The schools of Lewiston and Auburn generally observed the 100th anniversary of Longfellow’s birth, and, in fact, Longfellow has been in the minds of the pupils for the past month. During that time, they have been learning Longfellow’s poems and reading and writing about this poet, so well-known and beloved by all. Said one of the prominent instructors to a Sun reporter, “It is surprising to find how much interest the children take in anything of this sort. Especially has this been so during our study of Longfellow. The children all love his poems. People, unless they see for themselves, don’t realize what a day like this means to the young people.”

50 years ago, 1957

AUGUSTA – It would be illegal for Diesel locomotives to run backward on Maine railroads under terms of a bill introduced in the Senate. The only exceptions permitted in Sen. Lessard’s, D-Lewiston, measure would be during emergencies or in switching operations. Offending railroads would be subject to a $100 fine for each violation.

• The bottom dropped out of the weather market comparatively speaking when the thermometer dropped to a low of 11, well below the freezing mark and the coldest recording in many a night.

25 years ago, 1982

• Like so many other Americans, we at times represent the all pervading tentacles of big government, but there are times that Big Brother can mean the difference between life and death. Such a time is the recent federal ban on the use of urea formaldehyde foam insulation in homes. It has been determined to pose “an unreasonable risk of injury to consumers,” in the words of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission.

WILTON – Dedication of the new school on Academy Hill is slated for July. Construction of the school to replace Wilton Academy that burned May 10, 1980, was begun about one year later, in May 1981.