“Eight years among the angels beloved, thou hast been,
Eight years has heaven’s white portals shut back the sound of sin;
And yet no voice, no whisper, comes floating down from thee,
To tell us what glad wonder eight years of heaven may be.
“That veil twixt earth and heaven a breath might wait aside;
We breathe the air, beloved; we follow one dear guide;
Passed into open vision out of our mist and rain,
Thou see’st how sorrow blossoms, how peace is won from pain.
“And as in waves of beauty the swift years come and go,
Upon celestial currents our deeper life shall flow.
Hearing from that sweet country where blighting never came
Love chimes the hours immortal, in earth and heaven the same.”
The above stanzas—with a slight alteration from Lucy Larcom[i], express the feelings of the writer at this time. It may not be necessary to state that the above mournful occasion that gives reminiscence to the above quotation, occurred on November 30th, 1901.[ii]
Last Wednesday evening and Thursday there was another “flareback” as may be said in the language of the meteorological bureau; but that office made no prediction of the change. Nevertheless, Thanksgiving Day was ushered in by the first snow of the season; and the day was inclement throughout—alternating with snow and rain. The bad weather precluded the possibility of much outdoor maneuvering. The banks were closed, but not all the stores in town did likewise. At 11 o’clock a union service of the M. P. and M. E. congregations was held in the M. E. Church; the Rev. J. D. Smith delivering the Thanksgiving sermon. The congregation was small. This may have been in part owing to the weather. What kept others away was: “they had nothing to be thankful for,” using their own language. And others hadn’t time; they are so busy in commercialism that we query whether they will want to take time to die. But perhaps, when that time comes they may not have things all their own way. The day passed as all other days have done and in the evening the “Passion Play” was rendered at the M. P. Church, as well as on the following evening. Social calls, by many ended the day and we all retired, in the evening sleep the sleep of the just, or to ramble around in dream and, in company with the goose we had eaten at dinner. O, insomnia! The result of gormandizing!
It is a bad practice, the pipe smoking, in the new buildings that are being finished. Almost any day we may see some “loafer” with a pipe in his mouth, going around through the buildings, and taking it all in. Wonder the contractors show it.
“Nuisance is about as mild a term as can be applied to the electric light system of Milton. Why the omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Town Council don’t demand better service is a mystery in diplomacy that the common mind and the tax payer may well say “we cannot comprehend.” Give us better electric service, or give us back the old street lamps.
Quite a quantity of damaged goods and empty cans have been dumped—weeks ago—along the causeway, dividing the two lakes on the Lavinia road. There may be nothing improper in this, but boys or children of a large growth have amused themselves by throwing these cans into the lake as far as they can reach and now the bottom of the lake is dotted with them; and when the morning sun is casting his slanting rays over the water the effect of these cans in the water is picturesque and grand. But we don’t know whether this method of pleasure and of counting beauty meets with the owners of these waters.
Mrs. Swartz, a soloist and speaker of Washington, D. C., delivered an address at the M. E. Church on Sunday evening.
Rev. J. D. Smith preached to Enterprise Council Jr. O. U. A. M. at the M. P. Church on Sunday morning.
Mrs. Mary E. Lank is visiting her children and other friends in Camden and Philadelphia.
It is stated “a Quantico preacher raised a sweet potato in his garden that weighed ten pounds.” There is nothing impossible for a Maryland preacher. Rev. C. S. Baker, formerly of St. Michael’s, kicked up a hub bub amongst his congregation, resigned his charge and severed his connection with the Wilmington Conference all by himself. And this was not the first time he did the first mentioned act. A preacher is prolific of deeds, as well as vegetables.[iii]
Mrs. William P. Johnson and son have returned from a Philadelphia visit.
Steamer Marie Thomas left on Wednesday to freight canned goods from Leipsic to Philadelphia.
On Sunday afternoon N. T. Veasey and Rob. Pettyjohn left town for Harbeson. When bit a short distance enroute the bridle bit broke in one of the horses’ mouth and the team ran away, breaking the dash of the carriage but doing no other damage.
A metal roof has been put on the stable of Captain John Fisher’s property on Federal Street in tenure of A. C. Raut.
The Third Quarterly Conference of this Conference year was held in the M. E. Church, on Saturday morning.
William Warren operated his moving picture paraphernalia in the upper room of C. A. Conner’s new store house on Saturday evening. He has this room under rent for the coming year.
By special arrangement with the railroad officials the noon train of the M. D. & V. now has a mail agent on, and connects with the D. M. & V. train at Ellendale for Milton.
Charles H. Atkins Jr. preached at the M. E. Church on Sunday morning.
Rufus Reed’s new dwelling on Chancelor Street is enclosed and ready for the masons.
Thomas Johnson has concluded that one tent is enough at Lavinia camp ground; and has taken one of his down and utilized the lumber for other purposes.
The walls of J. L. Black’s store house are up; workmen have begun again on William Mears’ buildings; and the Palmer block is going up nicely.
Silas T. Warrington died in Long Neck on Friday of senility, aged 81 years, 2 months and 21 days. Funeral services were held at Central M. E. Church on Sunday by the Rev. Joseph Hutson, and burial made in St. George P. E. Cemetery by S. J. Wilson & Son.
It is said the lecture of the Rev. W. W. W. Wilson at the M. E. Church on Tuesday evening was an historical and literary treat. There were many people present, and the speaker, always entertaining, is said on this evening to have been at his best. We were not present. The Milford Chronicle has a circulation approximately of 3000 copies; and each of these papers is read by four or five persons. Conservatively estimating we may say that each edition of the Chronicle is read by 15,000 persons. The lecture on which we have above alluded we advertised in our communication, in two issues of the paper, […]. Thus, if that service was [….remainder of paragraph illegible….].
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[i] Lucy Larcom (1824 – 1893) was an American poet and author from Beverly, Massachusetts. At the age of 11 she went to work at a textile mill in Lowell, and continued there for ten years. During this period she produce a large number of songs, poems and letters describing the mill girl’s life. The alteration to the original is the substitution of “Eight years” for the original “One year.”
[ii] The occasion was the death of David A. Conner’s wife Mary from gastritis. His grief at losing her was at times overwhelming, and still fresh in his mind.
[iii] The Wilmington Morning News of November 6, 1909 reported that charges were filed by the officers and members of the congregation against him; his resignation ended the matter. The nature of the charges is not known.