The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-11-25 00:00:00

WORCESTERSHIRE UNION OF CLUBS
AND INSTITUTES.

The annual meeting of the above association was held
on Mor.day, at Kidderminster. The delegates of the
institutes and clubs in union met in the Corn Exchange,
and amongst those present were Lord Lyttelton, the
Rev. G. D. Boyle, Mr. J. Brinton, Mr. G. W. Hastings,
Rev. G. Smith (Malvern), Rev. W. Walters (Pershore),
Rev. D. Maginnis (Stourbridge) Mr. Herbert New
(Evesham), Rev. E. W. Ingram (Bewdley), Messrs. G.
W. Grosvenor (Kidderminster), D. W. Goodwin, G.
Taylor Williams (Dudley), Dorsett (Stourport), Green-
wood (Kidderminster), Birtwistle (Bewdley), Hon. and
Rev. W. H. Lyttelton; Messrs. W. Guise (Redditch),
Holloway (Upton), &c.
The Rev. Prebendary Smith took the chair, and pro-
posed the election of Lord Lyttolton as president, and in
doing so paid a tribute to the memory of the late Lord
Lyttelton, who accepted the presidency of the club on
its formation last year.

Mr. Herbert New seconded the motion, which was put
and carried.

Lord Lyttelton then took the chair, and signified his
ready acceptance of the office of president. He should
not say more then, but reserve his remarks till the report
had been read.

The Rev. W. Walters stated that letters of apology
for non-attendance had been received from the Hon. J. S.
Pakington, Mr. Gibbons, Rev. E. W. Isaac (Dewsbury),
Mr. Corbett, M.P., Mr. Cotes, M P., Lord Hampton. and
the Rev. Mr. Fortescue. He moved the admission of the
Angel Street Mutual Improvement Society, Worcester,
into Union.

Mr. Dorsett seconded the resolutions which was car.
red.

The President presented prizes of one guinea each
for essays on the best employment of leisure time to
Mr. Heckford, of the Stourbridge Institute; and
Mr. Orford, of the Oldswinford Working Men's
Club.

The Rev. W. Walters read the annual reportorhich
related the progress of the society since a provisional
committee was appointed in September, 1875. The
union now numbered eighteen institutions, and another
sought admission. Schedules as to their conditions
had been sent in by the local secretaries. In the
eighteen institutions there were 457 honorary members
and 2,822 ordinary members. Paid lectures were
delivered in six institutes, and unpaid in fifteen.
Entertainments were given to ten institutes; in-door
recreations were provided in sixteen institutes, and out
door in eight. Classes had been held in seven institu-
tions. Tea and coffee were sold in ten institutes, and
beer in two. There was an almost unanimous cry for
want of greater space in the institutes. The admission
of young members interfered with the comfort of the
older ones, and in some cases they were not admitted
under eighte en. Two confetences had been held
during the past year, at one of whiCh the expediency of
introducing beer into clubs was considered. Five boxes
of books had been in circulation among the members of
the union. Lectures had been delivers I by Mr. Buck-
master on the art of cookery. A chess tournament was
held between nine institutes, the winner being Mr.
Pitchfork, of Dudley. An excursion to Oxford was pro-
posed in May, but had to be given up owing to difficulties
in the way of making the arrangements. The balance
sheet showed a balance in hand of £4 13s: "

The President moved the adoption of the report, and
said he only proposed to touch on one or two points
referred to in it. Dealing with what had already been
done, he did not think the report was in any sense un-
satisfactory. Nothing could have been more satisfactory
than the announcement that there were eighteen clubs
and institutes affiliated to the central union Looking
through the eighteen names it struck him that, with
not: more than two or three exceptions, every urban
place in the county was represented in the list. That
suggested the consideration whether they Sought to be
satisfied with confining their efforts to the towns, and
ought not to make special efforts with regard to country
clubs. In many respects a village club would be snore
useful to villagers than a town club to townsmen. The
people in towns had many advantages as to means of
recreation and instruction; bat if they looked to the
' other side of the pieture—to the agricultural labourer—
they saw how unfavourable a position he was placed.
He got but the simplest education to begin with, he was
cast upon the sea of life, and his occupation of field
labour was a very monotonous and solitary. one. He
went out at six in the morning, and perhaps through the
day had not an opportunity of exchanging a word with
another person till he went home at night, so worn out,
that unless a man above the average he was not likely
to devote himself to anything requiring effort. The
only place of recreation for a labourer in ninety-nine
cases out of a hundred was the public-house. They
certainly ought to make some special exertion in favour
of village clubs. It mightlbe said they were difficult to
found, and difficult to keep up when founded; but if
they put their shoulder to the wheel they might assist
some of these straggling village clubs, which could not
be started or kept alive without some support such as
they could give. It was stated in the report there was
an almost unanimous cry for more space in the insti-
tutes' and that some institutes would not admit members
under 18. He thought they should endeavour to pro-
vide for lads between the time they left school and 18
or 19 years of age. It was an age in which they were
able to add to their knowledge with more ease than at
other ages, but also when they possessed marvellous
facilities for forgetting all they had learnt. If unions
like theirs did not collect the youths of the age he
referred to, they should be neglecting an opportunity of
doing a great deal of good. The President remarked,
in conclusion, that he was a little staggered at finding
from the balance-sheet there were only annual sub-
scribers to the amount of about £l7. Their operations
could not but be limited if they did not get larger
receipts than that. In a Suffolk association started
about the same time they already had £6O or £7O in
rubgcriptions, and donations amounting to £270; and
he did not think they should fall behind the people of
Suffolk.

Mr. G. W. Hastings seconded the adoption of the
report. With regard t) country clubs, he was strongly
of opinicrn that however highly beneficial -these .Clubs
were in the towns, they were, if possible, still n.ore
strongly needed in country districts, He hoped the
efforts of the association would be directed to establish-
ing as many country club* as passible throughout the
county.
The Rev. G. D. Boyle supported the motion, and
pointed out that the development of their institutions
was often a matter of slow growth. They 'must not be
disappointed if there was not at once a harvest. He
believed they were at the beginning of a new era in
these things, and that not only education but recreation
was to play an important part in the future of this
country.
The Rev. W. Walters and the Hon. and &V. W. H.
Lyttelton also took pert in the discussion t and the
report was adopted.
Sir E. A. Lechmere, the Hon. J. S. PakingtoU, Mr.
G. W. Hastings, the Rev. G. W, Murray, Idr; J.
Brinton, Mr. C. Harrison, M.P., and the Rev. Canon
Barry were elected vice-presidents of the'union. Sir
E. A. Lechmere was elected treasurer. The appoint-
ment of secretary stood over, and regret NU espressed
that owing to ill-health Mr. .141,8011 Aves_niable to
continue the duties. The Subscribers' Committee
appointed consisted of the Revds:
W. H. Lyttelton, W. W. Gedge, D. ?d,sginnis, G.
C. Boyle, B. W. Ingram •, and hfessrs.
New, Marcus, D. W. Goodwin, E. J. Morton, and
Lawson;

Mr. Grove read a paper on the "Kidderminster
Working Men's Club," which has been a marked success,
and, after some discussion, the afternoon meeting
terminated.

In connection with the annual meeting of the above
association, a dinner was held in'the evening, at the
•
Lion Hotel.
Lord Lyttelton, the president, was in the chair.
After the usual loyal to;sts, the Chairman gave, "The
bishop, clergy, and naiiiisters of all denominations,"
to which the Hon. and Rev. W. H. Lyttelton re-
sponded.
The Chairman proposed, " The Worcestershire
Union of Clubs and Institutes," and after noticing the
main objects of the union, said its usefulness was
limited by the amount of funds they possessed, and by
the number of members they were able to enrol. If,
therefore, the outside public, instead merely of wishing
them prosperity, became members of the nnion and
subscribed to the funds, they would be doing more for,
them than they could do in any other direction that he
knew of or could paint out at present. The main
objects of these institutes and clubs were educational