The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-08

I
woman.
| Now, queenly worth, in the, sense il
! which it is used on the record, mean
royal worth; but royal worth is not ac
cepted nor recognized as an attribut
OF greatness or goodness in this coun
| try.
Andrew Carnegie, in his book, "Tri
umphant Democracy" says "A roya
| family seems an insult to every othe
family in the land" SO that the wore
| "queenly' adds nothing, in the Amer
| lean mind, to the worth of Victoria
Then, the question naturally arises
| Does the worth of Victoria, as WON
| an, demand or require, or justify com
| Incorporation, in stone or bronze upoI
some public place in this city. Tht
! answer must be certainly not.
| Grant, If you will, that she is won.
an of birth; but have we not Thousands
and thousands of American women OF
| equal worth and of greater worth. ant
have we as vet erected any monument
or memorial to them in Worcester? Tt
give precedence to Victoria, upon the
ground of her worth as a woman would
be an insult to the womanhood and
motherhood of our country and would
be an act unworthy of American chiV-
airy and American womanhood.
1t has been argued, too, that the great
has been made by the English speaking
people during the reign of Victoria en-
titles her to especial recognition at the
hands of the American people. But can
we not reply in truth and honesty that
she has had no more to do with the
wonderful progress that has been made
in these directions during the last fifty
years than did the venerable mother Of
President Mckinley during her days
upon this earth?
| would like to ask, Mr.. President
and gentlemen if the power and re-
sponsibility of locating and regulating
the erection of all public monuments in
We're delegated by law
10 you for final decision whether or
not you would approve and commend a
proposition to erect memorial in hon
OF OF the reigning dynasty of England
on Bunker hill at Concord
orldge or on Lexington common.
Assuming that your answer to that
question would be undoubtedly no. /
VIII proceed with the consideration of
my second proposition, namely, the
erection of memorial to the queen
Of Great Britain would be violation of
all the sacred traditions and sentiments
attached to our old Worcester COM
mon. For nearly two hundred and
thirty years this old park has been
USED and reserved by the Inhabitants
Of Worcester for public purposes.
In 1863 it was set apart as a training
place and common for the people and
for more than two centuries its public
character has not been interrupted nor
disturbed.
In the dark days which Immediately
preceded the revolution when the col
onists, crushed and burdened by the
cruel and tyrannical exactions of the
king, began to catch the first glimpses
of the dawning star of freedom. it was
upon this old common that the patriots
of Worcester assembled for the discus
sion of their grievances and the record
ing of their prOtestations against the
further continuance of their serfdom.
1t was upon this old common that the
minute men of Worcester We're organ
lied and drilled, and made proficient
in military science, under the instruc-
ton Of Captain Bigelow, and it was
from this same old common on the 18th
of April, 1T75, that one hundred and
eight of these sturdy patriots left Wor-
cester to repel British invasion.
1t was upon this old common at a
town meeting, held on the 23d dav of
May, 1776, that the inhabitants of Wor-
cester considered the question as to
whether or not 1.-The town would sup
port independence, if congress should
declare the American colonies independ-
ent of Great Britain" and voted unani-
mously that we will sustain the meas
ure with our lives and fortunes" and
that the town clerk serve Mr.. Joshua
Bigelow, representative for this town,
with a copy for his instruction"
1t was upon this old common, yes,
ana almost upon the very spot where
now 1t is proposed to erect memorial
to monarchy that on Sunday, the 14th
day OF July, II6, the immortal declar-
alton OF independence was publicly
read for the first time upon the soil of
massachusetts,.
Wlthln the posom VI TINS same sacred
soil which upon that memorable 14th of
July was soiemnly and perpetually con-
secrated to the holy cause of liberty,
have reposed IN peace and tranquility
for more than one hundred years the
ashes Of all that was mortal of that
gallant sbldier OF the revolution, Colon
el Timothy BigeleW, who was the pa
triotic leader OF she minutemen of
Worcester and the implaeable and I'M
relentlng enemy OF tyranny and mon
archy.
From this old common, ami
mated and inspired by the
lofty sentiments of patriotism
and Of liberty and of union which
have been so inseparably associated
with it since the days of the revolution,
marched forth thousands OF Worcester
men, during the war of the rebellion,
who We're willing to sacrifice their lives
in order to preserve the noble heritage
which had been bequeathed to them by
the founders Of the republic and upon
the common their grateful citizens have
erected magnificent memorial in rev.
erential honor of those of them who
died in that glorious cause-and here,
too, upon this common. the people of
Worcester have governed themselves as
town and city according to the prin-
ciples Of a form of government which
is of itself at most positive and abso-
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