The State of The Augustan Society, Inc., for 2007
==Is Our Society a Cult? And Should it Be?==
By Bruce A Metcalf, FAS, Consul
So if a cult is defined as a group who are bound together by a single figure, real or not, then the first half century of our Society saw us develop into a cult; specifically, the “Cult of [[Founder|Sir Rodney]]”, and I am proud to count myself among his worshipers. Despite his disclaimers, the Society was very much what he made it, and we were bound by loyalty to him rather more tightly than we were bound to the Society itself. Notice how quickly we all joined the [[Octavian Society]], the [[International Chivalric Institute]], the [[Heraldry Society of the USA]]? Good organizations all, to be sure, but it was Sir Rodney’s recommendation of them that convinced us all to sign up.
Now that we have lost him, what is to become of this Cult cult of ours? Do not suppose that we can continue as before, honoring the man and his ideals, for we too are old and our newest members are already wondering, “Who was that man?” Capt. Browne, our Omnibus Proofreader, reports that cults of personality tend to survive only about five years past the death of their object of affection. If true, we have but two years to find a new hub for our wheel before we fall into the ditch.
If we are no longer to be a “Cult of Sir Rodney”, then what, or who? I cannot fancy that we shall become a “Cult of Bruce”. It sounds too much like a Monty Python skit, plus I don’t fancy that my rudimentary knowledge of our varied fields of study gives me anything like the stature needed.
For a time, we nearly became a “Cult of the [[Villa Augusti]]”. As other activities of our Society ebbed, more and more attention was paid to the building, both in person and in our publications. Alas, also in our budget.
For those of you unfamiliar with the financial history, we received a gift of $300,000 from a member’s will with the restriction that it could only be used for capital purchases, not for maintenance and routine expenses. That was enough to buy the Villa Augusti, and now that it’s sold, nearly the same amount is again available for a purchase. But the Villa Augusti — an uninsulated, 80-year-old wood structure in the high desert — was not an easy or inexpensive building to operate. We finally got decent air conditioning installed, only to discover it cost $100 per day to operate! The Society didn’t have the income to sustain the property, which is why we were obliged to give it up.
But the money realized from the sale of that first Villa Augusti is again in hand, though still with the capital-only restriction. We can again purchase a building, especially in this economy, but this time we must take care that we do not buy an inefficient building, nor one we cannot afford to operate indefinitely.
No, we need fundraising to go find us another $300,000 that we can invest and use the interest to fund the upkeep of our new Villa. This will be hard, as there’s just no “sex” in donations to pay for the water bill. But it is a task that must precede our purchase, and it must begin years in advance.
The second champion is needed to define our space needs so that we can know just how much Villa is required for present and near future of our Society. This means the work area for [[Headquarters Staff]] and volunteers, the [[Library]], the [[Museum]](since discontinued), meeting space, and a [[Chapel of the Rose|Chapel]], if not more. I also urge that we plan for living quarters for a paid [[Executive Director]] and their family. As capital funding is easy and expenses hard, our provision of living quarters will make it possible to hire better staff at lower rates, for the current housing situation will surely not last forever.
Neither of these champions can be your [[Consuls]]. If we do take on these tasks, you will need to find others to keep the machinery of the Society working, as that presently takes all of our available time and energy. Those of you sitting here today are by your very presence the prime candidates and best prospects for our Society’s future.