The Portland daily press., 1870-06-09
t,satb Of Charles W.Lsy

whose name heads this article, died at bis resi-
dence on Pleasant street. Yesterday morning,
aioer an Illness of but three or four days On
nriday last he assisted, as member of the Me-
chanic Association, at the funeral of David
buxton. Six days after, the Mechanic Asso-
cation are summoned to follow him to the
grave. Amid all the treacheries in human
life, tn ere is nothing treacherous as life it.
SELF Capt. Baker was native and "to the
manor born" having entered upon the stage of
action in this city in August, 1894 His trade
was that of tailor, having served Ills time
with his uncle, the late Christopher Wright.
The places of honor and profit he has filled
were many. They were mostly of honor, how,
ever. He was for several years member of
the City Council; and of the School Commit
tee, of which he was a long time secretary; Of
the Overseers of the Poor, of which he was al
so chairman; an Inspector of Customs; Dep
uty Sheriff; Treasurer of the Maine Savings
Bank, from its initiation in the Preble Chapel
till it grew to count its deposits by hundreds
of thousands of dollars; Treasurer of the Rich
ardson Wharf Company when he died, as also
a Trustee of the Savings Bank. In all these
places, and many mole not enumerated-in ey-
cry position both public and rrivate-he was
the incompatible, the unswervingly honest
| man. The breath of suspicion never attached
| the fantest assoil to his good name. -
OF his kindness of heart-of his readiness,
through long life, to assist the widow, the or
| phan, the perplexed and borne down of all de-
| grees-the record is written on the hearts not
| only of them, but of those many friends who
have witnessed his lifelong devotion to the
divine Injunction TO ''love thy neighbor as
myself" To-day now,-there are many
hearts bowed down with sadness, because we
shall see his face no more, widows, orphans,
lone women, Respondent men, whom he has en-
couraged by his counsel, and aided by his la
bors. t-s~ "tti }s@
One leading characteristic was, an undying
desire to aid his fellow men, and it did not
slumber unused. How many will rise up, as
the sad nAws naaAe- 60 t1ou. of his 1A-~~-~}y-nd
call him blessed, for some specific kindness he
had done to them. Such record towers to
heaven in grandeur, and such is the record of
our brother. r.s ca. 81 .esstss.stfss..l
In temperament he was one of the most gen.
ial Of men. Nothing hardly had power to re-
press his buoyancy. lover of all the grand
things the world contains, he never tired of
| tracing the connection "from nature up to ma
lures God.' As companion and friend he
was as true as the needle to the pole. "Alas,
poor Yorick! 1 knew him well, Horatio,
man Of most excellent fancy. Where be now
your flashes of merrimeLt that were wont TO
set the table in roar?"
Mr.. Baker leaves an invalid wife, whose reli-
ance on him was very great; and one daugh-
ter, now in Europe. 1t was at home, as in the
world that he shone in clearest lustre. The
care and comfort of his household was his SUI
preme delight No wish ungratifed-no labor
too great to rob him of the pleasure in per-
for ming it for the happiness of that circle.
His death falls upon his family and relatives
with a stunning weight. He was the Oldest
the father, as it were, among them, to whom
they had ever looked for advice and sympathy
Capt. B. was a Uaitarian in his religious
faith, and had for a long series of years been
one of the attendants on the I'd Unitarian
church-and to whose help in renewing the
building the members were so much indebted.
His funeral will be this afternoon at three
o'clock at the I'd Unitarian Chnrch, and will
be attended by the Mechanic Association, Lii
gonia Lodge of Odd Fellows, and citizens
at large. The remains of SO kind, loving and
useful a man cannot be too fondly regarded, as
he shall pass to the tomb, and we hope to see
his many friends there on this sad occasion.
THE MERCHANTS ExcHANGE.-The Board Of
Trade have recently taken the matter in hand
of increasing the number of members to the
Merchants Exchange, and to that end have
appointed a large committee of influential men
to canvass the mercantile and business portion
of the city ard solicit the cooperation of such
as are not already members. This effort is rem
dered ne cessary in order to meet the increased
expenses of the recent improvements in the
room, the additions to the files of newspapers
Sc, and We hope and believe that if as mat
ter of pride only that the appeal will be prompt
ly and cheeriully met by all who care aid fee
an interest in the business prosperity of our
city, for it cannot but be conceded by any sa-
gacious business man that in a city like Port
land, which is the pivot Of not only all the
great and Increasing trade of the British North
American Provinces, but of the vast commerce
| of the great West, that an institution like the
Merchants Exchange is necessity, and that
| ia no other way can the business of the place
| be SO advantageously promoted for so small a
| contribution as through the medium of an ex-
change room. s..,. ..e .rr
The subscription price is merely nominal, Sc
| a year, scarcely the price of one newspaper
and yet it secures to every subscriber not only
all the valuable telegraphic news from all parts
| of the country, but access to at least fifty of
| the leading newspapers throughout the coun
| try, and the privilege of introducing any visit
| ing friends from abroad to the rooms, which
| privilege alone (if the subscriber never visits
| the ROOM should be sufficient as a matter I
pride to enlist substantial aid in behalf of it's
support. Where? we would ask, would Port
| land be to-day without the Merchants Ex-
change, its ,urly gold reports, stock and mar
ket quotations aud marine news, the benefits
of which affect directly or indirectly every
| business man in Portland. 1t is upon these
| considerations then, that we would earnestly
| invite all who are not now members or such as
may not be reached by either of the committee
| to 60 at once and become ide ntified with its
support, not only as duty but as matter of
economy. -r aua 4s a,i.
RETURNED Mayor Kingsbury and the
committee of five from this city, on the sub
.ject of Fire Engines, Water Works, ETC., were
Tuesday the guests of the city of Boston rep
resented by Alderman Halves. Tho visitors,
with Chief Damrell, the Messrs. Kennard of
| the Fire Alarm Telegraph, and a few others,
| making a pleasant party of twelve, lett the
| City Hall about 10 o'clock and drove to Chest
| nut Hill and Brookline Reservoirs, and then
after inspecting several of the engine houses in
the Dorchester District and the stand pipe at
Roxbury, tho party drove to the beautiful resi-
dence of Alderman Halves. in South Bosthp,
and there partook of his Inequalities, arriving
in the city about three o'clock, whence our city
fathers left for Portland in the six o'clock
train. 1851 $50
We learn that in New York the Committee
on the Fire Department were very handsomely
received and the Committee on Fire Depart