31*2 Remarks on Public 
is frequently the case with several) 
without any expenee. This has been 
the result for many years back ; there 
is but once instance of any subscription 
being wanted to clear all demands, and 
that was six shillings from each member 
in consequence of the society having 
been incautious in ordering more books 
than could be brought into that year’s 
circulation. There is no stock or ad¬ 
vance necessary, as the booksellers bill 
is always discharged on the day of the 
sale. The following abstract of the 
treasurer’s account for one year, will 
shew within a pound or two what it 
has been for the last ten years. To 
those persons who have no similar en¬ 
gagement on hand or in prospect, these 
minute details may appear uninterest¬ 
ing ; but to those who may have, there 
will need no apology for the display. 
Dr. The Treasurer, 1821. 
r* 
X 
s. 
d. 
To Balance - 
4 
0 
10 
To forfeits on books 
3 
2 
10 
To ditto, on attendance 
7 
7 
9 
To two admissions 
0 
11 
0 
To amount of books lost 
0 
5 
2 
To sale - - - 
8 
9 
0 
23 
16 
i 7 
Creditor, 1821. 
£ 
s. 
d. 
By amount of bookseller’s bill 
19 
0 
4 
By auction, duty, and porterage 
0 
9 
5 
Balance - 
4 
6 
10 
23 
16 
7 
Birmingham , J. Luckcock. 
Oct. 1821. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N perusing your Magazine for the 
present month, I find some obser¬ 
vations in regard to public institutions, 
of very great weight and importance ; 
and as the article itself seems to invite a 
general consideration, I beg to avail my¬ 
self of the present opportunity of making 
some remarks which appear to me di¬ 
rectly referable to these societies. It is 
well observed by your correspondent, 
Scrutator, that the motives of many 
persons occupying the situation of ho¬ 
norary secretaries are to be suspected; 
for while they clothe themselves with the 
plausible character of benevolence, to 
which the association, in its origin and 
intention is most honourably entitled, 
there can be no doubt, from most 
decided testimony and repeated expe¬ 
rience, that these gentlemen are fre¬ 
quently needy adventurers, bankrupts 
in fortune, and specious (to say the 
least) in conduct, making a desperate 
Institutions , [Nov. 1, 
pluuge, by the assistance of such socie¬ 
ties, to obtain either transient fame 
and popularity, an appropriation of the 
monies subscribed, an effort to raise 
themselves from merited obscurity, or 
to make their present policy and pro¬ 
fessions tend to their future advance¬ 
ment, by becoming large receivers of 
the funds, or stipendiary agents of these 
institutions. * Nor is this all, Mr. Edi¬ 
tor, for we continually see these aspir¬ 
ing gentlemen, like the frog in the 
fable, so inflated (and the result is 
generally the same) by conceit, that 
they forget the capacity in which they 
stand as servants to a society, and in¬ 
stead of fulfilling submissively the su¬ 
bordinate duties of their station, are 
continually aiming at the complete 
controul and direction of the whole 
concern. We shall see this b}* refer¬ 
ence to the columns of our daily jour¬ 
nals, in which the name of an excel¬ 
lent institution has been continually 
subservient to the object of puffing off 
the character of a certain secretary, 
informing the public of different inter¬ 
views held between this agent and the 
members of his Majesty’s government. 
Indeed the mischief resulting from such 
appointments appear to me fatal to the 
interests of any institution established 
for permanent objects. In associations 
of a temporary nature, where the sub¬ 
scriptions have a limited object, as to 
time and circumstances, it is highly 
expedient and desirable that persons 
of high and known character should 
fulfil the duties of honorary secretary 
for a definite time, but where the pub¬ 
lic generously dispense their property 
for charitable purposes, it has a right to 
demand the most rigorous prudence 
and honesty in the management of the 
funds. But I am sorry to observe the 
ponderous machinery, by which the 
operations of societies are conducted, 
involves them in prodigious expense, 
very much limiting their powers, of 
doing good, chiefly answering the object 
of keeping a few clerks, and of opening 
too unde a door for such aspiring ex¬ 
pectants as honorary secretaries. 1 
would not have it understood that I 
object to secretaries or clerks being 
paid, by no means, but I would urge 
the propriety of making the servants of 
a society subservient to the purposes of 
its institution, and paying them fairly 
and liberally for the duties they per¬ 
form, rendering them the agents of the 
board, not neutralizing their character, 
not suffering them to sustain the double 
capacity 
