The Republican journal., 1888-03-22
By-eone Days.
"REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY HISTORY


| "REMINISCENCES OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF
JACKSON.
| The following letter from the Hon. Mark S.
Stiles, then as now resident of jackson, ai-
dressed to The Treasurer of the Legislative
Reunion organization in 1885, was published
last week, for the first time. in the Kcnnebec
journal. We reprint it as a matter of local
interest:
In answer to your invitations regret to say
shall be unable to attend the Reunion. Out
of respect for the Treasurer from whom re-
cclVed the last notice, also the committee and
all concerned, as l am an eX-member of the
House of Representatives for the year 1874,
thought it might be proper to give some rea-
sons why shall be unable to attend. My first
reason is my age. l am now in the eighty
hlhth year of my age and thought it might
not be prudent to go so far from home at this
season OF the year. | enjoy very good health
if L keep comfortable and warm but cannot
stand the cold as when younger. l do not go
far from home in the winter season. Many old
people die suddenly by exposure. Again there
may not be single person at the reunion who
was a member of the Legislature of 1874. l
should be stranger among strangers. Then
should want to attend the ball. attended one
ball as an invited spectator at Belfast. l used
to dance some in olden times at corn hu>king,
when the farmers raised large crops Of corn on
burnt land. So after the corn was all husked
we all danced. girls and boys. The girls
helped hu>k corn in those days, and spin and
weave.
The fail was Is years of age l travelled 400
miles. The Clothes L wore were homemade.
carded, spun, woven and colored by my mother
and sisters. I worked in the Miramichi woods
in the Province of New Brunswick, where l
iaborcd over six years making timber to get
money 10 hcl my father pay for the land now
live on. Father moved his family to Jackson
II nf fIa
natives then lived in log houses Times were
hard then. and there were no carriage roads.
remember the first carriage that ever
run in this town and attended the first Will
ter school kept in Jackson, and all the scholars
attended that school that could get there The
school was kept in vacated log house two
winters. There have been great changes since
then. am the only person living in the town
now who lived here when came here Il boy in
my thirteenth year and | am now the oldest
person living in the town. l have outlived
most all the people of my generation, of my
acquaintance. If there are any persons at the
reunion who We're members of the legislature
that knew Mark S. Stiles please tender them
my best respects. and if never meet them on
this earth trust may meet them in world
nope and desire.
FROM FRIEND OF THE LATE DIR. +. =.
QuiMBl.
Mary +. sumner Foster writes from Chicago
to The Banner of Light: I'm the Banner of
Light Of Feb 18th notice in 'Way>e .Jot-
tIn"S. all article from the pen of A. S. Hav-
ward. in defence of the late DIR. y. Y. Quimbv
and am glad to see those who know write i'm
his favor. ! have known DR.. q. as long ago as
can remember: my earliest recollcctions are
of him; he was my parents family physician,
and | have heard my mother tell time and
again of the wonderful cures performed by
hln-onc for myself: between the ages of six
anu seven something began to grow in my left
hostri' which nearly ob>tructed the passage "a
polypu>); my mother took ne to the Doctor ut
its piles of rrutcheS and >tcks) He there
treated ne riM his hands and cold water; in
the course of two or three treatments was
cured. Other similar eases | cou. quote in
my own family and others.
hnor that Dr. Quimby did not Gas Mrs.
Eddy doeS) claim that his power was direct
from God, but used to say: Il have the power
to perform these cures. but l cannot say
whence it comes. | only know l can cure
certain cases; and he certainly did perform
some wonderful cures in his day.
Does this look as if he was the first to adj
vance the so-called Christian Science theory
If the faith cures. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., etc. etc., do
claim he did? The Doctor may yet come to the
front and express his views on fhc subject
Dr. z. is one of my controls. and his opinions
do not mix with Mrs Eddy's any more than
oil and water; this know.
was born in Belfast. Me-, where DR.. Quinn
by lived. and know that he must have built
beautiful spirit home by the acts of kindness
and deeds of charity he performed on this
earth, which will always gratefully be rememl-
bered hy those whose sutierings he alIeviated
while here