The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-11
INTERESTING PAPERS
Read by Ladies Of the Women's
Literary Union.

pay-Mrs. C. A. Hight Talks OF the
Civic League Important BUSINESS
Observation-Disclosures Music.
On Saturday afternoon at Pine street
church there was goodly audlehoe Oh
the mem bers of the Women's Literary
Union assem- bled to listen to the inter
estino progrsmme for its third open
meeting. which was on the. broad topic
of Science and Economics. The plat
form of the church was tastefully dec
Grated with pine bought and bunch of
beautiful ceres hung over the yellow
and white drapery of the desk.
The exercises for the afternoon were
under the charge of Miss Gould of the
Annie Hathaway club, Miss Giles of the
Sbayler club, and Mrs. T Leslie Baker
of the Excelsior club. Mrs. Clarke, the
president of the union, called the meet
ing to order and gave the chair to Miss
Gould, W no said briefly that the subject
was vast with which they were to deal
this afternoon but only few OF its
phases we're to be introduced, with
E6u6Tal tuItau VI COLACDo4Obg oAN SA~S
called upon
MISS ANNIE G. HUSSEYI,
the PRESIDENT OF the Gone club, for the
Introduction" of the programme. This
"Introduction" was clever generall-
cation of the principals OF evolution,
which opened with the words: Life is
action. Action is progress. From this
Miss Hussey went on to explain how
broader knowledge did away with preju-
dioe. and that the law of evolution was
not now regarded RS hostile TO Christian
ity. She spoke of the law of continuity,
Of cause and effect, of heredity and
environment, as such important princi-
ples in the scheme of evolution and " hich
in Altruism, is such wonderful force
in the scientific study of today.
Miss Hussey closed with On explanation
Of the scicrt lfc meaning Of the struggle
for EXISTENCE and the theory of the
Survival of the fittest," mentioning
Prof. Drummond S descent Of Man, :"
which leads one to a mora reverent ap
probation of these great laws. This in
PRODUCTION was followed by "Bit of
Color" by
MISS ALICE EVANS.
eft the Shayler club, and also of the JOS
siyn Botanical club, which proved to be
most appropriately named, for Miss
Evans gave most charming description
Of the fertilization of flowers by the
various insects, explained how the differ
emit colors were developed from the
primitive yellow, and made one fairly
long to plunge into this fascinating
study of cross fertilization. Miss Gould
in most delightful way said that Miss
Susan J. Mantle of the Westhrook Sem
mary club, and special student in BIZ
alogy, would give the ladies an idea of a
process Of evolution, ss expressed "in
changed conditions.
Miss Mantle's paper dealt with 1.-THE
biological side Of the question. and was a
clear and comprehensive explanation of
the adaptability of the animal organization
The writer explainedshow certain animals
have existed in past ages, in quite differ
ent conditions from the present, but now
seem to have adapted b emselyes to their
present surroundings. She cited many
interesting examples of this fact, and said
that in spite of the many unsettled
questions we were safe ii concluding
that most organis ms placed under new
surroundings would adopt themselves to
those surroundings, if the change were
not too great or sudden.
Mrs. Herbert j. Patterson of the Co.'S
mopoiitan club was next introduced by
the chairman, and gave the closing
paper on evolution, as dealing with man,
under the title MANS Inheritance. !"
Mrs. Patterson gave an interesting
generalization in opening of the desire
we ali have to account for certain traits
and psculiarities of temperament BY re-
ferring them back TO some ancestor,
either German, Frsnch, or English. but
explained that IN tbs paper she was to
go back Of all national characteristics,
ami only deal with those traits which
all men had in conn mon, as the purely
physical human being. She then gave
very clever description of sthe growth
of man from the one celled organism,
through its various stages Ct progress,
explaining certain Characterization which
man has in common with other snimals
In closing Mrs. Patterson said: cat
first glance il may seem an honorable
origin to have sprung from such hum bls
SOURCES, to have a bodily structure de-
termined by all the life Of tho animal
world, but reflection teaches us a differ
emit lesson, that the continuous ascent
from the single cell to the thinking man
may be genealogy at least as wonder
full and as much In harmony with inf
mite law as one tracing our descent from
any being of supernatural origin. al
though the masterpiece Of the Greater"
Miss Tarbox gave g IL, usical moment, -
after this scientific one, wbich was much
enjoyed. as she sang delightfully."-, &C
companied by Mrs. Smith, ACROSS the
Dee, by Whitney Coombs.
Miss Gould said as they had followed
man through his various stages Of de-