Norwich bulletin., 1914-06-08
NORWICH BENEFACTORS HONORED
Notice in Exercise. of Benef.eton. Norwich. Eng land. Sends Greeting to Her Daushta City.


 and George Palmer between them would give $7.500 if the trustees would raise s10,000 more This was done. General Aiken commended the action of the citizens who at town meeting in 1898 answered the request for co- operation and the free library became possible. Its circulation instantly increased over eight times what it had been be- fore and the public interest was shown by the fact that In the first 40 years only one gift of s1.000 had been re- ceived, but in the next 20 over S55.000 was given by seven gentlemen There is a personal service, too, not to oe measured in dollars and cents. and the taxpayers of Norwich in a spirit of generosity have given the sums asked for year by year which have made sne library of inestimabIe public benefit.
 Principal -IirrelI Speaks. Principal Henry A. Tirrell of the Norwich Free Academy spoke impress sively upon the topic Benefactors of Our Educational Institutions. declar- ing that the most cherished possessions of any country are its children. and that it was of importance to home. church. country and state what train ing was given to the younger genera ton. The existence of public and pa rochial schools and the Academy voice the vonviction that the prosperity of the country depends upon education About 60 years ago John Putnam Gulliver so inspired the citizens with this idea that 50 of them united to found the Academy. and since that day hundreds have contributed to it's sup port. No list of names could adequate ly show the affection that went with these gifts. In these SO years over three-quarters of a million have been given for the Academy and has repre- scented a direct saving to the town of a large amount of money. More than 4,000 pupils have shared the oppor- tunity offered and have gone out to shed it's influence. Through that infiI- ence our benefactors still live They have made an investment for better character and patriotism. whose divi- dends are better than gold, for they are shown in a richer character, a broader citizenship.
 One name Principal Tirrell said he l would mention as typical of Norwich benefactors. that of William A. Slater | a man whose great heart was an in spiration to all. The generosity of our benefactors is a standing challenge to | us to do our best part for our country. The reference to MT. Skaters name
 was The signal for burst of applause. Benefactors of Our Parks.
 Hon. Joseph T. Tanning, president of the park board, spoke upon the l theme. Benefactors of Our Parks In the oldest portion of the com munity. he said, our park system had its origin 1S5 years ago. This was in the setting apart of the Norwich Town Green and the green at Bean Hill. In 1797 Thomas Tanning. Jo- seph Perkins and Joshua Lathrop gave | the Chelsea Parade, a civic triangle unmatched for beauty. In 1911 Heze- lCiah Perkins and Jabez Huntington gave the Little Plain." and in 1859 Horace Walker and Avery Smith deed ed the present Franklin street park. Tn 1875 Henry Bill gave the Laurel Hill park. and in 1906 the acre of land | which included the picturesque Meet ing House Rocks was given by Willis Perkins. gift that was amplified by Miss Sterry and some ladies of the rural association.
 | The Lowthorpe meadows of about 12 acres were the gift of the Gilman | family
 acres. of which 21s were dopated by pr. John A. Rockwell, Rev. Leonard w. Bacon and family. Mrs Henry l.. | Reynolds, Gen. Edward Harland, J. i Hunt Smith and a person who re- fuses to have his name published. and Edith M Bliss and Mir. and Mrs. | Henry R. Bond of New London. MT. Tanning referred to the superior | beauties of the park to which some l lines of Edmund Clarence Stedman | aptly apply which he quoted. and he said that he hoped before long the Shore Line Electric Railway company ! might be numbered among the bene- | factors by extending its line to the park
 This brought out appreciative ap-
 plause from his audience.
 Selection by Chorus. The Lost Chord (Sullivan) was
 rendered by the chorus with splendid | tonal effect
 Hospital Benefaetors. | Benefactors of Our Hospitals were i spoken of by Winslow T. Williams, president cf the Wm. W. Backus hos | pftal: who spoke of the 23 years of the | hospitals existence and said that all | he could do was to thrown up his | hands in attempting to express thank I fulness to William A. Slater whose | gift of s375,000 and his influence in ] securing the gift of s140,000 from ! William W. Backus had been the two i largest endowments to the hospital. sHe mentioned with appreciation the 1 gift of s15. 900 from the late John Ec- cles, and the services given by hos 1 pital visitors. clergymen. physicians, ! and those who furnish entertainment | for the patients. All were benefactors | of the truest kind. The demands of l the hospital are so great that con- [ tinued and increased support is need 1 ed to continue and increase its use- fitness to the community. He said he
 wishes to correct the impression that | it was rolling in wealth and unable 1 to spend its income for the last year 1 had closed with a balance of $150 in the running expencses and it had been compelled to increase it's rates
 but they were still lower than any | other institution in the state for the service rendered.
 Charitable Institutions.
 Rev. Charles A. Northrop, city mis-
 sionary, spoke earnestly upon the sub- | ject Benefactors of Our Charitable In ] stitutions describing what the l United Workers had done in Aheir 2I years of existence in which time they
 had handled $675.000. and had s250, ,O0t in legacies, ranging from $50 to s75.-
 900 as far as benefactors went h< said it seemed as if everybody wi.. | ever amounted to anything in Norwich l gave to the United Workers. They now had s143,000 invested in fundI from which $6.000 income was derived $3,000 was derived from sale of arti.
 cles and $15,000 was spent yearly SC | that there was s6,000 to raise from tho public contribution.
 In the first fourteen years legacies
 had amounted to sS2,000 and in the last fourteen years to s173,000. Seven, ] teen men had given s170,000 and 3I women ss0.000.
 l Rev. MT Northrop was deeply af. fected as he made reference to the | gifts of Moses Pierce and the late
 John Eccles with which he closed
 reading poem descriptive of the
 great influence in helping the life oi 1 a child.