good old days" are gone. The cost of everything is rising, social and economic uncertainties chew away at things. But Mystic's own membership is growing: it stood at 13,675 at the end of 1975. People's involvement in the work is growing-one vital measure is some 23,000 hours of volunteer labor given to assigned museum tasks. Major gifts and bequests are growing, slowly (a bequest from the late Henry B. duPont, whose heart and mind were much with Mystic's ships, made possible the full establishment of the Restoration Shipyard named in his honor). In these things, and in the disciplines of wrestling with problems rather than relying on promise, Johnston finds continuing reason for tempered optimism. That tempering is all important. He warns, in Mystic's latest Annual Report, "that we must give top priority to constant review of all our operations and expenditures." But that is how the Morgan was sailed in her time! If not the good old days, then some good values, and the disciplines they bre<;d, are alive and well in Mystic today, and in that, one feels, lies the making of the voyage. Johnston concludes his report with these words: "I remain deeply impressed with the strength of Mystic Seaport, the dedication of its trustees, the devotion of its members, the loyalty of its staff, and the continued capability of all to work with me to discover and follow the proper course that stretches out ahead. If we search diligently enough and with intelligence and practical vision, we shall determine that course ... " w
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The schooner L.A. Dunton, fished out of Gloucester, survived as a Newfoundland trader, and has been rebuilt at Mystic where her lofty rig challenges the skies. Photo courtesy Mystic Seaport.
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Joseph Conrad sleeps at her pier, where she is used to train young people in seamanship, while harbor steamer Sabino slips jauntil> by. Photo by Claire L. White, Mystic Seaport.
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In the crisp light of a New England winter, the Charles W. Morgan once again stirs restlessly in the wind. Photo: Kenneth Mahler, Mystic Seaport.