Proceedings of the Society. 357 



" I am much struck by the absence of young members in our 

 Society, and to encourage them I would suggest that every bona fide clerk 

 or typist, be he or she in Government employ or in Water street, be 

 admitted as special Clerical Associates at an annual subscription of $4. 



" Several suggestions have been given for popularising the Soeiet}' 

 by those who have not the courage openly to express their 

 opinions, and I can sympathise with them in their reticence for the 

 community is more ready to criticise than to assist, and there is ever 

 amongst us the mean assassin with his stiletto in the shape of the anony- 

 mous correspondent. 



Library Methods. 



" But let me turn to the suggestions. Most of them have been 

 made in connection with the library. Now our most ardent supporters 

 cannot but own that however excellent our books of reference, however 

 large our assortment of other works, our methods are antiquated, and 

 that we are not keeping pace with the times. It is recommended that 

 our library should be run on the same lines as the Free Library, where 

 the arrangements are similar to those of the Free Library in Westminster, 

 London. The Carnegie Free Library of this town is an admirably 

 conducted institution which calls for the highest praise of those who 

 administer it, and there is no reason why our Society should not be 

 equally up-to-date. Our librarian is admirably suited to the post he 

 holds ; he is a typical bookworm and takes the keenest interest in his 

 work, whilst the lady who assists him, who I know has rendered help in 

 adding to the list of lady members, would very soon be able to grasp 

 the details. As compared with the Free Library, we have attractions 

 which possibly are not generally known. Our list of periodicals is much 

 longer. Our rooms are open every day and all day with a part of 

 Sundays and holidays. Our meetings ought to be of general interest. 

 Our loans of books are larger than the Free Library, being : 3 Vols., 

 2 sets of periodicals at a time for members ; 2 Vols., 1 set of periodicals 

 at a time for associates. The librarian is prepared to give information 

 on a variety of interesting subjects. There is an admirable collection 

 of books for young people, and all under l(j years of age can join the 

 Society by paying 50 cents a quarter, which entitles them to take out 

 one book at a time ; there are only three such members now on our list. 

 Lastly, new books arrive eveiy mail. 



' ; I am told that the novels ordered are not in keeping with the 

 feeling of the members. The subject is undoubtedly a delicate one, and 

 I hardly know how to approach it. Our institution is accused, how 

 rightly I cannot say, of a mawkish false delicacy. I am told that the 

 novels ordered are too much of the Sandford and Merton type ; that the 

 age requires strong writing, and that the trend of thought has become 

 so metamorphosed in these later days that what shocked the early 

 Victorians is as babes' food to-day. I am not here to argue these 

 matters, but one thing is certain, what the reading public want they will 

 have, and the result has been the formation of small circulating coteries 

 who import books for themselves to the detriment of the Society. If 



