THE ATHENÆUM.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 1, 31 March 1893, Page 6

THE ATHENÆUM.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —How long will tlie Radical party and the Trades and Labour Unions submit to be deprived of their patrimony by a virtually self-ap-pointed committee, the effect of whose management is to restrict the full benefits of the institution to a select few ? Strangers and visitors may use the reading room for a month for nothing, hut the old residents of the place and working men are virtually boycotted. A dozen or so of life members,who each paid £lO about 22 years ago, practically keep the thing to themselves, whilst those like myself who may have paid in subscriptions £l7 or £lB have not even a vote, because we are only half-members now, paying 10s for the use of the reading room only. If all tales'be true, those who are in the swim can for a 20s ticket, not only read themselves, and take out books, but send their daughters to get books, and these daughters use the ladies’ reading room as well. There is another neat little arrangement by which those who know how to do it get a weekly paper or magazine to keep altogether. They pay a trifle to take it after it has lain on the table for a week, and regular subscxubers who may have been absent for a week miss that number altogether. The Athenaeum has valuable endowments both in town and country, and with the increased rents they are now fetching, a reduction to 10s for all tickets alike might easily be made —these tickets to entitle the members to all the privileges, and to confer the right to a vote. If the life members will not voluntarily submit to this, then the interference of Parliament in the matter of the endowments will have to be asked. , It is a wonder that the public have put up with the imposition so long. I would be in favour of giving every working man within reach of the Athenmum a month’s reading free. A great many members at 10s could thus be got. It is very easy for a life member to say that everyone can pay a pound if he likes. If a family man does his duty he has to support the church and various other institutions. It is not merely food and clothes he has to provide. If the room was more crowded in the evening it might not be such a pleasant lounge for the few old stagers who frequent it, but what a benefit to society at large ! We would hear less about many of the wild theories which are so much in vogue just now. A few periodicals of more popular character might have to be got, perhaps some even in duplicate, but the expense would not be great. It is often mere ignorance which makes many of the wage-earners imagine that such things as land nationalisation and state banks issuing paper money are going to be their salvation. For the sake of stemming the tide of Socialism the very supexior persons who now carry on the Athenaeum ought to admit the lower orders. If they do not give way, then will come the deluge. The annual meeting held a fexv weeks ago Avas a x'egular farce ; only 22 attended, and 8 or 9 of these the Committee, who of course in some instances re-appointed tbcins elves.— Yours, etc., Citizen.