Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This volume contains the text of two debates held by a debating society during the latter half of the nineteenth century. The society compared the relative merits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and discussed whether men and women have equal mental capacities.

This manuscript book of a late 19th-century meeting of an unknown debating society contains the text of two debates. The first argument (76 pages) was to debate whether George Washington or Abraham Lincoln was "the greater man." Individual speakers, whose names have often been added in pencil, are identified as supporting either Washington or Lincoln. Those who advocated for Washington concentrated on his military service and his role in establishing the United States. One repeated argument in his favor, for example, was his refusal to accept a royal title after leading the Continental Army to victory over British forces. Those who favored Lincoln focused on his character, decisions made during the Civil War, and eventual martyrdom. The matter was taken to a vote following an argument that both presidents deserved to be lauded. The middle of this debate is marked by a brief foray into Constitutional issues, particularly the advisability of introducing amendments, though the argument soon returned to its original topic. An additional argument in favor of Washington, written on a separate piece of paper, is placed inside the book's front cover.

• "Abraham Lincoln: Lord of Himself, Leader of Others," laid into the front of the volume (undated)
• "Dallas Academy and Washington's Birthday," containing the program for the Philomethean Society's celebration of George Washington's 152nd birthday, pasted into the volume (1884)
• "Stand Points in the Life and Times of Washington," containing extracts from a speech delivered by Erastus Brooks on February 22, 1866, pinned into a page in the volume (undated)
• "Washington's Birthday," commemorating the 153rd anniversary of George Washington's birth, pasted into the volume (1885)
• Untitled article examining aspects of Abraham Lincoln's character, pasted into the volume (undated)

The second debate (50 pages) concerned a comparison of the "Mental Capacities of the Sexes," specifically whether the minds of women are equal to those men. After heated debate, centered on the more prominent historical roles of men and the impact of women in the domestic and maternal spheres, the group decided overwhelmingly ("Loud cries of All, All") that the genders did share equivalent mental capacities. This debate was briefly interrupted following a general outcry over contentious remarks made by a man named Spooner.

Levi Jones of Milton, New Hampshire, recorded the Milton Sacred Musical Society's constitution, monthly meeting minutes, and membership fines in this volume between January and December 1817. Also included are financial records pertaining to Jones's estate after his death in 1847.

This volume (34 pages) contains minutes and other records related to the Milton Sacred Musical Society of Milton, New Hampshire, and financial accounts related to the estate of Levi Jones, the society's first secretary. The first section (22 pages) pertains to the Milton Sacred Musical Society. Its founding members adopted a constitution on January 1, 1817, outlining the group's internal organization and some of its formal procedures (pp. 5-10). Officers included a president, vice president, account auditors, secretary, and librarian, and members paid dues and additional fees for missing meetings or disobeying the president. The constitution also described procedures for admitting new members. The document is accompanied by a membership list and 3 pages of brief monthly meeting minutes for the year 1817 (pp. 19-22). The society cancelled their July and September meetings because of funerals. A piece of paper laid into the volume after the minutes contains a note certifying the publication of marriage banns for Stephen B. Stacey and Joanna Door, signed by Levi Jones in his capacity as town clerk (February 3, 1817). The second section of the book, which begins from the opposite cover, contains 11 pages of accounts between the Milton Sacred Musical Society and individual members. These accounts primarily reflect fees assessed after members failed to attend monthly meetings, and most charges are between 20 and 40 cents. None are recorded as having been paid.

The final 12 pages have financial accounts pertaining to the estate of Levi Jones, recorded between September 2, 1847, and April 13, 1848. Two pages of running accounts document expenditures and income, and the following 10 pages are comprised of notes regarding payments to specific individuals. The volume's interior covers were also used for unidentified mathematical calculations.

The New Gloucester (Me.) collection contains documents, financial records, and other items related to four local groups active in the early 19th century: the First Christian Universalist Society, the Congregational Fund, the Hill School District (later the Southwest School District), and the Antipedo Baptist Society. Other material concerns a Universalist convention in Turner, Maine, and newspaper advertisements and subscriptions.

This collection contains 61 documents, financial records, and other items related to four groups active in New Gloucester, Maine, in the early 19th century: the First Christian Universalist Society, the Congregational Fund, the Hill School District, and the Antipedo Baptist Society. Other material concerns a Universalist convention in Turner, Maine, and newspaper advertisements and subscriptions.

The Universalist Society Documents series (3 items) is comprised of a membership list for the First Christian Universalist Society in New Gloucester (June 18, 1805) and a receipt for the society's reimbursement of a purchase of a record book (July 11, 1805), both signed by Reuben Barns (or Barrs), as well as a signed statement by Jonathan Bennett, Jr., regarding Jacob Bailey's sworn oath to become the society's assessor (undated).

The three Imprints are a 2-page circular; a 1-page document relating to a convention of Universalist societies assembled in Turner, Maine (September 4, 1805); and Directions for Taking and Using the True and Genuine British Oil... (8 pages, undated).

Receipts and Promissory Notes (13 items) pertain to advertising costs in the Portland Gazette (April 7, 1804), a subscription to the Eastern Argus (August 1, 1810), and the finances of "the Congregational Fund in New Gloucester" (11 items, September 18, 1807). Promissory notes from the Congregational Fund are addressed to the fund's treasurer, Enoch Fogg; each contains notes about interest and repayment on the reverse side, dated as late as 1823.

The School District Papers are comprised of 22 notices and meeting minutes and 1 financial document. The records relate to the affairs of the Hill School District (later the Southwest School District) in New Gloucester, Maine, from June 5, 1806-October 31, 1823. Eligible male voters were notified of meetings held to settle administrative affairs, and notices and meeting minutes refer to votes on subjects such as the construction of a new schoolhouse, building repairs, provision of wood for the school's stove, authorization and dates of terms, finances and taxes, and hiring teachers. On different occasions, the district intended to hire both male and female teachers. The final item is a list of names and amounts of money (November 6, 1823).

Documents related to the Antipedo Baptist Society (19 items) include notices of meetings, requests for membership, and meeting minutes, most of which relate to the election of officers. The group operated in New Gloucester, Gray, and Poland, Maine; its members included Elder Ephraim Stinchfield.