THE FUTURE OF THE VILLAGE. 195 



At one of the later meetings of the Club, Mr. Harold Lacey, 

 then Secretary to the Association, read a paper on Village 

 Clubs, dealing not only with the general principles of the 

 movement but also with some of the practical problems 

 which had arisen in connection with it. An interesting 

 discussion arose in which many who were themselves 

 concerned in the management of village clubs took part. 

 Among the speakers were Mr. Holland Martin, C.B. (one of 

 the Treasurers of the Village Clubs Association), Mr. Child 

 Bayley and Mr. Cloudesley Brereton (visitors), Mr. A. 

 Goddard (one of the hon. secretaries of the Village Clubs 

 Association), Mr. George Nicholls and Mr. J. T. Gurd. 



On this subject I may be suspected of bias, but I cannot 

 refrain from expressing the opinion that the disregard of 

 the recommendations of the Selborne Committee, which in 

 addition to the proposals summarised by Sir Douglas Newton 

 explicitly advocated the establishment of village clubs and 

 institutes, supported as they were by other bodies, such as 

 the Committee on Adult Education, eminently qualified to 

 offer sound advice to the Government, has been most 

 unfortunate. The problem was of too great magnitude and 

 complexity to be adequately dealt with by voluntary effort, 

 and the meagre assistance given from public funds was 

 wholly insufficient to allow of such a universal and compre- 

 hensive effort as was needed. It is pitiful to reflect on the 

 millions spent on temporary and ineffective measures when 

 a fraction of the sum would have sufficed to give such an 

 impetus to village reconstruction as would have established 

 a new era in rural England and promoted, as nothing else 

 could do, the peace and contentment of the villages. 



