Norwich bulletin., 1909-07-06

made its character. The Rev. James | Fitch could not look upon any other | religion in this community with any | degree of patience, but his descend
 ants, firm in the faith as he was, now see that the best way to promote
 Christianity and the worship of God arfd religion is to let every man Wor- ship God as he chooses (Applause.) This community was well supervis9d
 by the clergy, and they did well py the clergy The Rev. James Fitcn, after fourteen years in Saybrook, came here and presided in the First church for forty more years. have
 heard clergynen say that after a cier- gyman passes his fiftieth year he ought ought to be emeritus and step out of
 the profession. They did not say so in those days. There was an authority about a minister of the gospel that
 meant a great deal more than mere
 persuasiveness. and the clergyman's
 authority is one that seems to culti-
 vate long life. Presided 117 Years. The Rev. James Fitch was succeeded by Dr. Benjamin Lord, and he was sue eeeded by Dr. Strong, all of the same church, and the Doctors Lord and Strong presided together. including six years when thev were both m inisters i of this town, one hundred and seven
 
 l in a community of God-fearing men with force of character, with power to
 condemn wrong and uphold right, and then you can understand how Norwich has survived and preserved an individ- , uality. (Applause.)
 Major Mason was a statesman. He was deputy governor His chief was Governor Winthrop. and Governor Winthrop, while Major Mason presided over the colony of Connecticut, went to London and found King Charles II in such good humor that he got that far famed charter to Connecticut. They said that Charles II was monarch who never said a foolish thing and never did a wise one (Laughter) Whether it was wise for him or not, the charter of Connecticut that he gave, with'its principles of free institu- 1 tions and, it's latitude to the people of Connecticut in carrying on their gov- ernment. was certainly from our stand point a wise act, and don't wonder that when they tried to get it away they put it in that oak where it was not found.
 The truth is. my dear friends, we hear a great deal of discussivn or free | government and references made to the declaration of independence which l this day celebrates. And some people 1 so construe that instrument that they
 
 men or children or women are born | with the instinct of self government such that they can frame government | when they begin to talk. Now that is
 rot true. Self government has been fought out in the history of this world and by certain races has been hammer | ed out by thousand years of struggle and men have taught themselves until l they have sense enough to know what | is their own interest and self restraint enough to know what is their interest and to give every other man all that is coming to him according to right and justice. (Applause.)
 Men of Strength and Individuality. Now what is true with respect. there lfore, to our ancestors is not true with 1 respect to many races in this world. They have to be led on and taught the principle and lesson of self government. But our ancestors. by wise negligence lin the-hOme government for nearly two l hundred years, came to be the best prepared people there were in the world for self government Take the town of Norwich and see how those
 thirty-five men and the people who fol- | lowed them made up a government; how they were conscious of the respon- sibility that they took upon themselves
 when they attempted a government themselves, and how they carried on an orderly government government of liberty, regulated by law. So it was
 in every town in the thirteen. colonles. i They were all men of strength of indi- viduality, of self restraint and they knew what it cost to build up gov ernment and maintain it; and when on | the 4th of July, 1776, they declared | their independence of Great Britain l they did it with reluctance and with i! hesitation because they knew the tree | mendous burden on their backs and | they knew the responsibilities that l they owed to the world and that they owed to the people for whom they were making the declaration.
 | No better example of the character | of those men who made that declara- l tion of independence and who subse- quently framed the constitution of the United States could be found than right here among your representatives | of the town of Norwich. Your select men, your leaders, had the education | and the experience that fitted. them, as all the Americans of that day were fitted, to organize and maintain civil | government and preserve the free in- | stitutions and liberty regulated by law. | Virtues Still Exist.
 | Now you have stood and looked at
 the procession so long that your eyes are strained and I do not mean to strain your ears. wish again to tes- | tify to the profound pleasure I have had in studying the history of the town of Norwich. of going over the ' character of your great men and of
 realizing that the strength of your kcommunity-the character of your | community-is in the character of the
 men that made it up: and doubt not ! that right here under these beautiful elms, and in these houses, so many of
 which preserve the memories of the past. there is the same respect for vir- l tue, for individual character, for hon. | esty, for freedom and for law that was l left to you as a legitimate legacy from the ancestors whose memory you hon