V 



291 



Dr. M. C. Cooke said that although he did not propose to move any 

 amendment to the motion which had just been brought before them, his 

 intention was to meet it with a direct negative. He was glad at least to 

 find that the proposal had not been a subject emanating from the 

 Committee, and as the President had given them his own views respecting 

 it, he on his part should not hesitate to state plainly what he thought also. 

 He was by this time rather an old member of the Club, and, unlike the 

 gentlemen who had been alluded to, he had never been absent from one of its 

 annual meetings. The only argument he had heard in favour of the proposal 

 was that it might be more convenient to some of the members, but he thought 

 it was quite likely that if they found six people who were pleased at the 

 idea of a change, they might find half a dozen who would not be pleased 

 to have an alteration of this kind introduced. This was, he believed, the 

 third time the proposal had been brought forward either in the Committee 

 or at an ordinary meeting — and it -had also been sometimes raised at 

 annual meetings, but always up to the present time it had been met by a 

 strong feeling on the part of the members that it was bettei not to 

 interfere with an established feature of the Club, unless for very strong 

 and sufficient reasons. He thought that before they decided to make any 

 speculative alterations in a course of things which had existed since the 

 Club was first formed, they ought to be quite sure that they were 

 sufficiently warranted by circumstances in so doing. Xo reason had at 

 present been given for making this change, except that it might suit the 

 personal convenience of a few of the members. 



Mr. T. C. White said that the subject was one which no doubt they all 

 had their own ideas about, and, speaking for himself only, his opinion 

 was that July was a most unfortunate time of year at which to hold the 

 annual meeting. He had been ashamed sometimes to see how few mem- 

 bers there were present to hear the address of the President, prepared 

 with great care for the occasion ; besides which it did not seem right that 

 a number of members should from this cause be unable to take any part 

 in the election of their officers. He had listened attentively to the remarks 

 of Dr. Cooke, who, as one of the original members of the Club, was 

 entitled to be heard with great respect for his opinions, but he had not 

 been able to see that there was any very strong argument used. He should 

 at least like to hear the reasons against the change when they found on 

 the other hand that the present date had proved a failure so far as numbers 

 in attendance were concerned. For his own part he had always thought 

 it was the wrong time of year at which to hold the annual meeting. 



Mr. E. T. Newton said that in one respect he agreed with Dr. Cooke, 

 and that was that it was most undesirable to make any change in the rules 

 of the Club unless a very good reason could be shown for the alteration. 

 Dr. Cooke himself had not given them any strong reason against it, and it 

 seemed clear that two or three of the chief officers of the Club were anxious 

 to have the change made. He thought that there had teen reasons shown 



