THE MINNESOTA SOCIETY AND THE NORTHWEST. 441 



come a few trees so hardy and enduring as to thrive in their un- 

 congenial home. 



The men and women who carefully planted and faithfully 

 tended, a half century and more ago, were brave and persistent 

 to the last degree, but none so confident and determined but to 

 feel the need of the advice and encouragement of others — and so 

 the society, whose jubilee year we now celebrate, came into ex- 

 istence. 



It is not an easy thing to tell what the influence of one single 

 man has been who through fifty years of storm and sunshine has 

 kept to his course, performing his own tasks faithfully and well 

 and helping others to a higher and fuller achievement. Who 

 then has discernment so clear and accurate, and knowledge so ex- 

 tensive, as to know and tell what the influence of a great organi- 

 zation has been through the half century that has seen the North- 

 west develop from a straggling, struggling frontier to a sub- 

 stantial and thrifty region having but few counterparts on the 

 face of the earth ? 



In the first place, while you expect and receive many benefits 

 because of your membership in this society yet none of you 

 joined because of any fancied pecuniary gain. The motives that 

 bring you together year after year are not those of selfishness 

 but rather of helpfulness and encouragement and devotion to 

 a worthy cause. 



Your primary motive is to make for yourselves and others — 

 always the others — more beautiful surroundings and to give to 

 people more pleasures, a healthier and more appetizing diet and 

 a taste and love for the higher and more satisfying forms of en- 

 joyment. In your modesty you will refuse to accept such en- 

 comiums, but what one of you if you found growing in your gar- 

 den the perfect apple tree with ideal fruit could sleep nights till 

 all your brother horticulturists were furnished scions that they 

 might share its blessings with you. And, if any brother should 

 prove skeptical and refuse the offer, by some cunning subterfuge 

 you would contrive to engraft his Hibernals and Virginias with 

 your own choice fruit — so far does your altruism go. 



For fifty years you have lived the principle that society is 

 just beginning to learn — that the ideal citizen must be something 

 more than merely just and law abiding — he must concern him- 

 self with the welfare of others and give himself in a measure 

 for the good of all. What your influence has been in this regard 



