Show HISTRICAL SOCIETY 1 I 1I I The First Annual Meeting Occurred Last Evening Ii I I i INTERESTING ADDRESSES I BY F D RICHARDS DR FERGUSON FERGU-SON PROP KLNGSBURY I The Mission of the Society and Its Wide Field of Labor Enlarged UponHow the Society Came to Be Organized Present Officers Reelected For the Ensuing Year The State Historical society held its first annual meeting at the Thepsoph ical last night On account of the inclemency In-clemency of the weather the audience was not very large but considerable enthusiasm and interest was manifested mani-fested by those present The society was originated as the result of a conversation con-versation between Hon J R Letcher veraton editor of The Herald In the early part of 1896 this paper published an article suggesting the organization artcle sugSestng of a state historical society during the 1 Letcher Mr Jubilee year In June wrote to the Jubilee commission anent the proposition The letter was referred re-ferred to Governor Wells who consulted con-sulted with Mr Letcher about the matter mat-ter and a a result a meeting was called for July 22 On that date a meeting was held at the Templeton Hotel at which 25 persons per-sons representing various parts of the state were present Jerrold R Letcher was chosen a chairman and James T Hammond as secretary Addresses were delivered b y Franklin D Richards Isabel Isa-bel Cameron Brown Hadley D Johnson John-son Antoinette B Kinney John Parry Joseph T Klngsbury Ellen B Ferguson Fergu-son Heber J Grant John Q Cannon James Ferguson and Heber M Wells I was decided to perfect the organization organi-zation and a committee on incorporation incorpora-tion and by laws was appointed A committee was also appointed to confer con-fer with the Jubilee commission relative rela-tive to the securing of all historical material that might be collected during dur-ing the Jubilee The committee on incorporation in-corporation submitted a report in the latter part of December which was adopted and the articles of incorporation incorpora-tion of the society were legally filed and recorded As officers for the first term the following were chosen Franklin D Richards president Isabel Isa-bel Cameron Brown vicepresident Jerrold R Letcher recording secretary James r Hammond corresponding I secretary Lewis S Hills treasurer Antoinette B Kinney librarian and as an executive committee George W I Thatcher Electa Bullock Joseph T KingSbury L W Shurtliff Joseph Geoghegan Robert C Lund Henry W Lawrence John T Caine and C C Goodwin I A meeting of the board of control consisting of the executive committee and all the officers with the exception of the treasurer and librarian was held on the 8th of the preserftT month ate which at-e by laws of the society were approved and the report of the committee I com-mittee appointed to confer with the Jubilee commission received The committee com-mittee was continued with Instructions to arrange for the preservation of such relics and historical matter as should be turned over to it by the commis I sion and also to confer with the new library organization looking to some I arrangement whereby the effects of the Historical society might bb safely and properly placed for use ana exHibition In obedience to one of the articles of the constitution of the society which provides for meetings to be held annually an-nually the third Monday in January last nights meeting was called The speakers were Franklin D Richards Rich-ards Dr Ellen B Ferguson and Professor Pro-fessor J T Kingsbury Miss Nellie Holliday rendered a solo entitled Rest Rest to the Weary very beautifully HON F D RICHARDS ADDRESS Mr Richards spoke of the need of a society such as the present one to record the agricultural development growth of manufactures etc of the state The mineral products of Utah afford material for one department of the history of the state The evolution evolu-tion of architecture the pleasing ton change in systems of locomotion and the opening and colonization of Salt I Lake and other valleys of the state are food for thought The department of I religion will engage the attention of laborers in l historical work The establishment I es-tablishment of the various churches I and the good they have done the state are topics to be treated in this depart j et Wl t I mont The literature of the state must I be considered as must also the fine I arts Among Utahs sons and daughters daugh-ters are artists of no mean ability and I attainments Painters sculptors musicians I mu-sicians dramatists actors and decorators decor-ators come in for a share of the praise Mr Richards enlarged on the history of the state from Its beginning and ended with a good word for the society so-ciety DR FERGUSON Dr Ellen B Ferguson a the next speaker She spoke on the need of history his-tory to the young men and women of I today The historians of the olden times wrote more of the deeds of emperors em-perors rulers and warriors than of the I common people But the student of today to-day goes down to the makers of history his-tory The emperors during whoe reigns the great pyramids of Egypt reIgs were built are almost forgotten The modern historians overlook them In their efforts to find more about the millions of laborers who sacrificed their I lives in erecting the colossal structures The Coliseum and the Parthenon are r rmthrll I examples of the art and architecture I of olden times more than of the power of the potentates of Rome and Greece History Is an essential to modern I education and the speaker was pleased that although this society was not started until this late date we have I some of the pioneers who made the hisory of Utah still among us This I association will record their stories of the trip across the plains and of the dreadful hardships endured by them in the settlement of this beautiful valley These historians will be handed down from generation to generation and our grandchildren will have cause to bless us for perpetuating the deeds of our great men Brigham Young and his followers and before him John C Fremont I Fre-mont better known as the Pathfinder Mrs Ferguson then spoke of the growth of the territory and state and enlarged somewhat on what Mr Richards I Rich-ards had said I PROFESSOR KINGSBURY Professor Klngsbury was the last I speaker He gave a brief resume of the history of the state giving in detail de-tail all the Important events from the time of the pioneers to the present He paid particular I attention to the school i n3h i system of the state and mentioned the Historical society as a very useful association as-sociation in the light of existing circumstances cir-cumstances for the gathering of Utahs history ELECTION OF OFFICERS After Mr Kingsburys talk the election elec-tion of officers was the order The present pres-ent officers were continued for another term As three members of the executive execu-tive committee are to be elected each year the terms of the present members were deternilned They are as follows One year Joseph Gcoghegan Electa Bullock C C Goodwin two years L W Shurtliff Robert C Lund Henry W Lawrence three years George W Thatcher Joseph T Kingsbury John T Caine The board of control will meet soon to appoint necessary committees After the transaction of some busl = < ness of minor importance the meeting I adjourned d for one u year |