The Portland daily press., 1866-11-15

ning was introduced by Mr. Andrew j. Chase,
President of the Association, punctually at
half past seven last evening, and entered di-
rectly upon his work. The floor Of the Free
Street Church was occupied, though not
crowded, and few stragglers had drifted into
the galleries. The lecturer touched upon the
moral of his discourse, whenin the very begin
ming he corrected the common error of sup
posing Samuel Adams to have been brother
of John Adams. He was only cousin, SO that
any failure in the descendants of John Adams
to stand up for liberty, does not touch the fair
fame of Samuel. How Samuel Adams was
trained to love liberty by the discussions of the
famous Calker's Club which met around his
fathers ample hearth-the Calkers who gave its
name to that peculiar institution the caucus;
how his commencement speech declared that
resistance to the sovereign is justified when
the safety of the state demands it; how he
wrote indefatigably for the colonial newspa-
pers; how he bore himself on the memorable
occasions of the Boston Massacre and the ia
nous Tea Party; how at Salem, he locked the
door upon the Colonial Assembly and refused
admission to the Governors messenger order
ing its dissolution, until delegates were ap-
pointed to the Continental Congress; how he
asked nothing for himself, his friends, or for
Massachusetts, even, except chance to work,
and sacrificed his own prestige by yielding the
command of the armies to Washington to the
lasting discomfort of his Boston rival-these
prominent passages in the life of the Boston
politician were sl1etched with great clearness
and force. u.-l re
The application was not left unsaid. Adams's
scorn of half measures applies to-day to the
malzeshifts which stand in the way of equal laws
and equal privileges His resolute determina-
ton to embrace no doctrine which would not
bear discussion was contrasted with the manage
ment of the Mute Convention at Philadelphia.
His quick perception of the set of the popular
current was contrasted with the dullness which
cannot see the new order of things in this re-
public purified by affliction. His manly inde-
pendence was contrasted with the spirit of
those politicians who look more to the reward
than to the effect of their work-politicians
like Tyler, and Pierce, and Buchanan, and
johnson, @the reptile which stings the bosom
which nourished him."
The audience was quiet and subdued as be-
came the place; though few Radicals forgot
themselves from time to time, and indulged in
demonstrations of hearty and well-deserved
applause. The Christian Association has made
a good beginning. We wish them success
A VALUABLE DONATIoN.-The widow of the
late eJames Greenleaf, Esq, of Cambridge, Mass,
daughter of the late Hon. Stephen Longfel-
low, of this city, has presented to the Cumber-
land Bar the valuable law library, bequeathed
to her late husband by his father, Hon. Simon
Greenleaf formerly of Portland. The library
comprises about twelve hundred volumes, and
isa most valuable as well as opportune gift,
the Cumberland Bar having lost their valuable
library by the fire on the 4th of July. The
kindness of such donation is well appreciate
ed by the members of the Bar, who can now
boast of the most extensive Bar library in the
State -
PAINTINGS AT TAUcrIoN.-Lovers of fine arts
are invited to look at the exhibition of paint
lngs at the rooms of Messrs. Patten, on Plumb
street, which will be opened to-day, and will be
sold at auction tomorrow. There are many
works of merit among the collection, as we are
assured; but people can judge for themselves
by examination of the lot to-day. ssA