The Portland daily press., 1897-06-24
Meeting State Society at Brunswick
Yesterday.
INTERESTING SERIES OF PAPERS
BY MEMBERS.
Ex-Mayor Baxter Tells of John Cabot and
His Observation-Disclosures Burrage's Pspev
on Csrtography-Artic1es by Professors
Black and Sewall.
ESPECIAL TO THE pREss.l

Brunswick, June 23.-While number
of graduates of Old Bowdoin, arrayed in
fantastic costumes, were recalling their
student days by engaging in the annual
ball game between the representatives of
the alumni and the undergraduates this
afternoon, the members of the Maine
Historical society were listening to papers
on the life and. discoveries of John Cabot,
this being the quadricentennial of the ar
rival of that hardy mariner on the bleak
and in hospital shores Of Labrador.
Previous to the presentation of papers, the
society held business meeting at which
the following officers were elected:
President-James P. Baxter.
Vice President-RufusK K Sewall.
Treasurer-Fritz III. Jordan.
Corresponding Secretary and Biographer
Joseph Williamson.
Recording Secretary, Librarian, and
Curator, Hubbard W. Bryant.
Standing Committee-Rev. Henry g.
Burrage, Prof. Henry l.. Chapman, Gen.
John Marshall Brown, Hon. Edward P.
Burnham, Hon. Samuel G. Belchers,
Captain Charles E. Nash, John M.
Glidden.
The following were elected to member
ship in the society: Frederick Atwood,
Winterport, Maine; Edward A. Butler,
Rockland, Maine; Henry B. Cleaves,
Portland, Maine; Samuel T. Dole, South
Windham, Maine; John H. Fogg, Port
land, Maine; Ivory F. Frisbee, Lewiston,
Maine; Francis Keefe, Eliot, Maine; Seth
L. Larrabee, Sidney W. Thaxter, Robert
T.. Whitehouse.
These corresponding members were
elected: Professor William F. Ganong,
Northampton. Mass. Professor Charles
F.. Richardson, Hanover, N. H.; Henry
Herbert Edes, Cambridge, Mass; D. S.
Alexander, Buffalo. New York.
The society voted to hold the annual
field day at the Isles of Shoals and Old
York early in September.
When the afternoon meeting was called
to order by President Baxter, in one of
the lecture rooms Of the Searles Science
among those present being number of
ladies. The first thing on the programme
was the paper by Mr.. Baxter, whose sub
ject was "a brief resume of the voyages
of John Cabot" Mr.. Baxter said:
MR.. BAXTER'S PAPER. q
The map of the world at the time of
the Norman Conquest of England was
confined to Europe, fragment of western
Asia and Northern Africa. Outside of
this limited area all was dark waste.
Even India was practically unknown to
Europe. From the time of Alexander 1t
had been a fabulous land overfowing
with riches, but these We're only reached
by the infidel merchantmen of the east.
1t was left to the Crusaders to open the
eyes of Europeans to the Importance Of
the Indian traffic and the methods by
which it was prosecuted.
Near the close of the 18th century,
Marco Paulo, an enterprising merchant
of Venice, undertook the perilous adven-
ture of a journey to this wonderland, and
succeeded in reaching it, and visiting its
principal marts. Paulos exploration of
Cathay and his story of Its wealth stimu-
was fostered, and the mariners of Venice
became noted throughout Europe for their
skill, while her wealth and splendor,
second only to the opulence and magnif-
cence of Cathay, the source of her gran
deur, became the burden of poetry and
romance.
Generations came and went, and Venice
continued to enjoy her monopoly Of the
Indian traffic. 1t seemed as though such
prosperity could never end; but in the
10Th century the discovery of printing
evidenced the opening of new era in
human progress. Already the genius of
Gioja had opened the vision of mankind
to the possibility of highways across the
watery desert, which traokless and unex-
plored had hitherto limited maritime en-
terprise in the West; and to realize to
man the benefit of Gioja's achievement,
Gutenberg was to supplement 1t by an
other, which, Indefinitely multiplying
the records of human thoughts and ex-
periences, and scattering them to the
obscurest corners of the civilized world,
would make it possible for them to take
root, and finally to flower and fruit into
new ideas and achievements.