New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-24
THE RIJRAL LIFE OF ENGLAND.
BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REL
XVI.
XVI.
N.TrrPAIJSTS, FIELD CLUBS AND ARCHEo-

NATURALISTS FIELD CLUBS AMI AnOh-TO
LOGICAL SOCIETIES.
An account of English country life not incluo'ns
.h learned associations whose titles form the head
inc NJ this article would he incomplete FOR al
tbouos their headquarters may be in towns most
90 ,bs uembers belonging to them residents OF
the country. and there with little exception lies
,he sceuc of their operations. The exception is
with the archaeological societies; the NaturalsVS
FYeld Club" AS its title imports, being strictly
rura institution and 10 it will this letter oo hoio
especially devoted.
take It. YOU have similar associations III 'no
United States; but probably neither SO nu,lcIo".
nor so we'll organized. Indeed 1t is not HkeiS 'i"'
in any country are many OF them as III TnE'""a'
since in no other are the conditions so iaVo"o" W
their existence The naturalist ana archNoloViS'
may havo os GOOD field elsewhere, or even DEUEL.
- Tho evlorcrs of 1t are fewer. If not altogether
wanting. In England they abound; TACT that
may appear creditable to England. as evinclhg
b,eh degree Of culture. at least aspirations 10
onu onrsui. of scentifc knowledge. Prohed 10
tho hotto,n however 1t will ne tOund to rest on u
basis moi ouite 50 laudable though still commend
able the real explanation being that IN rural Eng
land there are some thousands OF educated, OF
semi-educated. mon for 1t Is the ca" Oh OAio,"
and Cambridge-whO have scarce anything u Wv
except kill time in one way or anothel' luo
majority of these gentlemen OF Elegant Ieisaio
are clrrgvmen lncumbents OF couhuN pal's"eS'
and AS the color OF their cloth is bar-thongh not
avs-to the faster field SPORTS of hunting and
shooting they betake themselves to the more
,e6ncd and yenter enjoyment of NAturalists' Field
Clubs.
That in these thei. numbers predomnate, may
offer as example the one TO which myseI pelOhs-
the " Woulhope" II takes its title from That re-
rrarkab,e and svmmetric uphcaval Of Shurlan
rocks in the parish of WOOlhopo Hcreforishlre'
the study and correlation of whose fossils lad the
foundation of Sir Roderick Murchlsons fame. III
was not he however, who correlated tnen' OF at
)east not altogether the better part OF the WORK
being done by an obscure country clergyman hameu
Lewis a trne geologst. who generously impaired
his discoveries to the author OF Sluria, moueS'y
waving all credit for himself, and never receiving
it. have often heard Mmchison called an
empiric certainly his scientific fame Is far above
his deseryncs and Mr.. Lewis might well say Of his
own tilched hUnoIs:
"Nos ego yersiculos feel, tulit alter honorem.'
Rut IN retnrn 10 Natrralsts Field Clubs. Look
ING over th- list of the WoolhOpe's' members,
find there are 100 Of them, nearly third OF whom
nre clergymen. There are Il lord, and TWO OF lhreo
baropet,: couple Of members of Parliament;
sprnklng of Army and Navy officers retired from
seryicel: half a dozen doctors; and the remainder
renllrmen. many of whom are county magistrates
and all either by legal entitlement or courtesy
having " Esq appended to their names. no. ho1
ALL | had almost omitted 70 state that three OF
COM r,u,rs appeat in the list with the simple
prefix Mr. and so in all reports of proceedings
whether i be of the clubs meetings and dinners
ar tho nsners read thereat The plain MiserS are
men engaged IN trade and though in scientific
.,tta,nments the equals indeed some Of them the
suneriofs of their felOw-membets, the titular
Observation-Disclosures. may also call It's rlgldly
adhered TO- In England even science, natural or
other is afflicted with ideas of social precedence
and snobbery.
nv the above il will be seen that the aristOcratic
element enters largely into the composition OF
Naturalist Field Clubs. But, may observe, that
in this respect the WOolhope has rather a pre-
confluence: though in most others Il majority OF the
members are Of the gentry class and III nearly all
/ every third or fourth member Is clergyman L
have no statistics at hand enabling ne to give the
exact number OF these clubs throughout the KING
dom. hut roughly stating il. there must he two or
three hundred OF them. Most counties have 0ne
some two: and in the thickly populated northern
shires, the centres OF manufacturing industry
some towns have their Naturalist cubs These are
of less arstocratic character: their ne nbers be-
ing mostly young mcn in the middle ranks OF liie
with praiseworthy aspuings.
OF course the Naturahsts' Field Club has head
quarters. usually in the count, town. though not
alnay,. Some other may be more central, and
afording equally as good or better accommodate
tons. Bot as the indoors work is OF little co"se-
ouence COMPARED with that done outdoors, Office
rent cle1La and such like expenses are not very
onerous The chief items on the debit side relate
to the printing of circulars, and the Transactions
with bid Il, the latter and postage while TO credit
stand the subscriptions OF the members, with the
entrance fee. OF those who may have Joined during
The wear Taking the statistics OF the " oolnope
which may he looked upon as n far sample the en-
trance fee is shillings. or - 90 anu the annual
suscrjption The same, the whole amount OF yearly
receipts and disbursements bcin" under Zoo.
This. however does not include The rent OF Offices
as by the munf, ence of Of It's members, the
club has quarters in "A fine building REM free. The
expense OF ATTENDING the hcld meetings IS another
rnatt.r: Int of course. su h attendance is vOluu-
tarv. The officers Of the club are president,
vice president. secretary, treasurer and committee
ofmanagemont: all annually elected and all unpaid.
There are six meetings i'll the year; of them,
termed the annual meeting when IS held late in
February or March. Ii is an indoors affair, at
which the chief business OF the Tub Is transacted,
the annual accounts audited, Oiirers ChocL for the
year. and the DAYS for the ied-mectI IS fixed. as
also the places These all occur IN the sumner
Inonths-between May and O"tober-aftcr which
there is nothing more heard OF Natura.i,ts' Field
CLUBS. tlat. throughout the winter, Ike dOImlce,
seem 10 be asleep.
When the day for field meeting draws nigh.
each lnoinbcr receives crcuar from the secretary,
reminding hm OF it; also making known the place,
the best means Of reaching it, and where the
dinner IL to be- Always that dinner The British
savant c0uld not discuss scierce without II. In
fixing the place of a field meeting there is eye
TO its adaptabity for instruction or exploration
enjoy meat Of scenery is also factor in the case.