The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-14
NEW LIBRARY WILL
BE OPENED TOMORROW
Special to The Spy.

Special to The Spy.
Rochdale, Oct. 13.-The opening of
the Ephraim Copeland Memorial LII
brary will be Tuesday evening at 1880
o'clock, with appropriate exercises in
the Greenville School building on
Pleasant Street. All are invited to be
present. The exercises will be under
the direction of Rev. C. B. Bowser, pas
tor of Christ Episcopal Church, and a
trustee Of the Leicester Public Library.
The program will consist of addresses
by some very able speakers and sing
ing by the Home Quartet.
The donor Ephraim Copeland, of this
gift to the inhabitants of Greenville
and vicinity, died 81 years ago in
Greenville at a ripe old age. He was a
resident of the village when its inhabi-
tants were few and scattered. He
built the house now occupied by Reu-
He owned about all the land In and
around Greenville, the most of which
land. in his early days, was wooded.
Mr.. Copeland was an eccentric old
man, which petty fault he carried with
him all through life. At his DEATH in
1S45, the month, day and date of
which are not known, he had amassed
quite a fortune, and gave literally to
charities. The fifth clause of his will
reads as follows: II give, bequeath and
devise in trust to my executor, herein
after named, also the sum of $1,000, at
the decease of my said wife, for the
following uses forever, to wit, to main
tain a schoolhouse and school to be
taught by female or females, wherein
no book Of instruction is to be used to
teach, except spelling book and Bible,
which said school is to be called the
Bible School or the New Testament
sought out, and shall be under such
regulations and government as I shall
direct in writing if leave any instruc-
ton for that purpose and in order to
accomplish said object, the said trustee
and his heirs shall have reasonable
time to bring the same about with
means left for that purpose"
Since the time of the donation the
amount has accumulated to the sum of
$4500, but the Nahum fainter heirs of
said donor contested the will and have
taken their share, while one-half of
same sum was left to the trustee of the
Library fund.
Malcolm G. Clark was appointed one
of the trustees some few years ago, and
for the past year the case has been in
the Supreme Court since the heirs and
trustees could not agree upon the
ternt of the testator. Finally, it be-
ing lIHpTdCllCdDlG 10 carry OUT the plu-
visions in the will, it was decided by
the Supreme Court to GLOW the near
est practicable one to b# substituted
It is supposed it was the intention of
the testator that the school should be
a Sunday School, or a school taught
only on Sunday, although nothing is
said in the will as to when the school
should be held, the only provision be-
ing that it should be taught by females.
Any trustee that may be appointed to
the fund has full power to build suit
able building whenever, in his judg-
ment, the amount accumulated is suffi-
cient to carry out the provision of the
will.
AS the money accumulated was not
sufficient to carry out the said provis-
ions, the Supreme Court decided that
a building be rented, and repaired If
necessary, the cost of same not to eX-
coed $75 The engine house, near the
school building was sought, and the
town authorities at once consented to
the wishes of the trustees that the en-
CINE house be used. The latter body
set to work at once repairing the
building. The old side entrance has
been closed, and a new and larger en-
trance built at the front. The inte-
rior has been cleaned and painted, the
windows inside being fitted with -Vene-
tian blinds Two large bookcases, one
of which will be filled with books of
the Leicester Public Library, the other
with the books belonging to the Cope
land Memorial, two large reading ia
bles, and dozen or more library
chairs adorn the interior.
Fee MCFARLAND Is tie guest of
her sister, Mrs. A. B. Kennedy, on Dale
Street.
Fred Rushton and Joseph Fitzpat-
rick attended the meeting of the board
of registrars at Cherry Valley Engine
Hall Saturday evening. The full board
will be present Saturday evening at
the Rochdale engine house for the reg
ietratioy, Of vofore