The Portland daily press., 1899-01-27

on Msine's First Company In War
of Notwithstanding Papers.
At meeting OF the Maine Historical
society yesterday afternoon and evening
Hon. James p. Baxter, the president.
presided and there was goodly number
present
A paper giving "Some account of the
ministry on the Kennebeo, during the
Indian war" was read by Rev. Henry o.
Thayer.
Mr.. Ihayer's paper contained an ao-
count of ecclesiastical affairs ON the lower
Kennebec from 1915. the termination of
Rev. Ichabod WiswalPs ministry to l76o.
Mere tokens that religion was not
neglected Is all that Is known till Rev.
Joseph baxter was sent as missionary
in l1l1. He labored nine months but his
church in Newtield found no reason TO
yield their pastor. The ministry of Rev.
William McClinachan was the frs TO fol
low Mr.. Baxter. who not only labpTed
with the Indians, but did pastoral work
for the settlers. He remained there four
years, then went to Cape Elizabeth where
hc Nhc ihosoAAct ~NONohbtft i'ot NV Afto
as usually written. He returned to the
kennebeo in 1742 to remain about two
years. Ten years later he returned,
having taken on bin In England
Episcopal ordination, and served as a
general missionary in the river settle
ments for three years, then left the state.
Other ministers of transient service
| No do Of I,.f
| ing the several churches before 1890 in the
territory below Merrymeeting lay.
Mr. Nathan Gould read a carefully pre-
pared and most interesting paper on
Captain johnson Moultons company, the
First from the Distriot.of Maine In the
Revolution. This gave a complete &C
count of the first company to leave Maine
after the battle of Lexington, the muster
roll and list of officers and the subsequent
career of some Of them.
MIR. Charles s. Fobes read paper by
| Edwin > Drake on the Changed con
dition of affairs in the South since the
| Rebellion" 1t WAS as follows:
MIR. President and Gentlemen of the
| Maine Historical Society:
l beg leave TO submit for1the considera-
| lion of your society some data which l
have found relating to the anti bellum,
and to the present condition so far as 1t Is
shown by the material wealth of a popu-
| lous typical county Of one of the largest,
richie st, and most progressive states of the
| Southern Confederacy; believing tn at
from a comparison which shall thereby,
| enable you to make you Will be able to
| form better idea of what the future has
| in store for the Southern half of our
I I,sstlY In,
| terest in the wisest means to aid their
| further advancement Much has been
written contrasting the present condition
of the South with their condition under
| slave labor, many assertions have been
made that it was making great strides to-
wards an equality with the North In in
dustrial and intellectual progress. These
assertions have not been backed up by
proofs. for the reason l think. that il
sought and gathered they would have
proved the negative rather than the
affirmative of the assertions.
While great advances have been made
in limited areas there has not been the
general advance we might wish. This
paper Is only intended to present the re-
corded facts of the material prosperity of
u fractional part of the territory affected
by the Mar of the Rebellion, but l think
Its indications may fairly apply 10 a large
parttof the whole area involved therein
fIODhDly IUt year iSub, may 40 HIbDtIif
reg arded as the time when under its sys-
tenn OF servile labor the South was at the
height OF its prosperity. 1t had not at that
time been disturbed nor its institutions
seriously nenaced. Cotton, Its great
staple brought - good price and the de
mand was yearly increasing. ! VIII take
then the year 1860 MS the basis of my com
par ison of condition and place 1t over
against the year 1890, thirty years later,
when after the lapse of twenty five years
of peace the readjustments to the changed
conditions may be fairly held to have
heen made ana the new era TO have been
well advanced Before we commence up
on comparison of the material wealth OF
Houston county. Georgia, as shown by
the tax digest of the county for the years
1880 and 1890. l ask you TO a brief CON
sideration of the condition of the country
at the earlier date. A thoroughly organ
ICED social ystem, stimulated by daily
increasin demand for Its sole money pro
ducing crop. wealthy Land lavish in ex
penditure; educated TO be exacting, and
arbitrary by reason of its dependence up
on servile labor proud. hospitable, pas
sionate. pious, tho men moro SO. How
was this same community five years laters
A thoroughly dls-organized social system,
poor, with in many cases lack of daily
bread, land worn out, all transportation
and means of communication demoral-
lied. Used to command labor but having
no labor to command, but under the i'm
mediate necessity of getting to work that
they might have something to eat No
less proud or passionate, no less hospitable
but poor. Twenty five years have passed
since they looked these conditions in the
face the wounds of the war have healed.
the readjustments to attend conditions
are made, order has come out of chaos.
and today we have a more orderly, more
moral, n more temperate, and more law
abiding community than ever before. We
may now place in comparison the former
and fh,a inrasent Conditions of Hnusfnn