The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-24
TRIENNIAL FESTIVAL
OF the Maine Charitable Mechanics
Association.
OVER s25 AT THE GRAND
BANQUET.


by Gen. Neal Dow, George W. Bea1,
Alderman Randall, Edward C. SWEET,
Munro A. Blanchard, Hon. Fred N.
Dow and Rev. MIR. Shepherd-Delight-
full Music b. the Haydn Quartette.
The twenty fourth Triennial Festival
of the Maine Charitable Mechanics
Association was celebrated at the
M Mechanic building. There was the usual
large attendance of ladies and gentle
men.
The exercises began with the reading of
the triennial address by George f. Morse
Esq.
President Charles Z. Dam presided and
made the following introductory remarks:
''In accordance W ith wise provision
of our constitution we have met tonight
to celebrate our oath TrienniaL The
history Of the association up to the year
1889 has been ably written and is pub
lished III our book of constitution and by
laws Since that time nothing which
would require special mention by me has
occurred. The onward march Of time has
brought about many changes among
mechanics and apprentices. The latter,
for whom the founders of this association
made special provision and whose
interests have ever been carefully con-
siderei we regret are now becoming rare
visitors to our own library and
fraternity. Our library of over 1900
volumes has reputation at home and
"a of IA
general purposes in New England, and
we hope that it's patronage may be large
ly increased in the near future 1t is not
at present exclusive to members Others
may enjoy it on payment of small fee.
Our evening school in mechanical draft
ing and designing, has established
record for itself and is now looked for
ward to every year by many young and
middle aged, as a source of valuable in
struction, and we trust that this year
will prove no exception to previous years
The provision for the Triennial makes it
mandatory that on such occasions an adj
dress shall be made by member Of the
association, and it now gives me great
pleasure to present to you Brother George
r. Morse, who will claim your attention
for brief time
Following is an abstract of Mr.. Morse's
interesting paper, which was entitled:
sTHEN AND NOW" :"
The subject of the address was the
economy in the application OF labor that
has taken place within our recollection,
q matter upon which volumes might be
written describing all that inventors has
done for the saving Of labor.
The lecturer said: My efforts
will be devoted to bringing to your
minds the conditions that now prevail in
the application of labor as compared
with those that existed when we were
young.
Beginning with the simpler vocations
I will say that household help in those
days was abundant, OF the best quality
and cheap as prices are now. The money
cost [ do not wish to introduce because
as q matter of comparison all things now
may he relatively as cheap or cheaper.
Fifty years ago labor was SO abundanJ
and work sought for so argely there was
no opportunity for combination ON the
part Of the laboring Glasses to regulate
wages. A mans days work was fifteen
per cent larger and wOmen's Was said to
be never done. Then all boys and girls
clothing was made at home. Now, With
the advent of sewing machines and the
ability to buy ready made clothing an i'm
menseN Namountssof woman's work is saved
All household work is lightened by
wringing machines, carpet sweepers, i'm
proved cooking utensils and the like
The introduction of petroleum in place
of the old sperm candle and it's advant-
ages for Illuminating purposes were dwelt
upon There are some vocat1ons where
lutte saving has been effected. MasonS,
H. C,,l ot1,tc fynf aHuantQrn
from machinery. A man with pick and
shovel can do no more now, and, II
stories are to be believed, not SO much,
as then. Joiners and carpenters have
been greatly helped. Now lumber is
dressed by machinery. Jolners used to
work on doors Or sashes and blinds In the
winter and the moulding and mortlsing
was expensive and laborions. Men ap-
pear to be saved more by wood working.
machinery than by any other class OF
labor saving appliances. AS conse-
ouence all buildings are moro elaborately
1rnamente ted, and farmers or mechanics
dwelling is as commodious as the dwell
ings of we'll to do people were then.
Reference was then made to the old
fashioned method of bringing produce to
the city by teams which has given
way to the railroads. The old caravans
and bob-sleds loaded with lumber we
see nothing of now. Comparing tho ex-
penSe OF the team1ng with the railway
system the cost is about one half cent per
ton a mile by the railroad and by the
team twenty times as much. The first
locomotives used in this vicinity had
a single pair of driving wheels and with
the tender did not weigh more than hf-
teen tons, and now the ordinary freight
engine weighs 75 or hundred tons. and
yet it takes no more men to manage the
present freight trains than the old ones
and they accomplish five times the work:
The same advancement in sailing and
stem vessels was shown and how barges
now bring coal that carry each what q
number of vessels formerly did, while
labor saving machinery has been intro
duced for handling coal.
The workers on iron have been vastly
helped by improved machinery. Tho
horse shoeing blacksmith of former days
made shoes and nails by hand. Now
these are made by highly improved ma
chinery which saves the horse shoers
labor by an outlay of less than an hun
dredth part as much as would be re-
auired. The average gain for the ma
| chinist with the. modern tools is at
| least three fold as compared with the con-
ditions forty years ago.
Tn construction of railroads and other
L. L l.