The Portland daily press., 1893-05-25
HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
The Meeting Last notwithstanding
Relics ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of Local
History-Father Rasle's Letters-samuel
Freeman.

The Maine Historical Society met last
evening for the first time in the upper
| hall which has been set apart for it's
use in the Baxter building. The library
and collection have been moved and
carefully arranged, making the hall very
attractive.
| President Baxter called the society to
order about 7.45. Among those present
were DR.. w. B. Lapham of Augusta
John E. Dewitt, j. H. Drummond, j. j.
Gerrish, E. S. Drake, S. P. Mayberry,
Eben Corey, H. w. Bryant, Woodbury.
S. Dana, George F. Emery, William
Freeman of Cherrylield, Gen. John Mar
shall Brown, Ira Locke, ]. P. Thompson,
H. G. Briggs, George H, Cook, Captain
Phillips of the Woodbury., Major Boyd,
Thomas L, Merrill. n. J. Herrick.
Before proceeding to the papers of the
evening President Baxter called atten-
ton to two notable gifts which the So
ciety hasreceived. The first is a mantel
clock of quaint design, once owned by
the immortal signer of the Declaration
r.
of Independence, John Hancock. Two
such clocks were imported by the Han
cock family. In 1919 this one was sold
at auction, being bought by Michael
Riley OF Boston. In the great fire Of
1872 Mr., Riley's widow, fearing that the
clock would be burned, sent it to Bishop
Healy who has had it since.
The second relic is an ancient Eng
lish cutlass taken from the Boxer when
she was taken by the American man-of-
war Enterprise. Capt. VIM. Cammet
obtained this cutlass, and from him it
was handed down until it came into pos =
session of Benjamin Harris of Portland,
who now turns it over to the society.
A portion of one of the sails of the
Enterprise was also presented by Mr., A.
NJ Wetherbee, through E. S. Drake.
Mr.. Drake said that lady whom he
knows has shown him many relics, one
of them being what purports to be King
Phillips war club, with record on it of
all his victims, 8, piece of white skull
being inlaid for each white scalp. This
club has been with the Connecticut So
ciety.
The title of the first paper, that read
by Hon. Geo. f. Emery, was Historical
Inaccuracies, 1t was in the nature of a
criticism of historical and genealogical
publications, Astounding in our day, and
worthy to be encouraged when prepared
by competent hands and with suitable
| care. But attention was directed to the
fact that the value of many of them was
greatly impaired by erroneous statements
of fact especially in the matter of dates,
names and family history. In illustra-
ton Of his position, he cited one or two
cases coming under observation in en-
deavoring to determine the status of his
own family connections, the errors and
imperfections in which were very nu-
merous, and in some particulars annoy
ing. What was true in his experience
was doubtless SO in that of many others,
and sufficiently SO to justify criticism.
The errors and imperfections in this
class of literature he attributed
to want of care and skill of incompetent
authors to state things with accuracy,
and undue haste to rush into print.
What was worthy of being done should
be well done, and this requires in auth
| orship not only genius for the work
but abundance of time for it's consum-
nation. He instanced the fact that Gray
was seven years in perfecting his
''Elegy," which could be read in seven
| minutes, but which had enriched the
ages. Bancroft's life work was also
cited to the same point. If, he thought,
more care is not observed and greater
| fitness exemplified for the work of pre-
pairing historical and genealogical pub
LEGATIONS than is apparent in many is
| sues thereof, Sysiphus would be kept
perpetually at his task, and pitiable
| progency be multiplied indefinitely. In
connection with the theme discussed, he
also took occasion to emphasize the i'm
portance of full and exact index to
every such publication, the want of
which he characterized as very great
defect.
| The paper abounded in much dry
humor. There were several good anec-
dotes, one as follows:
| In a certain law suit once on trial in
| this county there was on the stand one
of those village chroniclers who always
have exact and positive knowledge.
There came up question as to the dis
lance between two points.
''How far is it?" asked the lawyer.
''Just four feet and half" replied the
witness.
This exact knowledge on the part of
| the witness hurt the lawyers case. SO he
tried to shake it by rigid cross ex-
animation.
'sMight it not have been five feet?
Mo- very positively.
''Alight it not have been four feet?
| mo, STRIP
!; How said the lawyer impressively,
''can you be SO positive on a matter like
this, and under oath?''
Because" replied the witness, II
thought some day or other some ninny
would be asking that, SO measured it,
The second paper was by Rev. E. c..
| Cummings, who described an interesting
| discovery which he had made in the
| library of the society. Mr.. Cummings de-
scribed how he had recently been MAX
| ing TRANSACTIONS of the letters of Father
Rasle, the second of which is now in
print
| He had sometimes wondered if some
one had not translated them before. The
| question was now answered by two
small volumes in brown paper covers
| On the hacks was Tho tit1o StrFbo Wv,