The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-11-29
HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Constitution Adopted BY This New
ORGANIZATION.

The following is the constitution Of
the recently organized Blue Earth
County Historical society, and may bt
of interest to many who would like tt
join:
Section 1.-The undersigned associ
ate ourselves by the name of the Blue
Earth County Historical society.
The object, powers and duties of said
society are as follows: 10 collect, ar
range, preserve a library of books,
pamphlets, maps, manuscripts, print
papers and other material illustra tive
of the civil religious, literary and
natural history of Minnesota; to OBJ
tain cabinet of minerals, and archeo-
logical curiosities; to rescue from
oblivion tie memory of its early
pioneers and to obtain narratives of
| their exploits, perils and adventures,
together with their portraits and per-
sonal histories TO obtain statistics as
to the past and present condition and
resources of Minnesota including its
horticulture, agriculture and miner
ology, and other things pertaining to
its social and political history and to
cultivate among its citizens knowl-
| edge of the useful and liberal arts,
science and literature aid other suit
able means whereby the acquisition
and diffusion of knowledge among its
members and the people generally
shall be accomplished.
Sec 1.-The officers of this society
shall be a president, first vice presi-
dent, second vice president, treasurer,
secretary, librarian.
These officers shall be elected by
ballot except in the first instance
when they may be elected viva voce
at the time of the adoption of this
constitution. They shall hold their
offices for period of two years and
until their successors are duly elected.
Vacancies in such Offices may be filed
as provide in the by laws of the So
, ciety.
No person shall be elected or ap-
pointed to either of said Offices who is
not member of this society in good
standing. All officers must be elected
by majority vote of the members
present and voting and such election
shall take place at annual meeting.
Sec. III-All persons signing this
constitution at the time of its adoption
shall be deemed charter members and
need not pay any fee therefor
Sec. lV-The annual NEE ting of the
society shall be held on the first Thurs
day in November of each year.
Regular meeting shall be held at
such time as may be fixed by the by
laws of this society.
Sec. V-Special meeting of this So
ciety be called by the president and
secretary, and they shall call such
meeting when requested SO to do by
any FIVE members thereof.
Sec. VI-This society shall not in
any manner be deemed co-partner-
ship, nor corporation and it shall
not in any manner incur Indebtedness
or liability except upon a majority
vote of all members present and voting
upon the question whereof due notice
shall have been given three weeks pre-
viously by the president or secretary
in open meeting of the society, either
at a regular or special meeting. And
no Indebtedness shall be incurred by
this society other than for the purpose
and objects strictly within the scope
and purview of the provision of this
constitution.
Sec. VII-By-laws may be adopted
by this society not inconsistent with
its objects, powers and duties and in
conformity with it's condition, limi-
tations and restriction.
Sec. VIII-This constitution may be
amended by majority vote of the
members of this society, present and
voting at any meeting.
The following from the New York
Post has an interest in this connection
Few persons of middle and later
life have not regretted the negligence
of their failing to secure from parents
and grandparents family traditions
and tales of every day life, recalling a
generation that are past. Such re-
cords, however simple, become of
greater value to the historian and an
tiquary with each passing year. Every
small scrap of information cleaned
from town documents, every half
obliterated epitaph and date from de-
caying gravestones, especially recol-
lections of some Coolest inhabitant, !"
may, perhaps, afford just color and old
time flavor which the historian needs
to make his story living picture.
All such collections in permanent
form of fact that might otherwise be
irretrievably lost are worth attempt
ing. In early Days in the Connecti-
cut Valley Mrs Walker (Amerherst,
Mass. has gathered from many
sources scattering facts, and put them
together in most interesting nara
tive, told in a style unusually pictur-
esque. All the Puritan settlers were
farmers, and so wildly does she bring
out their daily life that, on laying
down the little book, it requires an
effort to shut out the seventeenth CEN
tury and return to the twentieth. Her
"Story Of the New England Country
Church is another word picture of
the early struggles of the Puritans in
their new settlement; of their grim
determination to erect meeting
house, pay a minister, have school
for their children, and worship God as
conscience dictated, even if the church
had no fire, and it's temperature was
at zero. A daughter of Prof. Genung
has meritoriously decorated the covers
of these books.