THE MASSACHUSETTS HUMANE SOCIETY.
This society was established as far back as the year 1785„a few years later than the Royal Humane Society, and with similar objects —to reward deeds of bravery in saving and to furnish information and apparatus for the recovery of persons appar ently drowned. The society received its charter in the year 1791.
The United States Life-Saving Service having extended its opera tions all along the coast, the Humane Society has been considerably relieved thereby from maintaining many sta tions that had a long history of use fulness. Although this would seem to narrow the work of the Humane Society, it had an opposite tendency, by creating a friendly rivalry between the organizations. There are now on the Massachusetts coast seventy life saving stations altogether, of which eighteen belong to the United States Service, and fifty-two to the Humane Society. It will thus be seen that this society has undertaken a large field of work, and its success has been rewarded to some extent by the State Government, which granted at differ ent dates considerable sums to help the society to pursue its most laudable work. Private benefactors, too, have'
from time to time given financial support to its operations. . The society, as in the case of the Royal Humane Society, provides means for life-saving on rivers and wharfs, where traffic and bathing are sure to produce accidents. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded, with certifi cates, for conspicuous bravery in life-saving, and in needy cases money may be given to the extent of forty dollars, but not more, to one individual. The long career of noble work performed by the Massachusetts Society may be said to have been the principal factor in establishing the United States Life-Saving Service, which excels all others in its complete equipment and number of its stations. Both services unite in friendly co-operation, as indeed they ought to do, having the same objects in view. The author of this work earnestly wishes God-speed to both of these noble services.