Votes of thanks to the retiring officers having been passed, the following gentlemen were elected officers for the present session : MR. HOWARD S. PEARSON, President. MR. CHARLES LEAN, Hon. Sec. MR. THOMAS CUND, Auditor. Messrs. BRIERLEY, HOLDEN, C. C. SMITH, J. SUFFIELD, T. W. TONKS, G. ZAIR, and Rev. J. CUCKSON, were elected members of the Committee. The following meetings have since been held: October 17-Debate :-Semi-public." That the instruction now generally given in Board Schools is in excess of what ought to be supplied at the public cost." Affirmative, Mr. F. R. Heath and. Mr. J. W. Tonks. Negative, Mr. C. C. Smith and Mr. T. Griffiths. The discussion was adjourned. Attendance, one hundred and seventeen. October 31.-Adjourned Debate:-The discussion was resumed in the affirmative by Mr. Crane, and Messrs. Collier and S. Tonks: and in the negative by Mr. C. Hibbs, and Messrs. Titterton and Caswell. Mr. Crane having replied, the voting was taken as follows:affirmative, thirteen; negative, forty-three. Attendance, ninety-six. November 14.-Debate :-"That ministers of religion may take a prominent part in municipal elections without injury to their influence and usefulness." Affirmative, Rev. J. Cuckson, and Messrs. T. Cund, J. McClelland, Greenway, and Phipson. Negative, Mr. W. Mountford, and Messrs. Bond, F. Taylor, and J. W. Tonks. Voting-affirmative, twenty; negative, fifteen. Attendance, fifty-three. November 28.-Debate :-"That the poetry of the 18th century will bear a favourable comparison with that of the 19th century. Affirmative, Mr. A. Liddell, and Messrs. Collier and Lean. Negative, Mr. F. C. Giles, and Messrs. F. Taylor and C. E. Gardiner. Voting :-affirmative, six; negative, fourteen. Attendance, thirty-two. December 12.-Debate:-Semi-public.-"That justice and expediency demand the extension of the suffrage to women." Affirmative, Mr. C. Willmott, and Messrs. H. Clarke, Grinsell, and A. Holden. Negative, Mr. Thomas Cund, and Messrs. D'Egville, Pardoe, and C. C. Smith. Voting :-affirmative, twenty-one; negative, thirtyeight. Attendance, eighty-five. Correspondence. DEAR MR. Editor, I duly received your sarcastic letter reminding me of my promise to write a novelette for the new year's number of the Magazine. For once, Sir, however, your sarcasm has fallen harmlessly, for I have written a tale as promised. You will naturally be tempted to say, "Then why did you not send it?" Well, Sir, excuse the unintentional play upon words, but " Thereby hangs a tale!" After You will doubtless recollect that you generously accorded to me (or rather limited me to) eight pages, a concession which I, in my native innocence, imagined would be ample. Accordingly I set to work with my usual energy, concocted my plot, developed my characters, and filled in the details with artistic effect. considerable labour-I may say (in confidence) very considerable labour-I completed my work, and invited a few chosen friends to join my family circle to listen to a reading of this my first flight into the realms of fiction. My audience was enthusiastic. One complimented me on my descriptive power; another on my facility for delineating character; and a third compared me with Dickens for dramatic effect and genuine pathos. Again, Sir, you will enquire, I know, Why did you not send it in?" I answer enigmatically," My wonderful success is the cause of my failure." To be brief, my wife is a matter-of-fact personage and a very candid critic. (Mem., wives generally are candid critics of their husbands' efforts.) After my friends had exhausted their eulogies, my better-half quietly remarked "What a lot of paper it does take to make a tale!" That's just what I said when I made my last kite,' said my youngest hopeful but one. Of course I joined in the laugh, but I felt somewhat uncomfortable, as it had never occurred to me to "measure up." However, we all set to work to solve the problem, "How many pages of manuscript are equal to a page of letter press." After some wearisome efforts we did solve it, and eventually discovered that my novelette, entitled "DowN AT THE HEELS," would occupy exactly 162 pages. Now, sir, as you limited me to eight pages, I felt that it would be the right thing to inform you in advance that I had somewhat exceeded your limits. Judging from the quantity of matter comprised in one number of the Magazine, I calculate my story will just put you right for the entire issue of 1880, and leave a little over for the January number of 1881.. If you see my suggestion in the right light, and accept the MS. as it is, you will escape a world of trouble during the next twelve months, and at the same time gratify your readers with a tale of thrilling interest. At any rate it is entirely at your service.* I am, dear Sir, Yours faithfully, MODESTUS. [*We are very much obliged to "Modestus" (ahem !) for his good intentions, and regret that we cannot see our way to make use of his very novel novelette. We would suggest that he should send it to All the Year Round.-ED. C.L.M. NOTICE. INTENDING CONTRIBUTORS to the April number will oblige by sending their papers to the Editor (Mr. LEONARD BRIERLEY), not later than March 3rd. MR. W. H. WILLIAMS. MR. CHAS. B. CASWELL. COMMITTEE: MR. C. C. SMITH, Ex-President. MR. L. BRIERLEY. MR. J. COLLIER. MR. J. E. HARTLEY. MR. A. HOLDEN. MR. CHAS. LEAN. MR. J. W. TONKS. MR. G. ZAIR. Held at the Grand Hotel, Birmingham, on Friday, October 3rd, 1879, Mr. Frank R. Heath, President, in the Chair. After the usual Collation, The President read an Address on "Modern Poetry, and its General Relation to Modern Literature." The Annual Report was read by the Hon. Secretary, Mr. Howard S. Pearson; and the Treasurer's Report by the Treasurer, Mr. W. H. Williams. The adoption of the Reports was moved by Mr. J. W. Tonks, seconded by Mr. Councillor Payton, and carried unanimously. A vote of thanks to the Retiring Officers was moved by Mr. M. O. Suffield, seconded by Mr. W. A. Le Roy, and carried unanimously. The President, Vice-President, and Hon. Secretary responded for themselves and brother officers. Moved by Mr. G. Zair, seconded by Mr. A. P. Porter, and carried unanimously "That Mr. Howard S. Pearson be appointed President for the ensuing session." Moved by Mr. A. Holden, seconded by Mr. J. Suffield, and carried unanimously "That Mr. Andrew Liddell be appointed Vice-President for the ensuing session." Moved by Mr. L. Brierley, seconded by Mr. W. Perks, and carried unanimously "That Mr. Charles Lean be appointed Hon. Secretary for the ensuing session." Moved by Mr. C. C. Smith, seconded by Mr. W. Mountfort, and carried unanimously "That Mr. J. Collier be appointed Treasurer for the ensuing session." Moved by Mr. T. H. Smith, seconded by Mr. H. O. Jeff, and carried unanimously "That Mr. Thomas Cund be appointed Auditor for the ensuing session." The following gentlemen were declared by the Scrutineers to be elected to serve on the Committee for the coming year, viz.:-Rev. J. Cuckson, and Messrs. L. Brierley, A. Holden, C. C. Smith, J. Suffield, jun., J. W. Tonks, and G. Zair. Letters of resignation were read from Messrs. Birtwhistle, Dale, James Hartley, F. Jones, and Luck, and nine other vacancies were announced by exclusion for non-payment of subscriptions. Notices of the nomination of eighteen gentlemen for membership having been given, the proceedings terminated with the singing of the National Anthem, Birmingham Central Literary Association. TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL REPORT. SESSION 1878-9. IN presenting this, the Twenty-Third Annual Report, the Committee feel that the fact that they are still able to congratulate their fellowmembers upon the continued prosperity and progress of the Association, affords reasonable ground for an unusual degree of satisfaction and thankfulness. The year which has elapsed since the presentation of the last report forms, it may be hoped, the darkest point in the long and gloomy period of reaction which has followed the inflated and fictitious prosperity of some years past. At home, both agriculture and commerce have been languishing and unremunerative; abroad, a succession of complications, the result of which can neither be foreseen, nor regarded very hopefully, has constantly retarded the return of confidence. Catastrophes of the most unexpected and calamitous character have tended to intensify an already widespread and profound depression; and (perhaps not unnaturally) the discussion of political questions has too often assumed a tone of personal animosity, fruitful of ill feeling but barren of all hopeful practical result. Under such circumstances it could have excited little surprise had our own Association shared largely in the misfortunes of the times, and it is with no small degree of thankfulness that the Committee find themselves, on the contrary, enabled to chronicle its continued prosperity, its progressive utility, and its increasing power for good. |