The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1886-04-02
The Egis & Intelligencer
Bel Air, Md, April 9. 1886.
Our Historical Society and ITS Enemies
A Code OF Ethics Badly wanted.

All how the poor world spostered with such
water-ilies; diminutions of nature. '-Itot"S ana
Cless,dd.
A few months since it was suggested by certain
prominent members of the Maryland Historical
Society that branch Society be established in
each county. a few of our citizens, the writer
being one of the number, met soon afterwards
and organized in accordance with this SUCCESS
ton. Although, from the first, not few diff
cultes We're anticipated in gathering facts and
materials to place upon record for the use of
our future loca hist rian, the difficulties would
we reasonably supposed. be entirely of the mega
ness of the people in all matters which only re-
motley concern them, and do not at all affect
their present and most pressing interests. If we
could only set the people in motion in the right
direction, we thought, all would be well for no
one doubts that ample material for a good histo-
ny of our county is in possession of her citizens,
il each would but contribute from his store OF
musty papers. About ninety-nine men in a hun
dred however, have well-nigh invincible aver
sion to overhauling a formidable pile Of old
manuscripts for the purpose of securing from
the S great mass of chat few golden grains
was expected to present the chief obstacle to
our endeavors. L don't suppose that a single
man in the county ever dreamed of active oppo-
sition from any quarter. To be sure, one might
have conceived-if one had set about it-that men
might be living among us who were degraded
enough to oppose such audable project. For
example, the pure "cuSsedness'-to use a word
far less, elegant than expressive-of some men
leads them to oppose, invariably, everything
that might benefit the community in which they
live; while moral delinquencies in the past ca
reer OF others would naturally lmpel them to OD-
pose the raking up of old and long-forgotten rec
ords, in which those denquencies may be inno-
Gently reposing; But it would have been diff
cult to believe that such men did really exist
But oppotition-whethor these were the motives
or not-soon arose. Creatures of the night-for-
tunately few however, for they can probably be
counted on ones fingers-who apparently want
no light shed upon the past, have been, for some
time, at work in their obstructive policy. What
manner of beings are they? Darking owls, one
might think-loathsome bats-groping moles-
prowling ours. 1t would seem not however, for
these are content with merely keeping them
selves in darkness, while this new species would
envelope everything and everybody in their own
gloom
Be this, however, as it may, there seems to be
one or two very small feists-so far as one can
judge of the nature of an animal by few cur
sorry glmpses--who are trying very persistently
to annoy us. Now, don't for a moment mag
inc that they can do us any material harm-rab-
ID though they appear to be-even were they ten
times as numerous as they are. But them when
one is peaceably vending his way along the pre-
sumably quiet paths of historical research, CLEAN
ing, in an humble way, such treasures as he can
find, from the unpromising heaps of oss-his
sole reward the pleasure of rescuing them from
oblivion--it is not pleasant, just as he is reach
ing out for a rare nugget, to feel the teeth even
of very small feist sunk suddenly into his sem
stive heel. 1t has chilling effect upon his his
torical enthusiasm. Even if the animal has no
teeth to speak of-and believe these Hartford
Teists are of that SOrt-it is far from agreeable,
at such an innocent and unsuspecting crisis 10
he IN erely pinched by pair of Shiny gums and
then to hear the neutral public laugh, as we rub
the part, and possibly, in our RICH teous indigna-
"swear-word." To be sure have myself escap-
cd, as yet, without even pinch" But when
one sees ones fellow-members' heels snapped
ut, all around him, his turn may be expected to
come at any moment, and the head cannot work
to full advantage when the heel is constantly OK
pecting The nip of those tiny gums! Give me,
every time, the deep, honest bark of the great
mastiff or the brave Newfoundland, even with a
spice OF danger in IT. rather than the piping snarl
of a very small fest!
But after all, perhaps, am wronging the whole
canine tribe by assuming these invisible maig
TO fol Il.
| have fondness for dogs as well as for men,
but in both cases the fondness Is according to
quality. If / know myself, however, would not
do injustice even to a miserable fsist. Where
fore, since / am not certain that these mysteri-
Gus animals are really dogs at all, but only that
they are creatures of darkness of some kind or
other, will make suggestion which, besides
being quite in the line of my duty, may help to
clear up this mystery. The president of our So
ciety has kindly placed me upon the Committee
on the Natural History of the county, for what
reason have not been able to conjecture, since
my knowledge of that branch of science is rath-
cr limited. Nevertheless there ! am on that
committee, all the same, and, being there, am
not at all disposed to shirk any of its duies.-
Now, if any one sufficiently interested will Sc
cure and deposit with our popular librarian, Mr.. |
Septimus Davis, specimen, dead or alive, of
the mysterious beast, bird, vampire, ghoul, or
whatever it may be, and NOTIFYING of the fact, [
will promptly do a in my, power to describe, |
"analyze" and classify it. After that, il dead |
specimen, will use my influence to have it care
fully stuffed and Kept on exh bition an edify-
ing example of the unforeseen obstacles which, |
torian's rather monotonous path. If it should |
be alive however, should be quite at loss as
to what disposition to make of such creature.
The Society would probably be equal TO the oc-
casion.
have got to mention feature of this unique
opposition, verse even Than that already alluded
to. The editor and proprietor of one of our
county newspapers, who is one of the members
of the society, and was one of it's organizers, |
aids and abets these covert Attacks with
all their snaps and snarls, and sends them
forth to his feow-citizens as though he really
expected them to pass current as a sort of semi
official account of the proceedings of the Society
of which he is member.
l sincerely wish could say that l speak on
this branch of the subject more in sorrow than
in anger'-which is, believe, the proper phrase
to use on such occasions But L can not say it
with clear conscience, great as my sorrow is
that such a state of things can and actually does
exist. Fully aware, therefore, of being incapaci-
tated from speaking dispassonately upon this
theme, | will close here, leaving "our erring
brother to inquire what might be said if that
incapacity did not exist.
A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE
ON NATURAL III history.