The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-10-30

The People Are Being
Educated,
And the Poorer Classes Are
More Prosperous.

Hev. W. II. Fem, d. D., the p afsor Of
the High Street Congregational church,
lectured last evening on 1.-The Social
Changes In Europe" He said In part:
"It havip q hssn my privilege for about
generation to be an observer part OF
every year of the affairs of Europe, want
to tell you tonight something about these
travels. IL Ia remarkable to note how
greatly wealth has increased In Europe
The wealth has Leen In no degree useless.
There has been an increase In tbs Eng
lsh army, In the French. In the German.
in the Italian. Old buildings are torn
down and yon note what an increase
there has Teen In the facilities of light. In
artificial light. Men no longer have TO
break their Nm gers In striking light.
"ihers are laces that used TO be filed
with beggars where there 10 not one to-
day. 1 believe that did not see beggnr
In my travels In Germany this sum mer
and think did not in France. Eng
land has plenty of them.
"You can observe an increase of popu-
lation every where aud you wonder at the
increase, especially as you used to see the
strests free from peopls. One thing that
l noticed and that was that all Of these
changes are made In the direction OF DEM
ocracy. The servant girl can take her
sat In the car and abe Is dressed better
than her mistress. You see this all
around. The upper class Is inverted and
1t is the increase from the working class
es that add to the populatio ion. You will
see on all sides great lift OF all Of the
burdens. the throwing open Of reprssen-
tative institutions and evsrywhere the
decay OF the clerical spirit.
"Now In connection with the vast
changes In the world of Europe. the pso-
pie who are more capable and who are
demanding higher wages, ar, being dis
placed. You see ID In all departments.
You wi IN see that the American 10 being
displaced by ths Irishman. the Irishman
by the French Canadian ami the latter
by the Italian. This 10 80 bsoauss the
competition Ia SO great and because busi-
ness is conducted on such fine lines.
This 10 great evil and think 1t indi.
Gates that there Is need ON the part 1
society to under stand 1t.
"MhAt of the result as o wholss think
/ may say that the results are for the
better. 1t Is important to realize that the
moral eonditlCn Of the people IL better.
1t is . most astonishing thing that a state
like Maine should show that the ratio
Of crime Is greater than elsewhere.
"lhers ars more churches and more
Chr istials in England, In France, In
Germany and don't know but in the
other nations than ever before. They,
they alone are weak WHO are depressed by
the rate CT progress. Almost every body
can read. alm ost evers body can talk three
or four languages and they are far more
an xious to talk with you tor the sake Of
practice than you are to talk with them.
Sin the scientific world, the anxiety
is to bear the burdens. to be constant and
to want to get ON. Look at tho physical
condition. What q change there has been
IN their appearance You can't move in
London but you see vast bath to which
the children ara thronging. Child life
10 a new thing Fee the emancipation Of
woman. See how they enter into conver-
sation and how much more sprightly and
intellit ent they are, ask, can people
be SO miserable, who look 30 wellY We
are not to tie over sanguine regarding hu.
man nature Men are insolent aud sinful
and they need a tesehes."