New Britain herald., 1917-01-09
What Would Our Fathers Thought
 of That"

What Would Our Fathers Thought
 of That" (By James Shepard)
 Il will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth" Elk 1 odus S4:1O. Some of the things we daily view | Were marvels when those things were l new.
 The river flowing through our state ] served once to carry Hartford $ 1 freight, But overland our freight to bear 1 Our horses plodded here and there, In seventeen hundred ninety-two l The first canal was builded through l Old Hadley, in the told Bay State. 1 Boston had one in eighteen eight. l In eighteen twenty-five, there came, l The Erie, with it's world wide fame,
 While Farmington. in twenty-two | A charter had to make one through | Our state. and on to Northampton. 1 Twas so completed as to run Part ways, in eighteen twenty-eight, And ten years later crossed our state. Old Pennington did celebrate 1 This marvel which they deemed so great. l The stars and stripes did gaily float To welcome there the coming boat l A band sent forth Q welcome cheer Many were there from far and near. Of all the crowd that sallied forth Most wide awake was old John North, A silk hat on his head did rest 1 For he had on his Sunday best l The horses came on narrow path With tow line taught the boat came aft. "Hurra" was then the peoples cry, At length the boat moved slowly by. l My God" auoth North, with lifted hat
 What would our fathers thought of that?" Propelled but by the winds of God, The Mayf1ower Pilgrims reached Cape Cod, ! Where they retoiced to find no more Than nigh ten weeks spent sailing OCT.
 One Fitch of Windsor paved the way, l Steam navigation to display. | In eighteen seven. Fulton's fame With steamboat on North river came Steam boats in many rivers piled And later crossed the ocean wide While ocean liners bear the date Of eighteen hundred thirty eight | They then began and ever aft Have followed the transatlantic path, We might have said. with lifted hat What would our fathers thought of that?' Old Quincy, Mass. once had in hand The only railroad in our land; But 1t was short and crude at least For cars were moved by man or beast Steam locomotives were, we find, First used in eighteen twenty-nine. While eighteen thirty Init the trair' With twenty-three full miles of rail. In nine years more. OCT railroad
 ground,
 Trains ran from Hartford to the
 sound
 The first imported labor here For building railroads did appear Our Yankees then did list to hear The Irish brogue to them so queer, And some exclaimed as home they "Oh! I have seen an Irishman." And when the whistle from a train Was sounded OCT the hill and plain. They knew it not, yet tried to guess, Some thought their cows were in dis In January forty eight Steam trains for passengers and
 freight
 Came into Plainvi1le day by day: The old canal then passed away, For rails were then. or were to be, Laid from Northampton to the sea. From Providence to Fishkill. too, A steam road was projected through. When eighteen fifty came around Through here to Bristol, trains were
 found.
 What would our fathers thought of
 that?"
 Throughout the day God gives us
 light
 And also, with mans aid, by night, The tallow candles feeble glow Was our great light long years ago, While some contrived for evening toll, In nasty lamps to burn whale oil. At length a few did burn camphene And after that came kerosene, Petroleum's successful bore First came in eighteen f1fty-four. Gas light was used in twenty-two And later, all the country through. Al last the night turned into day When came to us the great white
 way
 In eighty of an April night, We saw our first electric light, In an Arch street shop twas shown Electric lighting to make known. Again we say, with lifted hat, "What would our father thought of
 that?"
 Of common things. behold few We marveled at when they were new, The telegraph of forty-four That Morse first wired a message