Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-07-22
LITERARY aAlLowELL.
4 Brisi Rsvisw d the interesting History Of
It's Authors and Books.

L
hall in Hallower on Wednesday eve
ming. July Il.
No subject could have been more fit-
| ting for half hours place in the pro-
gramme than that which related to the
native authors Of Hallowell, their per-
lsonality and their books, as Well as the
influence which that city has had upon
| the educational and intellectual life OF
the State. Between 1895 and 1850 no
place in Maine ranked with Hallowell
as the center of book publishing, the
| spirit of the literary life and the
prominence of it's native authors.
Portland and Bangor which were both
publishing centers. did not compare
with Hallowell. And we have often
been led to query, in thinking of this
prominence of literary Halloweli and
its influence upon the intellectual life
of the State, to what was it due. This
has ever been the answer: To a happy
combination Of several forces or
agencies among them. the press. the
school. the library and the church. AS
early as 1895. a printing press was set
up in that town, and in 1900 a publish
ing house was established, which for
nearly half a century continued to do
a large business. The church with its
| educated ministry was there; the
members of the bar were eminent for
their general learning and literary ac-
quirements. and later came the public
library-a union of Influences all in the
direct line of the literary life and call
culated to develop the literary char
acter
Literary Halloween is of course in
| tended to embrace the native authors
Of that city and their books. Limited
to this list even, few towns in Maine
have equal rank with that Of the
beautiful Kennebec city. while If it IS
enlarged to include the literary sons of
literary fathers the influence of Halo
we'll as a literary center becomes
widened and deepened in great
measure.
AS we have just said the establish
ment Of the printing press in that town
| in 1875 was one of the first steps in the
evolution Of literary Hallowell. Giving
| opportunity as it did for the printing
Of books. it led 10 the development Of
| the literary spirit and 10 the writing OF
| books. Her early clergymen were
authors. These included Daniel Chees-
| man. who was the author of gram
| mar, as we'll as of several other books.
Jonathan Cole; Eliphalet Gillett. who
was secretary of the Maine Missionary
| Society for Al years. and who is credit
| ed with more than 20 publications in
| Williamsons photography of Maine.
| Gorham Abbott Drummer, the author
of four or five volumes, and success
i full teacher for many years, and many
| others Educated lawyers who We're
natives of Hallowell We're Amos Stod
| dard Thomas Bond. Jr., William En-
mons. jeremiah Perley. and others.
| These all published orations and adj
| dresses while Mr.. Perley was the editor
| of the debates on the constitution Of
Maine and published the Maine Justice
| and Maine Civil Officer-books which
had large circulation. Among educa-
| tional authors mention should be made
| OF William Kinney, once preceptor OF
HallOwell academy, whose arithme lie
was a standard school book for half
century; Ephraim Goodale. whose New
Pleasing Spelling Book was equally IA
nous with Kinney's arithmetic; Daniel
Cheesman, author Of "A Compendium of
English Grammar" and Samuel Tenney.
author of THE Hallowell Collection Of
Sacred Music" and the Instrumental
Director" Nor should we forget thu
Maine Farmers Almanac which was cs-
tablished in HalowelI so years ago. ana
for continuous period of 60 years was
published in that town. and edited by the
late Daniel Robinson. These books were
printed by the thousands and circulated
all over Maine. Surely TO have made the
srammars. arithmetics, spelling books
music books and almanacs for all Maine
for half a century,-not only original
books by her native authors, but printed
at her own publishing house-is enough
to give TO Hallowell the distinction OF
having been literary in one of the most
important directions-that of educa tional
literature. And what an influence IN
shaping and directing the minds of the
youth of the State must not the town Of
Halowell have had in the first half Of
the century just closing. through these
important school books Of its own highly
educated authors.
But there Is more fame for literary
Hallowell than this. Her native authors
of national reputation embrace the names
Of Henry T. Cheever, George b. Cheever
and Jacob Abbott. Turn to the biograph
zeal cyclopedias and look at their record.
George b. Cheever was the author of
Deacon Giles Distillery"-a work which
had as much to do in the temperance re
form and in that of the old Washingto
MAN societies, Uncle Toms Cabin had
to do with the anti-slavery reform Be
sides this his published works embrace
more than Is volumes, all of them con
spicuous for ability and learning. His
brother. Henry I. Chever, was the author
of IA volumes; while the publications OF