The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-07

notice some topics deserving your considera-
ton and possible future action.
| invite your attention to the consideration
of the Observation-Disclosures or not we are ae.
comprising for the industry we represent, Sc
| curing from and for the mechanics oil TINS
city membership proportionate to its num-
| bers and exercising an influence Tor tne a9-
| vancement of mechanical skill that so largely
| characterized this association in former years.
| Questions relating to the mechanical and
| manufacturing interests OF our city Tor the
past few years have rarely, If at all, been re-
| ferred to in our meetings; indeed, the attend
ance at the meetings has been so small that it
has not been an unfrequnt occurrence for them
| to be held with barely quorum, or fall alto
| gether for want of it. Formerly when queS-
lions of public interest were agitstlng and re-
| ceiying the attention of our citizens, the dis
| cussions upon them by our members were as
| entertaining and instructive as any partici-
| ipated in by other organizations and our meet
( ings were fully attended. glance at ms
| portraits that adorn these walls, THINK, Will
recall the days and remind you OF the occa-
| sions when our meetings were full and tue
interest in them sustained by the debates oc-
| cupying SO largely the time OF our meetings
| and the attention of our members. THINK 1t
mistake to have given up these meetings Tor
| debates and earnestly hope we may ADOPT carry
| measures to restore them.
We have now membership of 382; it ap-
| pears by the census OF 1851 tnat there were IN
| our city then, and it is safe TO say there are
! now 5000 persons engaged in mechanical and
| manufacturing pursuits: deductIng from this
number say % per cent for females and minors
| and we have 5000 persons eligible to member
| shin in this association. How many OF them
| have been or are now invited to come with US?
The number of members received the past year
is IL; 7 of these We're proposed for membership
by one person. What in this direction nave
the rest of us done? Have any questions touch-
ing the advancement of the mechanic arts IN
our city received any thought or attention
from US of late? 1t is true we have established
aud maintained for some years during me witt-
er months, what we term drawing schooi,
grouped into three classes Il speak OF 1t only
as it has existed the past winter) the Mechabi-
ca, !" Architectural, aud "Free-hand draw
ing it is possible that may have misappre-
hended the purpose OF those VINO were me I'M
mediate organizers of this school; that The at |
tendants or pupils are just those whom 1t was |
intended should avail themselves OF the adyan- |
tages which the school offers; but confess that
was greatly surprised when on my visits to the |
mechanical aud architectural classes, not long
since, to find the seats occupied almost entirely
by young lads whose choice OF occupation Tor
the future cannot possibly have been formed or
determined, instead of by practical mechanics
of our city and state who could not iall 10 oe-
rive benefit from instruction in these branches
OF education, if practic; y taught. There M y I
be something attractive and entertaluing IN Tie
drawing of circles and semi-clrcies, OF rlgnt
angles and trianges, OF perpendicular ana par
allel lines and the like: and there must be, 9th
erwiss these lads would not give attention and |
attendance on the same work two terms OF
school as understand some OF them have done,
but does it not seem reasonable that 10 the
practical mechanic a knowledge of how to pro-
duce these forms and lines, and when and where
to apply them, would be of such value as to be
eagerly and gladly sought for. have no sug-
gestions to make, in the way OF improvement,
in relation to the class in free hand drawing; |
the commendable progress the pupils have
made as exhibited by their work during the
term just closed, proves that they have a true
conception of the value and purposes OF the stu
dy they have pursued, bringing to 1t an enthu-
siasm that ensured the success which at tne OPP
ening of the school, the most sanguipe FRIENDS
of the class anticipated for It, l hesitate not I
to say that matter of SO much importance and
value to the artisans of this city and state,
should receive your careful attention Win
view of recognizing a school on more practl
Cal basis before the time arrives for the COM
mencement of the next term.
Through the commendable efforts of the |
committee on lectures the past winter, our
members and citizens have been favored with
a course Of lectures which l am sure have not |
failed to entertain and instruct those who have
availed themselves of the privileges thus al
forded. think but voice the sentiment en-
tertained by those who attended the course,
when 1 say that the lecturers demonstrated the
fact that home talent in this particular is sufd-
Gent for our needs in that it is better than any |
we have as yet been able to secure abroad
Whether you have given such attendance upon
the right to expect, or the committee VINO ar
ranged for them hoped for, leave you to de-
tern inc.
/ doubt not it will be your pleasure to pro-
vide for resumption of the lectures when the
season for then shall again come around.
The library, as appears by the report of the |
committee who have had the supervision of it |
the past year. is in, good condition, and the OPP
portupity afforded our mem bers and their fami- /
lies to supply themselves with entertaining and |
tiua tiara tr.rA
creasingly improved. A return to the former |
practice of liberal appropriation in this behalf, |
/ think may now be safely resorted to.
The prevailing disposition to accumula to /
wealth BY individuals seems to have found |
Judgement with us; TO aid in this purpose We |
have leased our building TO an extent that has
deprived of accommodations which we are |
sadly in need of; this library room Is the only
OF e we have retained the first floor for IL |
btary M eiiDg and lecture purposes; Dee small |
ante-room on the second floor is all that can be /
made available for tie school, invite you 10
consider whether not our necessities to say |
nothing of our comfort, will not JusIl1y you IN |
retaining for cur own uses the two upper halls |
when the present leases for them expire.
I think the small attendance On onr meet |
ings and lack of interest generally IN the pur- |
poses of our organization, is largely due to the
TACT that for the past few years we have rea ",
to use a technical phrase, been out OF JOB
satisfied with what we have attained Ill the |
way of relieving ourselves from debt which |
for many years was burdensome; with member |
shin sufficient, with receipts from rentals to |
meet promptly our liabilities they IHatured |
aud add YEARLY generous amount to oar Capt. |
tal we have not sought to increase our num-
hers or give prominence to the obJeels we |
were oreauiZel to advance; is it not possible |
that e have arrived at the period when We
should heed the aGmonition OF the poet
gu fares the land, to Fastening ills prey,i
Where wealth accumulates andmen decay"
writer IN one of our public journa
of the mechanical industries of Portland:
"There are few great masses of capital vlsibly |
represented by high buildings; but hundreds
of unobtrusive little shops are full of ingenious
and industrious artisans and their labor, IN
the aggregate forms an important part OF the
business OF the city.
whether or not by enlisting the cooperation OF
the managers of these "u1obtrusive little
shops in securing the coming autumn an ex-
hibition, not only of their manufactures, but
also, so far as it may be possible to do SO, the
method by which they are produced, might
not furnish us all with ajob' that would be
advantageous to us as an association, bring ln-
to more prominent notice these several IN
dustIies and afford our citizens au opportunity
to become better acquainted with class OF
people who are doing so much, though in a
quiet way, to increase the material prosperity
of our city and state. That we have in our
membership those who are competent to or
ganiZe ard successfully conduct such an eXhi-
bjtiop. and that it would receive cordial and
generous support from our citizens, induces
me to urge you to enter upon the eonsdera-
ton of this subject at an early day, TO the end
that, if it shall be deemed wise to enter upon
the undertaking, it shall not fail for want of
time to properly arrange for it.
The practice of continuing in office by two
successive elections the President of this asso-
citation has now come to have the force of coz i
stitutional law; the expediency of changing
this practice and retiring this officer after a
service of one term. is question which think
should receive considerations the action Eof my
Immediate predecessor in declining re-elec-
ton, which am sure it would have been your
pleasure to accord him, is suggestive to me
that the opportune time to inaugurate a
change in this direction has come; by making
it, an opportunity would be given to confer an
honor upon larger number of our members
who eminently deserve it, crafty laudable
ambition entertained by not few and secure
in the administration of our affairs a greater
diversity of talent. am clearly of the opn-
ion that the interests of tho association would
suffer no detriment by such change. If at
the close of the present year it shall appear to
| you that our former practice in this regard,
| Should be abandoned, it will be my pleasure TO
cooperate with you by relieving you of any
| embarrassment that may thus seem to he in the
vay of departing from the present unwritten