THE R.S.P.C.A. AND LORD CROMER. [To THE EDITOR 01 , THE
"SPECTATOR:]
Sra,—I have read with great interest the article in your issue of May 27th with reference to this Society and Lord Cromer. Your readers will, I am sure, be interested to hear, with reference to this subject, that the Council at their last meet- ing passed the following resolution :—
"A. The Council are of opinion that whereas the appointment of Patrons, President, Vice-Presidents, Chairman, and all other honorary officers, is vested in them alone, they are the only body that can call upon a Vice-President to resign. B. The Council see no reason to alter the opinion they have already expressed, that they can take no action in the matter ; and further they are of opinion that there is no reason why Lord Cromer cannot con- tinue honourably to hold the position of a Vice-President of the R.S.P.C.A."
I was instructed to inform Lord Cromer of this, and I am glad to say that he has addressed the accompanying letter to the Council.
I sincerely hope that the dignified attitude of Lord Cromer will encourage many people to support the Society at a time of unfortunate division of opinion. We have been receiving letters of protest and threatened resignation from many of our subscribers who consider that the Society should maintain the neutral policy on the vexed question of vivisection which it has taken for many years, while others have now resigned because the Council did not see their way to take any action on the resolution which was passed by a small majority of those members present at the recent annual meeting.
It is particularly to be regretted that any support for so worthy an object as that for which the Society has worked for eighty-seven years should be lost owing to this matter, and I would like to draw your attention to what Lord Cromer says : " Now that it has been made clear that the Society's policy is sufficiently broad to enlist the sympathies of all true lovers of animals, irrespective of the views they may entertain on other matters of a controversial nature, I no longer hesitate to
Secretary. [COPY.] beg you will convey to the Council of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals my thanks for their courteous communication of the 25th inst.
Allow me to add that it would have been little short of a calamity if the firm hold which the Society has, up to the present time, most deservedly enjoyed on the sympathies of the public had been in any way imperilled. This danger has now, I trust, been definitely averted.
I take this opportunity of mentioning that up to the present time I have not subscribed to the funds of the Society, as I feared t hat were I to do so the very question which has recently been forced on the attention of the Society might be raised, and this I was anxious to avoid. Now, however, that it has been made clear that the policy of the Society is sufficiently broad to enlist the sympathies of all true animal lovers, irrespective of the views they may entertain on other matters of a controversial nature, I shall no longer hesitate to subscribe, and I would venture to express a hope that recent events will not deter others who share my views on the subject of medical research from continuing the support they have hitherto accorded to the Society.—I am, Sir, very faith-
fully yours, CROMER. 36 Wimpole Street, W. May 26th.
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