The Republican journal., 1901-08-22

| anu tHe IeHeWluS Ol Olu dSSOCldllOllS VIII
cause it to be long held in pleasant remem-
brance. The weather on the whole was
favorable and enabled every feature of the
program to be fully and successfully carried
out. The observance began Sunday with
appropriate services at the Baptist, Univer-
salist and Methodist churches. The pulpit
of the Unitarian church is vacant, and the
pastor of the Congregational church was
absent on his vacation. By general request
we print in full the sermon by Rev. Ashley
A. Smith, pastor Of the Universalist church.
The Acts p 80, "But Paul said, ] am a
man which am Jew Of Tarsus, city in
| Cllicia, a citizen of no mean city,"
Most men, like Paul, are proud of the
city of their nativity, they speak of it with
respect and tenderness; when far from it,
| they hold it in their memory and long to re-
turn to 1t and see once more the familiar
scenes, meet and talk with the old friends
| and acquaintance in the old familiar way !;
walk the streets and by ways consecrated
by the life OF innocent childhood and rem
dered sacred by the dreams and intimacies
of growing youth. The old school, the
playground, the village common, the old
homestead, are awaiting our coming chang
ed perhaps, as all things change, and yet re-
tanning enough of the old charm and fa-
miliarity as to greet US not coldly or indif-
terently, but warmly as in olden times. AS
Byron has said: Home, how much is con-
tanned in the word, how much of affection,
kindness, what memories of a mothers
/ care and tenderness, of fathers coun-
sci and guidance, a brother or sisters love-
] Perhaps the old home has been conSecrated
by the plighting of marriage VOWS, the ad-
vent of children, the Christmas festivities
OF other holdiday gladness. Home: with
out hearts there is no home, but with love,
| the loWliest or highest place, the cottage of
| the poor man OF the mansion of the rich,
becomes heaven, dwelling place of God,
for God is love. man or woman who can
sing little else can sing that familiar song
such comfort and cheer to millions of hu-
man hearts the familiar song whose refrain
is Home, Sweet Home"
\ few years ago, in the neighboring State
OF New Hampshire, the Governor conceived
the idea of setting apart a week in the month
OF August for the return of the sons and
daughters of the State. 1t met with instant
and remarkable success. The idea so hap
| PLY conceived and carried out by our sister
commonwealth was introduced last year
INTO our own State of Maine. The expert
ment was successful, many cities and towns
of the State being visited by old residents ;
old relationships, friendships and acquain-
tanceS were renewed. and these cities and
towns We'd with each other in extending a
cordial welcome, and in miniStering to the
5.
was, as the phrase is, ''open house. at the
old Maine hOmeSteadS; sons and daughters
of the Pine Tree State were welcomed back
to the towns and cities of their nativity
There was great happiness and rejoicing.
This year Governor Hill, in his invitation
and proclamation, said: sit is custom
that has SO generally received the approval
of the people of this State that it seems
likely to become an established institution. ~
His words Of cordial invitation find echo in
the hearts OF every true native resident of
| Maine: 81 desire to extend an earnest and
cordial invitation to every son and daugh-
| ter of Maine, as well as to their families
and friends, to visit Maine and they may be
assured that they will be greeted with heart
| felt gladness and sincere welcome and will
| be amply repaid for a visit to the old home,
whose memory must always be dear while
life lasts. The Governor has set apart the
| week beginning Yesterday as Old Home
Week in the State of Maine. How more
fittingly observe to-day, the Sabbath of that
week, than by appropriate religious ser
vices in the old church homes of former
residents? The sons and daughters of
Maine who have removed from the State
/ remember the old church where as children
they went to attend its services in the fam
l!y pew, where as young men and women
they took eager and earnest part in it's
activities, and looked to its pulpit for guild
| ance and counsel.
Paul looked back upon Tarsus, city of
Cilicia, with love and reverence; he was
proud to claim citizenship there, and to
and respected among the cities of the
! time: SO men and women who have gone
out from these Maine towns and cities are
proud OF the place of their birth, and speak
OF it with the same wholesome and legti-
mate pride with which Paul Of olden time
said, 81 am citizen of no mean city, So
surely should every man say of the city of
his birth; SO especially could it be said of
our own Belfast, the city of Homes. city
hOnored and respected among those of the
State. Like every other human production,
like every other city, there are faults and
failings, shortcomings and wrongdoings,
these it is only honest to admit But
this you can say, often in greater measure,
of every other city in the world. 1t does
not become citizen of this OF any other
and iniquities of the town that the impress
sion is spread broadcast over the country
that 1t is place given over to vice and in
diligence, and without sense of honor, re-
| spect for law or order. Revivalists and re-
| formers, in the excess of their feryor and
zeal, are apt to lose sight of the fact that
there is any virtue or civic righteousness.
| They are so intent on denOuncing or attack
ing the vice that the virtue and right-living
of the majority of the citizens are apt to
be ignored or forgotten
Concentrated energy and diversified power
are found in the chief centres of human
life. the cities of the world. In our own
comparatively small city this energy and
power is seen. We wish of course for
more power Of enterprise, more broad phil
anthropic citizenship, more Of large gen.
erous outlook on the welfare of the city in
making it place of business activity and
progression. Some cities are centres of
I conservatism, others of progression. Some
seem to be always bringing new indus
tries and enterprises while others have
difficulty in keeping even the few that
they have: some have every modern i'm
provement and convenience in lighting
and lOcomOtiOn; others have few or none.
In either case it is the men and women that
make the cities progressive or unprogres-
sive; the citizens that make the cities stag
nant and inactive, or energetic and enter
prising. If a city is growing and improv-
ing, men make it so; if it is dead and dying
men make it SO. Our New England seer,
Emerson, once said of the nation, what is
equally true of any city, "That country is
best which is inhabited by the noblest
minds" We want our city to be human