Daily Kennebec journal., 1922-08-17

dOIIiduu NO. Z, the OtHer grants DeIUS
outside of Maine. thus giving us an
origin unlike any other in the State.
The first date in our history may
be said to be PAT years ago, in 1875,
when the General Court, to promote
enlistments, voted that if they play
cd the man, took the fort, and drove
the enemy out Of the Narragansett
Country, they should have a gratuity
in land.
I was not asked for an historical
address but for a word of tribute to
the Early Settlers. Turn again to
the resolve of 1875: 'If they played
the man; SO it read, and they did
play the man. There is no finer
tribute, and the splendid record Of
old Buxton was because its people
were the kind who played the man.
Early events seem to have moved
slowly. There was yet enough will
derness in Massachusetts to subduc.
1t was about a century after our
coast towns were settled before it
/ was possible to go onto the second
tier back. 1t was over 60 years aft
an attempt at settlement was made
here. After the fall of Quebec, with
its promise of peace, the settlement
throve.
In 1890 there were 335 men in
town, 81 dwellings,, 15G barns, 3
grlst mills, saw mills, 1854 head Of
cattle, and a crop Of 91S5 bushels Of
corn and grain.
Buxton, having been settled by
Massachusetts people we may prop
| erly take look at the history of the
mother commonwealth The early
histories of Maine and Massaclu-
sctts were not alike. The grantees
Of Maine were faithful adhcrcnts
OF the Church of England and His
Maiesty's loyal subjects while Il osc
Of Massachusetts were diSscntcrs in
religion, and from tho first. stiff
ncckcd and rcbcllious subiy IS of tile
King. | refer TO q period far back
of the Revolution. by HAT time
matters had 50 developed that all lib
states were Hnitcl.
While our schools and patriotic Or
ders do well TO aiorifv the great
Revolutionary Period. il may be thIt
the history Of Colonial times is bcine
! passed over too lightly From 1920
to 171G was 155 years. and from
then to this time 147 ycaI.' Bun'5~r
/ liill ard Lexington were about hulf
way points in our history, ana in
that first period our own 1olks
mad" possible what las followed.
1t las been claimed that the liter
atUrc of New England has so ideal
| lZcd hcr patriots that they appear
! unduly eminent il american his
tory. We deny that but rejoice that
| her sons lead also in letters.
Whatever may have been tho right
/ in the bitter colonial controversy BE-
| tween Maino and Massachusetts,
now happily in the dim past, it is q
I Tact that the particular stock that
! settled Narragansett No. !, to whon
| we pay tribute today, were fighting
sons Of Massachusetts; Nassachu-
ScttS bred and trained, stiff necked
/ purltanS, who had Tor hundred
I years esteemed their colonial chart
6
nodded approval of the execution OF
! Charles the First, who had support
cd Oliver Cromwell ana been liked
! by him. They had resisted Charles
the Second, and on the first report
OF opposition to the bigo,cd James
/ had turned out the ROYAL Governor
and returned that ancient puri-
! tan. GOV. Simon Bradstrect, tht
/ NcstOr Of Massachusetts BAY CoI.
ony, to the chair made famous by
Nathaniel Hawthorne. Those wer,
! ancient days. You. W, ) love thc
J stories of Dumas. should remembcl
j that our carly history was in I'll,
days Of The Three Musketeers, o
! the Great Cardinal, when Buckins-
/ ham declared war for the love of ;
woman, when powerful Spain dis
putcd our right to be in Nortl
! America, when France in her glory
and the great Jesuit Order were A.
( lied with American savaGcs for thc
! determination Of that thin line D
! England in America which. wher
not opposing the Mother Country
herself, was fighting her battles hoyc
Among those who have frs
thought today is Cart w +. Good.
win, author of GOodwin's Narragan
sett, the most extensive and complete
documentary publication for oul
town that any town has been favored
With-an edition of but 921 copies
privately printed in 1867, this IS q
rare book, one of tho most desirable
Maine items Of the collector or the
student
Joined with Capt Goodwin in the
publication Of Goodwin's Narragan-
sctt was the Hon. Cyrus Woodman.
He did much for the native town he
loved and his name is forever in her
roll of honor.
The late Joel II. Marshall. ESQUIRE.
was untiring in his interest in Bux-
ton history and ancestry: and We
also have to thank Rev G. T. Rid
Ion. Jr., author of Saco Valley Set
tiers.
We have traced our fathers back
to Massachusetts. We can also fol-
low that same old breed back to
England itself, back to the DAYS Of
Magma Charter. back, back to the
dawn Of human freedom, and their
story IS the story Of human liberty
itself, written in English laws. per
manent in the institutions Of all
states and nations that use the Eng
lish tongue, tho only hope in today's
distracted world.
SIDNEY