Miss Lulu M. Warner was the guest of Mrs. Whittier on Sunday.

The What-so-ever mission circle will meet with Miss Thelma Shaw on Saturday afternoon.

Miss Mary Pollard was detained from school on Friday by a severe cold.

The Baptist missionary auxiliary was held in the vestry of their church on Thursday afternoon.

Eugene Tilton has purchased the route of George Batchelder and began business on Monday.

Albert Brown, who has been running an automobile the past season for a party in Gleasonville, Mass., returned home last week where he will remain until April 1st.

Four new candidates took the first and second degree in the grange on Friday night. Deputy Patterson and wife of Portsmouth were present and inspected the work. The lecturers program consisted of the following music: Piano and mandolin, Misses Blake and Locke; essay, cooperation, Beecher Yeaton; address, "Back to the Farm," Horace M. Lane. Many visitors from Hampton Falls were present. A harvest supper was served at the close.

The union service on Sunday evening held at the Baptist church as well attended. Rev. Mr. Wilkins preached a heart searching sermon, "Shall a Man rob God?" being his text. The chorus choir, conducted by Rev. W. L. Phillips, sang, assisted by a ladies quartette. Next Sunday evening the service will be held in the Methodist church with Rev. W. L. Phillips, speaker.

A good delegation attended the county convention of the W. C. T. U. in Stratham on Thursday and felt well repaid for going. The union here has received a number of new members recently.

Mr. and Mrs. Irving Stanley of Farmington, are visiting Mrs. Stanley's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Roberts.

Fred H. Thompson returned to his home on Sunday, after a very pleasant vacation spent in Nova Scotia.

Mr. and Mrs. William Marston and Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Elliott of Newburyport, Mass., were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Coffin on Sunday.

A cottage prayer meeting was held at the home of Mrs. Edward Brown on Tuesday evening.

The dedication of the Lane Memorial Library will take place in the Congregational church on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 14, at two o'clock. It is too early to give the program in full, but the Dedicatorial address will be made by Rev. Nicholas Vander Pyl of Haverhill, Mass., a friend of the family who has been heard in town with great acceptance before. Music will be in charge of Rev. W. L. Phillips, who will arrange for a double quartette with instrumental music. Presentation by Howard G. Lane, acceptance by Rev. Inor Partington. Rev. Edgar Warren will have charge of the ceremonies.

Miss Mabel Moore spent last Sunday as the guest of her sister in Haverhill, Mass.

Miss Mary E. Cleveland is seriously ill with an attack of appendicitis.

"Sunny Jim," the baby daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Howell M. Lamprey, received on her first birthday a beautiful silk quilt from her grandma Lamprey. The quilt contains over fifteen hundred pieces, each piece receiving its special amount of embroidery. Mrs. Lamprey is in her seventy-fifth year.

The Monday club was entertained by Mrs. Augustus Locke on Dec. 5. The program was as follows: Colonial History; (a) The Puritan and the Cavalier, Miss Powers; (b) Theocracy and the Witchcraft Delusion, Mrs. Brown; (c) The French and Indian Wars, Mrs. Sanborn, and read by Mrs. Whittier. All these papers were of intense interest and showed much study had been put into them. Two piano selections were played by Miss Powers. At this meeting Mrs. Edgar Warren was invited to become a member of the club and accepted. Two guests were present. Refreshments of chicken patties, cheese crackers, ice cream, cake, cocoa, home made candy, and salted almonds were served.

The senior class of the Hampton Academy will give a social in Academy hall, Friday, Dec. 9. Admission is 15 cents.

Oceanside Grange is to have a fair and agricultural exhibit in the town hall some time before Christmas. The agricultural exhibit will occupy the lower hall and will include not alone specimens of Hampton's harvest this year, but articles of domestic make, and a general invitation is extended to every one who has something to make this department interesting to place upon exhibit. On one of the evenings there will be a fine entertainment consisting of orchestral and other music, readings by Miss Laura Jacobs, and the presentation of the drama, "The Wreck of Stebbin's Pride." An excellent supper will be served each evening and there will be on sale fancy articles, candy, mystery packages, aprons, ice cream, etc.

Mrs. Moses Brown and Miss Pauline Brown have just returned from a visit with friends in Haverhill and Lawrence, Mass.

There will be a union service of the churches of Hampton next Sunday evening in the Methodist church at 7:00 o'clock. Rev. W. Lincoln Phillips, pastor of the Baptist church, will be the preacher, and the public is cordially invited to be present.

The Womans' Missionary society of the Congregational church met with Mrs. Howard G. Lane on Wednesday with a large attendance. It being the annual meeting new officers were elected. Mrs. B. F. Perkins, who has been the efficient president for three years was obliged to decline nomination as they are to leave town for the present. Mrs. Lucy A. Marston was elected president, Mrs. Martha P. Locke and Mrs. Alfie L. Godfrey, vice presidents.

At the Free Baptist church next Sunday morning, the pastor, Rev. W. Lincoln Phillips, will preach from the theme, "The power given to men who receive Christ." The choir will sing an anthem entitled, "Savior Like a Shepherd." Sunday school at the close of the morning service. The word for next Sunday is "King." Each one is expected to recite a verse with the word "King" in it. The school did splendidly last Sunday; very few forgot to prepare their verse. Choir rehearsal directly at the close of the Sunday school. In the evening at 7 o'clock, there will be a union service of all the churches and people at the Methodist church.

The W. C. T. U. Christmas sale will be held on Tuesday, the 13th, in the store vacated by Mrs. Chase. It will be open from 3 o'clock to 8. All committees are requested to come early in the afternoon. Everybody is cordially invited.

We, the undersigned pastors of the several churches of Hampton, N. H., viz. -- Adventist, Baptist, Congregational and Methodist, take pleasure in giving our testimonial to the faithfulness and efficiency of Rev. John M. Currie, evangelist and his singer, Mr. Paquette.

After four weeks of earnest and diligent labor with our churches, during which time we have had abundant opportunity to judge of the character of their methods and spirit, we heartily commend them to any who may be in need of their services.

Our churches have been graciously blessed under the labors of these brethren and we follow them with our prayers for continued success.

To the Editor of the Hamptons Union.

A recent issue of your paper contained news of a nature, most unpleasant we assume, to many of those who pay property taxes in Hampton.

It appears that the State Board of Equalization has found the town's valuation to be one hundred thousand dollars too low. Hampton has been asleep and now is rudely awakened to the fact that the value of property has been increasing and that besides recognizing the fact she must pay the state a little back money. The members of the State Board of Equalization are well qualified to perform their work and only the rash will seek to attack their judgement. But it is fair to assume that the rapid growth of the beach appealed to them and was in a large degree responsible for their decision. Certainly the beach would indicate prosperity. However, it would be interesting to know whether they knew that the town derived no tax revenue from the lands leased to the Hampton Beach Improvement Co. If they did not know it, then the knowledge that such was the fact might have caused them to modify their decision. On the other hand, if they did know it, and yet regarded that fact, that the town received no land tax from the leased beach lands, as of no importance, as bearing upon the question of the correct valuation of property in Hampton, and therefore considered those lands in the same class with other taxable lands, then surely the town has received its second shock from the execution of that now famous lease, the first shock coming with the realization of what it had parted with a yearly pittance of five hundred dollars. But now that we know positively that there must be an increase of at least one hundred thousand dollars in the town's valuation, the query naturally arises as to what action the next town meeting will take in the matter of appropriations. Will it make practically the same appropriations as usual and thereby on account of the increased valuation, bring about a lower tax rate, or will it vote enough more money for town purposes to eat up the benefit that would otherwise accrue from the increased valuation? We are informed that at the present tax rate, the increase ordered in the valuation will yield a revenue of about thirteen hundred and fifty dollars. Hampton's own share of that tax could accomplish a great deal in the way of needed improvements in the town. For instance, by way of illustration, if it and a sum equal to it were raised for successive years, it would enable the town to borrow money to erect a first class town hall; not a highly ornamental stone building for which thousands might be spent for architectural beauty, but a good, commodious, sightly, modern wooden building that will be a source of pride and comfort to the people of the town. The bonds could be sold readily if Hampton's credit is good and at their maturity in twenty or twenty-five years from now the town will be able to take care of them without embarrassment. We know that many argue that the present building has answered all purposes in the past and that a new town hall is no more necessary now than it has been in the past years. But that isn't exactly the question. It is broader than mere necessity. A house isn't necessary; a man can live in a barn; but the fact is most of them prefer to live in houses. And the townspeople should prefer to use a building for town and social purposes that isn't a disgrace to any full blooded American town like Hampton. The present structure may be a good as those of other towns, but the point is, now how much pride have other places, but how much pride has Hampton.

On the opposite corner stands the public library, and looking at it, one could easily imagine he was in an up-to-date place, but let his glance shift to the town hall and he'd have to strain his imagination to reach the same conclusion.

The old citizens of Hampton are particularly jealous of their rights and dislike the interference and opinions of "foreigners," as they are pleased to call outsiders, but we believe that a certain book tells us somewhere that it is only a fool whom you can't teach anything. Jealousy of one's rights is proper, if consistent, and so is pride. If consistent, then it's a boomerang that returns to smite the boasters of it. It's queer pride or jealousy of one's rights that incites men to allow their own town hall to go unimproved and to vote to light with electric lights a road running through land leased to the H. B. I. Co. It would seem as though the town had done about all it should for that corporation when it made it practically a Christmas present of the land. Further donations must be stopped unless the town is bound by the terms of its lease to do the lighting for the lessee, which the writer very much doubts. If it desires electric lights it should furnish them itself. It should improve the leased lands and not ask the town to do it. Up to date about the only improvement that the company has done, was improving the opportunity to get the lease from the selectmen.

If Hampton had the land today and was collecting the revenue she could afford to see a substantial increase in her valuation without a murmur of complaint. It would enable her to make her tax rate so low as to greatly stimulate and encourage the purchase of real estate by outsiders seeking permanent or temporary homes, for a low tax rate in a first class American town like Hampton operates a great inducement to home seekers. Improvements of magnitude could be promptly undertaken and carried through to completion without any worry as to a high tax rate, and the money so expended would soon earn indirectly a handsome return by causing the farmlands to steadily increase in value and greatly desired for residential purposes, as here, better than elsewhere, we find both country and seashore.

This is a progressive age. Hampton should be in the van of New England towns today and should would have been if she had not leased the beach lands. But still, handicapped though she is, she has back of her the blood that ran in the veins of her founders and "blood will tell." The next town meeting is bound to be lively and important for it will then be decided how we are to use the increase in Hampton valuation, whether for the purpose of lowing the tax rate, or as a means of enabling her to appropriate more money for town improvements and needs, and among the latter must be put a new town hall building. And all appropriations asked for by the Hampton Beach Improvement Co., or its friends and spokesmen to benefit it or its leased land in any way, shape or manner should be refused and the charity program of the town abandoned. Let the Hampton Beach Improvement Co., "sink or swim, survive or perish," with the emphasis on the last word.

Respectfully yours,

M. H. Brown