304 [Proc. B,N.F.C., 



The want of interest was not wholly confined to those who 

 did not attend. I think the officials are much to blame, for 

 Sir Norman Lockyer, the immediate Past-President of the 

 Association, attended, and he said — and I took down his 

 words — that during his term of office " no official representa- 

 tion or correspondence from the Committee came before 

 him ; this is not business but comic opera " ; and he went on 

 to say, that hard-working man as he was, he felt deeply hurt 

 at the want of touch between the Committee and himself 

 during his Presidency. He said " there was a great gulf 

 between the head representatives and the men who did the 

 work. As things go on at present, it is a terrible waste of 

 time and energy. A change was wanted that would embrace 

 the clubs that do not print reports." It was very evident by 

 the way these remarks were received that Sir Norman carried 

 the sympathy of the meeting with him. 



The Committee passed on to the consideration of a paper 

 by the Rev. W. Johnston, representing the Yorkshire Philo- 

 sophical Society, suggesting the importance of utilising local 

 museums in connection with elementary and other public 

 schools; but it gave rise to no very animated discussion, 

 although many points were worthy of attention, such as that 

 every museum should have its lecture hall, and that speci- 

 mens should be brought to the^ children there, instead of the 

 children to the cases, where none but the few nearest the 

 conductor could derive instruction. The Committee seemed 

 to be restless, dwindling down, and inattentive, and as some 

 garden parties were more attractive it adjourned. 



On Tuesday, 23rd August, it reassembled, and the prin- 

 cipal discussion seemed to be " that it was desirable to have 

 a conformity of the publications of the societies with certain 

 bibliographical requirements." 



There was now a remarkable change in the spirit of the 

 Committee — perhaps the garden party at Emmanuel College 

 had done some good after all — and nothing could be too 

 good for the '' Proceedings," they were so very valuable that 

 the members almost rose to enthusiasm over the somewhat 



