THE FIRST HALF CENTURY OF THE INSTITUTE. 11 



The Institute has for twenty-five years, succeeding the 

 Lyceum in the field of oral popular instruction, conducted 

 annual courses of free public lectures. It has always held 

 frequent evening meetings, and of late fortnightly meet- 

 ings throughout the winter, at which members and their 

 households have met to consider and discuss papers on 

 local to})ics of history and science. These papers have 

 furnished a large part of the material printed in our two 

 serial issues. 



At its lectures the Institute has enjoyed the honorable 

 distinction to introduce Professor Bell and the Bell Tele- 

 phone to the notice of this utilitarian age,- — and to pre- 

 sent to its members at different times such eminent 

 strangers as Dean Stanley, Dr. William B. Carpenter, 

 Canon Kingsley, Wilkie Collins, and Matthew Arnold, 

 together with such local celebrities as Chief Justice Chase, 

 Professors Rogers and Gray, Agassiz and Dr. Holmes. 

 It has celebrated most impressively the 250th Anniver- 

 sary of the landing of Endecott, as the Historical Society, 

 its predecessor, had celebrated the 200th Anniversary ot 

 that event ; it has commemorated the 250th Anniversary 

 of the landing of AVinthrop, and the 200th Anniversary 

 of the witchcraft frenzy, and the 50th Anniversary of the 

 founding, at Topsfield, of the Natural History Society, 

 and the 75th Anniversary of the Historical Society's 

 beginning, and the 100th Anniversary of the vote of 

 Massachusetts, passed by the Assembly at Salem, a year 

 before Bunker Hill, which Mr. Webster said made this 

 colony independent of Great Britain. Through its pic- 

 ture and flower and microscope shows, and concerts, and 

 entertainments, it has done its share towards brinoin^ 

 hisfh culture and sound learnino^ and useful knowledge 

 within the reach of everybody. 



2 See Bulletin, Vol. ix, pp. 21-8. 



