THE NELSON INSTITUTE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 139, 19 June 1901, Page 2

THE NELSON INSTITUTE.

To the Editor of "The Evening Mail." Sir, — The angry letter from a member of the Institute Committee is not calculated to re-assure the public, who would I expect have preferred at the hands of so authoritative a person words weighted with self -restrained reasoning in explanation of the present system rather than a fretful and confused speculation as to my poor personality. What does it matter to your readers whether it was I who stopped this genial gentleman in the street to abuse Lord Roberta' most excellent book (though of course it was not I ) ? Or what does it matter whether my I literary taste is exalted or not ? Who cares '; Or how does it. affect the question to say that because I have not interrogated that very estimable and busy young lady, the librarian, as to the con' j j stitution of the Institute, or attended its annual meetings, I am unreasonable ' in asking the questions that many other men and ladies— who have done neither of these things - are asking. In my former letter 1 inquired whether notice of the impending election of the Committee is adequately published beforehand. " This is simply puerile" I replies the indignant Committee-man i " Has he ever read the ad /ertisement 1 in your columns re the annual meeting ? I Has he ever attended the annual meet-

ing ?" No, Sir Oracle, I have done neither, not having seen the advertisement, having — like 19 out of 21) others — overlooked it. There was>, I find now, but a single insertion of this' precious, advertisement, and if it was intended to attract attention to the impending election of the Commit tee, it was, I venture to think, insufficiently published. I have met several men, and ladies too, eminently adapted for office and quite willing to serve, who have regarded the

nine seats on the Committee as — in stockbrokers'language -too firmly held. By the way^why nine members ? If or whenever there is that real Institute which I and others desire, then nine would still be more than enough ; but at present, and if the lady librarian selects the books, what on earth do any of these nine committee men do to merit perpetual re-elec-tion ? Though their minds be as prehensile as the tail of the Boulder Bank, they can do nothing if the majority are represented by this gentleman whose cerebral caloric blazes into flame under any suggestion of improvement, calling every ouch suggestion a complaint. There is, however, a sober part of the letter under notice, viz., that which deals with my suggestion that the present reading room (haunted, as you well said, by the ghosts of literary failures and saddened by continual solitude), besides other space "which is, or might be made, available, be converted to the public use so as to provide recreation for the public instead of food for a few bookworms only. The Member of the Committee says : -" On the present site we have not sufficient space," and adds that .£3OOO would be required to erect a larger building on a larger site. So it would ; but nothing of the kind is at all necessary at present. The existing accommodation—l mean of course the entire Institute — would be ample for a beginning. It would not be necessary to disturb the Free Library. But the Museum, which probably contains not more than a dozen things that one would cross the street to look at, and wh^h could never be made productive, mighF be relegated to the Suter Art Gallery or some other place. The upstairs room would then be available for the ladies, unless the space on one side were large enough for a newspaper room. Either the present reading room or the Museum room could be vutiised as a billiard room, until we could afford to build a separate room for this purpose. The Committee apparently say, "With our present burden of mortgage it would be folly to launch out into any large expenditure." This proposition looks at first very formidable. The question of finance is of course vital, and the words cited look like an embarrassing fact. But to adapt Luciaki— " Nothing is wholly wise, completely true. What seems a fact is but a point of view.''

And because an individual is in debt it does not follow that he is to stop ■work. He should work all the harder, to earn all the more. If the Institute is in debt it is all the more necessary to make every asset it possesses as reproductive as posble.

I am sure that the sagacity and energy of any one of the Committee's members could— if concentrated on the subject for ten minutes— find a means of keeping the Library open during- the day as well as during the evening, without any additional expense. I am sure that with a prospect of 50 to 100 people joining the membership, and of getting say .£IOO in donations from enthusiastic admirers of the new regime, there would be no difficulty in making a small beginning of the recreation rooms. But to get this prospect in view it is necessary that the Committee should be led, not by the most apathetic, but by the most progressive nf its members ; and that instead of resenting suggestions for improvement it should welcome them as a possible opportunity of advancing the usefulness of the Institute and meeting the needs of the people. What hope is there 't • # #

I had written thus far when came the this evenings " Mail," containing the letter from a " Member of Committee (N0'2.)," also your very useful second leader on the subject. Beyond acknowledging fche veiy gentle, cordial tone of this second letter, and thankfully acoepting its prof erred co-operation, I have ooly to express a hope that there may be other members of the Committee with the same intelligent and generous zeal as No 2, so that your Y.M.C.A.. project may receive the serious consideration that it deserves in order to find in it if possible a solution of the entire question. Yours etc. A_N ANXIOUS CITIZEN. To the Editor of "The Evening Mail " Sir— Wifch reference to the point in your yesterday's leader re the fact of the Y.M.C.A/S assets including a valuable building site. If it is found possible to obtain those assets for the benefit and extension of the Institute, I would suggest fchat the Committee endeavour to dispose of the present site to the Defence Department, the building to be used as Volunteer office, meeting rooms, etc, and the ground at the back would allow of the much needed and much talked of extension of the Drill Shed. I am, etc., KILL TWO BIRDS.