54 



little effort, might be brought forward for exhibition, which 

 would furnish aid and incentive to beginners and help 

 towards forming a better knowledge of what is worthy of 

 exhibition. 



Many articles are contributed not only in this department 

 but in fancy work, counterpanes and rugs which are not 

 sufficiently meritorious to warrant their being offered for 

 exhibition. It is, however, hardly possible to reject any 

 articles offered. The contributions are brought in either in 

 the evening before or in the morning of the exhibition, and 

 the committee receiving them have scarcely time to enter 

 and put them in place, with no time to judge of their 

 merits, even if they were at liberty to decide as to their 

 fitness for exhibition. 



The society may not be prepared to adopt any method at 

 present for discriminating in regard to the exhibits that are 

 offered. No standard should be adopted which would ex- 

 clude meritorious work of beginners, especially that of 

 beginners in art, or require a high standard of excellence. 

 The aim should certainly be to encourage all such. But if 

 those intending to offer articles for exhibition would seek 

 the advice of those competent to judge of their merit, a 

 higher standard would be the result. The merits of an ex- 

 hibition do not consist in the number of articles exhibited, 

 and all interested in the work of the society should aim to 

 secure a higher standard rather than an increase in the 

 number. In nearly every department above named, if the 

 committee could have rejected a small portion of the 

 articles exhibited, the remainder would have made a more 

 attractive exhibition. The comparatively few common- 

 place articles are sure to be noticed by visitors and to sug- 

 gest unfavorable comment. 



For the purpose of protecting fancy articles from being 

 handled or lost, it was recommended in the report of last 

 year, that cases covered with wire be procured for perma- 

 nent use. Under a vote of the trustee, six cases were 

 made which proved to be of great service. A sufficient 



