* 
Proceedings. xli 
The President's Address. 
Lapies anp GENTLEMEN, 
In addressing you this evening, I feel that, though I 
have done my best, I have been able to do but little for the 
Society during the past year, and even for that little my grateful 
thanks are due to the Council, and also to Mr. Moore, who have 
in every way so actively supported me. 
In my address this evening, I propose, with your permission, 
to give you my own views as to the aims and work in the future 
of our Society, which is within three months of commencing its 
thirty-fifth year. 
Tue Aims anD Worx IN THE Furure or a Narurau History 
Society. 
In considering this subject, and looking through the past 
history of our Society, that glorious old hymn, ‘‘ Change is our 
portion here,’’ was very forcibly brought to my mind. Our 
Society held its inaugural meeting on April 6th, 1870, with a 
very fine address by Dr. Lee, and it was joined by 116 members 
in its first year. This number gradually increased until it 
reached the maximum of 308 on January 13th, 1892, when the 
number gradually declined until, at the Annual Mceting on 
January 19th, 1904, it was only 201. We ask ourselves what 
is the reason of this rise and decline, for we find that in 1871 
the population of Croydon was 55,652 persons, in 1891 it was 
102,695 persons, in 1901 it was 133,885 persons, and at the 
middle of 1904 it is reckoned to be 144,419 persons. The 
neighbouring parishes have also grown in population. It will 
be noticed that between 1870 and 1892, when the population of 
Croydon had doubled, the membership of the Society had rather 
more than doubled; but that between 1892 and 1904, when the 
population of Croydon had increased 41,724 persons, the mem- 
bership of the Society liad decreased by one-third. Let us look 
further. The University Extension Movement, which began 
with Cambridge in 1872, organized series of lectures followed by 
examinations. This system took some years before it got into 
working order and became known, and | believe I am not far 
wrong when I state that at the time our Society reached its 
high-water mark in 1892, the competition of the University 
Extension Lectures began to be felt. It will be noticed that 
_ these lectures are organized on much the same lines as our own 
_ Meetings, and the lecturers, like our own members, confine 
themselves to their own special subjects; but there is this 
