FIFTY YEARS OF A SHOWMAN'S LIFE 



excused myself from undertaking the Mayoralty, 

 but the unique position created by the combina- 

 tion of the two-offices appealed to me too strongly 

 to be resisted. So I accepted the honour designed 

 for me, glad, at any rate, to have an opportunity 

 to offer some return, in the matter of hospitality 

 and in other ways open to a Mayor, for the many 

 kindnesses the old Society had shown me. This 

 is not the place in which to refer to ordinary 

 happenings during my year of office. But I 

 may say that my term had this distinguishing 

 feature, that a few days previous to my entering 

 upon it 20,000 additional souls were, by the 

 enlargement of the municipal boundaries, added 

 to the population over which I had to preside, 

 so that I became the first Mayor of " Greater 

 Bath." 



The combination, purely accidental, in one 

 person of two individuals, representing two distinct 

 public bodies whose interests were not always 

 identical, led to many humorous situations of a 

 Gilbertian type. The comedy resulting from 

 such a juxtaposition to be effective must be as 

 in this case the genuine outcome of unavoidable 

 circumstances and not the product of artificial 

 adjustment engineered for the sake of effect. In 

 the present instance this necessary condition was 

 observed, inasmuch as the resulting abnormalities 

 in which human nature delights naturally evolved 

 themselves out of ordinary routine and the observ- 

 ance of order and precedent. For instance, as 

 secretary, I had, by direction of the Council, and 

 in accordance with custom, to write and ask myself 

 as Mayor to honour the Society by attending 



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