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The Croton Reunion a Great Success 

The 19th day of August, 1876, will ever remain a red letter day in the history of Treadwell.  It was the day when natives and old residents of Croton gathered from far and near in a reunion; when old friends met again to gladly clasp hands and recall the friendships of days long past. It was a time for memory and for tears - tears of joy over the recollections of happy childhood incidents, and perchance of sadness at the thought of absent ones, who sleep with their kindred.  It was a time of interest to the mere spectator, who witnessed the joyful greetings, the puzzled expression on the faces of those who attempted to recall an old-time friend, and and at last the glad recognition and the hearty hand shake. It was a day of orations. There is is something in the atmosphere in the locality of Treadwell that infuses into the life a power and confidence and self-reliance that serves the possessor a good purpose. Meet a man anywhere, from Croton, and he isn't afraid to tell you of the faith that's in him, or to debate the question with anybody.  As one of the speakers remarked : "Treadwell is a good place for a starter." A boy leaves there, if he leaves at all, with the elements of manhood well rooted in his nature. The speeches of today were an earnest of this. 

The preparation for the gathering was well done by the committee, supported and assisted by all the people. Especially in the culinary department had the ladies made abundant provision for the large crowd which they anticipated. Covers were laid for over three hundred, and the the tables were filled three times, and perhaps more, so that they must have fed more than a thousand people - fed them on chicken pie and all the concomitants.   The tables were spread and the speakers' platform was erected on Mrs. Blanche Epps' lawn, an admirable place for the beautiful day that it was. 

The exercises of the morning were open at about 10:30 o'clock, A. L. VanTassle presiding.  Mr. Hine was appointed secretary, and it was his purpose to secure the names of all visitors outside of the territory covered by the Treadwell Postoffice. 

Prayer was offered by Rev. O. A. Dike, and "The Old Oaken Bucket" was sung by a quartet, consisting of Messrs. Remington, Graham and Bell.  Mr. Munn gave the address of welcome and Mr. Baldwin the response, as they appear elsewhere. The historical sketch, written by Mr. H. S.  Treadwell, was read by the president, and also, by request, the poem entitled "The Old School Bell," written by Hon. C. H. Treadwell for the closing exercises of school in 1879, and which has heretofore been published in these columns  . Following this was the personal reminiscence, in rhyme, by Mr. Treadwell, which be was preparing at the time of his death, and which his "Old School Bell" shows was quite incomplete. This was read by Miss Bertha Wheat, in a colloquial style, with excellent effect.  Following was Mr. Brownson's greeting, given by himself, as found on another page. 

Adjourned for dinner. 

In the afternoon came the addresses by Messrs.  Sanford L. Treadwell, W. B. Georgia, Rev. L. W. Jackson, Arthur Payne, and Dr. Smith, which occupied the time until the people were compelled to disperse . We secured the manuscripts of some of the papers in advance, with the end in view of publishing the entire number in this issue, but find it an impossible task, on account of their length. and part of them must lie over until next week. The papers which go over are Rev, Jackson's, W. B. Georgia's, and historical papers by Messrs.  Homer Treadwell of Binghamton and J. N. Treadwell of St. Peter, Minn. 

Harrison Gilmore spoke without previous preparation.  He wished to return thanks to Messrs. Sanford Treadwell and Levi Georgia for projecting this reunion, to the committee which had so successfully carried it out, and especially to the ladies for their bountiful entertainment. He referred to his humble birth in Croton 56 years ago, his early childhood and incidents thereof; the removal of the family to Utica and his subsequent return at the age of 15 as clerk for Messrs. Gates & Treadwell, at $35 for the first year, and $45 for the second year. It was then he learned lessons of economy which served him well in after years. He related incidents of the first presidential campaign of the Republican party in 1856, when Fremont and Dayton were the candidates of that party; of the great snow storm of of April, 1857, when they weighed the snow on the hay scales, and found that it contained the weight of 8 inches of water ; of the pathetic death of Eugene Foote with small pox. He referred feelingly to the late Chester H. Treadwell, who was to him as a father, in his youth. He prized old friendships very highly. Closing, he counseled right living and a preparation for a higher life. 

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ADDRESS OF WELCOME 

BY DANIEL MUNN. 

Mr. Chairman, Former Residents of Croton, Ladies and Gentlemen; 

In behalf of the citizens of this village and vicinity I welcome you to your native town, and to many of you the place of your birth. We welcome you from your different places of abode to your native hamlet, to our hospitality and to our homes. 

There is in the human breast a natural desire, an earnest longing to visit the home and scenes of our childhood, to return to our native land.  The old homestead with its many recollections of childhood ; the little red schoolhouse with its memories of unalloyed pleasure, the Sun day school and the church in which we were taught of the life beyond are sweet recollections in the storehouse of memory which we will carry with us until our dying day. 

The foreigner on our shores will practice self-denial and brave the dangers of the deep that he may again visit his native land, and live over again his early life beyond the sea. The German never forgets the home in which he was reared, the land of his forefathers, the historic Rhine and the German Fatherland, The Scotchman longs to visit his boyhood home and breathe again the heather-scented air of the highlands of Scotland.   The Englishman's pulse beats high with hope as he catches a glimpse of the shores of Merry England, and listens again to the parish bells of his native town, the home of his youth. 

Love of home and of native land - to dwell again amid the scenes of our childhood, and visit the last resting place of our kindred, are among the noblest traits of our nature. These traits of character in any people are the elements which lie at the foundation of pure and noble man and womanhood, of Christian homes, and it is the corner stone of our national life. 

The enterprise, the intelligence and the moral sentiment for which this section and town have long been noted, is largely due to the fact that a majority of the first settlers of this vicinity came from that section of our country known as New England, the land of the Pilgrims and the Puritans, the home of Webster and of Sumner, and as a nation the cradle in which our infancy was rocked. This Puritan spirit laid the foundation of our government as firm and as steadfast as her New England hills, as free and independent as the waves of the ocean that wash its shores. 

This same spirit grappled with American slavery and never relinquished its grasp until every slave was free. It met armed rebellion with a loyalty that never faltered, with a determination that never flinched, and as the vast tide of emigration flows across the broad free prairies of the West it beats and throbs with New England life and New England blood, and wherever you find a New England settlement you will find a school house upon nearly every hillside, a church in every valley, and the lover of liberty in every home. 

As you meet again after years of absence in your native village many and varied are the memories of the past. 

Backward, roll backward, oh time in thy flight; Make me a child again, just for tonight.   Mother come back from the echoless shore, Take me again to your heart as of yore.   Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care, Press the few silver threads out of my hair, over my slumbers your loving watch keep; Rock me to sleep, mother, rock me to sleep. 

You may listen again to the same school bell, but it calls a far different group of merry children to their tasks.  The same church bells echo through the same valley, but they summon another generation to worship. You are surprised at the number of new faces you meet, at the changed appearance of your friends and you will find that you can read a majority of the names of your old acquaintances upon the marble erected to their memory. 

This changing, shifting American life of ours scatters youth and ripe manhood from home and friends into nearly every State in the Union, and often brings back age, after years of wandering, to totter in the hamlet of its birth. 

As you return to your native village you find its general appearance much the same - its slow growth, its usual quiet, away from the busy, bustling centres of trade and commerce, it presents a striking contrast with many of your present surroundings; and although it may lack the trappings of riches and the glitter of wealth, the culture and polish of city life, it still retains the same noble influence for the formation of pure and noble character as in the days of old, when your young lives were fashioned and guided by it's influence. And as you compare your circumstances, your success in life with each other, you must be forced to the conclusion with your advancing years, that honesty of purpose, integrity of character and an earnest endeavor to succeed it at the foundation of all true greatness. 

How necessary and important to impress upon the minds of the rising race that success seldom if ever comes without effort, without labor. A will and a determination to succeed is the foundation of success.  Not errant purpose, not crude determination but strong, indefatigable will, which treads down dangers and difficulties, as the school boy treads down the heaving frost lands of winter, will make men giants. It made Napoleon an emperor of kings, Byron a tutor of passion, Bacon a fathomer of nature, and the martyrs masters of Death, and he who would succeed, he who would ascend the step-ladder to fame, must do so by his own Individual efforts; he must accomplish the task by tong - continued and unremitting toil. Work is the weapon of honor; whoever lacks the weapon will never triumph. 

When life In the eventide, shorn of its strength and ambition, when man in his declining year begins to turn from the world's riches and honor to the home of his youth, and amid the scenes of his childhood, the soul silently linkers under the evening shadows to catch a glimpse of the eternal dawning; and as you meet on this occasion amid the hallowed associations of youth, and live over again your early years, renew old friendships, recall old times and by-gone days, may the meeting and greetings of friends, then the parting, the good byes and farewells better fit you for life's duties and life's work, as you turn to-day from the home and scenes of your childhood, from the graves of your kindred, from the ashes of your forefathers to the Temple of our God, 

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RESPONSE 

BY W. J. BALDWIN. MR. CHAIRMAN AND FELLOW CITIZENS: 

On behalf of your visitors here to-day, I desire to express to you our appreciation for your kindly words of welcome and to assure you that we reciprocate most heartily the sentiments you have so kindly expressed. 

If I could transform feeling into words, if I could coin heart throbs into common speech, I might express to you the pleasure we experience in meeting with you to-day, but at such a time as this words seem weak lips at the beat pay but faltering tribute to our deeper emotions and the affection with which one looks back upon the scenes of his childhood, upon the home that sheltered him when a boy is the deepest and purest that can be experienced by the human beast, You who have always resided here. to whom these scenes are the familiar sights of every day experience, must fail to appreciate the degree of reverence and affection with which we regard them, or how often we turn our thoughts to this little village until we see again, in fancy, the old school house, with its old wooden desks carved into fantastic forma by idle fingers, until we see again the old mill and those thousand and one spots which we have enshrined in our hearts. 

In returning here we are struck by the change observable everywhere. If we pass along the street we are greeted by young ladies and gentlemen, and we are very certain that we never saw them be fore, but we discover presently that we used to know them as little red checked boys and girls.  We call upon some old friend of our childhood, and as we pass through the gate we wonder at the profusion of childish playthings in the yard not until we note the marks of baby fingers on the window is the mystery explained. There are friends whom we miss. Some of our old companions have passed away, some of the gray haired fathers and mothers whom we used to know are absent to-day, and we listen for their footsteps, we look for the well-known form, we ask for them and you tell us they are yonder, sleeping beneath the turf and the flowers. I wish that they might be with us to-day. 

We rejoice with you in the evidences of prosperity seen on every hand. We are proud of that public spirit and enterprise that has made these changes and that are the best pledges of future patriotic individualism.  It is a grand thing, but you will pardon me if I suggest that concerted action is better, we hope to hear ere long that the village is incorporated.   We believe that your duty to yourselves and to posterity demands it. 

We congratulate you on the already assured success of your celebration.  I can pay you no higher compliment than this, that your cordial welcome has made us feel that we are indeed at home. Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you a thousand times. 

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CHESTER TREADWELL'S POEM - CONCLUDED. 

CASE. 

There was old Uncle Noah 

I should have mentioned before, 

And he was a character, too; 

In telling a story he was right in his glory 

If you'd give a good laugh when he's through. 

A modern family they had; they only numbered two - 

Abiah and Mary they were named, and they were good and true, 

'Tis of the latter I shall write, because I knew her best, 

For in her close companionship for years I had been blest. 

At length consumption came and marked her for a prize; 

And after sufferings untold, she was wafted to the skies,  on the Arm that only could sustain; unfalteringly laid her head with anchor fast unto the Rock; there clung till she was dead. To her mother she had said one day, "When I die, I shall be very weak, I want you by my side, mother, and though I cannot speak, if I see the angels coming to waft to that sweet land, 'tie then I want you by my side, to press you by the hand." 

And when the crucial hour had come, her mother in anguish of heart, was weeping as only mothers can weep when seeing children depart. When she had withdrawn from the scene, the death-rattle already there; forgetting her promise as I have said - hope crushed out by despair.  The dough tar with effort super-human, tried to tell them what she sought, but she was too far gone for that; at last her mother was brought, when she reached out her arm and clasped her hand and pressed it with her might; she held it there in ecstasy till the soul had taken its flight. 

TREADWELL. 

My grand father, from New Milford, the old wooden nutmeg State, 

For peopling the earth, seemed quite up to date. 

With the number fifteen and a tailor by trade, 

It was just nip and tuck to furnish the bread. 

With very small means, but large expectations, 

As soon as they were old enough, dug for their own rations; 

Of those settled here, Minor, Harmon, Hezekiah, Aunt Sally, Lucretia, Aunt Esther, Abiah. 

The boys all worked at the carpenter's trade, 

And the girls all got married, and good wives they made. 

RICH. 

0, what shall I say of Uncle Sylvester, 

More than this, a fully equipped, judicious investor, 

One who never said yes when prompted to say no; 

And if 'twos the latter you might as well go 

With bright cathoid rays by nature supplied, 

Could tell at a glance all the workings inside; 

Who never let sympathy between him and his money. 

You might have the comb and see him care for the honey. 

Born a cripple, they thought him handicapped for life -  No handicap about his brain - always ready for the strife. 

Of old Mr. Rich one more thing I'd say, 

He never made costs for others to pay. 

Dame Nature had in the making of man 

A well-defined but unrevealed plan, 

Revealing only an index to point out the way, 

And telling the sequence of going astray.   A niche for each one and for each one a niche, 

And if each held his place 'twould save many a hitch; 

Some made for hoarding and others to scatter - 

As a hound made 'sfor foxes and terrier for a ratter. 

While both are necessary, each an adjunct to the other, 

Relationship almost the same as a child to its mother; 

I can see now the wisdom of curtailing man's life, 

For the three score and ten are enough for the strife. 

With six to eight hundred years from the time of their birth, 

I can name you ten men who would have owned the whole earth. 

Then for some other planet they straight-way would steer, 

To examine the records to see 'twos all clear. 

The planet selected to suit their behoof, 

Must be absolutely guaranteed fireproof. 

Don't misunderstand me and think I would malign them, 

They are moving the scheme for which 

Building railroads, etc., handy to have them around - 

Great undertakings without them would soon run aground. 

The scatterer at this point put in his fine work; 

Unceasing, painstaking, quite likely to shirk; 

And nature, always bound to make everything even, 

Has started it back and imbued is with leaven; 

Through the unknown channels it's bound to roam, 

Till at last every penny reports itself home. 

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Glad Tidings. 

The grand specific for the prevailing malady of the age, Dyspepsia, Liver Complaint, Rheumatism, Costiveness, General Debility, etc., is Bacon's Celery King for the Nerves. This great herbal tonic stimulates the digestive organs, regulates the Liver and restores the system to vigorous health and energies.  Samples free.   Large packages 50c.  and 25c. Sold only by Dr. E, B. Lake, Meridale. 

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My little boy, when two years of age, was taken very ill with bloody flux.  I was advised to use Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy, and luckily procured part of a bottle. I carefully read the directions and gave it accordingly.  He was very low, but slowly and surely he began to improve, gradually recovered, and is now as stout and strong as ever. I feel sure it saved his life.  I never can praise the Remedy half its worth, I am sorry everyone in the world does not know how good it is, as I do. Mrs. Lina S.  Hinton, Grahamsville, Marion Co., Fla.  For sale by A, R. Jackson, Treadwell.