Bay State Monthly, Volume I, No. 2, February, 1884 by Various

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[Illustration: Alex H. Rice.]

THE BAY STATE MONTHLY.

A Massachusetts Magazine.

VOL. I. FEBRUARY, 1884. NO. II.

* * * * *

Hon. ALEXANDER HAMILTON RICE, LL.D.

By Daniel B. Hagar, Ph.D.

[Principal of the State Normal School, Salem.]

Massachusetts merchants have been among the most prominent men in
the nation through all periods of its history. From the days of John
Hancock down to the present time they have often been called by their
fellow-citizens to discharge the duties of the highest public offices.
Hancock was the first governor of the State. In the list of his
successors, the merchants who have distinguished themselves by honorable
and successful administrations occupy prominent places. Conspicuous
among them stands the subject of this sketch.

Alexander Hamilton Rice, a son of Thomas Rice, Esq., a well-known
manufacturer of paper, was born in Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts,
August 30, 1818. He received his early education in the public schools
of his native town and in the academies of the Reverend Daniel Kimball,
of Needham, and Mr. Seth Davis, of Newton, a famous teacher in his
day, who is still living, in vigorous health, at the venerable age of
ninety-seven years. As a boy, young Rice was cheery, affectionate, and
thoughtful, and a favorite among his companions. His earliest ambition
was to become a Boston merchant. After leaving school he entered a
dry-goods store in the city. He there performed his duties with such
laborious zeal and energy that his health gave way, and he was compelled
to return to his home in Newton, where he suffered many months' illness
from a malignant fever, which nearly proved fatal. About two years later
he returned to Boston, and entered the establishment of Messrs. J.H.
Wilkins and R.B. Carter, then widely known as publishers of music books
and of dictionaries of various languages, as well as wholesale dealers
in printing and writing papers. Three years of service in their employ
laid the foundation of the excellent business habits which led to his
ultimate success.

During this time he was a member of the Mercantile Library Association,
in company with such men as Edwin P. Whipple, James T. Fields, Thomas R.
Gould, afterward the distinguished sculptor, and many others who were,
active participants in its affairs, and who have become eminent in
literature or in public life. Young Rice was a careful student in the
association, though sharing less frequently in its exercises than some
others. His decided literary tastes finally led him to resolve upon the
enlargement of his education by a collegiate course of study. He
accordingly entered Union College, Schenectady, New York, then under the
presidency of the venerable Dr. Eliphalet Nott, where he was graduated
in 1844, receiving the highest honors of his class on Commencement Day.
His classmates bear testimony to the fact that his career in college was
in the highest degree honorable to himself and to the institution of
which he was one of the most respected and popular members.

At the time of his graduation his purpose was to study law and to pursue
it as a profession; but soon afterward delicate health interposed a
serious obstacle, and a favorable offer of partnership in business with
his former employers induced him to join them in the firm which then
became known as Wilkins, Carter, and Company, the senior member of which
was a graduate of Harvard College, and, at one time, a member of its
Faculty. The present firm of Rice, Kendall, and Company, of which he is
the senior member, is its representative to-day, and is widely known as
one of the largest paper-warehouses in the country.

In 1845, Mr. Rice married Miss Augusta E. McKim, daughter of John McKim,
Esq., of Washington, District of Columbia, and sister of Judge McKim,
of Boston, a highly-educated and accomplished lady, who died on a
voyage to the West Indies, in 1868, deeply lamented by a large circle of
acquaintances and friends, to whom she had become endeared by a life of
beneficence and courtesy.

After his graduation from college, Mr. Rice, having again engaged in
mercantile business, pursued it with great earnestness, fidelity, and
success. These qualities, together with his intellectual culture and his
engaging address, eminently fitted him for public service, and early
attracted favorable attention. He first served the city of Boston as
a member of its school-board, in which capacity he gave much personal
attention to the schools in all their various interests. To his duties
in connection with the public schools were soon added those of a trustee
of the lunatic hospital and other public institutions.

In 1853, Mr. Rice was elected a member of the common council, and a year
later he was president of that body. In 1855, he received, from a large
number of citizens of all parties, a flattering request that he would
permit them to nominate him for the mayoralty of Boston. He reluctantly
acceded to their request, and, after a sharply-contested campaign,
was elected by a handsome majority. His administration of city affairs
proved so satisfactory that he was re-elected, the following year, by
an increased majority. By his wisdom, energy, and rare administrative
ability, Mayor Rice gained a wide and enviable reputation. He was
instrumental in accomplishing many reforms in municipal administration,
among which were a thorough reorganization of the police; the
consolidation of the boards of governors of the public institutions,
by which much was gained in economy and efficiency; the amicable and
judicious settlement of many claims and controversies requiring rare
skill and sagacity in adjustment; and the initiation of some of the most
important improvements undertaken since Boston became a city. Among
these may be mentioned the laying out of Devonshire Street from Milk
Street to Franklin Street, which he first recommended, as well as the
opening of Winthrop Square and adjacent streets for business purposes,
the approaches to which had previously been by narrow alleys. The
magnificent improvements in the Back Bay, which territory had long been
the field of intermittent and fruitless effort and controversy, were
brought to successful negotiation during his municipal administration,
and largely through the ability, energy, and fairness with which he
espoused the great work. The public schools continued to hold prominence
in his attention, and he gave to them all the encouragement which his
office could command; while his active supervision of the various
charitable and reformatory institutions was universally recognized and
welcomed. The free city hospital was initiated, and the public library
building completed during his administration.

Endowed with gifts of natural eloquence, his public addresses furnished
many examples of persuasive and graceful oratory. Among the conspicuous
occasions that made demands upon his ability as a public speaker was the
dedication of the public library building. On that occasion his address
was interposed between those of the Honorable Edward Everett ard the
Honorable Robert C. Winthrop, both of whom were men of the highest and
most elegant culture, possessing a national reputation for finished
eloquence. The position in which the young Boston merchant found
himself was an exceedingly difficult and trying one; but he rose
most successfully to its demands, and nobly surpassed the exacting
expectations of his warmest admirers. It was agreed on every hand that
Mayor Rice's address was fully equal, in scope and appropriateness of
thought and beauty of diction, to that of either of the eminent scholars
and orators with whom he was brought into comparison. It received
emphatic encomiums at home, and attracted the flattering attention of
the English press, by which it was extensively copied and adduced as
another evidence of the literary culture found in municipal officers in
this country, and of American advancement in eloquence and scholarship.

At the close of Mr. Rice's second term in the mayoralty of Boston, he
declined a renommation. While in that office, he was faithful to the men
who had elected him, and abstained from participation in party politics
farther than in voting for selected candidates. Originally, he was an
anti-slavery Whig, and, upon the formation of the Republican party, he
became identified with it.

When he retired from the office of mayor, in January, 1858, it was his
intention to devote himself exclusively to business; but an unexpected
concurrence of circumstances in the third congressional district led to
his nomination and election to Congress by the Republicans, although
the partisan opposition was largely in the majority. He continued to
represent the district for eight consecutive years, and until he
declined further service. He entered Congress just before the breaking
out of the Civil War, and became a participant in the momentous
legislative events of that period. He witnessed the secession of the
Southern members from the two houses of Congress, and served through the
whole period of the war and through one Congress after the war closed,
embracing one half of President Buchanan's administration, the whole of
Lincoln's, and one half of Johnson's. He served on the committees on the
Pacific Railroad, on the District of Columbia, and on naval affairs, of
which last important committee he was chairman during the two closing
years of the war. In this last position he won much reputation by his
mastery of information relating to naval affairs at home and abroad, and
by his thorough devotion to the interests of the American Navy. Mr. Rice
did not often partake in the general debates of Congress, but he had the
confidence of its members to an unusual degree, and the measures which
he presented were seldom successfully opposed. When occasion called,
however, he distinguished himself as a debater of first-class ability,
as was shown in his notable reply to the Honorable Henry Winter Davis,
of Maryland, one of the most brilliant speakers in Congress, in defence
of the navy, and especially of its administration during the war period.

Notwithstanding his arduous labors as chairman of the naval committee,
Mr. Rice's business habits and industry enabled him to attend faithfully
to the general interests of his constituents, and to many details of
public affairs which are often delegated to unofficial persons or are
altogether neglected. All of his large correspondence was written by
himself, and was promptly despatched. Governor Andrew used to say that
whenever he needed information from Washington, and prompt action, he
always wrote to the representative of the third district.

At home Mr. Rice has filled many positions of prominence in business
and social life. He was for some years president of the board of trade,
and of the National Sailors' Home. He was president of the great
Peace Jubilee, held in Boston in 1869, the most remarkable musical
entertainment ever held in America, embracing an orchestra of twelve
hundred instruments, and a chorus of twenty thousand voices. The opening
address of this jubilee was made by Mr. Rice. He was also the chairman
of the committee to procure the equestrian statue of Washington for the
Public Garden in Boston, and of the committee that erected the statue of
Charles Sumner. He delivered an appropriate address at the unveiling
of each of these works, and also at the unveiling of the statue of
Franklin, erected during his mayoralty in front of the City Hall. He has
also been president of the Boston Memorial Society, and of the Boston
Art Club, as well as of many other associations.

Mr. Rice was elected governor of Massachusetts in 1875, and was twice
re-elected. His career as governor was characterized by a comprehensive
and liberal policy in State affairs. While he was always ready to listen
to the opinions and wishes of other men, his administration was strongly
marked by his own individuality. His messages to the Legislature were
clear and decisive in recommendation and discussion, and his policy in
regard to important measures was plainly defined. He never interfered
with the functions of the co-ordinate branches of the government; on the
other hand, he was equally mindful of the rights of the executive.
Always ready to co-operate with the Legislature in regard to measures
which the welfare and honor of the Commonwealth seemed to him to
justify, he did not hesitate to apply the executive veto when his
judgment dictated, even in relation to measures of current popularity.
He thoroughly reorganized the militia of the State, thereby greatly
improving its character and efficiency, besides largely diminishing its
annual cost. His appointments to office, though sometimes sharply
criticised, proved, almost without exception, to have been judiciously
made, and in many instances exhibited remarkable insight into the
character and aptitude of the persons appointed.

Although elected a Republican, Governor Rice was thoroughly loyal to
the best interests of the State in the distribution of patronage. Every
faithful and competent officer whom he found in place was reappointed,
regardless of his politics, and the incompetent and unreliable were
retired, though belonging to his own party. It is, however, but fair
to say, that in making original appointments and in filling absolute
vacancies, he gave the preference, in cases of equal character and
competency, to men of his own party.

During the centennial year, 1876, the special occasions, anniversaries,
and public celebrations were very numerous, and added greatly to the
demands upon the governor's time and services in semi-official
engagements, in all of which he acquitted himself with high credit to
himself and the Commonwealth.

In 1877, he escorted President Hayes to Harvard University to receive
the degree of Doctor of Laws, an honor which had been conferred upon
himself the previous year; and in 1878 he also escorted Lord Dufferin,
governor-general of Canada, to the university, on an occasion made
memorable by the visit of that distinguished statesman.

During his whole administration, Governor Rice took a deep interest
in the cause of education in the State, as president of the board of
education, and in visiting schools and colleges for personal inspection.
He also carefully watched over the several State institutions for
correction, for reform, and for lunacy and charity, encouraging, as
opportunity offered, both officers and inmates, and, at the same time,
unsparing in merited criticism of negligence and unfaithfulness.

In a word, Governor Rice's administration of State affairs justly ranks
among the administrations that have been the most useful and honorable
to the Commonwealth.

In 1881, Mr. Rice was elected honorary chancellor of Union University,
his _alma mater_, and at the commencement anniversary of that year
he delivered an elaborate oration on _The Reciprocal Relations of
Education and Enterprise_, which was received with the highest favor
by the numerous statesmen and scholars who honored the occasion by their
presence, and was afterwards published and widely circulated.

Mr. Rice is still actively engaged in business, and still maintains an
undiminished interest in the affairs of public and social life.

* * * * *

THE OLD STORES AND THE POST-OFFICE OF GROTON.

By the Hon. Samuel Abbott Green, M.D.

Tradition has preserved little or nothing in regard to the earliest
trading stores of Groton. It is probable, however, that they were kept
in dwelling-houses, by the occupants, who sold articles in common use
for the convenience of the neighborhood, and at the same time pursued
their regular vocations.

Jonas Cutler was keeping a shop on the site of Mr. Gerrish's store,
before the Revolution; and the following notice, signed by him, appears
in The Massachusetts Gazette (Boston), November 28, 1768:--

A THEFT.

Whereas on the 19th or 20th Night of November Instant, the Shop of the
Subscriber was broke open in _Groton_, and from thence was stollen
a large Sum of Cash, viz. four Half Johannes, two Guineas, Two Half
Ditto, One Pistole mill'd, nine Crowns, a Considerable Number of
Dollars, with a considerable Quantity of small Silver & Copper, together
with one Bever Hat, about fifteen Yards of Holland, eleven Bandannas,
blue Ground with white, twelve red ditto with white, Part of a Piece of
Silk Romails, 1 Pair black Worsted Hose, 1 strip'd Cap, 8 or 10 black
barcelona Handkerchiefs, Part of a Piece of red silver'd Ribband, blue
& white do, Part of three Pieces of black Sattin Ribband, Part of three
Pieces of black Tafferty ditto, two bundles of Razors, Part of 2 Dozen
Penknives, Part of 2 Dozen ditto with Seals, Part of 1 Dozen Snuff
Boxes, Part of 3 Dozen Shoe Buckels, Part of several Groce of Buttons,
one Piece of gellow [yellow?] Ribband, with sundry Articles not yet
known of---- Whoever will apprehend the said Thief or Thieves, so that
he or they may be brought to Justice, shall receive TEN DOLLARS Reward
and all necessary Charges paid.

JONAS CUTLER.

Groton, Nov. 22,1763 [8?].

==> If any of the above mentioned Articles are offered to Sail, it
is desired they may be stop'd with the Thief, and Notice given to said
_Cutler_ or to the Printers.

On October 21, 1773, a noted burglar was hanged in Boston for various
robberies committed in different parts of the State, and covering a
period of some years. The unfortunate man was present at the delivery
of a sermon, preached at his own request, on the Sunday before his
execution; and to many of the printed copies is appended an account
of his life. In it the poor fellow states that he was only twenty-one
years old, and that he was born at Groton of a respectable family. He
confesses that he broke into Mr. Cutler's shop, and took away "a good
piece of broad-cloth, a quantity of silk mitts, and several pieces of
silk handkerchiefs." He was hardly seventeen years of age at the time of
this burglary. To the present generation it would seem cruel and wicked
to hang a misguided youth for offences of this character.

Mr. Cutler died December 19, 1782; and he was succeeded in business
by Major Thomas Gardner, who erected the present building known as
Gerrish's block, which is soon to be removed. Major Gardner lived in the
house now owned by the Waters family.

Near the end of the last century a store, situated a little north of the
late Mr. Dix's house, was kept by James Brazer, which had an extensive
trade for twenty miles in different directions. It was here that the
late Amos Lawrence served an apprenticeship of seven years, which ended
on April 22, 1807; and he often spoke of his success in business as due,
in part, to the experience in this store. Late in life he wrote that
"the knowledge of every-day affairs which I acquired in my business
apprenticeship at Groton has been a source of pleasure and profit even
in my last ten years' discipline."

The quantity of New-England rum and other liquors sold at that period
would astonish the temperance people of the present day. Social drinking
was then a common practice, and each forenoon some stimulating beverage
was served up to the customers in order to keep their trade. There were
five clerks employed in the establishments; and many years later Mr.
Lawrence, in giving advice to a young student in college, wrote:--

"In the first place, take this for your motto at the commencement of
your journey, that the difference of going _just right_, or a
_little wrong_, will be the difference of finding yourself in good
quarters, or in a miserable bog or slough, at the end of it. Of the
whole number educated in the Groton stores for some years before and
after myself, no one else, to my knowledge, escaped the bog or slough;
and my escape I trace to the simple fact of my having put a restraint
upon my appetite. We five boys were in the habit, every forenoon, of
making a drink compounded of rum, raisins, sugar, nutmeg, &c., with
biscuit,--all palatable to eat and drink. After being in the store four
weeks, I found myself admonished by my appetite of the approach of the
hour for indulgence. Thinking the habit might make trouble if allowed
to grow stronger, without further apology to my seniors I declined
partaking with them. My first resolution was to abstain for a week, and,
when the week was out, for a month, and then for a year. Finally, I
resolved to abstain for the rest of my apprenticeship, which was for
five years longer. During that whole period, I never drank a spoonful,
though I mixed gallons daily for my old master and his customers."[1]

The following advertisement is found in the Columbian Centinel (Boston),
June 8, 1805:--

_James Brazer_,

Would inform the public that having dissolved the Copartnership lately
subsisting between AARON BROWN, Esq. SAMUEL HALE and the subscriber; he
has taken into Copartnership his son WILLIAM F. BRAZER, and the business
in future will be transacted under the firm of

JAMES BRAZER & SON;

They will offer for sale, at their store in _Groton_, within six
days a complete assortment of English, India, and W. India GOODS, which
they will sell for ready pay, at as low a rate as any store in the
Country.

JAMES BRAZER.

Groton, May 29, 1805.

"'Squire Brazer," as he was generally called, was a man of wealth
and position. He was one of the founders of Groton Academy, and his
subscription of L15 to the building-fund in the year 1792 was as large
as that given by any other person. In the early part of this century he
built the house now belonging to the Academy and situated just south of
it, where he lived until his death, which occurred on November 10, 1818.
His widow, also, took a deep interest in the institution, and at her
decease, April 14, 1826, bequeathed to it nearly five thousand dollars.

After Mr. Brazer's death the store was moved across the street, where it
still remains, forming the ell of Gerrish's block. The post-office was
in the north end of it, during Mr. Butler's term as postmaster. About
this time the son, William Farwell Brazer, built a store nearly opposite
to the Academy, which he kept during some years. It was made finally
into a dwelling-house, and occupied by the late Jeremiah Kilburn, whose
family still own it.

James Brazer's house was built on the site of one burnt down during the
winter season a year or two previously. There was no fire-engine then in
town, and the neighbors had to fight the flames, as best they could,
with snow as well as water. At that time Loammi Baldwin, Jr., a graduate
of Harvard College in the class of 1800, was a law-student in Timothy
Bigelow's office. He had a natural taste for mechanics; and he was
so impressed with the need of an engine that with his own hands he
constructed the first one the town ever had. This identical machine, now
known as Torrent, No. I, is still serviceable after a use of more than
eighty years, and will throw a stream of water over the highest roof in
the village. It was made in Jonathan Loring's shop, then opposite to Mr.
Boynton's blacksmith shop, where the iron work was done. The tub is of
copper, and bears the date of 1802. Mr. Baldwin, soon after this time,
gave up the profession of law, and became, like his father, a
distinguished civil engineer.

The brick store, opposite to the High School, was built about the
year 1836, by Henry Woods, for his own place of business, and afterward
kept by him and George S. Boutwell, the style of the firm being Woods
and Boutwell. Mr. Woods died on January 12, 1841; and he was succeeded
by his surviving partner, who carried on the store for a long time,
even while holding the highest executive position in the State. The
post-office was in this building during the years 1839 and 1840. For the
past twenty-five years it has been occupied by various firms, and now is
kept by D.H. Shattuck and Company.

During the last war with England, Eliphalet Wheeler had a store where
Miss Betsey Capell, in more modern times, kept a haberdasher's shop. It
is situated opposite to the Common, and now used as a dwelling-house.
She was the daughter of John Capell, who owned the sawmill and
gristmill, which formerly stood near the present site of the Tileston
and Hollingsworth paper-mills, on the Great Road, north of the village.
Afterward Wheeler and his brother, Abner, took Major Thomas Gardner's
store, where he was followed by Park and Woods, Park and Potter, Potter
and Gerrish, and lastly by Charles Gerrish, who has kept it for more
than thirty years. It is said that this building will soon give way to
modern improvements.

Near the beginning of the present century there were three military
companies in town; the Artillery company, commanded at one time by
Captain James Lewis; the North company by Captain Jonas Gilson; and the
South company by Captain Abel Tarbell. Two of these officers were soon
promoted in the regimental service: Captain Tarbell to a colonelcy, and
Captain Lewis to a majorate. Captain Gilson resigned, and was succeeded
by Captain Noah Shattuck. They had their Spring and fall training-days,
when they drilled as a battalion on the Common,--there were no trees
there, then,--and marched through the village. They formed a very
respectable command, and sometimes would be drawn up before Esquire
Brazer's store, and at other times before Major Gardner's, to be treated
with toddy, which was then considered a harmless drink.

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