r892.] FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY. 75 



that the serpent plucked an apple from the tree of knowledge 

 of good and evil, and gave it to Eve, and that she after tasting 

 it passed it along to Adam, who also ate of it. Thus, it was 

 stated, sin entered into the world. But, Mr. President, I dis- 

 covered that no such stigma attached to the apple in the story. 

 The statement there is that the serpent took of the/r^^^^ of the 

 tree of the knowledge of good and evil and gave it to Eve. 



It gives me great pleasure to dissipate the delusion which has 

 possessed us all, that the choice fruit of our orchards which we 

 call the apple is represented in Genesis as the instrument through 

 which man first began to sin. I do not know what kind of fruit 

 the tree of the knowledge of good and evil bore. It is a tree 

 that I am not familiar with. I do know that there is no reason 

 in saying that Genesis represents it to be an apple tree. 



Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to deliver 

 myself of the burden which has been lying so long as a weight 

 in my memory and for reviving the memory of a man who was 

 near and is dear to me and was both the first President of our 

 Society and a benefactor of the city of Worcester. 



President Parker. — The City and County could never boast 

 of a man of more sterling character than Anthony Chase, for 

 so many years the trusted and respected Treasurer of the County. 

 He was our first Librarian and for nearly forty years an active 

 member. I have the honor to present to you his son Charles 

 A. Chase, Esq. 



Mr. Chase said, in substance ; — I recollect well the events of 

 1842, and the remembrance of the gentlemen who founded this 

 Society is still a fresh one. Those were interesting times and 

 those were interesting men. I will not recall their names. They 

 were all gentlemen of high character, and when we consider 

 their number as proportioned to the population of the town, I 

 venture to assert that the array which they present has never 

 been paralleled. Worcester is to-day a more prosperous, more 

 enlightened, and more beautiful city because they lived here 

 and helped to found our societies, our schools and our business 

 enterprises. 



I have at home what constitutes an interesting link between 



