The Portland daily press., 1868-03-19

PORTLAND LIGHTS AND SHADOWS" The
ninth lecture of the Mercantile Library course
was delivered by Rev. VIM. H. Fem, of this
city, last evening. In selecting for his subject
portland Lights and Shadows" the lecturer
deliberately tented himself out of that broad
field for general defamation, wherein lyceum
lecturers find il sweet and becoming, and, we
may add, easy, to disport themselves. 1t was
fortunate for his audience that he did SO,
though the labor of preparation must have
been greatly increased thereby. If instead of
being a clergy man, who has to satisfy the
weekly exactions of his pulpit ;Mr. Fenu had
been q scientific commission appointed to ex-
anime and report the exact status of Portland
in its religious, moral, commercial and indust-
rial relations, the work could hardly have been
done with more fidelity. Portland life was
described with conscientious exactness, its
shadows as well as its lights being depicted
with just and even hand. Herein great
temptation was met and resisted To speak
plainly to the citizens of place like Portland,
where there is healthy feeling of local pride,
of the defects in its social and moral condition,
requires not little courage. Somebody will
be hit, and somebody's prejudices or vanity
will be offended. Yet we do not imagine that
any reasonable man who listened to the broad
and catholic views expressed last evening felt
that he had, on the whole, any occasion to
complain.
The commercial interests of the city, which
now engross to so great an extent the atten-
ton of our citizens, naturally constituted the
leading topic of the lecture. The sugges-
lions made in reference to this subject, espe-
cially those touching the Portland and Og-
densburg Railroad, were well-considered and
weighty. The other parts of the lecture that
seemed to us particularly valuable were the dis
cussion of the situation of the poor Of the city
and the plea for measures to prevent the isola-
ton of the foreign element of our population
from the rest of the people.
We can only speak of Mr.. Fenn's lecture, at
this time, in general way, hoping hereafter
to lay before our readers some parts of it, at
least, in the language of the speaker. 1t must
here suffice to say that, like 'the plump sister"
of Scrooge's nephew, it was satisfactory, o
perfectly satisfactory"
The audience was one of the largest and
best entertained of the season. The applause
was more frequent than a Portland audience
often vouchsafes to a lecturer. The next lee
ture is to be delivered by Cough, at time to
be announced hereafter.
STABBING AFFRAY.-About ten o'clock last
evening drunken fight commenced in shop
ON Fore street, between the crews of the ship
Grace Sargent and brig Castillian After fight
ing within doors with fists and chairs, SC,
they adjourned to the street, continuing the
fight with knives. Three of the men were Sc
verely cut, and one man, named James Sulli-
van, belonging to the Grace Sargent, had the
jugular vein cut, besides receiving five other
cuts on the face and elsewhere. A fellow Civ
ing his name as John Bolen, was subsequently
arrested by officers Beals, Smith and Penn II,
together with two others. Bolen was covered
with blood, and is doubtless the fellow who
stabbed Sullivan. Drs. Robinson and Small
atr-aun-nressry4-Ss1 'si1S "Oss1.@s'
They think he cannot live. The other men
were not seriously hurt, though they received
several ugly wounds.