A Word To Pioneers

In front of the secretary's desk, oeatly mounted on a pedestal and handsomely bronzed and ibscribed, was the beil which for years didduty on theoldcourt house. Tliis bell was presented to Livingston county by O. Hawkins, one of the pioneer lawyers of Michigan, in 1857, and it has now been turned over to the kind care of the pioneer society. After short talks by several inembers and the re-eleetion of the old oflieers, the meeting was dismissed subject to the cali of the president. The above is the closing paragraph of an account of the meeting of the Livingston County Pioneer Society in the last issue of the Howell Republican. The item has some local interest from the fact that Mr. Hawkins was for years the leader of the Washtenaw coanty bar, and a resident of this city. While readiug it we could not but think of the niany old relies of pioneer days that are now stored away in one of the rooms in the basement of the court house. There are some very valuable ones, too. The volumes of Ann Arbor papers of the early days of this city are of very great valué, and ought to be taken care of. The Argus dating back over fifty years, and the Courikr snee its foundation in 1863, have nearly complete files, thus inaking a wonderfully complete and accurate history of the city and county. Other papers are also there with nearly complete files which are beyond any money valué, for no money could replace them if they should be destroyed. Then there are other things that tend to show what our people did in the early days and the implements they had to work with, both in the fields and in the home. The specimens of wild cat money should be kept from destruction, for as the years go by they are of more and more value as curiosities. These specimens may possibly be of value, also, as a warning to the people of the views held by certain fiatists who believe that the only way to mako money is to print it. Cannot something be done to preserve these articles and to put them in some secure place. At one time it was understood that the University authorities were desirous of taking this collection and assigning it a place in the museum. Perhaps that would be a wise disposition of it now. Eider Davis, whose death but recently occurred, made this collection a great specialty. He was anxious to make a collection that the people of the future could look upon and be instructed by as to pioneer days, and he succeeded well. He was troubled with the fear that after his death this collection, so dear to every pioneer in the county, and himself in particular, would be scattered or lost. The pioneer society owes it to itself and the memory of this man, who devoted several years of his life to the prosperity of that organization, that this collection should be cared for properly.