Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-07-01
D. W BALLOU, JR..
J. WALWORTH,
W. c. WEBB,
A. P BLAKE LEE.
II. n. PAGE.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

On motion, 1t was resolved to elect officers
by ballot for the ensuing year, and the follow
ing were elected:
F'resfde,t-A. G Sanford Racine
FEC fTeslde''ts.y r. Bohan, ozaukee; J. Walworth,
Recording Secretary-Lute A. Taylor, Prescott
ITe0S'Tsr.-George Hyer, Madison
Erec1dirs Committee. I. Moak, Watertown; A. J.
Turner, Portage.
The President appointed D. ". Ballou, Jun,
s. ID. 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
band of music would be present there that
evening.
Adjourned to meet at Singers Hall, at
7:30 p. NJ.
7:3O 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 follows:
ANIMAL ADDRESS:
| Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Nearly two centuries ago, Father HENNEPIN,
Jesuit Missionary with two companions,
on a 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
itou in the clouds, and heard 1t in the thunders.
| This great river, now bearing upon its bosom
| the commerce of a nation-bordered by thriving
| towns and cities, inhabited by a 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, 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 il
was his mission TO teach; as they are to US,
| who have gathered TO celebrate another ami
| versary of 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
| kiudled upon these shores, to call the wild mer
| of the forest around the Cross; the Chant. the
| Response, and the Ts DeIm, 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 frs
| sounds, as IL wore the Ialnt ana Instant prelude
of that full, grand sweeping symphony, an
nouncing the incoming of intelligence anC
genius, consecrated to the highest interest:
of humanity, and the noblest worship of God
| These Missionaries were the pioneers of Christ
ian civilization-they were the first to penetrate
the unknown wilderness, and the first to writ,
its history Their faith, yerging sometime:
upon bigotry, made them strong and contiden
| they saw above them the protecting hand
| and went cheerfully were duty called They
were in spirit, lowly, humble and long-suffer
ing, but abiding in that faith which ii wa
their mission to proclaim. They carried witt
them the Cross-they pointed to Heaven. ant
. spoke 10 the red man of the Great Spirit-the,
watched by the aged and the sick and admin
istcred the sacrament to the dying Indian
| child that it might 90 down TO a Christian
| grave. There was faith and love in the work
| of these men, and as we look out upon GU
| present condition, and forward TO that pros
| perisy and greatness which the future picture
for us, let us not be unmindful Of III
labors of those self-sacrifcing men, VIII
went before. carrying in their hands the light
1 which were TO dispel the darkness, and open
- civilization a new world, and TO the Press
: new feld-the Missionaries she'd the first ray
I. | of light, the Press has followed to complete th
5 work so well begun
= history was once simple tradition, an
q heroic deeds were enshrined only in th
memory, or IN the hardly more endurin
marble; songs and poems repeated by III
Of aged and remembered BY the younc serve
= once SIS books National feelings were animate
s. in the hour of battle, by the voice and worl
IT Of the Observation-Disclosures love. the ach;ey
lment. Of heroes, and Of gods, were sung. Lon