in the first list of members, published in 1859, when the dimensions of the Club had swelled from the original thirty-one to one hundred and thirty members.
In glancing over this publication, a copy of which has been presented to the writer by Mr. Edward Whymper, such names as Matthew Arnold, John Ball, E. F. Blackstone, Rev. T. G. Bonney, Joseph Chamberlain, Rev. J. L. Davies, Rev. F. J. Hort, William Mathews, John Murray, Rev. Leslie Stephen, Prof. J. Tyndall, Alfred Wills and Horace Walker appear, names of young men who have since risen in their various departments to the highest fame and greatest responsibilities that can be acquired. With mental power and physical energy of a calibre such as these names indicate, it is not difficult to understand why the Mother Club stands to-day on a pinnacle whose heights, have been climbed by her alone. It shows most conclusively that of all noble sports, that of mountaineering is most noble, in that it appeals to all classes and professions and brings forth the lofty traits of patience, perseverence, courage and skill. It has, moreover, much to do with the formation of a nation's character, in the development of the intellectual and religious senses, the former through scientific inquiry and artistic representation, and the latter through the unseen but much felt force of an Almighty Power behind an apparent chaos, evolving a scientific scheme of order and an artistic blending of color. An alpine club built on lines similar to the Mother Club is a national asset of which a country may well feel proud.
From the parent club has sprung a large family, one hundred and sixty-six in number. While many of these are, properly speaking, tourist associations rather than actual alpine clubs, yet the same keen activity, the same spirit of emulation and the same desire to come in touch with the cruder forms of nature is the mainspring of each organization.
