THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 103 



"At the anmuil meetinir of the Essex Institute, May 

 16, 18i)«, 



liesohed: That owing to the long-continued and pain- 

 ful iUness of the Secretary, Mr. Henry ^I. Brooks, the 

 Institute misses the presence of a faithful officer, and its 

 memljers the company of a delightful friend. 



It is therefore 



Voted: That the sympathy of the members present be 

 extended to ]Mr. Brooks, together with the sincere wish 

 that the coming season will l)ring to him renewed health 

 and strength." 



President's Report, May 16, 1898. 



This report should naturally begin with some notice of 

 the irreparal)le loss ue have sustained in the death of Mr. 

 Hunt. The last meeting at which he was present was 

 that of Monday, January 17, addressed by Captain John 

 P. Reynolds. He wrote me next day regretting that, on 

 account of a family eng:igement which he named, he had 

 arrived at the meeting only in time to hear the general 

 commendation the paper elicited. The last time we met 

 was on Wednesday at dusk. It was a warm, damp night. 

 His overcoat was flung lightly over his shoulders, the 

 sleeves hanging loose, as was his wont. After talking in 

 the street about Institute matters for awhile we parted, 

 and I saw him disappear up the broad, marble stairs of 

 the Holyoke Building. He seemed well. That night he 

 was stricken and he died on Friday. On ^Monday follow- 

 ing, January 24, Professor Mcndenhall was to a(biress 

 the Institute at Plunnner Hall, and it was thought fitting 

 that the occasion should be availed of to put on record 

 and ofler to the public some recognition of our loss as a 

 Society and to [)rovide for a memorial service which should 

 give expression of our share in a grief telt to I)e sp<m- 



