The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-09-23

u 0TIV TtIl T'tN
The American ASSOCIATION.

tions for the Advancement of Silence re
two bodies that meet annually to read
aud discuss papers, and have good
time. This last the citizens Of the places
where the American association me, t.
generally take good care Of and in this
Portland set fine example. Aid was
sought from the city government, but be-
yond giving the use Of numerous aud
spacious rooms in the City Hall, it did
not feel at liberty to vote the peoples
money. So the citizens raised $4,000,
and sent in their names for guests. This
last was the more sparlngly done, how
ever, as very many citizens were out OF
town; so some enthusiastic interpreters
of nature, whose scanty resources were
inadequate to the demands Of their
studies, must have felt kcenly even the
moderate charge Of 50 day, added, per-
haps, to the expense of long journey.
But even this was allcviated by half.iare
rates for members and their ladies, on
roads even as distant as Tennessee.
The meeting began on Wednesday
night. On Friday noon there was a col
lation fit for reception" Of an entire
evening, rather than a lunch Of two
hours. 1t included q bountilul supply
of fruits, as well as more substantial food, ,
and boquet at each plate, and made
more grateful still by fair ministrants
Saturday afternoon was memorable for
a long trip in a steam rcvenue.cutter on
the beautiful Cosco Bay, studded with
its 1865 islands," 1t was on the first
fair day of the meeting; even on this,
Portland had heavy thunder.shower, of
which the oxcursionists knew nothing,
though they had two dashes of rain.
Members of the Association occupied
many Of the Portland pupits on the
Sabbath.
After the last paper was read, on
Tuesday afternoon, the association in
dulgod in an immense camhakc Wn
surprised that this aboriginal institu-
tion is so little known. Even its name
is stranger to the "Unabridged," nor is
its recipe found in cook book or cyco.
pedia. We must be a little more par
ticular, then, in our account o! it. The
scene was Old Orchard Beach, q dozen
miles southwest Of Portland, where, for
miles, parallel to the railroad, stretches
narrow fringe Of philippines, low
saud-hill, and then the smoother, hard,
wave-washed sand. In deep depression
OF the sand-hill bed had been prepared,
perhaps twelve feet by five. On it had
been built pile Of wood, with stones On
top. 1t was fred, and when the fuel
was reduced to glowing Goals the follow.
ing articles were heaped upon them and
the heated stones 70 bushels clans, 0
bushels oysters, l,500 ears corn, bar.
res sweet potatoes. 500 Holsters, I25
dozen eggs, cloth or sail, and a suili.
cient supply of soaweed.
No sooner had these ample preparations
began than all the beach was on the qui
cice. The endless throHg which pourei
from the cars was well reinforced as We
surrounded the seething pile. 1t Was
torn open, huge plates were piled full Of
the pot miscellany, and set upon rude ta-
bles or carried away to seats in the san l.
Forks there were none the knives cam
in mems pockets. Some Of them were
hardly able to cope with an oyster, but
in some way even the Holsters we're com.
PEELED to yield up their meat. Coffee, to
the extent Of 100 gallons, was dis.
tributed. a very good band Of music
performed both here and on the cutter.
Next days picnic was at Upper Bart
lett, the present terminus of the Port
land aud Ogdensburg Railway, Y miles
from Portland. Very many, however
went from there at their own expense
but at reduced charges to the summit Of
Mt. Washington had glorious sunrise
there, and were back in Portland Thurs
day night. Lastly, the few survivors OF
the association went on Il dredging ex.
cursion the next day, dragging up from
the bottom Of Cosco Bay such queer
forms of animal life as could be scraped
into bag by heavy iron frame.
The regular sessions Of the association,
in two sections, A and b, were from 10
to | and from 2:30 to 5. One evening
u paper was read in large hall, on those
vast ancient houses of New Mexico, each
the home Of numerous community !;
and on another the annual address of
the retiring president, Prof. j. Lawrence
Smith, of Louisville, now in Vienna, was
read. The actual president was Prof
Lowering, of Cambridge; the president
/ Il n. ToLn l. 20 Dill.
delphia).
Section \ was mostly occupied with
abstruse matters, involving mathematics
and physics. This was far less popular
with the citizens than Section b, en-
bracing zoology and botany. But there
was no botany, that science being about
finished. Aquatic zoology was out in
full forc,, from Penikese, from the u.
S. Fish Commission ION an island in
Portland harbor), and elsewhere. The
proposition that all species begin with a
creation and end in extinction was ear
nestly advocated, and the Darwinian
view but lightly maintained. The most
crushing reiutation that phrenology ever
received was by Prof. Burt Green, OF
Cornell, who in quest Of "cynophrenolo.
gy," dissected the brains of well.known
dogs of all characters, till he was certain
that he could 6nd no relation between
the anatomical structure Of brain aud
the mind that used it. The geologists
were all the time busy with minor and
local problems of their own, but there
was little in their important work to in.
terest outsiders
"Section A." however, which held it,
session on the evening of the cambake
excited the most interest OF all 1t wai
a burlesque, rendered indescribably
laugablc by the intermixturc of grave
ideas with grotesque illustrations. Th'
nonsense was reishcd by the gravest o
the learned body.
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