The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-01-17
LOCAL MATTERS.

rios ASSOCIATION held liz annual meeting ID the Hall
of the House Of Delegates Thursday eveningi
crowded and highly intelligent auditory in attend
ancs We were pleased to see the ladies out IN such
roodly numbers--ther fair and gentle presence con-
trbufing greatly to the pleasure Of the meeting The
untiring efforts of the members of this Society, du
ring the last few years, to carry out the principles
upon which it Is founded, and the high and glorious
aim ii has in view-are nov; being rewarded with
Hattering degree of success-and with the sympa-
thy of thelades enlisted in the good worka greater
and more gratifying success in the future is certainly
to be expected At a little after o'clock Mr.. VIM.
H. mcfarland, President of the Society, took the
Chair
Mr. Maxwell. Secretary of the Society, then rose,
and stated that Professor H. A. Washington, who was
to have delivered the annual address, had not yet
rived owing, perhaps to the accident of cold wea-
ther or an unlocked for detention and that, there
fore, they must give up all expectation OF hearing
from the Professor that evening. Mr. M. then, in
| very happy and semihumorous strain commented
upon the nature and benefit of accidents, affirming
that it was his philosophy never to allow them
to disturb agtate the deep waters of his soluble
lieving that they were means employed by the Great
Father of mankind to test the faith and powers OF
His children. Mr. M. very calamity closed his short
apology for the absence of the orator of the evening
with graceful compliment to the agreeable presence
| of the ladies.
Mr. Giles in the absence of the Chairman of the
Executive Committee then read the annual report
1t commenced with congratulation to the Society
upon its favorable and cheering prospects, and au-
ded to the increase of its literary treasures and the
new life members added during the last year. The
City Council very generously had passed an ordi-
nance giving the Society free of convenient and
handsome rooms in the Athenaum, and $50 per
annum for the gradual increase of the library, upon
the single condition that the library should be open
to- the citizens of Richmond upon proper conditions
The report further set forth that the Society had held
meeting upon the 9Th instant and unanimously ac-
cepted the offer of the Council This provision
placed the Society upon permanent footing and in
that single view had very beneficial effect During
the last year. the continuation Of the work called
:" Early Voyages to America" had been prepared in
| supplemental volume, and they were only awaiting
the necessary funds to have it published. The Viz
oinia Historical Register conducted by the Secretary
of the Society, and supported by the MEMBERSHIPS
still in progress of publication, and gave great salts
faction During the past year the Society had lost
four honorary membersb by death-the Hon. Francis T.
Brooke, Hon. James Mcdowell, Commodore Lewis
| Warrington U. s NJ and Professor Archibald Alex
ander, of Princeton. The report spoke in terms Of
high eulogy of the deceased In concluding, the
port appealed to the support and patronage of the
| citizens of Richmond and suggested emphatcaly
| that was not unworthy of benefacton from the
| LEGISLATURE when IFS obect-the moral and inteec-
tual improvement of the people-was rightly consid
| cred.
| Mr.. Maxwell, as Acting Librarian, made report
| of the names and numbers of books, paintings
Indian curiosites and collections of coin donated to
the Society during the past year. Ten honorary and
three corresponding members had been elected du-
| ring the same period.
| Mr.. NJ. then offered resolution returning the
thanks of the Society to the City Council for the
| handsome and honorable provision which it had
made by its ordinance of September g entitled en-
ordinance, providing for the further education of
INDECENT children" and in which, after making pro-
vision for public lectures at the Atheneum they had
literally granted to the Society, and $3.50 year
ly for the purchase of books, &c. The learned gen
tlenan remarked at the outset that he designed saying
few words, by way OF expanding the sentiments of
the resolution. Abiding to the increased temporal
prosperity of Richmond, and the augmentation of
| her railroads, canals and resources generally III
terms of gratulaton-he rejoiced also that she had
not forgotten the higher interests of the intellect and
the soul-and the great injunction to improve every
talent in her possession This was evident from the
mum Der OF temples dedicated to the service of God
that had sprung up, and springing up on every
side In years gone by had he lanented the insensi
bity of Richmond to class of qualifications which
l.
her moral and literary interests. Mr.. NJ. here com
pared very naively the position OF Richmond that
| of beautiful woman Who by adjoining herself with
all the intellectual graces aud fascinating accomplish
| ments of social life renders complete her control
| over man. and without which her rule would be but
| transitory. Thus with Richmond-the respect Of
| the intellectual and wise must be secured by due
| attention to the improvement and advancement of
literature and morals and Notwithstanding he had la
nlented this in.ensibity, as he had just remarked
lie still fe assured thai the Ii;ae would come when
| Richmond would awake to her rue position In this
| matter That time had arrived The little republic
ofRichniohdhad not disappointedhi his hopes He next
compared the literary progress of Richmond to the
Aloe over which he had watched long and patiently
| and now viewed its expanded beauty with adInira-
between the progress and action of Richmond in re-
gard to the Society and the Towering of the Aloe
According to the law of nature one hundred years
was the time in which the Aloe came to its full ex
pansion, and it just one hundred years since the
old House of Burgesses passed law, appointing
trustees for the town, called Richmond on the banks
of the James river This was in 1852, now in 1882
Richmond, like the Aloe was in full bloom and pros
perity and had given the Society substantial to-
ken Of its deep and matured interest in the extended
progress of literary improvement The provision
which the City Council had recently made, was one
alkccreditabe to the generosity and the intelligence
of the people they represented provision, with
reference to INDECENT children, would call down besa
ings upon their heads and then they had made prov;.
sion for Athengum, for the purpose of improv;n,
the minds OF the people, and in which library and
accessible of