30 STAT]^ POMOI.OGICAL SOCIETY. 



Possibly this may be the first visit of many of you to Gardiner, 

 and that being the case, perhaps a few words of description may 

 not be amiss. Gardiner was founded in the year 1754 by Dr. 

 Sylvester Gardiner from whom the place takes its name. Direct 

 descendants of the first family have lived with us ever since. 

 The beautiful park or common as we call it, was given to us by 

 Mr. Gardiner, and if you desire to see one of the finest estates 

 in New England, I would advise you to catch a glimpse of the 

 Gardiner Alansion, its orchards and grounds. 



The city now has a population of about 6,000, is at the head of 

 navigation on the Kennebec, and one of the busiest manufactur- 

 ing places in the State. The principal industries are paper and 

 shoe making and the manufacture of lumber. If any of you feel 

 interested in either of these branches of business, I am sure the 

 different concerns will feel honored with a visit and will see that 

 you have opportunity to inspect the entire plants. 



Gardiner has many churches, and they might all be worthy 

 of inspection, but you ought not to go away until you have seen 

 Christ Episcopal Church and the new Christian Science Church. 

 The first should be observed on account of its construction, age 

 and history, and the latter because it is the first Christian Science 

 Church erected in this State. 



The National Home at Togus is but twenty minutes ride from 

 Randolph, across the bridge, and there will be seen between two 

 and three thousand of the nation's former defenders. The 

 governor of the Home is Gen. Richards,' a citizen of Gardiner. 



We have always been the legitimate rival to Augusta and 

 while we do not equal her in population or wealth, we are some- 

 what like a little man out "in New York state. In that state, 

 when a woman signs a deed releasing her right of dower in real 

 estate, she is taken into a room separate from her husband and 

 there the magistrate asks her if she signs the deed of her own 

 free will and accord and without fear of bodily harm from her 

 husband. I happened to be in one of the offices of a lawyer 

 there when in came a rather peculiar couple, evidently man and 

 wife. The man weighed about 100 and the woman about 300. 

 They made known their business, which was that of executing 

 a deed, and after the man had signed, the magistrate took the 

 wife into a side room but with the door open. He asked her if 

 she signed the deed of her own free will and accord and without 



