Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-25
ABOUT TOWN.
Historical Reception to DR.
L. G. Draper.
POMONA CASE IN COURT.
Acquitted Of Charge of Bribery
The Railroad Situation.
Other News.

The Southern California Historical
Society rendered a reception last evening
in the old city hall to DR.. Lyman @
Draper, for many years corresponding
secretary of the Wisconsin State His
toricsl Society, and author of a number o.
well.known histories. Quite a number
of ladies, in addition to the members of
the society, were present, and the pro-
ceedings were of more than ordinary in.
terest. General Mansfield delivered the
address of welcome, in which he con-
graduated the society in having. for it's
guest such an able historian as DR..
Draper. He said that over 40 years ago
he had departed from his boyhood's
home and had gone west, finally
settling in Wisconsin, passing
through Madison, now the capital of
the State, on his way to his
future home. He paid tribute to the
country through which he journeyed, and
told of the States Historical Society
when he visited Madison a year or 80
later. 1t was then struggling for exist
ence, DR.. Draper and few others fight
ing bravely to keepit alive. The outlook
was not proPitious, but these men kept
up their labor, never faltering in their
purpose. The Legislature soon afterward
appropriated $500 for the aid of the So
ciety, and from that time it grew in i'm
portance until instead of 1000 books
stored in the church basement, it was
assigned place in the capitol, and now
it can boast of one of the finest libraries
in the country, it being the third in size
in the Union. The speaker said that the
success OF the eociety was due to the ef-
forts of DR.. Draper, and he deemed it an
honor to tender him the courtesies of the
society. 1t had been reserved to but
few men to build their own monuments,
but this DR.. Draper had accomplished,
and it was of a substantial kind, for it
would stand in the memories of all in
telligent people as long as speech is
spoken.
DR.. Draper was introduced, and in re-.
ply gave very interesting account of
the work of the Historical Society, OF
which he said he had been corresponding
secretary for thirty.four years. He de-
scribed how the library had been in
creased from fifty Government publica-
tions to $4,000 volumes, of which ,00O
were bound newspaper files, and he gave
q description of the picture galleries., and
museum, containing an Indian collection
of great value. The whole, he said, was
we'll calculated to serve as basis for
historical research. First, everything
bearing on Wisconsin had been collected +,
then the other Western States were in.
cluded, and finally the scope of the
library had been extended so that it GOV.
cred the whole of the United States. He
urged that what had been accomplished
in Wisconsin could be accomplished
here where there is such large field.
The first thing to do was to obtain funds
sufficient to enable the society to pur-
chase what it could not get free. A per-
manent endowment should be obtained.
He advised that collections should be
made of newspapers, pictures of the
pioneers, old documents relating in any
way to the history of the State; the
memoirs of the living old settlers should
be obtained at once. His advice to the
society was excellent, and he said that
when all had been done the collection
would prove the lumber yard for the
historians Of the State.
Col. Daley moved that vote of thanks
be rendered to DR.. Draper for his in
struetive address. Carried.
A recess was then declared, during
which DR.. Draper was personally pre-
sented to those present. Shortly after
8 O'Clock the meeting adj burned.