Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-19
A GOLDEN WEDDING.
Fifteenth Anniversary of the Marriage of
Mr.. and MRS. N ID. Goodeli.


Fifteenth Anniversary of the Marriage of
Mr.. and MRS. N. ID. Goodeli.
tFrom Freethought.l
Wednesday. May I'd, was altogether a
memorial day 1t saw the Office of th 8
paper closed at P. NJ. and the writer, with
Mr.. Puinam, going TO Sacramento to attend
the golden wedding of Mr.. and Mrs. n. d.
] Goodell. The journey was pleasant one.
| Anybody accustomed to exclusively East
ern scenery will find sufficient novelty in
| the landscape of this country. The hills
! here are not necessarily covered with rocks
| or trees. They are great knobs, smooth
and rounded AMI rolling away voluptu-
ously like the curves of g well-turned
human body. While l was engaged in
preparing this description of the bills the
night closed down and limited my vision
| to the inside Of the car.
At Sacramento little bob-tailed street
car was kindly held in waiting for us, and
we bowltd off mp town, taking in many
well. dressed people on the way At o
street the car was emptied, as everybody
was going to the golden wedding Mr..
| Goodeil lives in q large house, which had
| light in every window, and japanese
! lanterns Illuminated the surrounding
| grounds. We drifted into the house With
! the crowd, launched our hats in sea of
other hats with vague wonder how we
we're ever to find them again, and Joined
| the stream of people who were swaying
AMI surging through the parlors Flowers
were everywhere scattered about They
hung from every peg and decorated every
doorway. In the front parlor, under
golden satin canopy festooned with smilax,
stood the bride and groom of half CEN
tury ,smiling;and greeting the hundreds who
fled past them. 1t would not be appro-
pirate TO call them an aged couple Mr..
| Goodell stands straight and sturdy. Sew
enty-four years have fallen from him as
they have fallen from the mountains they
have left him gray but rugged. Mrs
| Goodell seems to have forgotten TO grow
old. Time has been good to her. He has
not chilled or weakened the warm, fiji N
| grip of her hand or taken the brightness
| from her eyes. So they made a radiant
couple standing there in the light under the
canopy of gold
Behind them was bank of marigolds
and orange blossoms. A basket of flowers
| bore the following:
The night is fair;
The storm of grief, the clouds of care
The wind, the rain, have passed away
The lamp Is lit, the fires burn bright
The house is full of life and light,
1t is the golden wedding day
All California's capital was gathered
there. The bench, the bar, and even the
| pulpit, were representative latter by a
meek and specialized parson, who looked as
if he would like to be happy if 1t were not
sinful to do SO.
A presentation took place shortly after
our arrival. Mr.. Goodell is more than
Forty MINER" having lived in the State
for over forty years. He belongs to the
Society of California Pioneers and scores
of his brother Pioneers were there TO cele-
brate the occasion and to present him with
twelve spoons of solid gold and a pair of
napkin rings of the same precious metal.
The President of the Pioneers made the
presentation speech. He said that it was
fitting on an occasion like this to congratu-
late Mr.. and Mrs. Goodell on their long and
happy married life in the State of California.
He told them it was fifty years to-day since
Mr.. Goodell took the lady by his side for a
partner and promised to love. honor and
obey her. He believed that Mr.. Goodell
had fulfilled that obligation. Hence his
old comrades of 40 came there to con-
graduate them both and to present this
souvenir of the occasion. Saying which
he placed the velvet case containing the gold
spoons and gold napkin rings in Mr..
Goodells hand. ~
There was trifing tremor, perhaps, in
the hand and voice of the recipient as he
took the costly gifts and returned his ac-
acknowledgements. He spoke as follows:
Mr. President and Brother Pioneers: Where can
find language to express to you our gratitude
in becoming manner for this magnificent pres
ent? Should say that we did not expect any
present from you, should say what is not true
for we did expect some slight token of your re-
gard, but such beautiful and costly present
we never dreamed of nor expected; but let me
assure you we most sincerely thank Won with
our full hearts. We also thank all others who
have brought presents here tonight all of
which are costly and beautiful. Be assured.
my friends, that you have taken US entirely nv
surprise, and we most sincerely thank YOU one
and all, and more particularly we thank Won
for coming here tonight to help us celebrate
our golden wedding. Fifty years ago tonight
took this young lady to be my welded wife. |
took her for better or worse, and be assured |
found her better all through fifty years. / have
never found her worse, and, what may appear
strange to some, We have never had a quarrel,
though our religious ideas are opposite as the
poles She enjoys going to church and PRAYER
meeting, and like to have her do go because it
is her pleasure, and it is her pleasure to know
and see me happy in my free-thought views.
Fifty years, l said, we have lived to-
gether, almost forty of which we have lived
| in it when we arrived here, all cloth houses
and tents. There were no more than a dozen
or twenty women, perhaps half a dozen chill
dren and five or six thousand men. Having
| lived in Sacramento through its good and evil
| fortunes-through fire and flood mean to
| spend my closing days where have Witnessed
such eVentiul changes, and do not believe
| happier spot can be found on eaIth.
Judge Curtis was called upon for some
remarks. and delivered an eminent opin-
| ion upon marriage as an ordinance of Al
| mighty God. Mr.. Goodell received the
Judges admonilions quiescently, and
called for a few words from Brother Put
nam. Mr.. Putnam made a speech that
wove itself in with the wreaths and flow
| ers quite tremendously.
| Alter the speeches came refreshments.
! The Pioneers presided over the department
OF good cheer. There was plenty of cold
age to lemonade. The clustered sphere
! of wit and mirth'' also gave of their mice
and the wine of Kentucky was not with
held a long table bore all the solid re-
| freshments that could be asked for. and
. twice as much as even the five hundred
present could consume No one was al
| lowed TO go away untitled.
The departure of the guests at late hour
gave opportunity for an inspection of the
presents. There were many hundred dol
lars worth of them, and they might temp;
almost anyone to start in for a fifty years
race in double harness with the prospect of
gaining them at the end of that time The
dozen gold spoons, made to order in San
Francisco and presented by the Pioneers,
shone LUMINOSITY from their satin-lined
case. A gold watch from the ladies of the
Congregational Society was ticking away
mernly. SIS though it knew that it was
starting in to measure off the second half
century of the hosts union. The Women's
Christian Temperance Union left a hand
some gold pin, ensmeled, with the letters
w. G.. #. u. on badge of white ribbon