Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-01-20
ORLEANS ATHENEUM
REORGAN|zEO LAST
SATURDAY EVENING
(Continued from page -


ing officers were elected: President,
Andrew Hale; vice-president. r.. ID.
Lambertson; secretary. Saml Woold-
ridge; treasurer, Mrs. Elsie Lambert
son. The society also listened to an es-
say by Mrs. Lambertson and declam
alton by G. w. Woodbridge. The first
question debated was Resolved That
the Government of the United Statesi is
the Best Form Practicable" Speakers:
Affirmative. T.. ID. Lambertson. Samuel
Woodbridge; negative, G. w. Woold-
ridge and S. ID. Chickering. The
second question was Resolved
That An Agricultural Life is the Most
Conducive TO Happiness. Speakers:
Fred Holmes, s. Woodbridge, Daniel
Gum, Il. ID. Lambertson, Chas. Cor
kins and Jesse Wandle. Among the
many other subjects discussed by this
old society we find the following:
Woman Suffrage" Capital Punish
ment," do the Dumb Animals Have
immortal Minds, Which is preferable
knowledge or Wealth." Chinese
Immigration" and The Rights Of the
Indians"
Among those taking an active part
besides those already mentioned we
find the names of Hasea and Horace
Foreman, Mr.. and Mrs. O. Ii. York,
VIM. r. York, Daniel Chickering and
Silas Cobb.
The record does not tell just how
long this society continued The last
meeting | have record of was Dec. 81,
1870 when the meeting adjourned for
one week. The remainder of the re-
cord has been torn from the book.
But this we know that for
a considerable time District No. l was
without Lyceum. This was a
lamentable state Of affairs which
could not always continue. Conse-
quently on the third OF November 1876
another meeting was called to organ
ize a Lyceum at which G.. w. Woold
ridge, +. c. Howe and S. Woodbridge
were appointed a committee on con-
stitution. +. ID. Lambertson was
chosen president, George Rich vice
president G.. w Woodbridge secretary,
A. l.. Benedict, treasurer and T.. c.
Howe marshal. At the next meeting
the proposed constitution was adopted
and the following additional officers
were elected: Critics, A. L. Benedict
and Fanny Lambertson; editors, w, +.
Dodge and Alice York; corresponding
secretary, Theodore Lambertson;
member executive committee, Eva
Woodbridge. Thirty-eight persons
signed the constitution as members of
the society as follows: Ernest G.
Howe, Theodore Lambertson, Geo. w.
Woodbridge, Alice York, Fannie Lam
bertson, Will T. York, Eva Woodbridge,
Alfred Benedict, Samuel Woodbridge.
VIII +. Dodge, T.. ID. Lambertson, S.
-. Chickering, Amelia Woodbridge,
George Anderson, George Rich, Carrie
Holmes O. II. York, G.. G. Holland.
Edith Smith, Carrie Ward Warren
Johnson. Orson Smell, Alice Smith.
Adelbert Spear, Charles Holmes, j. V.
Wilson. Ola Smith, Frank Bolster, A.
j. Hale, Arthur f. Clark, l.. l.. Holmes.
+. II. Johnson, G. w. Hurlburt Ernest
Woodbridge, Irving A. Brown, Tully
Smith, Samuel Smith and Hattie Hurl-
burt.
The name Of this society was The
Orleans Atheneum." The society con-
tinued under different sets of officers
and under varying conditions OF pros
perity and adversely through the fall
and winter OF 1876. In the spring, fall
and winter Of 1877 it suffered a linger-
ing decline and finally expired in
September 1878, when ii was adjourn
ed until time to be fixed by the
president to dispose Of the property
belonging to the society.
Another long period now ensued
without a Lyceum. The next com
plete records l have are dated Novem-
ber 1890, though | have papers that
show that 1t was hourishing in 1888
and 1889.
In November, 1890 the following Of
fcers were elected. President, A. L..
Benedict; vice-president Ernest Wool
bridge; secretary-treasurer Allie
| Spaulding; marshal, a. j. Towne; edit
ors, Walter Lambertson, Allie Spauld-
/ ing The Lyceum now continued
without any long breaks through the
/ fall and winter months with "a new
! election OF officers each year for
eighteen years, only missing the fall
Of 1898, for which | can find no record.
Think of that eighteen years Of con-
! tinuous Lyceum. The last meeting be-
/ ing on the 9th of January. 1906. when
the Lyceum adjourned subject to call
OF any five members. That call has
brought us here tonight.
During the life Of the organization
seventy-nine persons signed the con-
stitution as members and many took
part who did not sign the constitution.
When we look over the list Of ques-
tons debated during that time we
might well say as did somebody OF old
NO pent up Utica contracts our
powers the whole boundless universe
! is ours
Almost every subject in the heavens
above or the earth below was meant
for our debaters. The fields OF science,
craftsmanship, invention, discovery,
politics, sociology, moral philosophy
and religion have all yielded their
grist to our mill. No question was
too profound, no subject so deep. but
what we were willing TO tackle it. We
threshed out and settled the questions
Of free rural delivery Of mail and the
parcels post (and settled them right
too long before a reluctant congress
could be induced to seriously consider
them. We studied and decided the
question OF a canal across the Isthmus
of Panama long before Teddy