The Newtown bee., 1906-09-14
BRIDGEWATER
.BRIDGEWATER. Semi-Cen!ternial Gel
 ebration. THE TOWN DOES ITSELF
 PROUD. A Fine Dinner and Eloquent Speeches. NINE HUNDRED PEOPLE
 PRESENT.

An ideal September day was Thurs day of last week, the day set apart for the Semi-Centennial celebration, ar- ranged by the citizens of Bridgewater. For some weeks the officers ana com mittees of the Bridgewater Old Home Day association had been perfecting arrangements, so that when Thursday dawned, so complete and perfect were the arrangements that the event has passed into history as
 ONE OF THE MOST DELIGHTFUL AF-
 FAIRS OF ITS KIND EVER HELD IN
 THIS SECTION. ~ By II o'clock double and single teams began to come into Bridgewater from north, south, east and west, New Milford and Roxbury being more large 1y represented than others of the near by towns. NewtOwn, BrOOktield, Sher- man, Washington and Woodbury were we'll represented in the company. The place chosen for the gathering was an ideal one, under the trees near the Town hall. Tables had been spread for $50 people, and they were filled had been whetted by the long drive to the beautiful hilltop. It was about l o'clock when dinner was announced by President Sanford. Especial cour- tesy was shown the out-Of town guests, who were provided with seats at the first table. The dinner left nothing to be desired. The provision was abundant, and the repaSt inviting and toothsome: Chicken, cold meats, roasted clans in abundance, pies, cake and coffee. The tables were waited upon by the fair misses and matrons of Bridgewater, who were asSiduOuS in their attentions to the wants of their guests. The clans were cooked to t. m. The ladies who had charge of U dinner were: Miss Mary Morris, Hiss Mabelle F. Sanford, Mrs John H. Randall, Mrs Burton Garfield and Mrs E. R. Wooster.
 The WOodbury band, stationed on an elevated platform, furnished fine music during the day. They were generously applauded by the cro wd from time to time
 THE PROGRAM FOR THE AFTERNOON opened at about 3 o'clock, Henry c. Sanford, president of the Old Home Day association. presiding. In extend ing word of welcome, he said the present residents of Bridgewater take an interest in those who have gone out of the town, take sort of reflected glory in what you have done. He first introduced Attorney Fred l.. Keeler of Bridgeport.
 MT Keeler spoke as follows: "When your committee invited me to be pres ent here to-day to make speech 1 hesitated about saying whether l would come or not, for if there is any thing in the whole list of my activities that comes hard for me to do it is to make a speech, and it comes doubly hard for me to address an audience of my old acquaintanceS and former aSSO- ciates. In the language of the late Bill Nye, My thoughts come hard and something like felon.' I debated in my mind whether l would prefer to remain away and miss the enjoyment of this celebration or whether 1 would prefer being here after cold sweat for week in anticipation of address, ing you. My desire to be here over- came my aversion to speaking, and now that am here, for some reason or other, I feel quite at ease and at home, and in harmony with the spirit of this occasion, however my appear ance may indicate to the contrary. And before I proceed I want it dis tinctly understood that my regaling you with speech, if this talk can be so digniied, is chargeable to your con- mittee and not to any aspirations of my own.
 Your committee told me that I could talk upon any subject chose to select, but up to this moment l have made no selection; but the subject that most obviously presents itself to my mind at this time is your hospital ity, and l think l could make speech upon that subject: but it would be in pOore tva5ue for me to attempt to tell the people of Bridgewater anything about hospitality.
 I don't come to you with any mes- sage nor to preach you any doctrine, or to urge upon you any reform. l have not theories to exploit. l am simply here in obedience to that sentiment that draws everyone to his home and to the scenes of his early days, and surely there is no sentiment more en- titled to be indulgently treated than that under the influence of which
 WE GATHER AROUND THE CLAM BAKE
 AND SMOKE THE PIPE OF PEACE
 together.
 must confess that am not famil- far with the history of old home eel ebrations and know nothing of their purposes other than the name implies. It surely has to do with the awakening of old associations and with calling back to the paternal hearth, so to speak, the children of the town that have launched forth in life, and to talk over the things of the past. This is, l believe, the 5Oth anniversary'of Bridge waters birth into a separate political existence as one of the Self-gOverning towns of the historic Commonwealth of Connecticut. Fiftieth anniversaries from time immemorial have been ob- served as times for rejoicing and con- graduation, and we do we'll to follow | tbe tradition in having this our jubilee. Those of us who went forth to battle
 with life on wider Stage cannot but feel just pride in the Self-reSpectlng
 dignity and absolute fidelity with
 which this town has discharged all the duties of self-government for the en- | tire 50 years of it's existence. May l
 venture to say as one who 19 years ago
 left the town, that l cherish among
 my most precious memories recOllec-
 tions of my boyhood here, and that
 whatever of success may have attend
 ed, or may attend, my efforts, l ascribe,
 or shall ascribe, in large measure, to | the wholesome life that l saw all
 around me here in my childhood.
 Those who have come back to the old
 home for this jubilee, and l see many
 such, will miss some, perhaps many,