The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-31
MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Interesting Meeting Held Yesterday After
noon at the Rooms.

The mseting of the Maine Historical
society which was held yesterday after
noon at the rooms of the society at q 30
O'Clock was most interesting one. and
Rev. DIR. Burrage, on taking the chair,
remarked that since reading at the
last meeting of the society his paper on
Col. Nathaniel Sparhank of Kittery, he
had succeeded in obtaining the date of
Col. Sparhank's death. Col. Sparhank
was buried in Sir William Pepperell' S
tomb and no inscription giving the date
Of the death was placed on the tomb. DIR.
Burrage obtained at Alfred the date of
the appointment of an administrator,
and with this date the date of Col. Spar
hanks death was obtained from the Bos.
ton Gazette of Jan. 6, 1777. The date was
Deem Der 81, 1776.
Librarian and Cabinet Keeper Fl. W.
Bryant then read report giving the &C.
cessions to the library since his last re-
port, after which the first paper was read
by Rev. !, Mr.. Thayer. This paper was
prepared by j. f. Sprague of Monson
Me-, and related To the great inventor,
Hiram Stey ems Maxim
1t opened with tribute to the part
which inventors had taken in the eleva
tion of mankind and then passed on to
give an historical sketch of the subject of
the paper. The writer showed that by
heredity Maxim had genius for me-
chanical pursuits and that his browning
success, perhaps that most thought of,
just now was the Maxim gun.
His first patented invention, however,
was a machine for Illuminating with gas
by method more simple than before
known.
In 1877 Maxim turned his attention to
electricity and in 1878 filed specifications
for the first incandescent laynp. In 1ss1-s2
Maxim made working drawings for his
automatic gun and in 1883 the first ex-
ample of this now celebrated weapon was
constructed under his superintendent in
Hatton Garden. At this period he
patented his electric train gear for large
different parts of the world. The paper
closed with a resume of the different
decorations which fell to the lot Of
Maxim in recognition of his distinguished
scientific discoveries.
The paper suggested to Rev. DR.. Bur
great men and cited the number of artists
by way Of illustration which the state
had given to the world.
Hon. George B.. Talbot reported that
such men were the growth of northern
climates and proof of the enduring
qualities of Anglo Saxon blood, whichEin
Maine was found in it's purest and most
abundant form.
Next came memorial paper en- the
Hon. William Goold, a former member of
the society, which was read by Nathan
Goold.
] 1t gave the story of his life and his con-
nection with historical work in Maine
and with the history of his ancestry. In
summing up the many sides of the SUBJ
ject of the sketch, the writer of the paper
thought that Carlyle's remarks were ap-
propriate when he wrote, Among these
men are to be found the brightest speci.
mems and chief benefactors of mankind
1t is they that keep awake the finer parts
of our souls; that give us better aims
than power and pleasure, and withstan
the total sovereignty of manmon in the
earth; they are vauguards of mind; the
intellectual backwoodsmen reclaiming
from the idle wildness new territories for
the thought and activity of their happy
brethren. Pity that from these conquests
SO rich in benefit to others, themselves
should reap SO little. But it is vain to
They are volunteers in the
cause; they weighed the claims of it
against the perils, and they must abide
the result Of their decisions as all must.
The hardships of the cause they follow
are formidable, but not inevitable, and
to such as praise 1t rightly it is not with
out it's great rewards.
The feeling tribute of Mr.. Goold to
William Goold was warmly commended
in the brief discussion which followed the
reading of the paper.
Hon. George f. Talbot followed and the
subject OF his paper was the late e. G.
His tribute was most feel
ing one and read very feelingly. He said
in part that the Maine Historical society
has perhaps among it's members more in
defatigable investigators and more prolific
producers but never more accomplished
scholar, q more eloquent and graceful
writer, and talker, more competent and
judicious critic, or a more pure, blame
less man than he whose recent demise
we are to deplore.
Mr.. Talbot then spoke of Mr.. Cum
mings's contributions to the collections
Of the society, especially his tribute to
the late DR.. Carruthers and his paper, up
on the missionary enterprise of the Jesuit
fathers in evangelizing the Maine
aborigines. The translation of the French
was so admirable and the accompanying
narrative SO vivid and interesting that it
was to be regretted TINT Mr.. Cummings
could not have completed his study ard
embodied it into a volume of permanent
historical value.
He then spoke of the work published by
Mr.. Cummings in 1855, mature in the
Scriptures as the best exposition Of the
authors liberality and creed and Of the
spirituality and originality of his mind