giiish. Change its $18,000 or $14,000 cash into five or 

 ten times the sum, and see what good it will accomplish. 

 There are urging, pressing matters to be settled now^ 

 that must not be left for even the near future to decide. 

 Pride should stimulate us, as one person, to gather now 

 every trustwoilhy bit of information regarding the past 

 history of the people of this county, everything relatino- 

 to their social life ; .as their manners, dress, customs, suf- 

 ferings, amusements, &c. These facts should not be left 

 to die with those who possess them. They should be 

 stored in the archives of this society, to furnish material 

 for the future historian ; so that he may make an accurate 

 and faithful picture of what the life in this part of the na- 

 tion once was. Without doubt New England soon will 

 begin to seem to the young, growing West, about .-is an- 

 cient as Old England does to us. There are o-entlemen 

 present who should help in this work of gatherino- histor- 

 ical facts and I will venture, with some diffidence, to suo-- 

 gest how help can be given. 



We are in the center of a population of twenty thou- 

 sand souls. Our county will embrace perhaps sixty-five 

 thousand. Let these figures cause us to realize the im- 

 portance of doing well the work contemplated ; since the 

 work is harder when done to please so many. The suo-. 

 gestion in this : Let these gentlemen whose memories o-q 

 back the farthest jot down in note-books or diaries thinos 

 worthy of remembrance, and donate to this society their 

 personal records of men, places and events, with whom 

 and with which they have been familiar. There should be 

 passed a law, if nothing else will secure the end desired, 

 that no man shall die tvith an uncomniunicated historical 

 fact in his possession ! 



Having one such foct in keeping, I am eager to divultre 

 it, in order that my freedom to "depart in peace" may 

 not be interfered with. 



