder in the church here II
now we add to these shaping influences IN
the first settlement and earlier growth of the
town those, whether of individual or families
or callings, which have sprung up with so
much power since the beginning OF the pres
ent century, we have before us, think, the
main features in the history and character OF
GorhaM. Nor can we wonder that COM
munity fashioned out OF such materials,
animated by such ancestral spirits and ira
ditions, should have been eminently distin-
guished for its intelligence, its interest in ed
ucation and good learning, its beautiful! fam
lily life, its pious virtues and its patrlotle de-
yoton. Certainly, all these high qualities
marked it fifty wears ago. Of course it was
not perfect, and in some respects, dare say,
there has since been a decided change for
the better. To me, as l look back to those
days, the deepest and most striking feature
was the religious life, as manifested both in
the family and in the church. The way OF
viewing our relation to God and divine things,
which then prevailed, was,to be sure, pretty
strict and somewhat artificial; and as con-
sequence, Christian nurture lacked, more or
less that bright, spontaneous, genial element,
which properly belongs to it. Religion was
too often sort of spiritual bug-bear instead
of a delight and "a joy forever" Too much
of the preaching of the time abounded IN
technical terms and theological abstructlons,
and so was fitted to repel rather than attract
+bo full min Rnt for all that religion
was blessed realty-the great underlying re-
ality and solace of existence; and for myself
can never cease to thank God that L was
trained up so to regard 1t.
And now will you indulge me in few per-
sOnal "reminiscences of some of the men, who
in my boyhood represented what was best
and most attractive in the community My
mothers next door neighbor was James
Phinney, the patriarch of the village. His
father, Captain John Phinney, was born in
Barnstabie, Cape Cod, in 1888 He himself
was born in Gorham in 1741, so that his life
was almost coeval with that of the town.
He had known well my grandfather Lewis,
my grandfather Prentiss, my uncle Lothr0p
Lewis, and, indeed, all my kindred; he ne
showed the kindest interest in me, and used
to call him ''Uucle Phinney" His memory
was very strong and tenacious, and all the
events OF his time, whether in town or ma
tion, seemed stored up in it. He was fye
wears old when Bryant and his children
give you, either from his own childish recol-
1ections, or as he had heard them hundred
times from the lips of his father and mother
and other eye-witnesses, all the details OF
that direful tragedy. He was fourteen years
old when word came of Bradd0ck,s defeat,
and the name of young Col. Washington be-
gan to twinkle, like morning star, on the
horizon of American history. He was elgh-
teen years old when Quebec surrendered to
Gen. Wolfe, and had himself felt the thrill Of
bob "a and rQliQf that through
Gorham and all the frontier settlements at
the glorious news. He was thirty-one years
old when in response to the famous Boston
circular the citizens of Gorham organized a
Committee of Safety, and his father and eld-
er brother were made members OF 1t. From
this time on through the Stamp Act agitation
and all the mOmcntous events that followed
until the battle of independence was won,
the new constitution established, and Wash
ington inaugurated first President of the
United States of America, he knew every
thing, by heart, and you could consult him as
a living chronicle of the Revolutionary and
subsequent times. He was in truth a wonder
| full old man; remarkable alike for his solld,
civic virtues. his Christian excellence, his
rich treasures of varied experience, and the
benignant sunny temper, which made his
very presence a benediction. He typlhed to
my Imagination, as mucn as any man ever
knew, the ideal of Pilgrim Father. How
well | remember his venerable form and as
| pect as he sat in the house of Godl Too deaf
| to hear the minister, he used to select text
| and preach a little sermon to himself while
the congregation were listening to the voice
| from the pulpit. He died in 1884, at the age
of SO.
Another of our nearest neighbors, an ex-
cellent type of the old family physician, was
DIR. Dudley Folsom, a man of uncommon
worth and usefulness; skllful in his pro-
fession, a wise counsellor and leading eiti-
zen. One of my most vivid as well as ear
of him narripS IN hack
again to the old farm. l was very i'll and
thought to be almost iu drticulo n1ortis, when
late at night he was summoned to my help.
Although more than 60 years time has since
passed away that midnight scene, the ankle
ty of my parents, the hushed voices, his ten
der ministrations, are all distinctly recalled.
DR.. Folsom died few months after the CEN
tennial of 1886, lamented, as he had been es-
teemed by the whole town.
Another name that always recurs to me
when l think of Gorham 80 years ago, Is that
of Deacon Thomas S. Robie, one of those
rare men whom we are wont to describe by
simply saying they are ''pure gold" His
goodness, his lberality and his modesty
were alike conspicuous. The Congregations
al deacon is not always an attractive figure
in New England fiction not always, indeed,
in fact but fiction itself could not easily, in
vent wOrthier or lOvelier character than
that of Deacon Robie | have personal rea-
sons to remember him with gratitude, and re-
joice on this occasion to testify my heartfelt
respect for his memory.
1t is to me source of deep regret that
l cannot take by the hand to-day my beloved
school mate and friend, Deacon Marshall
Irish, that faithful servant of Christ and the
church, who so recently passed to a better
world We were brought into close intima-
CIV with each other during the great religious
awakening of 1881, which pervaded New
England, and formed turning point in the
spiritual history of Gorham. In company
with goodly number of other youths, we
made public confessions of Christ together,
and although we have rarely met since 1886
my affection and esteem for him never
changed How much this village owes to
his long, steadfast example of Christian
fidelity and usefulness.
Most of the Gorham boys who were my
comrades at school and in the academy wan
dered out into the wide world, and pitched
their tents for life elsewhere. 1t was good
thing for the town that so true an 0ff-shoot
and representative of its ancient stock as Mar
shall Irish passed his days on the old home
stead, living and dying in the midst of you.
| have spoken of Dr. Folsom. There was
a younger physician, my cousin and my.deaT
friend, VIM, II. Peabody, whose name is as
sociated with some of my pleasantest memo
ries of Gorham. He was man born to be
loved,-a true Christian gentleman, refined
in his tastes, fond of books, .public-splrlted
| kind to the poor, and enthusiastic in devo.
| ton both to his profession and to all good
causes. He had a special admiration fol
| that eloquent jurist, William Writ, after
l, L &c 81 cnrao md a