The Portland daily press., 1864-03-03
The ~Independent Course.-

The independent Course of Lectures"
which closed Monday evening, was in its con-
ception, as the chairman of the last meeting
well said, a bold undertaking. The Mercan-
tile Library Association had already arranged
for its customary winter course, and the topics
could only be the Union and the War; and
the project of starting an additional series for
the discussion of the Times, exhibited in the
projectors not only some courage but great
faith in the patriotism of the people and their
deep and abiding interest in the matters to be
dealt with. The result has shown that we are
not, and are not easily to be, wearied with this
sort of instruction and entertainment, and may
rection in such things, that meetings like
these, to keep up the flame OF the spirit of lib
erty in our hearts, are as much necessity in
these trying times as food and raiment and
ammunition for the army, or money to pay for
them. 1.-THE Union is preserved and the coun-
try saved, it must be very much by the STOOL
ishness OF preaching The patriotism of the
best of US tends to ooze out at our fingers ends,
and needs to be constantly replenished. For
ourselves, we make it our speciality to keep
informed on the condition Of public affairs, and
to keep our patriotism at pitch at least up
TO that Of those about us; but we confess we
are largely indebted to the gentlemen who
projected, and have, with no small labor as we
happen to know, carried through this course,
for much instruction and great refreshing of
our spirits.
The course has been, as its name suggests,
quite independent. Its platform has been
large enough to hold at the same time a Tay-
Tor from Tennessee and a Phillips from Massa-
chusetts; the learned and scholarly Thomp-
son Of New York and the escaped slave Doug
lass; Tilton the editor and Collyer the clergy
man; men from the North and South and
West, and, in the person of the excellent and
eloquent Thompson, from over the sea also.
We hope this new feature in the politics of
the country 1--WE use the word in its largest
sense,) will be considered to be established as
marking and directing and influencing our al
fairs while these perils are upon us. A politi-
cal meeting once or twice year will satisfy
us in ordinary times, but people alive with
interest in public affairs want to make them
their every day business, and are not willing
to leave politics to politicians when the very
foundations of the republic are stricken and
possibly tottering to their fall.
At the close Of the last lecture, vote of
thanks was rendered by the large and intell-
gent audience present to the Committee chos-
en- to make arrangements for the Course, for
"their unwearied and successful efIorts in
bringing before the citizens of Portland the
eloquent and able lecturers to whom they
had all listened with so much pleasure, and
also to the Ladies and Gentlemen who had ia
vored them with series of excellent and de-
lightful, not to say artistic musical perform
ances. Indeed, we are sure that many times
the souls Of the listeners were quite as much
stirred by the thrilling songs with which Mr..
Shaw's quartette favored us, as by the we'll
set words Of the distinguished speakers.