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 ADDRESS OF GEEETING 
 
 FROM 
 
 THE ESSEX INSTITUTE 
 
 THE LYNN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 
 
 ON THE 
 
 OCCASION 
 
 OF ITS 
 
 TENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 
 
 Drcember 18, 1906 
 
 DELIVERED BY 
 
 ABNEK C. GOODELL 
 
 r 
 
Cl.t.^oouJUl 
 
Mr. President, Ladies and (rentJemen : 
 
 I have the honor to be charged by Gen. Appleton, 
 the worthy President of the Essex Institute, with the agree- 
 able duty of conveying to the Lynn Historical Society, 
 on the tenth anniversary of its formation, the greetings of 
 the Institute. Being one of the one hundred and seventy 
 odd members who on the memorable seventeenth of April, 
 eighteen hundred and ninety seven, with two others only 
 who subscribed one month earlier, constitute the pioneers 
 of this body ; and moreover, having been an early member 
 of another organization formed fifty-four years ago, which 
 may properly be deemed the progenitor of the flourishing 
 Historical Society of to-day, I trust I shall not be regarded 
 as intrusive or presumptuous if I do not confine myself 
 strictly to a perfunctor}^ compliance with the letter of my 
 commission, but take the liberty to ask you to follow me in 
 a brief review of the past, for the purpose of comparison 
 and to find encouragement for the future. I feel authorized 
 to say that the Institute makes no claim to distinction be- 
 cause of priority or pre-eminence in either of the two 
 branches — natural and civic history— in the pursuit of which 
 members of both societies have so creditably engaged. 
 
 Neither the society in Salem nor this in Lynn, can 
 claim corporate or permanent existence for nmch more than 
 seventy years. The Essex Institute, you know, was legally 
 incorporated in 1848, uniting the Essex County Society of 
 Natural History, organized in 1833, and incorporated in 
 .1836 with the Essex County Historical Society, organized 
 and incorporated in 1821. 
 
 In like manner, though beginning somewhat later 
 
 (1) 
 
than the Salem experiment, the progress of development of. 
 social, literary and scientific societies in Lynn, culminating 
 in the formation of this society, may be summarized thus : — 
 Besfinning with the Franklin Club of 1836-7, next the Social 
 Union of 1843, then the Exploring Circle of 1850, and 
 finally the Young Men's Debating Society of 1852, which 
 continued until 1859, transferring a part of its membership 
 to the Library Association in 1855, and its remaining mem- 
 bers finally merging into the Society whose tenth anniver- 
 sary we this evening commemorate. 
 
 In comparing the status in literature and science of 
 the rival societies in Lynn and Salem, it is evident that 
 Lynn has no cause for humiliation at the contrast. In 1850, 
 when Lynn became a city, her population, including the 
 inhabitants of Swampscott and Nahant, which had not then 
 been set off into separate townships, was little more than 
 H,000, whereas Salem then contained something more than 
 20,000. Again the Salem society embraced the whole 
 county of Essex, including Lynn, and w^as located in the 
 center of a population containing an exceptionally large 
 proportion of college graduates, upon whose cooperation 
 they depended, whereas the Lynn societies were mainly local 
 in their constitution and fields of research. 
 
 Another comparison favorable to Lynn in priority 
 of date and excellence of compilation, is its contribution to 
 local history. Alonzo Lewis's History of Lynn first appeared 
 in 1829. This work which was unrivalled, had been pre- 
 ceded by only three other histories of Essex County towns. 
 These were, first, the History of Newburyport, by Caleb 
 Cushing, announced in 1822, but not published until four, 
 years later, — a small duodecimo, the Civic history therein 
 narrated being comprised in 32 pages, a work of infinitely 
 
less labor and interest than Lewis's History. Felt's Annals 
 of Salem, a work much in the style of the ordinar}^ inter- 
 leaved almanac but valuable for its abundance of historical 
 data which the author's otficial connection with the Massa- 
 chusetts Historical Society, and the opportunities he had 
 enjoyed in assorting and arranging the papers in the office 
 of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, enabled him to col- 
 lect free of expense, appeared first, in 1827 ; and the Rev. 
 Abiel Abbot's History of Andover, published the same year 
 in which the History of Lynn appeared, a small volume, 
 which, if issued for the first time to-day, would hardly be 
 deemed worthy to be classed with town histories. Succeed- 
 ing these have appeared Felt's Annals of Ipswich, in 1834 ; 
 Edwin Martin Stone's History of Beverly, in 1843, Joshua 
 Coffin's History of Newburyport, in 1845, Rev. John W. 
 Hanson's History of Danvers, in 1848. 
 
 These discursive outlines of the story of the rise and 
 progress of towns in Essex County are types of all later 
 publications, with the exception of J. J. Babson's truly 
 thorough and vahiable "History of Cape Ann." Lewis's 
 first edition furnished a model to the best writers of town 
 histories and gave an impulse toward improvement which is 
 still felt throughout New England, and, to-day, with the 
 additions and amendments made by James R. Newhall, it 
 maintains its high place in that class of literature. 
 
 In some branches of natural science in the pursuit 
 of which the Institute and this society have vied, the public 
 is indebted to Lynn for valuable contributions. Without 
 attempting to specify all instances in this line I point to 
 Cyrus M. Tracy's classification of Essex County plants which 
 the Institute has incorporated in its Proceedings, this being 
 a notable case of assumption by the Institute of credit for 
 
work which might have been claimed as exclusivelj^ due to 
 Lynn. 
 
 Leaving: out of consideration the field of romance 
 and original poetry, we may compare some notable instances 
 of competitive achievements in philology by scholars in 
 hynn and Salem respectively. 
 
 It is a great distinction which Salem claims in having 
 produced the author of the first Greek and English lexicon, 
 John Pickering, who, also, jointly with Daniel Appleton 
 White, so long president of the Institute, gave to the 
 world the first critical edition of Sallust, but these achieve- 
 ments are more than offset by the equally profound and 
 more useful Grammar of English Grammars, by Goold 
 Brown, of Lynn, a work so thorough and exhaustive, so 
 critically exact in every detail, and so fortified by refer- 
 ences to examples of the usage of the best writers of the 
 English tongue, and analogies in other languages, that it 
 well deserves to stand as the final authority in all disputes 
 concerning the syntax of our mother tongues. The title 
 of this book being metaphrastic of the title of the French 
 "Grammaire des Graramaires" of Gerault Duvivier, does not 
 imply, as some may have supposed, that its author arrogantly 
 claimed for it absolute superiority, but merely that it was a 
 critical examen of the rules laid down by other grammarians, 
 which rules he used to illustrate the errors against which it 
 was his purpose to warn his reader. There is nothing that 
 I remember in the field of literary criticism more amusing 
 than the adroit manner in which he detects the faults of his 
 predecessors, and the merciless assurance with which he con- 
 victs the oflenders. This book alone establishes the fame 
 of Lynn as the home of this eminent Quaker scholar. 
 
 Nothing struck me more forcibly in my intercourse 
 
with the young men with whom I came in contact as a mem- 
 ber of the Young- Men's Debating Society than their quick 
 wit and general intelligence, and the intellectual superiority 
 and literary acquirements of many of them. It may be 
 invidious to dwell on this head, to which justice cannot be 
 done with such brevity as the occasion requires, but I venture 
 to mention one or two instances ; — first, James Edward 
 Oliver, the accomplished mathematician. Mathematics had 
 been a hobby in the Salem High School, insomuch that 
 Master Henry K. Oliver had found it necessary to import 
 Ingram's Mathematics from England, as a text-book, which, 
 beginning with the elements of algebra, geometry and trigo- 
 nometry, proceeded through the mensuration of surfaces and 
 solids, conic sections to unguloe, surveying, gauging, gunnery 
 the works of artificers, strength of materials, spherical trigo- 
 nometry, and the use and construction of logarithms. But 
 in my acquaintance with the modest James Edward I found 
 a mathematician to whom my studies in Salem were but a 
 rudimentary primer. Later, away from home, he found full 
 appreciation among others devoted to his favorite science, 
 and won a national reputation. 
 
 Another similar case is that of my lamented friend, 
 and your associate, Theodore Attwill. Having taught Latin 
 and Greek as assistant instructor in the Lynn High School 
 he retired to devote himself to the more lucrative calling of 
 the "gentle craft," but continuing his studies at leisure he 
 became proficient in the literature of other languages. He 
 was also particularly interested in the study of early English 
 history and literature ; Chaucer and Camden were his favor- 
 ites, and he had a wide acquaintance with continental writers. 
 I may apostrophize him as Pope did Swift, as being at 
 home — 
 
"Whether thou choose Cervantes' serious air 
 Or laugh and shake in Rabelais' easy chair." 
 
 It is a pity that so many bright young fellows with 
 every natural qualification to gratify a lofty ambition to 
 make themselves and others supremely happy by the full 
 exercise of their genius in the pursuit of science and litera- 
 ture should have been deprived of the opportunity by the in- 
 satiable wolf at the door, so touchingly lamented by Gray : — 
 
 "Chill penury repressed their noble rage 
 And froze the genial current of their soul." 
 
 But this state of things could not last and will cease forever 
 if you so determine. The growing wealth of your city and 
 the increased profit of new industries will enable you to 
 lend a hand to every ambitious deserving son of toil who 
 needs assistance in climbing from the depths of discourage- 
 ment and despair into which he has fallen or is in imminent 
 danger of falling for want of pecuniary assistance, and to 
 to atFord efficient aid to genius struggling for recognition. 
 
 The valuation of Lynn in 1850 was nearly five 
 millions ; in 1905 this had increased to over 56 millions ; and 
 a century hence this last amount will be more than doubled. 
 In the disposal of these riches this society will doubtless 
 in some respects have a determining voice. I predict for 
 those living at that happy day that they will see this 
 society housed in a temple of spacious and exquisite archi- 
 tecture, designed and ornamented by native artists, with 
 statues of the men whom we have seen conducting the schools 
 and promoting the arts which have supplanted the humble 
 schoolhouse and shoe-shop of their forefathers. By that 
 time the Public Library will rival the best in the land, so 
 that you will have no need to seek information or revel in 
 delights of literature elsewhere. 
 
Lynn has the best natural attractions that could be 
 desired. On seaside and hillside, and in the plains between, 
 your naturalists with the aid of your Park Commissioners 
 will restore to your great public garden, the magnolia and 
 the laurel which hare been exiled to the woods of Cape Ann 
 and the shores of the Merrimac ; the bobolink will consort 
 with his old-time companions, the song-sparrow who has 
 never left you, and other sweet singers, remembered but 
 now rarely heard, and the flaming oriole and other birds of 
 beauty. The swamp pink and the white blossoming dog- 
 wood will again be companions of the fragrant sweet fern 
 and the bayberry ; and columbines and lilies will unlade 
 their fragrance and expose their delicate charms. 
 
 This city alread}' has an abundant supply of whole- 
 some sweet water and invites the stranger to visit its attrac- 
 tive beaches that rival in beauty the shores of the Bay of 
 Naples, to mitigate the heats of summer, for those who 
 court the cool sea air on an excursion only a few minutes 
 away from the metropolis. 
 
 The vision expands ; and I must leave to you who have 
 any imagination the details of a picture as beautiful as 
 Milton describes the view from the hill of science : "so 
 smooth, so green, so full of goodly prospect and melodious 
 sounds on every side that the harp of Orpheus was not 
 more charming." 
 
ICT 14 1907 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 014 077 780 8 
 
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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