The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-07-19


the placid Piscataqua and the hill and
dale of the opposite shore-that is Green
acre, a spot rightly named. Here is in
progress series Of meetings, which Presi-
dent Bonney of the Congress of Religions
held in connection with the Worlds Fair,
has declared to be the most remarkable of
any beside these over which he presided.
The holding of these summer courses is
due to Miss Sarah ]. Farmer, by whom
they were instituted last year. What Miss
Farmer and her associates seek to accom-
plish is shown in general way by the
following prospectus
"The Greenacre Lectures were estab-
lished in 1894 with the express purpose of
bringing together all who are looking
earnestly forward toward the new day
which is surely breaking over the entire
world The platform is broadly ethical
and purely humanitarian, embracing all
constructive phases Of progressive thought.
The programme for the summer of 1896
has been arranged with desire to quick
en- and energize the spiritual, mental
and moral natures, and SO give the surest
physical rest.
The prospectus in order to obtain a
clear idea of what it contemplates, shoulG-
be read in connection with the programme
itself. The lectures began on July 4,
when Rev. Dr. Henry Blanchard lectured
on "Peace, War and National Honor. !"
The series will continue until August 81,
lectures being delivered in the large tent
every afternoon and nearly every evening.
The first week of the series was devoted
to an evolution conference" under the
direction of DIR. Lewis 6. James, presi-
dent of the Brooklyn Ethical Association.
1t brought to Grreenacre speakers of
national reputation, and Herbert Spencer
sent paper which was read at the first
meeting. Among the lecturers was Prof
John Ffske, of Harvard, whose subjects
were ''The Cosmic Roots of Love and
Self Sacrifice" and "The Everlasting
Reality of Religion DIR. James. him
self, spoke upon 1.-THE Evolution of Nor
ais and Professor Edward S. Morse of
the Peabody Institute of Salem, told of
National Selection and Crime" The
science of evolution as hopeful promise
for human health as related to the world s
coming better social state and as it recon
Giles opposing views of ethics and philoso-
ply were some of the other topics ex-
planned by the speakers during this eyo-
luton conference.
=. Today was Temperance day" at Green
acre Tomorrow, the students will hear
from Mr.. K. Nakamura of Japan "What
Japanism is % Friday Rev E. Haberty
James Of England will tell about
"Taoism, Its Prophets, It's Teachings on
God, Immortality, etc." Saturday,
Rabbi Solomon SCHNEIDER of Boston
will describe the Efforts of Modern
Charley. The programme for the remain
ing weeks embrace wide range of topics,
in which however, religious questions and
those pertaining to the science of sociology
are prominent. Among the speakers an
nounced are DR.. Henry B. Blackwell of
Boston on Universal Suffrage Mrs.
George S. Hunt of Portland on "Socia
Purity" Mrs. Abby Morton Diaz of
6 6SfsSn On P1e Religious Training ohas4g Of
Tufts College, on "Life from Physical
Standpoint Mrs. Mary A. Livermore
on fife and Its Possibilities; Mr..
Joseph Howard, Jr., of New York on
Journalism as It Is, Was and Ought to
Be-" Mr.. VIM. Lloyd Garrison on 1.-THE
Problem Of Enforced Poverty and Unem-
ployed Labor" Mr.. Robert A. Woods, of
Andover House, Boston, on 1.-THE Work
of the College Settlements. - Hon. Carol
D. Wright, National Commissioner of
Labor, on 1.-THE Labor Problem and How
to Solve It."
The programme is SO arranged that the
lectures on some one subject are grouped
together There will be week Of talks
by musicians and lovers Of music; prac
tical art conference will occupy another
week and then the social problems will
DC CO3-SlOCI0u 4Hca UllcI0 c1Ic d
of supplementary classes and courses, SO
thatsthe enquiring mind need not spend
any Of the day in idleness The meetings
havenan additional attraction in the sing
ing Of Miss Lila Juel of Stockholm,
Sweden.
Such in part is the programme of this
summer school. The people who attend
come from far and near. There are
large number of Chicago people here and
of course the New England states furnish
many more. They live either at the COM
Portable Greenacre Inn, in the near by
camps and in the many hospitable farm
houses in the neighborhood. The lectures
are free to all who see fit to attend. The
audiences which greet the speakers are
composed of persons of all ages. including
many young men and women. They
spend their forenoons wandering through
the woods and fields. There are those
who are devoting spare moments to the
study of botany. This morning Miss
Sara A. Hubbard of Chicago was giving
one Of her BIRD Talks" to class of
nine or ten young persons The talk was
given during stroll through the fields,
the students thus becoming personally &C.
quanted with the feathered sonsgters. AS
one young woman from the Windy City
put 1t 81 have lived with nature for ten
days, now. "
The talk one hears here seems to be al
most wholly to the studies which inter
est the visitors. A strange flower in a
basin on the desk in the Office of the inn
is passed from hand to hand while the
botanists discuss it A group of women
in one corner are giving over again the
mornings stroll In the company Of the
birds and from the parlor adjoining come
the echoes discussion of some ethical
question. But all the time is not so spent
for the little launch which puffs up and
down the river and the carriages which
are frequently met on the roads for miles
around carry merry parties on pleasure
bent A feet of rowboats is also much
IN use
Miss Farmer TO whose bright idea the
summer lectures are due has done much
for Eliot She is the daughter of the
late Professor Farmer of Cambridge, and
her mother was a native Of Eliot. The
family had summer home in the town
which Miss Bspuser still occupies. 1t
was. six or seven years ago that she inter-
ested her neightors ID movement for
She establishnnept Of a public library and
IN 1858 ard 1889 two midsummer fetes
Were aiven here which Melted nearly So, :
600. Tnis Led to the interest shown in
the library by the late Dr. Bogg of Bos-
ton who gave It the use Of the Homestead
Of his family in Eliot and in his will be-