TRANSACTIONS 



OF THE 



assacbus^ttsi pottifttltutal ^amt^. 



BUSINESS MEETING. 



Saturday January 4, 1890. 



A duly notified stated meeting of the Society was holden at 

 half past eleven o'clock. The chair was taken by the President, 

 Dk. Henry P. Walcott. 



President Walcott, after thanking the Society for the kindness 

 always shown him and the hearty support given him during the 

 four years in which he had presided over the Society, introduced 

 the President elect, William H. Spooner, who delivered the fol- 

 lowing inaugural address. 



Address of President Spooner. 



Ladies and Gentlemen: — As we meet together today at the 

 commencement of a new year, united in our interest in all that 

 this Society exists to promote, shall we consider briefly at first 

 what the condition of our aflTairs is, and in what measures lie our 

 best possibilities of advancement ? I>om the excellent reports of 

 our Standing Committees, so far as presented, it appears that the 

 exhibitions of the past year have been, with a few exceptions, up 

 to the usual standard, but it also appears that they have not 

 proved so attractive to the public as could be desired. As this 

 age demands novelty in every department of life, it has occurred 

 to me that the cause of the apparent lack of interest may be in 

 the exhibitions themselves ; there is too much sameness in them, 

 and if some special novelties could be introduced into the four 

 principal shows, particularly the Annual one, renewed interest 



