'Meeting held at Broomfield: 22.3.1932
George Burrow in the chair
1. The minutes of last were read by Sylvanus Reynolds, who had kindly deputised for the Secretary in
his absence.'
[...]
7. F. E. Pollard then spoke on the Victorians and their literature.[...] When the paper was discussed
there proved to be a very general measure of consent.[...]
Howard Smith disturbed us a little by accusing the Victorians of complacency[...].
Finally Reginald Robson deplored the disappearance of the Victorian countryside. As it was foretold by
Malthus the Economist, so it had come to pass. Over population had done its work. There could be no
more rural simplicity or village Hampdens, no more nurture of man by nature any more. The Victorian
age can be guaranteed unique: the mould from which it was cast has been shattered.
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Sylvanus A. Reynolds Manuscript: Notebook
'Meeting held at 22 Cintra Avenue 24. III 37
F. E. Pollard in the chair.
1. Minutes of last read and approved.
3. Disraeli: Dorothy Brain read extracts from letters to his sister.
4. S. A. Reynolds sketched Disraeli’s political life as far as the 60’s. with passages from
McCarthy’s History of our Own Times.
5. Celia Burrow read from [André] Maurois of D’s domestic and married life.
6. After a brief statement from F. E. Pollard of D’s Chief works, H. R. Smith read from Tancred.
7. F. E. P. read a paper kindly contributed by H. M. Wallis, dealing with D’s relations with
Gladstone, Salisbury & Queen Victoria, & telling of the contrasted Gartering of Disraeli &
Salisbury after their return from Berlin in 1878.'
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Sylvanus A. Reynolds Manuscript: Unknown
'Meeting held at Gower Cottage 4th. May 1942.
M. Stevens in the chair.
1. The minutes of the last meeting were read, pronounced rather more accurate
than usual, and signed.
[...]
4. First we had the telegram which was from the Alexanders, regretting that a
chicken pox epidemic among the children prevented their parents from
contributing to our evenings entertainment.
5. Next an essay entitled “An Autumn Ramble” was read by A. G. Joselin and the
author was later identified as S. A. Reynolds, who told us that it had been written
some 50 years ago.
[...]
7. Roger Moore read an essay entitled “Langdale, Easter 1942” and casting among
our members for a rock-climber we soon realized that the author was Knox
Taylor. [...]
8. Rosamund Wallis read “Samuel Butler at the Book Club” which was recognised
at once as being written by the secretary. She had rather let herself go in an
account of an imaginary meeting which explained the unusual brevity and accuracy
of this months minutes.
9. “Three Weeks in Kerry” was the title of a most interesting essay read by F. E.
Pollard. We had some difficulty in identifying this as being written by his wife –
perhaps because although we were told it had been written many years ago in the
author’s ‘comparative youth’ our imaginations failed to picture Mrs. Pollard on a
perilous journey in an Irish car, holding up an umbrella with one hand and and
peeling a hard-boiled egg with the other. [...]
10. A. B. Dilks read a dissertation in which the author wrote for some four or five
pages on the difficulty of deciding what to write about. Roger Fry, food, gardens
and cats were among the subjects he considered but for one reason or another,
laid aside. As members of the Book Club are so noted for beating around the bush
we had considerable difficulty in spotting this particular beater — but it proved to
be Roger Moore.
[...]
[Signature of] A. B. Dilks 6th June 1942'
Unknown
Century: 1900-1945 Reader/Listener/Group: Arnold Joselin
