Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-10-05
HONOR BELONGS TO WILMINGTON.
Mr.. Flagg Writes Second Letter to Spring
field Republican About Old Home Week.

To the Editor of the Republican,
! am pleased 10 observe that my letter
recently published by you wherein l con-
tended that Wilmington, Vt, is entitled TO
the honor Of having originated and first OBJ
served the old home week festival, by its
celebration OF July, 1890, has brought forth
a letter in reply from Frank II. CLARK, pub.
/ shcd in your issue Of the 18th, in which,
after admitting that Wilmington was first to
adopt the special features since generally
adopted elsewhere, he nevertheless claims
that the germ Of the old home week re-
union had its origin in Cornish, n. H., many
years anterior to the Wilmington celebration
Of $500 picnic and literary exercises
having been held there for 80 years.
The motive which prompted my previous
letter was the hope that it might lead to
discussion in the public press, whereby
this contruverted question would be cleared
up and disposed OF for all time by the pres
entatiQp Of evidence at once incontestable
and conclusive. COnceding to Mr.. Clark a
like motive, II am grateful for his communi-
cation. | submit however, that his state
ments on all essential points are altogether
too vague and indefinite TO establish any
thing, much less TO ucca.stally refute the
claims Of priority hitherto asserted IN behalf
Of the Vermont town.
lie says: The idea seems To have grown
3
jackson. pastor Of the Congrega i1nal church
at Cornish Centre, n. H., originated in Au-
gust. 1876. He invited in some old friends
to visit the widow Comings, who stop
ping at his house, as she Was not ao.e ID get
out TO visit them, the party consisting of
some Is persons who were spending their
vacations in town What conceivable bear
ing this occurrence has upon the Old Home
week as observed at Wilmington or anywhere
else is beyond my understanding. It's sole
object was a social yisit-not even among
| themselves-but to this one individual, who
was unable TO get out to see them But
for such disability it is probable that the
| visit would never have been made thought
Of being made. Such social amenities are
constantly taking place throughout the coun-
| try, always have been and always will be.
The circumstance has significance what
ever, and it may be remarked in passing
that had the widow been a comely and at
tractive one, or possessed generous fortune,
the number OF her visitors would probably
have been still greater.
Mr.. Clark proceeds to say that the first
meeting was held in the parsonage, but
that in a few years the visitors increased
SO fast that the assemblages were held in the
church He is silent on several vital
points, namely, the actual date of this So
called first meeting its purpose, the
nature of the exercises and whether attended
by such old residents as CHANGED TO be
already in town on their vacations or those
who came specially for that occasion. He
fails to show by any explicit assertion that
in point of time it antedated 1890, or when
the more pretentious ceremonies first took
place in the church, even, when they did,
whether they were anything more than an
ordinary picnic which name he himself
applies to these earlier occasions. He adds:
That after few meetings" Covering what
period of time he does not state) 1.-The name
was changed to that of old peoples organi-
cation, " and that secretary was ap-
pointed, etc
But why was the original name of the or
ganization changed, and what was the name
first applied to It'll Here again he is silent
Presumably the name first chosen aptly signi-
fed the association character or raison
d etre and the subsequent change iustities
the suspicion that the earlier one had moth
ing to do with the Old Home week as we to-
day understand it, but became necessary in
order to adjust the old association, whatever
its nature was, to the Old Home week idea
as now observed throughout New England
But to conclude Nowhere in his letter
does Mr. Clark establish by any definite,
explicit statement the precise date when Old
Home week. according to the Wilmington
standard was either first observed at Cornish,
or with like certainty, when THE germ ne
| speaks of was discovered and incubated.
Therefore, until he or some other person shall
do so and show such an observance prior to
| 1890, the honor must remain with the Yer
| mont town. Whatever may be shown here.
after, Mr. Clark's letter is inconclusive and
settles nothing, and it is to be regretted that,
having recourse to the secretary, as he adj
mits he has he did not obtain from him
some definite information, on which alone