The Newtown bee., 1900-12-14

UI0SS0Ss
 HON F. J. KINGSBURY OF WATERBURY
 CHIEF ORATOR OF THE DAY. Tuesday wss notable day in the his- tory of the Newtown Library Aesocis- tion, when the fine new building presented to the Association by Mits Rebecca D. Besch of New Haven, was formally accepted and dedicated by inter- esting and timely exercises.
 The exercises of the day opened short lv after the appointed hour, 3 o'clock, Rev George Thomas Linsley, tho popular and esteemed rector of Trinity church, and president of the Library Association, presiding in his usual graceful and pleas ing manner. The library was crowded to the doors, every available seat belng occupied. Shortly before 3 o'clock, the children of the North Center and Middle district schools, in charge of their teachers, P. Fl. Mccarthy and Mies Mar garet Roulihan, marched in and occupied the small rooms at either side of the main entrance.
 The exercises opened with prayer by Rev Dr w. e. Andrews of Guilford. Rev o. w. Barker, the vice president of the Association, was introduced by Rev MT Ltnsley, and made bright and taking speech, which wac generously applauded. Among other things he said:
 never made an address of welcome before. In casting about among my many old manuscripts to see how such a speech should be made, found this good advice: IA good short speech should be like a bottle of Apollinaris Water; it should open with pop, be not over-full, and have plenty of snap and ginger in it," shall try, as far as I can. to follow this advice-start of this program with pop and snap and let the roar, bang and explosion come in when MT Kings bury and Brother Linsley get in their heavy work. am simply to make the bow to show that the bail has been Set s-rolling and the program begun. A venerable negro once aspired to become proficient in playing on the guitar and applied to his young master to be his teacher. The latter, well knowing the slim abilities of the slave in musical direction and wishing to dissuade him from his purpose, said: "Well, Uncle Jake, will undertake to teach you; but I am compelled to charge you g for the first lesson, $2 for the second lesson, $1 for the third lesson and 25 cents for the
 last" 'That is all right" replied the negro, II accept you as teacher on those terms; but ask that you give me the last lesson first" So, after have made my 25 cent speech, you will have, later on, the $3 oration.
 We bid especial welcome here this afternoon to the donor of this beautiful building, Miss Rebecca Beach. She has proved to us a Good Samaritan As far as know anything about che Newtown Library Association 1t has been an intel lectual tramp, without homo. Miss Beach found 1t, like the man of old who went on the perilous road down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, wounded, bleeding and. half dead. She picked it up, placed 1t on her own beast, poured oil and wine into its wounds, brought 1t to an iun-a better one even than the .Newtown Inn-snd said. "Take good care of this Association and I'll pay the bills." or course, then, we must bid hearty welcome to such a benefactor here.
 But there are other ladies who have had part in extending this welcome to you. The general air of tidiness here and the lunch served at the hotel testif 2 to that. Man can do good many things tolerably we'll: they can make speeches, drive nail, drive oxen before a plow, and, some of them, can even sew on . button to stay; but they cannot give to a room that unexplained touch of beauty and comfort which speaks welcome without words. You have often gone into factory and seen some noisy little wheel buzzlng and fl 7ing around as it 1t were doing all the work, whereas the ponderous wheel, which was driving all the other wheels, was hidden in the engine-room below. So men can do things that have a lot of fuss and noise about them; they are in evidence here at this meeting, they are busy in moving the chairs; but the delft, delicate hand of woman is behind the scenes and gives the nice, finishing touches.
 But 1t is no use for me to speak at length 8 welcome; it is given in every- thing around you. You have gone into a home where the soft colors in the car pet on the floor, the mellow light that
 streamed from out the depths of the pic-
 lures on the walls, the chairs by the way
 in which they were set and arranged,
 the aroma from the coffee.pot steaming
 on the stove, said, before 8 word came from the hostess, You are welcome here
 to-day" Into such home we invite you
 as our new library home. It was not that
 sort of welcome that was..given me in my
 younger days in the ministry q have be-
 come quite advanced in age now). It
 was in . town not very far from here
 where I was invited to preach. during my seminary course. When entered at the
 gate of the house where I was to be en-
 tertained, two young children ran
 scampering in at the door, exclaiming {:
 'Msmma, thelminister's come the min.
 ister's come!'' A sudden chill and pail of gloom then and there settled over that home which, afterwards, with my utmost