Morning journal and courier., 1891-09-15
THE GRAYs, sEyErrY-FIFTH.

tcIuay A1k6TuOOA BAA0 AtncAtuhA
 by T. ID. Whftmore of This Cfty-A
 Glance over Seventy-Ffve Years of
 New Haven History-NeW Haven in
 the Days When the Gsrays Were
 Founded-The Grays, History-Its
 Three Historic Periods Reviewed. Gentlemen of the New Haven Grays:
 Comrades-We are assembled to cele- brate the seventh-fifth birthday of the New Haven Grays, and he who most heartily and thoughtfully enters into the spirit and purpose of this occasion best serves the company, the state and the nation.
 This company, whose years number three-fourths of those of the United in the three periods of it's history, lessons in gentlemanly character and patriotic service, which will dignify and ennoble the lives of those who shall learn them. By the study of the lives of the men who have made the history of this company re- nowned, we shall gain higher spirit of liberty, greater respect for man and an abhorrence for every form of social injus- tice and oppression. Freedom, justice, reverence and benefcence are read as clearly in their lives as though written with pen of iron on the everlasting stones.
 This company, under the name of the "New Haven Light Infantry" elected it's first officers September IS, 1916.
 For many years New Haven had depend ed upon it's commerce for it's prosperity. The West India and China trade, the cod and seal fisheries, added annually wealth to the city. All the seaport towns of New England were mainly supported by their foreign and coasting trade. Although the business of this section was greatly i'm paired by the difficulties between England and France and by the seizure of nine hundred vessels and the impressment of
 six thousand American sailors in period
 of eight years; yet New England, realizing
 the weakness of the country in it's small
 army, few ships and poor seacoast fortifi-
 cations, was strenuously opposed to the
 declaration of war with England in 1872.
 They knew that their dependence would
 be placed upon poorly equipped, ,untrain-
 ed, unorganized militia, and they believed this protection to be insufficient.
 The war closed, on land, with the battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1915, when
 the Americans under General Jackson con-
 quered the British, whose loss was 3, 100
 killed and wounded), while the Americans
 lost but twenty-one men.
 The last sea engagement of the war was
 March 23, 1915, when the Hornet cap tured the British Penguin.
 General Jackson, General Harrison and Commodore Perry had achieved brilliant victories during the war, and Perry's la comic report, "We have met the enemy
 and they are ours-two ships, two brigs, one schooner, one sloop," had aroused the enthusiasm of the nation. Yet the east
 realized that the whole Atlantic coast was
 blockaded by the British, who ravaged,
 pillaged and burned many of the seaports Ck,&o~ hoH oo1@, of the war, the people were more than ever assured that the militia was not sufi- cient for their defense. General Jackson's l victory at New Orlenns also taught them | what might be done under better condi. | tions.
 In 1916 New Haven was city of 7,OO( l inhabitants; 228 of whom were students
 in Yale college. Timothy Dwight, a mar of extraordinary ability, was president The three professors were Jeremiah Day Benjamin Siliman and James L. Kingsley who were assisted in instruction by seven tutors. Thus eleven persons constituted the faculty.
 The medical school had five instructors l four of whom practiced medicine in the city. There were no free schools; all who | were able paid tuition.
 Four weekly papers were published "The Connecticut Journal and Post Boy | (now the JOURNAL AND CoURIER); "The Connecticut Herald," still issued weekly from the COURIER office; "The Columbian | Register" which has changed it's name tc | the New Haven Register; and "The Col | umbian Intelligencer." The first daily paper appeared sixteen years later.) The three churches on the green were built at the close of the war-Cente1 church in 1914, North church in 1915, and
 Trinity in 1Si6. The three pastors ot | these churches who labored together ably and tremendously were Dr. Croswell, Dr. Taylor and Samuel Merwin.
 The only Methodist church in 1916, was the small building in Temple street, was
 now occupied by the Russian Jews. The Baptists organized their first church il
 New Haven in 1916, using for worship ths
 old building of Trinity church at Cutler
 corner These were the only churches 1T | the city in 1916.
 Travelling was accomplished by stag
 coaches and by steamboat. The frs
 steamboat, called the Fulton, reached New
 Haven from New York, March, 1915, mak ing the trip in eleven hours. The fare waf five dollars. Six turnpike roads, leading l out of New Haven, were constantly used | A journey to New York by stage required | thirteen hours and cost eight dollars. Th' first railway train from this city, connect | ing it with Hartford. was built in 1889 | twenty three years after the organization | of this company.
 Our public buildings and dwellings were l lighted with candles or oil lamps. The government of New Haven con l sisted of mayor, four aldermen and moi | more than twenty councilmen.
 The two political parties were called the | federalist and the republican. Previous to 1916 the federalist party had beer | dominant, but during this year tolera | tion party was formed in the state, anc | the republicans were successful at the | elections.
 One of the principal hotels was Buffers | tavern, standing on the present postoffce | lot. MT. Butler was an enthusiastic tav | erner. It is said that when President Monroe visited New Haven, he dined al | Buffers, and at the close of the repast gave audible expression to his satisfac l ton. Mr. Butler declared that this wal | the supreme moment of his life. Having successfully entertained the chief magis | trate of the nation, he had nothing more | to look forward to in this life and wal
 ready to die.
 The postoffice was opposite Butler'l | tavern. No city in the Union had at this time, ,ir pTOpOEGlOu bO lIS pOpu1dIkOu, d
 Der of well read and able lawyers than New | Haven.
 | Among them were Pierpont Edwards, | Roger Sherman, Nathaniel Smith, David Daggett, Dyer White, Johathan Ingersoll 1 Simeon Baldwin and Eleazer Foster. Of the younger lawyers who gave prom | ise of great success: Dennis Kimberly, ] Roger s. Baldwin, Ralph I. Ingersol and John Beach should be mentioned. With it's educational institutions, itf
 earnest and faithful clergy, it's studious
 and honorable lawyers and it's progressive
 merchants, New Haven failed not to exert
 wide influence in public affairs and to be foremost in it's preparation for danger. There were already two uniformed com | panies in the city, the Second company | Governors Foot Guard, and the Second
 company, Governors Horse Guard, wher
 the enterprise of having uniformed in fantry company was undertaken.
 The company formed comprised in it.
 ranks many of the most active and intelli
 gent men of the community. Yale college
 was well represented, Captain Sophos Sta
 ples, Ensign Samuel J. Hitchcock, Ser
 geant Charles A. Ingersoll, J. M. Garfield
 and Samuel Rowland all being Yale men
 The second captain, Dennis Kimberly, wa,
 also Yale graduate. Not only did tn,
 sons of Yale stand shoulder to shoulder
 with their fellow townsmen in 1916, bu
 they have shared in the whole life of tn, I op1 fo dow 1po Grd oopoo ofV o1a,