82 MONTHLY SUMMARY. 



Ivories. — Some inquiries having been made as to the cause 

 \vhich has induced the Council to abolish the Ivory Ticl^ets and 

 substitute Season Cards, it may be proper to explain that they 

 found that, unless they were to abandon all idea of maintaining a 

 check upon the use or abuse of these tickets, and confining the 

 privilege of admission to those who were really entitled to it, some 

 such step was absolutely imperative. There are three modes in 

 which they might he abused. A Fellow might die, and his 

 family or servants omit to return the ticket ; or he might resign, 

 and omit to return it ; or it might be lost or stolen: in all which 

 cases it might pass into the hands of unscrupulous persons, and 

 then continue to be used often by questionable characters, until 

 it was detected at the door and impounded. 



The same danger occurs at the Opera and other establishments 

 where Ivories are used, and the remedy which they adopt is to 

 issue a new Ivory each year, of a different form or colour. This 

 is practicable with a moderate number of subscribers, but when 

 they mount up to 8000, or to the still larger number which the 

 Society may reasonably expect to consist of ere another year has 

 ^one by, it becomes serious in point of expense. Taking 3s. as 

 the price of each ticket, the cost to the present number of Fellows 

 entitled to Ivories would be nearly 300Z, a year — an expenditure 

 which the Council would find it difficult to justify, either to them- 

 selves or the other Fellows. 



Assuming, then, that the transferable tickets should be checked 

 once in each year, no other means appeared so good as the issue 

 of a yearly card. 



It is wholly in the interests of the Fellows themselves, and to 

 protect their privileges from infringement, that the step is taken; 

 and although it cannot be expected that any means will wholly 

 prevent abuses, it is clearly the duty of the Council to take such 

 steps with that object as appear to them best calculated for the 

 purpose. 



h 



International Exhibition, 1862 It may be proper again to 



recapitulate what has been done by the Council in conjunction 



with the Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1862, regarding 



the admission of the public to the Gardens and the International 

 Exhibition, 



They have made a temporary arrangement, by which they 

 will have, from May to October, a new entrance from Kensington 



