The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-12-31
The Good Year 1878.
AN ACCOUNT OF ITS DEALINGS WITH THE
STATE OF yAINE.

wbitest in the annals of the State of Maine
At least one piece of signal good fortune has
befa,len il, to which we shall refer in its
proper place. On the other hand it has been
ared in somewhat greater degree than
usual those visitations of fire, pestilence and
other Gala mites which, accumulaling in
some years as il by conspiracy of evil pow
ers, make dark pages Of our history. Let us
see, then, what there is to chronicle in the
way of &C tual
PROGRESS.
First, as to education, which is the basis
and groundwork of all progress, we have at
least to boast of our new free high schools,
established and in successful operation in
more than fourth Of the towns of the State.
These schools have not only afforded thous-
ands of our more promising youth an oppor
tunity to secure better instr uction at the pub
lie expense than hitherto, but have perform
ed another excellent office in raising the wa
ges of our teachers. We believe that the
free high school act has resulted more favor
ably than its best friends anticipated, and is
perhaps the agency that is to give Maine the
rank among weIl-educated communities which
il has for some years been rapidly losing,
TIE endow nent Of an industrial school for
girls and provision for Jail reform made by
the last Legislature are both wise aud HUI
name movements which must in the future
Dsstruittul of good. No serious attempt has
been made, however, xcspt in Andr oscoggin
Couaty, to provide for the employment, edu-
cation and reform of prisoners as contem-
plated by law, and the results of that single
experiment have not yet been made known
to the public. The collection of industrial
statistics by the State for the first time in its
history, win furnish basis for intelligent &C
ton hereafter in promoting the material and
spiritual welfare of the people.
So tar as temperance is concerned the as
pect OF affairs is not as encouraging as last
year. That wonderful reform movement
wiich began with the inebriates of Gardiner
in 1872, and which, supplemented by the
sheriff enforcement act of that year, really
kept inSemperance in check all over the Sta
for several months, and was rapidly reducing
crime aud violence to 4 minimum, seems to
have lost som ,thing of its elan. Its good
effects, however, are still apparent, aud the
various temperance organizations are in a
fourshiug condition. The Good Templars
report membership of 14,2O6; the Sons of
Temperance 3,2o6 and the Cold Water Tenn
plars 1895; total, 1921.
Women certainly have no reason to COM
plain OF the years dealings with them, for
they have been recognized in many ways
which are quite unique and which indicate
the gradual breaking down of the preiudces
that have hitherto given them a pos ton of
quasi subsection. Mrs. Mary D. Welcome
mas been licensed to preach by the Metho-
dists; Mrs. Fannie U. Roberts of Kittery has
been commissioned by the Cove nor to SOL
emnize marriages; Clara I. Nash of the fa-
Columbia Falls, has argued case before a
jury in the supreme Court; Miss Mary C.
Lowe OF Colby University has taken col
ie5e prize for defamation. They are the first
Maine women who have ever enjoyed honors
of this kind. Miss Cameron spoke, too, at
the last Congregational Conference, and Miss
Frank Charles was appointed Register Of
Locus III OXIOrQ county.
1t is further to be noted that the Legisla-
ture 5oted as follows on the question of Civ
ing the ballot to women: Senate IA yeas, IA
nays; House 90 yeas, SO nays. Women are
rapidly obtaining recognized position IN our
colleges. There are now five young wome
at Colby, three at Bates and three at the
Agricultural ColIege-eleven in all. Bates
has already graduated two. In the latter ool-
lege scholarship for the benefit of women
has been endowed by Judge Reddington.
Finally the first Woman Suffrage Association
ever formed in Maine held its first meeting at
Augusta last January and was great success.
Carmel, Monroe, Etna and some others
towns have elected women superintendent of
schools, bu; this has been done in other years.
For little movement in the right direction
we must credit Messrs Amos, Abbott G. Co.,
wooden manufacturers of Dexter, who divide
ten p + cent of their profits with their opera
tives.
The raising of $4,000 for the Maine Cen
eral Hospital, at the Hospital Fa' in this city.
attests the prevalence of benevolent impulses.
The most noteworthy ''revivals of religion
during ths year have occurred in the Society
of Friends. By means of their General
Meetings." held in different parts of the
State, they have ex cited considerable interest
and also created good-sized schism in their
own denomination.
EDUcA TON.
Besides what has been said above on educa-
ton there are several imp )rtant changes to
be noted. Four of our most respected and
efficient educators have been lost to the State
by removal during the year,--Prof Hamlen
of Colby University, Profs. Bracket and
Goodale of Bowdoin College aud A. P. Stone,
master of the Portland High School. But
our higher educationa! institutions are in a
condition OF unusual prosperity on the whole.
The Cleaveland Cabinet of Natural History at
Bowdoin, Coburn Hall, the new Natural HIS
tory building at CODY, Bea ce Hall at Kent's
Hill and the new building al the Eastern Nor
nal School have been dedicated during the
year. Colby has established professorships oe
Latin aud M lthematics, Bates professorship
of Logic and Christian Evidences, and the
Agricultural College at Orono professorship
OF Mathematics. At Colby DR.. Champlin has
retired from the Presidency and Rev. DIR.
Robins has taken his place. One hund ed
and seventy one students have entered the
four colleges the past year--undoub:edly
considerably lager number than ever before.
RAILROADS.
The opening of the Boston and Maine ex-
tension from Salmore Falls to this CITY ON
the 18th of March constitutes almost the
only important addition made to the railroad
mileage of Maine during the year. The
Maine Central, after the burning of its
bridge at Kendalls Mills, built TWO miles of
road from the east side of the Kennebec op-
posite that place to Winslow. The long
suhefinS Somerset road has at length been
graded and opened for freight traffic, but
passenger trains have not yet been run.
Good progress has also been made in GRADING
the Lewiston and Auburn road, which is to
connect Lewiston with the Grard Trunk a.
Danville Junction, and the Bucksport rail-