SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



135 



passable Report of such an exhibition, requires a deal 

 of labor, physical and mental, and no small amount of 

 forethought, and consultation, and correspondence, and 

 careful planning. And this labor and care should not 

 be allowed to devolve upon one individual, or two ; but 

 should be shared by many. 



It may be supposed to be a small matter to accom- 

 plish all this. A few premiums offered ; a few Com- 

 mittees chosen ; a few advertisements published, may 

 be supposed to create the exhibition ; to bring the 

 people together; to raise the necessary funds; to pre- 

 pare the material for the "Transactions," and give 

 general satisfaction to every body. And the more 

 perfect this illusion, ordinarily, the greater the success 

 of the whole affair ; for all this labor, and care, and 

 study, and anxiety should be out of sight, and only the 

 results of it seen. And those results should roll out in 

 the proper time, and in the proper place, smoothly, 

 regularly, in good order and to the entire satisfaction 

 of everybody. But if any one portion of the whole 

 programme fails of accomplishment, precisely at the 

 time, and in precisely the manner intended, in conse- 

 quence of — no matter what unforeseen circumstances, 

 and so somebody is dissatisfied, — -why then the real 

 author of this labor and care, should step from behind 

 the curtains and assuming the fault to be all his own, 

 should humbly and quietly receive whatever chastise- 

 ment the offended ones please to inflict upon him. 



To help avoid this latter result, which, however pleas- 

 ing it may be to one party, is never entirely so to the 

 other, permit me to suggest some slight changes in the 

 little arrangements, not usually deemed of importance. 

 In appointing judges, and other Committees, great care 

 should be taken to select not only persons well quali- 



