SIDE SHOWS 



that the geese of our own day are preserving that 

 spirit of intelligent alertness characteristic of 

 their Roman predecessors. 



I have alluded to the cosmopolitan character 

 of the Bath and West exhibition, and among other 

 of its attractions not commonly found at an Agri- 

 cultural Show was, for many years, an exhibition 

 of paintings. This was merely a development 

 of one of the Society's original objects which, as 

 defined by its founders, was " the encouragement 

 of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures and Com- 

 merce." In its very early days, it recognized 

 art by the awarding of a gold medal to Chantrey, 

 the sculptor, and in other ways paid tribute to 

 it. In years gone by, when art had much less 

 recognition outside the rich and cultured classes 

 than now, country-folk had but few opportunities 

 to enjoy works of art. In later times, the estab- 

 lishment of municipal art galleries and increased 

 travelling facilities, induced the Society's Council 

 to believe that there was no longer the same 

 reason as heretofore for recognizing art in this 

 particular way. So now, instead of the picture- 

 show, there are exhibitions illustrative of arts 

 and crafts and of the work of Technical Schools 

 and similar institutions. Nature-study exhibi- 

 tions and collections representing the work carried 

 on by various educational authorities and examples 

 of home industries have also been useful additions 

 to the attractions of the show yard. 



In connection with the picture exhibition, a 

 somewhat embarrassing incident occurred on one 

 occasion. It was when the show was held at 

 Dorchester, and was visited by the late King, 



249 



