The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-03-08
Skon hegan's Two Hundredth Ami
Versary

w. b. Kendall of Bowdoinham IN
letter refers to the hundredth ami
yersary celebration which Skowhegan
Is planning for the coming year, but
suggests a gift fund to be allowed to
accumulate for one hundred years.
Mr.. Kendall says in part:
noted that Skowhegan was going
IA celebrate its Tooth anniversary this
year presume you are planning to
90 through the usual forms of hilarity.
With bands of music, fireworks and
probably a small amount of fire water,
welcome to the adjoining towns, and
old fashioned parades on such a scale
that the choice characterics of
Skowhegan will be we'll reflected in,
but in a short time the whole demon
stration in celebrating your birthday
will have passed into oblivion On
the other hand suppose some fine citi-
zen of your town should see al e7por-
tunity of doing something more stable
and lasting in memory of real birth
day To serve well and long in the
years to come after 1923. Would not
he do fine thing to perpetuate his
own memory, and for posterity If he
would take sum of say 10000 AMI
make the town a birthday present, and
II invested in strong securities with
one of your banks, the trustee
and the fund to be kept at compound
interest, the accumulation in one hun
dred years to be used by the town OF
Skowhegan at that time for say edu-
cational purposes. II this money
amount TO about 1870 times the original
sum or $3.50 1000 at per cent it would
amount to fifty times the original sum
or $250,00O. If it could possibly be
invested at 6 per cent it would amount
to $40 times or 81 100000.
In 2023 when you celebrate the
200th anniversary | submit that all
that you do at the present time in the
ordinary course in view of such u
proposition, as outlined above, would
long ago have passed into forgetful-l
ness and IL any citizen in Skowhegan
was prompted to make gift of this
amount which would be princely
thing to do, and which would carry
his name down to posterity for all
time. | submit how much better it
WDulu De not lDT one lHuifiuudl pci
son to give this sum of money alone.
they might be willing to do so, but
rather that one or two thousand PEG
pie in Skowhegan should contribute
this much in small sums. In its be-
ing contributed by two thousand peo-
pie instead of one person we get a
concrete illustration of the democracy
of today which would by this act alone
call for a greater democracy tomor-
row, and in connection with the con
tribution of the people of Skowhegan,
residents and natives wherever they
might be found and inhabitants OF
surrounding towns, who wish to con-
tribute with any contribution there
should come written message in
scribed on long lasting rag stock pa
per, telling of themselves, and of their
family. of incidents and anecdotes OF
history and of present conditions and
with written good wishes to those
coming in the future that were to in
habit the land that we were to vacate,
al these messages to be of uniform
aize. All the history of the celebra-
ion and all the ordinary celebration
90 along just the same. 1t doesn't
iale much imagination to see that
when the one hundred years roll
around that if the accumulation of the
money that they might secure this
year had amounted to say one quarter
Of million dollars and the town Of