THE RETROSPECT OF THE TEAR. D 



D. Clement of Peabody, Mrs. Frederic Fry of Bridge- 

 port, Conn., Octavius Howe of Beverl^s Eustace C. 

 Fitz, Alexander H. Rice, Henry W. Williams, Edward 

 Wigglesworth of Boston (life member). One honorary 

 member has died, William Wetmore Story of Rome, 

 Italy. 



It will be noticed that, in spite of losses, our member- 

 ship has increased. There is no reason why we should 

 not have a still larger increase, if some of our members 

 would interest themselves to help us in this way. There 

 are doubtless many men and women who would ])e glad 

 to join us, if they understood they would be welcomed. 

 As a general rule, people will not, of their own accord, 

 come forward and ask to he admitted. That question was 

 settled long ago, and our membership was declining be- 

 fore we adopted the new process of inviting people to 

 become members, ]\y electing them. If we had kept on 

 in the old way, instead of having nine hundred members 

 to-day we should have had but two hundred. 



As I have often remarked, I think it is very important 

 to enroll as many young people as possible, as meml)ers. 

 Eleven of our members, who have died this last year, were 

 upwards of seventy years of age. 



There is another matter, in this connection, which I 

 might as well speak of now. Have we not, among our 

 members, some young men or women who would devote 

 a little time occasionally, in assisting us in the arrange- 

 ment of our Library and other departments of the Insti- 

 tute? We have, for instance, an immense collection of 

 manuscripts of all kinds, and many of great value : let- 

 ters, deeds and other legal documents, mercantile papers, 

 genealogical minutes, etc., etc. Some have been inserted 

 in books, but require to be indexed : many have not been 

 arranged at all, and many have never been read, to ascer- 



