34 



too. Other towns of inferior size in England and Scotland 

 have their libraries, which are largely used, and evidently 

 highly appreciated, by the classes for whom they are intended. 

 Leeds, for instance, a town not much superior in size to Belfast, 

 had in its library at the date of the last report to which I had 

 access, over 20,000 volumes in its reference department, and 

 over 50,000 in its lending department. Four years ago, Dundee, 

 a smaller town than Belfast, had nearly 30,000 volumes in the 

 two departments. These have been established under the Pub- 

 lic Libraries* Acts, which some gentlemen not long since sought 

 to have applied to Belfast. 



I shall not detain you much longer ; but there is one other 

 matter that I wish briefly to advert to. It will hardly be cre- 

 dited that our society's membership now is virtually no larger 

 than it was when the Museum was built fifty years ago, and 

 when the population of the town was less than one-fourth of 

 what it now is. I do not expect to keep up the old proportion 

 of membership to population ; but I regard with disappointment 

 the apathy of the public, and with more than disappointment 

 the not unfrequently expressed wish to put a commercial value 

 on membership here in return for the annual subscription. 

 We cannot offer a direct return in money, and it is very dis- 

 couraging when one is trying to enlist new members to be met 

 with such selfish remarks as "It does me no good," or " I get 

 nothing for my money." If the Museum and the society are, as 

 I think they are, deserving of public support, they should get it 

 more freely and ungrudgingly than they do. Fifty or sixty 

 more members at an annual subscription of only a guinea each 

 Avould make us financially easy, but still with no margin for 

 incidental expenses, painting or repairs of buildings, &c. It 

 would seem strange if, in such a large community, such a com- 

 paratively small number could not be had notwithstanding all 

 the counter attractions alluded to. However, I feel strongly 

 that, as the Museum exists for the public, and not the public 

 for the Museum, if the public won't support it, it will have to 

 go down, for I do not see the object of keeping it in being by 

 spasmodic efforts, from any mere sentimental or conservative 



