Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-07-02
ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

On motion, it was resolved to elect officers
by ballot for the ensuing year, and the follow
ing were elected:
President-A. C. Sanford Racine
Vtce PresidentS-J. R. Bohan Ozaukee; j. Walworth,
XII Inland, W c. Webb, Waushara.
Corresponding Secretdry-S. d. Carpenter, Madison.
Recording Secretary.-Lute A Taylor Prescott
Ireasurer.-George Hyer, Madison.
Turner, Portage.
The President appointed D. w Ballou, J n.,
S. D. Carpenter and A. J. Turner the Publish
ing Committee for the ensuing year.
Mr.. Seymour announced that Singers Hall
was at the service of the Convention for the
delivery of the address and poem and that a
band of music would be present there that
evening.
Adjourned to meet at Singers Hall, at
1880 P. NJ
1880 P. NJ.
When the Convention assembled, Singers
Hall was filled with the citizens of La Crosse
and band of music discoursed sweet music in
the arbour outside.
The President announced that the exercises
would begin with the reading of the annual
address, which Hon. George Hyer, of Madison,
read as follows:
ANNUAL ADDRESS
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Nearly two centuries ago, Father HENNEP1N,
q Jesuit Missionary, with two companions,
on mission OF religious faith and duty as
cended the Father of Waters, and for the first
time the stiffness of this then vast wilderness
was broken by the voice of civilized men. The
morning and evening prayer of the devoted
missionary, as he quietly pursued his search of
the unredeemed men of the wilderness, intro
duced both the living faith and the civilized
tongue to those wondering children of Nature,
whose untutored minds had found their Man
~ oil hoo 4
This great river, now bearing upon it's bosom
the commerce of a nation-bordered by thriving
| towns and cities, inhabited by prosperous in
| telligent people, was then as grand as now-its
green islands, its bordering hills and valleys,
| its deep woodlands, and wide prairies, were as
| beautiful in their wildness and as inviting to
| the faithful old Missionary, as he gazed upon
the new fields opened to him, or as he sat in
his canoe, with his breviary before him, his
heart with his God and his eyes watching for
the coming of those strange, wild men, who
were to learn from his lips, that faith which it
was his mission to teach; they are to us,
| who have gathered to celebrate another ami
yersary of an Association which has for its
purpose the perfection of that great work OF
civilization and Improvement commenced by
| the solitary Missionary. The feeble light then
kindled upon these shores, to call the wild men
| of the forest around the Gross; the Chant, tho
| Response, and the Te Deum, as they were
offered for the first time in these solitary places
| were the faint feeble glimmerings of the light
| ere long to rise to monday splendor-the first
sounds. as it were the faint and distant prelude
of that full, grand sweeping symphony, an
nouncing the incoming OF Intelligence ano
genius, consecrated to the highest interests
| of humanity, and the noblest worship of God
| These Missionaries were the pioneers of Christ
ian civilizaton-they were the first to penetrate
the unknown wilderness, and the first to write
its history. Their faith, verging sometimes
upon bigotry, made them strong and confden
they saw above them the protecting hand
and went cheerfully were duty called They
were in spirit, lowly, humble and long-sutfer
ing, but abiding in that faith which it wa
their mission to proclaim. They carried will
them the Cross-they pointed to Heaven, anc
: spoke to the red man of the Great Spirit-the,
watched by the aged and the sick, and admin
istered the sacrament to the dying Indian
child, that it might 60 down to a Christian
grave. There was faith and love in the work
of these men, and as we look out upon on
present condition, and forward to that pros
perity and greatness which the future picture
for us, let US not be unmindful of tn
labors of those self-sacrifcing men, VIII
3 went before, carrying in their hands the light
which were to dispel the darkness, and open t
civilization new world, and to the Press
new feld-the Missionaries shed the first raw
of light, the Press has followed to complete tn
work so well begun.
History was once simple tradition, an
, heroic deeds were enshrined only in tn
memory, or in the hardly more endurin
marble; songs and poems repeated by tn
# aged and remembered by the young, serve
Q once as books. National feelings were animate
. in the hour of battle, by the voice and word
r of the minstrel-religion, love, the achiey,
ments Of heroes, and Of gods, were sung, lon