The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-06-10
AN EVEN HUNDRED.
Names Capital City Completes Its
Century.
AND CELEBRATES EVENT IN MAN
NER MOST BEFITTING.

Chief Justice Fuller Returns to Place of
His Birth and Assists in the Affair
| Speeches, Poems, Toasts and Other Lit
erary Exercises.
| Aug usta, June 9.-Augusta today cele-
DRAFTED the Centennial anniversary of it's
birth, with sons and daughte RS present
who have not visited their native place
for years.
The city was decorated with flags and
bunting in honor of the day, including
the State House, City hall and many of
the business buildings.
The Kennebec bridge was arched with
streamers and with electric lights, "1797-
1897
The day was ushered in with ringing
of the bells of the city churches. Other.
wise there was no observance in the
morning.
The exercises of the afternoon, COM
mencing at 2 O'Clock, were opened by
Mayor W. S. Choate, who introduced
Hon. j. W. Bradbury, the president of
the day. Mr.. Bradbury's 95th birthday
anniversary will be tomorrow.
The invocation was given by Rev.
Daniel Cony Weston of Washington, D.
IC.
Chief Justice M. W. Fuller gave the
grafton of the day. The exercises were
interspersed with music by the Togus
| tbo af
Prof. B. W. Theme and singing by the
Augusta chorus of 100 voices under the
direction of Professor W. r. Chapman of
New York.
The poem of the day was given by Mrs.
Emma Huntington Mason, on Ancient
Kousinoc.''
Chief Justice Fuller in his address said
When Augusta's century opened the
star of Napoleon had risen above the
horizon, but the consulate and the en-
pire We're yet to come. The victories of
Cape St. Vincent and Camperdown were
won that year, and the names of Jervis
and Collingwood and Nelson began to be
known as household words. And it was
then that the United States, our first ma
val vessel constructed since the adopt on
of the constitution, was launched, pre-
cursor of those splendid ships that are
re-establishing that claim to march upon
the deep so gloriously INDICATED in the
war of 1912.
Washington had just retired from the
Presidency, leaving to his countrymen an
undying example of devotion to the pub
lie veal, and an immortal legacy in the
farewell address, which delineated the
path of safety in the nations progress.
1t was during this year, too, that
Burke died. having lived to see the French
Revolution devour it's own children, but
fearing that the outburst of the spirit of
liberty in that great convulsion might
lead to the destruction of free govern
ment, for want of those restraints essen
tial to the preservation of life and prop
erty and social order, and which in some
form, he knew would certainly be i'm
posed.
The achievements of our own indepen-
dence and the framing of the federal con-
stitution were but recent: and the time
was characterized by earnest spiritual
energy: by ardent sympathy with the
oppressed; by sincere desire for the eleva-
ton of mankind; as well as by such dis
plays of inventive genius and of indus
trial progress as clearly marked the be-
ginnings of the wonderful era which has
followed. These and like matters natu-
rally occur to us, yet our minds involun-
tarily come closer home and busy them
selves within a narrower area.
At the centennial of the erection of
Fort Western, July 4, 1854, Chief Justice
Weston, after q rapid glance at the Eng
fish settlements on the Kennebec. in
itiated two hundred years before. and the
abandonment of that at Cushnoc, under
the stress of Indian aggression, said
'We have no connection with the origi-
nal settlement at Cushnoc, which the
led man destroyed. Our history takes a
new departure from the erection of the
fort. From that time its continuity is
unbroken. Its traditions are yet fresh''
While this was true, the observation
was confined to the definition Of the be-
ginning Of the period with which the
speaker was dealing, and prior occur
rences which formed part of the tradition
airy heritage of the new settlement were
not disclaimed.
And nothing comes to us from that
comparatively far off time more worthy
of remembrance than the establishment
at Cushnoc, by Father Druillette of the
Mission of the Assumption, two hundred
and fifty years ago, with the consent of
the Pilgrim agent at the Plymouth COM
pany trading post, who entertained the
good father as his guest. Although these
apostolic labors were not long continued
the faith then taught survived the suspen-
sion of the mission, for the last of the
Indians, leaving the valley of the Kenne-
bee in 1897, to reioin his kindred at Que
bee, was a member of that communion.
Years passed, however, after the aban :
donment of the original post at Cushnoc,
before Fort Western was erected and the
resettlement of the Kennebec taken up