THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 1877.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2565, 27 March 1877, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 1877.

Anything that tends to the improvement j of society should be encouraged. This is a proposition that has been laid down as irrefutable, and so much has this been the case that in debates it has. frequently been used as an argument in favour of the views held by one of the speakers that such and such a course would benefits the district or the county for whose advantage he was supposed to be acting. No matter whether that benefit.would be large or imall, present or future; no matter whether it would act directly or indirectly so long as it could be said with truth —sometimes without truth —that such and such a course would be productive of good, it was held by many that it ought to be adopted. But in taking this for granted, that is, taking for granted that anything which would do good should be adopted, men frequently overlooked the fact that there were many things of which it might be truly said they would do good in the sense of their being capable of doing good, but which,' nevertheless, if not carried far enough or carried too far, might work harm. They were too apt to look at some ideal standard of excellence to which the course they advocated might be raised, rather than to the level which would be just -as likely to result from it. This may sound like moralising, but it is true, and as it may be said of all things, so may it, of course, be applied to one. The one we intend to apply it to is, that of improvement societies for young men, one of which, not for the first time, we believe, has been for some weeks started at the Thames, and is "now pro-gressing-satisfactorily. It seems to us that the remark "it will do good " may fitly be applied to societies like these and yet be met with the objection—no doubt it may—i.e., is capable of doing good, but is it likely to ? Now in writing on this point we do not mean our words to apply to any one society, so hope that they will not be taken in a personal sense, and in this way it seems to us how the question—is a' debating society or a y mutual society likely to do good ?—may be best answered. As long as the members of the society regard their class or meeting as merely a place of mutual improvement,' instead of a place where one can achieve distinction beyond his fellows, it will probably do good. We mean this. Each member should try and do. his best in explaining .ajrabject he has chosen, or arguing on another chosen for him —but that best should never be made apparent at the cost of lowering another. Certain rules of course there must be for guidance, not the least necessary of these being that each speaker should be limited as regards time. Another—though there can hardly" be a rule on this point—is,that members should .make up their minds not to speak on those subjects on which they know little or nothing. "If this plan were rigidly adhered to, and .when a motion was given out for discussion at the next meeting, each member who intended to speak would read and learn as much' as he could of the matter and profit by it, as well as what he' beard said on the other side, then these societies would, be indeed .what they are in,word, viz., Improvement Societies. There are, of course, many things to say of them and concerning them, but as a whole it may fairly, be said that the great good besides .wholesome amusement to be derived from them is that they are likely (if as we say the members study .their subjects) to improve the mind,and to engender self-possession,' and discrimination. On the other hand there is the danger of those who like hearing their own tongues going getting so used and so pleased withal with the habit of speaking on what

they know nothing about, that they se*ize on every opportunity of speaking in public, and become perfect pests to society.