79

Procedures of the fourth annual meeting of the Texas State Association of Architects held at Waco, Texas

January 15th & 16th 1889

Tuesday Jan 15

The fourth annual meeting of the Texas State Association of Architects was called to order at 2:30 P.M. and the [?] opened by the following address from the President W.C. Dodson

The Address.

Gentlemen of the Texas State Association of Architects:

In its annual course the day returns for us to meet in council in the interest of our profession; and in the beginning of our deliberations I return to you my thanks for the honor conferred in unanimously choosing me to the responsible position of president of our association. I assure you this token of your confidence is appreciated, and ask each of you to assist me in the proper discharge of the duties devolving upon me, and to bear with any mistakes which may occur, and as each of you have deep interess in all that concerns the profession, I ask that all will aid me in the discharge of every duty. to us, this meeting is of improtance, because questions are to come before us of high interest--of the association, coupled with intelligent understanding of our wants by each member, will enable us to so take counsel together and in such a manner that right conclusions will be reached, and an impetus given to the objects and aims of our association, which will terminate in the fruition of our hopes.

Three years have passed since our organization, and during that time much has been accomplished for our own benefit, and much also for the welfare of the people. Our social relations have become more intimate by better acquaintance with each other, and our influence has been increased with the people by educating them to a better apprehension of the duties and vocation of the architect, and of the necessity requiring the services of men skilled in the science and practice of building, and in that wants and needs of the citizen and the community. But while we have made some progress, we have hardly begun the work which lies before us. A vast field is to be traversed, if we accomplish anything worthy of ourselves in the achievement of the objects for which we are associated, and secure the benefit to ourselves to the people and to those who may follow in our footsteps, which we should work to accomplish, and bend all of our energies to attain, so in addressing you today I wish, in a cursory manner, to present the subjects in such a light that each of us mayt be stimulated to more zeal and have increased energies for the before us.

As evidence of what has been done before and since our organization in this state, I ask you to look back a few years and see the difference between private and public buildings, at a date not remote, and the present. The time is not far back in the past when intelligent men--intelligent in most of the affairs of business--were ignorant of the needs of an architect, and still more ignorant of his vocation and his duties. At that time few had thought but one man knew as much about building as another, or if there was any difference it was in favor of those who had never given the subject aq thought outside the primitive frontier dwelling or public building. As enlightened intelligence has increased this idea has been giving away, and as the light has dawned upon them its increasing rays give promise that ere long the old architects who have labored under great difficulties in developing a refined taste and working for the good of others, will reap the reward which their merit deserves. Indeed, so far has education proceeded in this line that we have instances where the architects of the state were not deemed of sufficient capacity to supply a felt want, but others from distant parts were secured to do the things which the advanced ideas of some suggested could not be done by those at home. Gentlement, there are some of you here today who have seen this, and who when you, first came to this state could not find a public building worthy the name nor a dwelling with convenience or construction which would meet the requirements for which it was erected. But see the change today! Asylums, colleges, a university, school buildings, churches, court houses, dwellings