FIFTY YEARS OF A SHOWMAN'S LIFE 



approached him. Its spokesman handed him a 

 letter, written in a very bold hand, and in the 

 homely phraseology to which those whose senti- 

 ments it conveyed were accustomed, setting forth 

 how grateful they were for the kindness and con- 

 sideration he had shown them. Then a parcel 

 was put into his hand with the expressed hope 

 that he would accept it as a memento of their 

 appreciation of his thought for them, and the 

 colonel suddenly found himself in possession of a 

 case containing two silver-mounted pipes. He 

 assured me that he had never received anything 

 he valued more highly than that letter, and I am 

 sure he meant what he said. The magic of human 

 sympathy is, happily, still a power in the land, 

 and can elicit a responsive echo. 



I am glad to say that more regard than 

 formerly is now shown for the general welfare in 

 a show yard of those in charge of the animals 

 and other exhibits which find a place there, in- 

 asmuch as at the Bath and West Society's shows 

 space is allotted for the erection of a reading and 

 writing tent for their special use, and here evening 

 meetings, concerts, etc., are held. This was due 

 to the initiation of the Young Men's Christian 

 Association, who were the first to take steps to 

 meet this want, and have ever since supplied it, 

 with the full support of the Society's Council. 

 When the proposal to admit the Association to the 

 yard was first made some fears were expressed that 

 to accord a status at the show to an organization 

 unconnected with the Society might give rise to 

 difficulties. I ventured to urge that the experi- 

 ment might be tried for one show. This was done 



174. 



