The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-03-31

&r9 Il f'SS~ lea, many VINO at
LADY SOMERSET. tended undoubt-
eddy expected to see and hear titled
lady whose fame might depend as much
upon her titles as upon her work in the
cause of humanity, or her abilities as an
orator. Every one was greatly disap-
pointed in this respect. In presence,
voice, grace, above all in mastery of Ian
guage and that fire of conviction which
unite in eloquence, Lady Somerset will
certainly compare upon equal terms with
any orator who has stood on Portland
platform for many day. This may be
said with all due allowance for the fact
that she came with the advantage of tell
ing story in which all her audience were
interested, and from an experience which
had greatly aroused the curiosity of her
hearers.
The Womans Christian Temperance
| Union had made great and successful
preparations for the event. Capt. Brown
had decorated the hall most deliberately
| with American and British flags, with
streamers, with emblematic pine cones,
and other appropriate decorations.
The stage was a mass OF ferns and
flowers, and huge basket of primroses
stood upon the stand by the chair which
| Lady Somerset occupied. This was the
only feature of the decorations not quite
appropriate, as the speaker pointed out
very gracefully in the course of the eve
ing. The primrose. the flower of Bea-
consfield, is the emblem of the Conserva-
tive party of Great Britain, while Lady
Somersets views are decidedly with the
Liberals. Suspended from the ceiling
over the stage was large globe, encircled
by white ribbon, emblematic of the
worldwide influence of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union.
Mrs. L. M. N Stevens, as president of
| the Woman's Christian Temperance I'm
ion organization of Maine, presided.
General Neal Dow, with several of the
Portland pastors, had a place of honor
in the midst of the many ladies,-all OF
| them prominent in W. G. T. U. work
who occupied the stage. A male quar-
tette, consisting of Rev. A. A. Lewis
of Bath, Rev. j. M. Frost of Portland,
Rev. Mr.. Jones of South Portland and
Rev. Mr.. Pratt of North Gorham, sang
appropriate selections during the exer-
| ciSes
Mrs. Stevens presented first, Miss
Frances E. Willard, president of the
Worlds Woman Christian Temperance
Union. a speaker as well known to Port
land audiences as her works are to the
people of the country at large. She be-
gan by an eulogistic reference to General
Dow, Mrs. Stevens, the sheriffs and dep
uties of this county, reference which
was loudly applauded-an then went on
to express vigorously and tersely her be-
/ liefs as to the future of the cause Of tenn
perance. 's.The time will come" she
said, when this country will be sailed
down to prohibition from one end to the
other.'' Her order further believed that
the time would come when woman would
occupy in the government an equal place
with man. The watchword of the w. C..
! T. u. was ''no sectarianism in religion,
no sectionalism in politics, and no sex in
government Miss Willard introduced
| LADY Somerset as zone unspoiled by
rank and wealth." prefacing the intro
| duction by the recitation OF a short poem
of welcome. But before Lady Somerset
arose to begin her address the quartette
So. God Save the O. u" the audi
ence and those upon { sc standing
during the singing.
AS the speaker confronted the great
audience that filed every seat in City
hall, she appeared perfect type of ma
ture womanhood. The newspapers have
represented her as possessing unusual
beauty as well as a philanthropic heart
and lands and gold of specified value;
and her hearers last evening made up
their minds very quickly that the news
papers were right for once. Her voice
was musical, but strong and penetrating,
her manner simple, entirely devoid OF
ANYTHING like self consciousness and free
from those mannerisms which some
times come to those accustomed to adapt
themselves to large and mixed audiences.
Lady Somerset
began by telling her hearers that during
the months she had spent in America,
through all the acts of kindness that had
been shown her, she had found but one
difficulty, the difficulty of speaking tc
audiences after so accomplished an
orator as Miss Frances Willard. She
then passed to avery happy Renaissance
''As l stand here facing this great au
dience, in this magnificent hail. in the
city of which I have heard so much, u
she said, II recall one day when, as 6
girl in my country home, my father tolo
me that Longfellow, the great poet was