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wholly unworthy of premium, and this they are likely to have 

 to do from year to year. Now why not, by a simple expedient, 

 at once relieve the Committee of this duty, and the tables of 

 an abundant, but extremely unproductive, display ? "Why not 

 empower the proper officer, with whom the entries are made, 

 to exercise a just discrimination, and decline receiving such 

 articles as can, evidently, stand no chance of favorable regard 

 in the critical examination ? Many reasons might be assigned, 

 we believe, why such an officer might better discharge this 

 duty than the Committee ; while no person fit to receive the 

 entries in any way, could be deemed incompetent for this, at 

 least so far as the rejecting of many specimens brought under 

 our eye at the last exhibition. If it be urged that no one 

 should be debarred from making an entry of his or her contri- 

 bution, then we say no one should be debarred from a propor- 

 tional gratuity, and the amount in the Committee's gift should 

 have been five times greater than it was. If it be said that the 

 Society designs to encourage those who are learning to grow 

 flowers or make boquets, and all such should be allowed to 

 show their efforts and results, we wish to know if the Society 

 can afford to give their tickets to all who are glad to show a 

 poor contribution, and say they are learning to produce a better 

 one. Or is it not, rather, the true policy of the Institution to 

 reward those who have learned, and who prove the fact by 

 works worthy of exhibition ? We cannot see that it is any 

 greater discouragement to reject an article when first presented, 

 than to receive it and give it up to inevitable neglect and ob- 

 scurity afterward. 



Not intending to task your forbearance, we wish to allude to 

 another matter in this connection, to wit, — the plan of awards 

 in this department of the exhibition. We know that our pre- 

 decessors on this Committee have drawn some attention to the 

 point, but we do not find any consequent alteration in practice. 

 Now we beg to say that, with very muc^ deference to the wis- 

 dom of the Society, we tliink the mode of gratuities the very 

 worst possible for all concerned. It is bad for the Society, for 



