FIFTY YEARS OF A SHOWMAN'S LIFE 



the camp, he learnt, early in life, the value of 

 order, method and discipline, and he brought 

 these qualities to bear in all that he undertook. 

 Polished in speech, and full of courtly grace, he 

 moved, with equal ease and dignity, in whatever 

 company he found himself. His attention to 

 detail was reflected in his dress, for he was always 

 one of the most perfectly costumed and groomed 

 of men. Even the flower, never absent from his 

 button-hole, struck just that note of colour which 

 gave the finishing touch to the whole, whilst 

 neither wind nor weather could ever destroy the 

 impression that he had just stepped out of the 

 proverbial band-box. He looked every inch what 

 Sir W. Gilbert called " the true-born aristocrat," 

 with just that touch of distinction which arrests 

 the attention of the passer-by, and sets him won- 

 dering to whom it belongs, certain that it is to 

 some one out of the ordinary ruck. 



His services to his county were equalled by 

 those he gave to Agriculture, which is saying a 

 great deal. As he was a vice-president and 

 trustee of the Bath and West Society, as well as 

 chairman of its Education and Experiments Com- 

 mittees, I saw much of him. He was frequently 

 called upon to preside over Council and committee 

 meetings, and, though he could be autocratic on 

 occasion, his intimate acquaintance with the 

 rules of debate, and the tact and courtesy with 

 which he conducted the proceedings were valuable 

 aids to fair discussion. With a reverence for the 

 past, he united a sympathy with the aims and 

 aspirations of the present, and he could understand 

 and appreciate the necessities of an age of progress. 



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