128 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
this direction that could be secured for the 
money we have paid for it, I believe proper 
steps have been taken by the Secretary in 
conjunction with the Executive Committee 
to secure the future betterment of this very 
important work. At a later hour during 
the session, the Secretary will bring the 
matter of his action in the premises before 
the society, which the chair believes will 
meet with the approval of the society. 
Mr. Painter—Reverting to the matter 
of reports of our annual meeting, I believe 
I have been able to arrange for a report 
that will be satisfactory to the society. I 
find it to be a hard matter to get anyone to 
take these proceedings at any price, 
or at least at a price the society could af¬ 
ford to pay. The gentleman, Mr. W. G. 
Powell, now with us, who undertakes this 
important work for the society, at this 
session was reported to me to be one 
of the most experienced men in the State, 
and upon careful investigation I was con¬ 
vinced that if he would undertake the 
report for the society he was able to give 
us a good, comprehensive report. Mr. 
Powell at first declined to accept this work, 
knowing, as he put it, what he would be 
tip against, but reconsidered and accepted 
it. I am assured that this report of our 
annual proceedings will be the best that 
can be had. I would therefore move that 
the Secretary be empowered to pay for this 
service as per contract agreed upon with 
him by and with the approval of the 
Executive Committee. 
The President—^The society would be 
pleased to have any suggestion that Mr. 
Powell may be able to offer for the better¬ 
ment of this important service. 
Mr. Powell—Mr. President, I have had 
a long experience in reporting the proceed¬ 
ings of deliberative bodies and assemblies 
in this State, during which time I have 
handled the annual proceedings and report 
of a great many deliberative societies, in¬ 
cluding our legislative proceedings from 
time to time, and I beg to assure you that 
the most arduous duties devolving upon 
any member of your society is the work of 
your secretaries and scribes. It has ever 
been and ever will be from the notes of 
the scribe that history is written. An old 
Egyptian proverb says: “The scribe gets 
everything.’’ He does, but he can’t use 
it, (and an afterthought also reminds me 
that recent investigations reveal a literal 
translation from ancient cuniform tables 
that “scape-goat” could easily be rendered 
“scribe!”) Seriously, though, Mr. Presi¬ 
dent, it is impossible for a reporter single- 
handed to make a verbatim report of a 
large deliberative body. Such a service 
would cost a great deal of money. It 
would take a corps of three reporters and 
three scribes, therefore the best that can 
be done is to take as full note of the pro¬ 
ceedings as may be. From such full data 
a competent scribe may with facility tran¬ 
scribe and compile a very comprehensive 
and satisfactory report. Indeed this is the 
way the history of all deliberative bodies 
is written. To be able to do this even the 
reporter must have at his fingers’ ends a 
fund of general encyclopedic knowledge. 
To be able to perfectly report the proceed¬ 
ings of a society of this character he 
should know the faintest sound of every 
technical term in Bailey’s work; he should 
be a fcotanist, a chemist, and know Cush¬ 
ing by heart. If he would report the pro¬ 
ceedings of a medical society, he must 
know medical jurisprudence and the gen¬ 
eral history of hygiene. If he would 
report legislative proceedings, he must 
know political economy and the history of 
the world. If he would report a bankers' 
association, he ought to be the composite 
