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who possessed naturally the element for rising. But to rise two conditions are necessary: the ability and the opportu nity. The men who have risen possessed the ability, and photography afforded the opportunity; and to photography many of them have much reason to be grateful as a means of better income and higher status than they might other wise readily have acquired. That photography, as a profession, should have a high conventional status is scarcely possible. The bases of con ventional status in professions are qualification and limita tion or exclusiveness. In the learned professions only the limited number can enter, who by means and education can acquire the qualification and the prescriptive rights apper taining thereto. To belong, then, to these professions not only confers status, but is prima facie evidence of possessing fitness for it. In the practice of the liberal arts an aspirant has to make his own status, win his own spurs; and a painter or a sculptor who, either in virtue of great genius or careful education and earnest culture, cannot produce works of art, will not only never acquire any status in these professions, but can scarcely acquire a recognized position in their ranks. But how is it in photography ? How are the qualifications for practising it obtained? Whence come the men who practise it professionally? The very fact that they spring from all conditions in life is one circumstance which must deprive the profession as such of any especial status. The men who, educated for other positions, have adopted photography and succeeded, who have won their spurs by natural aptitude and careful culture, do acquire status, and have no need to complain. Men of less skill and culture, however, clothed with privilege or dignified by diploma, could not command status or recognition if they produced inferior work. In short, the argument resolves itself into a nutshell: every photographer can make his own status. If his work be good and bis mind cultivated, he will secure both profit and position. Public recognition alone can confer status, and good work alone can secure public recognition ; and in proportion to the number of skilled artists and cultivated gentlemen in the profession, so will the general status and recognition of the profession stand in the public mind. To secure the desired improve ment in this respect the process of natural selection, referred to in your pages last week, must take place, I agree with the writer, who remarked, that “ the strongest will excel, and excellence will succceed, and the weakest will go to the wall.” I have noted with some interest a slight tendency amongst some photographers to revive, or rather to introduce as a novelty, the use of india-rubber for mounting prints. It is really one of the oldest materials which have been used for the purpose. I have used it a longer time ago than I care to say. For mounting prints in albums, and avoiding cockling, it is of undoubted value; but I fear that much disappointment will be experienced if it be much used for ordinary mounting purposes, as many of the prints will, unless I am mistaken, leave the card. The adhesion cannot be so perfect as that secured by paste or glue. I imagine, however, that the cost will effectually check its general adoption. If the claims made for it—of adding to the per manency of the print—be verified, I shall be glad, however, to see it again tested. I have been much pleased with a sight of some enlarge ments produced by the simple method recently described in these pages. Is it not surprising that a method so easy and so obvious should have so long remained neglected ? Any photograper who has or can contrive a camera extending two or three feet may produce such pictures with little trouble; and, if managed with skill, the effect is really beautiful. The question of toning seems to present some difficulties, as most of the specimens I have seen are too cold ; but that is a difficulty which will doubtless be over come if the method come into practice as much as it deserves. At the Photographic Societies the most important topic has been the status of photographers, to which I have already adverted, and which has been discussed at two meet ings,—those of the Parent Society and the South London. At the latter an interesting paper on clouds was read by Mr. Howard, illustrated with some capital examples. I take it that when a photographer can conveniently secure clouds in his landscape negative he assuredly will do so; but as there are many occasions on which good pictures can be obtained in which there are no clouds in the sky at all, and many occasions when none that are in the sky come within range of the lens, few photographers, caring for pictorial excellence, will neglect the valuable aid to har monious composition which double printing offers them, and the advantages of which Mr. Howard so well illustrated. Atthe North London Mr.King again introduced architectural photography,.—a hobby which he likes to ride, and which he rides well. His advice to photographer's to study a little of architecture to enable them to photograph with judgment and select the objects and parts of things worth rendering, is worthy of hearty endorsement; the more so that most men who commence to study architectural art with an ulterior purpose will continue it for its own sake, finding in it its own exceeding great reward, as opening out pleasures and the perception of beauties of which the uninstructed little dream. At the Manchester Society Mr. Winstanley read, a good paper on enlargements. In the course of the evening the subject of india-rubber mounting was discussed, and from some of the examples exhibited my opinion of the imperfect adhesiveness appears to have been confirmed. At the Edinburgh Society a capital address was delivered by the President, who rightly enunciated the Horatian maxim, that as neither gods nor men can tolerate mediocrity in poetry, it ought not to be tolerated in photography. Mr. Slight also read an excellent paper on Societies. The South London Society held its annual dinner, which was a pleasant social meeting, and the community which exists amongst the arts was illustrated by many of the members giving tastes of their high quality as musicians, and some as humourists and lyrists, three original photographic comic songs having been sung on the occasion. In conclusion, the ‘‘Old Photographer” wishes to the numerous friends and readers of these pages the happiest of happy new years and all prosperity. —o ■ fforrigu Rliscellanea. At the last meeting of the Paris Photographic Society, held on the 6th December, M. Despaquis invited the inspection of the members to some specimens of carbon printing upon sheets of mica. Although the material used was by no means of the finest quality, the prints, when viewed as transparencies, pre sented no apparent defects to the eye, but were of surprising fineness and delicacy. At the same meeting M. Davanne exhibited, in the name of M. Manillier, a very simple piece of apparatus designed for the purpose of facilitating the mounting of photographs. It is composed of two sheets of cardboard put together in the form of the cover of a book. The inner surface of one of those boards is covered with white varnished paper, on which are traced horizontal and vertical lines dividing the surface into a large number of squares of equal dimensions. The two lines crossing the middle of the card in the direction of length and breadth are numbered from the centre, where they bisect one another at right angles, the numbers being repeated on each side. A print which has been coated with mounting material is placed face downwards on this, species of draught board in such a manner that the centre of the picture exactly covers the middle of the cardboard (where the two central lines cross one another) ; this is easily done by placing the extreme corners of the print upon such squares as bear similar numbers. The mount is then fitted over the squares in the same manner, the margin) being allowed for and calculated from the number covered by the print ; the two boards are then pressed firmly together, and the picture is mounted in a very prompt and accurate manner.