Page:History of the Royal Astronomical Society (1923).djvu/263

 1880-1920] ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY 231 incoming President, who had always spoken strongly against the change. But a year later, in 1901 February, when the Council brought forward the motion that the hour of meeting should be five o'clock, it was carried by a large majority, and this long-debated question was at last disposed of. A natural consequence was, that after the lapse of another year it was resolved that the Annual General Meeting should also commence at five o'clock.* Looking back now after twenty years, it is difficult to put oneself in the place of the strenuous opponents of the change. The meetings seem to be as well attended as before, and the afternoon tea between half-past four and five o'clock has quite naturally taken the place of the tea at 10 p.m., which was very much out of date. And the fear that the Council would not be able to get through its work by five o'clock, has proved to be groundless. The Council meets generally at three o'clock, or, if there is a press of business, at half-past two, and has always finished by half-past four. And while formerly the Council in February had to meet a week before the Annual Meeting, it is now able to meet on the day of this meeting at the usual hour.f Another Bye-Law which was felt as a grievance by many Fellows living at a distance, was the one (No. 12) which prevented them from giving their votes at the election of the Council, unless they were present at the Annual Meeting and personally handed in their voting paper. At the meeting of the Council in 1885 March a letter was read, signed by 118 Fellows, asking that the Bye-Laws might be altered so as to allow Fellows to vote by proxy at the Annual Meeting. The Council decided not to recommend this ; but they were of opinion that voting by post might fitly form a subject of discussion at a Special General Meeting. Soon after, eight Fellows sent in a demand for a Special Meeting to consider an addition to Bye-Law 12, to the effect that ballot papers of absent Fellows be accepted if signed, and another addition to Bye-Law 53, that Fellows may vote at Annual Meetings personally or by proxy. A Special General Meeting was therefore summoned for May 8, after the ordinary meeting. At this Lord Crawford moved that a balloting list " handed to the Scrutineers of the ballot on behalf of any Fellow not present at the meeting, shall be accepted if duly verified by the signature of the absent Fellow." It was, however, pointed out by the President (Dunkin) on behalf of the Council, that it was not desirable that country Fellows should f The R.A.S. dinner club now dines after, instead of before, the meetings, which is also more in accordance with modern customs.
 * By an oversight this is not mentioned in the Monthly Notices, 52, 218.