was carried. Professor E. E. Sparks read the report of the committee on Marking Historic Spots in Illinois. Report accepted and approved.

Professor Sparks made a verbal report of the special Committee on Membership. Report approved and accepted.

Professor Sparks made a verbal report in behalf of the committee which represented the society at the meeting of the American Historical Association in Chicago, December, 1904. The report was approved and accepted.

Mrs. Weber made a verbal report from the Publication committee and made some suggestions as to the work of the committee. This report was referred to the board of directors of the society.

The Nominating committee returned and expressed itself as ready to report. The committee reported as having nominated for officers of the society for the year January 1905-1906, for president of the society and ex officio a member of the board of directors, General Alfred Orendorff, Springfield, Illinois.

First Vice President-Paul Selby, Chicago.

Second Vice President J. H. Burnham. Bloomington.

Third Vice President-General Smith D. Atkins, Freeport.

Board of Directors J. F. Snyder, Virginia, E. J. James, Urbana, George N. Black, Springfield, J. H. Burnham, Bloomington, M. H. Chamberlin, Lebanon, David McCulloch, Peoria, E. B. Greene, Urbana, Mrs. Jessie Palmer Weber, Springfield, E. E. Sparks, Chicago, W. H. Collins. Quincy, J. O. Cunningham, Urbana, Andrew Russell, Jacksonville, Professor George W. Smith, Carbondale, Rev. C. J. Eschmann, Prairie du Rocher, J. W. Clinton, Polo.

It was moved and seconded that the secretary be directed to cast the ballot of the society for the officers as named by the nominating committee. This motion was carried and the secretary cast the ballot of the society as directed.

The chairman declared the officers elected for the year January 1905-1906, Professor E. E. Sparks asked permission to make a few remarks relative to the plan of celebrating the year 1908, the semicentennial of the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858, and urged that the society make plans to coöperate with the schools and clubs and other organizations. It was moved and carried that the society approve the plan, and that the matter be referred to the board of directors.

There being no further business presented the society adjourned to meet in literary session at 2:00 p. m. the same day.

REPORT OF SECRETARY.

To the Board of Directors of the Illinois State Historical Society, Springfield, Illinois:

GENTLEMEN-I have the honor to submit to you my report as secretary to the board of trustees of the society, January, 1904-January,

1905. At the annual meeting, 1904, it was decided that the society accept the fund offered it by the Louisiana Purchase Exposition commission for making an historical exhibit at St. Louis, to be placed in the Illinois building, and that the matter of the exhibit be placed in the hands of the Board of Trustees of the Historical Library with full power to act. The exhibit was prepared under the supervision of Mr. Black and was, I think, most creditable to the society. A large number of valuable articles were borrowed for the exhibit and have been returned by the society, but the library has reaped its reward in the possession of the remainder. This exhibit was restricted to the life of Abraham Lincoln. The time was so short and the fund so small that it was not possible to represent more than a single phase of the State's history and the Lincoln exhibit was the choice of the members of the commission, as well as of the board of trustees of the library.

The collecting and arranging of the exhibit required a great amount of labor and I spent much time upon it, assisted by the advice and direction of Mr. Black and I had the assistance of my faithful, industrious and painstaking assistant, Miss Georgia L. Osborne, who is always ready to give her time and services, in season and out of season, for the work of the society. A full report of the exhibit appears in the report of the Illinois Commissioners to the Exposition. The membership committee of the society has been doing effective work and I have to report thirty-one new members of the society since the first of November, 1904.

The society now has 251 members, including two life members and seven honorary members. The number of active members includes twenty-eight editors or publishers of newspapers in the State who send copies of their papers to the library and in return are made members of the society without the payment of further dues.

The library and the society have moved into their new quarters on the third floor of the Capitol, in the rooms formerly occupied by the State Geological Museum. Our quarters are much better and more convenient than the old ones, but we are already crowded. Publication No. 9, of the library publications, the transactions of the fifth annual meeting of the society is ready for distribution. It is a much larger book than our last year's volume, containing 701 pages and twenty-four illustrations. The society is to be congratulated on the increase of interest shown in it by the people of the State and for the large increase in its membership.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON LOCAL HISTORICAL

SOCIETIES:

To the Officers and Members of the Illinois State Historical Society: Your committee on Local Historical Societies begs leave to report as follows:

No material progress has been made in the past year in the plan for a closer coöperation between the State and local societies.

It is eminently desirable as soon as possible for the State Historical Society to secure a more definite foundation for its own work, and to assert itself as determined to carry it on with more vigor than ever before; making its influence felt in every county of the State, and, in the performance of its duties, the State Historical Society should endeavor to bring about a much more practical union between itself and the local societies with a view for a better utilization of the forces which may be set to work in all portions of the State; but in the meantime, while perfecting its own organization, and while local societies are gradually being organized, we believe no time is being wasted by proceeding slowly with the matter of maturing plans for a better understanding between the different historical societies of the State.

These different societies are proceeding along different lines, and are pioneering their way through many difficulties, and are met by much opposition from indifference, and an indisposition to work, rather than from any well founded arguments against their organization.

We believe the time is close at hand, and it may be actually present, for the adoption of some comprehensive plan, not yet sufficiently outlined for recommendation.

The work of our local societies is really in its infancy, and as these organizations progress, their leading members are fast finding out what appears to be their own appointed field of labor, and in what manner the State Society can be of the most benefit; and the near future will doubtless open many doors for efficient co-operation.

As at present informed; it appears to your committee that these societies are actually nurseries, which furnish many good friends to the State Societies; and which are also gathering up very many valuable historical papers, and much historical information of far more than local interest, instead of drawing off historical matter from the State Society as some have feared, and arresting this material which ought to be on its way to our own repositories. We believe the societies will, in many different portions of the State prove to be depositories, where the State Society can always find material which would otherwise be forever lost.

We desire to urge upon these local societies the importance of publication. History which is merely given verbally to interested listeners, or even read from manuscript to a small audience, falls far short of its mission unless put in type, furnished to the public, and placed in libraries for the benefit of future generations.

It is a pleasure to be able to show that something has already been done in the direction of publication, and such societies as have done. nothing in this line should be encouraged to make the attempt as soon as possible.

In this connection, your committee desires to commend "A bill for an act to provide for the promotion of historical research in the several counties of the State" which will be introduced in the Legislature in a few days. If this bill becomes a law, it will allow the board of supervisors, or county commissioners, if they so desire, to use public money in the publication of the proceedings of local historical societies. The present law for this purpose, merely provides for such publication on a vote of the people, and so far, we believe no such vote has ever been taken, owing to the technical difficulties in the way of submitting anything to a vote of the people.

Another bill soon to be presented to the Legislature, is to provide for the transferring of interesting or important public documents to the State or any other historical society. Both of these acts are very necessary to the welfare of all historical societies, State and local, and your committee not only endorses them in its capacity as the standing committee on Local Historical Societies, but urges upon the State Historical Society and the State Historical Library, the importance of separate endorsements of these bills from each organization.

The following are the different societies engaged in historical investigation in the State of Illinois, so far as your committee is able to report:

The Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, Ill.-President, Franklin H. Head; Secretary, James W. Fertig.

This is much more than a local society, its field being the entire northwest; it possesses a very imposing, fireproof building of its own, and the value of its property, including building, grounds and invested funds, is over $300,000; it has accummulated a very fine library and has also gathered a vast amount of historical material. The Illinois Society, Springfield, Ill.-President,T. J. Crowder, Springfield.

Secretary,

This society has large plans for the future, and has already held a number of interesting meetings. One of its published specialties is genealogy, and if this or some other society would develop into a State Genealogical Society it would find a very important field of labor at present almost entirely uncultivated.

The German-American Historical Society, Chicago, Ill.-President, Hon. Wm. Vocke; Secretary, Emil Mannhardt.

This society publishes a quarterly devoted to the history of the German settlements in the different portions of this State, and is doing a very important work which should be imitated by the various European nationalities in the State of Illinois.

The three societies above mentioned are not properly local societies as their field is the State or the entire northwest, but we desire to incorporate this account in our list of historical societies.

There are several societies which are known as city societies.

The New England Society, Rockford, Ill.

This society does not keep up its organization by regular meetings but it has done an important work by securing the publication of a very fine history of Rockford and Winnebago counties.

The Elgin Scientific Club has aspirations in this direction, but of late years has held few or no meetings and we have no late report from this society.

The Evanston Historical Society, Evanston, Ill.-President, Harvey B. Hurd; Secretary, J. Seymour Curry.

This society has done some excellent work. Our society, in its current issue, publishes a letter written last year by Mr. Curry stating very clearly the careful and thorough method of the society's work. He writes this year, "the society is soon to have a room in the new public library now building," and that it may be expected to do better work now than ever before.

The Quincy Historical Society, Quincy, Ill.-President, Lorenzo Bull; Secretary, S. H. Emery.

This society has been assisting some publishers who are preparing a history of Quincy and Adams county which is soon to be published, and the society will take a large number of copies of this book.

It was organized quité a number of years ago, being one of the pioneer societies of the State, and will be able to show important results.

There are two small societies which have not made great pretensions, but whose published work during the year, in pamphlet form, is to be commended, as they have the one great element of success, publication.

One is the Polo Historical Society, Polo, Ill., and the other is the LeRoy Historical Society, of LeRoy, McLean county, Ill.

The officers of the first named society are: President, J. W. Clinton, Polo; Secretary. J. M. Bridgeman, Polo; and of the other are: President, T. L. Buck, LeRoy, Ill.; Secretary, James Coons, LeRoy,

Ill.

The Jersey County Historical Society was the first county society organized in this State and is more than a dozen years old but at last accounts was in a condition of suspension.

The DeKalb County Historical Society was organized at Sycamore on the same day on which the Illinois State Historical Society was organized. It makes no report and appears never to have held but one meeting. Probably the intense local feeling generated by the county seat feud between Sycamore and DeKalb is the cause of nonaction.

The Pike County Historical Society was organized three years ago, and after holding one or two meetings has become merged in the "Old Settler's Association," but we hope to hear of its revival at some future time.

There are nine well organized county societies in the State of Illinois, the most of them actively engaged in work, as follows:

Champaign County Historical Society, Urbana, Ill.-President, J. O. Cunningham.