The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-01
ANNUAL ADDRESS
BY DIR. JAMESON
Virginia Historical Society Highly
Entertained.
WAS A BRILLIANT EFFORT
Distinguished Educator Talks of The Viz
ginia House of Burgesses-The
Old Officers We're
Re.elected.

The Virginia Historical Society held its
annual meeting in the ha,I OF The House
Of Delegates last night The election Of
officers for the coming year resulted in
the unanimous choice of all the preseht
ircumbents. Mr.. Joseph Bryan, the presi-
dent of the society, then introduced Dr.
j. Franklin Jameson. who made the an
nual address.
The occasion was one for consratula-
ton, as the speaker is one who has not
only given especial study to some phases OF
early Virginia history, but who also has
DR.. jameson began oy saying that after
the lapse of ten yo.rs it was very pleas
ant to him to have the opportunity of re
viewing the associations which he had
formed in Virginia when he vas here
studying the history of this State at its
sources. Referring to the memories u
that sojourn, DR.. jameson spoke IN high
praise OF the personal charm and high
historical attachments of the late VIII
liam Writ Henry, whose great knowledge
o. Virginia history was always at
the service of any fellow laborer in that
much light upon that period.
y RARE SITRJr..cT.
The HoGsc of Delegates in tho eight
eenth century was the topic which i'r.
Jameson chose for his .CIscus ion ard III
discourse on that phase of our States ifc
wae both .nstrl.1re ard entertairin.,
To hear the ainas o. Jnhr P..ce. Ed
Num- Pen&l&ton. Wilson Gary ?-1tl,oids
Peyton Randolph AMI q hest of o,ier
and early Virginia worthless in the ac-
counts of the ordinary life OF n mcmbe'
Of the Virginia House OF nelsr;'fc GO
to the audience Il personal feeling Il
acouaintanccship with those patriarch.
that would not have been obtained from
any less ultimate sourra. We gre too
apt to forget that III the lives of even
the create thee w.a~- Ions st-,t>hr' i
routine when their minds We're given to
the perfecting OF the machinery of gov
ernfnent Above al was 1T interez ting tt
hear ct first hand The accounts of the
rights and prerogativeS and duties Of the
members o THAT body whose examples
ana genius played the way for all future
legislative assemblies in America. Hats
played a large part in the early history
of Legislatures. and DR.. jameson save
an account of the existence in Virginia
of the custom of wearing hats except
when speaking. which still exists in the
British House OF Commons.
RISE AND STAND.
This custom also exist-sl once in Massa-
chusetts. for in the memory of man the
Speaker of the Massachusetts House used
to put the question by saying: Those OF
you who are in favor of the question will
rise and stand uncovered until counted. =
obviously the word uncovered must have
referred to d period when hats were worn
in the legislative hail. though no record
of that fact is elsewhere found.
The history Of the growth and trans
planting of standing committees from
England. where they tiourished III the
seventeenth century. to America, where
in the eighteenth and nineteenth centu-
ries they reached their greatest develop
ment, while in England they have utterly
gone out of use, was also OF great inter
est At the end of the lecture a vote OF
thanks was proposed by Dr. W. Meade
Clarke. who thanked Or. Jameson III tn,
name of the society for his contribution
to the literature and information OF that
Interesting period
1t was moved and carried that the
society should, with DIR. Jameson's per-
mission, print his excellent address in its
magazine.