• DEDICATION ••
•
• • • • OF THE • • • •

PILLSBURY
• FREE LIBRARY •

BUILDING
• WARNER, N.H.
*
OCTOBER 2, 1591.

is. i i
j
PILLSBURY

FREE

LIBRARY.

DEDICATION
OF THE

PILLSBURY FREE LIBRARY
BUILDING

WARNER, N. H.
OCTOBER 2, 1891

MANCHESTER:
PRINTED

BY THE JOHN
1891.

B. CLARKE CO.

BOARD O F T R U S T E E S .

ALBERT

P. D A V I S

.

.

.

.

President.

SAMUEL DAVIS
BENJAMIN

F.

HEATH

'

.

FREDERICK MYRON COLBY
ALONZO C.
STEPHEN C.

.
.

.
.

.
.

CARROLL.
PATTEE.

HENRY C. DAVIS.
JOHN R.

COGSWELL.

CHARLES W.
SAMUEL W.

REDINGTON.
COLBY.

M I S S AMANDA B. H A R R I S .

Vice-President.

Treasurer.
Secretary.

THE PILLSBURY FREE LIBRARY.
This building, the gift of Hon. George A. Pillsbury, of Minneapolis, occupies the site of the old Kearsarge Hotel, and cost
some over $16,000. The structure is a.handsome one-and stands
facing the north on Main street. It is made of pressed bricky
with trimmings of Concord granite.
Entrance is effected
beneath a massive granite arch surmounted by a gable bearing
the words, " Pillsbury Free Library." At the left of the recess
beneath the arch is set a tablet of polished granite bearing this
inscription in gilt letters:
" T h i s building was erected by George Alfred Pillsbury, who
was a resident, 1 8 4 0 - 1852, and given to the town of Warner, for
a library, to be free to all its citizens forever, A. D. 1891. The
site and grounds of this free library are the gift of Nehemiah
George Ordway to his native town."
The building is one story high, with a basement. The entrance
opens immediately into a handsome and commodious readingroom, lighted by numerous windows set in the apse of the
building, which faces the east. A feature of this room is a
handsome granite fireplace, surmounted by an oil portrait of the
donor, and having a very cosy and inviting ingle nook. At the
right of the entrance is the stack room, separated from the reading-room by a handsome counter and a screen of oak and plate
glass. The stack room is provided with adjustable shelves with a
capacity of about ten thousand volumes, and is thoroughly
equipped with all the necessary appurtenances. The basement
extends under the entire building and contains a heating apparatus. The building is finished throughout in oak, and the reading-room furniture is of the same material.
The library stands on a lot at the corner of Main and Depot
streets which is a gift of ex-Gov. N. G. Ordway, a native of
Warner. The situation is an ideal one and the grounds are
graded and seeded, giving promise of rare beauty in the near
future. — Concord Evening Monitor,

DEDICATORY EXERCISES.
The exercises of dedication were held in the Town Hall
at i o'clock. The afternoon was a propitious one, mild
and sunny, and the hall was filled to its utmost capacity.
The interior was gracefully decorated with banners and
flowers. At the rear of the platform were festooned flags'
and bunting, while the front of the stage was decorated
with potted plants. On the platform were seated the
trustees of the library, the donors of the site and
structure, the speakers of the day, the aged citizens, and
invited guests.
The following ladies, representing families who were
personal and business associates of Mr. and Mrs. Pillsbury
during their residence in Warner, accompanied them
when they took their seats upon the platform, at the commencement of the dedicatory exercises : Mrs. Harrison D.
Robertson, Mrs. Ira Harvey, Mrs. N. G. Ordway, Mrs,
John Adams, Mrs. A. C. Carroll, Mrs. E. H. Carroll, Mrs.
Gilman C. George, Mrs. Paine Davis, Mrs. George
Savory.
Miss Augusta Buswell represented her father, Mr.
Hiram Buswell, who is 84 years old, and next to Mr,
Thompson is, perhaps, one of the oldest residents of
Warner village, although Messrs. E. S. Badger, Ira Harvey, Moses D. Wheeler, Parker Bartlett, John Davis,
Stephen Edmonds, John Osgood, William Henry Bean,
James Bean, Jesse D. Currier, and John P. Colby are all
reaching towards their eightieth birthdays and are still incomfortable health.

7

Mr. Pillsbury expressed his regret that his old friends,
Mr. Williba Colby and Mr. J. Shepard Davis, who reside in
rather remote sections of the town, were unable to be
present, both of whom have passed their eighty-fourth
birthdays, but added, after meeting so many well-preserved
people at such an advanced age, it coftld be truly said of
Warner that it was not only a good town to be born in
but a good and healthy town to live in.
Blaisdell's Orchestra, of Concord, was in attendance,
and the following press representatives were present:
Col. J. E. Pecker, of the Boston " Journal " ; Mrs. John
B. Clarke, of the Manchester " Mirror " ; Myron J. Hazeltine, of the Manchester " Union " ; Albert De Wolfe, of
the Nashua " Telegraph " ; E. J. Moses, of the Concord
" M o n i t o r " ; S. C. Derby, of the Boston "Globe"; and
E. C. Cole of the Warner " Independent and Times."
Major Samuel Davis, the chairman of the day, called
the company to order, and the invocation was pronounced
by Rev. Robert Bennett. After music, " Sleep Well," by
the Orchestra, Major Davis spoke as follows :
ADDRESS OF MAJOR SAMUEL DAVIS.

The world does move. The great law of the universe never
lost a day. Progress is always involved in the evolutionary
movement. Whether we gaze into the nebulae of the heavens or
contemplate the spirit of God moving upon the face of the deep,
we see new and beautiful things coming forth out of that which
was without form and void. It always was so ; it always will be
so until the perfect day.
But it is in human nature itself, in the discoveries, the arts, and
inventions of men, and in the rise and fall of nations, peoples,
and civilizations — always leaving remains from which a higher
life is to spring up— that we find our strongest attraction. We
could have no Greece without an Egypt in the background ; no
New Testament without an old one; no Rome until the older
nations were going to decay; and without a Caesar to carry civ-

8
ilization inland from the Mediterranean, the continent of Europe
would have been barbarous to-day, there could have been no
Martin Luther in North Germany, no King Henry the Eighth
of England, and consequently no common schools in America
in this year of our'Lord. But without the common school there
could be no high schcjpl, and without schools there could be no
public libraries, in the popular sense.
From this merest outline we see how fallen man is forging ahead, link by link, working out his own salvation " while all creation groans," —but
it is God that worketh in him.
But to come down to our own time and state. Within the
memory of men now living and here to-day, within the memory
of the chairman of this meeting, there were established in a large
proportion of the villages of the rural districts of our state,
some sort of military and scientific institutions where the higher
education could be obtained by the youth of our land. They
were largely of the denominational kind, and their support
depended very much upon the patronage of the cities in the
lower part of the State and in Massachusetts, and the stage
coaches of those days were packed with the pupils and their baggage as they came in at the beginning and returned at the close of
the term. But the citizens of Massachusetts found out that it was
cheaper and better to establish high schools at home than to send
their children out of the state, and they did so. As a result the
academies of New Hampshire died a natural death, except here
and there one of the strong type — of course it was the fittest
that survived. But this left our youth, who were hungering for
an education, in a bad way, unless their parents were forehanded, which was not apt to be the case. However, the assembled wisdom of our state appreciated the situation and gave us a
high-school law ourselves and now the high school is doing the
work of the academy of the past.
As time moved on the discovery was made that we could teach
our children but little at school at most, little more than supply
them with implements for work, that something besides the
cramming of text-books was needed to raise our sons and daughters to the noble stature of grand manhood and womanhood.
And now comes what I am going to characterize the cap-sheaf,
the crowning glory, of our Christian civilization, — the public

CEORCE A. PILLSBURY.

9
library, which furnishes all within its reach the means of a truly
liberal education and high culture.
We hear in these days much of environment, the surroundings
from which we drawUhe life we live — not only the physical, but
the intellectual, moral, and spiritual. But what is to be the en- v
vironment of the youth of Warner, of all of us ? From our
schools and libraries we may draw nourishment from all the
sources of knowledge in the world, and learn the upshot, the
quintessence of the wisdom of the universe; for every age has
its man, or very few men, who absorb all the learning of all the
preceding ages. When I think of the higher learning and the
higher environment, and of that highest environment which
includes " the dear old spiritual work," and reflect upon the vast
strides that have already been made in the universal march from
the innocence of ignorance to the innocence of wisdom, I feel
something of the glory involved in eternal knowledge and eternal existence.
The oldest library is said to have been founded at Memphis by
an Egyptian king of the 12th Dynasty. At its entrance was inscribed : " The healing of the soul." These words have come
down through the corridors of time with all their divine import;
and as we look at this stanch and enduring structure, of brick
and granite, the heart involuntarily exclaims, " The healing of
the soul." It is the munificent gift of a former resident of our
town, the Hon George Alfred Pillsbury, who will now formally
present it to you.
PRESENTATION OF BUILDING.

M r Pillsbury delivered t h e deed of gift and t h e keys of
t h e building to t h e t r u s t e e s with t h e s e words :
Mr\ Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen :
On the 1 st day of February, 1840, at the age of twenty-four
years, I became a resident of the town of Warner, and continued to reside here until March 1, 1852. During my residence
here of about twelve years I was engaged in active business, with
the exception of one year. I came here as a clerk for Mr. John
H. Pearson, who was at that time engaged in the mercantile

10
business. In less than a year I bought out Mr. Pearson and commenced business for myself.
I brought with me less than
$500, and during the eleven years I carried on business here I
worked day and night to secure some of this world's goods.
How well I succeeded you can judge when I say that I took
away with me less than $3,000. In 1841 I married Margaret
Carleton, and brought her here. For more than half a century
she has been my companion in life, and by her presence and
words has ever assisted and encouraged me. Our two oldest children were born here, — Charles A. is still living, but the other,
a daughter, sleeps in the cemetery yonder.
Thus it is that my domestic and home life, as well as my business life, were really commenced here. I was at that time young
and active and full of hope for the future. And although other
places and the engrossing cares of business have taken my time
and attention since I left Warner, nevertheless the twelve years
of my early life spent here have made this place and its people
dear to me. I have ever taken a lively interest in all that has
tended to the prosperity of Warner, and I have never forgotten
the confidence reposed in me by its citizens, and the marks of ap~
preciation it has bestowed upon me. The citizens of Warner have
given me the highest honors within their gift. Both Mrs. Pillsbury and I became very much attached to the people of Warner,
and during the long time that has elapsed since we left this town,
our love and esteem have continued, and will continue during
the years to come. As we greet you to-day, a feeling, a sadness
comes over us, as we call to mind the friends of fifty years ago.
Here and there, scattered through this audience, we see the faces
of oldtime friends, but the marks of time are there, and the whitening locks recall that we are growing old and that eternity is near.
How these intervening years have thinned our ranks ! Most of
those with whom we used to associate have passed the border of
this life, and we shall see them no more in this world. Friends,
good and true, whose hearts were true to us in the long ago,
crowd upon our thoughts, and in the joy of this occasion we
would not forget them, but would ever keep alive their memory.
But what joy does it give us to see present to-day so many of
those whom we knew so well fifty years ago, and whose friend-

11
ship we have so highly valued during these years. God bless
them all, and may their last days be their best days.
I have always considered Warner one of the best towns in this
state, all things considered, — and especially since the railroad
was built here. It is an excellent agricultural town ; it has
always been liberal in the support of its churches and common
schools ; its standard of morality has always been high, and itscitizens have been thrifty, honest, and industrious. I can see no
reason why it should not become one of the wealthiest and most
sterling towns in this state. In my opinion, however, it needs
more push and enterprise, and in these days of sharp competition, a community, like an individual, in order to succeed must
have enterprise and enthusiasm, or the younger blood of other
localities will pass by it. I wish you had more Governor Ordways, to help build mountain roads and to help make other improvements in order to attract people of wealth to become its citizens. I can see no reason why Warner should not become one
of the best resorts in the state for summer boarders ; communication with all parts of the country by railroad is easy ; no town
in the state has better roads and highways for pleasure driving ;
its scenery is beautiful.
Where can be found more pleasant places for pleasant drives
or residences than are to be found on i( Tory H i l l " road, on
" Burnt Hill," on " Pumpkin H i l l , " or on the " Mink Hills,"
to say nothing of the beautiful road from Bradford to Hopkinton, passing through Stevensville, by Roby's Corner to Waterloo, Warner Village, Warner Lower Village, and so on to Hopkinton ? I understand that your neighboring town of New London the past season had more than twelve hundred visitors during the summer months. If that be so, it seems to me that with
the same effort Warner ought to have at least three thousand
summer residents. The northern part of the state is getting
rich from this source. Millions of money ought to be brought
into this state by its summer boarders, and with proper effort
Warner could secure its share. But few towns in the state will
compare with it in all that goes to make an attractive place for
permanent or temporary residence. I hope the good people of
Warner will seriously consider this matter and at once take active
measures to advance the town along this line.

12
I have for the past twenty years been interested in an industry
that has yielded a good income, so that I have been enabled to
accumulate what I hope will support me and mine the few years
we shall remain here, and possibly a little more, and so about
two years ago I began to consider whether or not it would be
well to remember in some substantial way the people of Warner,
in consideration of the honors they had conferred upon me while
a resident here. In considering this matter it occurred to me
that perhaps the gift of a library building would be as beneficial
and lasting as anything I could do, knowing, as I did, that by
the munificence of one of your former residents a high school
had been established here. That was a noble gift and will be a
lasting benefit to all the people of this town and vicinity.
While thinking over this matter, and before I had reached a
final conclusion, Governor Ordway happened accidentally to call
upon me at my office in Minneapolis. I told him what I had
been thinking of and asked him whether he thought such a gift
would be acceptable to the people. He assured me that he had
no doubt that such a gift would be appreciated, and at once said
if I concluded to erect such a building he would cheerfully give
the lot upon which the building should stand or, if preferred, he
would sell the land to me at a very low price. I also communicated with others of your citizens and became satisfied that such
a building would be very acceptable. With these assurances I
at once decided to erect such a building. I employed Mr.
Harry W. Jones, of Minneapolis, a very competent and skillful
architect, to prepare plans for the same. These plans when made
were laid before some of your leading citizens and were by them
approved. When it came to a final location of the building I
found there was some difference of opinions, and I must confess
that at one time I rather favored another site. In the spring of
1890 I came here and looked at the several sites that had been
named and came to the conclusion that the site where the building now stands, all things considered, was the most desirable of
any that could be obtained, and at once informed Governor
Ordway of my conclusion and told him that so far as I was concerned, and so far as I could learn, the sentiment of the people
of Warner would be well satisfied to accept his generous offer.
I suggested that he give a deed of the land to the town of War-

13
ner. He at once did so and the deed has been in the hands of
Mr. A. P. Davis for more than as year. I am of the opinion
that no mistake has been made as to the location. And so the
building was erected. I have endeavored to have constructed a
building as thoroughly made and as conveniently arranged as
possible, without regard to cost. I think no building in the
state of the same size has been more thoroughly made or at a
greater cost for its size. The stone and brick work were done
by Mr. John H . Flood, of Concord; and Mr. E. P. Hutchinson was the contractor for the carpenter and other work, and they
have fulfilled their contracts to my entire satisfaction.
I had supposed from what I had read in your local newspaper
(I am a regular subscriber to it and read it with interest) that
you had quite a library, and needed only a good building to put
the library into. It seems that I was mistaken. You had only a
small library, which was located in your high-school building,
and I understood that some who had been interested in that
library were opposed to its being moved to the new building, and
that others did not wish to press the matter against the opinion
of those who had been associated with them in its care. This
being the case, it looked as though a building had been erected
without books to put in it. At the time it was decided to erect
this library building, my wife expressed a desire to leave a
sum of money to the town, the interest of which should forever go towards sustaining the library. When it was learned that
possibly there would be no books to go into the new building,
my wife concluded that she would invest the sum that she expected to leave, at the present time, in books. My two sons,
Charles A. and Fred C , also offered to contribute something
towards supplying the new building with books, Competent
persons, in whom we had the utmost confidence, were employed
to select some four or five thousand volumes of the most suitable
books for a library for a town the size of Warner. Some three
thousand books have already been bought and are now in the
care of Miss Mary B. Harris, to be by her prepared and catalogued ready for use. Other books will be selected and it is
hoped and expected that by the first of January next some five
thousand volumes will be placed upon the shelves of the building.

14
And now, Mr. President, please accept from me, as a gift to
the town of Warner, this library building. I now deliver to you
its keys. And in behalf of my wife, Margaret Carleton Pillsbury, and my two sons, Charles Alfred Pillsbury ^ n d Fred Carleton Pillsbury, I also present for the library the books which have
already been purchased and the others that are to be purchased
and placed upon the shelves. Will you please accept them, too.
In closing, it is my wish, and the wish of those whom I to-day
represent in thus formally presenting these gifts to you, that all
the people of Warner, old and young, the rich and poor alike,
may realize therefrom all the benefits that a free public library
can give; and we trust that our most ardent expectations and
hopes for the library during the future years and upon the coming generations will be fully realized.

PRESENTATION OF SITE BY EX-GOVERNOR ORDWAY.

Governor Ordway in p r e s e n t i n g t h e site said :
Mr.

Chairman :

After quite a long absence in the West, performing public
duties near the new home of the philanthropic gentleman who
has just placed the munificent offering of himself and family
before you, I am so overwhelmed with satisfaction at what is
transpiring that I dare not trust myself to speak without notes in
the midst of the silvery heads I see around me as guests of
honor, and the younger and middle-aged friends composing this
splendid audience.
The dedication of the Pillsbury Free Library is truly a redletter day for the whole people of Warner, and I may be pardoned for alluding to what has already been stated by Mr. Pillsbury, that it was my good fortune to be present in Minneapolis
when Mr. Pillsbury practically decided to erect this monument
of his generosity in the town where he and Mrs. Pillsbury lived
happily so many years after first embarking upon life's journey
together. It affords me great pleasure to be able to contribute
in a small degree to the munificent gifts which my lifelong
friend, Mr. Pillsbury, has bestowed upon the present and future
generations of Warner in this gem of a public library building.

H

HON. N. C. ORDWAY.

15
The rarest jewels are not valued for their size, but for their
beauty and fineness.
I am proud to be the donor of this historic hotel building lot
and grounds to my native town, to be kept forever for the public
uses to which it is now being dedicated. This central location,
in our now prosperous Center Village, was early improved by
Nathan S. Colby, Nathan Walker, Webster B. Davis, and others,
and used for hotel purposes, and my own ambition to give the
public a modernized hotel at this gateway to grand old Kearsarge mountain, went up in the flames which swept away the
necessary adjuncts — trees and shade. I therefore cheerfully,
like one of old, have added my mite to Mr. Pillsbury's priceless
gift to the whole people of Warner.
I have been familiar with this village for more than fifty years.
I well remember when Mr. Pillsbury, the young merchant from
Sutton, brought his bride to our village, and later on I recall the
bright face of a merry boy, Charles A., who made the raisin
kegs, candy cans, and such things as boys love, rattle all around
the old Robertson store, giving us a foretaste of the way he has
since shaken up the old milling systems of the West by the adoption of new methods, until the name of C. A. Pillsbury & Co.
is as well known in all the produce exchanges of the world as is
that of Jay Gould on the stock exchanges.
To have been the parents of such a son and to cheerfully return
to the scenes of their early life for the purpose of erecting such
monuments of their generosity for the alleviation of suffering
and for the diffusion of such a rich store of useful knowledge,
are privileges and honors which few will be enabled to enjoy in
this life, and they have the promise that in the life hereafter
" God loves cheerful givers."
My friends and fellow citizens, we can hardly fully estimate
the advantages of this free library, filled with thousands of the
rarest and richest books to be found in this great country,—
books suited to all ages and all conditions in life, from the lisping little prattler to the ripe scholar, editor, and historian. As
my memory carries me back to my boyhood days when I learned
to spell and write the names of the different commodities, under
the tutelage of my venerable friend, Robert Thompson, in his
store, and later on when I had to part with my highly prized silver

16
watch to pay the expenses of a single term of the high school at
Bradford, how much would I have given for the present privileges of the Warner high school and this free library.
As I look around this audience to-day, and note the presence
of so many of our old and venerable citizens, I think I voice
their general sentiments when I say that, however much of success those of us who have struggled up and along life's journey
without these privileges have achieved, we cannot relieve ourselves of the responsibility of giving those who are soon to take
our places educational advantages which will meet the requirements of the present time.
The small sums we are called on to pay in our annual tax list
for these free higher-class educational institutions will be much
less in the future than ignorance, poverty, and crime would load
upon us through the poor house, courts, and prisons. The
library benefits all classes, and those of us who are passing
the plane of the down hill of life, will find its solace in perusing
this rare collection of books during the long winter evenings
and when disease and decrepitude confine us at home. In a
word, what we pay for the economical care of this beautiful and
richly appointed library, which will stand the shocks of time for
ages, is especially for the benefit of every tax-payer and his family ; while the large amount we pay for schools is for the exclusive benefit of those who pay no tax, the children, but to whom
we owe a debt which all should be willing to pay cheerfully.
It is true the late census does not give Warner as many people
as were here when I was a b o y ; but if I could foot up the number of our sons and daughters whom I know to have gone to the
great cities and western prairies with the view of securing a competency and then returning to some spot dear to them and their
childhood for at least a summer home, I could easily show you
that the present Warner, with nine miles of railroad running six
daily trains, receiving passengers at seven stations, and receiving,
and delivering mail at six postoffices, has more friends and more
resources to draw upon in any emergency than the town ever
had before. That its educational and literary attainments are
far ahead of those of any other town in the state having the
same enumerated population, will not be seriously questioned.
I am loyal to and proud of my native town ; I love its moun-

17
tains, down whose sides the clear, health-giving, and sparkling
water frets its way to the valleys, to be utilized for new industries
with improved machinery, operated by educated intelligence ; I
admire its beautiful scenery, its fine roads, and variegated foliage.
In conclusion, my friends, allow me to urge upon you to make
this day of our friend's benefaction a red-letter day for all coming time, and resolve that hereafter we will use our best efforts to
induce each and every present and former resident of the town
to keep its name and fame for the public good, above all self interests, and see to it that in the future as in the past, such examples of public spirit and improvement may prevail that we shall
leave many monuments to show we have not lived in vain.
ACCEPTANCE OP^ GIFTS.
A. P. Davis, E s q . , chairman of t h e Board of T r u s t e e s ,
said:
Mr.

Chairman, Mr. Pillsbury :

It would seem an idle use of words for me to say that the final
and official act of accepting, at your generous hands, this magnificent gift to the people of Warner that you have just formally
presented affords pleasure to me and to those for whom I speak,
— pleasure and satisfaction beyond the power of language to express ; and I am sure I voice the united sentiment of our people
in saying, we return to you our sincere and earnest thanks for
this beautiful, rich, and artistic library building and the generous
gift of books. Our hearts overflow with gratitude. We are
your debtors, always. It is said, it is more blessed to give than
to receive. If that be true, and if the pleasure the giving affords
you is equal to the gratification afforded us as the beneficiaries of
your princely benefactions, you must be happy indeed. In behalf of the trustees of the Pillsbury Free Library, chosen by the
unanimous vote of the town, and in behalf of all the people of
Warner, I accept this noble institution of learning, with all that
implies of legal obligation on the part of the town, and of personal and official obligation on the part of the board of trustees,
and of duty on the part of the people, and I give you our promise
2

18
for ourselves and our children and our children's children forever, that we will religiously guard it as a sacred trust. Again,
in the name of all the people of Warner I thank you most
heartily, Mr. Pillsbury.
To our distinguished fellow townsman, Governor Ordway, for
the generous and kindly gift of the land on which the library
stands and for his early and always earnest interest in behalf of
the Pillsbury Free Library, we return our thanks, assuring him
that we appreciate the noble and generous spirit that induced
him to make this donation of valuable land to further the purposes of Mr. Pillsbury. Permit me to say to, and of, our respected fellow citizen, you have done yourself great honor and
your native town a generous service in the gift you have made.
We accept the title deed from you with pleasure, assuring you
that the town will, along with the building and library, ever
guard it and its interests with a watchful and jealous eye.
Future generations will hold in grateful memory all who have
kindly contributed to the consummation of the work of founding this institution.
Having said so much in grateful recognition of the treasures
we this day receive at the hands of our friends, you will permit
me to indulge in a few practical reflections that this auspicious
event seems to suggest. The founding of this free library marks
the beginning of a new era in the history of Warner, second in
importance to no other, and co-equal with that of the founding
of our free high school. Indeed, I may, with absolute fairness,
couple the Simonds Free High School with the Pillsbury Free
Library, as twin blessings, each the counterpart of the other.
When the town voted, by a unanimous vote and with an enthusiasm unprecedented in the history of Warner town meetings, to
accept this last great and crowning blessing, it completed the
work so well begun two decades ago. Providence has been exceedingly kind and partial to us as a town in so ordering events
that we are permitted to enjoy the privileges which these institutions of learning afford us and coming generations forever, for
few rural towns possess two such public institutions. It is also
fortunate that these great blessings came at a time when the men of
Warner were wise enough to know and accept a good thing when

19
it was offered them, even though it involved slight *anation.
There have been times when they would have been refused.
Warner has taken a new departure. She henceforth discards
her dead past, with all its local and personal quarrels and dead
issues, and turns her face sunward to a bright and promising
future. Let those who would hinder and obstruct her upward
course stand from under. The people have decreed it. The
will of the people is omnipotent. Warner is now in the flood
tide of prosperity, financially, socially, and industrially. This
satisfactory condition is traceable to well-known causes, and has
not come about from any accidental cause, or purely fortunate circumstance, independent of the universal law of cause and effect.
It is always true that " heaven helps those that help themselves."
The greatest of philosophers said of the fortunes of
men :
" There is a tide in the affairs of men,
That, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

Communities are no more the creatures of fortuitous circumstances than are individuals. Rather, we are creatures of opportunity and not of circumstance. That person, as well as that
town, is wise, who, seeing the opportunity, improves it.
When the high school was offered us, it was a tide in the destiny of the town which if not accepted would most effectually
have " bound our voyage in shallows and in miseries." Fortunately, our people were wise and gladly accepted Mr. Simonds's
noble and generous gift. Again, when in the course of events
the Pillsbury Free Library was offered us, then came our second
tide, and our second great opportunity to decide, and by reason
of that wise decision the town has taken its place in the van of
healthy, prosperous, and enterprising New Hampshire towns.
These two fortunate events in the history of Warner, and the
good sense of the people called upon to act with respect to them,
have fixed the status of our town, and given her an enviable
reputation. Let us, upon whom now rest the responsibilities of
life, see to it that we realize all the benefits possible from these
events, for it is true, as Mr. Pillsbury said in the correspondence
that led to his generous gift, " With the Simonds Free High

20
School and a free public library, free to all the people, Warner
would be one of the most attractive towns in New Hampshire in
which to make a home."
These rare institutions in rural towns ought to attract to us
those seeking educational privileges of a high order, in a community as pure and healthy and vigorous as the breezes that forever
fan the brow of our own Kearsarge.
Then, too, we count ourselves exceedingly fortunate because
this free library places us in line with the advanced educational
spirit of this age that demands a higher and broader education for our boys and girls than that of the generations,
past. This is emphatically the intellectual age of the world.
The iron age is past, that of gold, nearly; mind is superior
to matter, brains to muscle, and intellect and culture to gold and
sordid greed of gain. A free library, too, is a necessary part of
our system of popular education. The free library is but another
advance step to round out to completion the people's common
school system. It is the process of evolution in the development and growth of that institution of our fathers. Horace
Mann, the father of the present system of popular education
that has placed Massachusetts at the head of American states,,
said many years ago that " a public library in a town is as necessary as the little red schoolhouse." The desire for knowledge
is strong with the masses. The good of society demands that
that sentiment should be encouraged. The free library affords
the exact stimulus required. Books, magazines, and newspapers
are no longer a luxury in American homes. They are found
everywhere, as well in the humble cottage of the average American laborer as in the stately mansion of the rich. In consequence of this growing thirst for knowledge on the part of the
"plain people " as defined by Lincoln, our state, taking Massachusetts for her pattern, at the last session of the legislature
passed an act entitled " An act to promote the establishment
and efficiency of free public libraries," by which towns showing
a desire to establish free libraries by making small annual appropriations are entitled to state aid. The next step in our system
will be the enactment of a law obliging towns to make these annual appropriations as a part of the system. Why not ? I t is

21
"but an enlargement of the compulsory features of our present
•school law, which the law of self preservation has forced us to
enact. As a nation we have become the dumping ground of the
ignorance and superstitions of the old world. After one hundred years of national life, we cannot view with indifference this
invasion of our free institutions, and we are enabled to realize
the value of schools, churches, and libraries, and to appreciate
the profound statesmanship of Washington, when he said in his
farewell message to his countrymen, " It is substantially true that
virtue or morality is a mainspring of popular government.
Who that is a sincere friend of it can look with indifference
upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric ? Promote,
then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the
general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the structure of
government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened."
This is sound doctrine, in the enforcement of which lies the
safety of our people and the perpetuity of our free institutions.
It was the same enlightened statesmanship that inspired our
fathers to declare in our New Hampshire Bill of Rights that " a
frequent recurrence to the fundamental principles of the constitution, and a constant adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, industry, frugality, and all the social virtues, are indispensably necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty and free
government." At no time since the founding of the Plymouth
colony have these precepts been more valuable than now.
You will agree with me that any institution that inculcates
the great and sublime doctrines that are so well intended to
keep alive forever the fires that burn on the altar of our liberties,
is deserving the patriotic support of every good citizen. It is
because this free library will help to inculcate these great truths
to our children in all coming time, and because it will make
them better, and therefore happier, because more intelligent and
more patriotic, that every true son and daughter of Warner rejoices over the Pillsbury Free Library. True to the patriotic instincts that inspire love of country in every patriotic heart, we
join our rejoicings to-day over the completion of this institution, proud of the rising fortunes of our town, the increased

22
prosperity and happiness of her people, and of the rich blessings
the budding future presents.
Charles Sumner described our schoolhouses as " the gates of
knowledge, which are also the shining gates of civilization."
The common school is the richest and most priceless legacy we
have inherited from the founders of our New England civilization. It comes to us charged with the condition to transmit it
unimpaired to our children. This is a solemn responsibility. As
it was their duty to conceive and establish, it is ours to inherit
and preserve and transmit. If the teachings of nearly three
centuries of the struggles of humanity to liberate itself from the
bondage of the past teach anything, it is that a people to be happy
must be virtuous and intelligent. Our fathers realized the truth
of this, for they fled from the worst conditions of ignorance, bigotry, and intolerance the world ever saw. To avoid an ultimate
like condition in America, they established the church and the
school side by side, twin conditions by which liberty might be
preserved and happiness secured. They made no mistake, for
they have made New England what she is — the home of liberty,
education, learning, and intelligence. A sweet New England
poet has happily expressed the idea in these lines:
" Yet on her rocks and on her sands
And winter hills the schoolhouse s t a n d s ;
A n d what the rugged soil denies,
T h e harvest of the mind supplies, —
Nor heeds the skeptic's puny hands,
While by the school the church spire s t i n d s ;
N o r fears the blinded bigot's rule,
While near the church spire stands the school.

To-day the gates of knowledge and of civilization are the
schoolhouse and the free library. Thoughtful American observers, who love their country more than anything else, agree
that this grand system of popular, free, and unsectarian education is endangered by this foreign invasion, and its influence in
politics and at the ballot-box. Let it be the pride and joy of
every native American, whatever our differences politically, that
our common school is our common birthright and family heritage
and the common mother of us all, to whom we owe a common
loyalty and a common love.

23

To the men and women of Warner given to literary pursuits,
the literati of Warner, this is a red-letter day indeed. To them
this library means much, for it will afford first-class facilities for
thorough reading in all departments of literature, — historical,
biographical, and scientific. To the girls and boys of the town,
who hunger and thirst for knowledge without the means of satisfying their wants, this free library will be of incalculable worth,
for it opens to them a vista of pleasure and unalloyed happiness
well worthy the envy of those not thus signally blessed. " The
finished garden to the view its vistas opens, and its valleys green."
To the few who have been hoping with faint hope, and praying
with little faith, who have long waited for this glorious day, I
tender my special congratulations over hopes realized, prayers
answered, and labors rewarded.
In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, as expressive of the pleasure we
all feel, permit me to say in the language of a distinguished
American author, who said of his books, with which he was in
love : " Let us thank God for books. When I consider what
some books have done for the world and what they are doing ;
how they keep up our hope, awaken new courage and faith,
soQthe pain, give an ideal life to those whose homes are hard
and cold, bind together distant ages and foreign lands, create
new worlds of beauty, bring down truths from heaven, I give
eternal blessings for this gift and pray that we may use it aright
and abuse it not."
Following these addresses, the orchestra played a waltz,
" Haunting eyes," by Torbani, after which United States
Senator William E. Chandler was introduced as the orator
of the day.
ORATION BY SENATOR WILLIAM E. CHANDLER.

The time allotted to me will be given to an ascription of
thanks to the donors of the attractive Pillsbury Free Library,
to the assertion of the transcendent importance to a republic of
education and culture, and to congratulations to the citizens
most interested in the library upon the superior advantages which

24
they enjoy as residents of one of the best of towns in our beloved state.
The library building stands, as it should, on ample and sure
foundations. The land on which it has been built is the free
gift to the town of Warner from one of its native citizens. Mr.
Ordway was born upon the nearest slope of the Mink hills.
Possessing only those opportunities for education and advancement in life which in those days lay before the humblest of Warner's children he made the utmost of his chances. By the most
untiring and sleepless industry, and by patience and endeavor unremitting in the face of all obstacles, he made himself one of the
foremost men of his town. Moving to Concord he advanced
easily and quickly to the front rank of the citizens of the capital.
Called to Washington as a public official, he disbursed millions
of public money during the long period of twelve years without
a default or complaint, and he became the trusted associate and
adviser of the highest leaders of the nation. Sent by President
Hayes to our greatest territory as its governor, he perfected its
organization and prepared it for statehood under circumstances
of trial and difficulty, and, although he was beset by many and
powerful foes who were the enemies of good government also,
he maintained his integrity and high repute to a triumphant
conclusion. No one locality has ever wholly engrossed his limitless energies. In Dakota, in the District of Columbia, and in
New Hampshire he has engaged in innumerable enterprises public and private, and wherever he has been he has always wished
to do his part in every good work. During this season, while
improving his farm and beautifying his summer home, he has rejoiced that he embraced the opportunity of aiding this project of
a free library by donating the one appropriate site therefor, the
title to which has passed to his native town, with his earnest wish
and high hope that the institution now inaugurated may be fruitful in blessings to a community which has never failed to engage
his warmest affections.
Seven cities contended for the honor of some of Homer's
fame. Mr. Pillsbury can be proudly claimed by two towns and
two cities. In Sutton he was born, Warner was the home of
his youthful struggles, Concord the scene of his manhood's
labors, and Minneapolis sees the full fruition of his noble life.

25
In his personal presence it is becoming to speak of him with some
reserve and to limit carefully the words of eulogy. Yet having
known and watched him well through all my life, and being
deeply interested personally in the welfare of one of the towns
and one of the cities which are profiting by his benevolence,
must be allowed to utter with freedom the Janguage of truthfulness, not in a recital of the incidents of his career, but in a just
judgment of his character and achievements.
Mr. Pillsbury from his earliest youth has possessed in a high
degree the industry, energy, and persistency which were common
traits of the men of New Hampshire born during the first third
of the present century, when our rigorous climate, stubborn
lands, and undeveloped resources made marked success in life
impossible to the indolent, the slothful, or the fainthearted.
Hard and unremitting toil, day in and day out, was the lot of
the promising boys of those days. Such schooling as the town
gave was not neglected, but attendance was work and not play.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might,''
was the rule which guided the four Pillsbury boys under the direction of their father, Captain John Pillsbury, who had a living
and " a good name, which is better than riches," to earn for
himself and his family under the severe conditions which then
prevailed in the deep woods and scant meadows and on the
rocky hillsides of the secluded town of Sutton. To these very
conditions doubtless, also to inheritance probably, Mr. Pillsbury
is indebted for that disposition to do things, that forcefulness
and indefatigability which have given him such far-reaching and
abundant success that he is now entitled to look with just complacency, and to rest with supreme satisfaction, upon the work
which he has wrought during his journey of life.
Four distinguishing traits'are prominent in the character of
the subject of these remarks. Good sense, common sense, has
ever been present with him, keeping him from mistakes, and enabling him to say and do the right thing at the right time.
Good nature, affability, manifested in every relation of life,
making him courteous, gentle, and patient with all his fellow
creatures, has made his own pathway easier and that of those
nearest and dearest to him happier for his presence and association.

26
Integrity, including truthfulness, honesty, and honor in all his
dealings with his fellow men, has always controlled his private
and public life, and no imputation to the contrary has ever been
made by any person on any occasion or in any form.
Above
all else he has been and is a man of religious convictions,,
deep seated and sincere, unconcealed but unostentatious,,
pervading and guiding every movement of his existence. Accounting himself as an heir of immortality, from his youth upward he has endeavored, as God has given him strength and
opportunity, so to live his long life among men as not to be
wholly unworthy of the better country, even the heavenly.
Such being Mr. Pillsbury's prominent traits of character,
which, while they do not always secure great worldly success to*
their possessors certainly are quite likely to promote it, he has
achieved positions and honors and riches such as fall to the lot
of only a few men even in our highly favored and prosperous
country. Withal, it has pleased him to enter into works of
benevolence, many of which have been secret and some of which
have necessarily come to public view. He has not been alone in
his good deeds, but has been joined by his brother, Governor
John S. Pillsbury, who has given to Sutton a memorial hall soon
to be dedicated, and by his remarkably capable and successful
son, Mr. Charles A. Pillsbury. It may be said, I think, and said
because it is just and true, of this family which had its origin
among our granite hills, migrated to the, great West, and
achieved wealth and power and distinction, that all its members
have deserved their prosperity and are worthily performing all
their duties to their fellow men.
Mr. Pillsbury has made various donations in my native city of
Concord. His latest is the Margaret Pillsbury General Hospital,
named after his respected wife who seconds him in all his good
works. This hospital is one of the noblest of charities and I
take this public occasion to thank Mr. Pillsbury for his complete
and timely benefaction. Only a few days ago was unveiled the
monument given by him to the town of Sutton to commemorate
the soldiers who went thence to give their lives in the greatest
and noblest war of which history makes record, which was fought
to suppress the slaveholders' rebellion, to save the union of these
states, and to make America wholly and forever free.

27
To-day, moreover, Mr. Pillsbury presents to the town of Warner this beautiful and commodious free library building. It is a
most appropriate gift, and is most gratefully accepted.
To you, sir, I take a pride in saying that the gratitude of this
people goes out to you in unstinted measure. Not only are you
thanked for your liberality by those now living, but you may be
sure that many generations yet to live in the town of your earlier
strivings, when they assemble in the precincts of this enduring
edifice and enjoy its advantages, will recall your name with
thanks and blessings. Heaven has already generously lengthened
your days with health and strength unimpaired. May your life
be prolonged far into the future, and may the best of God's rewards
belong to you forever and ever.
The importance of a free public library in every considerable
village in the United States cannot be overestimated. The government of this country is that of a republic. It is the greatest
republic of the world. Here we are trying the momentous experiment whether mankind is capable of self government. The
whole world is looking on. If we fail, republican governments
everywhere will go down and despotisms will take- their places.
We have passed safely through many tests since our fathers in
^776 rebelled against the tyranny of England and established
our nation. We justly resisted foreign aggression in the War of
1812. We immensely enlarged our boundaries in 1846, and for
that purpose successfully waged an unjust war with Mexico. We
subdued the most formidable rebellion which ever in the history
of the world uplifted its head against established government, and
in that war we tore up and extinguished the curse of human chattel
slavery; and to-day the United States is enjoying the highest
prosperity it has ever known, with the complete apparent
safety and stability of our government.
All this is hopeful and encouraging. Yet with pride and prosperity there can be seen new perils. I will enumerate some of
them without elaborating. There is danger from the existence
of two races of different color, each entitled to go to the ballotb o x ; from the influx and naturalization of ignorant foreigners ;
from degraded and vicious voters, native and foreign, in our
great cities ; from the antagonisms between capital and laborers
with ballots in their h a n d s ; from the prevalence of both enor-

28
mous wealth and extreme poverty ; from the arrogance of plutocratic corporation monopolies on the one side, and the desperation of socialists and anarchists on the other; and from the
corruption and intimidation of voters from various causes. I
am hopeful but anxious, and believe that no pains should be
spared to avert dangers and strengthen our republican form of
government.
It is agreed on every side that all the greatest dangers to republicanism arise from, or are increased by, illiteracy ; and that
the education of the masses of the people should be promoted
by all apt and possible means. It is a trite subject, that of popular education; but it is the indispensable basis of our American
liberty. If we can decrease illiteracy and secure education and
that intelligence concerning public affairs which in these days
of books and newspapers follows education we can save and perpetuate our free institutions. But if illiteracy and ignorance are
to gain upon us and education is not to be widely diffused
through the masses of the people into all our families and among
all our voters, the republic may at some crisis be destroyed.
The new republic of Brazil, the other Central and South American
republics, and even the republic of France will in my opinion
not be permanent unless each nation erects and maintains as the
chief bulwark of its liberties a system of common schools substantially like our own, and bases its hope of endurance upon
widely diffused and universal popular education.
That system of common schools is firmly established in the
United States and we must cherish it as the most precious safeguard of our liberties. We must strengthen it on every side,
and must resist all attempts, whether open or insidious, to break
it down by the substitution of private schools advocated on the
false plea of the necessity of religious instruction. Let our children of all classes, races, and religious denominations be given
the rudiments of education in unsectarian schools; and let their
religious opinions be inculcated or formed as may happen in a
nation whose constitutions declare that the governments shall
" make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Let us continue to supplement the common schools with the
best possible high schools, technical schools, agricultural schools,

29
colleges and universities, liberally endowed by wealthy and generous citizens " willing to communicate." Let us rejoice in the
public libraries which in recent years are springing into existence
over all the land, beautifying our villages by their tasteful architecture, inviting our youths away from hurtful resorts, and inspiring them with zeal for the highest culture, furnishing our citizens with full knowledge of all public events, and fitting them
for the wise performance of their most important duties of citizenship, those of voters and rulers in the leading republic of the
world.

*•
*

Citizens of Warner: You are this day highly blessed in lacking nothing necessary to popular education in your midst.
Your public schools are good, and there is only needed more
effort to assist the attendance of children from some of the remoter farmhouses. Many years ago a free high school, now
noted for its excellence and attracting scholars from the surrounding towns, was given to you by Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Simonds,
who on this occasion should be specially and gratefully remembered. Now comes to crown the work the Pillsbury Free Library. Surely the lines have fallen to you in pleasant places. It
is easy to decry our mountain state in favor of more fertile regions and milder climes. But they who go out from these hillsides to seek their fortunes turn back again to their childhood
homes with gratitude and intense desire, and they tell you not
elsewhere than here can they so rejoice in the consciousness of
existence. Our Kearsarge mountain gives its blessings as freely
as that lofty peak of which New England's great poet sung:
For health comes sparkling in the streams
From cool Chocorua stealing.
There's iron in our northern winds ;
Our pines are trees of healing.

Thus with natural advantages unsurpassed by any other of our
rural towns; with public-spirited citizens supplying needed benefits otherwise unattainable; a prosperous, temperate, moral, and
religious community, you can assuredly this day felicitate yourselves that you are the fortunate possessors of the very best gifts
which God vouchsafes, during this earthly pilgrimage, to the
children of men.

30

After the rendering of a fine cornet solo, "Fantasia,"
by A. F . Nevers, the chairman introduced Frederick
Myron Colby, the poet of the day, who read the following
poem :
In days of old there stood 'neath Attic skies
A temple reared by cunning hands and wise.
With pillared hall and portico it rose
Upon the heights, the wonder of both friends and foes.
The sailor, coming in o'er slumbering seas,
Saw far aloft, amid the sunshine and the breeze,
The shining roofs of Nike Apteros,
Called " The Temple of Wingless Victory," because
Erected to commemorate great Kimon's victory
Over the Persian foe beside the foaming sea.
No other fane in all Athenian story
Had ever half the grace or half the glory
Worn by this fair model of the builder's art,
Of Athens's greatness a symbol and a part.
For ages upon the Acropolis it stood
Looking down on " Violet City," plain and wood,
Its white Ionian columns rising fair
Above the dust and din, in thin, pellucid air.
And all those lofty ones so great in story,
Who trod these streets and waysides hoary,
Passed up the height beneath its portico
To worship or to dream, midst weal and woe, —
The statesman and the scholar, the warriors wearing bays;
The heroes and the victors, and the singers of sweet lays;
Young children and fair women, and laborers swart with toil,
The humble and the lowly from all the Attic soil;
They thronged within its shadow or dreamed beneath its roof;
Not one but loved the ideal temple and never held aloof.
Honored it was by mortals, and the dreaded gods reigned there,
In the shining temple of Nike Apteros the fair.
This is our temple of Nike Apteros,
Built like that of Athens for a worthy cause,
To be the pride and glory of our town,
So that future ages, glancing down
The aisles of time with reverent eyes,
Shall see how we beneath New England skies,
Built in the old time for posterity.

31
It ife a temple of Wingless Victory
For him who founded this library grand
"To be a sign and symbol through the land ;
And generations yet unborn shall bless
Him who with generous hand this largess
Gave. Greater than Athens's victorious son's
Shall be his fame, and the weight of marble tons
Engraved with gold and skill shall not outweigh
The gratitude we tender him to-day.
May his years be rounded out like those
Of the ancient patriarch, and each one be
As fair and sweet as 'tis full of charity.
Well and wisely has he built, as all men know,
And this shall all the future ages show.
"This temple to Learning and to Poesy
Shall stand when we are dead, and honored be;
A grander victory it shall proclaim
Than that which graced the proud Athenian's name, —
The victory of Mind. Its hosts are gods
Indeed, but gentler deities than those whose nods
Held in grim fear the men of that old time.
They are gods of Truth, of Reason, and of Rhyme;
And this their treasure-house of garnered thought
Shall shine with light from distant ages brought.
Here men shall all the springs of Truth explore,
And " hold communion with the minds of yore."
No blind and senseless worshipers are they
^Who bend before this shrine to dream and pray.
The vistas of the future open wide before my gaze,
And I see a countless army marching up the dusty ways;
The echoes of their footsteps sound along the time-worn floor,
As they fill the library chambers, as they throng around the door.
And they crowd with reverent faces by these bookshelves dim and old,
l>aden with volumes musty, but precious as fine gold;
Open the pages wide and luminous filled with historic lore,
Scan the thoughts of poets, scholars, till they can read no more.
But the thronging never ceases, still the crowd comes pouring in,
The scholar and the dreamer worn by midnight vigils thin;
The schoolboy fresh and rosy, the housewife from her toil;
The man of wealth and leisure, the tiller of the soil;
They gather here of every age, to bow at Wisdom's shrine,
And, " gleaning from the storied page," make their dull lives divine.
Some linger over Shakespeare, others o'er Gibbon's stately page;

32
Some seek for truth in Plato, some study a more modern age;
The music of Tasso's glowing lines, of Byron's burning lays,
Give sweetness to the night-times and beauty to the days ;
The godlike verse of Homer will have its worshipers,
And Chaucer's nightingale still through the foliage stirs.
We smell the golden daffodils in Herrick's garden fair,
And Browning still will haunt us from midst Venetia's glare;
The tale of sad Granada as told by Irving's pen,
And Parkman's graphic stories of his historic men,
Each, each will have its readers and each be garnered o'er,
Year after year by those who love the past with all its wealth of lore..
And so they'll gather ever to drink from Learning's stream,
At the Pillsbury Free Library, the temple of their dream.
A temple fair of knowledge, long may this building stand
To be the scholar's Mecca, a beacon in the land.
And while we love the temple and ever guard the same,
We'll not forget the gratitude we owe the Pillsbury name.

Following t h e poem were five-minute r e m a r k s by
n u m b e r of g e n t l e m e n , resident and non-resident.

a

REMARKS OF HON. JOHN EATON.

The solid and fit character of the library building this day
dedicated accords with the abiding and worthy end which it is
to promote. Over its door may well be written the inscription
found over the entrance to the library of ancient Thebes, —^
" Medicine for the soul."
It deserves profound gratitude and the best use. Its location
here has a further value from the fact that your town and village
enjoy the benefits of the Simonds Free High School. Both
should make residence here more desirable, increase the skill of
industry, and add value to real estate. They will be co-operative workers in the education of men and women. People are
known by the institutions they cherish. Carlisle declares the true
university of these days is a collection of books. Bacon observes that libraries are the shrines where all the relics of ancient
saints, full of true virtue and that without delusion or imposture,,
repose. Byron sang, " A drop of ink may make a million
think."
Books multiply this power. Schlegel, the German
philosopher, declares, " Literature is the voice that gives expression to the human intellect." Whipple calls books " the light-

33
houses on the sea of time." Says Cicero,-".they, ^re the food of
youth, the delight of age, the ornament of prosperity, the refoge
and comfort of adversity." Says Milton, ' - A good book is
the precious life-blood of a master spirit embalmed and treasured
up on purpose for a life beyond." Old Ben Johnson sang,
When I would know thee my thought looks
/Upon thy well-made choice of friends and books.

Avoid a foul book as you would smallpox or the companionship of crime. The poison of bad literature is widespread. No
miasma is more deadfy. The best preventive and antidote yet
found is a taste for good reading. Samuel Johnson, author of the
dictionary, says : " Books have a secret influence on the understanding. We cannot at pleasure obliterate ideas. He that
reads books of science, though without any desire for improvement, will grow more knowing. He that reads moral or religious
treatises will imperceptibly advance in goodness. But to get the
most out of books, we must see to it that our reading be wrought
into our living." Napoleon was wont to say, " My hand is near
my head." His act followed close on his thought. Read not
to contradict or confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor
to find fault, but to weigh and consider. Samuel Johnson
affirms that first principles aref ound in books, which real life
must test. The administration of libraries is fast becoming a
learned profession. Colleges aspire to professorships of books.
A librarian may shape the reading of a whole community.
The sons of New Hampshire may rejoice that theirs was the
first state to provide by law that towns may raise and spend
money in support of libraries. This library looks to the town
for its direction, use, and support. Hereafter every one in Warner will be subject to the test — what think you of the library ?'
Do you use and support it ? It may be appropriate to suggest
another thought. Is not here the opportunity for preserving in
connection with your library a collection of local relics ? Such<
objects associated with our ancestors or events of other days
speak of the past and are naturally associated with books and history so well called philosophy ; teaching by example, both shalL
speak from the book and illustrate to the eye.
3

34
St. Martin is said tc have observed, " W e are climbing up this
life as it on a ladder. In death this ladder is snatched from us
and we tjiei\ stand in that region of life to which each had himself attained." Spurgeon calls idleness " the key to beggary,"
so it may be the open door to degradation ; a good book for
every idle hour would save multitudes from falling and make
many an idler a doer of worthy deeds. In our upward climbing
there may come to us, through the library, the great achievements
of mankind, and the voices of the great and good from every
age and clime uniting in bearing one message to every aspiring
soul expressed in the single word " excelsior," while the angel of
approval offers to every attainment the garland of reward.

LETTER FROM COL. JOHN B. CLARKE, OF MANCHESTER.
WARNER, N. H., September 29, 1891.

To Frederick Myron
Free Library :

Colby, Secretary

Trustees

of

Pillsbury

I have received your invitation on behalf of the trustees of the
Pillsbury Free Library to make a brief speech at the dedication of
the library on the 2d prox. As business calls me away this week,
and I may not be able to return in season for the dedication exercises, I take this method to express my high appreciation of the
generous beneficence of George A. Pillsbury, and to congratulate
the inhabitants of Warner upon a gift so fraught with blessings
to the people of this beautiful town for all coming time.
Until the present season my knowledge of Warner was limited
pretty much to an acquaintance with some of her most prominent sons (and one or two of her daughters). The late Gov. E.
A. Straw, so many years the foremost man in my own city, and
one of the ablest men in many respects this state has produced,
had his birthplace here, and when, a few weeks since, I passed
the house where he was born on Tory hill, I felt like lifting my
hat as a mark of respect to his memory. The late Governor
Harriman, whose eloquent voice was known all over the land, was
proud of his native town and wrote her history with loving pen.
And yet another governor was born in Warner and still goes
in and out among you, and by his generous gift of the land upon

35
which your beautiful library building stands ex-Gov. N. G. Ordway shares with Mr. Pillsbury in this benefaction to his native
town. Any town might be proud to number among its sons
three such men as the governors named, yet there are many other
sons and daughters of Warner, living and dead, who have
achieved distinction in literary, professional, and political walks,
but I will not attempt to enumerate them here.
If Warner has reason to be proud of her'own sons and daughters, may she not also plume herself upon those who are hers
only by adoption ? Surely at this time every citizen feels both
pride in and affection for the man who in so munificent a manner testifies the love he bears to the place where he spent the first
years of his struggling young manhood, getting the experience
so helpful to him in laying the foundations of the magnificent
fortune he has built up- in the far West, and which he is so nobly,
so wisely, devoting to public* benefactions, — a library here, a
monument there, a hospital elsewhere, and so on,— doing good
with his fortune while he lives, and not, as so many wealthy men
have done, keeping it for greedy heirs to quarrel over after he
has gone.
And the orator who has been chosen to address you, our Senator William E. Chandler, who now for many years has made
Warner his summer home, and who loves it, as he tells me, more
and more the longer he stays, may well be reckoned as one of
Warner's own distinguished citizens.
No one, it seems to me, who has any appreciation of the
beauties of nature, can fail to be charmed with the scenery of
Warner.
With a somewhat extended acquaintance with the
most picturesque portions of our state, I do not recall any town
which affords so many charming drives and so many superb
landscape views as I have found during my sojourn in Warner
the present season.
But it is not your scenery alone which makes Warner a desirable place of residence. I find here many excellent farms and
superior pastures, and some very progressive farmers. There are
good horses and cattle and sheep. There is a thriving manufactory which gives employment to numerous people and a business
impetus to the town. There are live, active merchants to supply

36
your wants, and you need not go out of town for an orator, a
poet, a lawyer, a doctor, or a story writer, even if you aim
pretty high. You have a flourishing Grange which is doing
much to educate the people, and a good local newspaper whereby
the needs and the doings of the town may be made known.
You have your excellent free high school where your children
may receive a good education. Now the Pillsbury Free Library
adds the crowning blessing, and with all these advantages Warner should be not only a good place to be born in, but to live
in, to stay in, and to return to if one has strayed away. I will
not say to die in, because I have not yet thought of any good
place in which to die. It now only needs the united, hearty
efforts of the citizens of the town to make Warner more prosperous and thriving and altogether delightful a place than it has
ever been.
Very respectfully yours,
J O H N B. CLARKE.
REMARKS OF S. C. PATTEE, ESQ.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :
It is with the greatest pleasure that I rise to express my heartfelt thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Pillsbury for the munificent gift they
have this day so generously bestowed upon our people; a gift, I
trust, that we shall appreciate more and more as time moves on
and we begin to see and taste its ripened fruit.
It is t^uly a beautiful gift. The building is beautiful, because
of its adaptedness to the purposes for which it was designed, for
its architecture, its beautiful finish, for the solid and imperishable
materials of which it is constructed, but the most beautiful part
is to be found within its alcoves and recesses. Books ! books !
rich and rare, grave and gay, science and fiction, containing the
thoughts, researches, biography, and travels of our best men and
women. With this beautiful structure and rich and numerous
volumes within reach of all our citizens, it cannot but develop
and fix a habit of reading among all classes that will make us
wiser men and women.
In the declaration of purposes of the order of Patrons of
Husbandry we find this statement: " T o develop a higher man-

37
hood and womanhood among ourselves," and when Warner
Grange heard that Mr. Pillsbury had decided to present the town
of Warner with a valuable library building, its members were enthusiastic and arose with one accord and passed a vote of thanks
to Mr. Pillsbury, and pledged themselves to perpetuate and maintain, by every word and deed and act, so valuable an institution
in our midst, for how, said they, " can we better fulfill our purpose of developing a better manhood and womanhood among
ourselves than by reading good books ? ''
When Mr. Pillsbury resided in town I was a boy, at work on
my father's farm, and I well remember that Mr. Pillsbury was
always foremost in advocating and building up all institutions
that were for the moral and 'social benefit of the people, especially in temperance matters. I never shall forget with what
zeal he labored with me to induce me to join the order of the
Sons of Temperance. I consented but had not the ready cash
to pay my membership fees. Mr. Pillsbury generously put his
hand in his pocket and advanced the money. That was a
small matter, Mr. President, but little things have great
endings sometimes. That little germ of generosity in Mr. Pillsbury has been growing all these years, until now the bud has
burst open, and the marvelous beauty of his generosity and that
of his beloved wife fills us with gratitude and pleasure. May its
seeds be scattered broadcast over our town, and may you, Mr.
and Mrs. Pillsbury, live long to see the harvest garnered i n , — a
noble manhood and womanhood, — from the valleys and hills
which you so much love.
ADDRESS OF PROF. C. J. EMERSON.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen :
When God piled up the hills and scooped out the valleys of
New Hampshire, he prepared a birthplace for virtue, patriotism,
and all the characteristics of stalwart manhood.
When he
smoothed down the plains of the South and stretched out the
prairies of the West, he prepared fitting fields for bold and energetic enterprise. The East has produced a host of men eager
and able to do, and the West has afforded ample opportunity for
doing.

38
We are proud of our mountain state, with her forests and her
streams, her beautiful lakes and her rugged soil, but we are
doubly proud of her men and women. Noble in purpose and
grand in integrity, they have maintained the honor of their
native state from the limits of the East to the farthest West.
There is a wonderful amount of affection wrapped up in the
hearts of her sons and daughters, who love to revisit the scenes of
early years, where youth was in its bloom and love and hope
were strong and buoyant. To the generosity of such men we
are indebted to-day for our beautiful library. It is a royal gift,
worth far more than city bonds or deeds of real estate. Free to
every citizen of the town, it is a treasury from which may be
drawn infinite stores of benefit and happiness.
With the making and reading of books, civilization began.
The Pentateuch of Moses and the poems of Homer and of
Hesiod are the germs of that universal library that has raised the
enlightened nations up from the darkness of barbarism.
In all countries and in all ages the prosperity and happiness of
a people have been in direct proportion to their literary culture.
Go into any town or city where education is general and books
circulate freely, and you will find the people intelligent and
orderly, the streets trim and well kept, the houses well painted,
and the wife with a smile greeting her husband at the door.
He who has acquired a taste for good reading is a companion
for kings and princes ; yea more, he is the intimate associate of
the true heroes of all ages. At his will he enjoys the wit of
Sheridan, the logic of Burke, and the wisdom of Franklin.
Would he revel in tournaments where grace and beauty are the
rewards of knightly deeds, then he reads the volumes of Scott;
would he while away the restful hours of a summer's afternoon,
then he takes from the shelves the poems of Longfellow, of Goldsmith, and of Burns; when the old warlike spirit stirs his blood,
and the pulse beats hot with its quickened load, he reads
the lives of Alexander, of Caesar, and of Napoleon ; when every
mood would be gratified to which the mind is susceptible, the
family gathers around the table of a winter's evening, and reads
the works of Shakespeare and of Dickens.
He who reads not at all is one man; he who makes himself
master of the thoughts and experiences of one good author is

39
two men ; he who understands the works of two great writers is
three men, and so on. By this mode of enumeration we hope
in the near future the population of Warner will be one hundred
thousand.
Believe me, Sir, the people .of Warner are deeply grateful for
this princely gift. Like a beautiful river that flows between constantly receding banks till it is finally lost in the tides and swells
of the ocean, so the influences from this library shall extend and
progress through coming ages till they are embraced and enjoyed
by countless generations.
REMARKS OF REV. A. E. HALL.

Mr.

Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen :

I am sure we feel very much alike to-day. Truly, we are with
one accord in one place. How delightful it all is ! Something
more than the " touch that makes the whole world k i n " has
thrilled our bosoms as we have listened to the words spoken by
our benefactor reminiscent of the far-off years when lie came
with his loving bride to purchase citizenship in this goodly town,
came to join hands and hearts in noble endeavor to strengthen
and perpetuate her institutions with the venerable men and
women, a few of whom remain to come here to-day to extend
hands of welcome and loving greeting, and renew the blessed
fellowships of the other years. We have watched the play of
emotions, too deep and eloquent to be uttered in words, wrhich
flitted from face to face all over this great audience of souls, as
with countenance lifted in light upon us, Mr. Pillsbury told how
away in his Western home he took counsel with his dear wife how
they might adequately express their gratitude to God for the
good prosperity vouchsafed them, and the affections which lingered in their hearts for the scenes and associations of their
early years; and how7 together they projected and fashioned the
idea which shall be a legacy of good to the inhabitants of this
town forever, to commemorate which we are met here on this
happy occasion. We have heard the fitting words of praise
uttered in prose and verse by cultured lips and from overflowing
hearts in honor of all who have lent aid to this splendid beneficence, and our hearts have responded to every syllable with

40
quickened impulse. The spirits within us have had their exhilaration and glow softened and melodized by the delicious music
which mingling with the incense of grateful hearts has risen up
before this altar, pervading this vast assembly with its sweet
vitality. And now it would seem that only one thing further is
needed to make this hour's festivities complete, — to associate this splendid beneficence with the dear Father above, from
whom cometh every perfect gift.
" Praise
Praise
Praise
Praise

God from whom all blessings flow;
Him all creatures here below;
Him above ye heavenly host,
Father, Son, and Holy G h o s t ! "

REV. ROBERT BENNETT.

Mr. Bennett's speech was unreportable. He alluded to the
occasion when the chairman called him to the platform at the
town meeting, which was crowded with voters, many of whom
were doubtful whether the terms of Mr. Pillsbury's gift would be
accepted by the town. He recalled the words of the chairman,
" g e t to the front," and he replied that he would do so, and
after his speech the overwhelming vote in the affirmative, without a solitary no, attested that he did.
H e made a congratulatory comparison between Mr. Pillsbury
and himself, remarking the pleasing coincidence that they were
both Suttonians, Mr. Pillsbury being a Sutton, N. H . , boy, and
he a boy of the older Sutton, England.
In conclusion he paid a glowing tribute to the sons and citizens of Warner whom the orator and poet had so justly praised,
adding that while the glorious deeds of the men and women of
the past generations were worthy of all praise, her coming sons
and daughters would, like stars and suns, illumine her future destiny with a greater splendor, and her records with an ever increasing fame, and it was his heartfelt pride to stand in the grand
ancestral line as a father of one of Warner's sons.
REMARKS OF GILMAN C. GEORGE, ESQ.

Mr.

Chairman and Fellow Citizens :

This is pre-eminently a red-letter day for Warner, a day long
to be remembered. We have been more highly favored than

41
tnost other towns in many respects. We enjoy more and better
railroad facilities than almost any other town through which the
road is constructed. We have our agricultural fair, where the
.husbandmen display the products of our fertile soil; the fine
herds of cattle which graze and fatten upon our rugged hills and
in our pleasant valleys; the blooded horses which some of our
-citizens are noted for raising, and the various kinds of handiwork which our matrons are so justly celebrated for producing.
W e have our mountain road which affords the most enchanting
view from the summit of Mt. Kearsarge. We have a Masonic
ILodge, an Odd Fellows Lodge, and a Grange, all of which are
well patronized and in prosperous condition. We also have the
:Simonds free high school, the doors of which are open for the
admission of all the young people of the town of requisite age
.and requirements, and where they may prepare themselves for
almost any position, either in public or private life. And last,
though by no means least, through the munificent generosity of
J& former resident, seconded by one of our own citizens in
the donation of grounds for the site, we have a free public
library, to the rich and varied literature of which all the citizens
of the town will have free and equal access, and from whose welljfilled shelves they can select such books as may be suited to their
individual tastes. We congratulate the donors on being in circumstances to make such a liberal donation. And we may well
congratulate ourselves on being the recipients of such bounty.
God bless the donors.
.shadows never be less !

Long may they live; and may their

REMARKS OF DR. J. R. COGSWELL.

Mr.

President,

Ladies and Gentlemen :

It will be unnecessary for me to go upon the platform, as I
have no set speech prepared for this occasion. I was early consulted as to the advisability of a free library for Warner, and
gave my hearty approval of the scheme. I have ever said and
•done what I could to induce the people to accept and appreciate
this noble gift of Mr. Pillsbury, the magnitude of which can
scarcely be estimated at this time. Our people are usually alive
to their best interests, and it gave me much pleasure to have them

42
vote unanimously to accept the generous gift and tax themselves
to support it. I was proud then to be a citizen of Warner, and
am still more proud to-day, after listening to these dedicatory
exercises. Proud, that with almost entire home talent we have
made this occasion one to be long remembered. I may be pardoned for saying that not every town, even in New Hampshire,
can boast of such talent and culture as is necessary to bring forth
such literary productions as we have listened to here to-day.
It gives me great pleasure to see so many people here to assist
in these exercises, and especially to see these aged men and
women, who for nearly fourscore years have resided in our town,
and ever as now been on the side or progress and improvement.
And now, fellow citizens, that we have a free library building,
a gem of art, well built and well-nigh imperishable, and also
thousands of volumes of well-selected books, what shall we do
with them ? We can make the most of these useful gifts only by
cultivating a taste for reading, and for reading the best books, so
that we may derive both pleasure and profit. Let us read to improve both mind and heart, and not forget to lay in such knowledge as will help us to perfect ourselves physically. Let us all
be very thankful for these our great opportunities, and do good
one to another as we have opportunity.
Our town has great natural advantages, and we ought to see to
it that people from far and near shall be invited to view our
beautiful green valleys and high hills, our grand old mountains;
so that many more may come to dwell with us, at least during
the pleasure and health-giving months of the summer and autumn.
No better town in " The Switzerland of America" for the sojourn of summer tourists than Warner. Here are many things
which go to make life pleasant — a flourishing business town,
with happy homes, intelligent people, fine schools, a free high
school, and last but not least a free library. Let us all appreciate
these our great and enduring privileges.
REMARKS OF DR. J. M. RIX.
Mr. President, Ladies and

Gentlemen:

It is with a good deal of diffidence that I rise on this occasion,
in response to the invitation of the president of the day, to at-

43
tempt to make any remarks, and especially to so large and inteligent an audiencfe as I see here to-day, and more especially
since those who have preceded me have been preparing for this
occasion and have addressed you in such felicitous and appropriate language and eloquence. While I do not propose to
attempt to make any extended remarks at this late hour,, the
thought comes into my mind that I may stand here as an humble
representative of a class of citizens scattered all over our broad
land, whose deeds of valor have made this occasion possible, and
who, with those who fell, when the chain of these United States
was broken by the boom of the first cannon at Sumter, hastened
at the call of our great captain, Lincoln, to weld the chain anew
in the best blood of our beloved land, and the glory of a united,
redeemed, and prosperous country shines more clear to-day than
ever before, and T am reminded of these things by the fact
that members of Robert Campbell Post, G. A. R., have just returned from paying the last tribute of esteem and respect to the
remains of a deceased comrade, a gallant soldier in the late Rebellion, and an upright and honored citizen, one who in the late
civil war achieved a noble record. Comrade Leonidas Harriman, whose remains we have laid to rest to-day in the quiet of
Pine Grove cemetery, was respected and beloved by every member of the Post to which he belonged, and it is with sorrow of
friends and comrades that he will be missed from the roll-call of
domestic associations and from the Grand Army of the Republic.
Comrade Harriman did his duty grandly as a soldier and then
came back to receive the plaudits and gratitude of a generous
people, and without the patriotic services of such as he carried to
a successful termination, would such occasions as this have been
realized, with a country torn asunder by factions and clans,
secession following secession until the proud republic of the
Western Hemisphere had disappeared from among the nations of
the earth ? Then would we have had need of so princely a
gift as this which we receive and so highly cherish to-day?
Should we have had a government to guarantee and establish a
title to the spot of this green earth which has been so generously
given and on which has been erected this beautiful structure, and
to-day dedicated to the uplifting, educating, and advancement of
this people for all future time ?

44
And I will only say further that my feelings are entirely in
harmony with the spirit that pervades all present, and that has
brought us together to-day, and to all that has been said here, to
all the sentiments expressed in prose or poesy, I can heartily say,
Amen.
REMARKS OF FRANK P. HARRIMAN, ESQ., OF BOSTON.

Mr. President, Ladies and

Gentlemen:

I did not anticipate taking part in these exercises until this
moment.
Called here on a sad mission to my native town,
to bury another dear brother, and comrade as well, I am on this
account permitted to be with you. As most of you are aware,
I belong to what once was a very large family, most of whom
now, and in a short time all of whom will, sleep beneath
Warner's soil. To be born and buried here is our lot.
We have been treated this afternoon to sweet music, inspiring
poetry, oratory, and eloquence. The exercises have been of a
high order, of which all may well feel both pleased and proud.
They have however been pretty long and it is getting late, and I
must not detain you, as I am reminded of a kissing party I attended in good old Warner when I was a boy. We had such a
good time we did not want to go home, so we stayed till three
o'clock in the morning. The householder, who took no part in
the fun, said after we were gone, " They had a good party, but
if they had stayed an hour longer, they would have ruined the
whole business."
But I am deeply interested in all that pertains to the welfare
of my dear old native town, though it has not been my home for
nearly twenty-five years. I am heartily glad you are to have this
library. It is fortunate that the town has such a benefactor as
my old friend Mr. Pillsbury, whom I remember as a leading citizen of the town when I was a boy. I remember, too, the first libraries in town, which my father and some of the ladies and gentlemen present helped to establish. I remember my first book
taken from one of these libraries, The Swiss Family Robinson,
and this was in the vicinity of forty five years ago, and that same
book is now in the high-school library if it has been preserved.
When these first small libraries were established in Warner we

45
could not foresee in the dim perspective one of our number, out of
the kindness of his heart and from the abundance of a well-merited prosperity, coming back from the distant West to a ten
years' adopted home to found such an institution as this — such
a well-ordered building of architectural beauty, together with
such a large and valuable collection of bdoks.
This gift, friends, is a blessing both to the giver and the receiver. Its influence cannot be measured. The middle aged
and the old, even, will take great satisfaction in it. The young,
not only of to-day but in all time, will be influenced by it and
they will carry that influence out into the world.
The anticipations of those who have been looking and hoping
for an institution of this kind are now more than realized, and
in joining hands to sustain it you are, one and all, making the
wheel of progress whirl which you as citizens of America, remember, are bound by birth to do.
At the conclusion of F. P. Harriman's remarks, in
which he gave some of his recollections in regard to a
local library some years since, ex-Governor Ordway
stepped to the front of the platform and said that Chairman Fred Bean and his associates composing the board of
selectmen had honored themselves and delighted the
whole people of the town by specially inviting large numbers of the fathers and mothers of the town who had
reached from three to four score years, to honorary seats
upon the platform, where they could in comparative ease
and comfort listen to these dedicatory exercises, and enjoy
the rich musical treat which Blaisdell's Orchestra was inspiring the whole audience with. He said he now, by permission of the chairman, took great pleasure in introducing the oldest citizen of the town, and perhaps the oldest
merchant in Merrimack county, under whose tutelage he
himself had learned the a b c's of business, Mr. Robert
Thompson, who although fast nearing his eighty-ninth
year was as straight as an arrow and who as the dean of
all the Warner libraries would give his extended knowl-

46
edge of t h e m and of m a n y of t h e early settlers and leading families of t h e town.
Mr. T h o m p s o n , whose hearing has been somewhat affected by t h e weight of y e a r s , stepped briskly to t h e front
of t h e platform, and without notes or preparation spoke
substantially as follows :
REMARKS OF ROBERT THOMPSON, ESQ.

Mr. President, Ladies and

Gentlemen :

I have made no preparation for speaking here to-day, nor had
I any expectation of doing so. I have listened to you all who
have spoken with great pleasure, but you may think strange when
I say I have not heard one word that was said, but I have tried
to use my eyes.
Perhaps there is no* one present who remembers the first Warner
library, or that there was one in early times. I have been a resident of this town for sixty-six years, and in all that time have
never been absent ten consecutive days. I came here a boy and
grew to know the people well. I was an orphan boy and the
old people liked me, or at least I liked them, and they were like
fathers and mothers to me. My interests have been here, and
to-day I love the town as I do my life.
When I came here sixty-six years ago, the town had been settled about a hundred years, and what do you think I found ? I
found a very intelligent set of men and women who were the
first settlers and proprietors,—I rejoice to say I have seen and conversed with some of them. There were Ensign Currier, Jacob
Collins, and Zebulon Davis, and of the next generation, General
Aquila Davis and Wells Davis, his brother, and Joseph, Richard,
and Simeon Bartlett, and Benjamin Evans. They hewed out
the paths from one home to another, built the roads and the
bridges^ started schools and churches. And what else did I find ?
The " Warner Library " which the early inhabitants established,
and it was read, too, by most of the inhabitants. In quite early
times the Congregationalists started a Sabbath school and soon
had a library, but it was not the Warner library ; then the Baptists, in 1834, built a church and had a Sabbath-school library,

47
but that was not the Warner library. The town, as a town,
would not go to either for books. Then there was a fivedollar library, which some objected to on account of its cost,
so a two-dollar one was subscribed to, and perhaps one or
two others. The' Thompson library, called the Kearsarge
circulating libraryj of a few hundred volumes, had a good
circulation and was well read. These all flourished for a while
and went out. But none of these were the Warner library.
Then came the high-school library, small at first, but a few years
ago, through the efforts of the librarian, Miss Mary B. Harris, in
writing to old residents and soliciting for it, it began to increase.
Books or money were contributed until the number of books has
increased to over eleven hundred volumes. But the one I found
here sixty-six years ago was called the " Warner Town Library."
I have seen the books and have two or three in my possession
now. Perhaps I am talking too long and you are not interested,
but I tell you this that you may know as a matter of history that
there was once before a town library, and that this which my
lifelong friend, George A. Pillsbury, has so generously given to
us, our children, and children's children is once more a " Warner Town Library."
T h e following is clipped from t h e
A m e r i c a n " of .October 5, 1891 :

u

Daily Mirror and

EVENING RECEPTION.

The people of Warner, feeling that some mark of respect
should be shown their benefactors, arranged for a reception to
Mr. and Mrs. Pillsbury at the town hall in the evening, where
every citizen might have the opportunity to greet them.
The reception, like the afternoon exercises, was a pronounced
success. The committee on decoration had shown both taste
and skill worthy of experts, and the refreshment table was a
thing of beauty. The reception committee who accompanied
Mr. and Mrs. Pillsbury to the stage, where the vast crowd, which
filled every part of the standing room in the hall, passed along
to take them by the hand, were Hon. and Mrs. N. G. Ordway,

48

Col. and Mrs. John B. Clarke, Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Davis, Mr.
and Mrs. A. C. Carroll, Dr. and Mrs. J. R. Cogswell, Mr. and
Mrs. H. C. Davis, Dr. and Mrs. J. M. Rix, Mr. and Mrs. F. M.
Colby, Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Heath, Mr. and Mrs. F. G. Wilkins.
Fred Bean, chairman of the board of selectmen, was chairman
of the evening. Blaisdell's Orchestra furnished music, and the
two hours spent here rounded up a day replete with happiness to
all who participated.
The whole affair has demonstrated that not only can Warner
carry out a literary program of superior excellence with home
talent, but can conduct a public reception in a manner to reflect
credit upon the town.