Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 6.djvu/321

Rh there were the centuries when a marvelous civilization held sway.

Professor E. G. Bourne spoke from the standpoint of an Eastern student who had had occasion to investigate closely some phases of Oregon history. He counseled cooperation and the encouragement of private collectors. Miss Mary Frances Isom of the Portland Public Library told of the collection of Oregoniana that had been made by that institution. Active efforts in this line had been interrupted, but they were to be resumed. Mrs. Eva Emery Dye argued that the race of people found on this coast by the first white men were descendants of Asiatic races through stray shiploads stranded on these shores and had retrograded from higher planes of civilization. Mr. George H. Himes, whose duties as assistant secretary of the Oregon society has given him large experience as a collector of historical material, spoke of some of the conditions met with in that work.

The degree of isolation that the historical organizations of the Pacific Coast have to contend with deprives them of the advantages of division of labor and cooperation, of the aid of mutual suggestion, and the stimulus of emulation. It was proposed through federation to obviate these disadvantages as. much as possible. A committee was appointed, consisting of Professor F. G. Young of Oregon, Professor C. A. Duniway of California, Professor E. S. Meany of Washington, Professor E. M. Hulme of Idaho, and Professor ____ of Utah. This committee is to devise and put into operation such a plan of union of the historical societies, state and local, of the Pacific Coast, and apply for such affiliation with the American Historical Association as will secure the largest measure of cooperation and thus promote activities of collection of sources and of prosecution of historical research.

The session of the third day was under the auspices of the Pacific Coast Branch of the Americal Historical Asso-