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Article ANTIQUARIES AND ANTIQUITIES. ← Page 12 of 18 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Antiquaries And Antiquities.
It may be said , that private collections , ancl especially if in the hands of liberal and enlightened men , may make up for the deficiency of those more public in their character ; but who , that has to consult them , as a student , coulcl agree in this decision ? If it matters not Avhen they are examined , nor IIOAV incompletelnor at Avhat inten'alsthen they may be as Avell
y , , in the possession of some learned and liberal lord ; they are merely curiosities , interesting and instructive , it is true , but not objects of close and diligent study . If , hoAvever , they are to be examined again and again , if they are to be measured and compared , and this according to the student ' s requirements , and not the owner ' s convenience , then they must be the property of
the public . From collections , Ave come to Societies ; and first of all to the Society of Antiquaries . A body of gentlemen , incorporated by royal charter , having convenient rooms for meeting , a good library , ancl numbering among * them nearly all the best archaeologists of the country , would surely seem to be in a position to
do much good—to spread far and wide a taste for antiquarian studies—and to secure the preservation of all that is worth preserving ; and , indeed , some would say they do so . Look to the persons most zealously engaged in investigating Avhat relics of antiquity yet remain , ancl preventing their further dilapidation , and you will find that they are FCIIOAA ' of the Society of
Antiquaries . This is true ; but it is , alas ! no less true , that they will be found acting in their individual character ; and that Society , of AA'hich they are the ornaments , is neither aiding nor encouraging them . The late President of the Society was " The travelled Thane , Athenian Aberdeen ;"
an ornamental pillar of the edifice , but which supported no part of the burden . His Lordship considered his duties to consist in , once in the year , inviting to a dinner , sometimes a la Ritsse , the council of tlie Society ; the chair he never occupied—the meetings he never attended ; and so far from aiding the objects of the Society , by his influence as foreign secretary , he did not
ahvays even acknoAvledge the honours conferred upon him by forei gn academies . At last a faint ripple Avas excited on the long stagnant lake ; the constant absence and constant indifference of the noble President began to be voted "too bad . " King Log Avas prevailed upon to resign , and it Avas decided that even King Stork would be an improvementThe chair Avas filled by
. an accomplished ancl zealous President , rarely absent from his post ; he endeavoured to infuse his OAVU spirit into the body he governed , but still years passed away , and no great change was to be perceived . Some imagined that infusion of UCAV blood Avas VOL . II , c
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Antiquaries And Antiquities.
It may be said , that private collections , ancl especially if in the hands of liberal and enlightened men , may make up for the deficiency of those more public in their character ; but who , that has to consult them , as a student , coulcl agree in this decision ? If it matters not Avhen they are examined , nor IIOAV incompletelnor at Avhat inten'alsthen they may be as Avell
y , , in the possession of some learned and liberal lord ; they are merely curiosities , interesting and instructive , it is true , but not objects of close and diligent study . If , hoAvever , they are to be examined again and again , if they are to be measured and compared , and this according to the student ' s requirements , and not the owner ' s convenience , then they must be the property of
the public . From collections , Ave come to Societies ; and first of all to the Society of Antiquaries . A body of gentlemen , incorporated by royal charter , having convenient rooms for meeting , a good library , ancl numbering among * them nearly all the best archaeologists of the country , would surely seem to be in a position to
do much good—to spread far and wide a taste for antiquarian studies—and to secure the preservation of all that is worth preserving ; and , indeed , some would say they do so . Look to the persons most zealously engaged in investigating Avhat relics of antiquity yet remain , ancl preventing their further dilapidation , and you will find that they are FCIIOAA ' of the Society of
Antiquaries . This is true ; but it is , alas ! no less true , that they will be found acting in their individual character ; and that Society , of AA'hich they are the ornaments , is neither aiding nor encouraging them . The late President of the Society was " The travelled Thane , Athenian Aberdeen ;"
an ornamental pillar of the edifice , but which supported no part of the burden . His Lordship considered his duties to consist in , once in the year , inviting to a dinner , sometimes a la Ritsse , the council of tlie Society ; the chair he never occupied—the meetings he never attended ; and so far from aiding the objects of the Society , by his influence as foreign secretary , he did not
ahvays even acknoAvledge the honours conferred upon him by forei gn academies . At last a faint ripple Avas excited on the long stagnant lake ; the constant absence and constant indifference of the noble President began to be voted "too bad . " King Log Avas prevailed upon to resign , and it Avas decided that even King Stork would be an improvementThe chair Avas filled by
. an accomplished ancl zealous President , rarely absent from his post ; he endeavoured to infuse his OAVU spirit into the body he governed , but still years passed away , and no great change was to be perceived . Some imagined that infusion of UCAV blood Avas VOL . II , c