THE RETROSrECT OF THE YEAR. 9 



original one?" " Was tlie chuicli Baptist?" Even some 

 Rhode Island people have not yet learned that Roger 

 AVilliams was never nuich of a Baptist, and that he finally 

 went back to the church of England. Nor can they un- 

 derstand that Salem i)eople did not persecute him. These 

 things have to be explained over and over again. What 

 Historical Society in this country has to make so many 

 explanations as have we? We furnish a printed itinerary 

 to visitors which, of itself, causes them to ask a multitude 

 of questions, as to the distance of each place, and the 

 direction, and how long it will take to reach it, and where 

 a good lunch can be found, and can we fuinish them with 

 a glass of water, etc. A gentleman, who happened to be 

 listening the other day to some strangers asking numerous 

 questions, said to me, " Is this the Bureau of Information ?" 

 It w^ould be amusing, if I had the time, to record all the 

 questions asked. Seriously, I fear the Directors do not 

 consider how much time these endless explanations take. 

 Unless a person can be thinking of three or four different 

 things at once, it is almost impossible to write even a 

 letter in the Secretary's room, some of these summer 

 days. I think it is desirable to have strangers visit our 

 rooms and examine our collections, but I do not think the 

 whole work of the Institute should be sacrificed to this 

 business of explaining all that is to be seen in Salem. 



The following members have died during the year : 

 Hon. John I. Baker, of Beverly, Willard H. Brown, 

 Rev. Caleb Davis Bradlee, of Boston (life member), 

 James Buxton, of Peabody, Benj. S. Calef, of Boston, 

 Rt. Rev. A. C. Coxe, of IBuflalo, N. Y., G. Winthrop 

 Coffin, of Boston, Frank T. Dalrymple, Perley Derby, 

 Miss Mary Abigail Dodge, of Hamilton, Wm. J. Foster, 

 Prof. D. B. Hagar, Miss Mary L. King, Miss Mary I. 

 Lefavour, Wm. Henry Lovett, of Beverly, Hon. John 



ESSEX IXST. BULLETIN, VOL. XXIX 1* 



