1870.] secretary's report. 37 



struggling to maintain and extend its usefulness beneath an onerous load of 

 debt, economy even to the verge of penuriousness, was, perhaps, justifiable. 

 But, with increase of means, and consequent freedom from financial embarrass- 

 ment, should come that generosity which succeeds justice. Few are aware 

 of the labor and i-esponsibility imposed upon one or more of these officers. 

 Their time taken up is immeasurably less than that broken up, in your service. 

 Gratuitous labor is ever poorly appreciated, and what is that but gratuitous of 

 which the compensation is simply nominal ? " Thou shalt not muzzle the ox 

 that treadeth out the corn ! " is an injunction as applicable in Horticulture as 

 to the custodians of the bovine genus. 



These remarks are made the more freely as they cannot be suspected of being 

 urged with a view to the individual benefit of the wriier. His intention of de- 

 clining a re-election to the office which, by your partiality, he has held for the 

 last ten years, was long since announced. But, with reference to an augmen- 

 tation of the salary of the Secretary and Librarian, he would advise further, 

 that the Library should be constituted the office of the Secretary, to form a sort 

 -of head-quarters or place of resort for members, in which that official should 

 be expected to spend so much of his time as might in equity be exacted. A 

 long and decided step will thus be taken toward that consummation, when, with 

 the Library open daily, as in Boston, every member of the .Society will realize that 

 there is at least one place accessible, to which he may resort in pursuit of in- 

 formation, for the statement of facts within his personal observation, and possi- 

 bly for barter or traffic. Until something like this is achieved ; until the con- 

 sumers and producers among our number are brought face to face and made 

 more intimately acquainted ; the best and most fruitful purposes in the owner- 

 ship of a Hall will fail to be subserved. The advantages to be derived from the 

 adoption of some such step, as is thus partially indicated, can be imperfectly 

 estimated by those who are familiar with the benefits that have ensued, from 

 the opening of the Library on Thursdays only of each week. 



All which is respectfully submitted. 



EDWARD W. LINCOLN, 



Secretary mid Librarian. 

 HORTICOLTI'RAL HalL, 



WoKCESTER, Mass., Nov. 2, A. D. 1870. 



