Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1923-12-26

William s. Stewart has gone to
Portland to spend the holidays with
his daughter, Mrs Harlan Butler.
Richard Shaw, student of U. of
NJ, is spending his vacation with his
parents at the Sands
Mr.. and Mrs. j. w Stinson have
returned to South Hancock for the
winter
Herbert Rice and family have some
to South Hancock for the winter.
George Shaw of West Gouldsboro
was at Mrs Bert joys one day this
week
Miss Edna e. Colwell entertained
at cards Thursday evening.
Mrs. Chester Hamilton and Miss
Annis Ray are home from Winter
Harbor during the vacation of high
school.
Schoodic lodge, x. Of P, had a
large attendance at its last meeting.
The second rank was worked. de-
licious stew was served by Mrs.
Hamilton.
Dec. %. c.
At the party given e. w Cleaves
recently to celebrate his ninetieth
birthday, the following letter from
nephew came too late to be enjoyed
by the company:
Milo. Me, Dec. 49, 1923.
Dear Uncle Edwin:
believe that on Saturday. Dec. Is,
you will have reached another birth
day anniversary, and the ripe age. of
ninety years. Few men are privileged
to reach this age and to be blessed with
the splendid health that you enjoy.
Few, indeed. are there who can look
back over nine decades and contem-
plate the marvellous changes that have
taken place in science and history
since your birth in 1888.
At that time, all the land west of
the Mississippi, except for the Indian
tribes, was an uninhabited wilderness,
Chicago was small hamlet of about
$50 houses. Andrew Jackson was then
our President. The total population of
our country was less than 17,000,00Q,
During the first thirty years of your
lifetime slavery was an established
institution in the South You had
reached mature manhood when Lincoln
was first elected to lead our country
war. You were ten years old when the
first telegraph line was constructed
between Baltimore and Washington.
You were twelve years old when Elias
Howe. jr, completed the first sewing
machine. one year later pr. Morton
introduced the use of ether as an an
esthetic You can recall when, at the
age OF fourteen, gold was discovered
in California. Such men as Webster
and Clay were then members of Con
gress.
Your memory doubtless reaches back
to the publication of "Uncie Toms
Cabin" at which time you We're nine
teen years old You We're tWenty-s
when John Brown seized "Harper's
Ferry" and twenty-eght when Presi-
dent Lincoln was inaugurated
You have watched the advent of the
cook stove, the kerosene lamp, electric
ity, as applied to its manifold modern
uses, the telegraph, telephone, the de-
velopment of the railroads. In fact,
since the days when you and James c.
Chilcott attended school at Bluehill
academy, you have lived through the
most wonderful period of development
in the sciences and mechanical arts
that can be recorded in all history
l wish that you might feel inclined
during your leisure hours to make a
record on paper of the times conditions
and affairs of men as you remember
them in your early years. 1t would
give pleasure beyond bound to your
many loving relatives if they could
have some of the old, old stories re-
told and recorded as only you could do,
and if you are still able to write, even
if less beautifully than you were wont
to do in past years, | am sure that such
records as you might make would be of
Unreasonable value to the genera
lions of relatives to come. If nothing
more, l wish you could write me of the
recollectons of your earliest childhood
when "Old Hickory wore the> bell"
Before closing. l wish to add that l
spent part of last Sunday, the Sth.
with my dear mother in Steuben. l
wish to offer my best congratulations
and sincere good wishes for your hap
day anniversary, and trust that the
Divine Providence will keep and pro-
tect you, with mother and Aunt Jo-
hanna, that you may be with us for
many years to come.
With love and best wishes, l remain,
Sincerely your nephew.
Jerome B. Clark.
Winter Harbor.