28 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



In the da3s of the gods and heroes, a famous company was once 

 gathered at a wedduig feast upon Mt. Olympus. The godde.as,, Dis- 

 cord, had been slighted, wlien the invitations to the banquet went 

 round, and to revenge herself upon the compan}', she tluew among 

 them a golden apple, inscribed "To the fairest." Jupiter, as the 

 king of gods and men, was asked to award this prize ; but as his 

 own wife was among the claimants for the honor it bore, the prudent 

 Jove sliiCLcd his burden of responsibility to the shoulders of Paris, a 

 shepherd of Mt. Isla, who, after much deliberation and consideration 

 of rival claims, awarded it to Venus the goddess of love and beauty. 

 We shall have among us here, I trust, no apple of Discord, but there 

 is a prize to be won. It ma}^ be won by many, and even by all. It 

 is inscribed not "to the fairest," but to "faithful, earnest workers," 

 and is given to all who put the energ}' and earnestness of their lives 

 into the work which is around them. 



This prize, a successful life and its results, is worth the winning, 

 and will be awarded, now, as in the days of the shepherd judge, to 

 those who have a spirit of love and beauty, a spirit of brotherly love 

 and an appreciation of the beauty and grandeur and nobility of 

 labor, which was not given to man as a curse but as a life-long 

 blessing. We must enter upon and pursue the strife intelligently, 

 with a due appreciation of its meaning. And to organizations like 

 yours we owe the increase of IVatertial feeling, and the added sense 

 of the personal responsibility of the labor which is such a blessing 

 to us in this age and generation. This interchange of thought and 

 comparison of experiences add interest, even to drudgery, and we 

 thank 3'ou for them. We are glad you have met with us. We wel- 

 come j'ou to Turner ! 



The response to the above address was made, in behalf of the 

 Society, by the Secretaiy, Mr. Samuel L. Boardman. 



Following the above. President Pope was introduced, who pro- 

 ceeded to pronounce his annual address. 



