The Portland daily press., 1895-11-23
THE WINTER MEETING.
OF the Maine Historical Society Held
Yesterday.

| Interesting Papers Read and Discussion
| Upon Them-No Business Transacted
| Librarian Bryant's Report t. Brown
Thurston Presents Interesting Relics
and Portrait of Seba Smith.
The Maine Historical Society held its
winter meeting in Library Hall, Public
Library building, yesterday afternoon
and evening His Honor Mayor James
P. Baxter, president of the society. presld-
| ed.
The quarterly report of the librarian
and curator, Mr.. H. ". Bryant, given
below shows the deep interest felt in the
society by the citizens of>the State of
Maine
| 1t will be seen that the contributions
since the annual meeting in june have
been Of great value as well as variety.
The Laws of Maine, volume 5 of the
Maine Daily journal, 1884; Ancestry Of
Levi P. Morton, Connecticut Revolution
airy records, Chute family genealogy.
History of the 9th Maine Regiment,
Whitney family genealogy, Life of Capt.
BENZ. j. Willard, Aliens history of Nor
ridgewock, roll of the Ancient and Hon
orable Artillery of Massachusetts,, bound
volumes of the Portland Transcript, Saco
Valley settlement and genealogies, many
documents in the Swedish language.
The additions to the cabinet since last
June include: Pen drawings of the
mansion5of Judge Samuel freeman. Mid
die street, Portland; parchment signed by
Gen. Henry Knox and many others OF
1898; tax notice of Falmouth of l747; old
documents and newspapers from Ipswich
Mass. fragments of the Charter Oak,
Hartford, Conn.,; log books of Portland
privateers; the first piece of baggage
checked from Halifax to San Francisco
in 1878; Egyptian relics; documents Of
Gen. Knox portrait of Judge Samuel
Freeman, powder horn of Ezra Brown oi
Wlndham killed by an Indian chief in
1856; replica of the bust of Rev. DR.. Cyrus
Hamlin.
Mr. Brown Thurston presented por-
trait of ",Tack Downing" Seba Smith,
and quantity of relics given Mr.. Brown
by the granddaughter, Miss Oaksmith.
A unanimous vote of thanks was tend
cred the donors.
Charles e. A lien of Dresden read an en-
teresting and carefully prepared paper OF
the character and work of Rev. Jaoot
Bailey, the first missionary of the Churcl
of England on the Kennebec in 1850
Mr.. Allen in his opening remarks urget
the duty of all historians to put asid'
prejudice and consider fairly and justly
the merits of the characters they ar,
called upon to portray. Much of the ma
terial was new, for the simple reason tina
historians had not dared print the fact
on account of prejudice. Jacob Bailey
was born in Rowley, Mass, in 1871, o
poor parents, whose social position wa
at the bottom of the ladder. AS boy b
was superior to his surroundings. Al
though be graduated at the foot of hi
class in Harvard, it was rather because o
puritanical prejudice, than lack of schol
arship. There was no royal road to knowl
edge for the royalists in those days. HI
was first a Congregational minister, bu
after time embraced the Episcopal faith
The story of his trip to Engl land to b,
ordained, was graphically told, plentiful
ly illustrated with anecdotes from tn,
journal kept by Mr. Bailey.
/ The historian was obliged to confess
that the reverend gentleman's sermon
were not to be compared with his miscel
laneous writings for brilliancy of style
being in fact dull His trial, reprieve
final banishment from Maine, his indie
fatigable industry in his new field O
abor, Annapolis. N. S., where be dice
and was buried after long Fpastorate
were briefly recounted. A high tribute
was paid the high moral character ant
personal worth of the frontier..missionary
Quotations from DIR. Bailey's record O.
the delusion of witchcraft were given
which showed his minute sense of justice
His arraignment of the Puritans fo
claiming rights which they were not will
ing to grant to others. voices very &C
curateIy the sentiment Of TO-DAY. Moose
head is called "Sebin." Mr. Bailey's con
tribution to the history of Eastern Main,
is invaluable
Some pertinent remarks were made OF
the difference between Jingoism ant
patriotism, and the speaker and asket
with emphasis if the honor pait
| the Queen by all Britons, the rev
erence of the Germans for their Emperor
and the Russians for the Czar, do moi
contrast favorably with the ridicule and
abuse heaped upon the so-oalled Chie1
Magistrate of the United States, Of eth
er party, and he wondered il the American
people revered anything except plutooIa-
cy and pugilism.
A spirited discussion followed in which
the president was of the opinion that Mr..