Proceedings Of The Club

The Ninth Annual Club Meet was held on September 28th and 29th, 1901, at Clapham, and although not very largely attended was one of the most pleasant and successful.

It is difficult to say anything new about Clapham, which is probably to members one of the best known Yorkshire villages. Once within the walls of the New Inn many recollections of previous visits must have crowded into the minds of those present. The goal of expeditions compassing the three peaks, the base of operations involving the strenuous days in Gaping Ghyll and the arduous nights in Clapham Cave, and the starting place of many pleasant rambles, it is inseparably associated with the Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club.

As in past years, the social side of the Club Meet overshadowed its practical possibilities, but, as is not unusual, ropes were found among the baggage, and members had, at any rate, an opportunity of seeing the bottom of Gaping Ghyll,^[1] and of progressing into Alum Pot by Long Churn. The weather was extremely favourable, and Clapham never looked more charming, although the Club Meet was sandwiched between the autumn Craven sheep fairs.

On Saturday afternoon a visit was made to the Norber boulders, and a review of their geological history was interrupted by the discovery of new routes up one of the large perched blocks. As the summit of this boulder is only about eight feet above the level of the surrounding fell, it seems to be one of those rock-climbs which is perfectly safe, and the President even ventured to encourage us to attempt it.

The dinner on Saturday evening was followed by what have hitherto been absent at our Club Meets, viz., speeches. This probably suggests a dull evening, but we were anything but dull. To our mutual amazement we all discovered ourselves to be excellent after-dinner speakers, and what is even more surprising, we were all as much pleased with other men’s speeches as with our own. To mention names would be invidious, as everyone spoke. There were, of course, many compliments, and not a few grumbles, but over them all exceedingly good fellowship, and from this Club Meet there appears to date a very considerable revival of common interests. Unfortunately the President was obliged to return home that evening, and although the illuminations attending his departure were not altogether devoid of success, yet the spectacle of him riding through them was poor compensation for the loss of his company.

The following day the party visited Gaping Ghyll, and then made the ascent of Ingleborough, but the day being hazy, no distant views were obtained. Long Churn was, the luncheon rendezvous, the party arriving there by various routes. Everyone had provided himself with lunch, but a member of the Club, famous for his catering achievements, displayed so many luxuries that some of us were almost overwhelmed by the subtle charms of sardines and pâté-de-fois gras, followed by Genoa cakes and Scotch shortbread.

After lunch a descent of Long Churn was made, those who made it soon becoming exceedingly wet and dirty, and correspondingly happy. The party returned by the fells and Clapdale to Clapham, where the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Carlile to make their visitors comfortable were greatly appreciated.

Lectures – The Editor is glad to notice that the new form of advice has been successful in materially improving the attendance at the Club’s lectures, which well deserve the increased interest evinced in them. Those already given this season admirably sustain the good repute earned by those of former years.  :-

The following lectures have been given during the past six months :-

1901.-November 26th. “Foreign Roads, Inns, and Customs.” By the Rev. A. N. Cooper.
1902.- January 28th. “The Re-Mapping of Northern Norway.” By Mr. Howard Priestman.
February 11th. “Auvergne Re-Visited.” By Dr. Tempest Anderson.
February 25th. “The Lake District at Christmas.” By Mr. J. M. Nicol.
March 18th. “The Grisons and its Surroundings.” By the Rev. L. S. Calvert.

The concluding lecture of the season, entitled ” Personal Reminiscences of Great Climbs,” was given by Mr. C. E. Mathews at the Philosophical Hall, Leeds, on April 11th. The lecture, which we have pleasure in printing in this number of the Journal was delivered with Mr. Mathews’ usual eloquence and power to a large and appreciative audience of members and friends.

A Special General Meeting was held on October 29th, 1901 – Mr. J. C. Atkinson in the chair – at the Club Rooms, to consider a proposed amendment to Rule X.

It was proposed that Rule X read as follows –

The subscription shall be 15/- per annum, payable in advance on November 1st, and each member shall receive one copy of the Club Journal when published. Any member whose subscription is in arrear shall be dealt with by the Committee.

The proposal was discussed at some length and rejected.

The Annual General Meeting was held in the Club Rooms on Tuesday, October 29th, 1901, at 8 p.m. Mr. J. C. Atkinson occupied the chair. The Committee’s Report, of which the following is a summary, was presented and adopted :-

The Committee have pleasure in presenting their ninth Annual Report. The Club now consists of ten honorary and sixty-four ordinary members, the largest membership it has so far attained. During the year seven general and six committee meetings have been held.

Six lectures have been given as follows:-

November 27th. 1900. “Caves around Ingleborough.” By Mr. S. W. Cuttriss.
January 22nd, 1901. “Here and There in the Oberland.” By Mr. George Yeld.
February 12th, 1901. “A Fortnight’s Tramp in the English Lake District.” By Mr. J. M. Nicol.
February 26th, 1901. “The Grand Cañon of the Colorado.” By Dr. Tempest Anderson.
March 12th, 1901. “Some Dolomite Strongholds.” By Mr. Alfred Barran.
March 26th, 1901. “Climbing in the Lake District.” By Messrs. W. Parsons and A. Riley.

Mrs. Jackson had kindly consented to open the season for us with a lecture on November 9th, but was unfortunately unable to do so owing to a family bereavement.

The Committee were gratified to find the Lectures much better attended than in previous years.

The Committee have to acknowledge the gift of several books and maps to the Club Library, and also the courtesy of the Leeds Photographic and Geological Societies for invitations to their Lectures.

The Committee are pleased to be able to inform the members that the lantern used at the Lectures has now become the property of the Club.

In June last a meeting was held in the Lord Mayor’s Rooms at the Town Hall, Leeds, to hear Canon Rawnsley’s appeal for assistance to purchase for the nation the Brandlehow Estate on Derwentwater. The Club were specially appealed to, and some of its members elected to the local committee then formed, with Mr. J. N. Barran as honorary secretary to obtain subscriptions. Your Committee are pleased to report the successful issue of the scheme, and to find it met with the ready support of the Club’s members. Their subscriptions given directly and collected amounted to £75 out of a total of £200 in Leeds. In directions such as these the work undertaken by the National Trust peculiarly appeals to a Club of our nature. The Committee hope the members will ever be ready to assist in preserving and procuring for the unquestioned use of the nation a larger share of the natural beauties of our country.

The following officers were elected for the ensuing year:- President, W. Cecil Slingsby; Vice-Presidents, Dr. Tempest Anderson and Dr. F. H. Mayo; Treasurer, John Davis; Secretary, Lewis Moore; Assistant Secretary, Frank Constantine; committee,   C. Atkinson, Alfred Barran, J. N. Barran, A. E. Kirk, J. M. Nicol, W. Parsons, Charles Scriven, and Thos. Gray.

A sub-committee consisting of Messrs. Cuttriss, Parsons. and Scriven, together with the two Secretaries, was elected to arrange a number of out-door excursions.

A vote of thanks to the retiring officers was carried unanimously.

Outdoor Excursions – The Sub-Committee elected at the general meeting arranged afternoon and week-end excursions, and Club meets as follows:-

1901.-December 14th. Almscliff.
December 26th. Washburn Valley and Blubberhouses.
1902.-January 18th. Ilkley.
February 8th. Ingleton.
March 1st. Almscliff .
March 28th (Easter meet). Dungeon Ghyll, Langdale.
April 26th. Dacre, Brimham Rocks, and Pateley Bridge.
May 17th (Whitsuntide meet). Thornton-in-Lonsdale.

From time to time a wish has been expressed that the Club should officially associate itself more closely with the out-of-door work of the members, and now that this wish has been to some extent met, the Editor hopes all will encourage the realised idea and cordially support it by their attendance.

A substantial increase in the number of members would also greatly strengthen the Club. It is possible that misunderstandings exist as to the qualification required. Rules II. and V. are therefore here reprinted with the hope that members will be able to introduce suitable new members. They need not necessarily be Yorkshiremen or even residents in the county. Though on this point the name of the Club is perhaps a little misleading, the list of members shows that the Club is ready to embrace men of like tastes from any part of the country.

RULE II.
The objects of the Club are to organise walking and mountaineering excursions, and to gather and promote knowledge concerning Natural History, Archaeology, Folklore, and kindred subjects.

RULE V.
Before any person is eligible for election he shall have shown himself to be interested in the objects of the Club, to the satisfaction of the Committee.

New Members

The following have been elected since our last issue :-

R. W. Broadrick, Fettes College, Edinburgh.
J. H. Buckley, Swiss Villa, Victoria Road, Headingley, Leeds.
Francis Dixon, 1, Cardigan Road, Headingley, Leeds.
R. G. Emsley, Shireoak Dene, Headingley, Leeds.
A. E. Horn, Selborne Villas, Clayton, Bradford.
Gilbert Middleton, Calverley Chambers, Victoria Square, Leeds.
R. N. Middleton, 11, Hyde Terrace, Leeds.
J. H. Simpson, Cleveland House, Roundhay, Leeds.
E. P. Sykes, 247, Hyde Park Road, Leeds.
W. E. Waud, 33, Brookfield Road, Headingley, Leeds.
W.A. Wright, Fairmount House, York.

Eight members have resigned during the past year.

Club Dinner

The tenth anniversary of the Club’s formation was celebrated by a dinner on December 10th at the Hotel Metropole, Leeds. Sixty members and guests were present.

The President, Mr. W. Cecil Slingsby, occupied the chair, and was supported by the Vice-Presidents, Dr. Tempest Anderson and Dr. F. H. Mayo. The Club was honoured by the presence, amongst its guests, of Mr. Hermann Woolley, a Vice-President of the Alpine Club; Dr. Collier; and Mr. Yeld, Editor of the
Alpine Journal; Mr. E. A. Maylard, the President, and Mr. W. M. Naismith, a former Secretary of the Scottish Mountaineering Club; the Rev. W. Lower Carter, Mr. J. W. Howarth, Mr. Percy F. Kendall, Dr. Forsyth, and Mr. Halliwell Sutcliffe.

Letters of regret were received from the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Sir Martin Conway, Dr.   Norman Collie, and Mr. Edward Whymper.

The President held a reception previous to the dinner.

The front of the menu was designed by one of the Club’s founders, Mr. G.T. Lowe. His drawing, which we reproduce, cleverly suggests the history of the Club’s outdoor associations. The three peaks, Ingleborough, Whernside, and Pen-y-ghent, the Yorkshire pot-holes, English rock-climbs, and the Alps, all find a place in it.

The Toast List was as follows :-

“The King”
Proposed by the President.
“The Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club”
Proposed by Dr. J. Collier.
“Kindred Societies”
Proposed by Mr. Alfred Barran.
“The Visitors”
Proposed by the Rev. L. S. Calvert.

The President, in proposing the health of the King, said:-

“Gentlemen, the toast which I have the privilege to submit to you will meet with the enthusiasm which it deserves. We are apt occasionally to underrate the importance of the personal element of the Sovereigns of to-day. In the person of King Edward VII. we possess a worthy successor of the greatest monarch the world has ever seen. Added to great natural talent, the King possesses a wide experience, consummate tact, and a deep and ready sympathy, which endear him to the whole nation. Never was the loyalty of a great empire more universal, more sincere, or more heartfelt than the loyalty of the British Empire to-day, and never was it better deserved or possibly more needed. This loyalty We extend most naturally to the Queen, Prince and Princess of Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family. Gentlemen, the King, God bless him.”

Dr. J. Collier, of Owens College, Manchester, in proposing the Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club, made many humorous and kindly allusions to the rivalry existing between Yorkshire and Lancashire. Briefly reminding his hearers of the more serious strife of civil war, he spoke of the friendly battles fought in present times on our cricket and football grounds, and alluded to the proposal to divide the Victoria University. He regretted that no similar club had arisen in Lancashire, and spoke of his close friendship with our President and of their many joint adventures.

The President, in his reply, after thanking Dr. Collier, said :-

“The Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club is established on a firm basis. It is doing good work, and has brought together men who have common interests. Companionship and inter-communion are good for mankind. Corners get rubbed off. All classes, sects, and varieties of politicians meet on common ground, and friendships are formed which will last till death. The Club is undoubtedly a success, and if proof be required I need only alter one word of the well-known epitaph of Sir Christopher Wren in St. Paul’s Churchyard, and say ‘Si argumemtum requires circumspice’. Yorkshiremen cannot help being ramblers, our county is not only the most beautiful and varied in England, but also in the whole world. Think of our sea-coast, our gentle undulating wolds, our great Vale of York and the noble architecture to be found there, the wild moorland of the North Riding, and the romantic fells and dales of the West. Think of our rich dialect and folklore. The great variety of geological formation affords us various interests. Has not the carboniferous limestone given us the opportunity to specialise in the sport of cave exploration!”

“Cave exploration has a charm of its own, not to be understood save by those who have experienced it-the special charm of entering upon the unknown. Gentlemen, whilst talking about caves, I cannot help referring to the great feats performed by the gallant Frenchman Mons. E-A. Martel in descending Gaping Ghyll. Let us drink to his health, and send him a telegram announcing the toast. Mons. Martel’s pluck was only rivalled by the modesty with which he described his adventure. Gentlemen, the Yorkshire Ramblers’ Club is in its infancy, but, believe me, it has a great future before it.”

The Hon. Secretary, Mr. Lewis Moore, also replied. As an old member of the Club, he admitted that it probably never entered the minds of its original founders that it would become more than a local organisation. They could scarcely have hoped a Club with such modest ambitions would ever reach its present position, and hear that position so generously recognised as they had done that night. At the same time he thought Yorkshiremen and North Countrymen would do well to help them by becoming members. Their aims and objects were wide and varied, and an increased and sympathetic membership would strengthen the Club.

Mr. Alfred Barran submitted the toast of “Kindred Societies,” coupling with it the names of Mr. Hermann Woolley for the Alpine Club, and Mr. E. A. Maylard for the Scottish Mountaineering Club, and the Rev. Lower Carter for the Yorkshire Geological and Polytechnic Society. In his speech, he drew attention to the fact that the Alpine Club is the father of all such clubs, and its members in old days had almost a monopoly of first-class work. It would be a mistake to suppose its present members do not keep up these traditions; their present record far surpasses that of any other club, whether in the Alps, the Himalayas, the Andes, or the Rockies. The Scottish Mountaineering Club has unusual facilities for training of a kind that mountaineers desire to fit them for Alpine work. The Scottish peaks being probably within 500 feet of the height at which glaciers might be formed in North Britain, have snow upon their northern sides almost the year through. The Yorkshire Geological Society has at various times served our Club well by addressing us on points of common interest. Whether it be the peculiar softness and loveliness of the scenery in the British Isles, or the grandeur of the mountains abroad, or some other attraction which charms the members of these kindred societies, it is because they and we all love the hills, and find our greatest pleasure when amongst them, that we look on these societies as kindred.

Mr. Hermann Woolley, replying for the Alpine Club, spoke of the great interest he had always felt for the Yorkshire Ramblers and said he looked to the Club as a nursery from whence might come members of the Alpine Club.

Mr. E. A Maylard responded for the Scottish Mountaineering Club, and the Rev. Lower Carter for the Yorkshire Geological and Polytechnic Society.

The toast of “The Visitors” was proposed by the Rev. L. S. Calvert, who said:-

“We are honoured by the presence of the Vice-President of the Alpine Club, who has won distinction in the Caucasus, the Editor of the Alpine journal, and many other members of the Alpine Club, amongst them my friend Dr. Collier. Amongst our literary visitors we have Mr. Halliwell Sutcliffe, who has given us charming pictures of Yorkshire life and Yorkshire scenery in ‘Shameless Wayne’ and other volumes. There are many things which drew us together as by an invisible golden cord, possibly none more powerful than the searching into the mysterious secrets and beauties of nature, in which so many of our guests to-night joined with us. The hospitality of the climber is proverbial, he shares his last crust, or his seat by the camp fire, nay, even gives without a pang his last nibble of bunderfleisch to his less fortunate brother. In that spirit we welcome here to-night ‘Our Visitors.'”

Dr. Forsyth and Mr. J. W. Howarth responded on behalf of the visitors.

Thus closed a most successful and enjoyable dinner.

L.M.

Forthcoming Books
. – Mr. T. Fisher Unwin has in preparation two new volumes of the Climbers’ Guides, both of which should be – as previous volumes have been – of great use to mountaineers, – ” The Dolomites,” by Mrs. Norman-Neruda, and “The Bernese Oberland,” by Mr. G. Hasler. The former volume is nearly ready.