STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 31 



ADDRESS OF WELCOME. 

 By Rev. Miss Caroline E. Angell, Norway. 



Mr. President and Friends: I have read of a little child whose 

 mother having left her in care of the nurse, on returning, said, 

 "Well, Bessie, have you been a good girl?" "No!" "Not been 

 good? Have you been bad?" "No!" "Not bad? How have 

 you been ?" "I've been drest comforable?" 



Now, however, not good nor bad my remarks may be, I'm not at 

 all "comforable" in making them, though I eagerly extend greeting 

 to 3'ou, but let me come at our welcome, b}' some allusions to asso- 

 ciations in general, their attitudes and their changes. You cannot 

 take up a paper in these days, but there will be accounts of some 

 notable gatherings, so important and influential that the promi- 

 nent journals will have sent a reporter to take down the proceedings 

 and point out the indications of these meetings. Merchants' clubs, 

 market-men's conventions^ commercial travelers' reunions, agricul- 

 tural assemblies, pomological societies, patrons of husbandry, not a 

 department in the whole world of industry but has its societ}', its 

 league, to declare not alone for self-protection, a condition made 

 really necessary by the very close relationship all departments bear, 

 but to tell of the interest the people have in their own lives, and of 

 their willingness, their eagerness to learn what better methods can 

 be devised for carrying forward their own branches, not as making 

 one calling to over-ride another, but to render each and all efficient, 

 and productive and progressive. 



It used to seem that the few organizations I knew about in my 

 youth were in a sense selfish societies. The members belonging 

 got together with an air that implied, "we are probably of the 

 most capable people there are, and we are going to see what meas- 

 ures we can take to improve ourselves.'" There was not much 

 thought about distributing their helpfulness. Somehow they went 

 apart, and kept apart in a selfishness of way that laid them open 

 to disapproval, and well nigh dislike. There was more conceit to 

 the party in belonging than there was outside appreciation of him 

 or his society. The}' stood selfishly and without much benevolent 

 growth. But in these later days, there seems to be something much 

 more fraternal in their thoughts and managements, something more 



