Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1868-12-25
VOLUME 36, NO. 7.
The Hope Of Maine.

pastor OF the High Street Church, Portland.
in pamphlet form. We publish the follow
ing extracts. having more than local in
'erest. and commend than to our readers
as Presenting a we'll digssted review Of our
material Prospects, as State. for which
one should be thankful, and il there il q
desponient cultivstor of the soil, among
our readers, let him take courage:
Few spots upon the surface OF the globe
can be said to have been moro manikestly
fitted up by the Creator. for q noble aad
enduring Commonwealth, than this our "a
sorsd abode. We have a sea line direct,
from Qnoddy Head TO Kittery Point. Of
zlo miles. with desp wztsr carried almost
TO the shores, and . moan tide OF ten feet
over the whole. making tho st. Croix,
Penobscot, and Ksnnebec pavigabls for
large vessels, as high as their lowest falls.
The actual coast. following the curved lines
for hvs hundred and ninety. three miles, 10
indenled into unnumhsred harbors and in
le,s. "a, favorable for ships as any in the
known world, ON sccount of The depth of
water, ease of access, and completeness
OF shelter" Extraordinary Gs arc such
| facilities in their natural effect upon the
growth OF a people, those of ours assume
an unvon;ed and almost prophetic sign,d-
cancc. by their providential relation to the
great lines of trade around the globe. The
currents Of the sea fight for us, rs do the
stars. pointing hither frst The mariner from
British shores. IL is for us o so weld this
northern bslt Of America to the ocean, by
new lines OF railroad. as TO constitute this
very harbor link. in the great chain of
International commerce, which can never
be broken. At present, our only direct
connection with the West is by the Grand
! Trunk Railway. which, for six months in
the year, makoa of Portland governing
point for the European trade, receiving the
products OF an area eight hundred miles
di,tant and despatchiag them by separate
lines of steamers to Liverpool. London,
and GLASGOW. And yet, il is these inter-
miitsd iorsign connections chiefly, which,
since 1874, have augmented the imports at
Portland from $500, 900 to more than $lG.-
600, ,O00 the last fiscal year and have null
,iplcd the taxable valuation of the city
more than six times.
Let such commercial advantages bo
.,graspsd, in all their magnitude, by our
citizens; let these precious opportunities
be improved aud multplisl. by the i'm
mediate opening oil lines to O.densburg and
Rutland let there be a weekly line of
steamers to England. from this portland
with what western city would you exchange
prospects?
Bot qualification. wei.hlisr even than
the commercial one, is to come Our high
est hope. materially speaking. is from our
river system. Maine might slight her fields
or ber coast, and yet receive little detri-
ment, If she would only do justice to her
incoG parable rivers. In respect Of water
wowsr, VIC are peculiarly favored, and,
therefore, owe peculiar gratitude TO God.
You are aware. that the three essential ell
emsrts which fi q stream for manufac-
lures are volume, a sufficient fall 10 impart
momentum. and constapcy OF supply.
Now We have three great riyeIs, and many
smaller ones, which, with their countless
tributaries, have a volume sufficient TO car
rY three times all the power employed, in
1896. in Great Britain. in the manufacture
Of cotton, wool silk. flax, and worsted.
But tue PIE eminent adaptation of our
streams Tor work is discovered IN the even
ly distributed fall, and Uniform supply.
Beginning with the White Mountain chain,
and stretching of more ihsn two hundred
miles north east. across the Umbsgog
Lakes, to the grca, Moossh,ad Lake, you
have gsRt uiEc Oi land descending
lt IS true. several hurirrj feet from The
W bate Mountain level but even at that re-
move. quite 100 feet above the sea From
tits ridge lie wboi~ STATE slopes away tow
ard tho south and southeast, 80 gradually
and so decidedly a. 10 diiIuse waterfalls.
al all points, from tho crest even to the lip
oi the sea. Says Mr. Waiter Wells, ia bis
valuable by Geographic report, to which
avn indebted for many hints. Lake Itasca
al the head o. The Minissrppi River. is but
a very few feet highsr above tide leve
{ than Rang,ly Lake" and yst. remember
, the waters OF ltasca run goo miles before
4 they reach the sea -hilo Rangsly Lake
. cannot be, by the river. 100 miles from our
coast. "Lsks Superior. 1900 miles from
;hc sea. by he course Of the river. il ele
yatsd only two third, as much az our
Moosehead Lase.' aud yet MoosehcaC
Lake j. more than ten tines nearer tb,
a ocean. Oar rivers, therefore. fall from
, height which. IN confederation Of the prox
. unity of tle ncean A. u.iie remarkable