The Portland daily press., 1899-05-23


eighty-two years; General Joshua L.
Chamberlain OF Brunswick; and the
mayors of a number of Maine cities, in
Guiding Mayor Reynolds of Portland's
young neighbor on the Cape. At $50,
preceded by Chief Marshal John W.
Berry and his staff, one of whom car
ried the state flag, Governor Powers
entered the hall. He was accompanied
by his council and escorted by Adiutant
General Richards who was In full dress
uniform. The band played Hail to
the Chief" the crowd applauded and the
Governor and his party climbed the short
fight of steps to the platform, after whfch
Mayor Freeman Pattcn called the meet
ing to order and introduced Hon. A. III.
Spear, to welcome the guests.
Mr.. Spear spoke as follows and was
loudly applauded:
The hands upon the dial Of time never
turn back. Nations may rise and fall;
civilizations may come and go; religions
may flourish and decay; wars may devas-
tate and fires destroy; yet the relentless
pendulum of fate swings on, cutting
into pieces and hurling into the past the
precious moments which we call time,
Luub bIt pShdoiuh Has 5WunR uHtll
today we stand upon the retrospect Of
the nineteenth, looking over into the pos.
sibilities of the twentieth century. Nine
teen hundred years have gone icy are at
the same time behind us ana before us;
behind us In the sense that the 1light of
time can never return before us In the
sense that the myriad events that have
eliminated, from time to time, into
epoohs OF history, are engraved never to
be erased, upon the tablet of that mag
nifcent civilization and progress that
marks the close of the nineteenth Gen.
tury.
Our little city, Nesting beneath tho
hills, on the banks of the beautiful Ken.
netec. oheered by the music of the dash
ing Cobbosseecontee. has, for fifty years
lived in the midst and been "a part of
these stupendous events of the dyi ng
century.
During our municipal life we have
seen our nation emerge from the perils of
threatened dissolution to unite in the
strength of an endless union; we have
seen the trans-continential caravan sup
planted by the locomotive traversing
plain, spanning river, and piercing
mountain; we have seen the development
of that power that annihilates time and
space; and makes intelligence universal
and contemporaneous; we have seen the
discovery of force that transmits the
sound of the voice thousand miles, with
quality and tone unchanged; we have
seen the invention of power that dis
closes to the medical eye the human
frame and revolutionizes the possibilities
of human life; we have sesn the great
moral forces that make for humanity and
the welfare of the race, increase n thous-
and fold; we have seen our own beauti-
full state develop in population, wealth
and prosperity. until today its people are
intelligent. thrifty and happy. And thus
l might go on until the rising of the sun
to en- numerals the measures of the last
fifty years.
Suffice it to say that we have lived
through a marvellous age fraught with
marvellous events.
"Ihe bridegroom may forget the bride
Was made his welded wife yestreen;
he monarch may forget the crown
That on his head an hour has been;
The mother may forget the child
That smtles sue sweetly on her knee;
But I'll remember the Glencarn
And "a that thou hast been to me ~
These lines express our sentiment to-
ward our little city tonight, to which,
your Excellency, Gentlemen of the
Council, and invited guests, we sincerely
and cordially welcome you.
In the name of His Honor the Mayor,
the City Council and the people, turn
over to you the keys of the city and ex-
tend to you it's freedom.
l wish to thank you one and all for the
kind acceptance of our hospitality and foS
the courtesy of your presence.
Again Your Excellency, l extend to
you, not only personally, but as the
Governor of the State OF Maine, hearty
welcome, and desire to say that while
our guest our city is your city.
Governor Powers was then introduced.
He extended thanks for his cordial greet
s-o 10 of nIaasnFa it
him to meet and greet SO many of the
citizens of Gardiner and the distin-
guished visi tors from elsewhere. Gardi-
ner, said the Governor, is one Of the old-
est cities in Maine, favorably situated
and peopled by citizens of integrity
culture and enterprise. The state OF
Maine has right to be proud of its
cities and the State of Maine stands
among the foremost Of the Union. 1t has
always been true to the nation and to.
day In time uf peculiar difficulty it will
sustain the President in policy which
shall reflect credit upon the American
people. The nineteenth century has seen
o marked advance in tae interest OF hu-
manity and with this in mind may
we not hope that its accomplishments
will be exceeded in the century to come.
And whatever may be our part in
bearing the white mans burden, and
whatever the trend of events may make
our duty, that will Maine not shrink from
doing. Maine faces the rising and not
the setting sun. Looking over the past
and forecasting the future ! think you
may be proud that you were born in the
grand old State of Maine. To It's inter-
ests Gardiner will ever be true.
The Governor IN conclusion con.
graduated the people of Gardiner
upon the successful opening of
the celebration and was loudly ap-
plauded. AS the applause died away, q
sweeter sound echoed through the hall.
Behind the speakers, on raised seats,
were grouped hundred of the schooI
children and their fresh young voices
rang ont in patriotic selection which
was sung IN way to set the crowd ap-
plauding vigorously-so vigorously that