OPENING OF THE ESSEX MUSEUM, ETC. 329
them and were destined to play an important part in national technical
education. They had seen enough of "pottering" education in the counties
and he considered that the great advantage of such institutes was the
systematic nature of the instruction which they offered. He was particularly
glad to see from their programme that systematic courses extending over
several years had been organised for their evening department. He took
occasion also to congratulate the Committee of the Borough Council for the
extremely enlightened way in which they appeared to be conducting the
affairs of the Institute as manifested by the excellently equipped laboratories
and workshops. It appears to have been realised that education like every-
thing else was in a state of development—that methods and appliances were
continually undergoing modification, and that no educational body could
afford to remain in a state of suspended animation. The spirit of modern
requirements had been entered into by their Committee and an Institute
worked under such auspices was bound to succeed. (Applause.)
He desired in the next place to take that opportunity of publicly thanking
on behalf of the Club those to whom they were indebted for material assist-
ance in bring the Museum to its present state. First and foremost his old
friend, Mr. William Cole, deserved mention and his services had already been
alluded to by Lady Warwick. Then it was obvious that in starting such an
undertaking they had a certain amount of "red-tape" to get through. He
did not use the term in the offensive sense as signifying procrastination and
delay—the necessary legal formalities had on the contrary been carried
through with remarkable expedition by their Hon. Counsel (Mr. Dare), and
their Hon. Solicitor (Mr. Coburn), who had been met in the most cordial
spirit by the excellent Town Clerk (Dr. Hilleary). To all these gentlemen he
considered that their warmest thanks were due. With regard to the stocking
of the Museum with specimens he thought that special mention should be
made of the voluntary services of Mr. W. H. Dalton, who had not only given
a magnificent collection of Crag fossils, but had himself undertaken their
classification and arrangement. Valuable contributions had been received
also from Mr. Harting, from Mr. Carvalho and many others, but time did not
admit of his thanking them individually.
Passing now to the immediate resolution before them he considered they
were very much indebted to Lady Warwick for coming there and putting,
with her usual grace, that crowning touch to their work. She was a busy
lady—in fact one of the busiest ladies he knew. There were many ladies
who went about busying themselves with things that nobody particularly
wanted and which would have been very much better left alone. It was all
the difference between a busy person and a busybody, and his good friend
and colleague was a busy lady in the very best sense of the term. He was
perhaps, in as good a position as anybody to explain how much they really
were indebted to her ladyship for giving them her time because he had for
some years been associated with her in her educational work in another part
of the county, and he knew from personal experience what enormous demands
were made upon her time and what zeal she threw into every branch of her
work. Her presence there that evening and the good work she was carrying
on elsewhere might serve as brilliant examples to other ladies of her station.