10 REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS. CATALOGUES. At the commencement of the year the Board of Directors discussed the subject of printing a new catalogue of the entire Library The result of this discussion was the conclusion that, as a supplement had been printed the year before, a new catalogue was not absolutely necessary. They therefore decided to postpone this expense and devote all the funds, beyond what were required to meet the running expenses of the Association, to the purchase of books. Now, however, a sufficient number of books having been added to the Library to form a new supplement, and the first supplement being out of print, the new catalogue seems to have become a positive necessity. LECTURES. The Lecture Committee make the fellowing report of the receipts and expenses of the course of lectures, including Gough's extra lecture, and Miss Stevens' reading: The net profits of last year's course, which was regarded as eminently successful, were $463 19. For the first time in many years our course of lectures has beed carried through without the failure of a single lecturer, whose name was announced at its commencement. Only those who have themselves served on a lecture committee can appreciate the difficulties in the way of such a result, or know what care and energy were neccessary to accomplish it. On behalf of the Board of Trustees. CHARLES CAVERNO, President. SKETCH OF THE History of the Association. This record is compiled from information gathered from official sources, and from past officers of the Association, and is presented here as a collection of facts, which will have an increasing interest for members, both old and new. * On Wednesday evening December 8th, 1847, a number of citizens of the, then, new city of Milwaukee, met in the parlor of the United States Hotel (corner of East Water and Huron streets, burned in 1854,) in pursuance of a call published in the newspapers, to take preliminary steps for the formation of a Young Men's Literary Association. S. Osgood Putnam, (now of California) was president of the meeting, and E. P. Allis, secretary. After considerable consultation and discussion, on motion of H. W. Tenney, resolutions were adopted in favor of the establishment of a Library in connection with a Reading Room and Debating Society, and for the appointment of a committee to draft a Constitution for the organization of a Young Men's Association. The committee consisted of Messrs. Putnam, Mason, Vliet, Tenney, Holton and Van Dyke. On the 13th of December the committee submitted the draft of a Constitution which was considerably discussed and finally adop * The Committee are under great obligations to J. R. Brigham, Esq, for valuable assistance rendered by him in the preparation of this Sketch. His personal recollections of the early history of the Association have enabled us to give a much fuller and more interesting account of that period than could possibly have been derived from the bare records of the Association. H. W. Tenney, now of Madison, has also furnished many interesting reminiscences. 12 SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF ted by the meeting, but at an adjourned meeting, Dec. 18th, the subject was again discussed, and the record shows that objections were made to 13 of the 19 articles which composed the Constitution, and the whole matter was referred to a new committee, who, on the 20th of December, reported a revised document, which, in turn, was discussed and rejected, and the original report, somewhat amended, was finally adopted, and the Young Men's Association had a beginning. The original Constitution divided members into two classes, by age; those over 35 years being classed as honorary members, and required to pay $5,00 initiation, and those between 18 and 35, being regular members, and paying an initiation fee of $2,00. Both classes paid $2.00 yearly. Life members were admitted to either class on payment of $25.00, in one sum, and paid no yearly dues. Besides these classes of members, persons under 18 years of age had the privilege of the library on payment of dues, but had no vote, and were ineligible to office. The offices were divided between the two classes of members. The honorary members taking five trustees, and the regular members two trustees, the president, two vice presidents, the treasurer and the corresponding and recording secretaries. This classification of officers was not adopted until after considerable discussion, and at the end of a year the sytem was revised, the classification dispensed with and the board of officers established, as it still remains. The first election of officers, to hold till the regular election in January, was had in the Common Council Rooms, on the 20th of December, 1847, though the election was not completed until the following week. A list of the officers is given elsewhere. The Constitution fixed the Wednesday following the second Tuesday in January, as the day of the annual election, and accordingly the first annual election was held January 19, 1848. So far the proceedings of the Association had shown a special aptitude for debate and animated discussion, but after several weeks spent in the settlement of fundamental principles and the preliminaries for a permanent organization, and after the election of a full board of officers, it still remained to secure members and money to give the Association practical existence, and there were found earnest and active men, who undertook this somewhat thank less task, and to their labor we owe it, that we now have an Association and a Library. On the 5th of February they reported a subscription of $1513, and a membership consisting of 52 life members, 20 honorary members and 49 regular members. A room was leased in what was then the second, now third, floor of the building still standing at the north west corner of Wisconsin and Main streets, at a rent of $100 per year, furnished with tables, chairs, bookcases, and other necessary fixtures for the use of the Association," in a style, of which an idea may be had, from the fact that the bills for the same amounted to considerably less than $50. The sum of $500 was appropriated for the purchase of books, and this, together with some donations, and some books received in payment of subscriptions, produced a library, which, at the end of the first year of the Association, numbered 810 volumes, and together with eleven of the leading English and American Quarterlies and Monthlies, constituted the attractions of the Room, which was open on Wednesday afternoon and Saturday evening of each week, under the charge of Edward Hopkins, who volunteered to do duty as the first librarian, and to whose care snd systematic labor during the first two years of the existence of the Association, very much is due. At the annual meeting in January, 1849, the Constitution was revised and amended, as has been stated. The initiation fee was reduced to $1.00 for all members. The time of the annual election was changed to December. During this year, the interest in the library continued and grew, and for a part of the time the Room was kept open every evening. The number of members rose to 146. The receipts of the year were $303.44, which, with a surplus from the previous year, gave a fund of which $219.35 were expended for books, and $119,28 for incidental expenses. Two hundred and ninety nine new volumes were added to the library, and the list of periodicals was enlarged. We may presume that the directors found some difficulty in collecting dues and subscriptions, from the fact that it was officially recommended at the annual meeting, that measures be taken to procure the legal incorporation of the Association in order that it might enforce its collections, though we are not aware that to this day the legal business of the Association has been a profit to any attorney. 14 SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF The third annual meeting was held December 4, 1849, and showed that the interest in the Association was well maintained. The attendance was large and spirited, and the discussion of various matters and plans for the benefit of the Association, continued until a late hour. A committee was appointed to canvass the city for new members and subscriptions; the necessity of a new and more attractive room was urged; a course of lectures was proposed, and other suggestions made and considered, all very much the same in kind, we may venture to say, that have been proposed, considered and discussed, among its members and directors, every year, from that to this. At this time so much interest was manifested that an adjourned meeting was held and more discussion was had, and among other things, it was strongly urged that the only way to reach the object desired, the establishment of a good public library, was to create a joint stock company, whose affairs should be managed as any other business operation. It was however, not found practicable to get the consent of all the subscribers to this arrangement, and that objection to the plan has grown stronger every year since. During this year a lecture before the Association was given by Chancellor Lathrop. A new room was obtained in the then new Martin's Block. Mr. Hopkins gave up the charge of the library, and Thomas Hyslop was appointed librarian and received a small salary. Eighty new members were added during the year, and the course of the Association showed no step backward. Dec. 4, 1850-The fourth annual election and the beginning of the fourth year of the Association. During this year was commenced the first course of lectures before the Association, and although the lecturers were home men, and the admittance fee quite small ($1.00 for a family, to the course, and ten cents a single admission,) the result was satisfactory, and some of the lectures attracted considerable attention, and gave rise to some newspaper discussion. Debates were also started during this year, in the fall of 1851, and for some time created a good deal of interest and weekly excitement. $360.07 were expended in books and periodicals this year, and one hundred new books were added to the li |