Educ 7465.604 HARVARD COLLEGE LISANÝ BY EXCHANGE DEC 29 1937 At the Meeting of the Franklin Lyceum, April 22, 1850, Ordered, That the Committee on By-Laws be a Committee to procure the printing of the Charter and revised By-Laws, and in connection therewith a complete list of all members. Attest, CYRUS G. DYER, Sec'y. A. C. Greene, Printer, G INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. THE FRANKLIN LYCEUM was established in the summer of 1831, by Levi H. Holden, Daniel A. Jackson, and William B. Shove. By the records of 21st April, 1832, the Society then consisted of Messrs. Holden, Jackson, Shove, Charles Cushing, Frank Cushing, Crawford Nightingale and Geronimo Urmmeneta. At the meeting April 28, 1832, the name of "Providence Lyceum" was adopted, but this on the 22d December following, was changed to that which it has since borne, of "Franklin Lyceum." In July, 1833, the Society consisted of thirteen Resident and two Corresponding Members. In April, 1835, after having been previously located, for different periods, in three other places, the first at the house of Mr. Shove, they removed to the De Witt building in Waterman Street, when first in the smaller room and afterwards in the enlarged and spacious hall, they continued until within a short time past. During this period many interesting anniversaries occurred, and other events in the history of the Society, but upon which, our limits here, will not allow us to dwell. In 1843, an act of incorporation from the Legislature was obtained, the Society at that time numbering, according to the list compiled with the Constitution and By-Laws then published, thirtyone Resident and twenty-four Corresponding Members, the latter, nearly all of them, having previously.been resident members, but had removed from the city. In the fall of 1848, having received a large accession of members, from a Society formed a short time before, and called the "Westminster Lyceum," but which now-merged their name and existence in ours, it was decided to remove to a more central location, and on the 1st of January, 1849, the Society held their first meeting in the beautiful hall in Market Square, which they now оссиру. The Society having by their vote authorized this publication of the Constitution, By-Laws, and List of Members, the Committee 1* have also inserted what they deem will serve to make it more interesting, a tabular list of the four principal officers, and a list of the public lectures that have been delivered before the Soeiety. The list of members published herewith, as it commences with the formation of the Society, comprises, as will be observed, a large number who are not now active members, but to these in order to obtain the whole number that have joined should be added, with the exception of a few as mentioned in the note, those in the list of corresponding members, who had all previously been resident members. The whole number thus obtained is one hundred and sixty-eight, while of the present active members the number is seventy-two. This, although very far less than it ought to be, yet presents a gratifying increase compared with the small beginning, and progress from time to time which we have traced, and from which we may favorably hope for the future. Perhaps we ought not to conclude these brief remarks without a passing tribute to the memory of those on our list whom the hand of death has removed from us in the course of years. Conspicuous among these are the names of Allen and Burnett for their devotion to the interests of the society, and the exeellencies of character, which endeared them to all who knew them. No record of the Society's history would be complete, which did not make mention of their labors, sacrifices and virtues. CHARTER. General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, January Session, 1843, AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE FRANKLIN LYCEUM. SECTION I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly as follows. viz: That Charles Burnett, Jr., Henry B. Metcalf, William M. Rodman, Walter W. Updike, Benjamin G. Godfrey, James L. King, Edward A. Greene, Robert Manton, John Dean, Charles H. Mason, George Thurber, William B. Shove, Isaac Proud, Daniel W. Vaughn, Richard E. Hamlin, Thomas L. Dunnell, Albert Dailey, William Knowles, Augustus Whitman, William Whitaker, Walter C. Simmons, James Chace and Nathan Stevens, all of Providence;and such others as now are,or hereafter may be,admitted members of this Society,be,and they hereby are, constituted, created and made, a body politic and corporate with perpetual succession, by the name and style of the Franklin Lyceum, with full power to make and ordain, alter and amend such By-Laws, Rules, and Regulations for their government, as they may think necessary, the same not being contrary to the laws of this State: and they are empowered by the aforesaid named to sue and be sued, to plead and be impleaded, to hold and enjoy any kind of Estate, real or personal, to an amount not exceeding ten thousand dollars, whether |