The New York Historical Society, at 170 Central Park West, New York City, was founded in 1804, and for one hundred and thirty years has been gathering and preserving historical materials, through generous gifts and considered purchases. Its founders were scholarly gentlemen of varied interests, and for many decades the Society was not considered so specialized as libraries tend to be now. In consequence, there are many things here, besides New York material, which a stranger would not expect to find in the library of a society designated the New York Historical.

Elegantly equipped fire engines, automatic ladders, and pumps capable of spouting streams of water far into the air were not available in 1762; but citizens of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, were cognizant of the need for protection against fire; and so they organized the Friendly Fire Society. Detailed regulations of the organization are recorded in the “articles” of the group possessed by the Business Historical Society.

The recent acquisition by the Baker Library of two booklets on Wall Street, one of them issued by a broker in the days of the Civil War and the other issued by another broker about 1880, calls to mind the many changes, not only in the physical appearance of the Street but also in the procedure of conducting business, that have taken place since 1850.

Letters asking persons to become agents for a novel device or a patent medicine, although grossly exaggerating the qualities of the advertised product, are not unusual; but when a counterfeiter pens a letter to secure an agent for the distribution of illicit dollars, it is indeed a curiosity. Two such extraordinary letters may be found in the files of the Society.

Arrogant knights, dashing Vikings of the North, wild Indian hunters, and colorful naval battles are a few of the stirring scenes depicted in the picturesque advertisements of the early California clipper ships, found in the Society's collection of trade cards.

Perusal of these yellowed but still gay cards reveals that the illustrations are seldom directly tied up with the shipping trade. More often the scenes are pictorial expressions of the ship's name. Robin Hood and his merry men step right out of history to advertise the sailing of the clipper ship bearing the gallant bandit's name.

Collecting historical data possesses a lure somewhat akin to the joy of solving a tantalizing puzzle. A bit of information here, a manuscript there, and finally that last scrap of material is found which places the historical event in its true perspective. This process of building up certain business historical information into an understandable whole is often evidenced in the operations of the Business Historical Society.