REPORT. ■ 
135 
They could not begin too early to teach children those subjects. What 
could the children in the midst of a town like Hirmingham know of 
birds? The only birds they saw were sparrows, and Swallow Street 
was all they knew about swallows, and a visit to the Market 
Hall was their only chance of knowing anything about numbers of 
animals. Ignorance was a great source of mischief, and the great love 
of animals and nature required cultivating and teaching in the same way 
as any other subject. If the Society only enforced the avoidance of 
wanton destruction of life and the habit of preserving a thing of beauty 
as much as possible as it was found, it would serve a most useful 
purpose. It was not a sentimental, but a practical matter, and he 
considered that the Corporation of Birmingham had done all they could 
to help the Society by maintaining in such efficient order the beautiful 
Cannon Hill Park and by taking over the Lickey Hills. Concerning 
their own work, he dared say the Committee often felt disheartened at 
the lack of public interest in it ; but the influence they e.'certed was very 
great, and they could not tell to what extent it would shape public opinion 
in the future. 
Councillor Martineau had a suggestion to make for the enlargement 
of the sphere of the Society. .A, short time ago there was in the Town 
Hall a distribution of prizes to the Board School children under a scheme 
which had been in operation for about twenty years, and so admirably 
managed by Miss Julia Goddard. The scheme of which she was the 
originator was for the encouraging of the teaching of kindness to animals, 
and lessons on the subject had been given in the Board Schools, with the 
consent of the Board and with the hearty co-operation of the teachers. 
His suggestion was that the Committee of the Selborne Society should 
take up the work where Miss Goddard had been obliged to lay it down, 
and so prevent from dropping a work which he was sure must have 
been of great value indeed to the children and to the community a^ 
large. 
Alderman Johnson said that no more civilising influence could be 
brought to bear on the mass of the people than the work which the 
Society at present undertook. He emphasised the suggestion which 
Councillor Martineau had made. The excellent work which Miss 
Goddard had done lay in the path of that Society, and he hoped that 
the Committee would take the matter into their consideration. 
The following officers were appointed : — President, the Mayor ; Vice- 
presidents, Mr. Priestley Smith and Mr. A. W. Wills ; hon. treasurer, 
Mrs. C. Dixon ; and hon. secretary. Miss D. C. Sturge. 
Clapton (Lower Lea Valley) (Seventh Annual Report, 1895).— 
The branch now numbers 66 members, being still a slight increase on 
previous years, notwithstanding losses from removal and other causes. 
The Society’s leaflets have been widely circulated in the district, but 
without any apparent diminution in the number of “ ospreys ” worn. 
The field meetings were again a great success, but together with 
those of other London branches will in future be conducted under the 
management of the Central Committee. 
