The Portland daily press., 1892-02-23

N
the society, it is important that we
should make plain to everyone just what
understand it. this society was
formed to preserve the names and
achievements of those who sacrificed
themselves to secure the freedom and
Independence of the American people.
By fulfilling this purpose, we foster that
spirit of patriotism which they so bright
| " exhibited and which is in constant
danger of extinguishment from the lntiu-
ence of those who are strangers TO our
history, and care nothing for our free
institutions.
''The men of the Revolution were pa
triots in the nobIest sense, and In honor
ing them, we honor ourselves.
tit is fitting that our annual meetings,
all over the country, should be held on
the birthday of Washington, the father
of his country. a title for which | claim
no originality; but Washington was the
father of his country, and as such we
revere and honor his memory. Unfor-
| tunately he has been presented to us IN
a light which has obscured his human
qualities Our fathers were prone to
set him up as a craven image of unap-
proachableness.
when 1 was boy,
Martin Luther and George Washington
always appeared to me to be most unlov-
able beings; austere, cold and unsympa-
thizing; associated with the emblems of
mortality; but when read these lines of
Luther
s'Wer Liebt NIGHT webb, vein and gesang,
Ell lebt elm nah sein lebens lang"
or, in other words:
Who loves not woman. wine and song,
He lives fool his whole life long"
I was obliged to reform my ideal of the
man, and have long wanted to do so in
the case of Washington.
'sThe recent publication of one of his
note books has enabled me to accomplish
this, and, with your permission, will
read you some extracts from it which
will at least amuse you. Here is a letter
entirely innocent of punctuations, ad-
dressed to young lady:
s'Dear Sally
| This comes to Fredericksburg fair in hopes of
meeting with speedy Passage to you If your
not there which hope you'll get shortly altno l
this is my fourth to you since | receiy'd any
from yourself l hope you'll not make the Oid
Proverb good out OF sight out OF MIND as u Is
one of the greatest pleasures can yet toresee
of having in Fairfax in often hearing from you
| hope you'll not deny it me
pass the time of much more agreeabler than
| what I imagined l should as there's very
agreeable Young Lady lives in the same house
where I reside Col George Fairfax's Wife Sis
teri that in a great Measure cheats my sorrow
| and deiectednesS tho not so as to draw my
thoughts altogether from your parts could
wish to be with you down there with all my
heart but as it is a thing almost lmpractakablee
| shall rest myself where / am with hopes OF
| shortly having some Minutes of your tranSac-
lions in your Parts which will be very welcome
= -0s'i' : " George Washington,
'sThe father of his country was also
inclined to rhyme, into which he occa-
sionally dropped like Silas Wegg. This
is fair sample of the production OF his
muse:
.oh, Ye Gods, why shouldgmy Poor Resistless
Stand to oppose thy might and Power
At last surrender to cupid's feathered Dart
And now lays bleeding every hour.
For her that's Pityless of my grief and Woes
| And will not on me Pity take
He sleep amongst my most inveterate Foes
And with gladneSS never wish to wake
From Your bright sparkling Eyes, | was I'M
done;
Rays. YOU have more transparent than the sum-
/ Amidst its glory in the rising Day,
None can you equal in your bright array;,
Constant in your calm and unspotted mind
Equal to all, but will to none prove kind
! So knowing, seldom one so Young, you'll Flnd,
Ali woes me, that should Love and conceal
Long have l wished, but never Oar reveal,
Even though severely Loves Pains feel;
Xerxes that great, was tfree from Cupid's Dart,
And all the greatest Heroes felt the smart
This is quite enough, and as see so
many around me anXiously waiting for
my place, l will close. Applausel.
Messrs. Shaw and Thurston next fa-
| y IL,
which received good Fourth of July
appreciation.
George f. Talbot, ESD,
was introduced as one who would give
some account of what his townsmen of
Machias did in the Revolution. Mr.. Tall
bot began by commenting humorously
upon the good looks of the Sons of the
Revolution present. He thought that
if the daughters of the Revolution could
be thrown in it would become more than
an average good-looking lot of young
fellows. Laughter] He said that the
Sons of the Revolution were not the only
patriots today. There were among those
who could not join in the banquet just
as brave and true men.
Coming to what Names connection
with the Revolution was, the speaker re-
ferred to the bombardment of Portland
by Mowatt and General Wadsworth's gal
liant but unsuccessful attempt to recap
ture Bagaduce, or Castine, from the
British, as important events, but not the
only ones in which Maine valor was
tested.
A large part of the Massachusetts
soldiers were Maine soldiers, for in the
Revolution Maine was Massachusetts and
Massachusetts was Maine. Moreover,
after the eight years service, for which
they were never paid, many of the Off
GERS and soldiers, in their poverty, came
to Maine to start anew. Generals Knox
and Lincoln bought land in Maine. Lin
coin did not come here to live himself
but sent his eldest son, andthe family
are with us yet. Other Revolutionary
i officers settled in the towns along the
Washington county coast.
Mr. Talbot then described the taking
of the British war vessel Margherita,
captured by the isolated and dependent
lumbermen of Machias, in the first naval
battle of the Revolution. This was not
the only exploit of this patriotic little