THE GRASP OF A FRIENDLY HAND 15 



ments were intrusted directly to his charge. He 

 had implicit confidence in the good faith and judg- 

 ment of his manager, Mr. LEONARD. The big under- 

 taking in short received his tentative approval, and 

 later his unequivocal and hearty commendation. 



The initial convention called to commit the breed- 

 ing interests of the country to the support of the 

 projected International assembled in the hall of the 

 Live Stock Exchange in November, 1899. The 

 writer of these notes can bear personal testimony 

 to the enthusiasm that prevailed upon that mem- 

 orable occasion, because the most agreeable duty 

 of serving that meeting in the capacity of Chair- 

 man fell to our lot; and later since this now per- 

 force takes on more or less of the character of 

 personal recollections with an unavoidable tinge of 

 autobiography we had the privilege of presiding for 

 the first ten years of the show's existence at the 

 meetings of its Board of Directors. Looking back 

 at this distance I cannot refrain from paying high 

 compliment to the unselfish devotion of the men 

 who originally planned the rules, regulations and 

 classifications of this great national institution, and at 

 great personal sacrifice attended the meetings and 

 superintended the launching of so great an enter- 

 prise. In the course of some thirty years of identi- 



