The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-07-01
The Southern Historical Society.

A regular meeting of this association
was held in New Orleans on the 18th OF
June. The meeting was well attended,
and much important business was trans,
acted. The permanent constitution and
bylaws were read and adopted. The
following is an official list Of the officers
OFFICERS OF PARENT SOCIETY, NEW Or
Rev. B. NJ. Palmer, D. D., President ;
Gen. Braxton Bragg, Vice President !;
Joseph Jones, NJ. D., Secretary and Treas
urer.
VICE PRESIDENTS OF STATES.
Gen. r. E. Lee, Virginia; Hon. s.
Teaklc Wallis, Maryland; ; Gen. D. Il.
Hill, North Carolina; Gen. Wade Hamp-
ton, South Carolina; Hon. Alexander H..
Stephens, Georgia; Admiral r. Semmes,
Alabama Gov. Isham G. Harris, Tennes.
see; Gov B. g. Humphreys, Mississippi
Col. Ash5el Smith, Texas; Gen. J. G.
Breckenridge, Kentucky; Gen. Trusten
Polk, Missouri; Hon. A. II. Garland, Ar
kansas; Hon. S. r. Mallory, Florida. :.
The annexed able and elaborate ad-
dress, fully explaining the objects and
scope of the organization, was unani-
mously adopted:
On the 1st of May, 1869, after several
preliminary meetings, number of gem
tlemen in the city OF New Orleans formed
themselves into permanent association,
under the style of the Southern Histor-
cal Society,"" with the following general
outline:
A parent society, to hold its seat and
its archives in the city of New Orleans,
with affiliating societies to be organized
in all the States favorable to the object
proposed, these in their turn branching
into local organizations in the different
notwithstanding thus wide fellow
ship OF closely co.ordinated societies, with
q common centre in the parent associa-
tion in this city.
The object proposed To be accomplished
is the collection, classification, preserva-
ton, and final publication, in some form
to be hereafter determined, OF all the doc
uments and facts bearing upon the event
full history OF the few years, illustrating
the nature Of the struggle from which
the country has just emerged, defining
and vindicating the principles which lay
beneath it. and marking the stages
through which it was conducted to its
issue. 1t is not understood that this as
sociation shall be purely sectional, nor
that its abors shall be of a partisan char
acter.
Everything which relates to this critl-
cal period of our national history, pend
ing the conflicts, antccedcnt or subsc-
quent to it, from the point of view of
either, or Of both the contestants; every
thing, in short, which shall vindicnte the
truth of history is to be industriously
collated and filed and ali parties in cve-
ry section of the continent, who shall dc.
sire to co operate in the attainment OF
these ends, will be welcomed to a share
in our councils and our tolls.
1t is doubtless true, that an accepted
history can never be written in the midst
OF the stormy events Of which that histo-
ry is comprised, nor by the agents through
whose efficiency they were wrought. The
strong passions which are evoked in eve
ry human conflict disturb the vision and
warp the judgment, in the scales of whose
criticism the necessary facts are to be
weighed even the relative Importance OF
these facts cannot be measured by those
who are in too close proximity. Scope
must be afforded for the development of
their remote issues before they can be
brought under the range Of philosophic
apprehension, and tho secret thread be
discovered, running through all history,
upon which it's single facts chrystalise in
the unity of some great providential plan.
The generations of the disinterested
must succeed the generations OF the pre-,
iudiced before history, properly termed
such, can be written. This, precisely, is
the work we now attempt to construct,
the archives in which shall bo collected
these memoirs to serve for future history.
1t is believed that invaluable documents
are scattered over the whole land, in
loose sheets, perhaps, lying in the port
folios of private gentlemen, and only pre-
served as souvenirs of their own parts in
the historic drama.
Existing in forms so pcrishablc, regard
CD, 1t may pe, oni oo hiu0" ""''I pap
by those those into whose hands they
must fall, no delay should be suffered in
their collection and preservation.
There is, doubtless, too much that is
vet unwritten floating only in the memo
iries of the living, which if not speedily
rescued will be swallowed in the oblivion
of the grave, but which. if reduced to re-
cord and collated, would afford the key
to many cipher, in little while TO be-
come unintclligible for want of intcrpre-
tation.
All this various material, gathered from
everv section, will need to be industriously
classified and arranged, and finally depos-
tied in the central archives of the society,
under the care of appropriate guardians.
To this task of collection, we invite the
Immediate attention and cooperation of
orr conotriots throughout the South, TO