Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-11-28
FisseFis b. ID houdenl

Yive lie Roi, the succession of Mayors
which has continued about eight cen
turtles remains unbroken. Though no
longer Mayor the outgoing dignitary
who last year was plain Mr.. Alderman
Ellis returns to the Court OF Alder
men as Sir John w. Ellis Baronet. On
an occasion in which the Corporation
aud Royalty are brought into contact
It Is customary to create the Lord
Mayor a Baronet, and the two Sher-
ifs, Knights. Such an op-
portunity presented itself dur
ing the past year in the
state visit of the Queen to Epping
Forest, Of which the corporation Of
London have constituted themselves
the guardians, in the interests Of the
public for whom they have been
mainly instrumental in preserving it
as a place Of recreation. The Lord
Mayor is indeed unfortunate in whose
year of Office no similar opportunity
Tor ennoblement occurs, and as q mat
ter Of fact, of the fifteen Aldermen
who have pa ised the chair" but four
are untitled. If in the severity Of
your republican simplicity you do not
despise the information, | may state
that while knigllthood confers the
title of "Sir" for lifetime only, a
Baronetey is an hereditary distinction,
and a century hence a Sir John Ellis
may be in existence to remind another
generation OF his ancestors occupa-
ton Of the civic chair. The comforting
Of a Baronetey upon the Lord Mayor
and the simple knighting Of the two
Sheriffs will thus explain itself clearly
to you.
The City Of London, within its
ancient boundaries, formerly defined
by a wall and gates, is divided into
twenty six wards, each Of which is
presided over by an Alderman, elected
by the inhabitants. From the Court
OF Aldermen thus constituted there's
annually elected a Lord Mayor, who
becomes for one year the chief magis.
trate of the city, with a salary Of
$4,000 and the title of Right Hon
orable." In the exercise Of TIE
princely hospitality looked for from
the head of q corporation a Lord
Mayor usually expends a sun con-
~siderably in excess OF his allowance
Although any member Of the Alder
manic body is eligible, tho regular
routine Of election in the order OF
seniority is rarely departed from, and
cases Of re. collection are still rarer; the
last instance having occurred just
twenty years ago, when Alderman
Corbitt served the Office for two years
in succession. The father of the
corporation is Alderman Finnis, Lord
Mayor as long ego as 1856, while the
youngest member Of the court Alder
man Whitehead, may expect to enjoy
the dignity in the year 1889, unless the
ordor of succession is broken by death
or resignation-orif the contemplated
reform Of the corporation by act Of
Parliament, long threatened and still
postponed, has not by that time
relocated to the domain OF ancient
institutions the Court of Aldermen,
and ever the Mayoral Office itself.
"The Lord Mayors Show" is simply
the procession Of the Chief Magistrate
and the principal officers OF the cor
poration from the Guildhall in the
city to the courts of law in Westmin
ster, where His Lordship is presented
to the judges Of the Court Of Queens
Bench, to whom he is introduced by
the Recorder in a more or less lauda-
tory speech. The procession then
returns to the Guildhall in the same
order, but by different route. Custom
demands that under all circumstances
the procession must pass through the
principal streets of the ward represent.
ed by the Lord Mayor; thus frequently
4 considerable detour is made. 1t is
in this locality that the principal
display is made; and Fore street, 10 the
Ward Of C~ripplegate, represented by
the present Lord Mayor, is to-day gay
with Venetian masts, triumphal
arches and rows Of flags stretched
from side to side of the street. The
details fthe pageant are varied from
year to year, and special features are
occasionally introduced. In the year in
which the Queen assumed the title oil
Empress Of Iudia," elephants
marched in the procession; and in the
year Of the first International Exhibi
ton, a great globe, with figures repre-
senting the four quarters Of the world,
was introduced. Last year, the flag Of
the United States, escorted by guard
Of honor, appeared for the first time.
This has been repeated to day, and, |
am informed, is TO be a permanent
item in all future shows" The Lord
Mayors state coach aud the men in
armor are generally the items in the
procession strongest 10 popular favor.
The former is a huge and cumbersome
vehicle, resplendent with painting and
gliding ard drawn by six horses. In
it are seated the Lord Mayor, his
chaplain, macebearer and sword.
bearer. Though only used an
uually, this coach has borne more
than one hundred Lord Mayors from
the Guildhall on the 9th. OF November
The men in armor are individuals rep.
resenting knights OF the middle ages
clad from head to foot in Warlike
steel.
Some years ago a section Of the pub.
lie attempted TO organize a movement
having for its object the abandonment
ofthis annual pageant. The arguments
used were numerous aud no doubt ID
their users conclusive. II was not 10
accordance with the spirit Of the
times, it was the useless perpetuation
Of an ancient mummery, it was a spec.
tlcle fit only for the amusement Of
women, children and country pumpkins
and lastly it stopped for for the greater
part Of one day business and loeomo.
ton in the most important though
iares Of the metropolis. A Lord Mayor
OF utilitarian proclivities attempted to
test public opinion on this head, and
inserted the thin end Of the
wedge by going into procession minus
the state coach. As in place
Of the cheers which usually
greet the progress OF the civic mon
arch his lordship was vehemently
Kissed all the way from the city TO
Westminster by a disappointed and