28 PROCKEDIXGS <>K lUl* 



cancel tlie elecliun ot iiuy Fellow who refuses to subscribe his 

 oblif,':ition when he appears for. adniissiou. But we safeguard 

 ourselves against the disagreeable necessity of inflicting that 

 penalty by the dubious expedient of indicating that such a Fellow 

 need not incur the penalty proviih-d he be sufficiently discreet to 

 refrain from presenting himself for admission. We have no 

 desire to benefit by the annual contributions and admission fees of 

 persons who conscientiously object to assist the Society in its work. 

 What we do urgently need is a slight but necessary modification 

 in the drafting of one of our bye-laws. 



What concerns us now, however, is not so much the past 

 neglect of our bye-law regarding ' Admission,' as the attention 

 this bye-law nnist receive in future. We may rely, as hitherto, 

 upon our Council tu treat witii consideration those applications 

 for extension of time from new Fellows who, owing to residence 

 abroad, to sickness, or to some other adequate cause, are unable to 

 seek admission within six months. We may be assured that 

 renewed applications on similar grounds will be considered with 

 care and sympairhy. But we must make it clear by bye-law that 

 when in future an elected Fellow has failed to seek admission 

 within six months and has taken no trouble to ask for an 

 extension of time, his election shall be void. It is unthinkable 

 that we should retain on our List the name of any Fellow who 

 thus disregards one of our orders, to the exclusion from Fellowship 

 of a candidate who is prepared, if elected, to subscribe his 

 obligation to the Society and to promote its common good. 



A point that calls for thought is the apparent difficulty of 

 applying such a regulation in the case of a Fellow who desires, on 

 his election, to compound for all future contributions by a single 

 payment. The difficulty is less serious than it looks. Already 

 we distinguish between Fellows usually resident outside the 

 United Kingdom and Fellows usually resident in the British Isles. 

 We did, at one time, recognise that the former, who crinnot 

 use our library and attend our ordinary meetings, are at a dis- 

 advantage as compared with the latter, who enjoy these two 

 advantages. Our Statutes do not permit any non-resident Fellow 

 to appear in person for admission until he shall have produced 

 satisfactory security that his annual contributions be duly paid in 

 advance, or shall have compounded for all future annual contri- 

 butions by a single ])ayment. Our Statutes, on the otiier hand, 

 permit any resident I'^ellow to a])pear for admission as soon 

 as he shall have paid his admission fee and his first aimual 

 contribution. The bye-law as regards non-resident Fellows 

 would be aduiirable, if we took care to see it enfoi-ced. It 

 should therefore n.-main, provided we decide to continue the 

 concession as to cou)|)osition. The difficulty as regards resident 

 Fellows can be easily overcome by the insertion, in the bye-law 

 relating to them, of the converse order that the privilege of 

 composition n)ay only be enjoyed by those who have duly appeared 



