26 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1886. 



that our property is entitled to exemption, under the General 

 Law, as that of an educational and scientific institution. But, 

 whether that be so, or not, he is sure that our more than sufficient 

 load should not be augmented by oflicial inattention or neglect of 

 the shifts and evasions whereby others, whose practice belies 

 their professions, contrive to shuffle off their proper proportion 

 of the sums levied for the support of civil government and the 

 protection of society. 



The source of our income is fixed and the amount of it can 

 vary but little. But taxation is elastic and expansive, having 

 neither mete nor bound save the conscience or discretion of the 

 legislative body, whether of State or City. Hence it may well 

 happen that the half to which we are liable may shortly exceed 

 the whole sura from whose oppression relief was first sought. 

 Neither soliciting nor expecting partiality in the administration 

 of the laws, this Society will continue to protest against the 

 invidious discrimination that so materially impairs its usefulness. 



Thanks to the rare tact of Mr. Richard O'Flynn, which can 

 detect at a glance the stray grain of wheat in a bushel of chaffs, 

 the efforts of your Secretary to evolve from chaos the lost traces 

 of your early history, have been crowned with a signal success. 

 But a year since he took occasion to recite the pomological devo- 

 tion of the late Vice-President William Workman, in 

 behalf of this Society. The attention of the children of 

 our departed friend was arrested ; and to the forcible 

 impression upon their affection and judgment, thus made, 

 do you owe the appearance upon your walls of yonder 

 speaking likeness. Yet even your Secretary was but dimly 

 mindful of the measure of service rendered, in his unassuming 

 way, by Dr. Workman. That he was always ready and capable 

 upon committees, his frequent Reports, as published in your 

 Transactions, amply attest. The rescue from oblivion if not 

 destruction, by Mr. O'Flynn, of a little pocket memorandum is 

 all (but enough) that has been preserved to tell us in what painful 

 manner rigid economy contrived to erect our present Horticul- 

 tural Hall and with what tireless fidelity its construction was 

 directed. As an invaluable contribution to the history of the 



