218 
COKRESPONDENCE. 
Mr. Branwell's proposed Prize for the best Objective. 
To the Editor of the ' Monthly Microscopical Journal,' 
Sib, — Your Brighton correspondent, Mr. Branwell, F.E.M.S., 
makes a suggestion that " the Eoyal Microscopical Society should 
appoint a committee to settle upon a standard for physiological 
glasses. That the Society should offer a gold medal every third year 
or oftener for such glasses " 
It appears to me the appointment of a committee for that purpose 
would be fraught with danger to the existence of our Society. Every 
optician would have his candidate. Every optician's friend or ac- 
quaintance would be touted for his vote with such uncompromising 
energy, that the whole subject of microscopy would become tainted to 
the core with party spirit ; and in the chaos of our bickerings we 
should lose all chance of getting access to the palatial realms of 
Burlington House, which many Fellows have yearned for as the one 
hope of reviving our declining reputation as a Learned Society. 
When I endeavour to represent to myself in imagination the 
probable effect, among the opticians, of the sight of Mr. Branwell's 
suggested gold medal to be competed for every third year, I seem to 
see a whole Hogarthian series of delineations of human character 
flitting in and about our cheerless assembly room at King's College, 
scarcely one of them having the least confidence beforehand in the 
impartiality of the committee ; and only one of them to be gratified 
every third year ! 
Such a prospect fills me with dismay. I much prefer our present 
anarchical system, where every optician who has a friend among the 
Fellows may induce him to swear by his — and only his judgment 
in recommending optical work. Thus competition is kept alive. 
Thus has every optician an interest in furnishing every one of us 
with choice lenses. Thus may we pride ourselves in thinking we 
each possess lenses of extraordinary excellence. The present system 
favours us all individually, — that is why I like it. 
If Mr. Branwell's proposal were carried out, the very first award 
might put me out of conceit with my lenses. I should sell them at a 
loss, and get others from the " gold medallist." At the next award I 
might be driven back to my discarded lenses ; and so on, until my 
microscopical proclivities would be so tortured by anxiety — hoping 
against hope ever to possess the very best lenses in existence (of 
which at present I am undoubtedly assured by Messrs. X., my op- 
ticians) — that, in despair, I should send the whole paraphernalia to the 
auction room. It would probably be sold for an " old song " to some 
dealer in second-hand apparatus, who would select out the valuable 
portions, replace them by thoroughly worthless ones, and resell to one 
of those aspiring amateurs who have perfect confidence in their own 
judgment. 
I rcmombf3r some years ago a large sum of money was subscribed 
to the " Quekett Memorial Medal Fund," to provide " a medal, to be 
called the ' Quekett Medal,' and to be given at the discretion of the 
