16 
Secretaries’ Report for 1905. 
Number 16 of the Society’s rules, which governs the procedure of 
the Annual Meeting, provides, amongst other items, that one of the 
secretaries shall read a report of the General Progress of the Society 
since the last Annual Meeting, and reference to a dictionary confirms 
the prevailing impression that progress implies an advance, or a 
moving towards greater perfection ; obviously, therefore, the members 
who compiled our rules were of an optimistic nature and did not 
contemplate any pause, and still less any retrogression in the Society’s 
movements. This year, and we fear not for the first time, it is 
necessary to honour this rule rather in the breach than in the observ¬ 
ance, unless we follow the example of military authorities who, when 
compiling their reports for the consumption of the public, generally 
affect to regard a step backwards as a mere strategical move towards 
two steps forward. 
It is customary to give first place in the Secretaries’ Report to the 
matter of attendance and, inasmuch as the attendance during the past 
year certainly provides food for thought, it shall, as Kipling has it, 
precede according to precedent. 
Since December 6th, 1904, we have held 20 meetings at the London 
Institution, the average attendance at each meeting being less than 17 
as compared with over 17 in 1904, and 18 in 1903. Now, in view of the 
fact that over 50 members reside within a reasonable distance of 
Finsbury Circus, the attendance can hardly be regarded as a cause for 
pride; moreover, a more minute analysis of the figures does not improve 
matters since it reveals the fact that the council, which consists of 
about one-third of the members to whom attendance is possible, is 
responsible for over two-thirds of the total attendances. Thus sixteen 
members of the council have to their credit a total of 230 attendances, 
while the remaining thirty-five or so members, resident in or near 
London, can only claim an aggregate of 107 appearances, that is three 
per capita per annum. Now, in so far as this proves that the Society s 
officers attend strictly to their duties, it is satisfactory, but it at the 
same time points to a regrettable lack of support from the non-official 
members. 
The attendance of visitors, who, as being possible future members, 
should certainly be encouraged, is far worse. On the average we had 
one visitor at each meeting, but this includes the appearance of eleven 
visitors on the pocket box exhibition night, without which the average 
would be but i a visitor per meeting. 
Before leaving this subject we think it should be recorded that 
Messrs. Shaw, Pickett, and Harris (if you will pardon the mention of 
a part of the secretariat) have been present at every meeting, and that 
our worthy President, Mr. A. W. Mera, has only been absent on one 
occasion. 
As regards the membership roll we are at a standstill, which is a 
condition of things not usually considered as provocative of jubilation. 
Six new members have been elected, but six have resigned; the resig¬ 
nations unfortunately including two members of several years standing, 
viz., Messrs. H. Heasler and IP. H. May. So far the problem of 
increasing the attendance and membership have proved insoluble, and 
we fear that we can make no new suggestion, unless it be to make more 
