The Portland daily press., 1876-02-15
MECHANICS, COURSE.
Lecture by ID. HI. Ingrahum, Esq.

The regular lecture in the Mechanics course
was delivered last evening by D. H. Ingraham,
Esq. Despite the storm there was good house
present and the lecture was much enjoyed.
The subject was "The First Century" After
briefly abiding to the national debt of the
country, the speaker referred to che currency
question. Hard money is the only safe stand
ard. 1t represents a value which is recognized
the world over The example of France in
her late war with Germany is worthy of study.
That specie loving people within three years
paid fine of one thousand millions of dollars
in gold. During the war gold commanded
triple premium. Her condition to-day is bet
than Germany's. Her economy, as we'll as her
resources and sacrifices, have enabled her to
accomplish such wonderful results. Let us
practice the virtues of economy. Let our leg
islatures devise means to relieve aur necessities
to check the outflow of gold by refunding
bonds at lower interest,by calling in greenbacks
as fast as caution will allow aud issue instead
low interest bearing bond, but more than all,
to resume specie payments, if possible, in 1879.
Maine occupies front position. Her history
is one of patriotism. The energies of her peo-
pie has turned her forests, her water power,
and even her rocks into gold. In spite of dis
eliminating laws, which have oppressed her in
dustries, Maine to-day is one of the most fav-
ored states. War and fire have ruined her
farest cities, her white winged ships driven
from the seas. but the energies and the econo-
my of her people have triumphed over all. Her
ship-yards are again in operation. No strikes,
no conflict between capital and labor, no pow
erty but can be relieved. As nursery of sea-
men and as school of naval architecture,
Maine should receive more attention by legis-
lation. Her gallant tars fought on the victor
ious decks of the Enterprise and the Consttu-
ton, the Wasp and the Hornet, raised our flag
over the fortress of Vera Cruz, and swarmed
the decks of the naves that won the brilliant
victories of New Orleans and Mobile.
The independence of the United States
marked new era That great event, that heroic
struggle, turned the eyes of the world to Amer
lea. The split of freedom then dropping, re-
vived, Byron, Chatham, Napoleon and Fon-
tanes, eulogized the newly born naJion aud her
heroes. Not only can we show liberty regu-
lated by law, we have kept pace with the spirit
OF the century in many other respects, in the
appliances OF steam and electricity, in appro-
the cotton gin Yet the tendency of the age is
to crowd the city, draining the nation Of its
producing power and increasing poverty and
crime. Agriculture and the trades call up
great names blessed with riches and reuown.
The history of our country, the lives of Column
bus, Pocahontas, Washington and Franklin,
are more interesting than fiction. The centen-
NAL year ought to witness renewed taste for
the study of our history. We look with pride
upon our ancestry. The Vlrginian cavalier, the
Huguenot and the Puritan were of the noblest
that ever adorned a country's annals The
Puritan has been wrongly charged with intol-
erance and with perse cutting for opinions sake.
History shows otherwise In their forms of
worship and church architecture they discard
ed everything which would remind them of the
established church, but their faults were as
spots on the sun, and their virtues will be held
in reverence forever. After paying a tribute
to the members of the Mechanics Association
in erecting SO noble building, with beautiful
hall, furnishing it with valuable library, and
instituting course of instruction IN scientific
and mechanic arts, the lecturer closed with
remarks upon the influence of art upon society
and with the hope that the coming centennial
exhibition would be worthy of our civilization
and progress