The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-03-19
rnEsACRED GOLDFISH.

Interesting Incidental Information About
an Historical Massachusetts Emblem.
| [From the Springfield tMass.) Republican,
Mr., Gallivan's biography Of the sa-
cred Goldfish itself was one of the most
interesting of the discourses which hon
ored the transfer Of the historic emblem.
Like biography of Shakespeare, its
data are few, but there is a deal Of in
cidental information. Mr.. Gallivan was
able to tell us that the identical Goldfish
now in honor arrived in the Bulhnch
state house almost a full century ago,
in 1898, having hung in the old state
house now standing at the head Of State
street during fourteen years preceding,
ever since John Rowe got leave from
the house of representative to place
there, "as a memorial OF the Importance
of the cod fishery to the welfare of the
commonwealth as had been usual for
merly." The words "as had been usual
formerly" have a Significance which Mr..
Galllvan traced out. The present was
not the original Massachusetts Goldfish.
1t had predecessors; there are even ira
ditions that old Judge Samuel Sewall
gave Goldfish to hang in the first house
of assembly in the province Of Massa-
chusetts bay, but this Is uncertain. If
there was such an image, 1t was burned
in the fire which destroyed the oldest
state or town house." in December,
1747. In the next year the old state
house, which bears the lion and the uni
corn on its gable, was built, and cod
fish was hung therein,-just when is
not known, but in 1878 painter includ-
ed in the items of his bill for work on
the state house a charge of fifteen shil-
lings for painting the Goldfish. But
shortly after it disappeared; Mr. CALI
van conjeetures that some British troop
ers duartered at the state house, may
have taken umbrage "at the spick-and-
span eloquence of the newly paintel en-
blem of the colonial independence and
thrift" and have torn it from the wall
and burned 1t up. 1t is probably this
Goldfish, Mr.. Gallivan thinks, that John
WEIGH, a noted Boston patriot, carved
according to a tradition in the Welch
family which Captain Francis WEIGH of
BroolSline heard his father say had been
impaired to him by that fathers grand
father. But as to the present Goldfish,
which John Rowe got leave to hang in
the house of representatives in 1884, no
one knows it's origin, 1t has been re-
moved two or three times since it was
first placed in the Bulfinch state house,
and reprinted, the last time in 1874; but
its position has been changed but once;
it formerly hung from point in the
ceiling directly over the speakers desk;
some time in the COS, says Captain
Thomas Tucker, the veteran door-keep-
er, it was shifted to the rear of the
chamber 1t is carved from a solid
block of wood, and is four feet eleven
inches long.
Mr.. Gallivan gave an excellent ac-
count of John Rowe, the mover of the |
resolution whence dates the honored
Goldfish Of to-day. This act Of his was
one of many of strong American charac-
ter, although John Rove was an Eng
lishman born, first seeing the light at |
Exeter in Devon, in 1715. He came over |
the ocean in his youth, Joined the first |
lodge of Freemasons in the city at TWEEN |
ty-five, became a householder in Boston |
and Milton, and a merchant of note--in |
short one of the "solid men Of Boston" |
He was a. leader in several protests |
against the rule of the mother country |
$780,; he vigorously opposed |
the stamp acts, and he was one of the |
from Boston to the great |
and general court sent there by the