The Botanic Gardens It would appear, from what was said
at the meeting of the Royal Botanic Society last week, that Mr. Lansbury refuses to renew their lease in the name of democracy. Admission to the famous Gardens is by subscription or payment, and therefore the Gardens must be given up, and Mr. Lans bury thinks that they can be main- tained by the State. It would be a great misfortune for London, whether democratic or aristocratic, if this beautiful little enclave in Regent's Park were not maintained, as it has been for a century, for the pleasure and instruction of the many people, both rich and poor, for whom the Society has created it at great expense. Botanists and horticulturists are quiet folk, little regarded by the multitude, and thus has arisen the absurd idea that the Gardens are kept up for the privileged few. The truth is that the science of botany and the art of gardening have been greatly advanced by the Royal Botanic Society, in friendly rivalry with Kew. The cessation of this good educational work would be regretted all the more because of the reasons put forward. A democracy that is hostile to science and learning is not the kind of democracy that England needs.
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