The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-15
TO EXTEND THE PRIVILEGES.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANAGERS
DIsCU SsED TWO PROPOSITIONS.

Proposition Which He Submitted.
Extension of Privileges of Telfair
Academy VIII Also BE Considered.
The ways and means in and by which
| the spheres of usefulness of the Georgia
Historical Society, and the TeHair Acad-
envy may be widened so that their privi-
/ leges may be avaied of by a larger num-
/ Ter OF people than is al present the case
! viii be the chief topic for discussion at
the next meeting OF the society. At this
meeting it is desired to have a full dis
cussion of the suggestions which have been
made to the end stated, and for this pur-
pose the gentlemen who have taken the
lead in making these suggestions have
intended to be present and outline
their views and plans more definitely than
! has been done heretofore.
\ meeting of the board of managers of
the Historical Society was held last week
at which the suggestions and offers re-
ceived at the previous meeting were dis
cussed. The suggestion of Hon. Herman
! Myers, it win be remembered, was with
| the view of making the library free and
that fund for this purpose should be
obtained by securing annual subscriptions
from a number of gentlemen Mr. J. Flor
ance Minis, in behalf of another gentle
man, made an offer of $500 10 the society
with the condition attached that forty
nine other gentlemen should subscribe a
similar amount, the fund thus obtained
to be used for the general purposes of the
society.
Both proffers were discussed at some
| length by the board with the result that
! a resolution was adopted instructing the
1 president to communicate with the two
| gentlemen who had made the proffers,
! stating that the board of mana gers high
| ly approved of any scheme which would
| enlarge the means and privileges of the
society and requesting them to be pres
| ent at the next meeting to outline their
/ plans more in detail, The matter being al
! present in such indefinite shape that it
was not possible to take definite action
| thereon.
President Mercer accordingly complied
with this resolution and replies were
received to both letters yesterday. Mayor
| Myers acknowledges the receipt of his
! letter and says: IF 1 am in the city al
| the time of the next regular meeting of
the society 1 shall endeavor to be present.
| l believe a discussion of measures look
ing 10 the broadening of the usefulness of
| the library will be of interest and may
| bring practical results"
Mr. Minis, in his reply, gives some in
| forma ton of interest concerning the prop
osition made by him, with some altera-
| ton of the terms which will very likely
| cause the proposition TO be regarded as
more feasible by the society. He says:
II have seen the gentleman who offered
| to subscribe $500 TO a fund for he use of
| your society, if forty-niue other gentle
men in Savannah would subscribe like
| amount. l do not think that the board
! of managers understood his proposition.
! 1t is in no wise connected with the letter
! of Mayor Myers, read at the same meet
! ing, to make the library free, and the gen.
teman referred to is opposed to a de-
parture of the society from its present
| methods of usefulness. l am authorized
to say that the gentleman will amend his
| proposition, by agreeing to subscribe $500
! if twenty-four other gentlemen in the city
| of Savannah will subscribe $500 each, forty
| other gentlemen TO subscribe $3.50 each, and
! twenty-five other gentlemen to subscribe
! $i00 each This fund to be used either for
| the Telfair Academy or the Georgia His
! torical Society, as the board of managers
see fit, but at least $4,000 of this amount
to be used for the Telfair Academy in the
| purchase of new pictures. This is the
scheme proposed to me, but l do not doubt
if not entirely satisfactory to the board
| of managers il may be somewhat chang
| ed. If l am i'm Savannah when the May
meeting of the society is held, it will af-
ford me pleasure to be present"
1t will be seen that the two propositions
! are somewhat diverse. One proposes to
make the library free by means of a suffi-
cient sum secured by annual subscriptions
to defray the expense of this move and in
cidentally add to the facilities of the libra
ry. The other proposes to secure fund
! of 5000 to be used for the general pur-
poses of the Society and the Telfair Aca1-
envy without any conditions attached as 10
an extension of the privileges Of these in
situations. 1t would undoubtedly give the
members of the Society, especially those
who take an active interest in its affairs.
great pleasure to have such a fund with
which to increase their store of art treas
ures at the Academy and to add to the lit
erary stores of the library and o Otherwise
improve the facilities of the society. There
! Is grave doubt in the minds of many of
the leading members of the society, how
! ever, of the existence of a sufficient num-
Der of public spirited citizens TO make up
| this fund in the manner proposed.
There is some doubt in the minds of
those members of the society who take an
active interest in its tfftrs as to the adj
| visibility of throwing the library open TO
the general public President Mercer, in
| discussing the action of the board of man.
| ayers yesterday, said: "The consensus of
opinion of the board was that while IL
| was not feasible to make the library en-
tirely free ii was possible 10 greatly en-
ton in this direction was manifested at
the meeting, not only as regards the IL
| brary, but the Tefar Academy as well.
Whether this will take the form of a class
| flied membership with a graded schedule
| of dues. or whether this end will be reach
! ed in some other manner will have TO be
| passed upon by the society. The sugges-
ton chat the privileges of the library
should be extended TO the pupils of the
! High School met with favor.
LAS 10 the Telfair Academy" said Col
! Mercer. several suggestions were adj
| vanced One was that the membership
tickets, issued to the members of the His
torical Society, which are now good only
for the member in whose name they are
| issued, be made good also for the fam
/ lily OF the member, and also that the price
of family tickets, now sold at g annually,
| might be reduced to ST. and the names
of the members of the family for which
| issued either inscribed upon the ticket or
| recorde al the Academy as a guarantee
| against imposition by INSCRIPTIONS hold
| ers. one thing which should be done.
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