The Morning herald., 1878-06-03
IN ITS NEW QUARTERS.


THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY FORMALLY oCCUs
PY ITS NEW QUARTERs-ADDREssEs By
THEPREsIDENT, HON. T. F. BAYARD AND
HON. VIM. G. wHITELEY.
The Historical Society formally opened
It's new quarters in the old Presbyterian
Church, on Marlet street above Tenth, on
Saturday evening. The room locked very
tasteful and the. intelligent, audience quite
filled II. .'sss>l,ss'~ s~azaA
: The meeting Was opened with prayer by
Rev. F. B. Duvall, and after some excellent
music furnished by Msssrs.s Grenier, Shank,
and Kurtz, Hon. D.sM.' Bates addressed
4 the audience. ,W9 may fitly congratulate
ourselves, he saidi upon this occasion, the
taking of aperma ahent home 10 the Society,
and henceforth we may consider the organ
izationran established fact. 1t was pro-
NOTED by the Executive Committee OF the
Wilmington Institute, which affords a. fitting
example of one worthy thing giving worth
to another. The work of the committee
was well done, as it's members We're men
who did not desire pay 4! and to them a
noble work brought It's own inspiration.
Fourteen years have elapsed and the So
ciety's labors have brought about many
useful results and has had considerable en-
couragement. We could not have more
suitable place to meet In than this ancient
structure, itself q monument of history, and
its halls clustering with sacred memories.
DIR. Bush read q monthly report and after
music Hon. T. F. Bayard was introduced
and spoke substantially as fellows:
To me nothing could be so fitting or im>
pressive as to see this venerable and time
honored building devoted to the comforts
of society whose object is the promotion
tof truth ITSELF, 1t is not the, object Of the
society to write the history as to preserve
the facts which, though they seem small,
are fractions of "a. great apd harmonious
whole. which some day will be moulded in
to intirety and Completeness. ''' ."5at
~ Sometimes history Seems to me to be
almost Q paradox 1t is so, full of denials
and contradictions. Take for instance FIVE
books written by the old historian, Porcop-
ius, in which he praised the Emperor
Justinian and his wife until they seemed to
be angels of light. Long after this two
other books by the same author were dis
covered, taking back all he had said in pic-
turing the same parties monsters In human
shape. Which of these representations is
rights AS they are we can except neither
ofthem. The way to prevent this contra
| dictlon Of facts in history is, to gather the
facts as they occur,-to winnow truth from
falseheod, the real from The unreal, and
give history such form that it can be real
With confidence. 1t is difficult to estimate
the effect which history has upon the char
acters of the people. It is the brave and
1 pnh1a ontc of NJ on which lyart a tr0o5 infiI1-
ence upon the people long after the actors
have passed away. If Delaware men would
be brave let them think of the bravery of
Delaware men before them.
Societies like this, when active, promote
much good. The other day pamphlet was
sent to this Society by the Historical Society
Of New York, bearing on the settlement
along the Delaware by the Dutch and
Swedes. This is far more interesting to US
than to New York.
! 1t is to be regretted, considering the im-
po rtant part Delaware has played in hiss
tory, that much of her public documents
have been suffered TO drift into oblivion. A
Society like this might have preserved
them. Ido not speak Of this to vainly
mourn the loss, but to correct the error
which. is still actively on foot all around
US. .H,
! When 1 think of how this building has
looked out upon the surges of the revolu-
| tionary war recognize it as a historical
fact itself. There could be no more fitting
place for the gathering together of Della
ware records than here, and I only can
express the hope that we may all promote
this object. 1t will not only help our suc>
cessors but will bind us closer together
which csnrot fail to be benefit to us all.
An ode was then read by Joseph R. WAL
ters, Esq, after which His Homer Mayor
Whiteley was presented and said: would
call the attention to the greatness of some
men we have bad in Delaware.
| Your Society supplies need long felt, but
we have too much coufned ourselves to our
military history. This, of course, is good,
as we have had men who have deeds worthy
of emulation, but suggest that we do
something for Our statesmen.
| Peace has her victories as well as war, and
! Delaware's statesmen are not less eminent
than those of other States. If I impress
you with this l will hSve accomplished
| much.
There was Caesar Rodney, the great back
bone Of Whiggery, and John Dieksnson,
Nicholas Vandyke, and Thomas McClane,
in the Continental Congress, and also Ricbs
| hTu Dacsct, oouu V NHHuyho, NhJoT atCons
and others whose names and deeds we
shonld keep before us.
would call attention specially to two
prominent men. The first did not know,
but he was James A. Bayard the grand fa-
thcr of our permanent institution, man
independent enough to vote against his own
party, man true enough to fight for the
right man who returning from the treaty
of Ghent where be did good work, fingered
about week, and died and who wrote his
history not only Delaware but over the
whole Union, The other knew. was JDo
NJ. Clayton, who was as gigantic in in.
tellect as he was in stature and who
when he was elected to the United States
Senate in 1929 found giants there, but cops
led successfully with them all. His. .reDue
taton will never die yet the youth. oftordsy
may perhaps look back anG forget all else
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