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indicated by these names ; the Railway Times to the director ; 

 the Field to the sportsman ; or the Era to the actor, is the Art 

 Journal to the sculptor or painter, the Lancet to the physician, 

 the Ibis to the lover of birds, or the Zoologist to its namesake in 

 the flesh. The spirit of the age sympathises with this modern 

 luxury of different readers indulging their particular tastes at 

 their own fireside, while it is further stimulated by the freer 

 circulation of money as well as by the cheapness of some and 

 the excellence of many of the periodicals in question. When 

 it is borne in mind that the pages of some of the best modern 

 reviews are open to men of mark in politics, religion, literature, 

 art and science, and that the reader can thus have easy access 

 to the contemporary thoughts of the best men of the day, in 

 whatever direction he may choose to seek for mental recreation 

 or relaxation, it ceases to be a matter of surprise, not only that 

 the meetings of a society such as ours no longer possess their 

 old charm of attracting large audiences, but that public lectures 

 generally have ceased to be regarded as the most popular means 

 of imparting instruction by a large majority of those for whose 

 benefit they were intended. They no longer attract the au- 

 diences ; are voted " slow ;" and are consequently neglected for 

 some other more attractive and amusing, even if less improving, 

 ways of spending time, these remarks applying, to other large 

 towns as well as to our own. In confirmation of this I may 

 mention having lately noticed an announcement of the closing 

 of the Polytechnic Institution— long one of the most popular 

 places of public resort in London. Here were delivered popular 

 lectures upon scientific or semi-scientific subjects, often illustrated 

 by attractive experiments. The Polytechnic did good work in 

 its time : but for some years back its audiences have been de- 

 clining, its work seemed to be done, and having attained to a 

 mature old age, it lately died a natural death. Another cause, 

 also leading in the direction we have been considering, lies 

 in the greatly increased modern facilities for travel. But per- 

 haps the most powerful factor of all is to be found in the greater 

 pressure under which most of us live nowadays. The style of 

 living among people in the same position is more expensive than 





