reluctance to give up, as unattainable benefits for which its members have been paying for nearly half a century, it is a reluctance which, being extremely natural, may claim to be met with our continued forbearance; especially as it has recently made changes in accordance with its advisers. Until those changes have been compared with the views of the Government officer; until this other important fact has had due weight given to it – viz. that there are at least four more friendly associations in the town in addition to the oldest, and to the one based on it, which four are well supported and are flourishing, and are in accordance with the registrar’s views on important points on which the others differ from them – until gentlemen have considered all these matters, and looked into the official and local documents, we must apprehend they are hardly in a position to act with security of advantage to those whom they desire to benefit. If at any time during the past half century the voice of warning had been raised the present difficulty might have been mitigated if not prevented; but as the discovery of danger has only been so tardy, it certainly may be claimed by those interested in the existing societies that there should be something of a corresponding tardiness in organising any new club which, by diverting the resources of those already in existence will tend to bring on their members those very difficulties which it professes to avert. I am &c. T. F. Crosse, March 20th, 1860.
A Private Meeting took place in the ante-room of the Music Hall on the 24th of March, at which about thirty persons were present, including the Revs. W. W. Hume, G. D. St. Quintin, T. Vores and Dr. Crosse; also E. V. Harcourt and J. Rock, Esqrs., and Messrs. Banister, Beazley, Barham, and Poole. The conference lasted about 3 hours, and resulted in a resolution moved by Mr. Rock to the effect that it was expedient to form a committee, with power to consult an actuary if considered desirable to enquire into and examine the positions of the various societies in the town, and that they should report before a public meeting was called upon the subject. J. Tidd Pratt, Esq., the Registrar of Friendly Societies, also attended the meeting, he having come expressly from London. As the meeting was a private one, the details were not made public, but the letters (already quoted) of the Rev. W. W. Hume, the Rev. Dr. Crosse and Mr. E. Vernon Harcourt, as well as some others which follow, will show the opinions entertained by those gentlemen.
Essential Weakness was the pseudonym of a gentleman who replied to the Rev. Dr. Crosse’s publised(sic) letter in the following words:- “I was one of the ‘naughty boys’ who signed a requisition for -
