brary which then numbered 1320 volumes. The other expenditures of the year amounted to $157.92.

The fifth annual election, December 3d, 1851, was a scene of great excitement; not so much from the number of votes, as from the kind, as the record shows the whole number cast to have been 68 But the report of the inspectors, and the tradition of the times, tell us that in the anxiety of contending aspirants for official honor some forgot an article in the Constitution which prescribed the qualifications of voters, and a rigid inquiry on the part of three grave inspectors of election disclosed the fact that some illegal votes had been cast. A long report was made, upon which a stormy debate arose, and even acrimony is said to have been exhibited; but the difficulty was finally surmounted by the remarkable (though the event would show, not unwise,) proposition by the new President elect, that all the officers who claimed to have been elected should resign and allow a new election, which was agreed to. The clection was held December 9th, and the result was that some of the self-sacrificing men who had resigned, to save the Society, were again elected, but others were not. It is a matter of dispute to this day, among the most active participants in that wrangle, which party was really in earnest and which only feigned an excitement, to keep up an interest in the meetings of the Association.

In November of this year, new rooms for the Association were obtained on the first floor of the large new block of W. P. Young, corner of Wisconsin and Main streets; but the library had hardly been established there before the whole block was burned to the ground, and the Association was indebted to its active members. and friends for saving its property. The small loss sustained was fully covered by an insurance; and the Association next found a landlord in S. L. Rood, and ocoupied his rooms over store No. 204 East Water street, the entrance at that time being from Wisconsin street.

In March, 1852, the Association was incorporated by act of the Legislature, its then Board of Directors being made corporators. The time of the annual meeting and election was changed to October. During this year a new catalogue was publishedthe second.

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October 5th, 1852, the sixth annual election. In the winter of this year a second course of lectures, by home lecturers, was given. They were fairly attended, though they did not draw large audiences, except the two lectures on the "Spanish Inquisition," by the (then) Rev. Dr. Ives. These attracted full houses and made considerable sensation. More profit was realized out of a musical entertainment, undertaken by the Directors, for the benefit of the library. By aid of some members of the Musical Society, and some generously given assistance of ladies and gentlemen not accustomed to public exhibitions of their talent, the concert was well attended and well received, and a net profit of $70 was realized, which was applied to the purchase of books, and prodnced a valuable addition to the library.

October 5th, 1853, commenced the seventh, and as it proved, a most important year of the Association. At this time, notwithstanding its library and reading room afforded pleasure and profit to its members, they were few, and the Association was hardly known to the public generally - it filled no important place in the public mind. Its reading room was most of the time without visitors. Its annual meetings, which at first had been attended and participated in by many of our best and most influential citizens, were no longer interesting, and passed almost without notice. Anxious Directors all agreed that something must be done to make the library more attractive, and to induce new members to join. Among other plans, it was sometimes proposed to unite with the Musical Society in the purchase, or lease, of some central lot and the erection of a fine hall; but this it was thought best, after deliberation, to abandon, or at least postpone till it was well settled that the Association could pay the rent of its present rooms. About this time a destructive fire left our landlord, Mr. Rood, without a place of business, and he gave his attention to his tenant --the Association. He became Librarian, and by dint of much industry and great skill in making it uncomfortable for any body he applied to who did not join, and very comfortable and pleasant for all who did, he gained many new members to the Association. He went into the street with a subscription paper-an undertaking, at that time, quite too desperate for any body else and soon realized a sum which put the library and reading room in good con

dition. A new carpet, new gas fixtures, a change of the clumsy book-cases which had come down from the beginning, for a neat and commodious shelving, and a general brushing up and improvement of all the interior arrangements of the Association, were his satisfactory vouchers to subscribers. The library was kept open during business hours, day and evening, and became a pleasant and frequented place of resort. The great event of the year, however, was the course of lectures. It had at that time become the fashion in other Western cities to call wise men from the East and give the citizens of the new country a chance to see who is who, and learn what is what in the old, by hebdomadal lectures. It was determined that the Young Men's Association should do this for Milwaukee. It should be remembered that at this time Milwaukee was a far and almost unknown country to lecturers. No railroad then connected us with the East; and in the winter season we had been accustomed to regard ourselves as more completely shut out from communication with the seaboard, than those who only know Milwaukee as it now is can well imagine. But we had a telegraph and a part of the Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad, and it was decided to try. It happened that the management of the matter fell into the hands of one who had enthusiasm, perseverance and business. capacity, and to him chiefly (though aided by others) is due the final complete and surprising success of our first course of lectures by men from abroad, we so style it, though perhaps no lecture gave more satisfaction than that by our own Mr. Ryan. We need not say, for any one who was in Milwaukee during that winter, that we refer to B. W. Griswold, (now of New York city) who, as chairman of the Lecture Committee, was untiring in his attention from first to last. As a precaution, thought to be necessary, in the first place, a guaranty subscription was obtained from some forty persons to protect the Association in case of loss by the venture. Season tickets, for families and individuals, were hawked about the streets by the committee and other members of the Board, until $700 were realized before the lectures commenced. Advertising was done in all the usual modes, and also by members of the Board personally, who, one and all, talked lectures everywhere, until it was almost true that the chairman and his committee neither did, talked, nor thought anything but lectures contin

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SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF

ually. The result was a success which gave the Association a net profit of $833.39 for its library and a recognized position as an institution in Milwaukee. The annual report of the doings of the year shows total receipts, $1,288.54; total expenditures, $1,148.36, (this statement includes only net profits of lectures as receipts); an addition to the library of 351 volumes by purchase; 102 new members added to the Association; a new catalogue, and a prosperous condition of things generally.

October 4, 1854, the eighth regular election. By a change in the Rules, the Board elected at this time continued in office only till May. They were expected to provide a course of lectures, which had come to be a recognized demand of the people, and duty of the Association. Ten lectures were given at a cost of $897.30, and with a net profit to the Association of $358.46. During the term, forty-one new members were added. The expenses, beside lectures, were $596.51.

The time of the election having been changed, to give time to prepare for the annual courses of lectures, the ninth annual election was held May 2, 1855. This year our Association formally joined with that of Chicago in obtaining a course of lectures, both Associations being able to offer inducements and to secure lecturers which neither alone could have done. The expenses of the cour were $1,606.85, and the net profits werǝ $360. This result was not regarded as satisfactory by the committee, who report that the same course in Chicago cleared over $1,500. During the year 140 new members were added, and 120 volumes were purchased for the library. The total receipts (including lectures) were $2,377.23; the expenses (beside lectures) were about $600.

May 7, 1856-Election. This year it was not thought best to undertake a full course of lectures, to occur weekly, for which tickets should be sold in advance, as heretofore; but the committee determined to secure such as they could obtain of those lecturers coming West, who would, in the opinion of the committee, draw good houses in Milwaukee. Eight lectures were given. (among them, three by John B. Gough,) at a cost of $768.32, and with a clear profit of $359.35. About 400 new books were added to the library by purchase, beside many valuable works by donation; forty new members were added, During this year,

the Directors concluded (not without hesitation) that the Association needed, and would support, new and larger rooms and a larger yearly expenditure, and the suite of rooms now occupied were rented for a term of years. During this year, also, the newspaper reading-room was established and furnished with twentyfive of the leading dailies of this country and Canada. The gross receipts this year were $2,380.19, and the expenditures were $2,303.12.

May 6, 1857--The eleventh year of the Association. At the beginning of this year the Association took possession of its new rooms and materially increased its annual expenses; and the Board found that it required some labor and care to provide for all the demands on the treasury. A careful examination disclosed that, while the apparent membership was much larger, the `Association had, in fact, but about 300 reliable paying members, beside 40 life members. Lectures, as a source of revenue, were not available ; their rovelty had worn off. Indeed, a glance at the names of those who had already been presented to Milwaukee audiences, will show that the Association had pretty well gleaned the field of celebrities in that line, and that there were not many more whom people would pay to look at. Geo. W. Curtis, Horace Mann, Bayard Taylor, Horace Greeley, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Parke Godwin, James Russell Lowell, John G. Saxe, Josiah Quincy, jr., John Pierpont, John B. Gough, Wendell Phillips, T. Starr King, Henry Ward Beecher, George Sumner, and Dr. H. W. Bellows, were in the lists of those who had been here. The Association could not afford to risk a course of lectures, the profit of which to the treasury would be doubtful. For the purpose of testing the question, one popular lecturer was brought here and every reasonable effort was made to get him an audience; but the result was a failure and a loss to the Association, and no more were attempted. The great commercial crisis had so darkened all prospects, that it was often a matter of serious consideration with the Directors how they were to pay the debts and expenses incurred during the year and leave the treasury sound at the close. It was determined to make a special effort for more life members, and at the personal solicitation of Directors, seventeen gentlemen joined the Association as life. members and paid into its treasury $425. 142 yearly members