72 
ANNUAL DINNER. 
19th December, 1902. 
The social gathering, which is held annually by the Literary 
and Scientific Club, took place at Cronkshaw’s Hotel, under the 
presidency of Mr. James Kay, J.P., president of the Club. 
After the loyal toasts, given from the chair, and accepted with 
musical honours, the President proposed ‘‘ Success to the Club,” 
associated with the name of the ‘‘silver-tongued”’ vice-president 
(Mr. Fred. J. Grant). The objects of the Club —Literary and 
Scientific—had been constantly kept before them and well 
maintained. The Society took them out of their different ruts, 
and brought them all together in one great path of science, litera- 
ture, and art, on which subjects the lectures of the last session 
had been of the highest quality. 
Mr. Fred. J. Grant, J.P., in reply, said the Club had passed 
through all the diseases incident to infancy, and childhood, and 
youth, and had reached the hey-day of life; or, in other words, 
they had long since passed the spring, and were now in the 
glorious summer, and if it should be that they reached the 
autumn, with its mellowed and golden grain, they would still 
expect the hoped for blossom of spring, and all the seasons of the 
year, in one perennial round of delight and usefulness. They 
were celebrating the twenty-ninth birthday of the Club, and next 
year, when they reached the thirtieth anniversary, he trusted they 
would have one of their old-fashioned conversaziones, which used 
to be a distinguishing feature of the Club. Few institutions, he 
imagined, fulfilled the intentions of their founders, but they 
might claim for their Club that it had done very good work. The 
Club was formed after Burnley became a Parliamentary borough, 
and when there was a great deal of political excitement, 
and he was certain it had done a great deal to soften political 
asperities, and moderate the rancour and the strife of tongues. 
If they could enlist into the service of the Club the younger 
members—to take the place of those who had grown old in the 
service—by giving papers, and taking an intelligent interest in 
ra discussions, they could then look hopefully forward to the 
uture. 
