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* * * * *
AN ILLUSTRIOUS TOWN,--ANDOVER.
BY REV. F. B. MAKEPEACE.
Illustrations:
Main Street, Looking North.
Brechin Library.
Memorial Hall And Library.
Phillips Academy.
Old Stone Academy.
Theological Seminary.
Lieut.-Gov. Phillips.
Chapel, Theo. Seminary.
Punchard Free School.
Theological Seminary.--general View.
The Old Mark Newman Publishing House.
South Congregational Church.
JAMES OTIS, JR.
BY REV. H. HEWITT.
A ROMANCE OF KING PHILIP'S WAR.
BY FANNY BULLOCK WORKMAN.
THE SINGER.
BY LAURA GARLAND CARR.
THE WEBSTER FAMILY.
BY HON. STEPHEN M. ALLEN.
Illustrations:
Daniel Webster On His Farm.
Birth-place Of Daniel Webster.
THE NEW ENGLAND LIBRARY AND ITS FOUNDER.
BY VICTORIA REED.
Illustration:
Rev. Thomas Prince.
NEW ENGLAND MANNERS AND CUSTOMS IN THE
TIME OF BRYANT'S EARLY LIFE.
BY MRS. H. G. ROWE.
TRUST.
BY ARTHUR ELWELL JENKS.
NEW ENGLAND CHARACTERISTICS.
BY LIZZIE M. WHITTLESEY.
EDITOR'S TABLE.
EDUCATION.
HISTORICAL RECORD.
NECROLOGY.
INDEX TO PERIODICAL LITERATURE.
Illustration:
Hon. Henry Barnard, LL.D.
* * * * *
THE
NEW ENGLAND MAGAZINE
AND
BAY STATE MONTHLY.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
OLD SERIES, APRIL, 1886. NEW SERIES,
VOL. IV. NO. 4. VOL. I. NO. 4.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright, 1886, by Bay State Monthly Company. All rights reserved.
AN ILLUSTRIOUS TOWN,--ANDOVER.
BY REV. F. B. MAKEPEACE.
[Illustration: MAIN STREET, LOOKING NORTH.]
It is said that there are twenty-six places in the United States by the
name of Andover; yet when the name appears in the public prints it does
not occur to any one to ask which Andover? These facts are suggestive of
the wide knowledge and popularity of this historic town, and the abiding
interest of scattered thousands in its welfare. Her sons have gone forth
to dare and to do upon every field of honorable enterprise. Thousands of
pupils have pursued their studies here, and carry precious memories of
the schools, of teachers, and influences,--in a word, of Andover.
In this rapid and general view of the town,[A] all that will be
attempted is to connect the past with the present, and to give a picture
of Andover as it is to-day.[B]
[A] In the February number of this magazine will be found an
interesting article upon Abbott Academy, and in following numbers
articles, now in course of preparation, will be published upon the
Theological Seminary and Phillips Academy.
[B] The history of the town has been carefully written by Miss Sarah
Loring Bailey, and her volume of "Historical Sketches of Andover" is
very valuable.
The natural attractions of the town are great and permanent in their
character. There are neither gold mines nor alarming precipices, but
there are graceful rivers, a quiet rolling landscape, and extensive
views, shaded walks, and charming drives, because there are "more roads
than in any other town in New England;" the air is clear and bracing,
the sunsets once seen are not soon forgotten, the wild-flowers spring in
abundance, and the autumnal glory draws many visitors to the town.
[Illustration: BRECHIN LIBRARY.]
[Illustration: MEMORIAL HALL AND LIBRARY.]
When Washington made his tour of the Eastern States, after his
inauguration, he passed through Andover on his way from Haverhill to
Lexington. He spent the night at the Abbott tavern, and left upon the
face of his host's little daughter a kiss, which she was so reluctant to
lose that for a week she did not wash her face. In his account of this
trip he makes special mention of the beautiful country through which he
was passing.
All that is most characteristic in our New England landscape finds
its representation here. Its rugged granite breaks with hard lines
through the stubborn soil. Its sweep of hill and valley fills the
eye with various beauty. Its lakes catch its sunlight upon generous
bosoms. Its rivers are New England rivers, ready for work, and yet
not destitute of beauty.[C]
[C] Phillips Brooks.
The "Hill" is one mile from the depot, a very uphill way, but one which
it is well worth the stranger's while to travel. Upon its top is a tract
of about two hundred acres, the property of Phillips Academy, upon which
stand the various buildings of the institution, now nearly seventy in
number.
[Illustration: PHILLIPS ACADEMY.]
Prof. Keep, in a recent article, says:--
The wide prospect from Andover Hill is suggestive of the world-wide
fame of the school; and the lovely elm-shaded park, in which stand
the buildings of the Theological Seminary, and the church where the
members of the academy worship, is a hardly less peaceful and
charming scholar's retreat than are those of the college gardens of
Oxford and Cambridge.
This elm-shaded park is the beautiful campus of seven or eight acres. In
the background are all the buildings of the Theological Seminary, except
Brechin Hall, and in front of them is the avenue of elms which makes the
"Gothic window." Nothing of its kind could be more beautiful. Overhead
are the interlaced branches of the lofty trees, the end of the avenue
forming the exquisite window, through which extends a long vista. On
either side of the mullion one has the view of a church in the distance;
and in the valley of the Merrimac nestles the city of Lawrence.
[Illustration: OLD STONE ACADEMY.]
[Illustration: THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY.]
Not far remote is "Carter's Hill," with its commanding view and unbroken
quiet, and destined to become a favorite summer resort, for such as wish
to enjoy some of New England's choicest scenery, to know some of its
purest life, and to keep within an hour's ride of Boston. Within easy
view are Monadnock, Wachusett, and other smaller mountains; the
beautiful Merrimac River, with its populous valley, and the
graceful, busy Shawshin, where it was said, the Devil baptized the
witches,--contemptible when thought of as the object of great Boston's
covetous desire, but important in its relation to the several mills upon
its course, and for its contribution to the general beauty.
"Indian Ridge" is one of the series of lenticular hills, which continues
to the north-east as far as Portsmouth, N.H., and in an irregular course
may be traced westward to the Connecticut River.
[Illustration: LIEUT.-GOV. PHILLIPS.]
This ridge is supposed to have been the spot of Indian encampments, and
is within a tract of land now owned by the town, and intended as a park.
Near it is the "Red Spring," and a mile or two north-east is "Den Rock,"
all of which are frequently visited by holiday bands of children, and by
students in hours of recreation.
The Andover records date from 1639, and the town was incorporated May 6,
1646. The story of Andover's progress from its foundation until the
present, is full of interest. The town's part in all the early movements
was most creditable, and full of intelligence. At the close of a
century of its life we find vigilance as to the character of its growing
population.
The authorities believed that whatsoever a town soweth, that shall it
also reap. It was therefore in vain that the "pauper immigrant" or
"criminal classes" knocked for admittance. It is said that the town was
"made up at the beginning of 'choice men,' 'very desirable' and 'good
Christians.'"[D]
[D] Historical Sketches, p. 145.
[Illustration: CHAPEL, THEO. SEMINARY.]
[Illustration: PUNCHARD FREE SCHOOL.]
"The selectmen were empowered to examine into the character and habits
of all persons seeking residence, and to admit none who were idle or
immoral.
ANDOVER, the 30th of January, 1719-20.
_To_ MR. EBENEZER LOVEJOY, _constable_.
GREETING:--Whereas there are severall Persons com to Reside in
our Towne and we feare a futer charge and as the Law directs to prevent
such charge, you are Requested in his Majesty's name forthwith to
warn the severall persons under wrighten: to depart out of our Town
as the law directs to, least they prove a futer charge to the
Towne.
[Signed by the Selectmen.]
"The town also encouraged desirable persons to settle by making them
grants of land, etc. Ministers and masters of grammar schools were
exempt from taxation."
[Illustration:
THE CHAPEL. PHILLIPS HALL. BARTLETT CHAPEL.
BARTLETT HALL. BRECHIN HALL.
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY.--GENERAL VIEW.]
In few places can the local features of the great Revolutionary struggle
be as well studied as in the ample and well-preserved records of
Andover. It would take many pages to tell what the town did in council
and on the field, in business, and at the fireside, to encourage the
patriots. So loyal was the town that its citizens were greatly trusted,
and a portion of Harvard College library was sent there for its greater
safety.
[Illustration: THE OLD MARK NEWMAN PUBLISHING HOUSE.]
A pleasant description of the town is given by Thomas Houghton, an
Englishman, who, writing from Andover in 1789, mentions several
characteristics of the people at that period. He says: "One thing I must
observe, which, I think, wants rectifying, that is, their pluming pride
when adjoined to apparent poverty,--no uncommon case!"
He adds that they grow "their own wool, which they also get spun,
weaved, and dyed, and both the gentlemen I am with, Hon. Samuel Phillips
and his father, who is a justice of the peace, generally appear in their
own manufacture, in imitation of the British."
[Illustration: SOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.]
"As to property, it seems so well secured from principle in the people
that there is not such use of locks and bolts as in England. Even where
I am, we have five out-door and sixty-two sash windows; yet all the
barage on the doors is a wood catch on the door-snek." ...
"Oh, what a country has Britain lost by her folly! But this is too
large a field to dwell on in a letter; the subject, from even poor me,
would easily draw forth a volume."[E]
[E] Sketches of Andover, pp. 402-3.
Among the early students in Harvard College, from Andover, was one who
was destined to immortal renown. When the rebellious spirit against
England began to rise, Samuel Phillips, whose father, by the same name,
was then the representative to the General Court, was one of the most
earnest to fan the sacred flame. Choosing "Liberty" as the theme, while
in college he wrote: "We should watch against every encroachment, and
with the fortitude of calm, intrepid resolution oppose them. Unborn
generations will either bless us for our activity and magnanimity, or
curse us for our pusillanimity."
In 1775 he is chosen to represent the town in Provincial Congress, to be
held at the meeting-house in Watertown.
His great life-work now began, a work which will be more fully described
hereafter. In all the relations and duties of student, patriot, business
man, judge, lieutenant-governor, and founder of Phillips Academy, he won
for himself a good report, and helped to lay lasting foundations.
"Phillips School," as it was at first called, was opened April 30, 1778,
in a "rude building of one story about 30 x 25 feet, done off
temporarily in the plainest manner for the purpose, and not intended for
more than thirty or forty scholars." From this small beginning the
school has developed into the widely-famed Academy, which numbers more
than three thousand graduates, and under whose instruction have passed
about eleven thousand pupils. The limits of this article prevent a
notice of those alumni who have become justly famous, and also of the
very strong faculty of instructors, at whose head stands one of the
foremost of American educators, under whose wise direction Phillips is
fast becoming the synonyme of Rugby, and is already one of the important
sources of supply of student-life for Harvard and Yale.
In 1785 the "joiner's shop" gave place to a new academy, which stood
west of where Brechin Hall now stands, and which was burned in 1818. The
third academy, erected in the same year, is now used as the gymnasium.
In 1865 the present academy came into being. It is a noble structure,
with excellent facilities for educational work. Its spacious hall,
where occur the commencement exercises, and the annual contests for the
various prizes, is adorned by the portraits of many of the Academy's
illustrious dead.
The new laboratory is a part, already finished, of the proposed
building, for the use of the classes in the natural sciences.
For want of funds in hand, only the east wing has been built, and this
is now occupied by the class in analytical chemistry. When completed,
the building will be a beautiful and a convenient structure. The walls
will be of pressed brick laid in red mortar, with dark granite base, and
Nova Scotia sandstone trimmings. The roof will be covered with Monson
slate. The basement will be eleven feet high, mostly above ground, and
will serve for the force-pump, heating apparatus, and for rough storage.
The chemical laboratory will occupy the main floor, and will be a room
40 x 30 feet. Abundant light and air are to be supplied by windows on
three sides, and the system of ventilation will be excellent.
The advantages aimed at in this building are, ample space, freedom from
dampness, abundant light, the means of speedy and complete ventilation,
good drainage, a minimum of absorbing surfaces, and a minimum of fire
risk. The building, when completed, will have a small side-room for
books and balances, a private laboratory for the instructor in charge,
a spacious lecture-room, a drawing-room, cabinets for the various
collections in geology, mineralogy, etc., now inconveniently distant, a
dry store-room, also corridors, closets, and janitor's quarters,
complete.
The chaste and time-honored seal of Phillips Academy was the gift of
John Lowell and Oliver Wendell, the grandfathers of Oliver Wendell
Holmes; and probably, though not certainly, was engraved by Paul Revere.
In 1807 the "Class in Theology" became a distinct institution, the
first of the kind in the world, whose invested endowment now
reaches nearly a million dollars and which has graduated nearly
2,000 students. The Theological Seminary has passed her 75th
anniversary; yet, as a representative and defender of whatever is
most vigorous, active, and progressive in Christian orthodoxy, she
holds an aegis that is ageless, and a sceptre imperishable. And it
is said that no one man now living can read even the alphabets of
all the languages through which her sons have sought to interpret
the Word of God to the world. Previous to 1807 the Academy itself
did a most important work in educating young men for the Christian
ministry, and has contributed to the education of more clergymen
than any similar school. The Academy has also been a large feeder
of the Seminary and other theological schools, and for long periods
has graduated every year from five to fifteen young men who have
become ministers. Indeed the Academy has been called, not without
reason, itself a Seminary.[F]
[F] Prof. E. G. Coy, New Englander, July, 1885.
As another article will be written upon the founders and instructors of
the Seminary, we shall in this speak only of the buildings. At the north
end of the long, elm-shaded avenue stands the chapel. It is built in the
Gothic style, of Andover stone, trimmed with sandstone from Connecticut
and Ohio. It was dedicated in 1876, and is by far the most beautiful,
ecclesiastical structure in the town. The audience worshipping in it is
composed of professors and their families, the students of the
institutions, and a few families living near.
Then follow Phillips Hall and Bartlett Hall, and between them is
Bartlett Chapel, the two former serving as dormitories, and the latter
for lecture and recitation rooms. Nearly opposite the south end of the
avenue is the gymnasium, and in the foreground, nearer the main street,
is the imposing library building Brechin Hall.
Over three thousand students have been connected with this institution,
and the illustrations which accompany this article will awaken tender
and precious memories in the minds of many readers.
In 1830 it was determined to open a school in connection with Phillips
Academy, for the training of teachers. The Stone Academy was erected on
the square nearly opposite the present academy, and a dwelling-house,
also built of stone, was used as the workshop of the students. This
house afterwards became the residence of Prof. C. E. Stowe, D.D., and
his talented wife. It was while living here that she wrote her "Key to
Uncle Tom's Cabin," and received the kind and unkind notices of her
great work.
This school was discontinued in 1842, for lack of funds, and the
building was used as the head-quarters of the Academy,--the recitations
being made in what is now the gymnasium. About twenty years ago it was
burned, and the new academy erected.
Among the buildings in town which have been made historic is what is
known as "the old Andover Bookstore,"--so called to distinguish it from
the present publishing house. It stands on the top of the hill, is a
brick structure, and is now used as a dwelling-house.
The Andover Press has always been closely allied with the literary
institutions of the town. In 1809, but one year after the opening
of the Theological Seminary, Mark Newman, who for fourteen years
had been the eminently respected principal (the third) of Phillips
Academy, resigned his office and engaged in the book business, in
which he continued till near the close of his long life of nearly
eighty-seven years. He died in 1859. Four years after Dea. Newman
opened his bookstore, Flagg & Gould began the printing business, at
first printing for Dea. Newman and others, but soon for themselves
as publishers. The firm of Flagg & Gould remained unchanged for
twenty years. In 1833 they admitted as partner Mark H. Newman, son
of Dea. Newman. Mr. Flagg died the same year; Gould & Newman
continued the business till 1841. They were succeeded by Allen,
Morrill, & Wardwell in 1841, W. H. Wardwell in 1847, Flagg &
Wardwell in 1848, W. F. Draper in 1849.
The relations of the publishing business to the Seminary and the
enthusiasm for theological learning inspired by Prof. Stuart are
well illustrated in the title of Newcome's "Harmony of the
Gospels," published soon after Flagg & Gould opened their
printing-office: "A Harmony in Greek of the Gospels, with Notes, By
William Newcome, D.D., Dublin, 1778: Reprinted from the Text and
Select Various Readings of Griesbach, by the Junior Class in the
Theological Seminary at Andover, under the Superintendence of Moses
Stuart, Associate Professor of Sacred Literature in said Seminary.
Andover: Printed by Flagg and Gould. 1814." This was probably the
first book in Greek published here. Other books have occasionally
been published by the students of the Seminary. The first book in
Hebrew printed at the Andover Press was Stuart's Hebrew Grammar,
the Professor himself superintending the type-setting. Inspired by
his zeal, Dr. Codman, in 1821, gave to the Seminary $2,000 for the
purchase of type to be used for printing the Oriental languages, a
kind of work then new in this country hence the name "Codman
Press," which appears on the books of early date. Works or parts
of works were printed in as many as ten Eastern languages, a
speciality at Andover which has been continued to the present time.
Equally zealous in his department was Dr. Porter, President, and
Professor of Sacred Rhetoric, in directing the attention of the
clergy to the study of pulpit eloquence. He published largely on
that subject, some of his books attaining a very extensive sale.
Prof. Stuart also published here his Commentaries, some of which,
at the time, greatly agitated the theological world. They still
abide the test of time and survive among the fittest. Having
published as many as six editions of his own Hebrew Grammars, he
translated that of Gesenius, and, in connection with Dr. Robinson,
he translated also the first edition of Winer's New Testament Greek
Grammar, then a book of 176 pages, now, in its
seventh--Thayers--edition, one of 746 pages. Both of these works in
their greatly improved form still hold the foremost rank as
text-books in their respective departments.
Not far from one hundred and fifty different works of 8vo size,
some of them containing several volumes, among these the
"Bibliotheca Sacra," now entering on its forty-third year, until
lately edited by Prof. E. A. Park, one of its founders; over one
hundred and fifty books of 12mo and smaller sizes, and more than
two hundred pamphlets, have been published in Andover. Many of
these works were written here (also many others published
elsewhere), and were the outgrowth of the institutions of the
place.
At the centennial celebration of Phillips Academy, after speaking of the
literary industry of the faculty, it was said, "There have been forty
professors, but their wives and daughters, six women, have published
books which have had a circulation of at least a million copies."
The Punchard Free School was opened for instruction in 1856. It is
the High School of the town, founded and endowed by Mr. Benjamin H.
Punchard, who left the sum of $70,000 for the founding of a free school.
The school-house is beautifully situated on Punchard avenue, and
hundreds of Andover's boys and girls have received great benefit from
Mr. Punchard's wise generosity.
William G. Goldsmith, A.M., of Andover, who was the fourth principal,
and a graduate of Harvard College, was elected in 1858. He resigned in
1870, but was reelected in 1871, and served until his recent appointment
to the service of the Government. The universal respect and affection of
the numerous alumni of "Punchard" are the well-earned eulogy of his
faithful work.
Its character for good citizenship has never been lost by Andover. There
is a sensitiveness to evil and a vigilant eye for immoralities, which
form the best possible safeguards for a town's good name.
The policy of the town is at once conservative and progressive. The
majority sentiment is easily that of an intelligent class of people, who
earnestly seek true progress in all directions, but prefer that all
foolish experiments should be made by other communities.
The business of the town is such as the local demands would naturally
create, and in addition are the large manufacturing interests, at
Ballard Vale: the Tyer Rubber Company, the Stevens Mills of Marland
Village, and the Mills of Smith, Dove, & Co., the makers of the
well-known "Andover Thread." All these firms have secured such a
reputation for their goods that while a period of business depression
may lessen the profits it has little effect upon the number of hands
employed. The present population of Andover is 5,711. The growth of the
town is not rapid, but has been more so of late than formerly. The
student and business elements steadily increase, and the farm-houses in
the remote parts of the town are favorite summer resorts of such persons
as business connections keep close to Boston, but who wish to escape the
heat and noise of the city.
The number of voters is 893, and of a total vote of 468 upon the
question, "Shall licenses be granted for the sale of intoxicating
liquors in this town?" the recent declaration was Yes, 141, No, 327. The
desire for improvement in the town can easily be inferred from a
statement of the appropriations for the current year. They amounted to
$77,283.67, of which the following are items:--
_Voted_ to appropriate the following sums for the different
departments: For schools, $10,700; school-houses, $1,800;
school-books, $1,000; sidewalks, $1,000; removing snow, $800;
town-officers, $2,500; town-house, $600; fire department, $3,500;
street lamps, $950; printing and stationery, $500; Spring Grove
cemetery, and avails of sales of lots, $300; Memorial Day, $175;
State aid, $1,400; additional pay to soldiers, $600; almshouse
expenses, $4,500; almshouse, relief out of, $3,000; repairs on
almshouse, $500; hay-scales, $50; State tax, $6,000; county tax,
$6,000; adjustment of taxes, $500; discount on taxes, $2,000;
abatement of taxes, $400; interest on notes and funds, $2,000;
insurance, $200; miscellaneous, $1,500; fire-engine for Ballard
Vale, $4,000; highways and bridges, $10,000; water-supply, $10,000;
tree-planting, $100; new streets, $625; etc.
For six years past--1880-85--the taxes have averaged only $7.25 per
$1,000,--on a low valuation of property. For healthfulness the town
stands near, if not quite at the head of the list, in the vital
statistics of the State. When the writer was about to make Andover his
place of residence he was heartily congratulated by a friend: "People
never die in Andover," said he, "from disease. They live on, and on, and
on, until their friends weary of them, and shoot them." No one has been
shot recently in Andover, and some have died; but the town is remarkable
for its healthfulness. In 1885 there were 81 deaths, and the average age
was 48+ years; while 40 were 60 years old, and upwards; 27 were over 70;
24 were over 75; 13 were over 80; 4 were over 85, and 2 were over 90.
The records of the largest Sabbath school in town show only three
deaths of persons under 20 years of age, for at least eight, and
possibly ten years. The two funerals which the writer last attended were
of persons aged 89 and 101. The Catholic priest informs me that an
entire year has passed without the occurrence of death in his parish. To
show that the statistics of 1885 are not exceptionally favorable to the
name of the town, let us take a longer period,--say of six years,
1879-85. During this period the death-rate has been 14.45 per 1,000,
which gives an average number of deaths for each year, of 79; and within
this period 159, deaths have been of persons over 70 years of age. Since
the new year came in 15 persons have died, and the average age of 5 was
over 90 years.
Each of the nine churches in Andover has an interesting history. Of
these five are of the Congregational order, and their enrolled
membership numbers 1,099, nearly one-fifth of the entire population.
When to this is added the membership of the Episcopal, Baptist,
Methodist and Catholic churches it is probable that one person in four,
of whatever age or nationality, is a member of some church. The
enrolment of the Sabbath Schools is about the same as that of the
churches.
This is owing partly to the fact that the "foreign element" in Andover
consists largely of Scotchmen, who love the kirk; and also because the
educational facilities of Andover are such as to draw hither persons of
intelligence, and of literary tastes and habits.
The town is well supplied with libraries. The Memorial Hall was built to
commemorate the Andover defenders of the national flag, and contains a
free reading-room, well supplied with current issues of the press, and a
free public library, containing 5,259 pamphlets, and 9,185 volumes, to
which additions are constantly being made.
In 1865 the Library building of the Theological Seminary was erected,
through the generosity of Mr. John Dove and Messrs. John and Peter
Smith, at the cost of $60,000. It was named "Brechin Hall," from their
native town in Scotland.
Its shelves contain more than 43,000 volumes, the gentlemen who built
the library having given large sums for the purchase of books. On its
walls hang the portraits of many of its founders and professors, and on
the lower floor is a valuable museum and reference library. Besides
these are various private libraries; and there is a community of taste,
which brings all valuable books to the town in some connection.
Another educational element is that of the public lectures. The People's
Course is a thrifty annual, which, each autumn, provides a series of ten
entertainments at merely nominal prices. During the past year there has
also been a course of Emergency Lectures; and various others, upon many
topics, detached from the established courses, are of frequent
occurrence. Abbot Academy provides its annual and popular series of
public "Piano Recitals," under the oversight of its efficient professor,
S. M. Downs.
Phillips Academy has its annual contests for the "Draper Prizes" and the
"Means Prizes," and a year seldom passes in the history of the
Theological Seminary without one or more courses of special lectures, in
addition to those which are in constant progress, under the regular
instructors of this and of the other institutions. Nor should the
anniversaries, with all the strangers and alumni they bring, the stir
they make, the congratulations and the partings, be forgotten.
So it is that all the important phases of our best American life are
found in the history and enterprise of this illustrious town. Here one
may find the house in which have lived seven generations, the head of
the family bearing the same name; and the home of the recent immigrant.
The educational and business interests are nobly conducted and carried
to great success, and the current life is representative of good old
customs and earnest strivings for the best things.
A careful study of Andover life, such as Rev. Phillips Brooks, D.D., had
evidently made before writing his address for the dedication of the
Memorial Hall, leads one to feel, what he has so well stated:--
"The more we look into the history of Andover the more we feel how
thoroughly it is a characteristic New England town. If I wanted to give
a foreigner some clear idea of what that excellent institution a New
England town really is, in its history and in its character, in its
enterprise and its sobriety, in its godliness and its manliness, I
should be sure that I could do it if I could make him perfectly familiar
with the past and the present of Andover."
JAMES OTIS, JR.
BY REV. H. HEWITT.
Goethe's famous saying, that "Talent forms itself in solitude;
character, in the stream of life,"[G] has often found striking
exemplification both in the narrow sphere of individual existence, and
on the broader and more conspicuous stage of national affairs; but
perhaps the truth it contains has seldom been more amply illustrated
than during the stormy days of the American Revolution. Great political
convulsions sift peoples as the wind sifts the wheat on the summer
threshing-floor, bringing into prominence their best as well as their
worst features. They furnish occasion for the development and display of
all that is noblest in mankind, and they offer equal scope and
opportunity to all the baser susceptibilities and passions of our
nature. They furnish a broader platform on which to act, and originate
more exciting topics to occupy and elevate the mind, than are afforded
by an orderly and undisturbed condition of society; and they are
certainly better fitted to create that energy of will and heroism of
purpose without which nothing noble, beneficent, and lasting can ever be
accomplished.
[G] "Es bildet ein Talent sich in der Stille,
Sich ein Charakter in dem Strom der Welt."
Never, perhaps, has this effect been produced in a more impressive
manner, or to a fuller extent, than during the anxious years when the
American colonies were slowly feeling and fighting their way to the
status of an independent nation. A new order of manhood appeared, shaped
by the dangers and difficulties of the time. The crisis called for men
of courage and capacity, of wise council, of prompt and decisive action,
and these men were forthcoming, as if providentially prepared for the
hour and the occasion. Of these, one of the earliest on the scene, and,
for a time, one of the most eloquent and able of the popular leaders,
was James Otis, Junior. Though, in consequence of the sad affliction
that darkened and distressed his later days, his labors in the cause of
American independence were prematurely closed, and he was not permitted
to share in the consummation of the conflict in which he had played so
prominent, and spirited, and successful a part, he still deserves to be
remembered with gratitude and affection by the nation, now grown big, at
whose birth he so nobly played the part of midwife. James Otis was born
at Great Marshes, now known as West Barnstable, February 5, 1725 (old
style, February 5, 1724). His ancestor, John Otis, came from England
about the year 1657, and settled in the town of Hingham. The family was
from the first distinguished by public spirit, and by aptitude for
places of trust and responsibility in the public service. Besides the
important offices of Judge of the Common Pleas and Judge of Probate,
John Otis had the honor of holding a seat in the Council of the Province
for more than twenty years. His son, James Otis, born 1702, stood
equally prominent in his public capacity, being a distinguished member
of the Bar, an officer of the Militia, a Justice of the Common Pleas and
of Probate, and a Councillor of the Province. He married Mary Allyne, by
whom he had a large family, James, the subject of this sketch, being the
eldest and most celebrated. Samuel Allyne, the youngest of the thirteen
children, served for some time as secretary of the Senate of the United
States. The eldest daughter, Mercy, displayed an aptitude for politics
and literature, in which she acquired considerable reputation in those
unquiet and exciting days, vigorously indorsing and seconding the action
of her brother, and her husband, James Warren, in the Provincial
Council. She was the anonymous author of "The Group," a stinging
political satire, published in 1775, and in 1805 she produced a "History
of the American Revolution."
Of the habits, character, and status of Otis, as a student at Harvard,
whither he went in his fourteenth year, little is known, except what has
descended to us in the shape of anecdote, such as the story of his
playing the violin for a small party of young friends on one occasion,
and suddenly stopping the dance by dropping the instrument, and
exclaiming, "So fiddled Orpheus, and so danced the brutes." He, however,
managed to graduate with honors in 1743, and to carry off his Arts
degree in 1746. About two years after leaving college he commenced the
study of the law in the office of Jeremiah Gridley, a lawyer of some
repute, who, later on, as Attorney-General, defended the famous "apple
of discord," the "Writs of Assistance," which Otis so brilliantly and
successfully impeached. He resided for a short period, 1748-9, in the
town of Plymouth; but the place of Pilgrim fame was at that time too
slow and dull a place for the quick and active mind and ardent and
ambitious temper of the rising young lawyer, and he removed to Boston,
soon to be absorbed with the duties and difficulties of a large and
lucrative practice, and esteemed and admired as one of the brightest
ornaments of his profession. Nor was the public confidence in him
misplaced, or his popularity without warrant. Governor Hutchinson, who
knew him only in the capacity of a powerful personal and political
opponent, was yet obliged to yield homage to his public and professional
virtues, frankly declaring that "He never knew fairer or more noble
conduct in a pleader than in Otis; that he always defended his causes
solely on their broad and substantial foundations." Among other stories
and items of fact put forth in evidence of his contempt of the
pettifogging and professional lying so common in these degenerate days,
is the following: Being engaged on one occasion to recover the amount of
a bill which was alleged by the defendant to have been paid, he
discovered, quite accidentally, among his client's papers, as the trial
was proceeding, a receipt in full for the demand before the court. The
paper in question had fallen into his client's hands in some way or
another, and he was villanously using this advantage to wrong his
neighbor. As soon as Otis detected the trick his indignation burst forth
like a scorching flame, "You are a pretty rascal!" he said; "_there_ is
a receipt for the very demand now before the court."
Otis' happiness, however, such as it was, lay outside his home. His
marriage with Ruth Cunningham, which took place in 1755, was far from
being happy. Incompatibility of temper, and radical and stubborn
differences in political principle and sentiment, were the main
ingredients in the chalice of bitterness and woe which both, doubtless,
helped to fill. His only son, a youth of promise, entered the navy as
midshipman, and died at eighteen. His eldest daughter, Elizabeth,
married a loyalist, Captain Brown, who was wounded at Bunker Hill,--an
alliance that much distressed him. The sad fortune of his second
daughter, Mary, was another source of grief. She had married Benjamin
Lincoln, eldest son of General Lincoln, who received the sword of
General Cornwallis at the surrender of Yorktown,--a young lawyer of
considerable promise; but he died at twenty-eight.
It is necessary to remember that in the great drama of the Revolution,
Otis was only one of many distinguished actors, and that, in order to
appreciate the part he played so well, we shall require to give a brief
and rapid sketch of the political situation at the time. The sudden
assertion of the spirit of liberty, which the British Parliament and the
Provincial Legislature, acting under its direction and control, strove
to check and subdue, was the awakening of the colonial communities, not
simply to a consciousness of their political rights, but, also, of a
new-born power to maintain and defend them. During the first hundred
years of colonial history King and Parliament, occupied with affairs of
an absorbing character at home, knew little, and cared even less, about
the fate and fortunes of the men and women, who, for the sake of
conscience and religious freedom, had left the land of their birth and
best affection, and were engaged in a heroic contest with nature, on a
wild, desolate, and distant coast. The early colonists were left to a
liberty almost as unfettered as the wild animals and savage tribes whom
they dislodged from their native forests. When, however, the infant
communities had grown strong and prosperous, and had initiated a system
of commerce which bade fair to become expansive and lucrative, they at
once attracted the attention of the State authorities in the land of
their origin. When the conflict with Parliament began, the rights and
immunities claimed by the American colonies, were not matters of statute
and charter. The prescriptive right, which is founded in
long-established custom and usage, rather than in positive enactment,
was the ground of resistance to the encroachments of the Provincial
Executive. When James Otis, in pleading against the "Writs of
Assistance," said, "Taxation without representation is tyranny," he
stated a great political principle; he indicated the great palladium of
popular liberty; but deeper than that principle, in the hearts of the
colonists, lay the sense of uneasiness at the prospect of having the
privileges of one hundred and fifty years in any way compromised,
disturbed, or imperilled. This was the spirit of Franklin, in his "Hints
for a Reply to the Protest of the Lords against the Repeal of the Stamp
Act:" "I will freely spend nineteen shillings in the pound," said he,
"to defend my right of giving or refusing the other shilling; and, after
all, if I cannot defend that right, I can retire cheerfully with my
little family into the boundless woods of America, which are sure to
afford freedom and subsistence to any man who can bait a hook or pull a
trigger." This was the spirit of Otis when he complained that Parliament
regarded the British colonies in America rather as "a parcel of small,
insignificant conquered islands, than as very extensive settlement on
the continent," with a future of unlimited development in store. This,
too, was the spirit of Hawley, when, with a boldness outstripping that
of Otis himself, he said, "The Parliament of Great Britain has no right
to legislate for us." The latter sentence is memorable as being the
first instance in which the power of the British Parliament was
distinctly denied in a colonial legislature.
Still, side by side with these strong assertions of independence, there
existed curiously enough an almost equally strong feeling of reluctance
to sever the long-standing relation between the colonies and the mother
country. England was still "home," even in the language of James Otis,
as is clear from his correspondence, in which he speaks of certain legal
decisions as being "sent _home_ for approbation." Though all were agreed
as to the character and tendency of such acts of the imperial
legislature as the Stamp Act, the Revenue Act, the Port Bill, and the
Billeting Bill, hopes were entertained to the last that some method of
solution would be eventually discovered that would avert the disaster of
revolution. "In America," said Rev. Andrew Elliot, a popular and
much-respected minister in Boston, "the people glory in the name, and
only desire to enjoy the liberties of England." And he added,
significantly enough, "Oppression makes wise men mad." Even Thomas
Jefferson, in a letter to John Randolph, as late as 1775, expressed his
decided preference "to be dependent on England under proper limitation,
to being dependent on any other nation, or on no nation whatsoever." "We
strongly enjoin you," said the Pennsylvania Assembly, November 9, 1775,
largely influenced by Farmer Dickenson, in its instructions to its
delegates, "that you, in behalf of this colony, dissent from and utterly
reject any proposition, should such be made, that may cause or lead to
a separation from our mother country, or a change of the form of this
government." In almost identical words the Assembly of New Jersey
expressed its dread of "separation from England." "For what are we to
encounter the horrors of war?" asked a writer in the _New York Gazette_,
April 8, 1776, as quoted by Mr. Oscar Straus, in his admirable little
work on "The Origin of the American Republic." "It is a form of
government which Baron Montesquieu, and the best writers on the subject,
have shown to be attended with many mischiefs and imperfections, while
they pay high encomiums on the excellency of the British Constitution.
The Continental Congress has never lisped the least desire for
independency or republicanism. All their publications breathe another
spirit." What strong ground the _Gazette_ had for the above statement
will be seen from the words of the address sent to the British
Parliament and People by the Congress of Delegates which met on the 5th
September, 1774, at Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia. "You have been
told," says the Congress, "that we are impatient of government and
desirous of independence. These are calumnies. Permit us to be free as
yourselves, and we shall esteem a union with you to be our greatest
glory and our greatest happiness."
It is always the unexpected that happens, however, and, strange as it
may appear, in little more than a year after the publication of the
warnings of the _New York Gazette_, and the strong deprecations of
leading colonists, the first decisive and irrevocable step towards
revolution of the government and the autonomy and independence of the
colonies was taken. On July 4, 1776, the Rubicon was passed: the
Declaration of Independence was proclaimed.
To trace the causes and indicate the character of this sudden and
irreversible revulsion of feeling is to relate the story of the public
career of James Otis as _primus inter pares_ and leader of the popular
party in the Province of Massachusetts. For ten years, with the
exception of some brief intervals of popular misunderstanding and
disfavor, he stood forth as the eloquent exponent and acknowledged
champion of the popular cause. Long prior to 1760 he had achieved renown
as a lawyer, and the skill and distinction he had attained in his
profession had already received due and appropriate recognition and
reward in his appointment to the Attorney-Generalship of the Province.
In that year, however, the outcry against the administration of the Acts
of Trade became loud and general, and in the discontent and excitement
which prevailed the over-zealous agents of the Executive came into
collision with the people. The revival of an old "Act for the better
securing and encouraging the trade of His Majesty's colonies in
America," imposed a duty of sixpence on molasses and other articles
imported from the French and Spanish West Indies. As this was tantamount
to doubling the price, the trade was forced into contraband channels,
and vigorous measures had to be adopted for the suppression of the
illicit traffic. A third of the forfeited goods belonged to the king,
and were appropriated for the benefit of the colony; a third belonged to
the governor; and a third fell to the informers. But as that portion of
the spoils which accrued to the colony was not claimed, the money was
used to stimulate the zeal and vigilance of the customs-officers. These
persons, armed with "writs of assistance" issued by the Chancellor of
the Exchequer in England, were empowered to enter and search any private
house suspected of containing smuggled goods, and seize whatever
articles might be considered contraband within the meaning of the acts.
Against these proceedings resistance was bold and general, suspected
householders answering the demand of the customs-officers by closing the
doors in their faces. It was the duty of Otis, as Advocate-General of
the Province, to uphold the action of the executive government; but he
refused to argue for the writs, and resigned. On his resignation
becoming known he was at once retained, along with Oxenbridge Thacher,
to defend the cause of the people, and his splendid triumph in this
capacity made him the popular hero. His opponent, as has been already
intimated, was his old friend, Jeremiah Gridley, King's Attorney,--a
lawyer of great learning and acuteness. An eye-witness comments on the
sublime spectacle of Otis, spite of the difficulties of his position,
the excitement of the hour, and the fire and vehemence of his own
passionate nature, treating his old master "with all deference, respect,
and esteem", but confuting all his arguments, and reducing him to
silence, and Gridley, on the other hand, "seeming to exult inwardly at
the glory and triumph of his pupil."
In answering, almost at the outset, a charge which made his highest
public virtue his fault,--the charge that he had deserted his
office,--he said: "I renounced that office, and I argue this cause from
the same principle, and I argue it with the greater pleasure as it is in
favor of British liberty at a time when we hear the greatest monarch
upon earth declaring from his throne that he glories in the name of
Briton, and that the privileges of his people are dearer to him than the
most valuable prerogatives of his crown; and it is in opposition to a
kind of power, the exercise of which in former periods of English
history cost one king his head, and another his crown."
* * * * *