PIONEER

AND

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MICHIGAN.

ANNUAL MEETING, JUNE 1 AND 2, 1887.

ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT.

HON. M. H. GOODRICH, OF ANN ARBOR.

The Pioneer and Historical Society of Michigan:

What I have written for this occasion pursuant to a wholesome and highly beneficial precedent, perforce of unyielding and tyrannical circumstances, I have been forced to write in a too perfunctory manner to be properly adapted to and befitting the occasion. I am fully aware of its too many defects and that I have subjected myself to just criticism, therefore feel myself compelled to implore you to temper with mercy and forbearance any criticisms you may

make, assuring you that my failure will occasion me more sad thoughts and reflections than it possibly can you.

After thirteen years of active and vigorous life, the question is frequently asked, "What is the Pioneer and Historical Society of Michigan, what has it done and what are its purposes and objects?" This question is asked not only by those whom some may term the non-reading, non-reflecting, plodding portion of our people, but by persons who are considered well up to mediocrity in general intelligence and current events, and occupy and hold influential and commanding positions both in the social compact and body politic.

At first blush it may seem strange and unaccountable that such a question should emanate from such a source-be propounded by such intelligent people at this date of the society's life. But I think it will not seem so strange when we reflect that the people constituting our commonwealth, in common with the people of all other commonwealths which go to make up this republic, are so intently absorbed in the pursuit of their peculiar and individual callings and avocations, that a large proportion of them cannot find time to inquire the name of their next door neighbor, much less his peculiar profession or avocation.

Having been asked the above question on my last trip to Lansing, a few days prior to this meeting, by a person of acknowledged intelligence, it suggested the thought that I could not better redeem the time allotted for the president's address on this occasion than by substituting for any address I might be capable of writing, a few rambling reflections and considerations concerning the Pioneer and Historical Society of Michigan and topics germain to it.

In 1868 or '69 some considerable thought was bestowed, by a certain class of thinking men, upon the subject of inaugurating or formulating some system or plan by which the materials and essential elements of a true and faithful early history of the state, hitherto uncollected and stored away in unsafe and rapidly failing and perishing storehouses-the memories of the surviving pioneers might be gathered and put in shape for permanent preservation for the use of the future historian. This sentiment and feeling extended rapidly and soon crystallized into shape, and by 1871 or '72 a number of city and county pioneer societies were organized, and through pure pioneer energy achieved marvelous success. But it soon became apparent, however, that this system, in many essential particulars, was defective and inadequate to accomplish the objects and purposes sought, and the workers in this field, being unaccustomed to the use of the word failure, applied themselves to the task of remedying these defects. The result of their efforts and labors in this behalf resulted in the formation or organization of the Pioneer Society

of the State of Michigan, and subsequent events have demonstrated the wisdom of their action.

The Pioneer Society of the State of Michigan was organized in representative hall of the old capitol at Lansing, on the 22d day of April, 1874, under and in pursuance of an act of the legislature approved April 25th, 1873, its aims, objects and purposes being to "collect and preserve historical, biographical and other information relative to the State of Michigan," to establish and preserve a museum of relics, to collect and preserve a library of books, maps, charts, manuscripts, etc., and last, but not least, to rescue from the dark, dismal and gloomy charnel house of wreck and oblivion the noble deeds and achievements of the pioneer men and women of Michigan, who were and are as noble and brave an army as ever fought the battle of life, and as gallant and as heroic mariners as ever made a voyage on life's turbulent and tempestuous ocean, and transmit them to posterity as a precious legacy. This is the Pioneer Society of Michigan; such its aims, purposes and objects. The first board or committee of historians was elected February 2d, 1876, and immediately after its election entered upon the discharge of the duties assigned to it, since which time, under its and the board of directors' supervision and direction, the Society has published ten octavo volumes of Collections, averaging six hundred and fifty nine pages each, with one edition of each volume, of one thousand and eight hundred copies, making an aggregate of eighteen thousand copies and eleven million eight hundred and sixty two thousand octavo pages, requiring the writing of forty four thousand and twenty folios, or four millions four hundred and two thousand words of manuscript. In addition to this work the Society has made reasonable progress in collecting relics not only curious but illustrative of the early life and manners of the pioneer settlers of Michigan. Also a valuable collection of manuscripts, books, maps, pamphlets, periodicals etc., etc.

This, in brief, is what the Pioneer Society of Michigan has accomplished in the brief period of its existence.

We venture to say without much fear of being convicted of the offense of boasting or self laudation, that every intelligent person who shall carefully and critically examine the work of the Society, will acknowledge that as historical material, it will be of essential and real benefit to the future historian, the philosophers of history, the politician and the ethnologist. We do not claim that our work is perfect, but we venture to assert that it is as free from fatal, mischievous, misleading and damaging errors as works of similar nature, and as could reasonably be expected, taking into consideration the peculiar situation and circumstances under which the Society has been placed and forced to work. Since almost every work of the human mind and hands

has its imperfections; every landscape, however luxuriant, gorgeous, dazzling and brilliant its appointments may have been made by extravagant nature, its arid spots; our every hope and anticipation is shadowed by the clouds and chilled by the dews of disappointment; our every pleasure and joy by its handmaid, sorrow, may we not reasonably expect a pardon for the imperfections of our work and labor?

We have not essayed to write history, but have confined our labors to collecting materials and putting them in shape for permanent preservation for future use; acting as it were as logographers, preparing the way for some future Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon or Tacitus. In prosecuting the objects and purposes for which the Society was organized, the Society has received that support and assistance which was absolutely necessary and requisite to achieve success. The legislature in its wisdom and sagacity has, from an early period in the life of the Society, adopted and continued to the present time a liberal financial policy toward it, for which every intelligent and thinking citizen of the commonwealth is under permanent and lasting obligation and will ever hold it in kind, grateful and appreciative remembrance.

When the Society called for contributions of historical materials, biographical sketches and material illustrative of the early history of Michigan, the call was responded to with an alacrity and to an extent far beyond the anticipations and expectations of the most sanguine of the sanguine members of the Society, and the ten volumes of Pioneer Collections published by the Society, attest the inestimable and incalculable value of the service, and will ever remain an imperishable monument of the wisdom and patriotism of those who so generously and disinterestedly performed it.

The work is not yet finished. The harvest is not all garnered yet. The gleaning is not yet reached. Much valuable historical and biographical material still remains stored away in the shadowy and faded memories of the noble little band of pioneer men and women still permitted to tread the paths of life among us. If this valuable material is ever to be collected, it must be collected quickly. Our annual necrological reports show that this noble little band is rapidly being transferred to the great majority on the other side of "that bourne from whence no traveler ever returns." As each pioneer is laid to rest to take that dreamless sleep that knows no waking, it closes a chapter in the early history of the state never to be reöpened.

The literature which goes current for history is so mixed, intermixed and interlaced with novel, mere speculation, essay and ambiguous narrative, and too many accredited historians are, may be unconsciously, such strict partisans, zealots, enthusiasts, egotists, who "cast their facts in the mold of

their hypothesis," that both the student and philosophers of history are constantly beset with stubborn perplexities, difficulties and uncertainties, and are called upon for the expenditure of a prodigious amount of mental labor and toil to separate the true from the false. So constant and invariable are these perils and dangers encountered in the domain of history that many are almost persuaded to assert that the study of history is but a school for teaching skepticism.

True history-the biographies of nations-is the stern light that illumines the rough and rugged path of mankind. Extinguish this light and it is a problem of easy solution to determine how soon the civilized world would return to a night of intellectual darkness as black, dismal and gloomy as Erebus.

With the accumulated experience of the past and the needs and requirements of our advanced civilization it is a primal, fundamental duty of every civilized nation to inaugurate some system or plan by which its daily history, its daily life, free from legend, inferences, bias, speculation and theory, can be recorded and preserved. The acts and deeds of the executive, legislative, judicial and ministerial officers of a nation do not constitute or make up its full and complete history.

The history of a commonwealth or nation is not complete and will be wanting in a most essential element unless it includes full and unreserved the domestic social life-the life around the home hearth-stone-of its citizens, those acts and deeds which unmistakably and unerringly discover and bring to light the principles which govern the life of its citizens, the inner life of the nation.

Of what assistance in the advancement of the material interests and the higher and more perfect civilization of the human race is the knowledge that this or that nation is prosperous, happy and contented, that this or that empire or dynasty conquered and exercised hegemonic power, and in the plentitude of its power and splendor dazzled and bewildered the nations of the earth, or that this or that nation or people once proud, prosperous and happy, went to decay and disappeared,from the family of nations, leaving nothing behind. except wreck and desolation, unless we know the processes and methods by which these events were produced and the principles governing the domestic, civil and political life of these peoples?

The thirteen years' experience of this Society is but cumulative evidence in support of the long since realized paramount importance of collecting and preserving the historical material daily furnished by every department of the commonwealth-social, civil, religious and political.

In the interest of science and civilization, the archæologist, the antiqua