272 [Assembly 



mittee attends its business session it is very good luclc, and then some 

 good, easy member must be found who is willing to undertake the 

 getting up of the bilL He does the work as best suits him, and that 

 is often all the committee knows or cares of it until it is read. The 

 immortal works of Praxiteles, Milton, Newton, and La Place were 

 not produced by great conventions, nor yet small committees — only 

 one mind could work out their immortality. I do not believe in 

 talking — we come here to do something. But as I am not a mem- 

 ber of your Institute, I am perhaps intruding with these remarks. I 

 can only plead a Yankee's meddlesome privilege, and hope you will 

 excuse me if I assume too much for my station. 



at 



Mr. Meigs said it would never do to discontinue these meetings. 

 It does not require a large attendance to do good. The Athenaeum 

 in Liverpool is a notable instance of what a few may accomplish. 

 Roscoe, meeting a friend one morning, began to recount the neces- 

 sity for such a building. They agreed to call a meeting; advertised 

 largely, and got together two men only — themselves. Roscoe was 

 appoint^ chairman and his friend secretary; they, the meeting, 

 *' unanimously resolved" thus and so, as the case required, and pub- 

 lished their proceedings the next morning as those of a highly en- 

 thusiastic and respectable meeting, which none could gainsay. A 

 subscription was opened, and in a short time the splendid edifice 

 was erected. Dr. Mitchell, twenty-five years ago, got up an agri- 

 cultural society, the preliminary meeting of which he alone attended. 



Mr. Folsom remonstrated against abandoning these meetings. A 

 great deal of knowledge was here obtained. He was aware that 

 words were not wisdom — that the only way to advance was to work 

 alone; but we want prompting, and we here get hints to w^ork up- 

 on, which we scatter in our separation to all parts of the country. 



Dr. Underbill w^as not sorry for Mr. Wakeman's suggestion; not 

 that he by any means desired the Convention discontinued, but it 

 showed how it was appreciated by those present. He hoped that its 

 meetings would be continued as at present; the Fair brings together 

 just the men we want from all parts of the country. 



The chairman sug^gested that a room nearer the Fair would be bet- 

 ter. If a man. gets but one good idea at one of these meetings it 

 well pays him for coming. 



After a few w^ords from Mr. Ellsworth on the increase of the cat- 

 tle show from year to year, 



