LE MENESTREL.

EVEILLEZ-vous, filles d'Erin,

Filles d'Erin, eveillez-vous;

Voyez, sur le bord du chemin

Le menestrel est a genoux.

Accoudez-vous a vos balcons,

Nobles dames, pour ecouter;

Faites taire vos blancs faucons,

Carile menestrel va chanter.

Ecoutez la chanson qu'il chante

Sur sa harpe au divin accent;

Menestrel a la voix touchante:

II dit, la plainte d'un amant!

Entourez le, filles d'Erin;

Conduisez le dans le castel;

Emplissez la coupe de vin

Pour feter le doux menestrel.

M. L.To the Editors of the Magenta:

DEAR SIRS, - In the last number of your paper, and in fact for some time past, I have noticed several articles suggesting the idea of forming a Chess Club, but beyond this there seems to have been no active undertaking in the matter. From my own experience, and from the experience of those who have been members of the prominent chess-clubs in this country, I should judge that the forming of a club, and keeping the members interested in its proceedings, was a thing easily undertaken, and on account of the interest that has been lately manifest, it appears to me that now is the time to begin. It is not so evident, however, in which way it is best to commence, and on thinking the subject over, it has occurred to me to suggest a few different ways of doing this, hoping that in the following number, both of your paper and of the Advocate, they will be discussed, so that finally some idea may be obtained of what would be the most feasible plan of beginning.

Of the different ways of forming a Chess Club, the first which occurred to me was that of the ordinary method, namely, of giving notice that those interested in playing chess were requested to meet at a certain time, and then electing officers, framing a constitution, and performing all that paraphernalia and pomp so dear to those students who delight in seals and the sight of their names recorded on the lists of as many clubs as possible.

The second method was to form the club by a few of the prominent chess-players in College meeting together and organizing the club by themselves, then, after the club has been thus formed, of electing in the rest. To both these methods, however, there are serious objections. In the first method there is a probability that those may be chosen to have control of the club who take no interest in it at all, but were simply chosen on the spur of the moment; and the second is open to the objection that the club might get into the hands of a clique, who, instead of forming a chess-club, might end by practically constituting a social club, in which a person's ability as a chess-player would be among the last grounds of his eligibility as a member. In this connection it would be well to suggest that in forming a club of this kind, members should bear in mind that here, as in other cases, concessions must be made by all, and that members ought to come expecting to yield certain points of rules and decorum, which in another place might be insisted on. However, personal objections should have small weight in these discussions, as it is probable that, through the courtesy of the Telegraph Company, games could be played by two opposite factions without their speaking to or even seeing each other.

Another method which has been suggested is that there should be a few friendly games among those who were desirous of joining, and then those should form a club who could win a game from some player of known merit, after being given a certain amount of odds; then after the tournament was over the number of members should be limited, and membership only be offered to those who could win a game from some member of the already established club.

C. P. E. B.