The National Rifle Association states that the number of members
belonging to the civilian rifle clubs affiliated to the Association now amounts to over a hundred thousand, or to be exact, a hundred and two thousand seven hundred and fifty-two. As the Spectator can claim to have been the first organ of publio opinion to advocate the formation of civilian rifle clubs, we cannot but feel a certain sense of pride at this announcement. Our readers may remember that for the last nine years the Spectator has given each year at Bisley a prize to be competed for by teams of five from civilian rifle clubs. We may note that the figures just given do not by any means exhaust the total number of riflemen. There are a consider- able number of clubs which are affiliated to the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs, but not to the National Rifle Association, and such clubs number many thousands of members. There are also, no doubt, a certain number of clubs not affiliated to any central institution. Remember, too, that the numbers given are only those of existing members. There are a great many men who for one reason or another, after having learned the art of rifle-shooting in a club, cease to be members. It is difficult to arrive at an exact calculation, but we should not be surprised to find that, owing to the civilian rifle club movement, not less than two hundred thousand men have learned to shoot with the rifle, and many of them to shoot exceedingly well.
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