Page:The Overland Monthly, volume 1, issue 1.djvu/32

 ducted. They have a public school and are about to erect a house of worship. The merchants and business men are principally Jews, and Americans from New England and New York—particularly New England. Theatrical amusements never ranked high in Portland, and now they are at a very low ebb. There is no theatre-house in town fit to be called such. Occasionally a low grade of minstrels and vulgar comedy exhibit in halls and melodeons employed for the occasion.

On the other hand, church-going is comparatively common. The church buildings will accommodate four thousand persons, and probably on an average one half that number attend the Sunday services in them, but the communicants are a still less number. The churches are eleven in number—two Episcopalian, two Roman Catholic, one Methodist, two Jewish, one Baptist, one Presbyterian, (O. S.) one Congregational, and one Unitarian. Within one or the other of those congregations will be found the larger portion of the substantial worthy people of Portland. The Methodists and Roman Catholics have the greatest number, drawn comparatively from the humbler walks of life. One of the Jewish congregations is of reformed practice. Both of them represent comparative wealth, and are growing in numbers. These children of Shem—at least the German part of them—are a domestic, home-loving people. As a rule they marry young, and faithfully obey the first commandment given to man and woman—" Be fruitful and multiply." How long will the cultivated American of Yankee descent, with his maximum family of one delicate child, successfully compete with this healthy and fruitful people for the lead and mastery in commerce and business?

The town of Portland constitutes one school district, and is placed under the management of three directors, chosen by the voters of the district. The school-going population of children between the ages of four and twenty is not far from 2000. There are three public school houses, which in the aggregate accommodate tooo scholars. These schools are well kept, and the buildings are very fair. With the grounds and furniture, they are estimated to be worth $72,500. In addition to these .there are five private schools, all of which are well patronized. They are more or less exclusively under denominational patronage and influence, as follows: two Roman Catholic, one Methodist, one Jewish, and one Episcopalian. The average number of scholars in attendance upon these private schools is about four hundred.

The fire department consists of five companies, two of which work steam engines. The organization is based upon the so-called voluntary principle, but the city bears a large part of the expense. In early days the actiye and leading young business men belonged to the department and controlled it. But as time passed and these quondam "young fellows" got married, waxed old and wealthy, they let go of the brakes, and the leadership is passing into other and different hands. Now the engine house becomes more and more aclub room. As in larger cities, the day will come here when the control of the fire companies will be sought and obtained by rough captains, to enable them to get place and plunder for questionable aid to politics and politicians at primaries and polls. So far, the department has been very efficient, and as little in the hands of political cappers as one could expect such an association of men to be in this voting country. Yetitisa noticeable fact, that a certain class of party athletes appear to appreciate an engine company quite as much for the vote it can throw as the water.

The newspaper business is well represented in Portland. All the eastern despatches published at San Francisco