Winter Meeting. 235 



summer or semi-annual meeting. The first one was held at Springfield 

 the next year, June, 1884, and from that time to this, 1904, two meet- 

 ings — one in June, the other in December, have been regularly held. In 

 1884 ^Ir. Evans passed from Treasurer to President, and served 14 years. 

 The treasury ran low in '84 and half of '85, the balances being as low as 

 .$75.00 and S83.53 respectively. But in December, 1885 it was up to 

 $626.47: and till 1890 the balances stood from $174.26 to $989.32. In 

 that year the cash available balance was small owing to the fact that 

 $1,447.76 was tied up in a Nevada bank. In June, 1892, however, the 

 balance was $591.98, and in December, $636.61. 



In 1891 Mr. A. Nelson was elected Treasurer and held this position 

 to the day of his death — almost ten years. The executive committee 

 consisted of J. C. Evans, President ; N. F. Murray, First Vice-President ; 

 Samuel Miller, Second Vice-President ; L. A. Goodman, Secretary and A. 

 Nelson, Treasurer. In June, 1892, 'Mr. Goodman reported progress 

 made with the exhibits for the Chicago Fair, and in December the 

 premiums from our exhibits at New Orleans, Philadelphia, Grand Rapids, 

 Rochester, Boston and three exhibits at St. Louis. The Treasurer's re- 

 port at this time shows a balance of $302.31, as "savings" from these 

 premiums. This is nearly the beginning of the financial prosperity of 

 our Society. If 1892 did not close a period somewhat peculiar to itself, 

 it opened one. ^^'ith all the grand achievements of the first period, it 

 closed with a decreasing treasury ; this period closes with an increasing 

 one. If that was like ancient history; this is like modern. If only a few 

 of the former workers were present then, many who helped to bring 

 this to a glorious close, are here to day ; and we shall not forget that our 

 third and present period owes much to the accumulating forces of the 

 second, as the second was indebted to the first. 



The year 1893 was an important one in the history of this Society. 

 In it occurred great changes. Heretofore the President and Secretary 

 could draw on the State Treasurer when they needed money and there 

 were funds available. From the "savings fund'' now on hand — the 

 Society's own money — the Secretary and Treasurer kept all bills paid 

 up, and wdien needed would draw on the State Treasurer for such 

 amounts as would reimburse our own fund. This was done several times 

 each year, and continued to the time of the adoption of the articles of 

 incorporation passed early in session of this year. Soon after the passage 

 of this act the Executive Committee met and accepted its provisions. At 

 the semi-annual meeting at Columbia, in June following, the act was 

 adopted by the Society as a part of its constitution, and the executive 

 committee at its next meeting authorized the President and Secretary 



