Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-01-20
ORLEANS ATHENEUM
REORGAh|zED LAST
SATURDAY EVENING
HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION
SINCE IT'S FOUNDING IN
1870 GIVEN

After eight years OF silence the old
debating and literary society of District
No. l Orleans, known as the Anthem
cum, was reorganized last Saturday
night in the school house now known
as the Lambertson school. The Off
GERS elected were: president, Ed.
Woodbridge; vice. president, Robert
Palmer; secretary-treasurer, Theodore
Lambretson. A history OF the or
ganization since its launching in 1870
was read by Ernest Woodbridge. Mr..
Wooldridge's article in full follows
On September 17th. 1870 few of
the progressive people OF this vicinity
met in this school house to organize
lyceum. That was forty-four years
ago last September. This school house
was new then and stood in a woods.
The trees were crowded so close TO the
building as to almost be menace to
the house, and they actually were a
menace to the scholars.
/ well remember when an old dead
oak that stood within a few rods Of the
house toppled over without warning
and flying limb struck one OF the
girls hurting her so that she tainted
away.
The popular form of athletics then
could not climb trees-well, he lived
in some other district. Perhaps the
fact of the close proximity of the trees
accounts for so many of the scholars
being educated in the higher branches
The fine state reward road which
now passes in front of this building
was then a rough corduroy road, thin
ly covered with 'boot-jack clay" The
fields on either side Of the road were
jungles Of uptuTned tamaracks, will
low and alder brush, cat-tail flags and
cut-grass.
The road going west on the section
line north of here was not there at
all, but branched off close to the school
house and wound around through the
woods on the brow Of the hill. Many
a trip have l, and some other boys,
too made over that road TO Robert
Howe's after a pail of water and woe
to the inquisitive chipmunk that
showed his head for we boys could
throw stones in those days as we'll as
climb trees. We did not make any
very fast time records on those trips,
but we did get a lot of fun out of
them and the job of carrying water
was one Of the prize privileges Of the
school.
Now, to get back to our subject,
these people met at this time to or
ganize a Lyceum G. w. Woodbridge,
Andrew. Hale and Frederick Holmes
were appointed as committee to
draft a constitution for the proposed
society
The next week the supporters met
again and formally adopted the con-
stitution bylaws and rules of order
presented by the committee. They
then arranged programs for one and
two weeks.
The objects of this society as set
forth in the preamble to the con-
stitution were as follows:
I'VE the undersigned do declare
ourselves an association for mutualim
provement in elocution, composition
and debating and for charging our
fund of general intelligence; in the
pursuit of which object we desire to
exhibit a due consideration for the
opinions and feelings of others; to
maintain a perfect command Of tenn
per in all our intercourse; to seek for
truth in all our exercises and have
adopted for our government the fol- !
lowing constitution, etc"
The constitution was signed by the
list of members. They were: Samuel
Woodbridge, +. -. Lambertson, Chas /
Woodbridge, Sylvester Chickering An
drew Hale, Charles Corkins, Jesse /
Wandle, Andrew Towne, Anna NJ |
Woodbridge, Alice York, J. c. Glenn (
mons, S. T. Smell, Martin Ackers,
Salem Goodwill, Charles Palmer, Will
lis Bricker, Elsie Lambertson and
Samuel Smith.
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