40 THE HISTORY OF THE 



at the Peabody Institute, the last apparently of the long 

 series which reached back to the very beginning of the 

 Society. Not only was it the last, but it was not honored 

 with a place in the greatly abridged Transactions of that 

 year, the first omission of the kind since Col. Pickering's 

 first address was printed in 1818. 



1900—1910. 



The Peabody Experiment. 



On the turn of the century preparations had been made 

 for the largest and most attractive exhibit the Society 

 had ever held. The ancient and honored name, "Cattle 

 Show," had given place to the less rural and more compre- 

 hensive "Fair," and it was a significant evidence that 

 not only had the cattle disappeared, but the old-time 

 gathering of farmers with the products of their farms 

 had ceased. In the hope of making good the recent 

 financial losses the Society had established itself perma- 

 nently in one of the busiest manufacturing centers, with 

 a large and compact population within easy reach. The 

 plan was now adopted of drawing a large gathering by 

 attractions manifold and various. 



To further this end the retiring President, Hon. George 

 von L. Meyer, had borne the expense of a grand stand. 

 The members of the Myopia Hunt Club gave an exhibition 

 of hurdle- jumping ,and many fine horses competed for 

 the various prizes. The various departments on the 

 grounds and in the hall were full of interest. But heavy 

 rain again interfered seriously with the attendance and 

 the financial return. Similar disappointment befell the 

 following year. Thursday, the great second day of the 

 1901 Fair, was the day of President McKinley's funeral, 

 and the nation was shrouded in gloom. Heavy rain inten- 

 sified the difl^culties of the situation. It was no wonder 

 that great discouragement was evident in the scant re- 



