The Portland daily press., 1864-10-22
Letter from the Lower Kennebeo.

Letter from the Lower Kennebee. req
Shipbuilding-0c Ocean Steamer--Od Fo9yisn.
-Entaprise-A School Muss-Politics-
Sagadahock House. -
SAGADAHocK House, ia,
+ ~ BATH, Oct. 81, 1854. ! "a
Here am in the ship-building city Of the
State, where commerce is the chief pursuit Of
an intelligent, prosperous, liberal-minded and
patriotic population. The city, as in the
peaceful times Of yore, is given up to water
craft, and the male babies still continue to be
born web-footed, and SO viii be while the
branch Of industry which engrosses the prin-
cipal attention and calls into requisition the
chief portion of the capital, returns remuner-
alive dividends to those who engage in it. At
the present time, am told, though business
has fallen of from its high midsummer flood,
there are now on the stocks in different stages
of progress, or lying at the wharyes just
launched but not rugged, nine ships, one
barque, two briggs, and one ocean steamer Of
1900 tons. The most Of these ships are of a
thousand tons or more each. as &
another will be launched in few days. The
ocean steamer is being built, the hull and
spars by Messrs. G.. F. Patten and Sons; the
engines by Messrs. Geo. M. Patten & Co., and
the boilers by Messrs Geo. Moulton 6 Son, all
of this city This is the first movement in
this direction, and it is hoped 1t may inaugu-
rate new era in the construction of carrying
vessels, so large number of which are turn
ed out from the ship-yards Of this State. In
these days of lightning and steam, when gen.
erations of history are being made in month,
it is idle to suppose wind craft can long hold
out and compete with those of more expedi-
tious qualities. Our ship-builders have got to
give their attention to steam vessels, or, when
peace comes to stay, and the products of the
country are increased many fold under the
stimulus Of enterprise and free labor, and
ready markets are desired with the least con-
sumption of time, the commercial world will
not wait for the tickle winds, but more GER
tain, more reliable motive power must be made
available, and if our people do not furnish it
our neighbers on the other side will, and our
shipbuilders, like othello, will find their occu-
patton gone. ar aaaakga 49,
We are glad that the Messrs. Patten have
put the ball in motion, and it is hoped they
may find encouragement to follow up work
80 well begun, and that others will soon pre-
pare to follow in the same direction.
Aside from ship-building judge that bust
ness is not very promising at this moment, in
this city. Real estate looks as though i'm
provement would not injure it,. There are
here, as elsewhere, too many men who think
the whole Of life and the highest type of en-,
terprise consist in holding on, keeping what
they've got and catching what they CAM
The result is that lots that should long since
have been improved lie idle; that some Of the
best waters for wharves are abandoned, and
mildew and decay mark localities that, by
right Of natural advantage, should be the busy
marts of business and the scenes of activity.
By holding on with q miser-like grasp, neither
willing to sell or to improve, such owners find
themselves possessed of property very like
selErighteousness, in that the more one has
the poorer he is, while wiser men, of better
foresight and of more enterprise, have drawn
business away from them and are basking in
the prospect of great wealth as the reward of
well-directed effort. r vaN 66S
One of the wealthy men of this city. Oliver
Moses, Esq, President of the Androscoggin
Railroad, is investing large amount of mon
ey on the Androscoggin at Little River. in
the erection of extensive wooden mills, from
which large profits will be wrested if indomit-
able energy and liberal policy are allowed to
win. at a5t6# ITS s1M44 e3TC
The chief topic of common gossip relates
to new wrinkle in connection with the girls
High School. 1t seems new Prof. of Gym
nastics has so wormed himself into the affec-
tions of the Principal and School Committee,
that he has got his system adopted as a regu-
lar branch Of school study and discipline
To make the thing work well it is required
that the girls should dress a Ia Bloomer. To
this the larger girls-young ladies from six
teen to twenty-have decided objections
They cannot change their dresses every day
at the school-house, because the private dress
Ing rooms are not sufficiently ample to allow
OF 1t; they decidedly object to exhibiting
themselves on the streets in this costume, be-
cause, say they, their friends are ashamed of
them, they are ashamed of themselves, and
the Dig boys gather together in groups on the
corners TO watch them and cape at their uu-
derstdndings. .au3t q i
Two weeks were allowed for the girls to
put themselves in uniform and conform 70 or
der. Yesterday the time of probation ended.
large number Of the young ladies anneared
habIlimented as usual, and the result was tho
suspension of dozen, more or less, for con-
tempt of orders, during the pleasure of the
committee. Here is "a fine kettle OF fsh."-
The principal portion of the first class picked
up their books for final leave, and the grad
uasing class bids fair to be small if it does not
grow Dy degrees beautifully less. Parents are
scololng, and who wonders? They don't see
what right the teacher or the committee have
TO order their daughters into Boomers or to
shorten their dresses, than thew have 70 ordar
them into pants. Girls scold, and don,t 800
why they should be compelled TO alroddIo
when they don't want to do SO. Others feel mn
able to provide extra rig for their girls when
they need all they can rake and scrape together
TO fill their stomachs; and still Others don't