Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-11-23

the Forefathers first set foot. But
do represent Ito put it euphemistical-
ly) the State Of Maine, which man
aged to get along amicably with
Massachusetts for 200 years after the
landing. and which this year and day
is celebrating the Centenary of it's
own statehood. / may claim q pro-
prietary interest, to say the least. In
that affair. and claim also to possess
in fee. all the virtues that naturally
accrue to Massachusetts where they
begin to spell the word culture with
"B" and end it with Boston" It's
q fine thing to have a complaccnt
past, and a well ordained ancestry
And l would say to this magnificent
composite of all the races of earth.
that the world calls New York. that
you will do we'll to consider, and
perhaps to emulate. the yet Puritanic
tendencies of the State Of Maine,
where humble folks still worship an
Gent gods. and where there are only
two kinds of Folk-thc sons OF Abor-
igenes and the sons of Diogenes, the
American Indian and tho true blue
honest-to-God American. by Puritan
birthright. Several Of my own an
cestors, for instance. inhabit base
ment lots on Burial Hill In Plymouth.
and ] may say further, that myself
got my first encouragement towards
political preferment from presiding
at a session of the Mayfower de-
scendants,, who yet were not suffl-
GENTLY numerous to elect me the
first time ran for public office.
And yet, in spite of all this show
Of evident fitness. am loath to step
over the edge Of this subject, SO Won
derfully presented here this evening.
can't just see how even can do
justice to my folks in twenty min
utes. And as for the future of the
Republic. prefer to permit 1t to take
its own course. along lines laid out
by our folks. don't know that even
If tried. I could tell you exactly
what will happen,-though might
venture to tell you some things which
will NOT happen-among which IS
fhis-that the foundations of the
United States Of America, as laid In
the strong and enduring cement of
the Pilgrim covenants, based on
teachings Of the Holy Writ, will not
be uprooted by this present rage of
Bolshevism or Communism. or fat
tened out by the meddlesome ma
ohinations of foreign diplomacies. I
think will take chance on saying
that; and l will go further, and pre-
dict that the impulses to human
brotherhood and Gods Fatherhood,
which were set in motion by that Pill
grim settlement, will live on and on.
and make us brotherly, a helpful.
an individualistic nation. Personally.
l shall be content if we attend to our
own business first and our brothers
business Immediately after ours. is
completed. provided our brother asks
our aid. l always did believe in our
old New England fashion of attend
ing to ones own family and then
helping the neighbors over the rough
spots. And always noticed that the
family up our way that had its own
house in order was the best sort Of
aid to the neighbor who needed a
helping hand.
And SO, Mr.. Chairman, and Ladies
and Gentlemen. l prefer rather to
look back over the 900 years Of the
simple chronicles of plain New Eng
ianders. provincial as 1t may be, and
reflect to you briefly some Of the
more evident values of that life. Not
that we. up In Maine, wholly relin-
quish our claims to prior settlement
upon what are yet our own shores.
II may digTess a moment in this
brief view of the past. will say that
we claim for Maine q settlement con-
temporary with jamestown. fact