Oxford Democrat., 1909-08-31

memorating should have been in this es-
pecialy God-given spot; and that he
whose cradle we can almost seem to see
rocking in those August days century
ago, should himself have been born In
the same year as Abraham Lincoln, and
himself have been the first, as 1 believe
is the fact, to have suggested Lincoln's
birthday as a day of national holiday.
We have just done celebrating that
other centennial-and what is finer than
that we complete the work of memorial
and year of joint remembrance to the
two great men who struck hands togeth-
er in love, friendship and perfect
understanding, in the great crisis of this
nation in 1861? The one was born in the
new West, when the tide of slavery was
at full flood; the other was born here in
old Oxford county in the land of noun
tainS that have ever bred free men, yet,
the same spirit animated one as animat-
ed the other and the same call sound
ed in the ears of the man of Maine as
sounded in the ears of the man of Ken
lucky. God was good to US in 1909. He
was good to this slave-ridden land far
beyond it's deserts, as | have sometimes
thought, in giving US the rail-splitter,
the lawyer, the emancipation of race.
He was good to US in like degree in CIV
ing us here on this hilltop the quicken
ing of that majestic old Commoner, that
far-seeing prophet of the times, that un-
flnching patriot-Hannibal Hamlin.
1t is the part of others at this time to
sketch in detail the life that was begun
here hundred years ago in the even
then we'll filled Hamlin household, for,
with the habit of the time, the cradle of
the Hamlins had rocked industriously
until 1909. 1t is but fitting. however,
that we refer briefly, at least, to the an
associations which cluster about this
spot, which for 80 many years, was the
home of families most Influential in the
history and development of Maine.
Here lived a group of men who exerted
great influence in shaping the course of
Maine in the opening of her Statehood.
Here were an unusual number of educat-
ed men, constituting refined and intel
lectual environment. AS the Washburns
in the neighboring town of LivermOre,
were rearing senator's, congressman and
governors, go were the Hamlins, out of a
stock that descended in direct line from
that which followed the May flower Pill
grims to Cape Cod and settled in Barn.
stable in 1889. The Hamlins took active
part in the early struggles of colonial
ton. They followed Washington's COM
mand through all the dark days OF the
Revolution, and kept close to Knox,
Lafayette, Pulaski, and Alexander
| hal nj irtc
father became an officer in the Revolu-
tionary army and in return for his
services the general court of Massachu-
setts gave him and his sons grants of
land in the District of Maine. Major
Hamlin visited this land and wrote the
general court that he did not highly
esteem the gift; indeed, he advised the
general court of Massachusetts, to give
the land back to its original owners-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 the choicest slices of
the territory of Maine and to their credit
they have tremendously improved both
the quality of the land and the stock of
bears since that time. And the Hamlins
who came here helped to do it. DR..
Cyrus Hamlin, father of Hannibal Ham,
lin, graduated at Harvard Medical
school; was six feet tall, and weighed
two hundred pounds-a great man in
every way. He settled In Livermore,
married Livermore of Pilgrim patriotic
stock on both sides of her house. DR..
Cyrus Hamlin moved here to Paris Hill
in 1905, where he built this beautiful
old colonial mansion in which Hannibal
Hamlin was born, this row of elms, am
told, having been sent out by Hannibal
himself. The Hamlins played as chill
dren with the Washburns, Israel, Elihu
B., Cadwallader, Charles, and William
D., an unique group of lads of whom, in
their joint and several destinies, three
were to be Governors of States, FIVE were
to be members of the House of Represent
atives in Congress, two or three to be
United States Senators, three were to be
diplomats in the most exalted position
in foreign service, one was to be Score.
tary 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 con.
sequence. We are apt to credit the
supernatural element of life and give
acknowledgement to God alone for rails
ing up men in great crises, but we must
give credit also in the fixing of character
the formation Of ideals, and the growth
of intellectual power to ancestry and en-
vironment. Men get much of theil
power Of sacrifice from the father OF
the mother-quite as often the latter
and they find much of their incentive te
, liberty and freedom from dwelling ir