21 



Mr. Maylivra in his opening remarks said that 

 a philosopher gave the advice " never excuse, 

 never apologise, never explain." That line of 

 conduct might be all very well, but if an ordinary 

 individual was to follow it consistently he would 

 find himself in a perpetual state of public and 

 domestic embroilment. He began that evening 

 with a whole series of excuses, apologies and 

 explanations. He apologised for giving that 

 paper to that society at all, for he knew that 

 a paper read there should be one to inform 

 them of some hitherto xmknown beetle, or the 

 life history of a particularly impleasant fungus 

 (laughter), in fact a paper which would in some 

 way add to their knowledge of the wonders and 

 beauties of nature. In considering the works of 

 any novelist we must declare some standard upon 

 which we base our remarks. Some people regarded 

 style, others philosophy, and others character. 

 Personally, he agreed with none of these. The 

 standard upon which he considered that a novelist 

 should be judged was a very simple one. " Is he 

 interesting 'i " Not only interest sustaining at 

 the first perasal— a large number of Family 

 Herald supplements would answer that qualifica- 



tion—but interest sustaining at a third, fourth, 

 and fifth penisal. To fulfil this requirement in- 

 volved a higher standard of excellence than was 

 at first apparent— incident alone was not sufficient. 

 The Kev. Baring Gould said of Lorna Doone : — 

 " It possessed a freshness of style, an originality 

 in delineation of character, wliich were of the 

 highest order, and it introduced the reading 

 pirblie to new pastures, and those pastures were 

 very delightful ones." The last few words of that 

 quotation were worthy of note when one thought 

 of the novels of forty yeai-s ago. Dickens, the 

 master, was stiU with them, it was true, but 

 he was soon to leave them, and at chat 

 time the toUowers of his school were becoming 

 a weariness ; the public were getting tired of it. 

 The lecturer went on to point to the vividness of 

 the incidents, so simple in diction and so life-like 

 in narrative, of Blackmore's works, and the 

 naturalness of his characters, and, in conclusion, 

 remarked that his message to his fellow men was 

 " The joy of life and the hopefulness of the fxiture 

 of our race." 



The meeting closed with a hearty vote of thanks 

 to Mr. Maylam for his interesting lecture. 



CONVERSAZIONE IN THE SIMON LANGTON SCHOOLS. 



A conversazione somewhat on the lines of the 

 Jubilee celebration of the Society in 11107 was 

 held on Wednesday evening. May 12, by kind 

 permission of the Governors and Headmaster, 

 in the Simon Langton Schools, Canterbxiry. 

 Use was made of the School rooms and 

 the adjacent art rooms and laboratories 

 f»r the purposes of the gathering. The large 

 schoolroom in which the company were received 

 had been cleared of the school furniture and con- 

 verted into a well appointed reception room and 

 a number of highly interesting scientific and 

 natural history specimens and apparatuses had 

 been pr5pared in the various rooms of the building 

 for the inspection of the Society and their friends. 



Among those present were : Cantain and Mrs. 

 McDakin. Mr. J. Stokes, J. P. (Margate), Mr. 

 J. Linscott (Kamsgate), Dr. Evers and party 

 (Faversham). Dr. and Mrs. Wills, Mr. and Mrs. 

 S. Williamson, Mr. and Mrs. Sharp, Miss Hilda 

 Mason. Miss Fowlei-, Mr. and Mrs. F. Hooker, 

 Councillor and Mrs. Johnson, the Misses Holmes 

 and Phillpotts, Mr. Harry Mount, the Misses 

 Page. Mrs. and Miss Woolridge, Mr. W. Cozens 

 and party, Mr. and Mrs. E. Chamberlain, Mr. and 

 Mrs. A. Lander, Mr. E. B. Goulden, Mr. aud Mrs. 

 P. d'Este Eastes, Mr. Outhbert Gardner, Mr. and 

 Mrs. Glanville, Miss Wiltshier, Miss Sachs, etc. 



Mr. S. Harvey, F.I.C., F.C.S , President of the 

 Society, said he wished to thank the Headmaster 

 and staff of the Simon Langton School for the 

 extensive preparations which they had made. It 

 was not the first, he said, or the fiftieth time he 

 might almost say, in which they had enjoyed 

 their hospitality. He went on to comment upon 

 the ungrudging manner in which the necessary 

 attention and labour was given for carrying out 

 the arrangements of those meetings, and he said 



he felt sure they would enjoy themselves very 

 much indeed. In the name of the Society he- 

 welcomed them all. There were many exhibits, 

 some of which they had seen before but would no 

 doubt be pleased to see again, and others which 

 were entirely novelties. Without being invidious 

 in regard to the exhibits or the experimental dis- 

 plays, as regarded one of these they enjoyed 

 the presence of a gentleman who had made 

 baUoons and airships and that kind of study 

 a speciality. He alluded to their Honorary 

 Secretary, Mr. Lander (applause). He was 

 very clever in all his work, and would give 

 a leetiu'e on what was certainly a subject foremost 

 with the times. It was curious how one class of 

 research helped another. They would see that 

 evening that without the aid of chemistry and 

 meteorology they would be unable to show what 

 they did — no longer toys but highly scientific 

 instruments, which might be sent up to great 

 heights, carrying certain instruments by which 

 they were informed of very important points in 

 regard to the atmosphere itself, and by which old 

 notions had been corrected. He mentioned that 

 merely with a view of giving them an appetite for 

 what "he felt sure they would receive by-and-bj-e 

 (laughter and applause). 



Mr. Lander, Hon. Sec. of the Society, men- 

 tioned that he had received the following tele- 

 gram from their old friend and treasurer, Mr. W. 

 P. Mann : " My kindest thoughts are with you .aU 

 and my best wishes for success of the Society. W. 

 P. Mann, Boscombe." Mr. Lander also mentioned 

 that a number of letters had been received re- 

 gretting inability to be present, among others 

 from the E«v. A. J. G.alpin, Canon Hichens, Canon 

 Ryley, and others. 



A number of large telescopes had been lent by 



