1868-1872, treasurer of the Christian Register Association. 1894-1905. 1871, fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 7. Religious and charitable work: 1862, trustee of the Massachusetts School for Idiots and Feebleminded Youth. 1865, sent to the Armies of the Potomac and James as agent of the American Unitarian Association. 1868, delegate to the National Unitarian Conference at New York to represent the Christian Register Association. 1869-1880, treasurer of the Home for Aged and Indigent Females. 1876-1902, treasurer of Society for Promotion of Theological Education. 1883, member of executive committee of Suffolk Conference of Unitarian and other Churches. Mr. Denny lived in his father's family until the death of his father in 1872, and with his mother during her life for three years thereafter. The family moved to Savin Hill, Dorchester, in 1848, and at the age of twenty-one Mr. Denny became a legal voter in that town. He changed his residence to Boston in 1868. He always took much interest in the affairs of Dorchester, where his grandfather, Dr. Gardner, possessed a large property. He wrote a beautifully neat and clear hand himself, and in his library there was a large and rare volume of copper-plate specimens of the old-fashioned eighteenth century round hand. His dissatisfaction with the penmanship then taught in the schools is said to have induced him to invite to this country an English writing-master in order to improve it. It was a surprise to those who knew Mr. Denny only later in his life, to learn that he had been a thorough-going Garrisonian Abolitionist, for he exhibited few of the qualities commonly attributed to that party. We are told that he was a member of some sort of an association for the protection of abolition orators from violence. Nothing ever happened to change his view that the abolitionists had been right first, last, and always; and the fact of his presiding at a meeting in December, 1859, in aid of the families of John Brown and his associates, shows that his zeal reached the high-water mark. Mr. Denny was an enthusiastic book lover. The mere pres ence of books, he would say, gave him pleasure. He collected a fine library containing much that was rare and curious, including the first four folios of Shakespeare. This collection was sold by auction in 1906. It had been somewhat damaged by water in 1904. Mr. Denny was stiff in his opinion not only as to the merits of the abolitionists, but as to almost every other subject on which he had occasion to form a judgment; and naturally he was sometimes in the wrong. He took great interest in the subject of correct English, and must have acquired some reputation as a proficient in that department to have been placed so soon after graduation as in 1856 on an Examining Committee by the college authorities. He had standards of his own, however, and was unwilling to accept the de facto test of usage, but set up some de jure rule according to which a thing might be right which nobody but himself thought so. But although impervious to an opposing argument, he did not allow his own views to affect his conduct where there was useful work to be done which had to be done by some one. The writer saw him most frequently in relation to the affairs of the Boston Library Society, of which he was the treasurer and practically the executive manager for eleven years, and as such assiduously busy with no corresponding pecuniary compensation. He was master of the details of library work, indexing, and card catalogues, classification of books, and the statistics of circulation. His conduct in regard to the sale of the house on Boylston Place, the purchase of the building on Newbury Street, and the removal of the library to the latter place, was characteristic and much to his credit. The building on Boylston Place was becoming more and more inconvenient when an opportunity to sell it at a price considerably above the assessed value occurred, owing to a contemplated improvement of an adjoining estate. Mr. Denny thought that by holding out more could be obtained. After prolonging the negotiations a point was reached which satisfied all the trustees but himself, and he was not disposed to yield an inch. A meeting of the proprietors was called, and notwithstanding a carefully prepared argument by him, illustrated by a plan, the vote of the meeting was against him. Under such circumstances many an official would have washed his hands of the whole bad business and left it to be worked out by others. But the thing was settled, and now the more difficult task of effecting a removal presented itself. The prospect of useful work before him seemed to stimulate all Mr. Denny's energies, and, forgetting the things which were behind, he threw himself into the very serious business of contracting for and supervising the extensive alterations and additions in the Newbury Street house, of transporting a library of some forty thousand volumes thither, and all within the time agreed upon with the purchaser of the old building, -a feat which, owing to the usual vexatious delays that such work encounters, seemed almost impossible to his associates. Mr. Denny had, if the expression may be allowed, the enthusiasm of his environment. He took an interest in all familiar things connected with home and kindred, with old Dorchester and old Boston, with Harvard College and his classmates. As class secretary he was always on the watch for any scraps of information to be gleaned from newspapers or otherwise, and he collected a large amount of Harvardiana, which was withdrawn from the sale when the rest of his library passed under the hammer and will be disposed of hereafter. Mr. Denny enjoyed sociability and hospitality and the arrangement of dinners, of class dinners and the dinners of the Harvard Musical Association; and it may be mentioned here that, without being addicted to the least excess, he excelled in dinner-giving himself, and was learned in the literature of the cuisine. His purchase of cook-books for the Boston Library Society sometimes provoked a smile. Although undemonstrative in his manner, and sometimes querulous and antagonistic in his attitude, something would now and then occur to show his steady attachment to old friends and to old familiar faces, and his real consideration for the interests of those in any way dependent on him. His last days were burdened by the weight of increasing infirmities, failing eyesight, and crippled locomotion, which kept him confined to the house for a year preceding his decease, which took place on September 19, 1907, at a private hospital in Roxbury, whither he had been removed a week before. He was never married. FEBRUARY MEETING, 1908. THE stated meeting was held on Thursday, the 13th instant, at three o'clock, P. M.; the President in the chair. The record of the January meeting was read and approved. The Librarian, in making his usual report, called attention to a letter, dated January 9, 1794, written by James Sullivan, at that time President of the Society, given by Miss Mary Bigelow, daughter of our associate the late Dr. Jacob Bigelow. It relates to the gift, by the owners of the Tontine Crescent, of the fee of a large room in the upper story of that building, which the Society used for thirty-nine years, until June, 1833. The Cabinet-Keeper reported the gift, by George Eliot Richardson, of a large number of bills on bauks in New England, between the years 1849 and 1864, which are stamped either counterfeit or worthless, and a bill of the Confederate States issued in 1864. He also reported the gift, by F. B. Sanborn, of a photograph of what is said to be the only known portrait of Colonel James Montgomery, who died at Mound City, Kansas, on December 6, 1871. The Librarian, in the absence of the Corresponding Secretary, said that letters had been received from Frederic Winthrop, of Hamilton, and John B. Bury, of Kings College, Cambridge, England, respectively accepting their elections to the Resident and Corresponding membership; and that a letter had also been received from Henry Adams, in acknowledgment of the transfer of his name to the Honorary roll, expressing his high appreciation of the honor. Robert S. Rantoul, of Salem, was elected a Resident Member, and Rafael Altamira y Crevea, of the University of Oviedo, Spain, a Corresponding Member. The PRESIDENT then said: At the last meeting of the Society, it will be remembered, a new name, that of Henry Adams, was placed upon our Hon 1 Printed in 1 Proceedings, i. 58, 59. orary roll. After this action had been taken, it occurred to me, upon reflection, that, because of lack of precedents, the course pursued had been, to say the least, in some respects irregular. For this I, as presiding officer, was responsible. It will be remembered that, in accordance with an understanding reached at the April meeting of 1901, no direct nomination of any person to be balloted upon to fill a vacancy in the Honorary list was thereafter to be made by the Council. It was by unanimous consent agreed that, instead of making such specific nomination, the Council thereafter would, in case of a vacancy in the Honorary list, submit certain names which seemed proper for consideration to the Society at large, and, after due deliberation, a ballot, informal in character, might then be taken. If, as the result of that ballot, it was seen that opinion concentrated upon any name, the matter could be referred back to the Council, who would report the name of the person agreed upon for formal action in the usual way at a subsequent meeting. In the case of the vacancy referred to, occasioned by the death of Dr. Masson, it will also be remembered, the Council had suggested the name of Count Leo Tolstoy. At the last meeting additional names were suggested; and, after discussion, an informal ballot was taken by unanimous consent. It was found that, of the thirty-two votes cast, thirty-one favored Henry Adams. Thereupon, the expression of opinion. being practically unanimous, Mr. Adams was declared duly elected an Honorary Member. It has, however, heretofore been the practice when, as in the case of Mr. Adams, any person selected to be placed on the Honorary list was already a Corresponding Member of the Society, to vote that his name be merely transferred from one roll to the other, from the Corresponding to the Honorary list; for it is somewhat difficult to see how a person already a member of the Society can again, without ceasing to be a member, be elected into it; and those whose names are on any of our rolls, whether Resident, Corresponding or Honorary, are all unquestionably members of the Society. It therefore, on reflection, seemed to me that, as presiding officer, I had acted without full consideration in declaring Mr. Henry Adams, as the result of a vote so taken, a duly elected Honorary Member, especially in 1 2 Proceedings, xv. 54. |