The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-02
THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Cen. Jackson Reviews Its Financial
Condition.

800 with That in the First Years
of It's History.
The most interesting event of teh
January meeting of the Georgia Histori-
cal Society last night was an address by
che president. Gen. Henry R. jackson,
uDon the financial condition of the society.
Cen. Jackson brought out very plainly
,be fact that the societys income is not
cow sufficient to meet its annual eX-
nenses. and the question of making both
ends meet has increased in diff
Guilty every year for the past several
years He contrasted the formerly
Droenerous condition of the society with
r. nresent difficult situation. He showed
tbat the present state of affairs is entirely
due to the charges which the society mas
assumed in recent years, VIZ: the conduct
of a public library and depository of his
tOrical data. and the care OF the Ielfalr
Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Thpse charges, Gen. jackson said
having been assumed, cannot now be
abandoned, and it is necessary that some
step be taken to put the society upon
more satisfactory financial basis. 1t is
the duty of the public, he said, for whose
benefit the society is now conducted, to
come to its relief.
Cen Jackson's address, which is pub
ushed in full, is worthy of careful read
ing 1t is as follows;
gentlemen: The first Of our bylaws makes
Il the duty Of" our president at the annual
Ineetinp to present a report reviewing the work
and progress of the society during the past
wear. and also setting forth such changes and
aims as the highest interests OF the society
demand" OF recent years the full reports OF
our standing committees have rendered super
fnous more from the president than passing
reference to them; but, for reasons which VIII
reveal themselves in the progress OF my re
marks think it advisable to state N ad-
vance that our next annual meeting VIII be IN
this respect exceptional, and TO give notice OF
the contents and significance OF the report
shall present by now reading that report
itself.
All Of us are painfully aware that, for some
time past. our treasury has been an aching
void" that our expenditures invariably an
ticpate our income; that chronic debt has
become our normal financial condition. This,
need hardly say, has been but another repe-
tition OF the tragic close OF the old, OLD com
edy of living beyond one means. Ana yet
there are some of us who can well remember
when our suclety-life was decidedly more lux
urious than it has been of late; who can recall
the customary anniversary banquet, the regu-
lar annual Grafton .wlthl the orators
ton to be printed, the frequent
intermediate lectures from distinguished
persons not to be secured without price, and
The not infreQueut publication Of records aud
pamphlets which gave the committee in
charge of that matter at least something to
report; but who must also remember that,
simultaneously with these expenditures, our
income was large enough to meet them; nay
that during the earlier epoehs OF our life,
there were occasions when our treasury was
actually overlooking and our surplus money
sought investment IN the lotanu building on
Bryan street, which we purchased ana erected
for our home.
All of the society indulgencies to which I
have referred belonging to past more
or less remote. have one after another
been relinQulShed to assure US the means
of buying books for our library and
keeping its hall open, by day and by night, to
the public. Not only has the entire income
OF many successive years gone to this end
but our income has been followed by the
larger part Of the proceeds from the sale of
our property on Bryan street; until, in our
steady decline, we have found ourselves, for
year pas, In want of adequate means to con-
tinue even a modest purchase of books.
1t would lie strange indeed If some OF our
more venerable members did not at times
look wiStfully back to the easier days of yore,
and dream a sad mistake in our first depart
ure from the original design OF our corporate
exlstence-''to collect, preserve and difuSe
information relating to the history of the
state OF Georgia in all its various depart
ments, and Of American history generally,
and to create library for the use of its mem
bers' or failed to review with regret our I'M
dertaking the far more serious work of build
Ing up and keeping open.a library for the pub
lie. such regret and repinlng, however, would
be not simply vain, but altogether inadmissi-
BILE. We barred ourselves from them when,
In l841, we assumed the public character Of
the savannah Library society by ANAL
gamatlng our younger corporation with it.;
and made that bar absolutely impossible
when we accepted from Mrs. -HOdgSon this
beautiful building. planned especially for the
accommodation OF "A library to be used by the
a loft nltrc,s moth
Ing but the duty of bearing as uncompain-
lngly as possible, the burden which. with our
own consent, was placed upon our shoulders.
In the patient and self-sacriucing Neffort to
40 TINS we are once again halted by stern
necessity, COUGHING herself in the alternative
another reduction of expenditures. or yet
another Influx into the treasury The first is
now only feasible by dlminution of the time
during which the library shall be kept open
Dy Subtractlng, for instance, from the hours
OF the day, and cutting off all the
night hours-thereby saving the cost of
artificial heat and light and reducing
the number or the salaries OF our employees.
rather than this feel assured that we would
unanimously insist upon testing to exhaus-
ZION all the possibilities of increasing our in
come. And, to the latter end, IN what direc-
tlon shall we turnE unless it be toward the
pubic, for whose benefit we have already sur
rendered our entire income and some thou.
SANDS OF our small invested capital; the puo-
nc, Wnlcn VIII mainly suffer from the closing
OF our nall, seeing that our mem bers have the
exclusive right of taking books from it for the
lies.
In view of the thousands upon thousands,
VINO according to our regular reports
resort; during each year, for intellectual
4Vurlshment or innocent recreation to our
Library Han; and in further view of the un.
uehlao TACT that Hodgson Hall and the ell
aa!r academy are places in savannah most
aItIacIiVe to the travelling public, and are
epgs emelent IN throwing money into the city
SoHers, L did once cherish the hope that we
a. liRnt' IN due season, look for some and from
tne Guy government; but brie7 conVersa-
tlon heretofore with distinguished ex-mayoI
was quite Suthcient to consign my then hope
W gne toInn OF the Capulets;'' nor can dis
tppoet anything now in the actual signs OF
'ue tllles TO evoke its ghost therefrom
~ tne course OF our past struggles for Libra
~ or Academy, we have encountered anoth
ra strange experience. savannah so Justly
teu0Whed Tor her Charitable institutions and
70 ~ uer military organizations, and SO prompt
W meet the necessities Of both, by voluntary
4lIIlDutlons, by fairs and like devices
os 10 nave but cold ear to turu toward
SSiGas, Every attempt We have made in that
tlSctloh mas ended simply in tightening the
tbUeAS.s OF our own members. And L am.
tbheIeIore. deep-seated in my conviction that
mere Is absolutely no hope left us except in
~ I nv Ease OF our own membership. Here
IN. t1 tS mere ougut to be some. by assail
Sp, v I puohc In detail we ought assuredly tc
S.Tsoiue help in the work OF caring for itself
mat Nv las intelligent citizen, who can afford To
o oSG I'VE dollars year for o worthy public
bisstSIt ana VINO will kindly contemplate the
10 10y nave attempted TO sketch Will fai
he e JSpohu 20 our appeal If that appeal shall
W e!ectlVely presented2
Leu us not he uDrnfndf,,1 l,a-, t,a,,-a.,os .