The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-02 00:00:00

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THE ECCLESIOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

The twenty-third anniversary meeting of this
society was held last night, in the lecture theatre
of the South Kensington Museum, Mr. BERESFORD
HOPE presiding.

The Rev. C. WEBB, one of the honorary secre-
taries, read the report, recapitulating the more im-
portant proceedings of the society during the past
year, and with special reference to the ecclesiolo-
gical aspect of the International Exhibition, assert-
ing that various objects therein exhibited afforded
satisfactory evidence of the progress of the adapta-
tion of medimval art during the last ten years both
to ecclesiastical and secular uses.

Lord LYTTELTON moved the adoption of the re-
port, which was seconded by the Rev. P. FREEMAN,
who expressed his surprise not less than his satis-
faction at the progress which the society had made,
and more especially as evidenced by the experience
of the International Exhibition.

The report having been adopted,
Mr. GREATEEEAD read a statement of the financial
position of the society, which was also passed, and
some further formal business was transacted ;
among other things Lord Lyttelton was elected a
vice-president.

The CHAIRMAN then called attention to the spe-
cial subject of discussion, as contained in the
agenda—viz., " The Ecclesiological Aspect on the
International Exhibition, and of the Exhibition (on
loan) of Fine Arts at the South _ Kensington
Museum:" In inviting this discussion he remarked
upon the bewildering multitude of objects which,
while pressing for notice, rendered distinct and
separate notice impossible, except in a few cases;
and he enforced the necessity of fixing attention on
a few great points, with a view to their arrival at a
practical result. He had, he said, himself wandered
up and down the mazes of the International Exhi-
tion, and he had been peculiarly struck with the
little appreciation of architecture shown by her
Majesty's commissioners ; they had given neither
time nor opportunity for a proper display of archi-
tectural objects. Germany had a few great speci-
mens there, and Holland had a few; France not
one—for Prince Napoleon's Pompeian Villa, though
very pretty, was not new as a design, it was only a
restoration. The gallery devoted to architectural
drawings was well worth a visit for its delineation
of English architecture in 1862. Its merit on the
whole was very high, more especially with refe-
rence to Gothic designs. With regard to ecclesiolo-
giral art, he expressed his delight at the opportu-
nity which the Exhibition gave of opening their
Meditoval Court,which was an honour to the society,
and paid a high compliment to the screen prepared
for Hereford Cathedral by Mr. Skidmore, while
be admitted that it was not above criticism. Min-
ton's fountain also came in for its share of praise--
as the germ of future marvellous developments, as
did other specimens of ceramic ware, pottery, hard-
ware, and incised painting. The chairman then
glanced at the foreign ecelesiological works con-
tained in the International Exhibition, criticising,
either generally or in detail, as he proceded ; and
he concluded by advocating the embodiment of every
useful point which could be gathered from the Ex-
hibition into that particular system of ecclesiology
with which the society more especially identified
itself.

A somewhat inactive discussion followed, and the
proceedings were closed by a vote of thanks to the
chairman.