48 



OUR COLUMNS. 



October, 1891. 



Suggestions anO ^Enquiries, 



By Edwix Ransom, F.R.G.S. 



/^^S our Institution grew and the supply of books required more systematic attention, 

 a " Book Committee," com2)osed of the more bookish members, was separated by 

 ^SiHal! the General Committee to submit to the latter every month, for purchase, all 

 desirable publications, and to report on such works as might be entered by subscribers in 

 the proposal book. A large portion of these entries were, however, made for private 

 rather than public reasons, and the burden of catering has for many years rested mainly 

 on the Book Committee, or, to speak more correctly, on a very few members of it, assisted 

 too by the Librarian. 



Certes the first function of a Book Committee is to provide a list of books for purchase, 

 also, in a concern of this size, it should report on or attend to the binding and the placing 

 of the books. Whether or not the Council gave it any powers to act, it is hard to see a 

 reason against its being an open Committee, /.c, open to any member of the Council who 

 might care to join in its deliberations. Anyhow, it might be strengthened, several men 

 of letters, and especially men of books, being conspicuous by their absence from its 

 stereotyped list. 



As the season will be advanced before your next issue, perhaps I may append here some 

 suggestive enquiries which have long been " in the air " : — 



1. Would not the Book Committee spend an hour or two very well by looking up in the 

 last and present proposal book all the entries of the word " postponed " ? 



2. Can some member be got to undertake to go through the monthly list of Government 

 and Parliamentary publications, and rejDort on any of local import and any of general 

 interest for reading or for reference [annual cost, including binding, perhaps £1] ? 



3. Is not our Library a proper place for a small collection of reference works, also 

 periodicals, on Education ? Some of the latter are scattered on our tables. A few of the 

 former, including the Report (but not the evidence) of the Royal Commission on Elemen- 

 tary Education, are on our shelves. Why should not the Reports of the Technical, Welsh 

 Intermediate, and other Commissions, stand on one shelf ? £5 would include all these, 

 bound too, and a set of the annual reports of the Education Department. To such a shelf 

 I offer to contribute four works besides that new repertory of fact and criiicism, Grasby's 

 " Teaching in Three Continents." 



Scene : Paris, Pere Lachaise. 



Affahle <SYr<T«(7er (flourishing his hat and bowing low) : Pardonnez-moy, monsieur. Pouvez-vous 



D. (rather unkindly) : Excuse me, sir, I think you are an Englishman P 



A. S. : How fortunate 1 And you ? 



D. : Oh I I speak English like a native. 



A. S. : Ah! now. I felt sure you were a Frenchman, &c., Sec. 



Dialogue (on hearing the above). 

 Zadi/ Friend : What an accent you must have ! 

 D. : Perhaps ; but T took care not to use it. 



-P. : And, no doubt, he would expect to meet a silent Frenchman there. 

 D. : Certainly, or at least some one acquainted with the dead languages. 



Communicatiojis for the Editors (Mr. Elger and Mr. Dymock) may he addressed to 

 the care of the Librarian, Bedford Rooms. 



Applications for space for Advertiseinents may he made to R. Hill & Co. 



