THE RETROSrECT OF THE YEAR. 9 



original one?" " Was the church Baptist?" Even some 

 Rhode Island people have not yet learned that Roger 

 Williams was never much of a Baptist, and that he finally 

 went back to the church of England. Xor can they un- 

 derstand that Salem people did not persecute him. These 

 things have to be explained over and over again. What 

 Historical Society in this country has to make so many 

 explanations as have we? We furnish a printed itinerary 

 to visitors which, of itself, causes them to ask a multitude 

 of questions, as to the distance of each place, and the 

 direction, and how long it will take to reach it, and where 

 a good lunch can be found, and can we furnish them with 

 a glass of water, etc. A gentleman, who happened to be 

 listening the other da}' to some strangers asking numerous 

 questions, said to me, " Is this the Bureau of Information ?" 

 It would 1)6 amusing, if I had the time, to record all the 

 questions asked. Seriously, I fear the Directors do not 

 consider how much time these endless explanations take. 

 Unless a person can be thinking of three or four different 

 things at once, it is almost impossible to write even a 

 letter in the Secretary's room, some of these summer 

 days. I think it is desirable to have strangers visit our 

 rooms and examine our collections, but I do not think the 

 whole work of the Institute should be sacrificed to this 

 business of explaining all that is to be seen in Salem. 



The following members have died during the year : 

 Hon. John I. Baker, of Beverly, Willard H. Brown, 

 Rev. Caleb Davis Bradlee, of Boston (life member), 

 James Buxton, of Peabody, Benj. S. Calef, of Boston, 

 Rt. Rev. A. C. Coxe, of Buffalo, N. Y., G. Winthrop 

 CoflSn, of Boston, Frank T. Dalrymple, Perley Derby, 

 Miss Mary Abigail Dodge, of Hamilton, Wm. J. Foster, 

 Prof. D. B. Hagar, Miss Mary L. King, Miss Mary I. 

 Lefavour, Wm. Henry Lovett, of Beverly, Hon. John 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XXIX 1* 



