Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1851-07-04
Maine Historical Society.

n convenient room IN the new ShsPe'" blu"s
wick 70, the reception " It's Library, manu-
scripts and museum. This enables II TO pre-
serve such valuable documents as II has, or
may he presented to II, until more spacious
accommodations shall be prepared, as coo'em.
plated in the liberal grant Of half township
Of land by tbs State for that purpose. The
Society wish To call public attention To this
institution, that DOR citizens may be induced
TO contribute 10 Its means Of usefulness, by
the presentation Of old and rare books, diaries,
old almanacs aud registers, manuscripts aud
documents, which are little valued by them,
perhaps, be-, which often furnish imporian,
hints and aids to historical Investigations
biographies Of our elder physicians, lawyers,
and minisicrs-lhc history Of old religious so
cielies, their origin and progress, will be in
iercslinc, ifnoi now, mos, certainly hereafter,
whcn time shall have cast his dark shadows
over the past and passing events, and when
the same reckless parsonage shall have obli,-
Grated and crumbled to dus, the records ofby
gone ages
This Society is a State institution; IT has
no pariiIan character, It IS free from scCiari.
anism aud radicalism; It's duty and It's Office
is to make impartial record Of events for 70.
ture time 1t therefore boldly asks Of all
sccis and parties contributions for history
Il Is no, for GcriIim nor Jerusalem; /, Is M,
ior the sea hoard nor the interior, town or
country. i, Acknowledges no local position
nor prejudice, but hears all, compares all,
and desires to give impartial rcsulIs To poster
iiy Nor let IL be thought ,ha, a single old
manuscript, old book, OF old letter is Of NO
consequence No one can estimate the value
of a single ola document often times In eluci.
dating an obscure transaction, OF historical
event. THIS Is illustrated by the remark Of
an able writer recently, Who SAYS -" !, Is
IN tho fragments, now 80 rare and precious,
IT sumo alphabets, of some small grammar
Published Tor the use 1T schcols about the
fifteenth CENTURY, or IN the letters distributed
IN Germany by the religious bodies cumms.
stoned To collect aims, thi, photographers
now seek to discover the frst processes en-.
ploycd by the inventors of Nylocnphy and
typography ltisin forgotten collection Of
Indifferent plates puAl.hel 1t Venice by Faus-
no Ncpn,io, toward, the end Of the sixteenth
century, that an engineer who interests him.
sclf in the history of the mechanic arts, might
end the frs, diagram Of iron suspension
bridges
dispute an object Of the Society to collect
and preserve the earliest newspapers and
hpoks Published IN our State, Of however
humble or ordinary description; It doc. not
deal In the ornamental. bot the useful and
it j. therefore hoped, that persons IN every
part OF the State will take SINE little pain, to
/ increase the collection, Of the Society hy Tor.
wariinr such materials a. they NAV possess
or NAV procure To promote the oblcct. Of the
Institution.
We hcr to refer to extract, from a circular
which las heretofore been prepared for The
Society -
The objrct, of the Society are TO rescue
from destruction the rcrishablc memorials II
pas, time, to procure valuable details relative
To local history, and To arrange and preserve
Tor reference and publication, al such mate.
mails, a, may BE- beneficial to the present or
future age.
The Historical Society offers iisclfas a de-
posi,ory Tor all the scattered elrmcnls-,hc
d,,,qid ~oy,lra of the historical BODY anj
the 5gcu, to arrange and exhibit them. These
are tributaries 10 the grand works IN h..,or,
and political economy, which, wruurh, into
shape by the master hand II genius and taste,
transmit TO dl,,an, ages and nations, the acts
ani impressions, the virtues aud vices which
have adorned or disgraccd the passing age,
and preserve Is very form sni pressure
The archic,c, OF the Society are open tn
al SEEKERS a0er ovlojgc and Ne need mol,
say bow much It's pursuit Is facilitated. by
having It's stores amply supplied, through the
various fouu,aia, from which historical Gnowl.
edge mus, Tow.
Il Is known that there are many valuable
papers anil documents, a. we'll as rare PRINT.
ed books, in diIern, parts of the State, which
are capable of throwing interesting lich, upon
matters Of history, bat which src now mac.
ccsslblc to public usc-all such, the Society
is DESTROYS to ubiain Whatever contributes
to clucida,c a fact In history, biography or po-
l,tical economy il welcomed notices of the
Pioneers IA the early settlements, their origin
and struggles, and the results or their opera.
tons, with abstracts from old records, Il the
rccorls themselves canno, be had, will be &C.
ceplahlc
| II there had been historical societies in the
days Of Homer, We should not have heard
that cities eoutended for the honor Of his birth
and Nhai was Joe, to poetry would have been
gained 10 fact.
Even in modern times, what satisfaction
would It give Us to know more Of the private
as well As public life Of the gallant aud adyen-
turous Gorges, who made 50 large sacrifices
to promote the colonization Of Maine or To
he able to recover from hopeless oblivion, in.
ieres,Ing details relative to the early govern.
men, OF this province, aud of the individuals
who took part IN !, not merely as matters Of
idle curiosity, bot as giving Us an insight into
their secret springs Of action, ana revealing
ihc n.culLar features u 4 chlvllrous and To-