The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-07-18
TEMPERANCEsDAY AT GREENA GRE
CONFERENCE.
The Survivor OF the Famous Hutchinson
Family Sang Temperance songs-Mrs.
Stevenss Miss Leavitt and Gen. Dow
Made Remarks-An Address by Mrs.
Beedy,
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.1

Neal Dow would speak and that John
Hutchinson, the only survivor of the
famous family Of singers, would partici-
pate in the days exercises, drew a larger
number than usual to the tent in which
the lectures are given. The fences round
about were made hitching posts for the
teams which came from miles around.
There were all kinds of teams, the natty
rig from the summer resort and the
farmers wagon which brought the
"summer boarders y Some Of the
audience arrived OH the ubiquitous
bicycles. Every seat lin the tent was
occupied when the meeting began and
many were standing. On the platform
were Miss Farmer, Mrs. L. NJ N
Stevens, who. presided, Mr.. Hutchinson,
striking figure with his long white hair
and beard, Miss Harriet Leavitt, who is
superintendent Of the department. for
securing homes for homeless children,
and others. Gen. Dow came in when his
time arrived and delivered an address, an
interesting portion of which was the CON
verstion which he said he should have
held with the Bishop had the Bishop
OOCh pICS0Au IL Is ll6GtlltSS W ttOu, Ill
view Of the letter written by Bishop
Neeley, and printed in the papers some
time ago, that he is the Bishop to whom
the General referred.
The meeting was opened by Miss
Farmer,w W no spoke of the prominence of
Mrs. Stevens in the work of the w. G.
I. U. in Maine and the world. Mrs.
Stevens was introduced as the presiding
officer of the meeting. She was warmly
afx,o1 ,r,l f11l of@ II.
brought from the president of the Inter-
national W. G. I. U. to Greenacre, and
the woman to whom its wonderful sue
cess is due. Mrs. Stevens spoke tender
words of appreciation for the labors of
the late Mrs Amelia G. Thorpe, a
portrait of whom hung in the tent. Mrs
Stevens then introduced Mr.. Hutchinson,
referring to him as the survivor OF a
famous family. She recalled that the last
sisne she had heard Mr.. Hutchinson was
at the funeral of Frederick Douglass, in
Washington, when Mr.. Hutchinson was
introduced as the only survivor of the
men who had been associated with Mr..
Douglass in great cause. The venerable
singer, whose voice retains it's youthful
bea uty and vigor to a remarkable degree,
sat before the piano and sang a temper
ance song, playing the accompaniment
The song was received with applause
which its singing deserved.
Mrs Stevens, in Introducing Miss
Harriet Leayitt of Portland, state super
intendent of the W. G. Z. U. department.
for securing homes for homeless children
spoke of this as the latest of the branches
OF W. Q. L. U. work and one which was
of peculiar Importance from the fact thai t
drunkenness in the parents is the cause
of the troubles of four-fifths of the
dependent childrens
Miss Taayitt'S ramaptyc erava a CON, mo
hensiye view of the work accomplished
by her department. which in the few years
since its formation has found homes for
several hundred children. Miss Leayitt
modestly claims that the work would be
better one If it was possible to employ a
paid superintendent. Miss Leavitt told
her hearers of a number of the cases in
which homes have been found for unfor-
tunate little ones. She read an extract
from letter written by lady who had
undertaken the care of one youngster
This lady had learned to love the child
but wrote that during the first morning
OF the young strangers residence in her
household she had thought If Of such
as these is the kingdom of Heaven, may
there be some place where I can go and
rest occasionally.
action of the placing out' system on
the homes speaking of the joy brought
into many households by these little
waits to whom homes had been given.
She also spoke particularly of the re-
sponsibility of the individual to these
homeless children. In closing Miss
Leavitt appealed to the members of her
audience to consider whether they would
not lind it their duty to take some of
these little ones into their homes
Mr. Hutchinson sang again and then
there was long outbreak of applause as
the venerable form Of Gen. Dow was seen
on the platform. Gen. Dow spoke with
his usual vigor, saying, in substance:
There are q great many Intelligent
people who believe that the temperance
people are intolerant, because we do not
accept the propositions made to us by the
nald ALI friends lend of the greg shops We do not
nave been engaged in this work great
many years. and we think that we know
more about the methods to be employed
than these other people.
In Maine we have undertaken to sup
press the liquor traffic by prohibitory law,
and this course had made Mainess ssssknown
all over the world. Maine is. known to
the people where Massachusetts, and New
YORK State numbering largesin population
Ihe words Maine law are familiar TO
471q English speaking people the world over.
When the news Of the passage of the
Maine law reached Boston, distin-
gulshed Clergyman, who was conducting
:. PR prayer meeting, said to his people:
why, here is.a law which hits the devil
right between the eyes. That is what
we want. But there are people who do
not agree with us; or rather they do not
care whether the world goes to the devil
OF not They have other things to think
OF some of them want offices of profit.
We had Bishop once who did that. He
is living there in Portland now, and he
ha must sa not object Il reply to hi him because
wrote letter to fellow minister once,
andnt aa,1 was printed in Boston paper. He
pold all sorts of things about the violation
OF the Maine law. and said there was go
ing to be reaction. Well, there was
reaction and do not know but it came
before the letter Of the Bishop was
printed. M Some people living up and down
uhis state at about that time thought the
people were tired Of the law, and SO they
put in their platform declaration that
we were to have the good old rum times