Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-07-27
Csisbraiion Of tbs Fourth Of iuiY 81 Year.
Ago.

-
III 5aqh noise an hurah, have always been
a large element in our rejoicing yet the
methods of making the noise and raising
III lufrah have varied 10 diferenttovns s
places. The ringing Of bells, the firing oi
guns, large and small, military parades
and proc cssions, martial music, patriotic
orations and addresses. eating and drinking
festivals In vhich the many joined Or were
present what vas called the drinking of
toast. and the making OF speeches IN
which ffeqBC nifty the most exiravsgant and
radical ideas we're announced by anyone,
No. matter who happened 10 have an idea 10
communicate anything to make fun OF
no.s. a hnrrah and a laugh and shout
were ieemed legitimate aud proper. intoxi-
catinI drinks of every kind were the back
bone Of the occasion. Every body present
vas expected TO drink of the kind which
suited him best. or which his purse would
permit him drinking. The rich, or those
who had the money 70 pay for them, drank
high priced vines, as French brandy or
Holland gin. the grade below the upper
ones drank West India rum and the poor
or they who had little money 10 pay
for liquor. drank New England or Medforti
rum Whiskey was then an unknown factor.
To such an extent had the custom of every
one % drink intoxicating liquor on the Fourth
of Jnly that ii had passed into 4 proyerb.
en- N ~ dts4rrrr f,r "Dg oDe 10 get ireak
on Ia3s pshiehce Day
Even minister might get mellow and
nothing would be said about il. | saw a min
ster IN pulpit IN those days who was drunk
during the week previous, fell from his horse
and slept Of ni' debauch beside the road
fence The only exclusive thing there was
about Fourth Of July celebration IN those
DAYS vas dinner From this even the ladies'
who belonged to the upper crust or rs the
phrase sas then the ''f-.t ',ss" were not ex
pectcd to be present. o"ty the men who
IN legal phrase were gentlemen" we've
expected to be at the dinner. So far was
this idca carried that in order 10 render il
more select" the price of the dinner was
frequently put at n price 80 high that poor
or low priced men could not afford TO be
there. In small country villages the price
of the dinner was frequently 81. at same
time the ordinary price of dinner at the
hotels was 25cts.
Seventy Ave years ago every body who was
engaged in any kind of retail traffic sold
liquor There was no let or intolerance TO
the brewers. There were stores in every
large town in which 1t was sold by the hogs
head and barrel AMI by retail to BE-
drunk ia the street. Every grocer, every
druggist and hotel or tavern rs they were
then called. very many boarding houses anl
all the small hostleries of every kind sold
rum, and ali other spirits. The prices OF
the stuff wa three cents per glas.
or half gill for Medford rum in the
stor,s. and in the taverns six cents pei
glass. and brandy and better kinds of spirit
were twice that prize. The wholesale price
Of cheap rum was about 81 cents per gal
Ion or sometimes As low as % cents and the
better class of liquor would average about
to ice the value of poor rum. The profit On
the good liquor as sold in the hotels by re
tail was something over - per gallon, and
half of that price when sold at the stores
This profit is an explanation or reason why
the taverns of those days could afford t
sell dinners for % cents apiece.
Eighteen hundred and twenty-six was the
tifueth anniversary of the Declaration of
Independence. 1t was looked forward tn
as lay upon which it would be proper to
have uuusual festivities in commemoration
Of the dsy. The newspapers had for year
been talking of the coming =, half
century anniversary of American indie
pendence. A great many of the en-
inent and distinguished men of the
Revolution were then living and were
anxious to unite with other and younger
men in making memorable the day. All
the eminent men who had occupied the
Presidential chair were living on the day
previous to this Fourth of July with the
- ". al nj p,rb
4 was not proven that on that day. the If
tietn anniversary, two Of the men who led
ia th,t Declaration were to be called TO
another and better world, yet there was s
general feeling everywhere that 1t would be
day not soon to he forgotten. As an
illustration of bow the day should be oh
served, and how it was observed in one
community at least, relate what happened
in the good old town of Readfeid. Read
field Corner at that time was a place of
considerable Importance. Its citizens were,
as class, a community of intelligent, high
and brosi minded. enterprising ard honors-
Bile men. They thought themselves some
body individually and they were what they
claimed for themselves. There was friend
Bean. the Quaker with his noble family of
ten sons and four daughters, Col.
John o. Craig. Col. Bachelor,
Col. Fiilebrown. Capt. John Smith,
Ex-Gov. Hunton, Gov. Ansoi p.
Morrill,. Timothy {. Howe, Afterwards
Postmaster General and Senator in Con-
gress from the West Hon. Edward Fuller.
Esq. Norton and twenty others whose
rames have forgotten. all patriotic, who
deemed it proper that they have a celehra
ton commendstory of the birthday of a
nation then half century Old.
Accordingly an informal meeting of some
dozen of the dons of the town was held at
which arrangements were made, committees
appointed, and such prelimuarifs were
agreed upon as were thought Necessary an
proper. Col John o. Craig having for
years been the principal hotel keeper, or
tavern keeper" as he was then called, WAS
spoken to to prepare r dinner for such gen
tlemen as might wish to join the social lin
critics of the day. He was rather privately
Informed that it was desirable that the COM
pany at the dinner table be az select as pos
sible. and that the noisy mob be excluded.
A tosstmaster was named for the occasion,
and all the arrangements were made for a
good time" including the naming of a
committee TO invite distinguished gentlemen
from the neighboring towns to be present.
Il wss thought best to dispense with an ora.
ton and military parade for the day
Col. Craig having for a long time been the
landlord for the day and provide the dinner.
Just around the corner on the road to
Mt Vernon there bad been recently opened
another tavern BY stranger from some
other town by the name of Benz amin Bor-
den. Being q stranger be was not invited
to take any interest in the celebration.
Nothing Was said to him about it, and he
said nothing to anyone in reference to it.
On Monday morning, however, previous TO
the Fourth be drove TO Halloweli. saw the
captain of the steamer which piled betw cen
that place and Boston, which had an Amer
lean flag larger than any one which had
then been seen in Maine. He hired this
flag for use on that day. He then had
tickets printed for the dinner. He then
improvised q band consisting Of . tenor
drum and fife, base drum and one or two
brass instruments He employed a man to
mske him flag stat rho. however, did not
know what il vas for until he had made it,.
He then employed some half dozen women
to 20 into his back kitchen and cook until
be had food prepared to dinner 800 men.