Ohio History Journal

EDITORIALANA.

MEETING OF THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. In the historic and picturesque city of New Orleans, on the days of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, December 29, 30, and 31, 1903, was held the nineteenth annual meeting of the American Historical Association. It proved to be an event of unusual interest and enjoyment. The American Historical Association was organized at Saratoga, New York, September 10, 1884, and now numbers some twenty-five hundred members, comprising the leading historical students, professors, and writers in the United States and Canada. The city chosen for the gathering and the nature of the meet- ing, it being the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, gave a two-fold attractiveness to the members of the Association, to say noth- inf of the unusual list of distinguished speakers selected for the program. In the absence of the Hon. Charles Lea, the President of the Asso- ciation, the Hon. William Wirt Howe, President of the American Bar Association, presided and delivered an address upon "The Civil and the Common Law in the Louisiana Purchase." The first session of the meeting was held in the council chamber of the famous Cabildo, or municipal building, itself an object of great historic interest, it having been erected more than one hundred years ago, during the days of the Spanish dominion, and in the council chamber of which took place, as related elsewhere in this Quarterly, the transfer of the Louisiana province, first, from Spain to France, and then from France to America in November, 1803. At the opening gathering the Association was welcomed to Louisiana and the city of New Orleans in a graceful speech by Professor Alcee Fortier, professor in the Tulane University and President of the Louisiana Historical Society. The various formal sessions of the Association were subsequently held in the lecture rooms of the buildings of the Tulane University. Papers were read as follows: "New Orleans and the Burr Conspiracy," by Dr. Walter F. McCaleb; "The Story of Lewis and Clark's Journals," by Dr. Reuben G. Thwaites; "Louisiana in the Spanish Archives," by Dr. W. R. Shep- herd; "Ethical Values in History," by Dr. Henry C. Lea, read in the absence of the author by Prof. Haskins; "Louis XVI, Machault and 287

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Maurepas," by Prof. F. M. Fling; "Sermons as sources of Mediaeval

History," by Prof. C. H. Haskins; "What and When was the Re-

naissance," by Prof. J. H. Robinson; "Timonides of Leukas," by Prof.

H. A. Sill; "Relations of Spain, England and France to the Missis-

sippi Valley, 1789-1800," by Prof. F. J. Turner; "Latest Phases of the

West Florida Controversy," by Prof. A. B. Hart; "Texas Annexation,"

by Prof. G. P. Garrison; "The Treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo," by Dr.

Jesse S. Reeves; "Some Unpublished Papers of Baron von Closen of

Rochambeau's Staff," by Dr. C. W. Bowen; "The Compromises of the

Constitution," by Prof. Max Farrand; "The Constitutional Convention

of 1864 in Louisiana," by Prof. J. R. Ficklen; "British West Florida, 1763-

1781," by Hon. P. J. Hamilton; "Popular Sovereignty and the Develop-

ment of the West," by Prof. Allen Johnson.

The American Economic Association also held its annual meet-

ing in New Orleans during the same dates, and two of the sessions

consisted of joint meetings of the two Associations. In the latter of

these joint meetings "The Relation of Sociology to History and Eco-

nomics" was the topic for discussion, in which leading members of both

Associations took part.

The intervals during the regular meetings were delightfully oc-

cupied by visits to the points of memorable interest in and about the

time-honored Spanish-French-American City-the series of pleasurable

events of the meeting closing with an excursion down the river to one

of the typical sugar plantations of Louisiana; the party stopping en route

and landing at the site of the famous battlefield where Andrew Jackson

with the American forces met and defeated the attacking British under

General Packenham on the 8th of January, 1815. The party gathered

about the base of the partially completed monument erected in com-

memoration of the battle, upon the spot where "Old Hickory" held

his headquarters. Upon the mound at the base of the column Professor

J. B. McMaster, the popular American historian, delivered a short

address descriptive of the battle, followed by most felicitous remarks

of Professor Alcee Fortier concerning the part which the Creoles took

in that conflict. It was an incident long to remembered-the concourse

of interested historical students and scholars standing upon the memor-

able soil, and listening to the recital of the event so calculated to arouse

the pride and patriotism of every American, as the story was told in

the genial and vivid language of the distinguished speakers.

The good people of New Orleans extended most hospitable southern

courtesy to the visitors; the pleasure of the sojourn being enhanced by

receptions at the rooms of the Round Table Club, the Athletic Club, and

the Boston Club, and private residences; the weather was delightful, and

every feature of the meeting was fraught with enjoyment and profit.

The officers of the American Historical Association elected for the

ensuing year (1904) were: President, Goldwin Smith, Esq., Toronto, Can-

ada: First Vice-President, Professor John Bach McMaster, Philadelphia;

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Editorialana.                       289

 

Second Vice-president, Judge Simeon Eben Baldwin, New Haven, Con-

necticut; Secretary, A. Howard Clark, Esq., Smithsonian Institute,

Washington; Corresponding Secretary, Professor Charles H. Haskins, 15

Prescott Hall, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Treasurer, Clarence Winthrop

Bowen, Esq., 130 Fulton St., New York. Chicago was chosen as the next

place of meeting, December, 1904.

The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society was repre-

sented at the American Historical Association meeting by Secretary

E. O. Randall, who was elected a member of the Association in the year

1894. Prof. A. B. Hart, of Harvard University, and Mr. Randall de-

livered addresses before the students of Leland University, one of the

leading colored colleges of Louisiana, located at New Orleans.

 

 

 

AFFAIRS OF THE OHIO STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL

SOCIETY.

On February 29, 1904, in the Columbus Public Library, there was

held a meeting of the executive committee. The members present were,

George F. Bareis, Canal Winchester; G. Frederick Wright, Oberlin;

John W. Harper, Cincinnati; B. F. Prince, Springfield; D. J. Ryan,

E. O. Randall and E. F. Wood, Columbus. The meeting was mainly

occupied with consideration of the requests which the Society had made

to the legislature for appropriations for the continuation of the work of

the Society. The propriety of asking the legislature for an appropria-

tion for a building to be located upon the university grounds was also

considered, and after a careful discussion and survey of the situation it

was decided that it would not be wise, at this time, to press this mat-

ter before the members of the legislature, but defer it until a later

and more promising date. It was decided to hold the annual meeting

of the Society in latter part of May or the early part of June, and

to have at that time, if possible, an excursion to Fort Ancient. After

the disposal of the usual routine business brought before the committee,

adjournment was made to the office of the Governor, where the members

of the committee were presented to him. The Governor received the

trustees most cordially and spoke of the interest he took in the work

they were doing in behalf of the Society and the history and archaeology

of the state; he particularly complimented the character of the publi-

cations which the Society was issuing, and stated it would be his

pleasure to co-operate in the furtherance of the purposes of the Society

so far as might lie in his power. He particularly desired to visit Fort

Ancient and Serpent Mound and inspect the interesting and famous

property of which the Society is the custodian.

19 Vol. XIII.

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