ANNUAL MEETING. 
97 
There is another aspect of the case, which is of far more than local interest, 
and which we earnestly commend to the notice of all our readers. The arbitra- 
tors before whom the matter was tried seem to have merely taken into considera- 
tion the questions of obstruction and injury to the use of the path, refusing to 
listen to any representations of the wrong done to the inhabitants and otheis by 
damaging the beauty of the neighbourhood. Surely, if there were no other raison 
.d'etre for the existence of such an Association as the Selborne Society, the pre- 
valence of such an utterly Philistine spirit as this among public men would be 
sufficient. It is evident that the mantle of Mr. Gradgrind has fallen upon some 
worthy successors. It must be our work to see that our local politicians are taught 
that the man who ignores the sense of beauty and sneers at aesthetic sentiment, 
writes himself down, if not an ass, at least an uncultured boor, to whose hands it 
would be the height of folly to commit the fortunes of a town whose most valu- 
able possession is the natural beauty which has gained it world-wide celebrity, 
and which is the main source of its present wealth. For the spirited stand made 
-against this short-sighted and unwise policy, the thanks not only of their fellow- 
townsmen but of all lovers of beauty, are due to Sir Edward Ilertslet, Mr. Edward 
King, Councillor Hilditch, Councillor Wakefield, and though last, very far from 
least, to the local Hon. Secrectary of the Selborne Society, who made the most 
strenuous exertions in this critical juncture. 
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SELBORNE SOCIETY. 
The annual meeting of the Selborne Society was held on May 6th at the 
Church House, Dean’s Yard, Mr. T. F. Wakefield in the chair. Much regret 
was expressed that Mr. and Mrs. Musgrave, the originators of the Society, who 
had come to town from Torquay to attend the meeting, were unable to be 
present owing to the illness of Mr. Musgrave, and that Mr. Otter, the Hon. 
Treasurer, was obliged to be absent from a similar cause. 
The annual report of the Council was read. It is a very interesting docu- 
ment, but has reached us so late that we cannot print it in its entirety. With 
regard to the numerical strength of the Society, it says the number of members 
again shows a most satisfactory increase. New Branches have been formed at 
Epping Forest (Forest Ramblers), Bootle and its neighbourhood (Tudor), Rome, 
and Halifax. The following Branches have been revived : — Kent, now called 
North Kent, Tunbridge Wells or Weald of Kent, and Bayswater. The Bourne- 
mouth Branch has been attached temporarily to the Southampton and New 
Forest Branch. 
As the applications to the Branches for accurate information as to the number 
of members and income of the various Branches had not been fully responded to, 
the Secretary had drawn up the following approximate table, based on the 
number of magazines supplied to each Branch : — Lower Thames Valley Branch 
(Richmond and Brent Valley Divisions), 273 members ; Birmingham, 143 ; Nor- 
thern Heights (Hampstead and Iligiigate), 136; Ilaslemere, 104; Rape of 
Lewes, 100; Southampton and New Forest, 97; Kensington, 91; Wimbledon 
and Putney, 91 ; Rother Valley Branch (Midhurst, Petersfield and Chichester 
Divisions), 79 ; Bath, 78 ; Bayswater, 52 ; Weybridge, 52 ; Clapton, 42 ; Tudor 
(Bootle), 39 ; Brighton, 39 ; P'orth, 39 ; North Kent, 39 ; Liverpool, 39 ; Hali- 
fax, 32 ; Atalanta, 30 ; Guildford, 26 ; Neston, 26 ; Nottingham, 26 ; Gilbert 
White (Selborne and Liphook), 26 ; Weald of Kent, 23 ; Dorking, 20 ; Bolton, 
19 ; Lake District, 13. Of course this list does not include the very large 
number of Magazines supplied to the general subscribers to the Society, pur- 
chased by the public and gratuitously distributed to Free Libraries and other 
public institutions. 
The report goes on to congratulate the Society on the success of its Magazine, 
and the efficiency with which it has been conducted, in spite of the protracted ill- 
ness of the Editor, and makes the following remarks on the relation of the 
Branches to the Society : — 
