Show OF THE WEST the northwest territory out of which were carved the states of ohio indiana illinois michigan and wis coasin became the quick and steady goal of immigration from new eng land and that new england stream into the west has been so constant and so great that there has long been vastly more of new england west of the hudson river than east of if to day we are indeed seeing strong counter currents As there are new england societies in many western cities made up of men whose mem orles turn back fondly to the old home and whose steps also turn thither more and more in old home week so now associations of men of western birth are multiplying in our eastern cities new york has a large ohio society and we hear of the annual iowa dinner and illinois dinner in the metropolis and boston now has her own western society organized last ear with already members the old town of rutland mass has well been called the cradle 0 ohio high on the worcester county hills so salubrious that it was chosen by common consent as the best place for our state sanitarium tor the central town of the state rutland was the home of gen rufus putnam and from there he went out to found the state of ohio A second prominent cradle was danvers and the region roundabout the immediate sphere of the influence of rev manasseh cutler putnam s worker but it Is right to give the home of putnam the pre eminent place in our celebrations of the begin ning of the movement of new eng land into the west putnam s old house in rutland still stands well pre served secured as a memorial a few years ago through the efforts of speaker hoar and other enthusiasts and with its rooms admirably restored and filled with an interesting history cal collection it is visited each year by hundreds of people from the west and east alike boston transcript |