Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-07-16

1HE DALE OF lHE Fins tGlEDhAll ON !
SHOWN TO HAVE BEEN 1912.
Editor Register
In your issue of December 25, 1914, |
the Forefathers' celebration of that
week is chronicled as the seventy-first
AS took occasion in 1913 to determine
the date of the institutions founding,
/ should like to correct the statement
of last December and make sure for
the future the right chronology 1t
seems specially fitting that this should
be done now, when the bequest of Mr..
Battell makes certain the perpetuity of
the institution that his father es-
tablished and that he himself betrayed
the expenses of from the time of his
fathers death
In examining the files of the local
papers, preserved in the Sheldon
Museum, struck in at random at 1850,
and found that the celebration was al
ready old enough in Middlebury to war
rant its being given somewhat face
tious treatment In the Register of Jan
l, 1851, is the the following account:
"Forefathers Day was duly celebrated
at the Congregational church on Thurs
day evening, having necessarily been
postponed from Monday on account Of
the storm. AS the main body of the
Puritans did not land until the 26th, we
see not why that evening was not, after
oil 70 of loacf fo,. q
change. The address, by Governor
Eaton, was a well-wrtten production,
in its main purpose going to show that
whatever is best in all that gives par
ticular character to our religious, polit
zeal, and social institutions and principles
is due to the Pilgrims. A supper was
served at the Vermont Hotel at the
close of the exercises, which we were
unable to attend We are told that the
occasion was a very pleasant one-a
statement we should have no hesitation
to endorse. We are Indebted to cor
respondent for some particulars relat-
ing to this entertainment, which will
be found on the next page" But, alas,
1.-The rest is silence"-a column or
more, the material in question, having
been cut from the page referred to;
Deuteronomy 27, Il.
Looking back through the years,
came upon such notices as this, in the
Galaxy of December %, 1876, to show
me that the beginnings were earlier
''The anniversary of the landing of the
Pilgrims will be observed in this town
the present year, as usual. The eXer.
cises will be attended in the Congrega-
tional church on Tuesday evening,
December %, at six o'clock. The address
will be delivered by Hon. Samuel Swift. ~
Similarly, the address for December %,
1874, was advertised as to be given by
DR.. N. S. S. Beman of Troy, and the
celebration of 1S43 was also heralded.
Two harmonizing bits of evidence make
it practically certain that the first
celebration was in 1912, though it is no
where specifically stated that the custom
was then inaugurated there is no pre-
vious advertisement or subsequent
notice in the files of lS4l while the
wording of the advertisement for the
celebration of 1912, in the pages of tn,
Peoples Press, is in itself almost proof
positive that the occasion had had NJ
predecessors: 1.-THE 222d anniversary
of the landing of our forefathers on tn,
shores of New England will occur or
Thursday, the 22d inst. On the even
ing of that day, an address will be
delivered by Professor Stoddard on the
character and principles of the Puritans
Services will commence at half-past si9
O'Clock in the Congregational church
Appropriate music is expected. TIL,
public generally are invited to attend. ;
The date of the first observance
therefore, being 1912, the commemora
ton of December, 1914, was Middle
bury's seventy-third.
CHARLES b. WRIGHT.