Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-08-28

men. Yet, the Same spirit
each; the same call sounded in the
ears of the man of Maine as sounded
in the ears of the man of Kentucky
God was good to us in 1S09;-he was
good to this slave ridden land far be-
You'd its deserts, as / have sometimes
thought, in giving us the rail-splitter,
the lawyer, the emancipation of Il race;
He was good to us in like degree in
giving us here, on this hilltop. the
cuickcninG of that majestic old Com
moner, that far-seeing prophet of the
times, that unfinchng patrot-Hanni-
bal Hamlin
1t is the Part of others at this time
TO sketch, in detail, the life that was
begun here q hundred years ago il
the even then, well-filled Hamlin house
hold, for, with the habit of the time
the cradle of the Hamlins had rocked
industriously until 1909. 1t is but fit
ting, however that we refer briefly. at
least to the environment and the an
cestry of Hannibal Hamlin, and to the
associations which cluster about this
spot, which, for so many years. was
the home of families most influential
in the history and development of
Il
eXertcd great influence in the shaping
of the course of Maine in the opening
years of her statehood. Here were an
unusual number of educated men, con-
stituting an advanced social and in
tellectual life. AS the Washburns in
the neighboring town of Livermore,
were rearing senators. conTrns:;Nl'n
ard governors, SO were de hin.ils.
out OF Il stock that drsc"l dcI in =. dc
from that, which foilow' ii 1Nc .li.-~
flower Pilgrims to Caoc Cod All st
tied IN Barnstable il lG.:'. FAC Hl.u-
Inns were aggressive AND furccfu..
They took active part in the early
struggles of colonization. They fol-
lowed Washington's command through
al the dark days of the Revolution, and
kept close to Knox, Lafayette, Pulaski,
and Alexander Hamilton. Hannibal
Hamlin's grandfather became an Of
icer in the Revolutionary army and
in return for his services the General
Court of Massachusetts gave him and
his sons grants of land in the District
of Maine. Major H2mlin visited this
land and wrote back to the General
Court that he did not highly esteem
the gift; indeed, he advised the Gencr-
al Court of Massachusetts to give the
land back to it's original oWncrs--the
bears. This may have been the origin
Of the title of this domain in the So
called oxford bears. At any rate, the
oxford bears got one of tine choicest
slices of the territory of Maine and to
their credit they have tremendously
improved both the quality of the land
hn ct of hears
time. And the Hamlins who came here
helped to do it. DR.. Cyrus Hamln.
father OF Hannibal Hamlin, graduated
1T Harvard Medical School; was six
feet tall, and weighed 200 pounds-a
great man in every way.
He settled in Livermore, married a
IiVermore girl of Pilgrim patriot stock
On both sides of her house. DR.. Cyrus
E!amlin moved to Paris Hill in
1862 where he built this beautiful old
colonial mansion in which Hannibal
!Iamlin was born, this row of elms.
am told. having been set out by Han
nibal himself. The Hamlins played az
children with the Washburns, Israel,
Elihu b., CadWalladcr, Charles, and
William d., unique group of lads OF
whom in their joint and several des-
tinieS three were to be governors OF
states. FIVE were to be members of the
House OF Representatives in Congress,
two or three to be United States sena-
tors. three were to be diplomats in the
most exalted position in foreign ser
vice, one Was to be secretary of State
in the cabinet of President Grant, and
one was to be the vice president of
the United States.
This is Of no common or uncertain
consequence. We are apt to give a
reverential acknowledgement to God
for raising up men in great crises. but
we must give credit also to the fixing
of character the formation of ideals,
and the growth OF intellectual power
under Divine leadership, to ancestry
and environment. Men get much of
their power of sacrifice from the father
or the mother-quite as often the lat
ter-and they find much of their in
SEPARATION to liberty and freedom from
dwelling in these great open places,
on hills and mountains like these. that
ever nave reared men devoted to free
dom and to public service. And Han
nibal Hamlin was man of this type.
| He was true patriot. and consist
ent and faithful disciple of the cause
! OF others.
| In these days we find a large. and
sometimes I am afraid. growing in
credulity, as to the possibility that any
; man should risk his own future for the
cause that he believes to be right. We
have come as a people too largely to
estimate the acts of public servants
as from purely selfish standpoint, 1t
is not wise to claim too much for this
frequently reacts) but in all you may
read of Hannibal Eamlin you will find
Continued on Page Twelve.)