Billerica a Centennial Oration by the Rev. Elias Nason, July 4, 1876 (Classic Reprint) - Tapa blanda

Excerpt from Billerica a Centennial Oration by the Rev. Elias Nason, July 4, 1876

To arrive at 1655 we must pass by our dreadful civil war, the introduction of the steamship and the railroad, the exploits of Napoleon the First, the atroci ties of the reign of terror, the days of our illustrious Washington and our grand old Revolution; we must traverse the times of the old French wars, of George the First, of Addison, Pope, Swift and the Spectator, go by the dark days of Salem Witchcraft, of the great English Revolution when the house of Stuart fell, of King Philip's bloody war, of the fire of London, and come to the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, whose Latin Secretary, John Milton, was then brooding over his immortal poem, Paradise Lost.

There were when Billerica was incorporated but nine towns in Middlesex County; the governor and magistrates were appointed by the Lord Protector, and the manners and customs of the people were entirely different from our own. The fathers of this town were rigid puritans. They came to New England to escape the imperious mandates of the star chamber and that intolerance which prompted James the First to say I will make them conform, or I will harry them out of the kingdom. They loved religious liberty; they preferred to face the perils of the savage wilderness rather than to worship God in forms prescribed for them by king or prelate. They were hardy, brave, intelligent yeomen; prompt to meet danger, jealous of any encroachment 011 their civil rights and true as steel to the grand principle which is the very core and kernel of repub lican institutions, that in church, in state and town affairs the majority must rule.

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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Billerica a Centennial Oration by the Rev. Elias Nason, July 4, 1876

A meeting of citizens called by notices from the pulpits on the Sabbath previous, was held in the Town Hall, Billerica, June 6, 1876, to see what measures should he taken for the fit celebration of the coming Fourth of July, the nation's Centennial.

After consultation, the following Committee of Arrangements:

Was appointed, with full powers to make such provision as they found practicable and expedient at so late a day. They were fortunately able to secure the services of the Rev. Elias Nason to give the oration, and other arrangements will be indicated in the following brief account of the exercises.

The celebration was held in a beautiful pine grove on the farm of Gardiner Parker, Esq., beside the Concord River, near the Carlisle road. The intense heat, oppressive in many places, was tempered by a fresh breeze here, and the day was delightful for such a commemoration. Seats and stands for the orator and musicians were provided by the town, bountiful tables were spread by the ladies, and all was made very attractive to the goodly company of old and young assembled.

At ten o'clock, the Hon. George P. Elliott, president of the day, called the meeting to order and in brief words suggested the great significance of the day and the hopes of the new century opening before the nation.

Prayer was offered by the Rev. C. C. Hussey, the Declaration of Independence was read by Samuel Tucker, Esq., principal of the Howe School, and the Rev. Elias Nason delivered the following oration, which held the dose and unwearied attention of the audience to its close.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.