A FALSE PROPHET 



his or her influence to induce an inquiry with a 

 view to rectifying this, for, of course, room had 

 to be found for the work after Royalty had paid 

 this tribute to the painter. 



The picture exhibition was not only a human- 

 izing influence, so far as the general public were 

 concerned, but conferred an advantage upon 

 many young artists by providing a market for 

 their works. The sale of these was stimulated 

 by an Art Union, the winners of prizes selecting 

 their prize from the pictures exhibited. The 

 amount realized by the sale of tickets, supple- 

 mented by an annual grant from the Society of 

 100, was devoted to the purchase of pictures for 

 prizes. I took tickets always with clockwork 

 regularity, but, no matter whether I took many or 

 few, invariably with the same non-starter result. 

 Quite early in life I abjured all lotteries, raffles, 

 draws, sweepstakes, and such-like vanities, barring 

 the Art Union in question, not on conscientious 

 grounds, but simply because I always drew a 

 blank. However, I had to break through my 

 rule on one occasion, when, as Mayor, I had to 

 preside at the drawing of the prizes of an Art 

 Union in connection with an exhibition at Bath 

 of pictures by West Country artists. In a short 

 address, and with a view to stimulating a few 

 laggards to invest in tickets at the last moment, 

 I dwelt upon the fine chance every one who 

 invested a shilling had of securing a valuable 

 work of art. I was careful to point out that, 

 although I was in the chair and that the Com- 

 mittee had requested a daughter of mine to act 

 as the drawer of the prize numbers, no one need 



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