The Portland daily press., 1897-12-28

line dinner capitally served by Caterer
II. G. Carney. While they ate, Edison s
photograph with big megaphone at
tachment furnished enhancing music,
and when the cigars were lighted Hon.
&. G. Reynolds, the president of the club,
raped the ssemblage to order for the
prime feature of the evening.
In his Introductory remarks Mr.. Rev
nolds saii many bright things and his
Speech though brief, was replete with
witty references to various matters which
have been engaging the attention of the
public recently. In beginning, Mr. Rey-
nolds spoke of the various functions of
the Portland club. it's social and political
objects. He said he had found some diff
Guilty at first in finding subject ON
which to talk in an Introductory manner.
He had at first contemplated criticism
Of the Presidents foreign policy, which
the public has had great deal to say
about lately. But the President now
seems to be all right, for when he sent to
Sweden that gentleman whom King
Oscar was pining for as our minister, Mr.
Reynolds said he found he could not con-
sistently dwell upon this subject. Then
he thought he might discuss triple an
nexation. Three suffering communities
which are at present terribly misgoverned,
Cuba, Hawaii and Deering, want to be
annexed, but this subject he also had to
abandon for several reasons. Finally he
thought that he might dwell upon the
advantages of corporate control of various
public enterprises and advocate the
municipal ownership of the Gaiety
theatre, with all the aldermen as officers
Of that institution, but after due CON
sheraton he had also abandoned this
topic. Nowshe had been forced to turn to
this Kennebec valley and had the pleasure
of introducing as the orator of the eve
ming a gentleman whom he had dragged
from his native heath to enlighten the
members of the Portland club. Mr.. Rey-
nolds then introduced Hon. Herbert NJ.
Heath Of Augusta, who was warmly
greeted. His address was scholarly, preg-
nant with valuable statistics and intense
ly interesting. 1t was listened to with
keen appreciation and frequently inter-
rupted with applause. The delivery was
perfect and added much to the enjoyment
of Mr.. Heath's auditors.
|. In beginning Mr.. Heath said he felt
somewhat EN- barrassed in speaking before
the Portland club, for he realized that he
was being paid a greater compliment
than ANYTHING he ever done entitled him
10, 4oo bo1
Guilty in selecting topic Tor an address.
The field was large one and this made
his selection the harder. He thought the
discussion of theology would not be ap-
preciated, politics he did not deem him
self sufficiently familiar with to discuss
before SO many eminent politicians; and
as for law, with SO many bright and
shining legal lights around him, whose
sole ambition had always been to lie lifted
to the Supreme bench until recently,
when they had discovered that the quail
tications for such a position were placed
SO high as to be out of their reach-law,
he found, was also a subject which he
could not discuss. He had therefore
selected as subject the Estate of Maine"
and Immediately plunged into his in
teresting address.
Mr.. Heath said:
In the last decade Maine increased but
trifie in population, from Gas, 1886 to 661,-
oS6. But the increase was in the cities
and around the centres OF manufacture,
the hope Of Maine in the years to come.
The city population increased from 81, ITO
to 130,346
But few appreciate the gigantic strides
OF our state along the lines of wealth, Of
comfort and of material developement.
The number of dwellings ran up from
1874 $50 in 1880 to 1876, 255 in 1890. We
have become emphatically people of
homeowners with q total Of 50, 1888 homes,
43,s7o are owned free of incum brance and
butt = a are mortgaged for the trifing
sum OF S., 100, 766. We have 81, 391 farms
owned by the sturdy men that on our
hills develop the noblestHtypes OF Ameri-