The Newtown bee., 1905-08-11
ADDRESS OF WELCOME
DELIVERED BY REV OTIS W. BARKER,
PASTOR OF THE NEWTOWN CONGRE-
GATIONAL CHURCH, AT THE NEW
TOWN BI-CENTENN1AL, SATURDAY
MORNING, AUGUST 5, 1905.

MORNING, AUGUST 5, 1905.
Mr. President: am only a comma
and not full stop. 1 am here simply
10 catch the ripples of enthusiasm as
they roll and hurry along. l am here
oratorio of sound. 1 am filling up a
gap while the orators of the day are
Catching their breath. Has not our
great chorus of welcome already grand
" begun? AS the first grey light of
morning streaked these verdant hills,
did you not hear the pounding of our
wake-up gun? We meant that you
should hear it. In ever increasing
we shall say all through this day we
are glad to see you until the zip-boom-
alb of the shower spreading rocket TO-
night loses itself as it dasheS it's spray
of light among the stars.
Well, [ am sure that our noisy
demonstration has by this time fully
walked US all up; and l rather have an
inkling that Wacumseh or some other
red man with unpronOuncable name |
| has rolled over in his blanket, dis |
turbed by the noise, and taken fresh |
grip upon his tomahawk. You have |
Seen Welcome spelt out for you in
waving lines of light as our gay-hearted
school children, 500 strong, have to
enthusiasm a voice added the greeting
of numberless flags, whose glories min.
gle themselves with the brig htness OF
this glad morning and the blue sky.
AS those who have for six long months
been pushing the machinery of Bi-Cen-
tennial celebration when the wheels
stuck fast in mud and slough, we feel
that we are now getting what we have
put down on paper with painstaking
care off into the realm where they live
and move. Have you not seen the
phalanxes of eatables that have been
moving these few last hours into
yonder buildings; and may l rehearse
the stale old joke that although our
tile, we'll have no desert here to-day,
because of the sandwhich-is there.
Dame Hen has left her cackle and bold
Chanticleer is missed from the barn
yard convocation, and all have come to
join their lusty shouts in our welcome
here to-day.
Our program tells as we are 200
years old; but as we saw last night our
I venerable ones loosen their rheumatic
joints and shake out their Quaker foot
we all seemed again to have taken a
draught from the elixir of life. Even
our dignitied Governor proves that he
can, if need be, assume the role OF a
spruce, dapper young man. 1t is
pleasant to recall the past, to take out
the Jewels from memory'S caSket and
let them glitter before our faces one by
one.
On bench in park of a ne1ghbor.
ing city sometime ago sat young man
His clothes we're dusty, but not shabby.
His face wore a look of detection. He
evidently had cut loose the cable from
life's helpfulness and cheer. A
stranger, passing through the park
took in the situation at a glance. He
sat down beside the young man, ano
looking steadily into his face said: 81
think my go % fell snd you 1ns VS. wanG
man had left his rural home to find
work in the city. The old story ha6
been gone over. He had run up against
hard luck; nobody wanted to employ
him and worse still, nobody cared fol
him. He had come TO the end OF hi
endeavor and the future was blank
This firm handclasp heartened him
and soon he was employed, on bis feet
and fighting the battle Of life as j.;
man. Good friends, in our welcom.
this is the sort Of hand clasp we wOnlc
give you to-day ,one that brings chez
and encouragement. Are you down il
the mouth? On this great day, brace
up. Epictitus, the Greek slave, say
there are two handles for everything
by one handle thing can be easil.
bourne, grasped by the other handle
right handle to-day. Mourning is aboV
our ambition. we invited Presiden
Roosevelt to come, and came within
an ace of corralling him. II that ha'
been the only thing lacking, we would
even have produced the bear. We al
most thought of asking the Japanes
and Russian plenipotentiaries to max
US stopover on their way to Wash
ington. ,o,+,o
all celebrated people too. New YOrl
is noted for it's commerce, Boston for it
literature, Philadelphia since the day
of Franklin for it's science, Washing
ton for it's politics, Baltimore lou
bachelors are planning trip ther
next week. for it's pretty girls, an,
Newtown for it's good roads, SINAI
debt, fine High School and goo
citizens. In our stock market we dea
to be great some day. We have man
: lights in the way of Pecks set upon
hill; but our splendid parade show
you that not under bushel are GU
Pecks hid. They say that if you swim
a cat by the tail, you sweep wide Gil
I'd conference. Swinging our meta
ell phorical cat, then, behold! What
in wide circuit we take in. Yale appear
I'D first on our rim, and that is why W
re are so WISE Bridgeport next heave
ng into view, and that is why we are sue
IS, ''big guns Shelton next throws Out
be her light, and that is why we wea
re. so many buttons. Danbury come
re down the home stretch, and that
Id why all of us here to-day upon th
its platform have new hat.
b, Good stranger that comes to-da
lie, within our quiet wales, we extend
you the courtesies of a "wide open
= town. The door Of our houses owe
yonder on the hills are wide open; W
forgot to close them. Our peck
- will be wide open after we are throug
paying our bills May your grips, tot
be wide open as you leave us for som
kindly memento of the occasion whic
your friends will give you. May you
ears be wide open after l sit down TO
the words of wisdom which from on
orators lips like gentle dew will fal
The five sweetest words in the Englis
language are said to be these: hear
home, hope, happiness and heaven
AS through the dull monOtony of life
grinding cares you listen with al
tentive ear for the lullaby Of swee
strains that call into SUMMER realms
may you hear to-day in the swelling c
the tones of our fve-Stringed harp thi
one note ring loud and clear: We we
come you to-day with all our heart.
II When the train is sweeping thrOug
the mountains around the GREAT HOrSl