Evening star., 1900-12-22
RECORDS OF THE PAST
IMPORTANT WORK OF THE COLUM-
BIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Attempts to Repair the Neglect OF
Yenrs-JOurnals of the City
Councils.

seryance of such an epoch in the history OF
this city as makes the present year notable
Is an aroused interest in the past. This is
manifested in a variety of ways, and Is
especially noticeable by those connected with
libraries and book stores, where the calls
for books and other material relating to the
District are greater in extent than ever be-
fore There is also a more general interest
displayed in such an organization as the
Columbia Historical Society. the aim OF
which is to promote the collection, preser-
walton and diffusion of knowledge respect
ing the history and topography of the Dis
trct and national events and biography.
During its more than century of exist
enCe the District has been without an or
gan!Zation of this character. Its RECORDS
have fallen into neglect and much remains
in manuscript. There is no adequate ac-
count of the careers of many OF those VINO
have been identified with the civic life OF
the community, and, as IS too common IN
all parts Of this country, the material OF
local history has been largely scattered and
lost through Indifference and the lack OF
any organized effort to preserve it.
The task of repairing the neglect of years
has been undertaken by the Columbia His
toriCal Society, organized in the year 1874.
The society is not an endowed INSTITUTION.
For nearly Three years of its existence the
monthly meetings We're held at the resi-
Genc. of the first president, the late DIR. j.
NJ. Toner. Since that time the society mas
been at the expense of renting place OF
meeting. but as salaries are paid. ana
the contingent expenses are tritling, practl-
caIly the eutire revenue. which is derived
solely frcm the fee If 81 annually paid by
each member. is expended in printing, ana
the outcome distributed among the mem
b6rs.
Three volumes containing valuable his
torcal matter have been issued and a
fourth is now in press. The editions are
limited, and it is estimated that the value
OF the annual volume of the proceedings of
the society is fully equal to, the annual
membership fee.
TITLES of the Papers.
The titles of the papers in the volumes of
the proceedings are as follows:
Vol. I-President's inaugural address;
methods and aims of historical inquiry;
memorial of James Clarke yelling; unwel-
come visitors to Washington; military and
private secretaries of George Washington;
eighty years of the public schools of Wash
ington; Kate Field memorial; Joseph
Meredith Toner; Washington in the Forbes
expedition; boundary monuments Of the
District of Columbia.
Vol IL 'Enfant's reports; early maps
and surveyors of Washington; L'Enfant' S
memorials; LEnfant and his personal af-
fairs; Pierre Charles L'Enfant; Andrew
Elicott; "reminiscences of the mayors OF
Washington; development of the nation s
capital; Cabin John bridge; office of the
surveyor of the District of Columbia.
Vol. III-Dolly Madison; old-tme places
and people in Washington; early history of
da2uerrotypy in the city of Washington
"reminiscences of Washington as recalled
by descendant of the Ingle family; efforts
to obtain code of laws for the District of
Columbia; the removal of the government
to Washington; the District of Columbia s
part in the early history of the telegraph;
presidential journey in 1900 from the old to
hG of ~
Court and register of wills, District of CO.
lumbia the local aspects of slavery in the
District of Columbia: the board of public
works; homes of the local government; DR..
Thomas Miller and his times: the centen-
nial of the permanent seat of the govern
ment of the United States.
Out of its scanty resources the society
supplied the money needed to secure the
services of a catalOguer in preparing the
cards for photography of the District, and
this last fall a special edition of that i'm
portdnt Work was distributed among it's
members without charge.
Manuscript Records.
committee is now engaged in examin-
ing the manuscript records of the CITY
councils. which We're not given printed
form prior to the sixty-frst council, in the
year 1868, SO that the proceedings of the
local municipal legisla ture from the begin
ming, in 1902, for more than a period of
sIAty years are Stlii IN the original manu-
script form In the event that a recon-
mendation is made in favor of undertake
ing the work of printing these important
and interesting records the funds of the
society as at present constituted would not
warrant even beginning that part Of the
undertaking which is limited to making a
copy for the printers.
In addition to what the society has ac-
complished and what it hopes to accomplish
may be properly mentioned the bringing to-
a deal OF pGtj
rial relating to the families living in the
District in the year 1900 1t is the purpose
TO make this information available by
printing II. In these and in other direc-
tons a public service Of much Importance
can be rendered by the society, and it ap-
pears that its objects and aims are such
as to appeal to all publie-spirited citizens
The board of managers of the society is
composed of the following: John A. Kas-
son. A. 3. Hagner, A. r. Spofford, James
Dudley Morgan, Mary Stevens Bean, NJ l.
Weller. James F. Hood. w. B. Bryan
Lewis J. Davis. J. Ormond Wilson, Marcus
Baker, w j. McGee, Elizabeth Bryant
Johnston, Tallmadge A Lambert. Samuel
c. Busey, Hugh T Taggart