Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-04-08
OLD HOME WEEK.

OLD HOME WEEK.
When the Old Home Week idea was
promulgated by Governor Rollins in 1899
very few people expected to see it ex-
tend so far or become so firmly establish
ed in so short time as recent events indi-
cate. We all recognized the fact that
there was merit in the suggestion, but
very few supposed it would become the
subject of legislative action by town and
state and call people year after year half
way across the country to visit the old
ancestral home time and again, and in
some instances resulting in their perma-
nent settlement upon it or in the i'm
mediate vicinity.
That Old Home Week observance has
assumed a more permanent form than
was supposed possible at the time of its
first mention is indicated in various
ways. The states of Vermont and
Massachusetts have provided for its an
nual observance by legislative action,
having fixed certain days to be known
as Old Home Week each year. The
state of New Hampshire, through it's
Old Home Week association, has made
the third Saturday in August the first
day of Old Home Week each year.
Maine has also established permanent
week and Rhode Island and Connecticut
are about to adopt similar course. At
the recent town meetings in many New
Hampshire towns money was appro-
priated from the treasury TO defray ex-
penses of printing and other small items
of expense, as allowed to do by the last
legislature. These various public acts
and discussions attending the passage of
the same will tend TO more widely
advertise the project and greatly extend
its field of operations. 1t has been
demonstrated that an expensive meeting
is unnecessary, for some of the most en-
joyable and the most useful have been
those where but little money was ex-
pended. Sending an invitation to every
absent son and daughter of the town to
come home TO the celebration is as i'm
portant a matter as there is connected
with it.
1t seems TO be about time to make
preparations for the gathering of this
year and there should be at least one
hundred such meetings in each New
England state. New Hampshire held 35
the first year, 10 the second and over 100
last year, which number will probably
be increased this year. The beacon
lights on the hills, the Sunday service in
the old church and the picnic dinner
and speaking in the grove are the leading
features of successful Old Home Week
observance The social greetings of the
occasion are the most enjoyable of all,
both to the resident of the old town and
To the hOme-comer. However far away
from the place of his birth and boyhood
a person may have remained
during long life, he never loses his at
taehment for the old home and the
scenes of childhood. We recently met a
very intelligent lady, born in Germany,
" h0 had not seen her native country for
35 years, but had just returned from a
visit of but few days in that faraway
land for the sight of which she had
yearned for many years. Although
prosperous and contented here, she said
the little visit to her native town, to the
village church where she sat as child,
to the schoolhouse and 10 the homes of
childhood friends almost forgotten, was
the happiest experience of her life and
well repaid the expense and fatigue OF
the long journey.
The same will be true of thousands of
New England born boys and girls if We
but give them an invitation to come
back and visit us on Old Home Week. |
Ii is impossible for those who have
never lived away from their native town
10 comprehend how much this movement |
means to those who have wandered
away. 1t is even more to them than to |
hose who extend the invitation to come |
back. Many business and professional
men are so absorbed in their affairs that |
, trip to their old home seems impossible,
however much they might want to take
il, but the Old Home Week invitation
comes signed perhaps by an associate in
BOY hood days and they declare they will
ind some way to leave business matters
md accept. They lind 50 much pleasure
n visitins the haunts of childhood and
n renewing acquaintances formed many
iears previous that they return TO their
business refreshed in body and mind
md promise themselves they will take
he trip every year. The pleasure is not
confined to the person who visits or the
person who is visited upon Old Home
Week, but extends to about every per-
ION in the town if he will put himself in
proper frame of mind to enjoy anything
We are pleased that the Old Home Week
is extending in all directions
md hope every one will aid it in every
possible way.-Mirror and Farmer.