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as reports of the schools, churches, local societies, fairs, etc., for the society's library; by securing historical relics for its museum and portraits of early settlers and prominent citizens for its state portrait collection, and by writing- on themes of the local history for its meetings and publications. Through invitation and solicitation by the secretary and other officers of the society it may thus receive addresses and papers on any theme of the state history, or that of any county, city, town, or village, by authors having accurate knowledge, responsibility, and pride for the district or the subject so presented.

In their relations to the state governments and to state support by legislative appropriations the state and local historical societies of the older States receive little or no state aid, while yet rendering great services to the people in each of the New England States, in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Michigan. These societies, through financial support by their membership, supplemented in many cases by State assistance for printing, have gathered very important historical libraries, museums, and collections of portraits, and have issued extensive series of publications on the history of these several States.

Contrasted with these eastern historical societies we have in five of the Western and Northwestern States, namely, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, societies which have long received nearly all the means for their very extensive work from state appropriations, being thus on the same footing with the other institutions of public education. Besides the collection of all published books, pamphlets, maps, etc., relating to the state history, these five societies gather the current newspapers from all parts of their respective States and preserve them in bound volumes, doing this more fully than has been attempted elsewhere in the United States, but similarly with the British Museum, which thus preserves all the newspapers issued in Great Britain. The newspaper departments of these state historical libraries are priceless treasuries of materials for future historians, showing the development of these States and of their counties and separate townships from their beginnings.

Each of the States, whether aiding their historical societies little or much, is served continuously and zealously and gratuitously by the boards of officers and by the membership of these societies. Several features of this service are notable. It is not determined by political election or appointment, nor dependent on changes of the general state administration; it extends through very long terms of membership, and often of official relations; its changes of officers are decided by the members of the society or by a large number of their representatives forming the society's council, and constant and efficient