64
THE PAST AND FUTURE OF THE ESSEX
FIELD CLUB.
By T. V. HOLMES, F.G.S., M.A.I.
(Being the Presidential Address, delivered January 29th, 1887.)
Seven years have now passed since the delivery of the Inaugural
Address by Professor Meldola, which afterwards became our first
publication. When this address was spoken, the Club was scarcely
two months old, though it already numbered more than 140 original
members. Since then it has steadily advanced ; increasing numbers
have enabled us to devote more money to the publication of Trans-
actions and Proceedings, and the existence of money for printing
purposes has largely tended to produce a satisfactory supply of local
and original papers. As, nevertheless, an age of seven years or
thereabouts is usually a critical period in the history of societies like
ours, I do not think I can occupy your time more usefully this even-
ing than in a review of our past work, and of the means of ensuring
a prosperous future.
It is noticeable in the histories of societies having objects more or
less like those of our own, that a good number of members to start
with, and satisfactory progress during the first few years, by no means
necessarily imply a certainty of continuous advance. As an illustra-
tion of the difficulties that may impede the growth of a society started
to supply a real want, I will take the case of the Geologists' Associa-
tion, to which many of us belong, and in conjunction with whose
members we have made more than one excursion. Its first ordinary
meeting1 took place on January nth, 1859, and it was then stated
by the president that within six weeks after the first conference, 150
gentlemen, including many well-known geologists, had applied for
membership—a number nearly identical with that of the members of
the Essex Field Club at the date of Professor Meldola's Inaugural
Address. During the year 1859, 164 persons became members of
the Association; in 1860, thirty-one joined; in 1861, fifty-seven were
added; and in 1862, as many as sixty. Thus at the beginning of
1863, four years after the first ordinary meeting, the prosperity of the
Association seemed assured. But only sixteen members were elected
during 1863, and during the eight years 1863-70 (both inclusive), the
average number was only ten. In 1871, the Association made a
l I. take the following facts from the Presidential Address of Professor T. Rupert Jones,
delivered November 5th, 1880. Proc. Geol. Assoc. Vol. VII. No. 1.