The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1894-07-06

marks" shall be particularly brief. They
may outnumber the words of profound
and portentiOus address. | trust, there
fore, that there are none of you in the least
little bit hungry. If you are, you are like.
ly TO be ravenous before this ''introduction"
and preliminary remarks" shall come to
an end
The Fourth of July in Bradford, is to me
attended by some of the pleasantest memo
rles of my life. | hold in my hand book
containing among other things the pro-
gramme Of exercises, and the bill of fare, OF
a festival which occurred on the Fourth of
July, 1854, at the then Vermont House in
this village. | was at that time fitting for
college in the old academy, which, once the
pride and only educational glory of the vii
lage, is now standing upon the edge of the
street, ready to be removed, and looking
mortified and abject, as it sees itself com
pared with the new and beautiful edlflce
which has sprung into being through the
generosity and muniticence of the late Mr.
John l.. Woods | am not the only person
who sympathizes with it in its detection,
and half regrets that it is no longer to occu-
Ply its accustomed place in the eyes as well
as the memories of the hundreds of us who
peOpled it in its falcyon days, and whose
dingy old walls witnessed so many OF our
labOrS and our rewards, and so much OF our
accompanying happiness. | note as among
the officers of the day on that occasion, h.
Farnham, Jr, as the president. Horace
Strickland, Asa Low, Geo. W. Prichard,
johnson A. Hardy, Barton F. Rogers, and
A P. Davis. And among Others who off
ciated, were the Rev. A. j. Copeland, chap
lain, Geo. A. Low, reader of the declaration,
and sd. Blakely, toastmaster" | make
something of sacrifice and confession
when | state that this was four decades, or
forty years ago! And with one exception, |
shall he considerable of the feelings of the |
ladies who figured on that occasion, and
mention no names. When the dear women |
get to be of an uncomfortable age, such an
cient records as these are very uncOmt0rt-
able thing to confront. But let us get on.
| will not dwell upon the character of the
exercises of that memorable occasion. 1t is
now ancient history, you know, but there
was, unlike this introduction, set Grafton
by Mr.. John Sawyer, and l learn from the
bill of fare which | hold in my hand, that
a SumptuOus supper was served by the land
lord, who spared neither pains nor expense
to provided a repaSt such as would tickle
the palate of the most faStidiouS; and, after
the removal of the cloth, regular and vol
unteer sentences and responses, lntersperSed
with music, were the order. | trust it will
not be embarrassing to the ladies who have
provided like repast for us this evening,
for me to read from the bill of fare of that
occasion, few of the evidences of the
character of provision which was made in
hose good old days, for the fertilization of
he inner man.
/ think there was this slight difference
between that occasion and this. That din
Ter of forty years ago, was what is called
n cities and states where men are permit
ed to imbibe in a free, or sort of Fourth of
uly way, without prohibtOry restrictions,
''free lunch" But here, where such a
hing as beer or intOxicantS of any descrip-
ion is absolutely unknown() no such
hing, of course, as free lunch'' would !
bnn cd nd fhat SC f,ff hat
est OF reasons why the methods are changed I
nd Why our good ladies place between 6
leir viands and our consumption of them, {
slight eXaction in the way Of little fee, =
The ladies Of Bradford were not building
'illage Halls In those days, you knowD
Tut am coming now to the interesting part 4
this particular Fourth Of July, which a
akes all recurring anniversaries to me ;
ever to be.forgotten glories, 1t happened I,
lat Mr. Geo. x. Low was unable through I
lness to read the Declaration of lndepend- t
nee. 1t Tell to my lot to discharge that p
atriotic duty. | was assigned to the place
table which was to have been occupied
Y the reader, in group consisting of Mr..
sa Low, his wife, and his daughter >,
daline. l was placed by the side of. and II
troduced by Gov, Farnham to, the latter. II
hat happened then, and what has hap h
med since, is very simple history. The h
ushing young lady, then not very far in c.
n teens, consented, not long after, to sit n
side me permanently, and she has graced v
y table for nearly all of these forty years, Q
Id is at the present time. as you know, Eat !
mel to her friends at the Old mansion,
here was subsequently, and as you may ii
Irmise, a very happy visitor. A quartette :
, to me, very interesting evidences Of the =
nth of this little item of history, have
own up around us. And look with con-
ernatiQn upon the fact that the youngest II,
them is Older than was her mother upon W
at memorable date! 1t has been my cns- Ell
m, whenever in Bradford upon the Fourth d,
July. to celebrate the anniversary of the L
,oYe occasion by fireworks and good Z.
eer; but | have retrained today, out of :,
gard for the ladies who have provided 81
is celebration, because l consider that ii al
ould be ''toO mean for anything" to use y
e ladies'. most profane phraseology, to G.
t up an Independent opposition celebra- =
IN and fireworks in different part of the =
wn. @ M
You will now very readily comprehend q,
by the Fourth of July in Bradford has os
+ me peculiar and uncommon interest N~
nd if the ladies had only informed me
uple of years ago that an address from me al
the present occasion would have been n,
ceptable, | should have done my best in
e brief time thus allotted me, to evolve
oductlon which would have done faint at
stice to the subject.
AS it is l can only congratulate myself
ID you, that we are living upon day and "
an epoch, which marks so marvelously M
e progress of mankind; and in country v,
nose freedom. whose incentives to labor, Nf
hose opportunities for promotion, and Az Az
nose rewards for legitimate effort, are so NJ
ried and so great. 1 congratulate you,
d thank the good God, that the country 10
lich our revolutionary fathers founded, "
d dedicated to liberty, fraternity and
uaIity, has survived the assaults of enc
es from without, and mistaken and ri
'ong-headed indictments from within. |
ngratuate you that the tremendous forces -
the great republic which was the out
Dwth of the blood and suffering of our
cestors, saved anew the heritage they be- i
eathed us. and that it has again been r
Dictated to the uses of free a progress
e and mighty people. l congratulate
IL that the cause of contention which
ought about fearful and fratricidal war, dea
S been finally and forever uprOOted from ter
! land: and that the hand or soul of no
labtant in all this broad country is any sp
lger shackled by the baleful tyranny of -
'ce. And congratulate you further, that Y
broader foundations, on grander lines, N
tn higher aspirations and with multiplied or
portunities, this mighty nation is again isf
tied again marching on to the accOmp- T n