The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1911-08-04

was detected and IN consequence
company of men went over thC
E mountain to help Gen. Stark a
: Bennington.
. The First Interlude, The Spirit o
/ Home, returning to the dramatic
, dancing, shows the coming of thu
white mans civilization. The Spirit
of Home, coming from among {
group of pioneer women, gradually
wins over the Nature Spirits who IL
large numbers have been trying tc
drive away the little band of settlers
The building of the old Church
and the beginning of the village Of
Thetford Hill find their origin in g
dispute among the people in 1874
as to the location of the meeting
house. Resort was had finally to
arbitrator who decided that the
church should be erected half way
between the two settlements on top
Of hill; this they considered to be
the only decision they could give
that would be obeyed. The old
Musical Society in Thetford and
Lyme will have a revived rehearsal
in connection with this episode,
people from Lyme having been in
vlted to come over and take the
parts of their ancestors.
There follows the founding of the
Thetford Academy in 1918. Judge
Simeon Short, returning on horse
back from his historic ride to Meri-
den, N. H., will make his suggestion
that Thetford have an academy to
a group of friends who are gathered
to drink tea with Judge and Mrs.
Hubbard of Windsor and a Miss
Rittenhouse of Philadelphia. 1t is
very picturesque scene. Justin
Morrill, of Strafford, boy of IA, is
introduced, coming in an old wagon
on an errand to Judge Short. He
was one of the early students at
the Academy.
An old time Country Fair full of
fun and old-time frolic leads up to
an interlude called the Age of Home
spun, consisting of some of the old
dances led by the fiddler, while
around the group of dancers fami-
lies carry on some of the old home
industries, such as spinning, weav-
ing, winnowing and making maple
sugar with the sap-yokes. Into
this quiet, happy scene breaks the
Spirit of War. insolent and cruel,
driving the people before her.
The long roll of the drum will |
bring in the episode of the Civil
War, which shows what the war
meant to Thetford. The incidents
center around the departure of a
group of soldiers for the front, the
of the Battle of Get
tysburg, the call for more troops and
further enlistments, and the return
of wounded soldiers from the field
Of battle.
The Introduction of Machinery
gives in short graphic scene the
cause of much of the further loss
Of population, when the small
farmer, losing half of his income
rom working for the big farmer
with the introduction of agricultur-
al machinery had to root up his
and move to the city
where the opening of mills made a
demand for men.
The Rural Problem shows how
Encouragement and loss of belief in
themselves and in their town has
in failure to believe in
The ability of a son and in his future.
This depicts the personal, the most
serious, aspect of the rural situation.
In the next interlude, the Spirit
Of Pageantry, the rise of Thetford
out of her depression and distress,
putting Joy into all work, and the !
brief vision of America, marks the
to the consideration of
The future and goal of a united
own, successfully working out its
educational and social
questions.
This ideal which the people of
rhetford have set before them will ,
,e suggested in three episodes which {
will in a measure be combined, the
1ew Agriculture, the New Educa-
ion, and the New Life. In the
irst a miniature Town Fair, will {
how the people of the town taking q
took each year of the best that
hey have accomplished in the past q
ear. The New Education will Il
how the work done in the Boy 9
icouts and the Girl Pioneers, which =
re being organized in the town. 5
he New Life will show the gather b
lg of the Thetford clan in a simple g.
Ocial community spirit. n
Finally all the Pageant will come d
ogether to review in one group the Q
hole progress of the town from a
he beginning to the present and on
Ito the future. All assembled, L
ermont appears along the river. n