The Republican journal., 1906-09-06

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Such was the dress of the bellies of We
olden times; and the beaus of that
period were clothed with stuffs made
from like material, spun and woven by
their mothers in like manner. AS for
the girls, and many of the young men,
they went barefooted in the summer
time on all ordinary occasions. The
Cody people, in localities where they
had churches, had shoes and stockings
to wear to church, carrying them in
their hands until they reached the
meeting house and then putting them
on to wear during the services, but
taking them off as they came out to go
trudging along home barefOOted.
remember when boy hearing good
old deacon Joe Cross of Morrill, say
that he never wore pair of shoes in
the summer time until after he was
twenty-one years of age, and at twenty
he went sparkling one Sally Jackson,
who subsequently became his wife. He
said that he used to go to see her on
Sunday afternoons and would sit with
his feet up in her lap while she with
needle would pick out the thistles and
splinters that had gotten into them
during the week. When | was boy |
had to go bare-footed in the summer
time for the want of shoes, as did all
the boys in my neighborhood. The boy
that could have pair of shoes in the
summer time was looked upon as a
dude. | remember the sensation of
having the thistles picked out of my
feet after treading load of hay that
was full of thistles. This duty was
performed by either my mother or one
of my brothers. l recall that it hurt a
little and tickled little, and l have no
doubt but that the tickling part of it
would have been greatly increased could
that duty have been performed by a
sweetheart.
The next thing of Importance after
the ladies at the Montville centen
NAL was the tent where antiquarian
articles of every description were
on exhibition, and very interesting
display it was. The address of wei
come was by Mark Bartlett, Esq. OF
Waterville, native of this town, and
was an able production. The historical
address was prepared by Mr.. Allen
Goodwin and was very interesting,
showing that much labor, thought and
exhaustive research had been given it
and also showing his ability as an his
torian. Owing to weak lungs he was
unable to present it to the people so
that it could be heard and to J. c. Carey
was assigned this duty, which he per-
formed in a very satisfactory manner:
The address was very interesting, but OF
too great length to be given entire in a
newspaper and learn that it is to be
published in pamphlet form and placed
on sale, as it should be. The ode and
the two poems will no doubt be pub
lished in The Journal and leave them
to speak for themselves. Then came
the address by the orator of the day,
Prof. L. G. Bateman of Auburn. 1t
was a very able speech, but bore no
more relation to the centennial of
Montville than does the Gulf Stream
to the Maine prohibitory law; and in
deed not as much, for there is water in
both of them-too much water some
think-while Bateman's speech was a
sort of merry go-round and suitable
for most any occasion except this one.
But the Professor was at his best,
and | never heard him do 1t better. l
always did admire that speech of Bate
man! But there we're hundreds of
"reminiscences that could have been
given by many people in Montville
about the good old town and its sturdy
people, that would have been of much
more interest to the people of today
than any address from any person,
however learned and eloquent he might
be, who had no knowledge of that
ancient borough. At the risk of draw
ing this article out to a much greater
length than intended, l will relate one
quite amusing incident that took place
"way back" The historian of the
town stated that in the olden times
there were very large families of
children. l think that in "a families in
town there were over 800 children. The
greatest number in any one family was
"a and the lowest ten, and when the
boys of these families got mixed up at
school or at other gatherings there were
always tussels and tugs for the mastery
by feats of strength, ETC., and very often
these ended in fights, when torn clothes
and bloody noses were very much in
evidence, and in the mean time their
tongues were not idle and examinations
and recriminations passed back and
forth hot and heavy. Among these
families were the Springs and the Fays.
The Springs lived where Hazen Bick-
ford now lives and the Toys lived on